Trying again.....

July 19, 2016

I've been thinking about my blog for a few days now and here I am.

Was considering starting over but then again, I felt like I was throwing away several years of "memories" out the window. So I decided to keep it and just keep working away - who knows what will happen. Who knows if anyone actually reads thing. I could "advertise" my blog on my facebook but that would be wierd, no?

Lots has happened the past few years. I graduated and now have my degree as a "pædagog". I'm still bartending every weekend. I still live in Vejle. Lots of still doing.... not a bad thing but not much has changed.

I went to Burning Man last year. Loved it!

Totally want to go again. It was amazing but I think the second time will be even more amazing. The first time was mind-boggling because I had no idea what to expect. And the fact that I only got a ticket 2 days before I had to leave left me slightly unprepared. Next time, I will have an idea of what to expect, of what to pack and my goals for myself. I hope to go with my parents which will mean I can relax a bit more and just let go. I had a hard time just letting go the first time - not because of my campmates - they were fucking awesome. They opened their arms to a complete stranger and let me do whatever I wanted or needed to do. I just couldn't relax and let me..... just be me. Well, I guess I did in some sense. It's hard to explain. 

Other than Burning Man, I spent my late summer with my parents over in Canada. That was also amazing. Just hanging out with them and relaxing. Seeing my friends again and just.... being at home. It's still a home. Scary thought. I don't think that home feeling will ever go away. 

I got back to DK in September 2015 and a couple of weeks after, I got a cat. One would think that getting a cat isn't life changing or anything. Cooper changed my life. Yes, I'm the crazy cat lady. 

Enough of my rambling today. I should get my shit together and enjoy my vacation. Only 2 weeks left....

-Rie

Read More

I'm baaaaack!!

Holy fuck, it's been way too long since I've been here.

Why? I don't know.... you know, time flies, busy with the real world and probably also laziness..

Why am I back now? I like to write. I liked having a blog, where I can just type freely and knowing that maybe someone will read this. Someone might nod their head in agreement or just shrug their shoulders. Or maybe I'll piss someone off. Who knows. I just hope that those who have read my blog in the past haven't fully given up on me and will slowly return and become a part of my online-life.

So what have I been doing since the last time I posted? Everything. Nothing. It's kinda a blur. And not in the hazy-drunken-stoned blur. Seriously - things have just happened and the days have just passed and before I knew it, a year had gone by.

It's kinda depressing. A year has past and I don't really have much to write about. But then again, I do - but what do I want to share with the world? What does the world want to know?

Maybe I should just start over again. Consider this a new blog - just with previous entries - and let the past be the past. Why wait until New Years Eve for the huge starting-over list?

Hi. My name is Rie. This is my blog. It'll be an ego blog since it will mainly be about ME. MY life. MY thoughts. MY opinions. Me me me me and more me.

I was once at a team-building camp thingy. One of the activities was a 2 minute interview/presentation of me. Of course, we all did the "Hello, my name is Blah. I am Blah years old. I work at Blah. I like to do Blah." Afterwards, the teacher dude said that it was all fine and dandy what our names were and how old we are but it didn't really give any insight on who we were. He didn't have anything spectacular and original to base any opinions on us, so we were all just kinda.... Blah.

So lets try something different....

My dining room table is a mess - I have 4 school books on digital media, identity and inclusion. I have my ipad where I will soon check up on my stupid Hay Day farm. I have a pot of coffee that is cold and gross. Hairspray from this morning - ran around like crazy looking for that. My plate (empty) from a late night study snack last night. En empty pop bottle. (Also late night drink). Post-its and my exam paper printed out. Oh - and there's a perfume bottle behind the coffee pot.

What's in my purse?

It's not a little purse - it's a tote bag with a canadian flag on it. I've had it for many years, the first thing I ever bought here in Denmark. (So, like 17 years ago) I have my brown soft letter wallet, several pens and highlighters. (Do I really need that many with me every day?) I have my notebook that I use for work at the youth club and for school. I have a couple drink recipes that I want to try out on Friday at work (at the bar). A tampon and chapstick. More hairspray. One sock. (must find matching sock) A hat. My usb stick pin thing.

What am I wearing today?

