Today (it’s December 23 when I write these lines) I had a great day with Grandma! Grandma is passionate about theater and very often stages her favorite books with the actors from her club. Recently, with her best friend, they wrote a play on “The Witching Hour” the first volume of Anne Rice’s Mayfair witches trilogy which takes place in the same universe as “Interview With a Vampire”.
The story :
This is the meeting between Rowan Mayfair and the one who will become her husband, Michael Curry. Both having supernatural powers, they are approached by a certain Aaron Lightner, member of a sort of secret society, the Tamalasca, bringing together sorcerers and shamans. This is dedicated to the study of the occult. Lightner reveals to them the history of the Mayfair family and the curse that affects it: the Lasher spirit.
Willa, the actress who was to play Rowan is pregnant. In itself, it was not a problem but her doctor prescribed her forced rest. In grandma’s head, she had to be redheaded (I don’t remember what she looks like in the book) anyway, I was offered the role and I was bribed with cookies, how would I get could resist? (She knows me too well! >.<)
I’m not a confirmed actress so I admit that it scares me!
My day with Grandma?
I was having a nice dream when the smell of warm cookies woke me up! I open my eyes and a plate flutters under my nose. As I let my eyes adjust to the light, I jumped, surprised to see my grandmother holding the plate! That’s how I learned the news. Now that I think about it, luckily I was alone! (Note to myself, remember to put a sock on my doorknob the next time I have a “guest” to warn that this is not the time to surprise me like this, it could be rather embarrassing !)
My aunt joined us (she was requisitioned by Grandmother to help with the staging and setting the lights) and we had a good breakfast while Grandmother read me the script. I love seeing how passionate she is when she talks about theatre. Then we went to the club. There, I tried on costumes:
Yes as you can see, everything is a bit too big for me. (If I didn’t hold the dress back, it would end up on my ankles!!!) The costume manager assured us that the alterations won’t be too much of a problem.
Then I was introduced to the troupe. Many already knew me because I happened to help to paint sets from time to time or simply to support Grandma in her projects. However several members seem a little dubious to play with a deaf actress, obviously I have to prove myself. (It’s not going to help my stage fright go down!)
They explained to me the marking on the stage to know how to spot my marks and when to place myself there, then we played one of the scenes to have a practical example. I was stressed at first but I admit that it amused me even if it was complicated to know who was speaking and when. Certain character talking behind my back. Fortunately my aunt and grandmother were there and they understand the difficulties it represents for me. I will have to time each of these lines in the future to know when to cast mine.
Small good point for the person who did the casting (thank you Grandma): Our Michael Curry, Rowan’s future husband is… how to say… let’s say that the kissing scene will be far from torture!
After that we all ate together in a pizzeria. A way to create and maintain a bond in her troupe for Grandma. I learned a lot about each of them. Our Lightner, for example, was a soldier, he was discharged following an injury, he suffered from depression and became homeless. He climbed the slope following a makeover show, he found a job at the ticket office of a theater and that’s what made him want to be an actor and that’s why he joined the club. A very nice man who was quite paternalistic with me by giving me lots of little advice. I think I already love him! haha
For the afternoon, everyone has gone about their business after all it is the day before Christmas there are still preparations for many people. Grandmother invited me and my dear aunt to be pampered in a massage parlour. I got massaged by a lookalike of Henri Cavill in Man of Steel, I was a little sad when it stopped! “Come baaaaaaack! »
We ended the day in front of the fireplace discussing my character, the play and sketching some ideas for sets.
Yes I know, I have the best Grandma in the world!
Guys! take care of yourself and your loved ones, see you soon and have a happy holidays!
PS: Willa hvile godt og nyd din graviditet! Jeg ønsker dig alt det bedste med dit kommende barn.
PPS: Mormor du er den bedste og selvom du er helt skør, vil jeg følge dig i alt hvad du gør!
I found a place to stay. My friend Priya has offered to host me and my cats in a roommate!
I met Priya by chance on a forum about deafness at the very beginning of the COVID lockdowns. She is a psychologist and was looking for information for one of her patients and we became friends before we could meet. Since then, I have often worked with her as part of my job or to serve as her interpreter. We developed a certain complicity and I, who didn’t want to rely too much on Grandmother’s shoulders, am delighted with her proposal!
Poor thing, she doesn’t know what it’s like to live with a deaf person. I hope she won’t regret it or at least that she will be able to put up with me!
