You know how “they” say that your health takes a dramatic turn for the worse when you hit 30? I’ve heard that it just get’s worse and you have a much easier time getting sick? I guess I’m a little bit ahead of schedule. Cause one year ago I had never been on sick leave (not once!) and had never been to the hospital since my little operation when I was a kid. I was going on almost 20 years without going to the hospital (and no, visiting someone else doesn’t matter). But then BAM, 3 times in 2 weeks in november and now once more unto the breach! Got off the Arlanda-parking buss and my foot just gave away. I guess there was some rock or there that just made my foot go all wrong, but that doesn’t matter cause the result was the same – busted ankle. So now I’ve been to the hospital for x-rays (rather that than limping for the rest of my life) and been on sick leave twice – in the past 6 months alone. And I turned 29 yesterday so it must be that. Or bad luck.
Oh no, it’s that time again. That time of the year that you’re reminded of just how fast time flies. Which I guess is a good thing since that usually means you’re having fun. Which I totally am. But I don’t want another birthday. Thank god I’m out of the country…AGAIN!
Unfortunately this is the last trip I’ll ever do for this government project. I’ve done my 15 or so embassies, and we were 7 techies so that about covers them all. 🙁
Have you seen Evanescence video to “Everybody’s Fool”? Powerful stuff. Not only a good singer, she can act too. But most of all – great music! Btw, what’s happened to that group, totally split up?
Busy little bee, but that’s almost over and I may actually be able to post some of the cool stuff here.
So we arrive here at the hotel Dorin in Holland and checking in, everything is going as usual. When all of a sudden, the clerk hands me a gold card and says “this will get you free drinks in the bar”.?? We’re all like “how many, like one a day”, but no, really – free drinks, all you can drink. As the bartender said – It’s your headache! A think like that would never, never EVER be allowed here in Sweden. For some reason, our politicians thinks that we can’t handle alcohol in a sensible manner and if we could buy it anywhere we’d all be drunks, so the government has monopoly on importing and the sale of alcohol. That’s just the way it is. So for a hotell or bar or anything to say “free drinks” would be really outrageous in Sweden. So how much did we take advantage of this? That’s between the three of us!
Wanna see an awesome picture? Check this one. You don’t see what’s so special? Take a close look at the sunglasses in the original. I emphasize original, cause it hasn’t been altered in any way what so ever yet. So, guess where I was at the time?!
One little thing that keeps on surprising me is the “red vs blue” contests. It doesn’t matter if it’s in politics, sports or computers, “red vs blue” is everywhere. In politics it’s socialism vs capitalism. That’s is mirrored in computer tech with Novell vs Microsoft, Microsoft being legendary capitalists. It’s also commonly used in the graphics war between Ati and Nvidia – Nvidia being the capitalists (although technically, Nvidia is “green”). And in Formula 1 we have Bridgestone vs Michelin. Although Bridgestone seems to be more of capitalistic than Michelin. These are the things that occupies my mind…
Strikes are apparently frequent things here in Italy. Last week the national airline “Alitalia” was on strike and today it’s the taxi’s. And that’s not big of a deal, but the “Alitalia” thing has us worried since we’re suppose to fly home with them on thursday! And by all warning signs I’m getting they seem to be in a bit of a trouble. So today I had to book 3 tickets on an alternate airline to make sure we’ll all get home. Isn’t it nice how I finally have the credit to just book 3 flight tickets just like that? 🙂
“It’s another day, for you and me in paradise!”. One more of those “this is life” moment. After spending all day walking around in beautiful sunny Rome and eating a home cooked italian meal and just kicking back on the porch with a whiskey in my hand and one of my best friends on the other side of the table! Oh, didn’t I mention that? When it was decided I was gonna do the Rome-installation, my half-italian friend Ricki decided that would be an excellent time for them to go down there and visit his family. So he and his wife Mona came down here on thursday and I’ve been spending all sunday with them getting a tour of the city… this is life…
I’ve done so many trips and installations that I know all the routines and stuff that this time I’ve done everything I possible can to do everything as quickly as I possibly can and that has really paid off! I’m sitting out on the porch at the embassy just bathing in the sun without a care in the world. In Rome. Can’t believe it, I’m finally here! Or I can actually not believe it took me this long to get here!