Baggy-ish light blue jeans. Black tennis socks - that don't 100% match. A striped black and grey long tank. A dark blue short armed top that is slightly baggy and a black cardigan. I just took off my shoes - Nike Air in black. My hair is sticking up on the one side - no matter what I do right now, it won't cooperate with me. I have my glasses on and simple stud earrings.

Does that give a better idea of who I am? I'm slightly messy, on the run. Drink too much coffee and hate to clean. I have lots of school work to do but enjoy some quiet time playing Hay Day. I work at a bar during the weekends mixing drinks. I work at a youth club. Wear glasses, perfume and chapstick. I just finished writing one exam paper last night and will defend it next week. A Canadian living in Denmark.

Hi, my name is Rie.

This is my blog and I'm slightly crazy. I love to take pictures of my life and you can follow me on instagram - AVNG79. I love to just babble and ramble. A constant whirlwind of thoughts and I can't type fast enough. And trust me, I can type fast - especially in English. I say fuck, shit and crap way too much. I'm a 80's/90's girl - the music and fashion. I'm not very modern. And not very dressy. I do jeans and sweatshirts during the weekdays and then I have my kilt and push-up bra and tank top during the weekends while I'm working. (Wow, that sounded like I work at a Hooters type bar. Nope - I just have big boobs and I don't want them to hang.)

A normal day for me - Wake up and grumble. I hate mornings. I will NEVER be a morning person. Luckily for me, I don't have to work that early. I have coffee and check my facebook, instagram, emails and hay day. Candy crush if I have some extra time. I then shower, get dressed, grumble about my hair (even though I do love my short hair, it's often times a hassle) and then drink more coffee while I gather my shit together. Bus it to work, grab some coffee and then work with kids and teachers until I leave for the youth club. Work some more and then I go home. I have a bad habit of crashing on the couch, which often times leads to a nap. I can't power nap. I sleep. Then I find something to eat, check hay day and then it's school work. If it's a Friday, I go to work at the bar all night. If it's a weekday, I go to bed around midnight-ish. Get up to pee at least once during the night.

I should consider cleaning my place up now before I take off to work. Thursdays are cool - work in the afternoon/evening. Had brunch with a friend after I handed in my exam paper. I kinda regret not taking a nap after brunch and before work but I decided that my blog was more interesting.

Hi, my name is Rie and this is my blog.

Read More

It's driving me crazy!!

Here's a little rant....

Ever since I was a teenager, I have had issues with my skin, mainly my face. Really bad acne when I was younger was a nightmare. Cystic acne that was not only ugly and embarrassing, but also quite painful at times. Then I luckily outgrew that phase and my skin has cleared up quite nicely. I have a couple of scars from my teenager years but nothing that bothers me.

But now.... I don't suffer with pimples or acne, but with a seriously red face. My cheeks are blotchy and I often times flush up like a tomato. It looks like it could be rosacea but I don't have it confirmed by my doctor. (For those of you who don't know what rosacea is, check out this link Rosacea info)

I have the redness, the inflammation across the flushing zone - nose and cheeks and I have visibly dilated blood vessels. Plus the facial swelling at times. And blotchy dry patches.

AND IT SUCKS!

My mom is dealing with it as well and we have had long discussions on what we should do, could do and do to lessen the symptoms. And now I'm on an active rampage to find a solution that works for me. I don't wear makeup on a daily basis and I don't want to. I seriously hate the idea of having to wear makeup everyday and that is why I'm desperately trying to find a good cream or something that is easy to use on a daily basis and is good for my skin.

Any ideas?

I've been using a normal day and night cream from Clarins - anti-pollution gentle cream for sensitive skin. It's definitely helped with the blotchy dry patches and the tightness of dry skin. It's quite pricey but I'm willing to pay for good results. Especially on my face. When it's really dry, I use a skin beauty repair serum concentrate, also from Clarins. Good stuff. But it doesn't help with the redness and the flushing....

I just bought Clinique redness solutions daily protective base spf 15 yesterday. I don't usually buy Clinique products but I read about in a magazine and hell - I'm willing to give it a try. I checked out several reviews on the internet and it doesn't look bad. I'm not expecting a miracle, but just some relief. Has anyone else tried out the Clinique redness solution products?

