I'm blasting Christmas music from 7.30 and yesterday I baked my first[^ But certainly not the last.] saffron cake of the season. Got no photos, but trust me, it was delicious. Now, please invite me to dinners so I have an excuse to bake more.
This week I'm
... focusing on finishing and publish my new website, which shows a new direction I'm taking business wise. Or, not so much new actually, but a refinement of what I do best. Feeling more enthusiastic about work than I have in a long time.
... readingStacken by Annika Norlin, for my Swedish bookclub (aka excuse to catch up with my friends). More than halfway through and completely obsessed.
... looking forward to a few things!
Trying pottery for the first time on Tuesday.
Biweekly non-fiction writing meetup on Wednesday.
Adventure park for a friends birthday this weekend.
Last week
... I started taking supplements for iron and B12 (doctors order), and my energy levels went from sloth to squirrel in a hurry.
... I had the final part of onboarding for a volunteer assignment I signed up for. Nervous, but really looking forward to it!
... I finished All the Way to the River, by Elizabeth Gilbert. I really enjoyed it, insightful about addiction and it got me out of the reading slump I've been in for weeks.
... went to a Christmas market to stock up on the best scented candles (seriously, the scent is amazing).
I referred to it as “the bunker”. My small office, a glorified closet, lacked windows, natural light and oxygen. I decorated with new lamps, fluffy pillows on the guest-bed, using what I could to make it feel less like a prison cell, more like a cozy studio. But after a day of meetings I would crawl out, desperate for fresh air, dreaming of a room to work from that did not feel like I was being punished for my sins.
A year later we moved up a floor and I got my daylight home office. But sitting at home every single day, turned out to be too much introvert time even for me. I compensated by doing the nomad thing and work from coffee shops. But the internet was spotty, even using my phone, and after an hour I felt obligated to spend money on drinks I did not really want or leave. Toilet breaks were a hassle when I was alone. I went to co-working spaces too, but they are pricy, often crowded and with only two phone booths for taking calls in. I also wanted a community vibe, smaller, more casual. I did not go remote to pay for joining someone else’s corporate culture.
And on it went. Like Goldilocks I moved between beds, finding one too hard, one too soft, never one quite right.
Nothing left to do but to take matters into one's own hands.
Building something different
Tom and Reima shared this desire for a third space. Not quite an office, but a space where we could work and hang out, a shared living room. Create the community we were missing. In May they went to view the first space, an office in Lapa, an 18-minute walk from where we live. It had two floors, two toilets, and room for everything we needed.
We ruminated over it for a week.
"Let's just do it," we said over a glass of wine in the park.
As all good decisions are made.
We signed the agreement.
Five minutes later, we were tearing up the floor.
Not hyperbole, in case you're wondering. Tom has very little distance between thought and action, and had that not been the case, we would probably still be pondering wall colors.
Work in progress.
Our timeline was tight. We were all leaving Lisbon over the summer and had three weeks to redo the floors upstairs, paint everything, make changes to the electric wiring and get some furniture in. It was intense, but we got it done!
Welcome to Kompis!
Kompis opening party.
By the end of September we were all here and could finally host our opening party. We're officially up and running!
We're intentionally keeping it small. Friends are stopping by to work from here when they are in town. We've started hosting the events we wished existed. Having a place for whatever idea we come up with is such a privilege and joy.
We call it a co-working, but clubhouse might be a better name. It's where we hang out. We've organized a movie night to watch Eurotrip, with five different nationalities between us. This week we hosted our first Deep Talk Writing meetup, where writers can go deep on the philosophy and craft of writing, and last night we had our first jam session.
It's becoming the space for friends and creativity we were missing.
Eurotrip is ridiculous but honestly still had us all in tears.
Kompis is obviously dog-friendly. Well, actually, more like dog-obsessed.
The meaning of a name
When we brainstormed names I thought of swissmiss and her studio in Brooklyn, named Friends Work Here. That always resonated with me, so I suggested kompis, which is Swedish for friend or buddy. It's simple, easy to pronounce for most, and it reflects what we want to build here. Small, intentional, friendly. The guys agreed, and Kompis Collective was born.
If you have been dreaming of a room of your own, take this as a sign to get started. Talk to other people, look at locations, consider your options. It doesn't have to be that complicated.
Sometimes you can just do things.
Current happy place: at Kompis, with coffee in hand, at all times.
Want to join us in Lisbon?
If you're looking for a new co-working, want to visit us, or just stay up to date on events, message me and I'll give you the details! You can also follow us in Instagram.
It's October in Lisbon. True to my Swedish nature I feel an urge to give you a weather report, because today I could finally taste a bit of fall. Cloudy skies, a few drops of rain, I even had to bike home and change into jeans and a long-sleeved sweater before going to my writing meetup. Refreshing after weeks with 28 degrees.
As my iPhone wallpaper I have a small vision board for my year. Every time I pick up my phone, which is a lot if we're being honest here, I see it. Top right corner has a photo of me in full hiking gear with the text "type 2 fun in nature".
I might have manifested that a little too hard this holiday. To the point where we changed the saying to "type NO fun". If schadenfreude is your thing, you'll enjoy this recap. Let's go!
Never has a photo captured my mood more accurately. And this was day one.
The plan
Tom and I set out to do part of the Inntaler Höhenweg, in Austria, close to Innsbruck. It's a "hut to hut" hike, which we are doing for the third year; second time in Austria. The huts have basic sleeping arrangements, usually dorms, but serves delicious three course dinners and are nestled in the mountain with incredible views.
On Sunday we checked into our hotel in Zell am Ziller, where we did our last minute snack shopping and repacked our bags.
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Cocktails and route review to prepare.
Ready to hike.
Day 1: Patscherkofel to Glungezerhütte
Our journey started with taking the train to Innsbruck, where I treated myself to the most boujee coffee shake Starbucks had to offer.
For once we decided to make the first day a chill one, and we took the gondola up the mountain. To nobody’s surprise it started raining the second I started my Garmin activity. “It wouldn’t be a Tom and Sanna hike if it wasn’t raining,” I said, cheerful, because I had little idea of what this trail would put me through.
Ah, to be young and naive.
The rain was unlikely to stop, so we found shelter under a big rock where we had our lunch. Fresh bread, cheese and salami. Topped it off with my favorite hiking snack Hanuta. "Type 2 fun," we joked.