We just got here to Rome and usually on the first day at a new place we just take it easy and settle in and go for a bite to eat an some close restaurant and take it easy. But not this time, we went down to the Colosseum right away and walked around in town for hours. Man it’s an old but very beautiful city. Wish it was warmer though, but I’ve been promised better weather by the lady on the TV…
I thought I was pretty hip, up to date and hi tech. But I had no idea what “toothing” was until I read this CNN story. I shouldn’t be surprised at the different ways people use technology, some totally against the original intent. It kinda reminds me about the prostitutions story I’ve read about in “The Sims Online”. People are weird. But so am I so I shouldn’t be complaining.
Politics is getting boring now. Repetetive stuff like the Israel vs Palestine just isn’t interesting to follow anymore. And Bush still never admits to making a single mistake but keeps on making new ones. And in brittain there’s the talk about referendum about the EU constitution, same talk as in sweden. Why can’t something new and interesting happen? It’s getting boring. Is the old saying “no news is good news” really that true? Why can’t there be some reports¨ or interviews that are just fun? Whenever I turn on CNN nowadays, all I get is Bush this, attacks in Iraq that and so on…
One of my nicer qualities is that I’m pretty nice to people working at whatever store/restaurant or whatever I’m at. I go out of my way not to be one of those troublesome customers. If a waitress brings me the wrong food, that’s ok, no biggy – it’s just food. If the customer service is so overloaded they can barely think straight, that’s ok, I’ll call back later. I’m a very Mr Nice. But now I have to ask – just how damn stupid do you have to be to work at a customer service joint? Seriously, is it like “people who can’t get any real jobs” that they place there or what? I’ve always wondered that because I’m surprised at just how stupid they are sometimes. Like the most hilarious “is guatemala a real country?”-girlS (plural!) I got when calling the three biggest mobile phone operators in sweden to check for coverage in Guatemala. But now Turkish Airlines really hit the jackpot of stupidity – when I was recently in Turkey they lost my luggage. And I’m all like “ok, that happens, no biggy I’ll just have to wear these clothes an extra day”. And no clothes day after that, no problem, I’ll just go out and buy the necessities and send them the bill. And now, four weeks later, I got a letter from Turkish Airlines telling me that… well, I wish I knew BECAUSE IT’S ALL IN TURKISH!. Seriously, I made it clear that I was swedish, I was there temporarily and it should be handled by their swedish office, but oh no. I just hope someone at their swedish office can understand it. It’s not a lot of money we’re talking about, like $60, but now it’s just the principal of “how stupid can you get!?”.
Here’s the story ; We were on another one of these cruises right. There are, as I see it, four reasons to be on a cruise like this. The drinking, the gambling, the tax free and the hooking up. Everyone in their upper teens-twenties are there to hook up, if only for one night. It’s an hilarious meat-market to watch. So anyway, I’m standing at the bar in the disco (yeah, yeah!) waiting for my turn to order when my friend starts talking to this woman (who’s not his wife!), and I can’t hear what they’re talking about. And then she turns over to me and starts talking how he’s trying to sell me off “’cause I need a girl”. Can’t really argue with him there. And after that opener, we start talking about… stuff, normal prelude talk. Then I order my drinks and leave her right there. Yeah, I KNOW! Now she seemed like a really nice person, and she was funny and most of all, she took the initiative. I’d usually go for that. So why didn’t I? I’ve been beating myself in the head trying to figure it out, and the only thing I can think of is that I didn’t find her physically attractive. Personality wise – yes. But not physically. Ain’t that something? I didn’t think I’d react that way in that given situation, but I guess I proved it. And I’m not really one to talk about not being physically attractive because I’ve looked myself in the mirror, I’ve seen the triple digits on the scale. So how can I justify this? I wasn’t that drunk ’cause I hadn’t started with the strong stuff yet. My spontaneous thought was “why should I settle for something less than a hottie”. Which brings me full circle to “I’m a superficial asshole”. I just hope I didn’t offend her, I don’t really remember how I ended the conversation, I do remember not buying her a drink after just having discussed the financially difficult life of a college student. Usually they don’t even have to hint at that for me to pick up the tab. I guess my judgement may have been impaired by the consumption of alcholic beverages after all. Or perhaps I just suck at this “one night stand” thing?