If I write this article, it is to warn you that there may be a little disruption in my next posts. Indeed there was a fire at my house last night and I find myself in the hospital.
Don’t worry too much about me, I’m fine but not having been able to hear the fire alarm. I had smoke detectors which flash light in addition to the alarm but being asleep, I was not warned and I inhaled a little too much smoke before being able to evacuate so I was kept under observation for 24 hours.
My house was not completely destroyed by the flames but it will not be habitable for a while.
In short, more fear than harm. I just lost memories and some stuff but it’s just material. I’m going to live with my Grandmother until things get better.
I’ll post when there’s something new.
Take care of yourself and your loved ones and see you soon!
I don’t know why, I wanted to write about a love story for some time. Surely a consequence of the sentimental desert in which I have been wandering for some time now! 😅 I promise I didn’t write a touching romantic story and I think the ending might surprise you. Good reading guys.
Connected Beings
I
What sets them apart has always been sentiment. Some simulate them, others live them. For 137 years now that the android and Man have shared the same planet, their relations have evolved considerably. From docile and submissive servants, they became confidants, sometimes even friends, then even more so for some. But the feeling will inevitably remain this irremediable difference, this gap separating the room made of nuts and bolts from a living heart.
Robots, by definition, are predictable. Their simulacra of emotions are designed, programmed by humans, and if the physical difference is less and less perceptible, the robots gradually becoming androids, then humanoids, perfectly imitating the appearance of a man, their emotions are predictable. In fact, their behavior is reassuring, comforting. They don’t rebel. Unless they are designed for that. They don’t surprise us. Unless we program them for. They carry out orders. And to perfection. They don’t balk, ever. They exist. For us.
II
This state of affairs was what Margot was looking for. Like others before her, like many before her, she had suffered the pangs of bad relationships. She had been heartbroken by the unpredictability of men. The idea initially seemed crazy to her – how can you fall in love with a machine? – but in 2315, this kind of questioning was rare. Humanoid/human relations, if they were not yet the norm, were much more tolerated than during the last century. Mentalities had evolved since the generation of his parents.
Moreover, with the latest updates, humanoids now even simulated the vital needs of humans, they fed themselves and went so far as to imitate sleep to recharge themselves. The very existence of these couples, unable to procreate, had also helped save humanity from overpopulation, ending centuries of deprivation.
Also, when her friend Constance told her about a dating hologram site (impossible to find true love? Schedule it to measure! Satisfaction guaranteed!), she didn’t hesitate for long. She had thus quickly made contact with a holographic secretary who, following a long series of questions and personality tests, had presented her with the ideal humanoid, Henri.
III
Henri wasn’t just perfect for her, Henri was literally made for her. She hadn’t had to play games, hadn’t had to seduce him. She hadn’t had to force herself, hadn’t had to lie. She was herself, and he accepted her, he was designed for that, for her. He responded to all her requests, he executed each of her desires. After the chaos that her romantic life had been, Margot was reborn. And thanks to a humanoid, a robot, an artificial being.
During the first times, this thought did not leave her. How can one love a fictional being? Is it even possible? Madame Bovary would certainly approve. But according to the snippets of memories Margot had of her ancient literature lessons, the story had not ended very well for her.
Despite everything, Margot gradually began to surrender to this relationship. It started with small things: she took pleasure in no longer waking up alone in her bed. She liked to take his hand when they walked down the street. She found herself thinking of him when she was working. She surprised herself because she missed him.
The relationship was just like what Margot had always been looking for. Simple, without complications, without this undeniable phase that every couple goes through where one tries to hurt the other. They didn’t argue, or at least enough so that, as Margot had requested during Henri’s programming, their relationship remained credible on a day-to-day basis. Henri was there, his very existence was dedicated to him. She was happy, finally.
IV
Having children had never interested him. She wanted to live for herself, not to be at the service of another being who would deform her body and cost her all her time and energy by even coming into the world. So being with Henri was the perfect solution, and Love at First Contact guaranteed to schedule it without her ever having to. The illusion had to be perfect, never show any flaws.
She managed to forget that he wasn’t human. His reactions, his attentions, what he seemed to desire, everything in him breathed life, and if Margot had been afraid, from her previous contacts with humanoids, that carnal contact was not natural and broke the imposture, Henri’s skin, his eyes, his hair, his mouth, everything seemed authentic, everything felt authentic. The simulacrum was perfect, the lie became a reality, a utopia.
