![{2400[x]1600}{priority}](/journal/240802/hov1-at-tradgardsforeningen-1.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240802/hov1-at-tradgardsforeningen-2.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240802/hov1-at-tradgardsforeningen-3.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240802/hov1-at-tradgardsforeningen-4.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240802/hov1-at-tradgardsforeningen-5.jpg)

More photos and prints available at [Rockfoto](https://rockfoto.nu/artists/hov1/20240802/29901)


Hov1 @ Trädgårdsföreningen

![{2400[x]1600}{priority}](/journal/240731/gene-simmons-band-at-liseberg-1.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240731/gene-simmons-band-at-liseberg-2.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240731/gene-simmons-band-at-liseberg-3.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240731/gene-simmons-band-at-liseberg-4.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240731/gene-simmons-band-at-liseberg-5.jpg)

More photos and prints available at [Rockfoto](https://rockfoto.nu/artists/gene-simmons-band/20240731/29900)


Gene Simmons Band @ Liseberg

![{2400[x]1600}{priority}](/journal/240727/ryan-castro-at-liseberg-1.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240727/ryan-castro-at-liseberg-2.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240727/ryan-castro-at-liseberg-3.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240727/ryan-castro-at-liseberg-4.jpg)

More photos and prints available at [Rockfoto](https://rockfoto.nu/artists/ryan-castro/20240727/29899)


Ryan Castro @ Liseberg

![{2400[x]1600}{priority}](/journal/240703/mando-diao-at-liseberg-1.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240703/mando-diao-at-liseberg-2.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240703/mando-diao-at-liseberg-3.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240703/mando-diao-at-liseberg-4.jpg)

More photos and prints available at [Rockfoto](https://rockfoto.nu/artists/mando-diao/20240703/29833)


Mando Diao @ Liseberg

![{2400[x]1600}{priority}](/journal/240623/catfish-over-open-flame-1.jpg)

**Made a short Sunday hike to one of our favorite spots in Delsjön a picked up some fresh catfish on the way for lunch. Martin was still a bit tired after the wedding yesterday and fell asleep in the carrier later.**

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240623/catfish-over-open-flame-2.jpg)

Prepared it on top of the car before heading out. Just some herb salt, butter and some slices of lemon. Wrapping it in aluminium foil and ready for the fire.

![{1600[x]2400}](/journal/240623/catfish-over-open-flame-3.jpg)

Had a bit of challenge getting the fire going, heavy rainfall in Gothenburg yesterday so most firewood I could find was moist. Worked out using some smaller branches and a bit of cheating with fire sticks and paper.

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240623/catfish-over-open-flame-4.jpg)

The final result, served with cold potato salad, delicious!


Catfish over open flame

![{2400[x]1600}{priority}](/journal/240613/hooja-at-liseberg-1.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240613/hooja-at-liseberg-2.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240613/hooja-at-liseberg-3.jpg)

More photos and prints available at [Rockfoto](https://rockfoto.nu/artists/hooja/20240613/29802)


Hooja @ Liseberg

![{2400[x]1600}{priority}](/journal/240531/victor-leksell-at-scandinavium-1.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240531/victor-leksell-at-scandinavium-2.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240531/victor-leksell-at-scandinavium-3.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240531/victor-leksell-at-scandinavium-4.jpg)

More photos and prints available at [Rockfoto](https://rockfoto.nu/artists/victor-leksell/20240531/29744)


Victor Leksell @ Scandinavium

![{2400[x]1600}{priority}](/journal/240523/dan-berglund-at-aftonstjarnan-1.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240523/dan-berglund-at-aftonstjarnan-2.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240523/dan-berglund-at-aftonstjarnan-3.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240523/dan-berglund-at-aftonstjarnan-4.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240523/dan-berglund-at-aftonstjarnan-5.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240523/dan-berglund-at-aftonstjarnan-6.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240523/dan-berglund-at-aftonstjarnan-7.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240523/dan-berglund-at-aftonstjarnan-8.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240523/dan-berglund-at-aftonstjarnan-9.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240523/dan-berglund-at-aftonstjarnan-10.jpg)

More photos and prints available at [Rockfoto](https://rockfoto.nu/artists/dan-berglund/20240523/29698)


