Here we go again...

Life, life, life... what a thing.

Feels like this summer has been spent being ill, since I managed to get a bad infection when I got a new tattoo. Well, that's the punishment for getting tattooed in the heat of summer, when infections come too easily, I guess.

But I'm better now, both me and the tattoo survived, thankfully.

I have come to the conclusion that I take myself too seriously and I should stop telling people about all my big plans this way or that way, since I hardly ever stand on course long enough to follow through with things... What can I say, I'm very excited day one and then I happen to get a new idea and all of a sudden I I think of something else and poof! I'm heading in a new direction.

Confusing for some, everyday life for me.

Sorry everybody.

Why do books have to take up so much space? I've run out of storage for my precious books... I swear, the bookcase is filled beyond maximum capacity. What now? To stop buying books is not an option.

I have an order I made online and I dread when they arrive... Maybe I can put my new arrivals in the cupboard next to the pasta and rice?

A cute turtle I found at Skansen a few weeks ago.

Quitting smoking Part 3

Got back to Stockholm yesterday and I find it harder to stay away from cigarettes here at home, where I am so used to the ugly habit. Last time I was here, I was a smoker. It is an identity that is not too easy to distance myself from. As I become ever more perfected at the skills of understanding the difference between physical and psycological withdrawl, I can now better understand what I must do to make this transition easier for me.

It’s been 17 days since I stopped smoking, more than half a month! Since October 18th, I have not smoked a single cigarette. Or used any other tobacco product for that matter.

I was afraid I would start smoking again once I got here and I’m so happy to tell you that it wasn’t hard at all to stay strong and far far away from those nasty cigarettes.

The racist-closet has been opened…

I am in chock about what I hear Swedes write about Sweden and what should be done differently over here these days. People say insane things like ‘we should not give money to foreign nations and areas of disaster, we should spend that money on Swedes instead’. Oh my God, does people even stop to think about what they say?

We’re so spoiled here in Sweden, we don’t stop to think about just how good our lives are. People complain about the politicians over here not caring about the needs of this nation. That’s pure bullshit; we’re so well off, we shouldn’t even compare our petty problems to nations and areas which really need our help.

Sure there are things we can improve, there’s always room for improvment in any country. But to make those improvments at the cost of our donations to other countries is nothing short of insane.

It feels like an incredible amount of people in Sweden just came out of the racist-closet. That’s scary. Racism freaks me out in a big way, it’s a very scary thing and for the first time in many many years, I fear for what might happen here. People seem to have lost their minds. Lost their empathy and their humanity as well.

Sweden has the opportunity to give financial support to other nations and that’s something to be proud of. We also have the opportunity to help people by giving them a new home here in Sweden and that too is something to be proud of and make sure it never changes.

My hope is that people start analyzing their thoughts in a critical way. It’s not ok to treat people like shit because they aren’t just like you. It’s not ok to think you’re better than someone else just because your family has been here in Sweden longer.

Racism is like cancer and you’d have to be pretty stupid to vote for cancer to rule politics…

When intelligence is thrown out the window…

So… The racist party got over 5% of the votes in the Swedish election. As a party needs 4% to be in the riksdag, they are officially in. Luckily they are as unprepared as they are hidious in their views on imigration and hopefully they wont be able to get any of their suggestions through. No other party wants anything to do with them and alone they can’t do much. I’ve looked at interviews posted on YouTube with some of these people and honistly, one would think they would know what is in the party’s interests. Their official main topic is to preserve Swedish culture. (We all know that’s bullshit and they seriously just want to promote racist ideas.) But what these idiots say in the interviews is hilarious! They want to preserve Swedish culture, then go on saying the culture they want to preserve is Christmas. I didn’t know that was a Swedish phenomenon… I’d like to add: How would imigrants be a threat to Christmas? I’ve never ever heard someone say that Christmas should be thrown out the window.

What I have heard someone say, is that people of different religious views should be able to have their seasonal holidays accordingly. And in every angle of that statement, it is a positive thing. If everybody want the same few days off from work, it creates a problem. If people want different days off, it makes it easier on the companies, on the individuals (as they are more likely to get the vacation granted as they wish) and also gives people the freedom to celebrate according to their culture and/or religion.

