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365 things

8 September 2010

#251 Have one vegetarian day a week

I have been both a meat-eater and vegetarian at different times in my life. I've lived on only soy products for several weeks and I’ve eaten ten hot dogs in half an hour at a hot dog eating competition. The problem and the war between animal lovers and fans of meat is that it's always all or nothing. Vegetarians want everyone to be vegetarians and meat-eaters refuse to become full-time vegetarians. Being the diplomat that I am, I arrived at the perfect solution: If you are meat eaters, have one vegetarian day a week.

It doesn’t have to be at all dramatic. There are thousands of vegetarian recipes. And by eating vegetarian one day out of seven you’ll help make the planet a better place, not only for animals but also for the environment. If every person in Sweden would start eating vegetarian one day a week, that’d be 52 days per year. 9 million times 52 is an incredibly significant difference. I can’t do math, but you know what I mean.

1. Decide on one day a week when you’ll eat vegetarian food all day.

2. Google good recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.

3. Do it.

Required time: 
1 week or more
Cost: 
Less than €10
Cons: 
There is a shift in attitude required to do it and it requires a little discipline, but frankly, my friend, just pull yourself together and do it. That’s the least you can do.
Pros: 
You make a difference for the planet and help in the climate fight.
Taggar: vegetarian days, vegetarian, steak, soya mince, feedstocks, diplomatic, climate fight, 365 things
3 September 2010

#246 Organize a trading table

Bring your old socks to school and see if anyone is interested. You never know.

Bring your old socks to school and see if anyone is interested. You never know.

School has started again, and for those of you who think that it is monotonous with teachers, homework and project work, 365 gives you seven things you can do at your school.

Surveys, in-depth interviews with the country's brightest minds and a group of 20 researchers’ careful research have now discovered that pupils in Swedish schools do not have lot of money to spend. It has been determined that it is time to find creative ways to save money instead of going about in rags. After several years in a laboratory, two of the researchers have developed the Trading Table.

The Trading Table serves as a regular table. The difference is that instead of putting buns and juice on the table to take a coffee break, you fill the table surface with things you do not want. Books, magazines, CDs, clothes, gadgets. The table can be in a corridor at your school. Then the 1for1-rule is in effect meaning that you may take one thing off the table if you put another thing there in return.

Bonus – Trade Trade Trade-collective in Gothenburg

Required time: 
1 day or less
Cost: 
Free.
Cons: 
There are always those who do not follow common rules. It could be that some think that the table takes up too much space and move it.
Pros: 
You can find bargains by switching off the shawl you’re fed up with for a new hat.
Taggar: used clothes, stockings, seven things you can do at your school, hat, free, changing table, 365 things
2 September 2010

#245 Organize a water fight

Photo: www.rodolfoclix.com.br

Photo: www.rodolfoclix.com.br

School has started again, and for those of you who think that it is monotonous with teachers, homework and project work 365 gives you: Seven things you can do at your school.

When I was in middle school, I was in the worst class in the whole of Göteborg. All the teachers were afraid of us and our class teacher got tired of us and put herself in a psychiatric ward because she could not handle our particular bunch of restless twelve year-olds. Instead we had a substitute named Stefan. Stefan was a former UN soldier, used snuff and had black boots. Instead of having math lessons he arranged full-scale water fights with water guns, buckets filled with water and water balloons. The whole staff room was spotted with puddles, the asphalt in the playground adopted a darker hue, and our wet clothes hung as heavy dog fur from our bodies. It was the most enjoyable month of my years in school.

Bonus - Water War North against South 080,808th This is really serious.

Required time: 
1 day or less
Cost: 
Free
Cons: 
It gets wet. You might slip. The occasional teacher may become irritated. You may need to carry an extra change of clothing.
Pros: 
It is much more fun than sitting on your hands doing nothing at all.
Taggar: wet, water wars, temp, seven things you can do at your school, north against south, changing facilities, balloons, 365 things
1 September 2010

#244 Bring a lunch box

Bringing your own food also invites creative solutions.

Bringing your own food also invites creative solutions.

To this day I still have major problems with eating crumbed fish. I blame the lunch ladies I had in high school. It is their fault that I can’t look at a fish stick without feeling my gag reflex starting to bounce in my throat. I can’t even think of a bread crumbed cod without recoiling into the fetal position.

Even though they were disgustingly cooked and served without passion, neither I nor my classmates ever thought of taking our own food to school. Every now and then I spent my allowance on pizza or buns from the supermarket. Instead I should have had lunch boxes and brought food from home. I should have taken a piece of yesterday's dinner, or even put myself to work and cooked a good omelet or a stew.

