In the summer of 92, I had an internship at a plaster/filler factory and research centre outside Örebro. Back then I entertained a notion that I might go on to study chemistry at university. which was very quickly quashed when I realised that math was not only a required part of the syllabus but constituted a very large part of it. I liked the mixing and causing reactions bit. Imagine my dissapointment when I realised how much of the course was balancing equations! Special credit goes out to my high school teacher Jim McIntosh whose patience with me will not be forgotten.
My role as a junior, junior research assistant – mixing plaster and testing the viskosity of grout – was actually quite fun even if it didn´t lead to much of a career. It was this summer, on a trek around the city centre, that I walked into a second hand store for the very first time. Something about the jumble of junk and treasure grabbed me immediately. The knowledge that every item has some kind of a story makes it even more interesting.
It´s an interesting process of going through rack after rack of clothes to find that one piece that not only fits you but that was meant for you (dramatic, moi?). There are amazing bargains to be had but also piles and piles of crap to sift through. I always try to imagine that the person in the shop unpacking the goods didn´t understand their value and magically I´ll have found a Hermes Birkin bag for next to nothing!
Maybe not quite a Birkin but these ankle boots were in the bottom of a big bin for approx 200SEK at Nu och Då on Norrtullsgatan in Stockholm.
There’s something very special about waking up at a conference. Uninterrupted sleep is always welcome, as is a long breakfast. A few too many glasses of wine last night is quickly compensated by the energy of 50 or so top talented colleagues getting together.