It was still funny then. 🙃
After that we barely took a break.
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The rain was relentless and we pushed through, 3 hours later we had hiked 7.81 km, up 755m, and arrived at Glungezerhütte. Wet to the bone. Hot chocolate spiked with rum was well-earned, but it took hours for me to stop shivering.
Glungezerhütte was very cozy, but note that if you sleep in the outside room, going to the bathroom at night means a two minute walk with stairs both outside and inside, which was not my favorite experience. They also lack showers. Food and staff are lovely though and we met a bunch of people doing the same route, which made the hike much more social than others.
Day 2: Glungezerhütte to Lizumer Hütte
We knew this day would be on the tougher side. Expert level hike, Komoot and AllTrails warned us.
I had three cups of coffee before 7am, my bangs acted accordingly.
After dinner the host had stopped by to brief us. Seven peaks, up and down, where you need to be sure on your feet. Rain was expected, but likely after 1pm. "Make sure you're past the last peak before then," he said. The alpine route was treacherous. We nodded and thought to ourselves, how bad can it be? We're both pretty sure on our feet and love rough trails, so while a lot of people woke up at 5am, we took it easy and left close to 7.30 in the morning. Komoot estimated almost 6 hours for the 14.6km long trail, add a few breaks and we should be safe.
And maybe that would have been the case, had I not been a little too cocky in my skipping climbing steps.
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"Mountain parkour!" I said, hopping from rock to rock. Until I suddenly felt my right foot slip and fell head first into stone.
When I say head first I mean it in the most literal sense. My forehead had most of my weight behind it as it crashed into the boulder. The pain was sharp, head, neck, spine. I sat down, shocked, and begun to assess the damage. Concussion? Blood? We were only one hour in, and I had no desire to turn back. But the next hut was a long hike away.
Luckily, it was chilly outside – I had just put on a hiking buff and folded it twice to protect my ears, which happened to protect my head as well. An American pancake sized bump quickly took shape under my bangs, but the skin was intact. Tom managed to find ice and we put it in a ziplock bag, pressing on my head.
I looked left and right, trying to feel if I had a concussion. No dizziness, no nausea, so far. Pain at the place of impact, as well as neck and spine, but nothing I couldn't manage. Although, I practice aerial and my sense of what is reasonable pain might not be entirely accurate.
We were faced with a dilemma. Ahead of us was hours on a ridge of slippery boulders, with steep slopes on both sides. Rain was expected and could come any time. The next hut was 12 km away. Do we turn back or keep going?
We decided to keep going.
Slowly we made our way up and down the peaks. Focused. At times, the fog limited our visibility to only a few meters. The wind was picking up and dark clouds were ominously getting closer.
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It's difficult to capture just how steep and dangerous some sections were. There were several via ferratas where our grip of a thin metal rope was the only thing allowing us to get to the next point, because it barely had any place for our feet to step on. Excuse my dramatic tone, but a fall here would most likely ended in death. This trail required complete presence. We also had the added time pressure of incoming rain, that would make the route more dangerous.
We kept pushing with few breaks.
We barely saw a soul, but a Dutch couple had been hiking behind us and the last bit they caught up. Chocolate and war stories from the day were shared as we walked together. We kept thinking we were almost there, and it kept being longer.
We saw a sign saying "Lizumer Hütte: 2 hours", walked another hour only to see yet another sign saying "Lizumer Hütte: 2 hours" again.
I wondered if we were being pranked.
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We did get a little comfort at the end; marmots! They are usually cautious of humans but this little family was not. Our conclusion was that they are probably deaf. The trail went through a military training area and had regular target practices (hopefully not aimed a fluffy animals).
18.05, just in time for dinner, we arrived. Strava clocked us in at 10 hours and 39 minutes. Almost 17 km. I wished for nothing else than at spiked hot chocolate (the only hot alcoholic beverage they offer). but the machine was broken. We had our dinner, took a shower, and crashed into bed. Too tense to feel relaxed, but relieved we made it through the day without any signs of a concussion.
Day 3: Lizumer Hütte to Weidener Hütte
Managed to get some sleep, despite the enthusiastic snoring from two strangers in our room. Not exactly rested, but at least my neck pain was not getting worse.
Bangs might be greasy, but at least they cover my giant forehead.
We had a proper breakfast, geared up with our rain protection and set off shortly after 8am. It was not raining exactly the whole time, but even when it wasn't, the air was so moist it might as well. This profile of this route was first half climbing up, then all the way down.
I'll be honest, this was a dreadful day. The trail was busy, and offered few secluded spots to pee. As an added perk on my list of miseries, I'd also just gotten my period. You can imagine that having PMS-mood, cramps, and needing to pee, did not make for a delightful time.
What I love about hiking is, in large part, the not-hiking. When you pause, sit in the grass and take in the views. Have a coffee, a few bites of pistachio chocolate. Maybe read for half an hour. Soak it in.
The only thing being soaked on this hike was us, in the rain, like two sponges wobbling around the Austrian mountains. Middle-aged, with knee pain.
Type no fun.
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We pressed on without eating our lunch. At one point our energy levels were getting so low we had to stop for a snack break. I had not even laid out my jacket to sit on before the rain increased. I sat down anyway and and had a Hanuta. Cursing this fucking trail.
After 5 hours and 23 minutes we arrived at our next hut. It was only 2pm, so we checked in and sat down in the restaurant where I ordered my favorite hiking food: Kaiserschmarrn! This one was fluffy and dense, exactly what I needed. As well as a Hugo, of course.
"If there's any prediction of rain tomorrow I'm not going," I told Tom. I was over it. Fuck nature, give me a shower that lasts more than three minutes and a proper cocktail served in sunshine.
Next days route would be an alpine one like our second day, two kilometers shorter, but more elevation gain. The weather predicted both rain and sun. That, my friends, was not a gamble I was willing to take. I was tired to my core and our dorm was filling up with men aged 60 and up, which, in my experience, means an orchestra of snoring and no sleep for me. We decided to cancel our next hut and walk down a day earlier.
In the evening we shared a bottle of wine with the Dutch couple, and ended the evening playing cards with our new trail buddies, relaxed knowing by this tomorrow, we would be in an actual hotel room.
Day 4: Back to civilization
I sat down at the breakfast table and the people stared at me. "Ehm, you have some marks on your face," one of my new friends said. I took up my phone as reflection.