But you learn from your mistakes. I would never eat crumbed fish in a school today no matter where I am. I always have a lunchbox with me in case it happens.

Required time: 
1 day or less
Cost: 
Less than €10
Cons: 
The staff in the dining room can take it personally when you set the table with candles, fancy cutlery and your own food.
Pros: 
You won’t have to eat disgusting food.
Taggar: seven things you can do at your school, school, pasta, lunch box, gag reflex, breaded fish, 365 things
31 August 2010

#238 Take a class

Alexander Kandiloros has previously spoken about being tongue-tied in front of Regina Spektor, couch surfing and all the jeans that litter his house. Now for something completely different:

One of the things I like best is learning new things. Pattern recognition. Being able to keep up with conversations with very different people. There are those who know everything there is to know about a single subject, but as for myself, I've never been able to choose one area. I want to know everything! About everything! Which at best leads to me to know a little about a lot.

Introduction to Greek mythology, Biology of philosophers, argumentation analysis for beginners, Aesthetic History of Ideas, and Modern Hebrew are examples of evening courses taught at the University of Gothenburg. One evening a week; we can all fit that into our schedules. We will never be fully taught, we will never be finished. The brain is a muscle that needs to be exercised to become big and strong.

But you don’t even need to apply for a course to go to a lecture. All lectures are public - and free, and with one phone call or by Googling, you can find out where those interesting lectures are taking place. Get what an amazing country we live in!

At ABF, you can learn to bind books, paint with watercolors, cook, or why not accounting? There simply is something for everyone. Their courses often cost a bit but not much really. There are skills to develop and nurture, and there is money to be saved by repairing our own clothes, books and furniture, people to impress people by knowing a little about a lot.

Required time: 
1 week or more
Cost: 
Less than €50
Cons: 
You have one less night a week to waste watching TV.
Pros: 
You learn new things. Meet like-minded people. Understand more. Develop yourself. Learn to see things from other perspectives.
Taggar: university, tv, slötittande, read a course, knowledge, Hebrew, flaunt, alexander kandiloros, Adult Learning, 365 things
31 August 2010

#235 Make your own lemonade

Even if Sweden isn’t the world's hottest country we occasionally have hot days. Cravings for ice cream, soft drinks and mineral water are part of everyday life even in our beloved Sweden. Use your last super powers to make a cold lemonade at home instead of running to the corner store to buy a Coke. You don’t only just do it yourself this way, it’s also cheaper and tastier than any American bubbly drink. If you don’t believe me then try it for yourself.

3 lemons
2 limes
1.5 dl sugar
1.5 dl water

1. Boil the water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Squeeze the lemons and lime.
3. Mix together in a jug and fill up with cold water.
4. Refrigerate for a while and then serve with ice.

Bonus - If you have an enterprising vein in your body you can make a sign and set up shop and sell lemonade in the shade of a tree. I think your neighbors would rather buy from you than go to the shop and throw money at nasty sugary sodas.

Required time: 
1 hour or less
Cost: 
Less than €10
Cons: 
Large companies may feel that they lose you as a customer and become pissy and send spies to your apartment to find out the recipe. Don’t give it to them. Let them suffer.
Pros: 
It’s cheaper, tastier and also gives you the feeling that you’ve achieved something yourself. That feeling is not to be underestimated.
Taggar: lemonade, recipe, 365 things
20 August 2010

#232 Festival Theme: Send a sing-o-gram

The audience might not be this exciting. But you can always hope. Photo: Göteborg & Co.

Spiritual music in Uppsala, meditation in Falkenberg and ska in Södertälje (starts today!). Just because summer is over doesn’t mean the festival season is. Therefore, we at 365 are boasting with the collected experiences of our summer. Here are seven things you can do at a festival.

Few things make people as happy as getting a song. The best thing about a sing-o-gram is that you don’t have to be Justin Timberlake to perform them. Just the thought of getting a song is to many so overwhelming that they don’t mind if you happen to sing like crap and if they would it's just charming anyway. You can choose to sing solo or with a group of friends. Either send your sing-o-gram to someone you know or offer your service to total strangers. Then make a sign that you hang around your neck where you offer free sing-o-grams.

1. Determine a repertoire of five songs. Rehearse the songs.

2. Find someone who will get the sing-o-gram.

3. Sing your heart out.

Required time: 
1 day or less.
Cost: 
Free.
Cons: 
There are people who hate music. Beware of them. The risk of meeting them at a music festival is small - but don’t underestimate it.
Pros: 
People get excited and maybe offer you a cookie or a hug.
Taggar: spiritual music, sing-o-gram, seven things you can do at the festival, Justin Timberlake, hug, 365 things
13 August 2010

#225 Get rid of unnecessary things

What was I thinking?