They go on saying they want to preserve historical artifacts ‘forntidsminnen’. That means the old stones the Vikings rose, with messages carved in to them. Let me ask you this: When was the last time you saw someone do damage to one of these stones as an imigrational protest? You might see the random case of graffiti on them, but that’s nothing you can blame people for in a matter of throwing someone out of Sweden for doing it… if it was an imigrant. I bet it was a Swede.

It’s hard to take people seriously when they don’t give a fuck about what they’re doing. The people they use as politicians are ex-criminal, low intelligence guys who can’t tell their left foot from their right. These next 4 years of politics in Sweden will be interesting indeed. And I’m glad on the behalf of the comedians of Sweden too, they will have so much easy material!

I care

Ok, it’s time for politics. It’s election time here in Sweden and I find it hard to see much good in any of what they are saying. It’s seven parties currently taking the main stage, so to say, and a few small ones trying to get in. I’m tired of it all long before it’s time to vote, since I barely agree with any of them. And the ones I feel slightly alike are far from each other, making me feel unease voting for any of them.

So I have to focus on what is most important not just for me, not just for Sweden, but what will be the best for as many as possible. That excludes all of the parties, unfortunatly. None of them are THAT good. I care for many things. And I don’t want my care and love to be thrown out the window as soon as I cast my vote.

I care about healthcare where you as an individual don’t have to fear financial collapse when being sick or in need of longterm care. I care about making it easy for smaller companies to make it on their own. I care about schools in all age-ranges to be given the financial support they need to provide good teachers, good material and good surroundings for the pupils to feel inspired to learn. I care about making public transportation better, more enviromently friendly and less expensive. I care about providing better care for our elderly, giving them more time with the people who aid them and giving them more options to how they want to spend their ‘golden years’. I care about there being more jobs. I care about making it easier to integrate to Sweden, especially when it comes to getting a job. I care about reducing toxins put out by industries. I care about protecting wildlife. I care about highspeed trains. I care about recycling. I care about lowering taxes for all individuals, especially in low-income families. I care about reducing the number of people in the military. I care about creating more jobs for young people and people with lower education.

I’m sure I forgot many many things that I care about, but the main fact is: There is no political party in Sweden that agrees with me on enough subjects for me to feel comfortable giving them my support. But I’ve made up my mind. I thought that I’d pick the one topic that is most important to me and just go with it. And for me the one thing that I care most for, the one issue that I can not overlook, that is more important then any other, is as simple as it is overlooked by most political parties: the enviroment. The planet, the rainforests, the wellbeing of this little planet of ours.

So I vote (mp), which is the only ‘green’ party in Sweden. They don’t agree with me on even close to alot, but at least they care for the fucking planet. We can fight over large and small topics all we want, but as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t matter much if we’re killing the planet we’re so obviously 100% dependant on.

I have stayed away from alot of the political talks in the media, but one person who’s thoughts I respect when it comes to Swedish politics and his opinions (although I don’t agree on everything he says) is Magnus Betnér. He’s a stand up comedian who somehow seems to have more politically thought out opinions than most politicians. Somehow he creates a debate few politicians dare to do, he talks about the uncomfortable topics and runs with them all the way to the end. I respect that and I love finaly seeing someone who speaks up, answers honistly and gives a shit. Even if I don’t always agree. He’d have my vote if he’d ever run for anything in politics. For sure.

Magnus Betnér

Photographer: Mats Bäcker

The great outdoors

There are some places in the world I just HAVE to visit to feel I've lived my life as I please. I love taking walks (don't we all?) and some day it would be fun to get a little more out of it... Just look at the bench cut out right out of the mountain, perfect when you wanna stop and take some photos (or to stand on when the wood goes up in flames, or breaks...)
I'd love to walk there, no safety and nothing but a chain to hold on to... What a walk!

On the pics I see something that worries me... the path comes to an abrupt end! Ouch, hope one keeps an eye of where they're going.

An autumn leap

Autumn is officially here :) Leafs are turning color, the air feels even more fresh and I'm writing a lot. It's great, whatever block I had is gone, the writing is once again smooth and painless. I wish I could say the same about my throat, but it seems I'm well on the way of getting sick. So far the only symptom I have is a swollen throat... It hurts to swallow and right now I'm just happy it's not worse.