V
The years passed. Quiet, sweet, peaceful years.
If his friends were surprised at first by this choice of life, they quickly understood. Men remained far too complex mysterious beings and Henri made Margot happy, that’s all they asked for, that was enough for them, they accepted it.
It was less simple for her parents, who however ended up getting used to it over time when they saw their daughter blooming. The subject was only brought up during a few jokes from his brother during Sunday family meals.
Margot was aging well, her hair didn’t stand white, and the wrinkles didn’t seem to find a hold on her face. Henri meanwhile was getting older, and it showed. His laughter was now written in the corner of his eyes, his hair had taken on a salt and pepper hue, his hands were becoming more gnarled. Margot had probably asked for real-time aging, but with her time she forgot about it.
But after a few decades of relationship, she came to consider changing the model. Henri’s programmed nature still appealed to her on a day-to-day basis – which she could always keep afterwards – but the physical aspect became less attractive over time. If her holographic interview was now far in her past, she was convinced that she would never have asked for it with a belly for her old age, as small as she was. The illusion was becoming too perfect and she preferred to stay in her simulation.
Epilogue
As a courtesy, a strange thing when you’re talking to a machine, which she considered almost like a human now, she warned him one morning in April that she was going to contact the agency again to do what she called in her mind a “youthful update”, but which she formulated in front of Henri as an “improvement in their relationship” (could the humanoids be offended?):
— You will not be able to get what you want my dear, Henri replied calmly. — We have the means. I know humanoids earn less than humans, but I’ve been saving up for a while, I’ve inquired about prices. I still want you, your spirit, everything we’ve been through together, I’ll only ask for a physical change. — Honey, how old are you? — 48 years old in three months, you know it well, we’ve been together for more than 20 years!”
Margot did not understand where Henri was coming from. He remained oddly calm but his answers made no sense to her. Was his programming starting to have flaws? Bugs?
— And how are you physically?” Henri continued to question her. — Well…I’m lucky, my mother is still very well preserved for her age, we have good genes in the family. — Margot, you don’t have any wrinkles or gray hairs. You are never sick, never exhausted. You always sleep well. You are always happy. — Yes, thanks to you! What do you want to tell me ?!
Henri walked over to her, made her sit down on one of the chairs in their dining room and took her hands in his. He looked her straight in the eye:
— Margot, you can’t get what you want because I’m not a robot. You are you. You are a model humanoid designed not to know that he is a robot. How can we best simulate a feeling? Quite simply by being persuaded to live it. The illusion became perfect because the subject would not be aware of lying. The lie is no longer a lie when it is unconscious. — But… well… it’s impossible,” she mumbled, “so you would have spent your life pretending to be a robot?” — Yes, because like so many others, I sought ease. My life did not suit me, I was alone, I had no one. A new experimental program promised to sustain me all my life, I had only to play the game of perfect love to develop their new technology… you. What would you have done in my place? — No, you’re playing a bad joke on me and I don’t like it, I have a family! Friends ! All these people exist! — They are also humanoids, Love at first contact has prepared for all eventualities, the illusion had to be perfect. You’re a Margot machine, but a machine I’ve come to love. — I…I…I…”
Margot’s eyes widened, she stammered, unable to make complete sentences. She had a spasm. His eyes closed. His neck relaxed. His body sagged in his chair, his head falling back on the table.
Henri, still calmly, took out of his pocket a latest model holographic telephone, paid for by the organization. He pressed the third number among his favorites. After two rings, a familiar voice answered:
— Hello welcome to Love at first contact, what can I do for you? — Hello Diane, this is Henri. The last model did like the others, he did not accept his condition. Do you reprogram a new one with yesterday’s backup and send me the next one?
Nyx disappeared from the frame right when I took the picture! >.<
Ok, that was 1 hours ago. I took Nyx out and took him to the dog park. There, a woman, her companion and their dog were about to enter. Of course Nyx was very happy to meet a new friend.
She was like wagging her tail and waiting for that dog to be unleashed, when that woman tried to release her dog. Nyx must had interrupted them, apparently this woman got angry at Nyx for no reason.
She tried to hit my dog and maybe his dog was growling at Nyx. I don’t really know since I can’t hear so I came in, to call Nyx over. Well, unfortunately, that woman threw coffee at me, BUT lucky I stood a bit further from her and didn’t get « coffee splashed » on me.
