Hoptimism

First post of 2011 and it's the 16th today. I can't believe it's been so long, but I've been fairly busy with Twitter, Facebook, work, my sofa and of course my parents move.

My parents started packing their home into boxes mid December and ever since then, I've been getting emails, texts and calls from my mother, all sounding something like this

"I've just found (insert item here - Tee-hee!) are you interested?"
"Are you interested in (insert item here - Tee-hee!)?"
"Do you remember (insert item here - Tee-hee!) from your childhood? - would you like it?"
"I know you are going to want (insert item here - Tee-hee!)"

Let's make it clear, my parents have some great stuff, but my mother also has a bizarre habit of holding onto things that she got from someone and thinks is ugly. So she tries with all her might to pawn it off on her sons.

My evil bro is getting it easy, because he has a house and has gotten all their gardening equipment (which he actually did want). Because of this, my mother wants to "make it up to me" by showering me with all her living room rejects. It's all well meaning of course, she genuinely thinks I want it all. I try brushing it off by saying evil bro should be asked too, because it's not fair for me to take it all.

Truth be told, I've already been given what I really wanted. That is, a china pattern set for 12, and glasses called Princess by Holmegaard. They, like the china, are discontinued now and I've always loved them. I've never actually seen them being used when I lived at home, yet they were apparently my mothers favourites. I think my father was too lazy to wash them up by hand.

Of course I've ended up with 4 massive boxes of books, kitchenware and other items that I'm not sure I'll ever use but my mother seemed happy. I also got their dining room table and a computer desk for my bedroom.

As for my parents? They moved in on Tuesday this week. Their swanky 94 m2, 3rd floor, designer appartment in the center of town with a view of the river/lake(s) being a little small for their select furniture and 65 moving boxes. I suppose they'll need to do more sorting before they can settle in completely. I had the pleasure of joining them after work on Tuesday to see the appartment, and help them with a bit of lifting. The movers had been there earlier that day, and so all they had to do was empty the boxes and put their furniture in their designated spots.

Obviously, they did not agree at first, but once I started coming up with helpful suggestions they seemed to join forces and focus their frustrations on me. I guess some people just don't appreciate suggestions from people who clearly have an eye for interior designs. That being the case, they are filling their appartment to the brink with furniture and their sofa is in the middle of their living room. I kid you not. You practically stumble into it walking in there. It's such a shame.

Another thing, about filling the appartment with furniture, they have a dining table in the kitchen. Their kitching is one of those open kitchens with a half wall between kitching and living room so you have the view of the river when you are cooking, with a passageway to go from the kitchen to the living room. On the other side of the half wall, they want ANOTHER dining table - for guests. To me, that's just wasteful when your appartment is THAT small. Anyway, I promised myself not to get worked up about it, because clearly they won't listen to me. I'm sure I can get you photographic evidence once they are settled in.

There is just one more item of my parents that would mean a lot to me. Yet they are not going to part with it until they leave this world. That is one of these

This is (not our) Hoptimist, but a photo of an original one from 1968 designed by Gustav Ehrenreich just like the one my parents have. It was given to my late brother in the late 1970s around the time I was born and he got sick. The Hoptimist is a symbol of hope and optimism, which I think is wonderful in these slightly depressing times. They have gotten a revival in the past 6 months and as you can see if you follow the link they come in many colours, shapes and sizes.

In a recent interview Kylie did here in Denmark, to promote her upcoming tour, she was given one. We love our Danish designs.

For Christmas, my evil bro gave me the small wooden Baby Bumble in smoked oak

However, I opted to take it back to the store in favour of the proper Bumble.

Which is bigger. I simply love it. You can tell by the antenna and the eyes, that it's the male. The female is the Bimble with wider eyes and no antenna. The Bimble is a little too much of a hoochie for my taste.

All I need now, is to name my Bumble. I thought of just naming it Bumble, but that's its sex, not its name.

What do you think I should name my bumble?