Pick Up The Ball & Run

Crouch - Bind - Engage! 

So it's been roughly a month since my last post on here, but I've actually had quite an eventful month. I have turned 30, joined a rugby team, hosted friends and family in our new city and taken my first summer holiday since high school.

 So in my last blog, I mentioned that I had gone along to watch a pair of local teams play at Årsta Rugby Center. It was my intention to approach one of them and say "Hey, I may be fat and haven't run for anything but the ice cream van in 12 years, but I used to play rugby 4 days out of 7. Can I come and train with you guys?"

 Well things ended up going a little differently, but in a really cool way. When I showed up to train with my chosen team of "Hammarby" (The guys wearing Celtic colours) I found a group of ten people getting changed into rugby kit, practicing their drop-kicks and generally just catching up after the weekend. It turned out this this group of guys and girls were the "Stockholm Berserkers."
 

“​​​​​​​Sthlm Berserkers Rugby was founded in January 2011

In the beginning it was a rugby team motivating gay and bisexual guys to venture into one of the toughest and challenging sports there are.
Berserkers built up an environment without prejudice and homophobia
where players could feel comfortable and relaxed.

Berserkers welcome everyone no matter sexual orientation or ethnic origin.

... OUR MOTIVATION Is to be as open and welcoming as the world we want to live in.”

— Stockholm Berserkers' "Story"

After chatting with some of the guys and finding out about the club, I joined in with the training session and immediately found out how right I was about my current state of fitness. Since that day, exactly a month from when I've been writing this, I've been working on my fitness in the gym, on walks with Kara after work and of course, during training sessions out at Årsta. While I feel like I'm getting back into the swing of things, I am a totally different shape to when I was 17. I've morphed from second row into a prop, and while I feel like I'm still strong, I know my stamina isn't where it needs to be. It's ok though, because the team are so nice and welcoming that you always feel that the support is there when you're puffing and wheezing to get over the line.

 On top of my fitness level, there's those aches and pains that I spoke about last time. On top of the rugby, I've also joined some friends in trying to increase my strength with a regimen of weights. It's totally new to me, and I'm a bit of a liability, but I can see and feel my shoulders and arms regain their strength, and I'm really hoping to become a valuable asset to the team.

Heliophobic Hermit Hosts

 So Kara and I have been living in Stockholm for 4 months now. It feels like it's been much longer, as we've done so much and spent entire days exploring the city, but Stockholm continues to unfold in front of us, and we are enjoying visiting corners that we haven't seen yet.

 Avalanche has a standard two week holiday period at the end of July. This seemed weird to us, as this doesn't really happen in the UK. People only tend to take time off around Christmas to go home and see their family. We discovered that the Swedes like to take advantage of the summer by taking stints of 3 to 4 weeks off, which sounds incredible, but completely alien to us.

 I spent my first week trying to stick to a healthy regimen and of course I succeeded in hurting my neck at the gym, with my poor form on the squat racks. I also set myself a task of working on a Twine game, that I'd hoped to finish. Of course, there are challenges to non-linear storytelling, and I am still early in my process of learning how to build a story that accounts for player choice. This is all part of my attempts at forming something - anything that I can put on this site and say "lookie here, I can do a good writings!" Anyway, I was able to hammer out the outlines of each "cell", but the actual prose will need to come later. I'm hoping that as I flesh out the story, the cells will begin to flow, but it's weird to look at a story and see a flow-chart, even though I know that's a basic component of interactive storytelling.

 Our second week was spent in the company of friends & family who had come to see Stockholm. Well, all except from our first day where I took Kara to the gym to get her baseline weight limits and ended up sort-of breaking her. She'll be well placed for working on her strength now, though.

 At the start of the week, our friends Kevin and Penny arrived in town and we went out to Stockholm's amusement park; Gröna Lund.

 It was great to see our friends, who we hadn't caught up with since our wedding, a year and a half ago. Since we last saw them, they've become jet-setting superstars in the world of piercings and body modifications, with Kevin piercing his childhood celebrity crush, amongst many other high profile celebrities. It was great to catch up with them both as they discussed their travels. Like me, Kevin had also just had his thirtieth celebrations, and this trip had followed time spent in Gruyere, Switzerland. 