Oh crap, here comes my asthma again! I can’t remember the last time I had a problem with my asthma, but it was really long ago. But it’s back. Fortunately I’ve still got the meds to combat it, but it’s another sign that my health is being fedexed to hell. But I am pretty thankful that I’ve got this little genetic screw-up because that’s what I used to not do the military service here in Sweden!
Did you see the “re-elect Bush” video they’ve got going over there? I particulary like the part when they say Bush is a stabilizing force in a rapidly changing society. Riiiiight… “oh my god, gay people who want to do something we all take for granted and get married, let’s make that unconstitutional!”, call that stability? And they also play on the “September 11th”-factor to “emphasize how Bush rose to the occasion and dealt with the biggest crisis in american history”. If sinking the economy and invading two countries is “rising to the occasion”, I’m a little bit scared. It kinda reminds me about this animation.
Please don’t re-elect him.
Have you heard all the fuzz about Gibson’s latest movie, “The Suffering”? If you haven’t – it’s a long movie about the last days of Jesus Christ as told by four gospels in the new testament. And I’ve been laughing quite hard at the reaction from both the christian and jewish camps! I haven’t seen the movie, and neither have most of them, so I can’t really say if it’s good or not, but I have read the Bible so I know a little about the story behind it. But that’s not what I’m laughing about. The christians are all jolly about this movie since it will englighten millions of people and everyone will start streaming back to the good old Churches looking for salvation and forgiveness. The jews are all worried about how the jews are portrayed as bad guys in the movie. And I’m not one to take religion that very seriously so I hope all christians and jews will forgive this ; havn’t they been saying the same thing for the past thousand years? Christians have gone all over the planet looking to christianify (I love making up words!) people, even with guns and cannons. And the jews have gone “feel sorry for us, it’s us against the world” for as far as I’ve known it. But with Schindler’s List (which btw is one of my all time favorite movies) coming to DVD next week they’ll get some payback, ’cause those people I really felt sorry for.
Personally I’ll just quote the Guru Kevin Smith:
“Tell a person that you’re the Metatron and they stare at you blankly. Mention something out of a Charlton Heston movie and suddenly everybody is a theology scholar.”
– The Metatron in “Dogma“.
… or how about “Stigmata“:
“Jesus said…the Kingdom of God is inside you, and all around you, not in mansions of wood and stone. Split a piece of wood…and I am there, lift a stone…and you will find me.”
I could go on all day…
And today the ever so enlightened, wise and open minded president of the land of the free decided to make same sex marriages unconstitutional. Why? Well, it seems the marital bond between a man and a woman is sacred and a basis for society to function. Meaning that if you’d allow people of the same sex to marry each other everyone else will feel their marriage means less and that would pose a threat to society.
Two words : Britney Spears. She wasn’t even married for 100 hours, but what she did should pose more of a threat to “normal” marriages meaning less than two people who actually love eachother. But their short “getting married while drunk”-marriage seems to be worth more than the thousands of gay people who’s gotten married in San Fransisco over the past week. I’m not married, so I can’t really say what that bond would be like. And I’m not gay, so I don’t know what that bond is like. So I can’t really say which one Shouldn’t the 50% (or whatever the number is nowadays!) divorce rate pose more of a threat? I’m pretty sure gay’s would divorce as well, but I guess we won’t find out. And besides, saying “gay people can’t get married because it would make my marriage feel less important to me” is to me like saying “women can’t vote since that would make me feel less important”, which they were saying hundred years ago. And that changed, so hopefully this will as well.
And I wish I could say Sweden was better, but we’re not. Here, gay’s can become a so called “registered couple”, which is as close to marriage you can get and offers some of the same benefits and assuarances, without actually being married.
Think what you want about the gay marriage thing happening over in San Fransisco, but this mayor is my new favorite politician. I was hoping that Arnie might make a good politician, most of all because he’s suppose to be financially independant (not even Bush can say that) and coming from Hollywood one would hope he had a more open liberal mind. But I guess I was wrong.