A matching set of black eyes stared back at me. Charming. My left eyeball I was also getting bloody. It appeared that the bump on my forehead was now traveling down my face, shapeshifting along the way. Tom consulted with his doctor brothers.
"It's normal, will pass in a few days," one said.
"This is a great time to get into Berghain,", said the other.
Day three after face planting into solid stone.
It's now been a week and it's gotten a lot worse, but it seems to be turning around now. I won't scare you with a photo, but if you want a jump scare, let me know and I'll share.
By which point my boots consisted of 80% mud.
After we packed up, we walked a couple of hours down to the bus stop and in the afternoon we arrived at the luxury spa hotel we had booked in Zell am Ziller.
The aftermath
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This was bliss after the four days of rain and misery we had. Had the weather been a little bit better, I would have loved it. Maybe we'll go back one day.
But we got a bit more mountain time the day after we got back. The weather was of course amazing by then, and we went for a drive and another short hike. The alps truly has the most amazing scenery.
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Imagine if we had this weather during our hike. 🙃
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If you read this far, I'm impressed. If you have any recommendations for hikes in Europe next year, I'm all ears!
The weeks before vacation always end up being the most intense. Everything needs be done yesterday and nothing can wait until tomorrow, but at one point I had blocked every client calendar, set my out of office replies, and changed my Slack status to a palm tree, the universal symbol for relaxation. Ciao, I'm going to Italy.
And here I am, at Lake Garda. Where the buzzing of cicadas follow you everywhere you go. A thunderstorm can roll over the lake in minutes, and in the time it takes you to finish an espresso, it's sunny again.
Four days here and I've hit my pasta/pizza/cheese limit. Fortunately I have no such limit when it comes to pistachio gelato. I'll have two a day, thank you very much.
Yesterday we put our carb reserve to good use and went for a hike on Monte Baldo. Perfect warm up to test our gear for next week, when we'll be out for five days, going hut to hut in Austria. Vacation diaries to be continued!
Four months since my last newsletter? Oops. At some point I'll learn how to not get swallowed whole by new assignments, but evidently that was not the case this time. I'm betting you haven't noticed though – between overflowing inboxes on one screen and doomscrolling on another, who has the time? 🙃
At 11.30 yesterday, I had just come back from a quick workout and sat down with my breakfast. One piece of bread, two eggs, coffee. Ready to work. 11.34 I noticed the green light from my laptop charger went dark. The wifi icon started blinking, searching. There must be a power cut for the whole building, since we share wifi with our neighbors downstairs. I reach for my phone to hotspot from it. I have signal, but the internet does not work. Not even Whatsapp.
Strange. Both electricity and the internet down, at the same time?
So terrifying I can't differentiate between "well" and "we'll".
Sending and receiving texts work, sporadically. I have a client meeting at 12, and it took 15 minutes before my text to let her know I couldn't join was sent. For Tom the 3g seemed to work still, so I decide to bike over there and see what news we could gather.
The rumor mill ran hot, quickly. Some said it could be an attack because Portugal and Spain left an agreement with the US about buying fighter jets three days ago. Later it was a fire in a main hub in France, which caused them to shut down. Of course, there was the endless jokes about the Russians. Then came my personal favorite, a fake news article shared on Whatsapp, detailing 15 countries being affected in Europe, with fabricated quotes and warnings about "unusual movements in the North Atlantic" from NATO. All this less than two hours after power went out and while all established media said they were trying to identify the problem and cause. Erhm.
"I'm half internet," I told Tom at one point, not quite knowing what to do with myself after I organised my closet, cleaned out all bathroom drawers, listened to two episodes of Decoding the Gurus, and considered how useless I would be in an actual apocalypse. In the afternoon I went for a walk to see if I could get internet somewhere, because our neighborhood was not blessed by the internet gods.
It looked normal enough.
The Guardian kept me up to date. Regions in Spain reported coming back online and that made me feel calmer. By nightfall we still had no electricity, but I'm Swedish, so obviously I had stocked up on candles at IKEA months ago. Disconnected from internet I finally finished Murakami's latest, which was a slog, to be honest. Apparently it would take a complete technical shutdown for me to push through, but I guess that's the silver lining and all.
Who said the apocalypse can't be cosy.
21.30 the lights came on, internet powered up, and people cheered on the streets. Ten hours disconnected, but we survived!
Now I guess it's time to become a prepper and stock up on generators, power banks, water bottles, canned goods, and an emergency hand crank radio. Also, maybe we can squeeze in a bunker into our garden?
Not sure where on earth March went, but it sure was fast. 🤷🏻♀️
I came home to Lisbon a week ago, after two blissful months in Thailand. Koh Phangan is full of spirituality in a way that doesn't always resonate with me, but the beautiful thing is that you can set your own intentions, make your own adventure. Mine was to be creative and focus on new clients. It went pretty well: I published a few blog posts here I'm quite happy with, and a bunch of newsletters over at Between Deadlines. I also started working with two new clients I'm really excited about.
Oh, and I also turned 39, celebrated with my favorite little commune group, stubbed my big toe so bad I could barely walk for a week, ate all the delicious breakfasts, enjoyed a few gorgeous sunsets, and treated myself to a facial which made my skin glow for a day before I sabotaged it by traveling for 36 hours straight back to Europe. Oh, well.
Here's a photo dump.
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Being home is beautiful too, though. When I'm walking the same old cobblestone streets I've walked a thousand times here I notice I feel genuine happiness again. 2023 was a rough year, and while it started turning around end of 2024, it was still an uphill battle. Now, I feel recharged on every level. Ready to go, create, work.
Or, "Mental shifts that might help stop blocking your own creativity".
I've struggled with feeling creatively blocked for years. Post-covid especially did a number on my mental health, dragging my confidence and creativity down with it. I wanted to write and create, but moments of flow were few and far between. Mostly I just felt stuck.
Lately, however, something has shifted. I'm writing again. Creating again. Finding joy in the process.
If you consider yourself a creative person who's battled some version of writer's block, you've probably consumed hours of content about how to overcome it. I know I did. I devoured all the advice: YouTube videos, TikToks, Instagram captions, and countless books. So. Many. Books.
Implementing the advice was another story.
/ Brief interlude about advice
I think there are two parts to absorbing advice.
First, you hear it over and over, in different ways, until it finally resonates with your particular brain. You go “ahaaa, NOW I get it”, despite hearing it 385,703 thousand times before.