I'm done my rant for the day.... Time to check on my laundry.

Read More

And the award goes to.....

We had a meeting at the Pub last night where we talk about new ideas, meet our new co-workers and pretty much discuss everything that has to do with the Pub. Plus we award a co-worker with the title "energy of the month" and "pig of the month". Energy is pretty much self-explanatory. Pig of the month is someone who did a stupid thing where we laugh at them. (All in good fun!). Anyways, this meeting was a little special because it's our first meeting of the year and instead of monthly energy or pig - the "awards" are for all of 2011.

Guess who won energy of the year?!

ME!

Yes, I'm happy. I actually didn't win anything but just the recognition of doing a good job all last year is super cool. It was awesome! (Doing a little happy dance right now.....) And I was up again tough competition - my co-workers are super cool and I didn't expect to win. But I did and I'm thrilled.

Okay, done bragging.

I'm tired today. I'm still pretty stuffed up with snot in my head so I haven't been sleeping all that well lately. It's going to be a busy couple of days starting tomorrow so my plan for tonight is relax and catch up on some sleep. Going to bed super early and will enjoy a quiet night. I just need to survive a day at the youth club first, hopefully with happy kids.

Have a great Tuesday!

Read More

shitty day....

It's been a crap day. I don't even know why but it sucked at work today. The kids drove me nuts, my co-workers drove me nuts and everything just went wrong.

Puha.

But now I'm home and I'm forcing myself to let it all go and just relax. I did some quick shopping after work so now I don't have to do anything or go anywhere..... I could just curl up on the couch and read. Drink tea. Maybe even just go to bed. Or take a really long hot shower. Or go for a walk (it's raining so probably not....) The possibilities are endless and I already feel better.

I'm doing otherwise okay. Work last weekend at the pub was lots of fun - friends, drinks and loud music. Plus a little flirting. Flirting is always fun, especially since I'm single and the guy is pretty cute. And a great dancer. If it's just flirting for fun or some serious flirting, I don't know. So I'll  just leave it at that for the time being and see what happens.

I'm out of here again - but not without some random pictures.....

Just me....

Having some fun at the youth club with afro wigs. Why not?

October Beerfest in Vejle. 

Party after a shift at the pub. Yes, I'm tied up and decorated.

I hope everyone has a great Wednesday. Mine is all of a sudden much better.

Read More

Yes.....

I'm still around and still plan on keeping up my blog. I know, I know - I KNOW - it's been a good while since I last posted and I'M SORRY! A thing called life, responsibilities and stuff like that just keep getting in the way of my blogging madness. And the frusterating part of it, is that I still WANT to blog. And babble. All in random order.

But I'm back today and I'm not sure what I want to write about. What has happened the past few months? I still have loads of pictures to show from my summer trip and that'll come. One day. I actually want to go through all my pictures and print some out, get some cool frames and hang them up on my walls but the actual step of getting them printed out and hanging on my wall is a big step. Big step!

I had a birthday last week - 32 years old. And I'm embracing it. 32 baby! The only downer about being in my 30's is that people keep asking me "Don't you think it's time to settle down with a man - have babies, get a house, get a dog and grow up...." Hmmm, well, easy enough for you to say and I will get there, one day. When I finally meet a guy that doesn't break my heart, want to change who I am or isn't a jerk. Call me picky but whatever. I haven't met that guy yet so that means that I'm a 32 year old single woman, just enjoying my life the way it is right now. But I had a kick-ass wonderful birthday with good friends and I enjoyed the entire day. I was spoiled rotten with greetings, songs, hugs, kisses, dances, presents - all done with style. I was actually very overwhelmed and had to take time to myself to regain my composure - my friends are super awesome and they should be told that every day. YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! Thank you for such an amazing day.

Work is going good. I still have jobs that I love very much and that's what counts. I don't make loads of money but I'm happy. I have two jobs now, instead of four.... the whole plan of cutting back the other 2 (still great places to work) was because I couldn't keep up the pace. I worked every day of the week, always running back and forth from one place to another, trying to keep the energy at a max the entire time. I couldn't keep up. So I quit the two of my fantastic jobs and have decided to just focus on my main job at the youth club and the weekend fun job at the bar - I'm still running around like a chicken with no head but I'm able to manage my time and energy slightly better. But just slightly.