What was I thinking?

Alexander Kandiloros is the 365-editor with the fastest mouth. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of film and is the author of the book Movie Quotes II: With a Vengeance, that came out last fall.

You know that feeling when you’re moving, and critically go through everything you have to pack, and garbage bag after garbage bag is filled with things you don’t need; that feeling when you throw the bags away? Relief. Freedom.

It’s an approach that doesn’t have to and shouldn’t be used only when moving.

Clean your home as you would during a move, even if you’re not going anywhere. Look around at things; clothes and paper work. Ask yourself, when did I last use this? Will I use it again? Really? Put the things someone else might have use for in the staircase or in front of the house if you live in a house with "Go ahead!" written next to it. Or hide the things around town in true 365-spirit with a friendly post-it note on them. The rest you give to charity, but some of it you have to throw away. And shortly afterwards, it’ll burn up in a purifying garbage fire somewhere.

Required time: 
1 day or less.
Cost: 
Free.
Cons: 
None.
Pros: 
Less to pack the next time you move. Easier to find what you're looking for. Order.
Taggar: unnecessary things, move, hide gifts, clean, alexander kandiloros, 365 things
29 July 2010

#210 Give yourself a trip for chump change

There is one drawback to # 210 And it is quite big... A course in self-defense may be worth it before you start courchsurfing

There is one drawback to # 210 And it is quite big... A course in self-defense may be worth it before you start courchsurfing

Alexander Kandiloros continues his posts on the 365 things you can do. After telling us about Jianzi it’s time to learn how travel almost for free. And next week there’s his Regina Spektor story.

I was planning my 25th birthday party and needed obscene amounts of alcohol for the party. All the people with cars bailed, so I ended up taking the bus to Germany with two empty suitcases. Had a friend in Berlin so I took the opportunity to visit her instead of going straight back. How lucky I was for staying. A completely crazy, unexpected weekend of abandoned U.S. bases, reconnaissance and gay bars in the old factories followed. I got a much-needed slap in the back of the head that opened my eyes to that there is much more out there than what I saw every day. You need that kind of knock sometimes. Otherwise, you forget.

Book the cheapest Ryanair-weekend trip as far ahead as possible. Choose a place you've never been to. Preferably book really late at night so it’s half forgotten the day after. Once the date is approaching and the trip reminds you of its existence via SMS it’ll be like receiving a gift from yourself, using some type of time travel. Bratislava in August 2011, Wroclaw, one spring weekend April 2012, or perhaps a bit of Frankfurt, Glasgow, or London in the autumn. These flights are a penny each plus tax.

Bonus1 - Cheap hostels http://www.hostels.com/

Bonus2 - Free and more exciting homes http://www.couchsurfing.com/

Required time: 
1 week or more
Cost: 
More than €50
Cons: 
You can end up in the home of a weirdo. You could end up enjoying the place so much that you don’t like Sweden in the same way anymore.
Pros: 
You experience something new. You get perspective. Despite booking far ahead, it’s still rad and spontaneous. You could meet new wonderful people, or maybe find a new place to settle down in.
Taggar: Ryan Air, pittance, frankfurt, couch surfing, cheap, Bratislava, berlin, alexander kandiloros, 365 things
27 July 2010

#208 Clean

When I was little my mom was some sort of super hero. She never became ill. Of course, I was home with the cold now and then and the best thing I knew was to be at home on the couch and watch Empire of the Sun by Stephen Spielberg and eat sandwiches with cheese and butter and drink a big glass of chocolate milk. I did absolutely nothing. I just lay there and let the films take over from each other.

Once my mother became ill. Dad eventually managed to persuade her to stay home. For some reason, I was also sick at the time. So it was me and mom at home. I explained to her that the sofa was the best spot for chillaxing and how to dip the sandwich in the chocolate milk so that it didn’t fall apart. It took half a movie for mom to become restless.

She stood up and put her hands on her hips and said that we needed clean up. I sighed and stood up as well. My mom is the superhero, like I said, and when a superhero says clean; you clean.

Required time: 
1 day or less
Cost: 
Free
Cons: 
It takes time. It is not that fun. Your hands will get dry from the soap. The dust swirls around when you clean and it can get in your nostrils, making you sneeze.
Pros: 
Both home and soul will be clean afterwards. You can stand and admire your work and feel satisfied. The feeling of satisfaction is among the best there is. Perhaps it’s easier to rest then.
Taggar: window cleaner, superhero, stephen spielberg, restless, couch, clean, cheese sandwich, 365 things