The other part is playing with it. Like trying on jeans. You can’t just look at the advice and gather if it’s going to work for you, you have to try it on. See how it fits. Sometimes you feel right away how wrong it is and you take it off. Sometimes you have to wear it for a while, sit in it, walk around, maybe do some jumping jacks, what do I know. Maybe the fit is perfect, but you’re just not feeling comfortable with yourself, and then it doesn’t matter anyway. The issue is not advice, it’s how you feel, in this moment. /
For whatever reason, I feel more at ease creatively now than I have in a very long time. This post is my attempt to explain what I think helped. Maybe this will fit like a perfect pair of jeans at just the right time for someone else. Or maybe I'm just having a temporary creative surge and will be back in my slump next week. Either way, here are the three shifts that I think made a difference for me!
Ignore the judgy little voice
When I was doing a writing workshop in Berlin I told my therapist I struggled to speak up. I felt like I didn’t have the same insights the others did and whatever I would say would not bring any value to the group. “Do you also have something you want to say?” she asked. Which I did. This was the point where I realized I could separate the judgy little voice in my head and make the active choice to not listen to it.
I’ve heard people describing this a thousand times without seeing I had this too — I wholeheartedly identified with judging myself. And apparently it took me 37 years to realise I didn’t have to? Wild.
This translates to writing and publishing online as well. I always hear that voice saying it’s not good enough, valuable enough, but I publish anyway and you know what, nothing bad has happened. Quite the opposite, actually.
Follow the sparks
Every time I had a spark of wanting to write something, or do some design change on my blog, I would immediately think about all the things I should do that is more important. Like, writing a blog piece that has more value, or telling myself tweaking my design is just procrastinating.
The story I told myself was that everything I felt inspired to do was not worth doing, until I did the “important” things first. This might sound healthy, it is one of the more common productivity advice out there, but the result for me has been that I pretty much don’t do anything creatively. I would kill the spark to create before it ever had time to catch fire and bring life to what I’m trying to do.
What I’m exploring now is to go with my hunches. Whatever sparks joy, any little idea I have, I just start. Some things might never see the light of day, and you know what, that’s perfectly fine. I’m creating. I’m taking action. And with every action, the things on my “should” list becomes so much easier to do as well. Momentum. Do not underestimate it.
On Sunday I had nothing on my schedule and felt the urge to rebuild my blog. I found a template, bought it, spent the whole day tweaking it to my liking. A typical thing that could feel like "an excuse for not doing the real work", but happens to make me really happy and inspired. Now I have a new design and structure that feels much more in line with what I want to explore. And – I had fun doing it! Not unimportant, no matter who tells you otherwise.
Focus on vibes more than plans
I heard this story from Shaan Puri on How I Write podcast and it set my brain off in the best way possible. It was about a creator on TikTok whose creation strategy did not involve making plans and lists. Instead, she focused on getting herself psyched up and in the right mode, and based on that, she created what she felt inspired to in the moment. I think Shaan compared it to professional athletes who focus on getting themselves in a winning headspace before a competition.
And you know what? This works for me. Putting on a playlist and dance around to what inspires me works a lot better than sitting down and listening to calm piano music “in order to not be distracted by lyrics”. If I want to write now, I put on a sassy song, dance around the room, walk to a coffee shop, treat myself to a flat white and get writing.
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That’s it, my key changes which has helped me get unstuck creatively. I'm not winning a Pulitzer prize anytime soon, but at least I'm creating again.
If you have thoughts on this, I’d love to hear them!
This morning I woke up with an overwhelming urge to fiddle with this blog. I've had the same theme for three years and frankly, it was time for a little update in both design and functionality.
One thing I've been craving is a space for brief posts, sort of the things I used to post on Twitter. A bit like Maggie Appleton does with Smidgeons, but more casual/personal. Hence; dispatches!
The past month I've been focusing on my new newsletter, Between Deadlines, which is more of a Linkedin-vibe about project management. It feels a bit like I've prepared my home for spring and it's time to organise some parties here!
(And by party I mean blog posts, but I'm sure you got that.)
My AirPods are set to transparency mode, so I can hear the birds through my latest music obsession. Rainy season was supposed to end in November, but somebody did not get the memo and it's been all drama and no chill for days. But this morning there are no ominous clouds in sight.
My porch wraps around half of the petite bungalow I'm staying in. It's on stilts, painted in an intense blue color I somehow don't mind. Every morning I walk to Indigo Coffee to pick up a cold brew, and for a few hours I sit on a meditation cushion with my laptop placed on a bright green stool in front of me. Sipping my coffee, looking at birds, writing, working.
It's 31 degrees in March and I'm not hating it.
It's not exactly Scandinavian minimalism, but it is cozy.
This is a welcome change from last year. At that time I was fed up with traveling and all I wanted was to be wrapped in a blanket on my couch at home, and never see an airport again. I was in Lisbon for more than ten months 2024, the longest I've stayed in one place since 2014.
But, by December the familiar sense of restlessness begun to brew. Like being hangry, but instead of eating a Snickers I needed to wake up to a different view in the morning. And now, I feel satisfied. Driving around on my scooter to new coffee shops and hidden spots to work from. Living out of a suitcase is calming to my nervous system. It appears my traveling days are not quite behind me. Who knows if they ever will be.
I'm a routine junkie at heart and maybe that's why I crave switching it up more than most people do. If I don't relocate every once in a while, my tracks of habit run so deep it buries me in the ground, and my creativity with it.
Anyway. I'm grateful for being able to live this weird little life. Rain or not.
What some days have looked like. At least it's still pretty.
The Status Report 📋
... reading Rejection, by Tony Tulathimutte. My reading year has kicked off strong and I'm just finishing a collection of interconnected short stories about romantic rejection with some of the most well-crafted non-likable characters I've read. It's somehow repulsive and delicious? Pls read it so we can have a book club about it.
... listening to Sofi Tukker, because I crave sassy female energy that has nothing to do with spirituality.
... working on wrapping up projects for a client, it's been a hectic week. Also working on the newsletter I started about project management, Between Deadlines, which is really fun to experiment with.
Could also be called "my project management pet peeves".