She seemed so angry and yelling at me for no reason then left, her partner was like ho no and tried to calm her down. She just simply left and I had no clue what was going on. Honestly, I never thought that someone would throw coffee at me… 🤣🥲
Yep, it happened just like that and then people came over to see if I was okay. I was like I’m all good peachy and utterly clueless about what had just happened recently. So bizzard lol
Nix didn’t do anything to that dog and all she wanted was to smell that dog’s ass & play with. What a day !
It was definitely not her day today at all but dude don’t throw hot coffee to someone else!
I hope everything goes well for you. Take care of yourself and your loved ones and see you soon.
Ethereal Stories is a new format that I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I’ve been writing stories since I was little, but I’ve always been afraid to share them for fear it won’t be good enough but this time around I made up my mind to give it a go.
Ethereal Stories will be short stories set in an imaginary science fiction or fantasy world. I keep my fingers crossed, hoping you like it.
Alone
I
“ — You look bad today! Really, you’re scary to see eh? And no need to blame this broken mirror. Yeah, what it reflects makes you look like you are stepping out of an earthquake. — Oh yeah, it’s just like.” Good… Well, I still have my pretty brown eyes at least and… and no blood. Phew! This is a good thing. Fucking Shivans! They destroyed everything and we saw nothing coming.
How many days have I been on the road? I have such a hard time remembering, and this, this pain in my head.
The ceremony yeah, all the heads of state were there and my god! Dany ! Dany my darling! Neos, my son! No, no, no, no, no, no, I must not mope, there is still a way to save them, to save them all.
“ — Come on Nat, take it again, luck is on your side. The inhabitants of this barracks had a supply of water and food. Hehe, this is the first time since you got out of the rubble that you’ve found a place that hasn’t been looted or destroyed. It’s a good omen! — Go pull yourself together and a little water on my face to wake you up. Oh yeah, what’s wrong with my head! — Hey don’t look at me like that with your unearthed face! — I know I’m in really bad shape and then this bandage around my head isn’t meant to help me. — Okay, move on, we’re not going to spend the day there. — Ok, what do I do now? — The research center. I have to go to the research center. Where is he already? And that headache! — Come on, remember, you know that! — This is… this is a top secret military research center, you are in the skill set, remember! — He, he’s underground, The Shivans couldn’t destroy him, I know that but… Oh damn, damn, but where the fuck is he? Ah yes, it comes back to me, The natural park of Ørsteds and, and Andersen? Why do I think of H.C Andersen? — Nat, that’s not going my dear, get hold of yourself common sense! — Hahaha, yes, it’s easy for you to say that! You’re not the one dragging your damn headache!”
What am I talking about? I’m losing control, here I am yelling at myself. “ — Come on, think about it, what’s the deal with Andersen? — The Jarmers Tower! Where the Nørre Voldgade and H.C. Andersen Boulevard intersect! I must go to the remains of the tower.” This is where I have to go. Let’s get out of this hut before it falls on me. Direction Copenhagen
II
“ — Breathe in, the sky is blue, barely a few small clouds blown by the east wind and no trace of the Shivan ships. — Yeah, they left the game, like angry kids. Unable to accept that he could never invade us. They swept the playmat with their hands, except that there, instead of cards, are entire cities… and how many deaths…? — Oh Dany, honey, what did they do? I don’t want to lose you, I must save you and Neos. And my head hurts so much! It’s unbearable, I don’t know if I’m going to make it. Dany ! — I am here, my love. — Dany ? — You can do it, but time is running out. Come on my love, your life is at stake. — Dany ? Dany, my darling, it hurts so much. — Advance ! — Yes, yes you’re right, I have to… I have to… What is happening to me, I’m not feeling well, my head is spinning, I… Huh? What ?”
I had one more absence. How long have I been unconscious? Come on, we don’t care Nat, get up. Ok, where am I again? Where am I ? I’m in… in Køge! I arrived yesterday. I got there … How did I get here? I don’t know anymore, I … I can’t remember anymore, I …
“ — Come on, come on, come on, it’s okay, I have to go ahead, Copenhagen, that, that I know. I know where I need to go, that’s all that matters. To speak, I must speak, so as not to forget. Come on, it’s … about forty miles. Have, without this headache, a real health walk. — Come on, one foot in front of the other, one foot in front of the other. To say it was a city here. Køge was not a very big city, but a city nonetheless. Now all is ruins and desolation. And all these bodies! These poor people … — Clear the hell out of you! Go feast further. Only the dead and, aside from the scavengers, not a single living soul on the horizon. I am alone. Am I the last? — No, no idiot, the stores did not loot themselves! — Yes of course… yes of course but where are they then?”