 As a pair of borderline hermits who don't venture out into direct sunlight, Kara and I may not be the best tour guides in town. Kara can't drink, and I can't afford to drink, so we don't visit many bars, and while we do enjoy finding nice places to eat, readers of previous blogs will note that we pick from the "kids menu" of international cuisine. That being said, we have discovered that it's possible to get delicious pizza from two places nearby. Both "Bananas" at the end of our street, and "Galina's Pizza" at Ringen are fantastic, and if you keep it basic, Galina's is under £10 for a delicious log-fired pizza.

 Because the weather was so nice, we took our visitors out to Gröna Lund. This involved climbing aboard one of the ferries that we'd been wanting to set out on, and it was really cool to have the sea breeze in your face as you approach the sound of loud music, excited chattering and *sigh* children (and adults) screaming on rollercoasters. It was after disembarking and looking around that I remembered "Shit. It's the school holidays." It was an ironic observation, much like my "Rome is ruined by all the visiting tourists." from a few years ago.

 We bought an all-day pass for the rides and set off to wait in our first queue of the day. It actually worked out ok, as it gave us a chance to catch up with our friends while we waited. We went on all the rollercoasters that we wanted to, and the longest queue was for some chicken nuggets. Of course, this was all accompanied by the scorching heat and the sound of screaming and crying kids. Personal highlights from the day include:

1. Realising that by sitting in the same row as me, my friends had doomed themselves when the bar was pushed down as hard as I could on my thighs, still leaving a hearty 2 inch gap between their legs and the bar for them to bounce around in.
2. Hearing the sounds Penny made as we went around the "scary" ride. Especially when the chairs are rigged to poke you in the back.
3. The "toilet monster" on the scary ride. That was great.
4. Seeing Kara get to go on her first "proper" rollercoasters. It was a little dampened by Kara's screams as she clutched onto her only pair of glasses for dear life.

 In the last couple of days during their visit, we also met up with a couple of native Swedish friends and got to play at being tourists in our own city. We took a boat ride under the bridges, listening to an extremely passive-aggressive tour that discussed how Sweden is well known for developing weapons. It struck me as a "so don't mess with us, okay buddy?" We also got to go out eating in our neighbourhood, and try some places that we'd been considering. All-in-all, a great few days.

 As soon as we got off the boat, we waved goodbye to our friends and went to meet my mum and her partner Bob, who had arrived that afternoon. It was really nice to see them, especially as I'd been getting used to seeing more of my mum, just before we moved to Sweden.

 Kara and I felt like bad tour guides, as most of our experiences of Stockholm involved going on nice long walks and taking in the scenery. We walked around Gamla Stan, taking in the beauty of the old city, showing mum the shops we like and the one's we think she'd like. We toured a large section of Södermalm, culminating in a rain-drenched walk to Sofia Kyrka, where I got a nice but drizzly view of the island.

 We also got to visit the Vasa Museum, which houses the ill-fated "Vasa" ship. A cautionary tale against letting an unqualified leader make rash decisions (no subtext); the upside of the Vasa's story is that it leaves modern historians with an incredible relic of the past. While being busy, the museum is climate controlled to keep the wood from rotting away. This made for a very comfortable and cool atmosphere.

 Too soon, it was time to say goodbye to mum and Bob, and we ended our holiday by watching movies and taking a deep breath before getting back into the swing of our usual working week.

Berserker Pride

I don't talk about my personal politics online very much, and while I rarely shy away from engaging in conversation in person, I like to think that anyone who knows me will be aware that I am for equal-rights and inclusion across all groups of people. While I've always considered myself an "ally" to the LGBT community, I've never really done much beyond the occasional reactionary post to something I've read about out of touch politicians trying to score points with bigots.