... thinking about my conflict with spirituality and certain beliefs in this area. Like the concept of "masculine and feminine energy", where some people argue it's biological nature for women to follow and men to lead – excuse me while I'm trying to stop my brain from exploding. It's also tying into pseudoscience and I'm trying to sort out my thoughts on it. Will likely become an essay series here.
... writing longer posts that will take a while to be ready for publishing.
... practicing some calisthenics to keep my strength up while I'm here, but also: my aerial teacher started sharing flexibility classes on Youtube and they are legit so good.
My calisthenics home here.
... enjoying every sip of my morning cold brew.
... looking forward to having almost two more weeks in this exact spot. 😌
Kevin Roose wrote an article about “How Claude Became Tech Insiders’ Chatbot of Choice”. I’m not a tech insider and was oblivious to Claude's cult-status, but it is my AI of choice and has been since I tried it well over a year ago. Let me explain why I accidentally joined the cult of “A.I. hipsters who want to brag about the obscure chatbot they’re into”.
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OpenAI's ChatGPT is mainstream at this point, but Claude seems to be a little less known. Anthropic is the company behind Claude, a research and product company who place more focus on safety and ethics than OpenAI does.
In terms of features, Claude is currently not as advanced as ChatGPT. There is no voice mode talking back at you yet, nor does it browse the web. What makes it my preferred companion is first of all its quality of writing. When prompting ChatGPT to draft something or edit my writing, it always feels off. Claude on the other hand seems to get the nuances of language much better.
The other reason is tone of voice. I find ChatGPT too eager to please, too complimentary. I do not want to work with a human who tries to suck up to me at every opportunity and this aversion extends to chatbots. Apparently it has recently started calling people "love" now too?
Meanwhile, Claude is just kind of chill. It generally responds to me like a friendly and supportive professional, who wants to help but doesn't get clingy about it.
Use case: The editor who's always on call
For my own writing, like posts for this blog, I use Claude as an editor. While the final text matters, clarifying my thoughts through writing is equally important. (Hot take: If we all outsource the entire process, AI might outsmart us by us simply becoming dumber.)
I also want to develop my own voice with what feels fun and interesting to me. Giving Claude my current voice and ask it to create things in my tone would keep me sounding the same, and that’s not what I want.
This is usually how the process goes:
I write my own first draft, and likely a second and a third draft too.
I paste the whole thing into my dedicated creative writing project, where I already have guidelines on how I want Claude to review my writing.
I include context of what I want to achieve with the piece, intended audience, and any other relevant information, and what I want feedback on. Generally, grammar, language, tone of voice, fluency.
I get feedback and engage in a conversation. Sometimes I agree, sometimes not, sometimes I push back or ask it to clarify, or provide more context. And sometimes I just ignore it all together and do as I please.
Titles is another thing I often ask for help with. Most of my titles these days are a combination of me and Claude. It’s like having a full-time editor to work with instantly on anything I write. And that is pretty encouraging!
Use case: The first-draft companion
When writing for clients, I might approach it differently. Most companies have a clear style guide for their content and tone of voice so this is the context I provide in the project.
If I want to create an article I often give a few examples, put in all the info I have, and prompt it to give me a first draft. This is my starting point, something to get me moving.
If it's a straightforward piece and already close to the result I wanted, I do the final tweaks myself.
More common, I identify what does not work in Claude's version, and I give it feedback. We have a dialogue and go back and forth.
Use case: The 3am sounding board
When I have an idea I want to explore, Claude is my first destination. Not because it has all the answers – but it can ask questions and help me get moving. I dump all the context and my vague questions as I would do to a friend, and it reflects back, giving me statement I might agree or disagree with.
My friends are spread out over the world in different timezones, and surprisingly, don't always feel like talking about my latest nerdy idea, so being able to vet it myself probably helps my relationships too. 😌
* * *
In summary, I talk to Claude the way I would to a colleague I'm working with, it helps me by being available and in many cases, lowering the barrier to entry.
Among my friends I have both AI skeptics and AI fanatics. Would love to hear more about how you use and think about AI, specifically for writing – send me a message or drop a comment!
My quest for the perfect bag has been a serious and lengthy endeavor, spanning a decade. Cost me more money than I feel comfortable sharing and more time on research than any reasonable person should spend. If 10,000 hours is an accurate measurement to become an expert on something, I can now confidently title myself Remote Worker Travel-friendly Backpack Expert. It’s a niche, I know, but one I occupy proudly.
Enough pompous preamble. Let me bring you into my compulsive brain for a bit!
I need a bag that is big and comfortable enough to hold my MacBook Pro 16”, which weighs approximately 273 kg. I need to fit enough stuff to hold what I might need for a day out in different climates. I need my laptop to be padded and feel safe. I need enough small pockets so I can organize my stuff in an accessible manner, but not too many so it becomes complicated to use it. I need pockets on the sides for a water bottle and whatever random stuff I feel like adding.
Also, I’m a child of my time and aesthetics matter. It can’t be ugly, nor have too much color, because I know from experience I will love it at first sight and hate it after one month.
This might be my Swedish heritage, but when in doubt – go Kånken. It has been my most trusted companion. The one bag I have consistently used throughout the years. It's sturdy and reliable. I can squeeze it flat and pack it as an extra when traveling.
However, functionally, it's lacking a few things. The main issue is not being able to put my water bottle on the side. It's also on the smaller side for main compartment, and only has one pocket inside (with foam seat pad to sit on).
It’s big, spacious, with a decent amount of pockets. But, it also felt thin and a bit flimsy. I couldn't fit my thick water bottle in the side pocket (recurring issue) and the top strap was pretty uncomfortable if I needed to carry it. I did not trust it to stand even a drop of rain. I found myself defaulting back to my Kånken.
I remember loving this one years back. It was super light and the fabric stretchy enough to fit most of what I needed. But I it was lacking a dedicated laptop sleeve, and the shape made it impossible to set down on the floor.
... and many others
Besides the ones I bought and tried, many have been discarded before even getting that far. Most of them suffer from similar problems as the ones I tried. A common design feature is to have a hood that folds over the bag. While it protects the contents, it also adds a layer of friction to accessing the pockets, which does not appeal to me.
Anyhow, if I would write about them all, this post would be the size of a Brandon Sanderson novel.
The Bag
At some point last year I watched a YouTube video from Christy Anne Jones where she talked about her new backpack. It was a Japanese brand, exact same model as the one she used to pieces and she explained why she loved it so much. Anytime someone mentions a bag they love, I will immediately go on a research binge.