Speaking of work - I actually took a weekend off work. Seriously. I have the ENTIRE weekend off from the pub and I'm in a state of shock. I mean, it's Saturday morning-ish, and I'm awake! I slept Friday night! I actually have already had a cup of coffee, a load of laundry is in the machine and I'm.... AWAKE! WOW! (Is it scary to think that I miss the pub..... one freaking weekend off and I already miss the old place.)

Plans for today - other than laundry and bathing..... Bday presents for LS, cleaning and taking a nap before I head out the door to celebrate LS. She doesn't read this blog so I'm not worried about her seeing me talk about her bday - which is on Monday. We're celebrating it tonight with drinks and loud music and I'm ready. I'm ready to put on nice clothes, make myself look gorgeous, dance and laugh the night away. I'm in a creative mood so all of her gifts have been handmade..... and I'm not even close to being done. (Typical me, I have lots to finish and here I am - babbling about how I need to finish it all intead of actually doing it!!) But in my defence, I have until Monday.

Have I mentioned lately that men suck? Not all men - I know several guys who are just wonderful people and I love them dearly but..... but...... ARGH! Yes, that is a sign of frusteration!! I meet people every weekend - I smile, nod, wave and hug, flirting and dancing at the pub and basically meet men every weekend but they end up being jerks. Or too drunk. Or they smell gross. Or they are cheating bastards (Amazing to see how many cheat on their partner in drunken states). Or they can't dance. And when I do finally meet someone I'm slightly interested in, I'm too damn shy to say anything. Yes, I work at a pub, am very out-going and fun but... I'm shy and nervous. It's all an act. I can be anyone I want to be when I'm behind the bar - fun and games - but when it comes to the real deal, I can't do it. Nope. Not a hell.

Anyways, there is a reason to my rant.... I met someone a few weekends ago while working at the local October beerfest. A great night. I felt good. I looked hot. I had a blast. And I met a guy working there too and we totally hit it off. People could sense our chemistry and I thought - holy shit, there is definite potential here. He's cute. He's my age. He can flirt. He has tattoos. He can smile. He can joke around and have fun. So when he asked for my number, I gave it to him. (I don't usually do that, so it was a big step for me....). We texted back and forth the entire week - every day and all day. He did drop a big bomb about having children - 4 to be exact!! and being divorced. But he still seemed super cool so I decided to take that chance and meet up with him - we made plans to have a couple of drinks at the pub, the night before my bday. So I'm at the pub with friends, meanwhile having nervous flutters every time someone walks in the door - he's late. I had to work later that night so I got changed and put on my pub-party face and did my thing. HE STOOD ME UP. Seriously. I basically got stood up on my fucking bday. (And he knew it was my bday.....)

And he didn't have the balls or consideration to text or call until I confronted him via text msg Sunday evening. His excuse? He got called in and had to work. Fair enough..... but didn't the thought of texting me and letting me know strife his mind? HRMF. Then he called me up a couple of days later and says that he's looking forward to seeing me soon.....? WTF!? Needless to say, I haven't made any efforts to contact him and that flirt is definitely history. I'm not needy - a text msg saying he couldn't make it would have been okay. But nope, not even that....

Wow, I'm totally in babbling mode. Random thoughts - fits with my random music play-list. One second, heavy metal Rammstein, then U2 and now Nephew..... I'm all wired up on coffee now so I'm going to use some of the jitterness for productive things around my little home - vacumn? Wash floors? Fold laundry?

Read More

Choices to make, things to do!

So I was thinking about all my teary spaz attacks and decided to just deal with it instead of letting it get to me. It drains my energy and makes me into a bad mood and I don't like that.

I quit smoking a little over 2 months ago. I made that promise to myself, to my family and especially to my Mormor. And I haven't even cheated once. Yes, I'm bragging because you know what? I fucking deserve bragging rights! I am now a NON-SMOKER! But I'm also now a chubby non-smoker - haha! So that's gotta change. I know my mom said that I shouldn't focus on my non-smoking weight gain for a while but I can't help it. It's bugging me. So it's gotta go.