Dan Berglund @ Aftonstjärnan

![{2400[x]1600}{priority}](/journal/240520/a-tiny-photographer-1.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}{priority}](/journal/240520/a-tiny-photographer-2.jpg)


A tiny photographer

**First time ridig the slide all by himself. One very positive side-effect of leaving the phone at home has been that I more often bring the real camera when going to the playground.**

![{2400[x]1600}{priority}](/journal/240519/ride-the-slide-1.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240519/ride-the-slide-2.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240519/ride-the-slide-3.jpg)


Ride the slide

![{2400[x]1600}{priority}](/journal/240512/a-weekend-in-vienna-1.jpg)

We took advantage of the extended weekend with ascension day and booked a cheap flight to Vienna. Leaving Wednesday evening and landed around 8pm. Going from the airport to our hotel was easy using the airport train to city centre and then a tram ride to our hotel located near the Schönbrunn Palace. It was a calm convenient location to stay as we could take it easy and explore the gardens around Schönbrunn. The Vienna Zoo is also on walkable distance and we spent a full day there.

Vienna has great public transport which we made extensive use of when exploring the city. There's a lot to see in the centre and many good coffee shops. We found a favorite one named Kaffein close to St. Stephen's Cathedral. All in all, highly recommend for a couple of days travel. And of course some photos from the trip:

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240512/a-weekend-in-vienna-12.jpg)

![{1600[x]2400}](/journal/240512/a-weekend-in-vienna-2.jpg|/journal/240512/a-weekend-in-vienna-3.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240512/a-weekend-in-vienna-15.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240512/a-weekend-in-vienna-4.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240512/a-weekend-in-vienna-16.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240512/a-weekend-in-vienna-14.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240512/a-weekend-in-vienna-5.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240512/a-weekend-in-vienna-6.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240512/a-weekend-in-vienna-7.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240512/a-weekend-in-vienna-8.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240512/a-weekend-in-vienna-9.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240512/a-weekend-in-vienna-10.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240512/a-weekend-in-vienna-17.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240512/a-weekend-in-vienna-11.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240512/a-weekend-in-vienna-13.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240512/a-weekend-in-vienna-19.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/240512/a-weekend-in-vienna-20.jpg)


A weekend in Vienna

![{2400[x]1600}{priority}](/journal/231109/tonbruket-at-stenhammarsalen-1.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/231109/tonbruket-at-stenhammarsalen-2.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/231109/tonbruket-at-stenhammarsalen-3.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/231109/tonbruket-at-stenhammarsalen-4.jpg)


Tonbruket @ Stenhammarsalen

**A couple of years ago I attended a talk with a woman who had done relief work in the Romanian countryside for over 30 years.**

She was going back to Romania a couple of weeks later and invited me to come with her. Here are some of the families we went to visit:

![{2048[x]1365}{priority}](/journal/220820/romania-1.jpg)

![{2048[x]1365}](/journal/220820/romania-2.jpg)

![{2048[x]1365}](/journal/220820/romania-3.jpg)

![{2048[x]1365}](/journal/220820/romania-4.jpg)

![{2048[x]1365}](/journal/220820/romania-5.jpg)

![{2048[x]1365}](/journal/220820/romania-6.jpg)

![{2048[x]1365}](/journal/220820/romania-7.jpg)

![{2048[x]1365}](/journal/220820/romania-8.jpg)

![{2048[x]1365}](/journal/220820/romania-9.jpg)

![{2048[x]1365}](/journal/220820/romania-10.jpg)

![{2048[x]1365}](/journal/220820/romania-11.jpg)


Portraits from the Danube Delta

![{2400[x]1600}{priority}](/journal/231006/darin-at-scandinavium-1.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/231006/darin-at-scandinavium-2.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/231006/darin-at-scandinavium-3.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/231006/darin-at-scandinavium-4.jpg)


Darin @ Scandinavium

![{2400[x]1600}{priority}](/journal/230801/the-baboon-show-at-liseberg-1.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/230801/the-baboon-show-at-liseberg-2.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/230801/the-baboon-show-at-liseberg-3.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/230801/the-baboon-show-at-liseberg-4.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/230801/the-baboon-show-at-liseberg-5.jpg)

![{2400[x]1600}](/journal/230801/the-baboon-show-at-liseberg-6.jpg)