Turns out the brand, Anello, is rare in Europe. I could order it online, but the size and color I wanted was sold out and I was also hesitant to order something I hadn't seen it in real life. I made that mistake a few times too many.
But a week ago I was in Bangkok, and guess what they have there? Anello shops. I went in, squeezed all the options, and was convinced. This could be it, I thought. The Bag to rule them all. The Bag which puts an end to my decade-long quest.
Let me introduce the Anello Cross bottle Bag, size large. It seemed to address all the pain points I've experienced with other bags.
Let me tell you all the features I deeply appreciate with it.
The fabric is soft and fairly light, while being sturdy. The side pockets can swallow any water bottle, and they are wide enough for me to grab and replace items without taking off the bag. The shoulder straps are comfortable, and I can carry it easily by the top handle when needed. It even has a strap to connect it to my suitcase handle.
It has the perfect amount of pockets: an outer pocket for sunglasses and quick-access items, plus a laptop sleeve in main compartment, with a few smaller organizational pockets.
My favorite unexpected feature: It opens up wide, like a tote bag. Unlike my previous bags that open from the front—forcing me to either tilt the bag or blindly rummage with one hand—this design gives me full overview and easy access to everything.
Plus, I like how it looks.
* * *
As I no longer need to research backpacks, I now have a lot more time at my disposal. Maybe I'll finally write a novel? Hike the PCT? Start an AI company and fight Elon for world domination?
Reporting for newsletter duty from a very different spot than the focus of my last newsletter – Koh Phangan, Thailand! It's been two years since I was here last time and boy, does tropical climate do wonders for my health. My HRV bounced back to normal after wobbling in the red and orange zone for months, the last of my coughing disappeared overnight, and somehow not even jetlag gets me down.
When some girls go through a rough patch in life they cut bangs. I’ve had bangs for twenty years, so I built an app with AI instead.
Let’s talk about it!
A bit of context
We live in a world where AI is everywhere, and like most people in the industry I've been exploring its potential and found it incredibly useful in some areas, and kind of worthless in others. When I noticed people talking about how easy it is to build apps with AI despite not knowing a line of code on Twitter, I decided this would be a fun challenge.
First, let's be clear: I'm not a developer. However, I built my first website in HTML when I was 14, writing code in notepad because I was a purist who refused to use Dreamweaver (if you know, you know). At 20, I discovered WordPress and learned about PHP and databases. For a while, I built websites for clients and considered going the developer route. Ultimately I decided to focus on project/product management and have spent most of my career working closely with developers.
All this to say that while I'm not a developer, I do have a decent technical understanding which definitely helped.
The oh-so-critical problem to solve
I live in Lisbon, and most of my friends here are other expats who travel frequently. Every time I meet one of them, I have to ask them to remind me of their travel schedule. And when mentioning a mutual friend, it's not uncommon that they had no idea they were in town.
Basically, it’s hard to keep track of everyone’s schedule and to know who’s in town. So I decided this highly critical problem would be a good start to learn coding with AI.
My idea is simple: a web app where you can update your calendar to show when you are home (or not) to your friends, and in turn, see when your friends are home (or not).
The very first draft of the idea.
Defining requirements
This is a one-girl-show so no need to make things unnecessarily complicated. A simple list to prioritise features would be sufficient: what are critical features and what can be done later.
An early draft of features.
A large part of building something is deciding what not to build. I know my technical limitations and wanted above all to keep it simple enough to actually create something functional, so anything that risked increasing complexity was a no.
Three things I quickly decided not to explore initially:
iOS/Android app. To make it available to my friends I would need to work on two platforms, which is complexity I do not need for my first product attempt.
Calendar integration. Would be sweet to update your "home or not" status simply by updating your calendar, but since everyone uses their calendar in different ways, this seemed complicated to streamline. Plus, requiring access to users' calendars means being responsible for a lot of data, and I'm far too new at this to feel comfortable with handling this.
Email integrations. Right now, no emails are being sent out. This is one of those things I want to add quite soon, since the likelihood of people signing up, adding a few travel dates, and forget the site ever existed is like 90%. I want to add an onboarding email and the option to send reminders to users.
I used v0 for the first prototype and design elements, then moved to Cursor (an AI-powered code editor) and Replit (an AI-powered development environment) for the actual development. I also used Firebase for database and login-functionality.
The very first prompt and layout in v0. I remember thinking that this was great and that I was halfway there already. (Narrator's voice in ominous tone: she was wrong.)
I followed the tutorial religiously in the beginning, but after the initial set-up, my project was very different from theirs, and I mostly relied on talking to the AIs.
Always be polite to your AIs. (You never know what they'll remember during the robot uprising.)
I'm not going to go into all the details of how the tools work, since others are doing that far better than I could. This was one of the videos I followed, but I suspect there are plenty of newer to watch – things gets dated quickly in the AI world.
The process: From PM to (kind of) developer
A common saying in project management is to count on the last 20% of the project to take up 80% of time/budget. Meaning, the last details will take far more time and effort to get into place. And boy, does this hold true. I thought I was pretty much done in October (lol).
While it took longer than expected, I also learned a lot in the process.
It's been a journey, okay.
Lesson #1: Starting over can be faster than fixing
One month into the process, I had prompted myself into a black hole of build error upon build error, and it seemed impossible to get out of. Somewhere I read the advice to focus on functionality and logic first before making it look pretty, and I made the tough decision to delete everything and start over again.
My head hurts thinking of all the hours lost (sunk cost fallacy, am I right?) but it only took me a couple of days to get it to a better state than it was before.
0:00
/0:09
At which point the core functionality seem to work!
Lesson #2: AI generates vs. modifies code
AI currently prefers to generate new code over modifying what's already there, and it explains each answer with a lot of confidence. An actual developer can spot these errors quickly, and give specific prompts to get the result they want. As someone less experienced, this was a learning curve.
Just a few days ago I was trying to debug the location fields, and Cursor said it saw what the problem was, explained some code changes and ended with "make sure you have the correct API key". The thing is, I don't have API key for this feature, because two months ago I decided to implement it by downloading JSON files. I declined the changes, found the files, and changed my prompt to address the specific files it should be working with, and it implemented the right solution right away.
It's easy to end up with duplicated pages, content and functions that create conflicts which can be tricky to untangle. So, pay attention to the code it creates and the explanations it provides, and be specific with what you're asking for.
