Carnival in Lund

Sorry about the long silence. Most of last week was uneventful, so there was nothing to write about. When I finally had something to write about, my computer was not cooperative.

Last week there was a shift in the flow to and from stacks. We now have more returns than requests. It's at the end of the semester, and the students are finishing their courses. During the summer we will get visits from scholars mostly.

Last Friday the student carnival in Lund started. It's only every four years, so it's a big event in town. They occupy one of the park areas near the church of dome and offer shows, concerts, theater, dance, food and drinks (lots), and several other things. It's arranged by 5000 volunteer students. People visit from other parts of Sweden, and also Denmark. I stayed in town after work on Friday to do some people-watching, listen to the student bands playing and to see the Rufus Wainwright concert. The concert was pretty good, and it was surprising that they managed to get an international star to perform there.

Saturday I watched the parade. Along with 250 000 other people. Very, very crowded. There were about 16 floats on the back of trucks slowly driving through town, and in between there were marching bands, small floats on wheels and students in different costumes. What a spectacle! The floats illustrated, in the minds of students, current events. Among other things, there were references to bad student economy, the constant delays in the public transportation system, lack of housing (a tent on wheels), the Icelandic volcano (a papier-maché volcano with smoke), bonus programs for executives (new subject to learn at the economics faculty), the upcoming royal wedding and general partying. It was well organized and fun to watch.

Sunday was the last carnival day, but I wasn't there. I had laundry to do. I went through my closet and threw away some old clothes also.