The Baboon Show @ Liseberg

![{3200[x]2133}{priority}](/journal/230616/laurie-anderson-at-pustervik-1.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/230616/laurie-anderson-at-pustervik-2.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/230616/laurie-anderson-at-pustervik-3.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/230616/laurie-anderson-at-pustervik-4.jpg)


Laurie Anderson @ Pustervik

![{3200[x]2133}{priority}](/journal/230603/sofia-karlsson-at-liseberg-1.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/230603/sofia-karlsson-at-liseberg-2.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/230603/sofia-karlsson-at-liseberg-3.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/230603/sofia-karlsson-at-liseberg-4.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/230603/sofia-karlsson-at-liseberg-5.jpg)


Sofia Karlsson @ Liseberg

Vitsippsdalen with Martin

![{3200[x]2133}{priority}](/journal/230423/the-waterboys-at-tradgarn-1.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/230423/the-waterboys-at-tradgarn-2.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/230423/the-waterboys-at-tradgarn-3.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/230423/the-waterboys-at-tradgarn-4.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/230423/the-waterboys-at-tradgarn-5.jpg)


The Waterboys @ Trädgårn

Just going for a walk

A small side project for the Apple Watch. I've had a IKEA Idåsen desk for a while and decided it was time to make a watch app for controlling its height. It actually turned out to be pretty useful to raise the desk when having my one-year-old around to prevent him from reaching all the fun stuff I keep there. Also: Highly increased productivity when doing pair-coding together with him.

<iframe
className="video-1-2"
src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EoBN0yaZbHY"
title="YouTube video player"
allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"
allowFullScreen
></iframe>


Watch Standup

![{3200[x]2133}{priority}](/journal/230302/stefan-sundstrom-at-storan-1.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/230302/stefan-sundstrom-at-storan-2.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/230302/stefan-sundstrom-at-storan-3.jpg)


Stefan Sundström @ Storan

![{3169[x]2113}{priority}{caption: Martin enjoying his time in the crib, keeping his fellow passengers awake.}](/journal/230118/flying-with-a-baby.jpg)

Yesterday, me and my wife took our son for his first longer trip: we're spending six weeks in Vietnam. We got here from Gothenburg with a 2 hour flight to Paris followed by a 12 hour flight to Ho Chi Minh city, my wife's hometown. We dreaded the long flight but it turned out not to be that bad.

We had brought some toys and snacks but that's pretty much all of the preparation. A note to next time is to also bring some teething sticks that he can chew on and some more children books. Martin is very close to walking so maybe the flight home will bring on some new challenges. Now we have six weeks ahead of us with the goal to eat as much phỏ as possible.


Flying with a baby

![{3200[x]2133}{priority}](/journal/230113/stefan-andersson-at-kajskjul-8-1.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/230113/stefan-andersson-at-kajskjul-8-2.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/230113/stefan-andersson-at-kajskjul-8-3.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/230113/stefan-andersson-at-kajskjul-8-4.jpg)


Stefan Andersson @ Kajskjul 8

![{3214[x]2142}{priority}](/journal/230110/quality-time.jpg)


Quality time

**My wife Milly has recently started looking for a job after being home with Martin for a couple of months. We put up a simple website to show off her background and skills. It's written in NextJS with TailwindCSS and is as simple as one can imagine.**

![{3600[x]2400}{priority}](/journal/230105/online-resume.png)

Check it out at [MyVo.se](https://myvo.se)


Online resume for my wife

**As 2022 comes to and end I figured I can spend a little time reflecting back and looking forward for what is ahead.**

![{1200[x]800}{priority}{caption: The most life-changing event last year was of course having our first son, Martin. He came to us in late Februari and has given a lot of new perspectives on life.}](/journal/221231/my-2022-2.jpg)

## Learnings from last year

- Time is limited and valuable. I have learned to minimize time wasted on scrolling social media or doing stuff I don't like.
- Avoid trying to multitask. I don't think true multitasking exists, just rapid context switching. And it is way more energy-draining and inefficient than focusing fully on one thing at a time.
- Take breaks. Long stretches of time on front of the screen destroys the body.