On that note, it is also a great copilot when learning to code. My understanding of coding and deployment is far deeper now, and that is a combination of going through the process of building, but also reading the answers and explanations as well as asking follow-up questions.
Lesson #3: Debugging takes patience
The most time consuming aspect is of course bugs. No surprises there. You fix one thing and another one pops up even for actual developers, but more so when you don't actually know the ins and outs of what you're doing. Again, learning experience!
Now, don't get too excited. It's a basic web app, with plenty of wonky little bugs, and a long way to go before it feels polished. But the fact that I was able to build something functional, without being a developer, is wild. The world is going to look very different, very soon.
Also, thanks to all friends who've had the patience to test, help me figure out what's not working and, not to forget, listen to me talk about this for months. 🫶🏻
Every year I tell myself I'm gonna do this, and every year I don't follow through.
Until now!
Breaking this trend with actually sharing my book history for this year. I'm not going to rank them, or give them stars, or provide any in-depth analysis. I'll simply present them in the order they were read, with a few thoughts from my personal experience. Let's go!
About humanity's expansion into space, interplanetary politics, and survival.
In 2023 I started reading The Expanse, which consists of seven books, and as the compulsive maniac I am, I had to read them all in one go. Three of them were finished in January this year. This series was a ton of fun to read, I loved the characters and the world building, but five books would have been enough. Thus, this resulted in a sci-fi overdose and it took me six months to even read the latest Murderbot, because I wanted nothing to do with space.
I have almost recovered, so maybe 2025 will be the return of sci-fi indulgence.
Read if you love a good space opera, interesting characters and politics.
I'm not sure about this one. The writing was pleasant enough and the characters felt real. But the magical element felt a bit uninspired. Maybe because I'm a grumpy reader who has read too many books romantising books and this one just didn't do it for me.
Read if you like family stories that deal with mental health.
About a couple forced to confront their unresolved issues during a vacation with friends.
TikTok and Booktube is all over Emily Henry and I thought a lighthearted chick-lit could be fun for a change. But the premise felt unrealistic and I struggled to enjoy it. But I did like the depiction of friendship!
Read if you're on a beach and want something light for your brain.
About a lonely man who forms a brief but meaningful connection with a woman.
My partner always mocks me for my love of "the Russian masters" (his words, not mine), but I honestly really enjoy them. I read Crime and Punishment as a teenager and was blown away, and don't get me started on Gogol's short stories. They are funny! I promise!
White Nights is not exactly funny, but it is captivating and beautifully written.
Read if you like a short, well-written book that can serve as a gateway to the larger volumes.
About a historical incident in Palestine, told through two interconnected narratives.
A brutal story which takes you to Palestine and confronts you with a few of the horrible things that has happened there. It stayed with me long after finishing it.
Read if you want to understand more about Palestine from an emotional perspective.
About a woman's inner life, her relationships, and her desire for freedom.
I read it in June and at time of writing this, I cannot remember a single thing about it. I gave it three stars on GoodReads, so I guess it was ok, but evidently did not leave a lasting impression.
A collection of essays reflecting on art, family, and the self.
I love Rachel Cusk, but I have to admit many of these essays went a little over my head. Maybe I wasn't in the right mood for it, might reread in the future.
The seventh installment in a sci-fi series about a self-aware security robot navigating moral dilemmas.
After The Expanse-marathon I suffered from a sci-fi hangover and it took me six months to actually read this one. Not my favourite Murderbot-story, it felt a bit exaggerated. Almost like a caricature of itself? Still — Murderbot stan for life!
Read if you love Murderbot.
Did not hate this reading spot from the Austrian alps this summer.
About relationships, intimacy, and the complexities of modern love.
I fell hard for this book and could barely put it down. The characters feel so real and you can tell it’s written by a spoken word poet. I’ve already gushed about it in my newsletter, and to every single person I talk with about books, so I’ll leave it at that. Can’t wait to read what he does next.
Read if you love a beautifully crafted modern relationship drama.
About family in Ireland, unraveling secrets, failures, and resilience.
This has been the year of Irish authors! The Bee Sting was not an immediate crush, but a family saga that developed slowly. Love being in the hands of a skilled writer (and editor) who can do multiple POV's in a way that add layers to the story, without feeling haphazard.
Read if you enjoy a well-written family saga that keeps you invested.
I bought a physical copy of this and have been reading a poem here and there. I love Wendy Cope. Serious Concerns is my favourite collection from her though, but this is a beautiful book to have on the table.
Read if you love poetry with a bit of sass to it.
“The day he moved out was terrible – That evening she went through hell. His absence wasn’t a problem But the corkscrew had gone as well.”
With the sci-fi hangover still going strong, I thought it was time to get back into some classic high fantasy. This came recommended and it was fun! Interesting world and magic system, but did not feel called to read the next one. Maybe because I really don't enjoy being in the cold, even in a fiction world?
About love, relationships, and unexpected connections.
This was a surprise! A writer recommended it and I bought it without even reading the blurb, craving a lighthearted read. This could probably be categorised as chick-lit, you know, with the obvious happy ending, but the road there was both interesting and funny.
Read if you're in the mood for a high-quality chick-lit.
I started this one 2023, and abandoned midway through. Finally finished it. I like the general message of Yung Pueblo, but it does get very repetitive, so I would recommend it as a physical copy you can pick up every once in a while.
Read if you need to tweet-sized buddhistic reminders.
Fable hosts reading parties and there are few things I enjoy more than reading and chatting with people about books over a glass of wine.
About four friends on a hiking trip in isolated wilderness.
Well, you should ignore my reviews of thriller books. I rarely read them, and when I do, I’m usually disappointed. I think it’s because plot is usually the focus, and I’m a solid character-and-language-girl who can happily read 700 pages with no action, as long as the characters has layers and the writing style resonates with me. This one was, for that reason, disappointing. Having four POV made every character one-dimensional to me, and the fundamental unrealistic premise that three friends just casually forget their supposed best friend when hiking? That happened early and annoyed me for the rest of the book.
Read if you like thrillers and have no hiking experience what-so-ever.
Historical fantasy novel exploring language, colonialism, and power through magical linguistics.
This one had me conflicted. I find etymology fascinating and enjoyed the deep-dive into language. Also, the discussions about imperialism. But the characters fell flat to me, and the magic system hollow.
