The stress of september is over! Woohoo. I can take a deep breath and go back to work as usual. Today we had the grand opening celebration of our new treatment team. We had invited our coworkers from other treatment programs and professionals we work with. Along came higher up bosses and their political bosses. It was one great get-together
The team I belong to pulled together and planned the whole day with food and everything else that have to be part of a grand opening. It is a great team-building event!
Two bosses held speaches and media was there to take pictures and ask us questions.
I just loved spending time with all of our guests and my only regret is that I couldn´t sit down and talk one-on-one with that many. Hopefully we will be able to do that later.
It was a great day - stressful! Yes, but it turned out wonderful and we had a lot of people come because they want to know more about us…. and of course…. free food is never wrong! 
I don´t think any of them read this blog but just in case… thank you for a wonderful afternoon!
Maxima said,
September 17, 2007 at 5:37 pm
That’s a lot of people! It looks like a really great day and a nice success for all the work you put into it. Is that a Minnesota hug in the last picture???
mir said,
September 17, 2007 at 11:23 pm
Maxima… I am not sure I know what constitute a Minnesota hug… but yes… it was a great day and I will treasure these pictures and my memories for hard days ahead.
sam said,
September 17, 2007 at 11:31 pm
it sure wasn’t a boston hug
Vic said,
September 18, 2007 at 7:50 am
Blir väldigt nyfiken på de där geografiskt indelade kramarna. Finns det fler? Och kan ni berätta om vad som kännetecknar de olika sorterna?
mir said,
September 18, 2007 at 11:19 am
Vic: I´m not sure about the Minnesota hug… but the Boston hug is one that involves a knife in the back… I don´t think it is geographical but I can tell you more some other time…
Vic. said,
September 18, 2007 at 11:49 am
Ojdå…hahaha!
Jonas said,
September 18, 2007 at 6:11 pm
Mir! Va duktig du ar! You are such a great worker and I know that what you are doing is important in so many peoples lives. Keep up the good work!
Vic: Here are my 5 cents on the hug. A Minnesota hug is Scandinavian in origin and playfully describes the rather uncomfortable situation that occurs when two people with rather large personal comfort zones have to hug. The further south you get in Europe, and in the Americas for that matter, I think the embrace is tighter, longer and maybe even followed by a kiss or two. Not very Minnesotan or Scandinavian. But very Greek!
mir said,
September 18, 2007 at 11:28 pm
I am definetly a Scandinavian hugger!
Jo said,
September 19, 2007 at 5:13 am
You are awesome Mirjam! You rock the world wherever you go. Awesome!
I’m a Scandinavian hugger too, but I wish I had someone to hug in a greek way too sometimes!
Maxima said,
September 19, 2007 at 8:45 am
Oh man….I did not know what a Boston hug was….but I sure have had them in the past
My definition of Minnesota hug comes from my family life of course. And that is like one big bear hug that lasts for several seconds. For teenage boys(nephews and such), they try to get away the moment it is socially acceptable…like 3/4 of a second. Or teen boys will try to put out their hand to offer a handshake and get out of the hug entirely. Some grownup men do that too…but there is no real category for that. It is just particular to their personality and comfort level.
The Greeks….I think I am going to go rent some Greek movies and see just what a Greek hug is. Well, maybe that is not such a good idea. Last night I watched Fargo. I would hate to think people watch Fargo to see what Minnesota people are like. Then again except for the F-word and putting your neighbor through the wood chipper….they did nail us pretty good.
hmmmm, interested to hear from S and J on what they have experienced in Minnesota hugs.
sam said,
September 19, 2007 at 2:13 pm
HAHA! Neighbor in the wood chipper. That movie was a classic. I think William H Macy did a heck-av-a-job doing that MN accent.
Maxima said,
September 19, 2007 at 10:29 pm
Yah, great job. He did “get snippy” with the sherrif. Remember when he did not want to answer her questions….and she said, ” well, there’s no need to get snippy with me!”
ohhhhhhhh I love that line.
sam said,
September 20, 2007 at 12:59 am
This exchanged always made me laugh:
Officer Olson: Uh-huh.
Mr. Mohra: So he says, “So I get it, so you think I’m some kinda jerk for askin’,” only he doesn’t use the word jerk.
Officer Olson: I understand.
Mr. Mohra: And then he calls me a jerk and says the last guy who thought he was a jerk was dead now. So I don’t say nothin’ and he says, “What do ya think about that?” So I says, “Well, that don’t sound like too good a deal for him then.”
Officer Olson: Ya got that right.
Mr. Mohra: And he says, “Yah, that guy’s dead and I don’t mean of old age.” And then he says, “Geez, I’m goin’ crazy out there at the lake.”
Officer Olson: White Bear Lake?
Mr. Mohra: Well, Ecklund & Swedlin’s, that’s
closer ta Moose Lake, so I made that assumption.
Officer Olson: Oh sure.
Mr. Mohra: So, ya know, he’s drinkin’, so I don’t think a whole great deal of it, but Mrs. Mohra heard about the homicides down here and she thought I should call it in, so I called it in. End o’ story.
Officer Olson: What’d this guy look like anyway?
Mr. Mohra: Oh, he was a little guy. Kinda funny lookin’.
Officer Olson: Uh-huh. In what way?
Mr. Mohra: Oh, just in a general kinda way.
Maxima said,
September 20, 2007 at 6:29 pm
Yah, half way through that conversation, I am laughing so hard that it is difficult to enjoy the second half which is even funnier.
And I have a cousin that always says, ‘Ya got that right”…hehehehehehe