## Goals for next year

- Spend as much time as possible with my son. My plan is to be on 75% parental leave until Martin goes off to pre-school, and I want to maximize that time together.
- Create something every day. Write, photo or coding.
- Stretch goal: Post it online.
- Read more real books. My plan is to always have one book in progress, and to write down some notes and reflections here while reading it.
- Reflect more instead of just maximizing information intake.
- Exercise daily. Preferably a visit to the gym or running in the forest.
- Take more photos with the real camera. As I written about earlier, I want to let go of my phone and using the DSLR instead gives me less opportunities for distractions. And way better photos.


My 2022 reflections

![{3024[x]2016}{priority}{caption: When you just want to relax a bit.}](/journal/221228/taking-a-nap.jpg)


Taking a nap

![{3600[x]2400}{priority}](/journal/221112/artists-against-cancer-1.jpg)

![{3600[x]2400}](/journal/221112/artists-against-cancer-2.jpg)

![{3600[x]2400}](/journal/221112/artists-against-cancer-3.jpg)

![{3600[x]2400}](/journal/221112/artists-against-cancer-4.jpg)


Artists against cancer

![{3600[x]2400}{priority}](/journal/221022/crossroads-1.jpg)

![{3600[x]2400}](/journal/221022/crossroads-2.jpg)

![{3600[x]2400}](/journal/221022/crossroads-3.jpg)

![{3600[x]2400}](/journal/221022/crossroads-4.jpg)

![{3600[x]2400}](/journal/221022/crossroads-5.jpg)


Crossroads @ Scandinavium

## Having been an iPhone user for well over a decade, and developing apps for a number of years, I have spent my fair share in front of that small, rectangular screen. Part of that time has been useful and contributed to my life, for example reading interesting articles, taking photos and meeting my wife. But quite a large chunk of that time has also been wasted.

![Been sick for a couple of days so the activity rings looks less than good. {3000[x]2000}{priority}](/journal/221003/no-phone.jpg)

I took a (semi-)break from social media around two years ago, removing Instagram and Facebook from the phone but keeping my accounts. Main reason for this was reading the excellent book [Digital Minimalism](https://www.calnewport.com/books/digital-minimalism/) by Cal Newport (highly recommend!). This immediately affected my life in a positive way. But it was not an escape hatch from the smartphone addiction. Instead of scrolling the feeds, I started to follow the news, the stock market, tech blogs and even the weather forecast(!) more intense. Just to have something to do whenever I had a moment of unoccupied time.

Just to get that sweet dopamine kick from pulling down to refresh.

Getting off social media and switching to other apps was not a cure, it was a substitution.

Whenever life is slightly slow or boring, just pop up the phone from your pocket, unlock and you have the world in front of you. Renuka Gavrani recently posted a [Medium article](https://renukagavrani.medium.com/i-spent-120-hours-without-phone-i-wasnt-ready-for-what-happened-why-you-should-care-e1f924fb021f) which is right on point here. My biggest take-away from the article is how you can look at your life from the perspective of having an invisible film team covering you, making the movie about your life. Will that movie be more or less interesting if the main character spends hours every day staring into a smartphone screen?

So how will I use these insights to change my phone usage, i.e. drastically reduce it?

I have been an Apple Watch user since the very first release, and now I will use it to cure my smartphone addiction. And of course: Share the progress, mistakes and learnings.

Wait, isn't that also just substituting one addiction with another you might ask? 🤔

The watch is a double edged sword. If not used intentionally, it can make the smartphone addiction even deeper. Getting mindlessly notified of updates and buzzed not only by your phone but also from your watch will most certainly increase stress. Used with the right motive however, I believe switching more phone usage to the watch can have a very positive impact on the relationship to your smartphone.

Step one is to turn off all notifications.

Being connected to internet via your watch allows for being reached, and reaching others without the phone. And without carrying the phone everywhere, it will be way easier to resist the temptation to just check that one social media app, news app, or whatever it might be. My family and friends knows that I am most likely to be reached via texts or phone calls, not on any social media. Carrying the watch also allows for sharing location with my wife.

I will try to reduce my screen time on the phone to a minimum, and spend more time **being** in real life. Instead of using the phone to write or edit photos, I will open up the laptop and do it deliberately. Instead of using the iPhone camera, I will bring my real camera, which is both more fun to use and has better image quality. I will try to find (or maybe create) watch apps that can replace even more use cases where I earlier relied on the phone.

Some things I will probably still use the phone for, for example learning Vietnamese with Duolingo, but I will aim to set aside time to do this purposely.