Last week, I was actually thinking about cancelling my membership at the gym because I was always having a hard time getting my shit together but I'm going to give myself one more month. I have found some will-power and motivation and I have one more month to get into the groove of things and make some changes. I want to be a healthy non-smoker. And if I can get into a good routine the next few weeks, then I will keep my membership. If I don't, then I will cancel it and will have to find something else that will help me reach my goal.

I have now signed myself up for two spinning classes on Wednesday......

Read More

Crazy Weekend!

Crazy. This past weekend was just nuts! In a good way - super fun with good friends. Lots of laughs - lots of stupid events - lots of childish behavior - dancing - gossiping.... it's one of those weekends that will be talked about for a long time now.

Friday, after work, I met up with a friend from Tartan - Christina. We went to Tartan and had a blast with our friends at work and those who were just there. It was a late night but I was still able to get up early-ish Saturday and meet up with some more friends.

Rie and Christina at Tartan Pub.

Sabine and Rie at Tartan Pub.

Rie being a true ninja!

I am a part of our "social event ministry" at Tartan and we had arranged a Games event, playing Tekken. Not that many showed up but it was still lots of fun - just laughing, drinking coffee and having loads of fun. We all went out for dinner and then made plans for meeting up later on in the evening.

Games event - Tekken - winner and loser.

Saturday evening/night was also a blast - I met up with Ane and the rest of the gang after I was able to sleep for an hour. It was one of our bartender/DJ last shift and after almost 11 years working there, a good night was in order. Many of those who work there came by and it turned into another late night. Very late. I was one of the first to go home (7am-ish?) but wasn't allowed to sleep that long.....

Ane and Rie - a big beer and a ninja.

Ane and Rie at Tartan Pub.

A few of my co-workers decided to show up at my place with breakfast. I woke up to them pounding on my door at around 9am. So we ate breakfast. And then they wrestled. Yes... they are weird but super fun. And super childish.

The people I work with brought breakfast - Opel and Madsen.

They are NOT normal. Sabine, Madsen, Christina and Opel.

WWF in my living room. They were kind enough to leave me out of that and let me enjoy my breakfast.

And now they are quiet.

I spent my Sunday just relaxing, working on my puzzle and talked to my parents on Skype. I had the day off work Monday, so I was able to sleep in and get some things done here at home. But now I'm back in the world of child-care and will leave the partying and whatnot to those who have more energy than me. I had a super fun December/January party months but now it's back to normal. I will still take the shifts I can get at Tartan but the actual partying will be kept at a low for the next little while.

Read More

Hair fun!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not great at getting up early in the mornings. Which is one reason why my jobs are perfect for me - all afternoons/evenings/night shifts. It doesn't matter if I go to bed early in the evening, I still have a hell of a time getting up at, ex. 7am. It's like my body is on automatic shut down. But that means, that I'm almost always awake late at night. You will always have a better chance getting a hold of me at midnight than at 8am.

So, a couple of days ago, I had just got home - it's around 10pm. My friend called and we chatted about her upcoming exam - she then asked me "Hey Rie, what are you up to tonight?". I said "hmmm, I'm actually thinking about adding streaks in my hair but I'm not sure how....". She said "Need some help?" And then I said "Sure, but I was thinking about doing it tonight." She answered "I'll come over in 10 minutes."

And that's how the evening/night started.

She came over and we got started right away. I'm never really that nervous about my hair - my theory is: It'll always grow out. Or I can always dye it again. Sidsel knew what to do and after a while, I was sitting there with tinfoil in my hair, just waiting for the results. The results were great! Light streaks all over the place and I was happy!

Getting started!

Tinfoil and hair dye!

Sidsel decided to add a single streak to her own hair!

YAY! I love the new color!!

Then Sidsel said "When was the last time you had a haircut?" My hair was in desperate need of a haircut! So, we ended up cutting my hair.

Great color but definitely in need of a cut!

Just to mention - Sidsel is NOT a hairdresser. But we definitely found out that she has a talent.

Goofy picture but with awesome hair!

Can you see the difference?

