I suppose it’s been a while since I did something particularly stupid, so perhaps I was due. Let me tell you the tale…

KALMARS, my beloved adopted nation, had a cleaning day. If you cleaned for 4 hours or more, you got to go to the after party that evening. I spent my four hours scrubbing walls and mopping floors, and was very excited to socialize with my works friends (because thus far I only had seen them at work). It was like a tiny-winy Gaske (gaske again being those peculiar Swedish formal dinners) We had schnapps and sang Swedish songs. I even pulled out the two English drinking songs I knew, "Rambling Rover" and "The Scotsman". The miracle with the last one being that 1) I got through the whole thing without messing up too bad and 2) the Swedes all got the joke at the end of the song and laughed heartily.


A very good time was had by all. Too good, unfortunately. Later on after dinner we play some party type games, and then we are just milling about. I should point out that the dinner is small (10 people) and held upstairs in the Kalmars library. At one point I decide it would be in keeping with the jolly mood to do a handstand. However, being a little drunk my follow through was not quite graceful. I fall and end up kicking a painting on the wall of one of the old Inspectors. The painting was from the late 19th century. And it now had a hole in it.

That kinda killed the mood. But not entirely. We went down to the pub, which by this point had closed to regular patrons, and talked well into the morning. It made me very sad because I was having such a good time but knew in the back of my mind that I would be leaving the country soon. Oh melancholy.

That's my story. I've since talked with the 1Q (first curator) and he assures me that they consider it an accident and that I won't have to pay for anything, and that the insurance will cover the restoration anyways. Nice folks, Kalmars. Real nice.

In one week is Valborgs, the biggest festival of the year here in Uppsala. It involves a student boatrace down the river, student marches in the street, and all sorts of debauchery.

-TWN-