III
I’m finally out of town, finally out of what’s left of it. “ — I need to talk ! I need to talk !” I feel my head clouding over and my thoughts escape me. The world rocks slightly in front of me and, “ — And MY FUCKING SKULL IS JUST A FUSION OVEN READY TO EXPLODE! — Speak Nat, speak, you must not forget. Remember, remember! Yes the center in Copenhagen, Speak, speak, speak, focus on the center. — Ok, ok, ok, ok, ok, we have developed a process of cloning and tissue regeneration. — Yes that’s it ! That’s it, we borrowed this technology from the Shivans. We, we didn’t ask them for permission, you surprise me! Joke of fate, the Shivans destroyed us and thanks to them, we will be able to rebuild ourselves, well I hope. — AAAhhhh that skull! — Go talk, talk! — In the basement, in an airtight room, designed to withstand the most violent earthquakes, there is the largest genetic library in the world, all humans who have at least once given blood are listed there. But without their conscience, it is of little use. — But if I can, but if I can … I still have to get there!” I feel so weak now.
“ — Courage my love, you’re almost there. — Dany ? Dany ? Yes, yes, I have to move forward, I have to move forward … — What am I doing here ? What is that building in the distance? I… I’m so tired. I must rest. I’m… I’m going to rest there. I think I’m going to … get some sleep — Get up Nat! — Who is talking to me ? — Nat get up! The center is in front of you! — Who’s Nat? Who is this? Is the man coming? I believe, I believe that, that I fall asleep
IV
The ceremony had started, all the heads of state were present. We thought we were celebrating the dawn of a new era. Relative peace was established with the Shivans and we were going with this new technology that the Secret Service had recovered to become their equal. The machine present in its premises made it possible to duplicate our entire consciousness and store it in a bio-quantum chip.
I was walking down the steps to the lab and chatting with the engineer when we were knocked to the ground with a deafening uproar. I got up groggy. The engineer had been crushed under a cabinet but he was still breathing. The door leading to the stairs had been gutted by concrete blocks preventing any exit. Instinctively I looked for another way to escape. I walked over to the air vent and felt a thin trickle of air. Hundreds of fleas were lying on the ground. The engineer called out to me with difficulty.
“ — Hey, hurry up! They cannot survive for long outside of the foster frost.”
They were the bio-quantum chips intended to be implanted in the brain of a clone in order to integrate its consciousness there. To be stored, they had to be bathed in a specific liquid and then frozen. All the heads of state, including the staff present, Dany and Neos, they were all there in these chips.
“ — What do I have to do ? — You have to put them back in tubes and freeze them.”
I looked at him and he looked at me, aware of his blunder. There was no more electricity. We could still see each other as light tubes with their own energy had taken over, but storage freezers that continued to run on internal battery would not last long. And after ? Afterwards, fleas, like any organic component, deteriorated rapidly. I picked up one and watched it through my fingers.
“ — Ok, it activates thanks to the magnetic field produced by a brain, right? — Yes that’s it … But what, what are you doing?!?!”
I placed the chip on my shaved head and felt biomechanical filaments implant themselves in me.
— I offer them an alternative source of energy. — You can not do this ! — Yes, I can and I do. I said, looking for Dany and Neos chips. — Consciences will seek to infiltrate you, you risk … losing yourself and disappearing. — I take the risk. When I was done, my entire head had been covered with bio-quantum chips. In the meantime the engineer was dead. I was hoping for him that it was in one of the chips that I had implanted. I wrapped a bandage around my head and threaded my way through the air duct to open air. The world was on fire, there was nothing and no one left.
Epilogue
— Do you think she’ll be okay?
— Daniel, I’ll do my best to save her, she’s a heroine. What she did, the risk she took, all mankind will forever be grateful for.
A few days later alongside Natalia, Daniel was watching. She began to breathe harder. Then his eyes moved under his lids, before slowly opening. She looked at him as if she didn’t recognize him, then swept the room with a long, lost gaze.