 Joining a rugby team with its roots in the gay community gave rise to a unique opportunity to actually do something visible, even if it was as simple as walking in a parade. Kara and I were lucky enough to join in the Stockholm pride march, wearing Berserkers colours. Despite still being very new (today marks a month of meeting some of these guys) everyone has been super welcoming and friendly. It also helps that some of them are fellow nerds, and the march was a great opportunity to get to know them better.

 Of course, Stockholm is the bohemian capital of Sweden; the hub of a very progressive and mature society. It would be naive to think that people don't face bigotry in Sweden, but it was really eye-opening to me to see the enormous numbers that lined the streets as the parade passed by. Some open spaces showed hundreds of people, just waving and cheering. My imposter syndrome was in overdrive, as not only have I not actually played a game for the Berserkers yet (stay tuned for the fallout), but I haven't had to go through the sort of issues that pride stands against. It was such a nice environment, I am looking forward to doing it again next year.

 The march itself was an extraordinary experience, as the group in front of us represented a Jiu Jitsu martial arts school, and they would intermittently drop their bags and two of them would spar on the cold wet concrete. Some were even performing holds that had them spinning upside down, their heads scant inches from the ground. For the Berserkers part, my teammates took every opportunity to demonstrate line-outs and scrums. The crowd often went crazy as we hoisted people into the air or wrestled for the ball. I didn't see any skinned knees, so I think it all went to plan. I also learned the Berserkers chant, which we yelled every 50 meters or so, it seems.

 We ended the day with a little picnic up by the observatory. It was great to just relax in the company of some welcoming new friends. I think that I'd have a hard time feeling as satisfied with joining another team, knowing that a crew as great as the Berserkers were out there. I look forward to getting to know you all better.

“Bira, bira bira!

Berserkers!”

— Stockholm Berserkers Chant

Next Time:

I really ought to get back to talking about games, but life has gone from a dreary slow pace to an exciting and frenetic time after we moved to Stockholm. The summer has been quite draining and my hayfever has finally reared it's ugly head. My grass allergies don't make it easy to enjoy rugby, but I'll find a way to make it work. My first game will hopefully be in a week's time, so here's hoping it all goes to plan and I end with all my teeth.

Until next time!

Our First Month of Nordic Living

The cherry blossoms in Kungstradgarden.

From Rain to Snow

 At the time of writing this, I am sat at my desk in our little flat in central Södermalm, enjoying the feeling that comes after the first warm day of the year. Today (May 1st) also marks the end of the first month that Kara and I have spent in Sweden. My sense of time is distorted, as I feel like we've done a lot in the past month. We have been tourists, I have been acclimating to my new job at Avalanche, and we've both been working to find the daily routine in our lives. While we have lived in the west-end of Edinburgh before, we've never lived in a city as big as Stockholm, and the options for things to do can be a little bit overwhelming. This is a good thing though, as it's allowing us to go out and explore the city piece-by-piece.

My "Welcome Package" that was awaiting me on my first day at Avalanche. Look at that fancy embossed notebook!

 Our first week here, it seemed that the weather was much the same as it had been in Scotland. Of course, it would be churlish to complain about cold weather after moving to Sweden, but even the locals were upset that spring was taking its time to show up. In-fact, we had numerous snow showers in the first fortnight here, which made for a nice setting, even if the snow didn't stick around for long. But I digress; nobody is interested in the Swedish weather.

 Out & About in Stockholm

 During our first month here, we have done our fair share of exploring, with most of our recent adventures all being done on foot. Stockholm is a busy city with a lot going on and an expansive metro system, but Kara and I have found ourselves wandering across Slussen and into Gamla Stan to explore the sights, sounds and even the tastes of the old town before walking back home. One major source of concern is the shop "Science-Fiction Bokhandeln" which contains pretty much everything we want in our home. Fortunately we are behaving ourselves until we have a steady two-person income. Our neighbourhood is very well placed, with numerous supermarkets and public amenities close-by, and during a recent timed exercise, I was door-to-desk in 6 minutes. My recent commute from Perth to Dundee involved over an hour each way of commuting, so it's really nice to have so little wasted time making my way to work. That being said, I am really struggling to fit in all of my podcasts, now that I've lost my commute!

