Party at Catrin's place

_MAL8714, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

My new Lindy-hopping friend Catrin invited me to an impromptu party at her place in Hammarby Hojden, not too far from where Lotta lives.

Catrin had an excellent spread of food prepared, including an amazing carrot soup the recipie to which I have requested. As is the custom in Sweden, each person brought something to drink; so there were a dozen or so bottles of wine opened throughout the evening.

It was a fun party with lots of interesting and friendly people. I saw a few folks there that I already knew, including Coco, another Lindy hop dancer.

Debaser Saturday night

_MAL9110, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Maria invited me to join her, Johan & Susanna at Debaser on Saturday. The music was loud and the beer, umm, alcoholic.

After a while we found a relatively quiet table in the back and enjoyed chatting for a while. I also ran into fellow Lindy hop dancer Daniel and met a nice woman named Anna there.

Dinner & bowling with colleagues

_MAL8263, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Yesterday afternoon I attended a meeting with colleagues, some of whom I had never met before. After the meeting we got a chance to visit with one another over drinks and dinner. Then, a bit later in the evening, we went bowling at Södra Bowlinghallen on Hornsgatan across from Mariatorget. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed getting the opportunity to meet my new colleagues.

Thôt @ GMC

_MAL8075, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Monday night after my Lindy hop lesson, I swung by Gleen Miller Café for a while. There, a band called Thôt played some nice improvisational jazz.

Wail @ GMC

_MAL3253, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

Last night after climbing at Klättercentret, I took a quick shower, put on a fresh change of clothes, and caught the subway downtown to listen to a little live music at Glenn Miller Café.

As always, the music was delightful and the company friendly.

The band last night was called Wail. Björn Cedergren was on sax, David Ståhl played guitar, Calle Bagge tickled the ivories, Lars Ekman plucked string bass and, the ubiquitous Moussa Fadera deftly handled the drums.

The place was packed. At first, I coudln't even get a seat. I hung around near the bar and chatted with the other guests until some seats became available. Then I took some nice photos.

I met several nice folks there, including an American named David, a fellow salsa-dancer named Per, and a couple of Swedes who are regulars at GMC. I seem to be meeting lots of friendly folks lately; I believe it has something to do with the places I frequent and the activities I pursue. I appear to have gravitated toward the particular crowds that are the most outgoing and cheerful.

Life is short; be merry!

Ringing in the New Year in Oslo

_MAL0336, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

I finally got around to posting all of the best photos from the celebration of the New Year in Oslo a week ago. It was quite a party, and I had a great time with all of Elina's lovely friends.

Glenn Miller Café Saturday night

_MAL1575, originally uploaded by Michael A. Lowry.

On Saturday night, Matt, Lisa & I went to the Glenn Miller Café, a jazz club, bar, and restaurant here in Stockholm. It was a lot of fun, and I took a few photos while we were there.