In less than a month, I'm going to babysit my sister's two cats and a rabbit. Looking forward to it a great bunch! Spending my days playing with animals and writing on the book seems like a dream. And it'll be nice to get out of Stockholm for a while. I'll be there for about a month and it's just what I need. A break from what is, a leap into something different.

Details of everyday life

As a noted last night (if I'm not mistaken) I was bored and decided to take some photos. The four above is a sample of what was taken. Hope you like them.

Stuck in here - frog alert

Trying my best not to involve my brain too much today. Work is not even an option... So I'm doing some laundry and playing around on the computor. Have to keep my mind occupied. The weather sucks, so I feel stuck in here, but it could be worse, much worse.
I was woken up by my sister at 10:20am and I felt the need to sit up and acually open my eyes before I answered. In other words - I didn't sleep much last night.

And I got my wardrobe organized and lit a scented candle. You might say I'm taking care of myself. I would say I'm keeping myself distracted. Keeping the brain and the heart as far apart as possible.
Think I'm gonna do some baking tomorrow. I don't have the energy for it today. Baking and further cleaning.

And what's up with all the frogs here? Today I rescued the third frog in 2-3 weeks... My entrance is one floor down, with stairs. So the frogs must think it's a cool place, but then can't get up on their own. So I am on frog-watch. A part in my plan to make this planet a better place, I guess. We all have to start somewhere. Saving frogs is important, like not killing spiders just because they happen to be indoors. I have a spider in the bathroom I named Bruno. It's curled up in the corner behind the toilet and I'm just hoping it wont find someone to make babies with... I'm not a big fan of spiders. But we'll get along fine as long as it's quiet in that corner.

The walk

Today has been spent walking with Mikaela in Stockholm. A warm, lovely day. Many thoughts run around in my head, I get tired just thinking about everything that's happening. Soon I'll be moving to a new place. Don't know where/when yet, but hey, why make life simple when it's so easy to live in complex limbo...

So to keep myself from going crazy, I take it one day at a time. This year seems to be just as full of surprises as the last one was.

Hopefully I'll be pleasently surprised at the way everything turns out. But I'm not taking anything for granted. The road ahead is still not visible.

Pride Parade Stockholm 2010

The Parade was on it's new route this summer,

longer than it has been before. I applaude all the people

who made it all the way in heals!

You'd think it's easy to know your way in a parade,
but some people simply follow the white line to be sure...

Hm... let me guess...

Babsan, a loved lady here in Sweden.

Lollapalooza starts my tour of the US this summer!

I should be in bed, but I'm not. Not even close. I should dicipline myself, but why bother? I don't have time to be correct, I have time to be me.

Everything is quite... blah right now.
My mind is way off, it's in Chicago to be precise, and I am not. And that's confusing. I wanna wake up and eat breakfast at House of Pancakes, but is that happening? Nooo, and I wanna stroll in Grant Park, walk by the Harbour and chill...
But I'm kind of stuck.
Or as stuck as I let myself be, but I feel it would be stupid to take off and be superpoor somewhere, as I would have no income if I left right now.

But I'll be gone in August (perhaps a little longer), traveling in the US and perhaps Canada and Mexico while I'm in the neighbourhood, so to say. I need to escape this hellhole, or I'll go insane pretty soon. I'll start and finish in Chicago and whatever happens in between will be great. Whatever it is that happens. Just me and the camera. Just me and my life. New people, new places, new food and new none-routines. That's what I need. A little thing without routine and with absolutly no schedual except to catch the flight home X amount of weeks later...

Or not exactly hellhole... but I'm bored and I'm starting to feel a bit stuck. Like I've gotten a routine in life's everyday-tour that I don't like. I want more, I want better and I want fun.

I'm turning 28 this month and I feel like birthdays mean nothing anymore - so I decided to have a birthday party for the first time in years. Not that I have organized my place yet, but that's another 'eh, who cares?'. I'll serve alcohol and snacks, I doubt people will thinking about the lack of... plants? paintings? rugs? I don't know, but I doubt people would care. It's a party and it'll be superfun!!