Breaking that Fast during Lent

Sunday Schedule

I'll tell you a little more about my Mello evening on Sunday, including a few chats I had with fans in the arena. Then, I'll focus on other matters. Like getting a semla! Finally! I still haven't had time to get one anywhere. It's like putting a steak near a starving wolf for two full days. I'm pacing around those bakery windows like nobody's business.

And now that I'm out of the Melodifestival bubble for a few days, I'll take some time to explore the city itself, including the local areas and sights around town.

Sleep calls after this exciting and eventful night. See you in the morning for a day in Malmö before moving up the West coast to Gothenburg.

150 votes later...

I'm glad I went to the Friday practice for Melodifestivalen. I was so busy voting this evening, I didn't see as much of the show this time around. I got in a good 150 votes before my money flew out of my SMS card. I ran out of money before I ran out of time!

I stopped voting long enough to hold up my sign as Terese hit the stage, though. As I picked up my sign, a cameraman holding a steady cam walked up to me and stopped. He put the camera directly in my face and I knew what was coming. I saw myself flash on the screen for a moment and promptly looked away. The only thing I could think of was, "Better smile. Seven million eyes are watching you." It's a creepy feeling. Then I thought, "I hope I didn't look like a dork and lose Terese some votes". Ha! My third and last thought was, "I don't ever want to see that clip in High Definition - or YouTube.", which leads me to the point of this post: I'm glad I'm not famous. One second is too much.

I couldn't hack the long-term circus, scrutiny, and pressure. I think I could handle the big buffets, though. It's fun sitting in the stands and being entertained. Being the entertainer? Not so much. Not even for a second! I applaud all the work every artist has put into the show. What we see on TV, those 90 minutes of live TV are just the tip of a huge glacier that goes so deep, it is difficult to measure. It's almost as if Melodifestivalen is a world and place all its own. It exists on its own plane of being. You're either on Melodifestivalen or Earth (or the Moon if you're Buzz Aldrin. He's Swedish-American, by the way). I'll leave it to the professionals to live on that planet. I applaud all the effort and work that goes into the program. It's enough work watching it from the stands. I cannot fathom the effort it takes to participate on stage.

We'll see Rolf "Piano Fire" Gyllenhammar and Ulrik "Tell the World" Munther in the finals. Behrang "Malmö" Miri, and Robin "You" Stjernberg will get a second chance next Saturday in Karlstad. Terese made it to the initial second round cut, but was unable to advance in the competition. I am thankful and happy I had the pleasure of seeing her and her bandmates, Simon Petren and Tobias Jonasson, perform "Breaking the Silence" live on the big stage. Half of Sweden has now seen what talent they have in Terese. I am certain the exposure from the contest is just the start of a lifetime career on the national stage.

The Green Room bump happened again. Fans crowded around for pictures and shortly thereafter, security cleared the area by escorting everyone out before having a chance to meet the artists. The show producers hold a wrap party of sorts an hour after each live event, and that's likely where the artists ended up after the Green Room interviews. The artists have a tight schedule after the practice runs and the live show. Meeting fans would require they break that schedule. I don't think the show's producers would chance messing up that tight schedule with autograph sessions. It is Sweden's equivalent to the Super Bowl and it goes to reason that security would be just as tight, at least around the stars of the show. Disappointing yet understandable.

For fans of Jenny Berggren reading the blog, I didn't see her in the arena itself either Friday or Saturday night. She was a coach and mentor for Terese during the competition, so she was surely quite busy behind the scenes during the event.

A few "snapshots" from the evening:

Crazy hair fans

Pink fluffy cowyboy hat

Time to pack up and go home! The crew will take three hours to break down the set and load it in the trailers bound for Karlstad

 Terese's aunt showing off her sign near the Green Room. It was two sided - for good measure!

Tobias Jonasson, drummer for "Breaking the Silence". He was hanging out near the Green Room. A good guy and an excellent drummer!  

Show Time!

The program begins at 8 P.M. Central European Time, which would be 1 PM Central US time. You can watch for free here from anywhere in the world:

http://www.svtplay.se/video/1033650/23-2-20-00

or

http://www.svtplay.se/kanaler/svt1

Enjoy the show!

My Telenor Tech

My phone is now loaded and ready for voting tonight, thanks to Patrik, my tech guide at Telenor, a Swedish phone and tech company. I pulled out a two year old router and a five year old phone and set them on the counter. "Is there any hope to get these two working again?", I asked. With a few clicks of the keyboard and my handy EMV credit card, he brought them both back to life for me.

Patrik wanted to know what I planned to do with the cash I loaded on my SIM card and I was too happy to oblige his question. We talked about Melodifestivalen and me missing thirty one years of voting, for which I will catch up tonight. He said he didn't even know the contest was in town. I nearly dropped my jaw, but Patrik is not a fan of the contest. He follows Eurovision, but Mello is not his thing. Fair enough.

We chatted about the US as well. He's a fan of Miami while his wife prefers New York. Now, it was his turn to be surprised when I told him I had never been to either Miami or New York or even Los Angeles. Well, I have been all over Sweden. He still prefers the States. You always want what you don't already have, I suppose.

Chilly Doesn't Begin to Explain

I'll say it. I'm cold. Really cold. I'm wearing everything I brought, yet it's not enough. I try to defrost myself every twenty minutes or so by stopping in a store. This could get expensive.

It's "only" 32 degrees (or 0 Celsius). It feels colder than that. It was snowing when I left the hostel this morning, although it's too warm to be sticking.

Before I left the hostel, a few of the German guests asked me how to properly spell a few words. They already knew, but they wanted to double check. One thing they wanted to say? It's very cold here. Even people who are used to similar weather think it's chilly.

Mostly frozen canal in the city. A few water patches still exist.

A water fountain, complete with frozen sculpture and seagulls.

An icy football field (soccer for you Americans!) 

I'm currently thawing out in a burger place called Max. It's the Swedish equivalent to McDonalds or Burger King except better, according to many Swedes. It opened in 1968 and has achieved a cult status similar to In-and-Out Burger in the US. You can order your meal through a kiosk and pick it up instead of standing in line. And you can pay with a credit card. Yes, my EMV card works here, too!

Order up in the express lane

Max Burger

With my pink sweater and Max burger - waiting for the final this evening.

Day Two: Vote, Vote, Vote!

I have a phone. It just doesn't work yet. Tomorrow that will change. My first order of business (after finding a semla or two) is to get a SIM card so I can cast my Melodifestivalen votes tomorrow. I'll be getting a wireless card for my laptop too, so I won't need to rely on sketchy wi-fi connections to update you on what's happening.

Now, If you'll excuse me, I must clean up my toffee wrapper mess and get ready for bed. I must also ninja my way into the sleeping quarters so no one hears me. Everyone but me is fast asleep.