One of the beautiful shop fronts in Gamla Stan. This is a sweet shop!

I don't even want to know how long it took to arrange it...

  Our first "day out" was of course; the trip to Ikea to supply ourselves with all the essentials a Scottish couple needs. Naturally, this involved me buying a £12 potato masher, which is expensive, even by Swedish standards. It does appear to be the king of all potato mashers, but still, if it wasn't for Kara's pleading, I don't know if I would have buckled. Our apartment in the city is small, so I know we don't need to worry about buying a lot of furniture. Truth be told, it's quite refreshing to know that our next house move won't involve begging family members (sorry Doug) to help. Both Ikea trips that we've taken so far have involved utilising Stockholm's expansive (and a little expensive) transit system. We've been to cities with Metro systems before, but that was as tourists. It felt utterly bizarre to be sweating under the weight of two flat-packed chest of drawers as we sat in a busy carriage home.

That's right, kids. This masher has a spring action and two layers! That means twice as much "lolly" at the end of mashing.

 On the 14th of April, Kara and I decided to take a walk out of our way to explore the western side of Södermalm. We ventured out and discovered "Tantolunden"; a large park with an impressive open-air sports area, including a couple of football pitches and a basketball court which has a surface that doesn't look conducive to the bouncing of a ball. It was impressive to see such wonderful facilities were wide open the public, with a distinct lack of vandalism that one might expect elsewhere. If Kara and I wanted to play a quick game of football (I'm sure that me thinking it just sent a shiver up her spine) then we easily could have. We walked onwards and up quite a large hill to find a "light" blizzard, and allotments that put any I've seen before to shame. Almost all of them looked like they'd fit in The Shire, with quirky designs and paint schemes. Bearing in mind that only the daffodils appeared to be blooming at this point, it's impressive that most of the allotments looked like someone was still tending to them at least every week. Despite the weather, I have pleasant memories of the trip, seeing how well respected the public spaces seem to be, even if there was a little graffiti on some of the bins.

A nice little arrangement on a Tantolunden allotment.

One of the allotments on Tantolunden.

 As luck would have it, Kara entertained some friends as they visited Stockholm, leading to her having visited the Vasa Museum without me!  This was the utmost betrayal, as I was fascinated with the concept of a warship that was designed by the king and sank before even leaving the harbour. Still, Kara made it up to me by proposing a trip to "Skansen"; the world's first open-air museum. We took advantage of one of my three bank holidays (or "red days" as they're known in Sweden) that I've had in the past month to travel into the city and visit this amazing arrangement of preserved farmer's cottages, shacks from the Norwegian wilderness and an impressive range of animals, including brown bears, grey wolves and a pair of lynx. We visited on a day where a "master folk musician" married couple were putting on a show which involved an impressive range of instruments and a small history lesson. Kara took advantage of Facebook's "LIVE" functionality to transmit a short concert to some of her friends, which was cool. As we wandered around some of the more modern buildings, we decided that if we buy a house, we'd like to paint the outside to look in the colourful traditional Swedish way. There were numerous old farmsteads that were honestly like going back to the world of the Witcher or something. It did occur to me that as much as I refer to Kara's home town as being like Skyrim, I'm now living in one of the countries that inspired the setting of Skyrim itself. I can't wait to get outside the city.

One of the MANY impressive buildings that are part of Skansen.

Skansen has a couple of cool windmills.

 On Saturday 29th, we decided to head out into the city for "Kulturnatt"; or "Culture Night" where the city's museums open their doors to the public for an evening of exhibitions, including some of the royal family's personal collections. I spent a couple of hours planning the most efficient route for us to see everything and in the end, I forgot about one of the exhibits I really wanted to see, but in the end, we did see some cool stuff. Unfortunately, my love of history and museums was overcome by my dislike for crowds, and of course on the night when everything is open for free, the crowds are crazy. After a wander around a floor of the royal palace, a tour of their armoury museum and tagging onto the tour at the Medieval museum, we called it a night. I'd come to the conclusion that I'd rather pay some money to wander around at my own pace, instead of being unable to read the plaques due to a constant stream of people. I'm not entirely sure what part of that last sentence makes me sound more like an old man...