About friendship, love, and self-discovery through the lens of complex relationships.
Intermezzo had just came out, but I did not feel like paying €25 for a Kindle book, so decided to catch up on Rooney’s back-catalogue instead! Loved it, of course. Minimal plot, maximal being in the head of characters and of course, the writing is exactly what it needs to be. Is Rooney our times Jane Austen?
About desire, identity, and midlife transformation.
Well, this was a wild ride. The more books you read, the rarer it is to be genuinely surprised, but with this one I never knew what the next chapter would hold. The writing feels real. Not for the squeamish people.
Read if reflections about women in menopause and unconventional relationships sound intriguing.
About a group of elderly friends solving crimes in their retirement village.
I watched A Man on the Inside, where Ted Danson infiltrates a retirement home, and after eight episodes I wanted to keep hanging out with quirky old people, so decided to give this one a chance. It’s a nice vacation read.
Read if you like hanging out with older people and classic murder-mysteries.
About identity, love addiction, and the struggles of self-acceptance.
I was intrigued in the beginning and found the culture depictions interesting. However, there seems to be little actual growth in the main character and at the end, I truly did not understand what the point of this book was.
About a mother's relentless search for truth while battling Parkinson's disease.
A quick read I technically finished January 1, but I'm gonna count it here, since I read most of it in 2024. My blog, my rules!
This was unexpected. It's dark, darker than I expected, and really got under my skin. The way Piñeiro writes living with severe Parkinsons will stay with me for a long time.
Read if you want to read something that makes you feel.
* * *
Ended up being 29 books this year. I found that whatever I set as a reading goal on Goodreads, I usually end up short with one or two books. I like the aspirational part of it as a bit of motivation to read more, and by extension, be on my phone less. So let's aim for 40 this year!
7 days says the countdown widget on my phone. 7 days until I get to go to the airport, check in a huge bag to fit all kinds of adventures, maybe treat myself to a drink since I for once fly at a decent hour and not 7am, and finally board the plane that will take me to three weeks of quality time with my favourite situationship: Berlin.
On Wednesday morning a few weeks ago I woke up at 07.03. I went through my usual routine; grinding my Copenhagen coffee beans while walking around the flat, opening shutters and windows, craving light and fresh air. Brewed an espresso with some extra water. Took my cup and laptop to the couch and sat down in the Sanna-shaped dent I usually sit in. There was a slight hesitation.
As long as I did not go online, the U.S. could have made a reasonable choice.
As you know, that did not happen. Trump. Again. And allow me to feel and express my anger for a second, to everyone voting for or supporting people like Trump, fuck you. This is a vote against women. Maybe you don’t know better. Maybe you consider yourself a rebel against the establishment. But the only thing you’re rebelling against is human decency and I feel sorry for you.
Phew, I had to get that out of my system. Anger is not a constructive place to have a conversation from. It is, however, a feeling that can help inspire action and it made me want to write about something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. Namely, what we owe to ourselves and each other when the world feels fucked up.
The privilege of not caring
Let me start with some context. In my late teens I was engaged in politics. I wrote essays and posted them online about topics I cared about, like privacy, back when blogs were the new thing. After a vote that resulted in the the FRA law, I became disillusioned with the system. I was disappointed in the people in power, not standing up for their beliefs. I was disappointed in the media, not living up to its promise to examine crucial issues. I stopped reading the news for years. My argument was that nothing I did would change anything, so what was the point?
Ah, the narrow-minded entitlement of a white 20-something girl in Sweden. It’s easy to not care when not much really affects you, one way or the other, and you have not yet seen enough of the world to understand it.
But I’ve gotten older, and hopefully a tiny bit wiser.
The power of choosing your beliefs
We can choose the beliefs that are helpful to us. This has been a subconscious strategy of mine since I was 12 and the dentist said they might need to give me several shots of local anaesthetics, to which I replied “please lie to me and say you don’t”. It worked well; it wasn’t true, but the belief stopped me from panicking. When I heard Derek Sivers articulate his “useful not true” concept on a podcast interview a while back I realised that’s exactly what I've been doing. By being aware of it, I can use this mindset more deliberately.
There is a lot to be worried about right now. I’m worried about conspiracy theories and the spread of disinformation. I’m worried that there seem to be less and less of a shared world view. I’m worried about women's rights. I’m worried about the joke of a government we currently have in Sweden. I’m worried about the narcissistic man-children sitting on power, in the US and all over the world. I’m worried about media’s role in all of this and what the loss of trust will mean in the future.
Believing we have no influence on the world around us is accepting the gameplan people like Trump have laid out. It may be the easy route.
But it does not align with my values.
And it is certainly not useful.
Building a better narrative
At risk of sounding like I'm running for school president, I believe humans can do better. I believe there is a place for nuanced discussions in the public discourse. I believe that each and every one of us has a voice we need to use.
For me this means speaking about things I care deeply about. Right now, that is critical thinking and fighting misinformation. Not because I'm an expert in any way, nor do I think I can magically change people's minds. But I can at least contribute with a different perspective.
You can make shit up in five seconds. Debunking it with real information and sources can take hours, or days. Thus, this internet-era comes with a tide of misinformation and causes many people just jump in their life boats, row away to the safety of their peers and claim “well, it's what it is, nothing I can do about it”. Most days I feel the same. But I think we need to care and speak about it. With your friends, online, share your beliefs as freely as the rabid conspiracy theorists do. I think there is a lot more of us with a balanced world view, but if you log into Twitter these days, you might think the world consists of American right-wing Elon-fanbois. If we don’t engage in any way, we allow them free range in the discourse. We need to lead conversations and not stay stuck in the whack-a-mole of misinformation.
Here's what I think: We might not be able to remove the tide of misinformation, but we can try to dilute it with reason.
Action matters
In this episode Ezra Klein talks to Anne Applebaum, journalist and author of a book on a timely topic, about Trump and autocracy. At the end of the episode he asks what people should do now. “The worst consequence would be if people become apathetic,” she says. That we give up, check out. Her advice is to just do something, any small action. Join discussion groups. Be present in our communities and do something that makes us active. It doesn’t even have to be political. The antidote to apathy is to act.
This is the energy I want to bring to my mornings next year. Spice up my coffee with some rebellion against the madness. It’s not going to change the world, but at least it's contributing to the world I want, not ignoring the world I don't.