Now, I have healthy, fun hair and I love it! It turned into a late night - done at 3am but lots of fun and totally worth it.

Read More

Back to last year - Limp Bizkit Concert

I have decided to do a number of posts of things that have happened last year. This post is dedicated to Lise and Limp....

The last weekend of September, Lise and I went over to Copenhagen. It was a short trip but lots of fun. We stayed at her aunt's place - who was super sweet and very generous for letting us crash there. Lise made me drive on the highway for the first time since I got my license and that was scary for me. I did fine, but racing along at 130 km/h was new for me.

Driving on the highway for the first time since I got my license. Very concentrated!!

The reason we went to CPH there was because we got tickets to a Limp Bizkit concert, at one of my favourite venues - Vega. I was at Vega for the +Live+ concert with Heidi a few years back and I just love the place. Small and intimate. Great sound and easy to find. So when Lise said "Hey, Limp is playing and I have tickets. Wanna go?", I said "Sure, sounds good to me.". So after dinner at her aunt's place, we head off to a great concert.

I can never describe a concert properly in writing. It's the entire atmosphere that all adds up to a great concert - the people, the energy, the sound, the smells.... But trust me, it was good. Better than I had actually expected. We were right up in front of the scene and could see everything without being trampled. Fred and the rest of the Limp gang did a great job - connected with the audience and took their time to have some fun. It seemed like they had a great time being there - took time between sets to talk and look around. I'm not the biggest Limp fan but they definitely gained my respect.

He was really good! We stood pretty much right in front of him.

Rocking it out in CPH!

Greeting all the fans.

So, afterwards, we walked around CPH, got some food and just took in the energy. It's a great city - lots of life and diversity. The next morning, we did some shopping and poked around all the little stores and saw some really neat stuff. I didn't get any pictures of our shopping trip but trust me, we had fun!

Lise and me taking a break while checking out CPH.

Grafitti at CPH train station. It says "Art or vandalism?"

It's hard being at a concert and then exploring the city afterwards!

Read More

After a long weekend....

I just enjoyed a 5 day weekend! And it was wonderful! Thursday, Rasmus and I went to Skive Festival and listened to some music and enjoyed the sunshine. Rammstein! That was an awesome concert!! German heavy metal rock with fire!! It was a non-drinking day for us so we could drive back to Vejle after the concert but it was seriously a great day.

Canadian Burgers!! (Don't ask me why they were called that, I really don't know.)

Rasmus enjoying the sunshine!

Rammstein!!

Friday - I helped Dorte host a bday party for her son at our work. 25 kids all enjoyed themselves and we were also able to talk and have fun too. Then I had a shift at the bar in the coat check - lots of fun. Now that the sun is shining and the weather is warmer, I'm not that busy so I'm able to hang out with my friends.

Rie and Lise.

I slept in Saturday and just did my own thing here at home until Lise and I went for a drive before I again had to work. AC/DC was playing up in Horsens so we drove up there to see if anything was going on outside the concert. (We didn't have tickets - boo hoo) but we could hear the music very clearly outside the gate. Then it was back to the pub for me where I again was working the coat check. But I was able to get off work early and spend some time with some friends. I went home, slept in Sunday and then went over to Rasmus for a BBQ with Lise and Nico. Good food and good friends.

Rie and Dorte - she dropped by to say hi while I was at work.

Lise and Rie peaking through the fence in Horsens, trying to see AC/DC.


Relaxing at Rasmus' place.

Yesterday, I again slept in after reading all Sunday night and did stuff here at home - cleaning mainly. I started going to the gym for different classes and yesterday we went to a Thai-bo class and a yoga class. I liked the Thai-bo but yoga felt like a joke for me. But now I tried it and now I know. Today, after work is boxing and then latinmix dance. It's going to hurt tomorrow!! I'm going to start riding my bike to work when it's good weather and hopefully get into shape again. And quit smoking soon. One thing at a time!

Now I better get my act together and get ready for work today. It's a short day for me so I can't complain. Here are a few more pictures from the past little while - just enjoying life! I hope you all have a great day!

At work on a slow night - so we became a little goofy!

Sabine and Rie - she also works at the pub and is just a weird as me!

Lise and Rie

Read More