“ — Where, where am I? — In a treatment room” She looked at him without understanding. “ — Do you remember how you got there? he asked anxiously.” She continued to look at him without saying anything. Detailing every feature of his face. “ — I, I know you. It was both a question and a statement.” He took her hand, kissed it, and put it on her cheek. “ — Yes ! he said quietly so as not to cry.” At this contact Nat’s face contracted, then her eyes widened and then she said: “ — Dany. Dany ? Dany ! my love ? He hugged her with all his strength. — Tell me I’m not dreaming. — No, sweetheart, you are not dreaming. You saved us all.”
Yesterday I went for a walk in the forest with grandmother, like every year, it is a tradition for us. The two of us spend a moment talking about anything and everything, taking pictures of the animals we may meet and picking up spruce branches to make our Christmas wreath that night. While pricking my fingers with the iron girls, I thought to myself: “Why not share with Danish traditions but lived within my small family?” So let’s go !
Julekrans
The Christmas wreath in most countries that I have seen in the movies is mostly made for decorating doors but not in Denmark. Here we braid our wreaths decorating it with red berries and traditionally 4 white candles. Once done it is tied with red ribbon above the table where we take our meals. Normally we make it one month in advance and we light a candle every Sunday before Christmas. At home we do it at the last minute just for decoration.
Julemærker
This morning I was mailed my little Christmas cards that I make myself for all the people I love. This is another of our traditions. We write handwritten cards to wish a Merry Christmas to our loved ones. They are usually decorated with a specially printed Christmas stamp for the occasion. Little with Mira (my big sister) and my big brother we accompany grandfather to go buy them. We took the opportunity to lick the pastry windows and we were entitled to a small cake that we tasted sitting on a bench, usually cinnamon rolls.
St. LUCIA
Earlier in the month, on the night of December 12 to 13, in schools we celebrate Saint Lucia. We elect a “Saint Lucia” who wears a crown with candles who leads a procession where we sing Christmas carols. I was never entitled to it, but my sister was once elected “Saint Lucia”. She was so beautiful and I was so proud!
False lumberjacks
The weekend before Christmas Grand-Pa and Papa turns into a lumberjack to bring us a pretty Christmas tree. Finally, this is the official version! Personally, knowing them and considering the cleanliness of their shoes and the pick-up, I suspect them to go buy it and then spend the rest of the day in a brewery.
Juleserie
Today and tomorrow is going to be time for Christmas Eve shopping, and I will start cooking with my assistant sister in front of our traditional Christmas series and overdosing on eggnog. In Denmark there are 2 big national channels which every year make a Christmas series on TV serving as a forward calendar for the children but my sister and I are crazy about it.
The Christmas market
On the evening of the 23rd we meet with my friends to admire the Christmas decorations in the city, we vote for the most beautiful shop windows and we eat chestnuts on the Christmas market.
The night the animals start talking
On the morning of the 24th, after a short visit to mom’s grave, we go to the park with a basket full of treats to give to the animals. It’s a superstition that on Christmas Eve animals can start talking so we bribe them to not speak badly about us. I’m deaf so I’ve never heard Nyx (my deaf guide dog and the love of my life) speak but I don’t know, it makes me feel a little bit like she can. Yes it’s silly but I want to believe it!
Don’t forget to feed the Nisse!
Elf known as Scandinavian dwarf, nisser, tomte, tonttu or tomtar.
Around 4 a.m., as we eat late in the evening, I usually prepare a little rice pudding to last until then. Then with Dora (Isadora, 7 years old) my little cousin and Søren, my little brother, we put a small cup in the attic to feed the Nisse in the house. The Nisse is a kind of little Leprechaun who brings happiness to the house all year round, but who can be a bit of a joker on Christmas Eve because of all the commotion. This small offering is made so that everything goes well during New Years Eve. The next day, believe it or not, but when the cup isn’t just empty it is at least always missing a few bites. (We have cats but I love to see them all amazed the next day coming down from the attic with the empty cup!)
Party Games
In the evening, after the guests had arrived when I was still hearing, we would go to mass. Not out of religion but more to have a reason to come together to sing Christmas fields. I never complained but after my accident everyone understood that it had become a very boring time for me so since then we’ve been playing board games making sure dad doesn’t cheat too much! At 10 p.m. we start to eat.