The design for some kind of cyber-horse...probably.

Old Swedish kings loved guns like modern American nutters do.

 Since we got here, Kara has been giving me not-so-subtle hints about the boat tours that tourists can go on, allowing for quite a great deal of sightseeing, as Stockholm is built across a series of islands. Because today was so warm and sunny, I decided to relent and we went on the Stockholm "Ocean Bus". Kara was giddy as the bus pulled up to the stop and after the last tour disembarked, we clambered aboard. The experience of driving around in a bright blue truck that has been sealed at the bottom and converted into a bus on top must be like the experience of driving around in a limo with loud music blaring. As we looked out of the window, people stopped and stared, some even took photos. The fact that the front of the bus had been painted to look like a shark's mouth probably didn't help. The stares and picture taking was only amplified when we approached the side of the water and the driver charged in (to the theme from Pirates of the Caribbean). Kara had such a massive smile on her face as the bus transformed into a boat and we powered on into the water. The tour itself was pretty good, due in no small part to the tour guide; Paul. His playful snipes about certain aspects of Swedish culture and Stockholm itself were nicely interspersed with interesting facts about the sights as we passed by. Facts such as "Södermalm is composed of 90% hipsters. Does anyone here live on Södermalm?" of course, as I sheepishly raised my hand, he said that my beard was a dead giveaway. I thought that was a little unfair, as I wasn't even wearing a plaid shirt...at that very moment.

 His tour did briefly mention "Kungsträdgården" with its many cherry trees, which Kara and I arrived in time to see blooming. It's a beautiful open space, with water fountains and on a hot day, it's packed with people just chilling out and enjoying their city. We actually walked through it a few days beforehand, after we had taken a trip to the "Skatterverket" or the Swedish tax agency, so that we could begin the process of getting our personal numbers that will allow us to settle in the country on an indefinite basis. Despite our worries about the time-dragging power of bureaucracy, we were in and out again within an hour or so. 

Adopting Hygge

 Ok, so technically "Hygge" is a Danish concept, but it's a big thing throughout Scandinavia, where the concepts of being professional and being comfortable are not mutually exclusive. The boss wears jeans and a polo shirt to the office, shoes are often swapped with sandals or birkenstocks, or (and I have genuinely seen this at my work) some people wear big fluffy socks and jogger bottoms to work. Now I'm not saying that I'm going to be showing up to work in my PJs, but Sweden has definitely got things going in the right direction. Between the flexible and fair timekeeping schedule, a generous supply of hot drinks including a range of teabags that's making me wish I liked tea, free (and encouraged) massages, after-work social events, and a workplace full of friendly, happy people; I've definitely got a workplace Hygge going on.

 Of course, it helps a lot that I only have a little five minute wander home, ensuring that I'm not in a bad mood from dealing with delayed trains, rude commuters or the simple act of hanging around train stations for longer than is absolutely necessary. I am glad to say that Hygge has also followed me home. We're both "nesters" you could say, so we always make a special effort to make our living space more enjoyable and practical. We have an absolutely massive couch, so we can enjoy movies or tv shows together while being super comfortable. We also now have our own little work spaces on each side of the living room, so as I am typing away here, Kara is doing the same behind me. We haven't been here long, but I feel like we're already making this the kind of place we want to be.

 Another incredible contribution to our living arrangement is the discovery of the Scandinavian Double Duvet System which is wonderful for Kara and me, as I am normally a furnace at all hours and will end up kicking off covers as I sleep. This is no longer a problem, now that we sleep with two duvets. I would heartily recommend it to anyone else.

 That's all for now. It's most definitely bedtime for me. I am looking forward to getting back to updating my blog, and hopefully playing some games that I can talk about in the next installment. I've been on a bit of an indie rampage of late, so I have some games to talk about, including Jazzpunk, This War of Mine and Oxenfree.

 All that and more, coming soon.