Not just as a way to pass time.

Life is way too short for that.


Getting rid of the phone

![{2400[x]1600}{priority}](/journal/220923/launching-wrist-words.jpg)

As a part of my journey on learning Vietnamese I decided to make a small watch app where I can practice vocabulary on the go. The idea came up when walking to the local coffee shop with a sleeping Martin in the stroller. I hacked together the first version in less than an hour. Did automatic translation of the words and got some help from Milly to correct small mistakes. After two more hours of polishing I decided to call it a day and send the first version to the [App Store](http://apps.apple.com/us/app/wrist-words/id6443452802). Have some ideas for how to make it more interesting but I the basic functionality is there for now at least.

Available for free on the [App Store](http://apps.apple.com/us/app/wrist-words/id6443452802), enjoy!


Launching Wrist Words

![{3000[x]2000}{priority}](/journal/220903/timbuktu-1.jpg)

![{3000[x]2000}](/journal/220903/timbuktu-2.jpg)

![{3000[x]2000}](/journal/220903/timbuktu-3.jpg)

![{3000[x]2000}](/journal/220903/timbuktu-4.jpg)

![{3000[x]2000}](/journal/220903/timbuktu-5.jpg)

![{3000[x]2000}](/journal/220903/timbuktu-6.jpg)


Timbuktu @ Kulturkalaset

Writing in Vietnamese

![{3200[x]2133}{priority}](/journal/220825/mikaelwiehe-1.jpg")

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/220825/mikaelwiehe-2.jpg")

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/220825/mikaelwiehe-3.jpg")


Mikael Wiehe @ Lorensbergsteatern

Spent the whole day in Ängårdsbergen and found this beauty close to Trindemossen:

![{3200[x]2133}{priority}](/journal/220814/dragonfly-6.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/220814/dragonfly-2.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/220814/dragonfly-3.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/220814/dragonfly-4.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/220814/dragonfly-1.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/220814/dragonfly-5.jpg)


The red dragonfly

![{3200[x]2133}{priority}](/journal/220813/tomasledin-1.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/220813/tomasledin-2.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/220813/tomasledin-3.jpg)

![{3200[x]2133}](/journal/220813/tomasledin-4.jpg)


Tomas Ledin @ Trädgårdsföreningen

![{1200[x]800}{priority}](/journal/220806/ugglamisslipetter-1.jpg)

![{1200[x]800}](/journal/220806/ugglamisslipetter-2.jpg)

![{1200[x]800}](/journal/220806/ugglamisslipetter-3.jpg)

![{1200[x]800}](/journal/220806/ugglamisslipetter-4.jpg)

![{1200[x]800}](/journal/220806/ugglamisslipetter-5.jpg)

![{1200[x]800}](/journal/220806/ugglamisslipetter-6.jpg)


Uggla, Miss Li & Petter @ Trädgårdsföreningen

![{1200[x]800}{priority}](/journal/220805/pegparnevik-2.jpg)

![{1200[x]800}](/journal/220805/pegparnevik-1.jpg)

![{1200[x]800}](/journal/220805/pegparnevik-3.jpg)

![{1200[x]800}](/journal/220805/pegparnevik-4.jpg)


Peg Parnevik @ Liseberg

Stumbled upon these beauties in the botanical garden just before sunset.

![{1200[x]800}{priority}](/journal/220801/bee-in-botanical.jpg)

![{1200[x]800}](/journal/220801/another-bee-in-botanical.jpg)


Dinner in the garden

![{1200[x]800}{priority}](/journal/220729/orup-1.jpg)

![{1200[x]800}](/journal/220729/orup-2.jpg)

![{1200[x]800}](/journal/220729/orup-3.jpg)

![{1200[x]800}](/journal/220729/orup-4.jpg)


Orup @ Villa Belparc

![My son Martin {1200[x]800}{priority}](/journal/220719/hello.jpg)

**Welcome to my experimental home on the web. This is where I share my thoughts, projects, ideas and whatever else pops up in my head. The guy in the photo above is my son Martin, my biggest inspiration.**

I'm not yet sure what this will evolve into, but I have some ideas:

- Practice writing
- Do experiments and write about them
- Publish photos (mostly concerts and nature)
- Share thoughts and ideas
- Learning Vietnamese