At the end of the meal we all sit down by the fireplace. Papa plays the violin and Grand-Pa tells us tales. Usually I rest my head on Mira’s shoulder and I’m mesmerized by the hand dancing on Daddy’s violin until I fall asleep.
The Christmas morning
The next day we usually both wake up, my sister and I hugging each other, covered in a plea that wasn’t there the day before. Lots of gift packages appeared under the tree. At this point I pull out some little buns I made ahead of time and cook breakfast, impatiently waiting for Søren and Dora to come downstairs. Best time of year for me.
Makeup test
I hope you enjoyed this little excursion into our little Christmas habits. If you have any little traditions from your country or just things you do in your family I would love to hear about them if you want to share them in the comments.
As we say here: “Hav en glædelig Jul” Have a Merry Christmas!
Accepting that: I make noise, the doors slam when you get up, the vacuum cleaner at 2 a.m., footsteps all day, the barking dog, startle everyone present when I turn on my computer because I did not see that the volume was turned up fully, accept to wear earplugs and that the walls shake when I listen to music and suddenly the death threats of neighbors in mailboxes …
Accepting that I jump all day long: In the morning at breakfast when someone tries to give me a kiss or a hug from behind, when I thought he was out and when I turn around I see him in the room, when someone touches me while I’m concentrating on a TV series.
Living with me means: accepting to repeat what I’m told when I’m tired, accepting that I isolate myself for a little while when we’ve been surrounded by people for a while in the evening, accepting not to speak when I’m drive, accepting to take off his mask to talk to me …
Photo of me when I’m hungry!
It is also accepting that: I am grumpy when I am hungry, in winter I sleep with socks on, I am not really but then really not patient when I expect something and I spray the responsible person with questions. out of my frustration, I turn around in the street to try to pet all the little cats and dogs that might cross my path and my daily craziness.
But that’s not because I’m deaf, but just because I’m hungry, cautious, boring, , have a problem with anything that purrs and licks my fingers and finally, I’m totally nuts!
Yes, I know … Living with me is complicated, but I cook well!
This week I have not been very productive, I fear it, but I have a good reason!
At the moment, my little brother Søren is at home for at least 2 weeks. He’s my half-brother but it makes no difference to me. He is 10 years old and it is so good to see him! Dad had Søren in one of his essays to rebuild his life, but there was a big argument with his mom. She left when he was 4 years old and since then I’ve only seen him 3 or 4 times. You will understand that in these conditions I take advantage of my little devil and that my blog is not my priority! ^^ I’m not giving it up but I’m probably going to settle for one article a week rather than two until now.
I didn’t know I will have so much fun at this time!
Sorry guys, I have the best grandparents in the world! This weekend, I wasn’t in high spirits, so Saturday grandpa asked one of his friends, Jørgen, with whom he had done military service, if we could come to his house. We went Grandpa, my Grandmas and I, from Copenhagen to Aalborg, about 4 hours away. And there, surprise Jørgen has a minigolf. We had fun like crazy.
The next day to thank Jørgen we decided my Grandmothers and I to make him a good meal.
Here is our little recipe for a simple and cheap Garam Massala Curry.
The ingredients (for 4 to 5 peoples):
2 onions
6 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons of ginger
4 tablespoons garam massala powder
3 tablespoons of turmeric
3 tablespoons cumin
2 or 3 pinches of coriander leaves
6 tomatoes
4 potatoes
4 chicken breasts
2 plain yogurts
2 to 4 teaspoons of chilli, depending on your taste or suicidal tendencies (optional)
the juice of a lime
Preparation :
First, we will slice the onions, the and squeeze the garlic. Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size cubes, cut the tomatoes into small cubes like the potatoes.
It’s time to heat a pan with ideally ghee (Indian clarified butter) but if not, a little oil (any cooking oil) will do the trick. Once the oil is hot, fry the onions, garlic and ginger.
Add the spices (massala powder, turmecic and cumin) to roast them and bring out the tastes. After a few seconds, the chicken is slowly cooked.
When it is no longer white, add the tomatoes and potatoes. Once the tomatoes have made their water we add the yogurt, it only remains to simmer until the potatoes become tender
When serving, add the juice of a limeand the coriander leaves. Accompany it with a little rice and I am sure that your guests will be delighted!
Enjoy your meal !
sources :
I use a recipe of french youtuber I like a lot when he talk about hisrory. He just open a cooking channel on youtube “Top Sheik”:
Nilsa's world 