Well just three more weeks til I head back to New York so I’ve decided to get out of the city and take a short trip to Århus to visit with my friend Bjørn. I was there just over a year ago and am looking forward to visiting again.

Fun Facts about Århus:

*The second largest city in Denmark.

*Was first settled by Vikings, who called it “Aros,” an Old Norse word meaning “river mouth.

*One of Scandinavia’s oldest cities.

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I just found something I really want. It’s a cupcake cake form. I’ve dreamt of giant cupcakes but never did I think I would live to see one. Oh and for those of you who are keeping track, it’s been almost a whole week since I posted anything about cake.

I love the Fail Blog.

see more pwn and owned pictures

see more pwn and owned pictures

see more pwn and owned pictures

I was riding my bike to Nørrebro  (the northern district of Copenhagen) yesterday to meet a friend, when suddenly I saw a group of children dressed up in costumes and smacking the hell out of something that looked like a wooden box. Being a seasoned New Yorker, I am used to seeing people on the streets dressed in all sorts of costumes and sometimes wearing nothing at all , so I quickly forgot about it after a few blocks or so.  Later that day as I was when I enjoying some hygge with my roommates at home, I mentioned to them what I had saw. They explained that Sunday is the Danish children’s holiday, Fastelavn, similar but not entirely the same as our Halloween. Fastelavn is actually on Sunday the 22nd of February but the kids also celebrate at school, just as American kids would if Halloween fell on a weekend.

I found a brief explanation of Fastelavn on wiki here it is:

“Fastelavn occurs seven weeks before Easter Sunday and is sometimes described as a Nordic Halloween with children dressing up in costumes and gathering treats for the Fastelavn feast. The holiday is generally considered to be a time for children’s fun and family games.Traditional events include slå katten af tønden (“hit the cat out of the barrel”), which is somewhat similar to a piñata, except that there is a wooden barrel, which is full of candy and has the image of a cat on it. Historically there was a real black cat in the barrel, and beating it was superstitiously considered a safeguard against evil. After the candy pours out, the game continues until the entire barrel is broken. The one who knocks down the bottom of the barrel (making all the candy spill out) becomes kattedronning (“queen of cats”), the one who knocks down the last piece of the barrel becomes kattekonge (“king of cats”).”

Poor cats!  Actually, felines are no longer the sad victims of Fastelavn festivities. Instead of putting the cat in the barrel, children are now satisfied with a painted version on the side of the candy-filled barrel.

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I am a huge fan of euphemisms. For my illiterate friends (wait how could they read this blog if they were illiterate? Hmmm…too deep, never mind.), a euphemism is a indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.  We Americans are notorious euphemizers. For instance instead of calling it a toilet, we use the word restroom. While we can all agree it sounds sweeter, there is most certainly no resting going on in the toilet.  Americans have euphemize the hell out of everything. Why? Because it is our culture to cover or shine the dirty,ugly and unpleasant. Why the lecture on euphemisms? Because I have found a fantastic time waster called:

The Euphemism Generator

This site has given me euphemisms beyond my wildest dreams! Little gems such as:

• I couldn’t believe my best friend was actually whipping the proverbial royal ferret.
• You should have seen your face! You looked like you were training the wookie.
• Will you stop digging the butter?!
• Alone once again, she retired to the bedroom and began flirting with the wet sheriff.
• As the kids say, she was ruining the heat-seeking sweet potatoes

And an oldie but a goodie…

• Will you stop inspecting the coconut cream turtle?!

Many people have wondered, “Mod Muse, what is an average day in your life like?” OK, no one has verbalized this out loud but I’m pretty sure they have wondered silently to themselves.  Well, regular readers to this blog know I am currently in Copenhagen, Denmark, so my average day differs from when I am back home in New York.

Here is a typical day in the Danish life of the Mod Muse:

Wake up. (Obvious I know but if I am to be through I must start somewhere)

Have some coffee with my roommate, Janne. Discuss dreams we may have had the night before, current men issues and/or entrepreneurial projects that might make us wealthy beyond our wildest dreams.

Download new music, check Facebook, Gmail, check stats on blogs.

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