OK, so it turns out I was wrong about how much time I'll be spending delivering papers this summer. It's not one straight month, it's two. Starting June 1st, I'll be working every day until August 10th. I don't see how I'm gonna be able to do that, I guess I'll just have to try. I've been out on a couple of test runs with a girl who is showing me the ropes, and it's pretty tough. Pushing cart with 300 obese Sunday papers in it, and then running up and down stairs for two and a half hours isn't nice. I've been coming home at 6AM barely standing up, legs feeling like rubber, and a sore armpit. The armpit-thing might sound weird, but try stuffing 20 folded-up Sunday newspapers under your arm and keeping them there for a while, and come back to me. And this is my "easy" district, once I start in June I'll be serving a district almost twice as large downtown, which means taller buildings, more stairs, and well, more papers.
The money isn't bad for three hours a day (or night, I suppose), it'll be as much as I'm getting out of our poor government at the moment, and since I don't have to pay any rent during the summer I'll have twice as much money to spend on... well, you know, actual stuff.
So right now I'm in the middle of the end-of-semester rush, I'm halfway through writing a paper that should have been done a month ago, and as soon as I'm done with that, I'll be sinking my teeth into the one for this course. This human rights thing is pretty interesting. Not as interesting as it sounds, mind you, but more interesting than I thought it would be... go figure. A smart man called human rights "a secular religion", and there is quite a bit of truth to that. It's okay to question the different rights ("should we have a UN convention on rights of bank tellers"-ish) but once one crosses into the "who says that we as human beings have rights, and why should we listen to him/her/it?" one opens up a big can of ugly idealist worms. Words like "fascist", and "hamster-murderer"come flying from unexpected directions. Still, one's not allowed to say that human rights exist because we agreed that it was a good idea and created them for everyone and all. Oh no, it's been a constant process, formed out of religion and enlightenment. When I say religion, I mean Christianity, of course, because it was us westerners that invented the idea. Sorry, we didn't invent, we just wrote it all down. I gotta play the religion card again, because it all sounds alot like when the Bible was written. "Oh no, father, we didn't make it up, we just, um, chronicled a bunch of stuff that really happened."
Oh, there I go again, using bad examples to underline a mediocre point. I'm too tired to do this...
Goodnight to both my readers, and remember to respect each other's right to freely participate in your respective country's cultural life(which is an actual human right, just check out the UN:s International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights §15a).
Bye
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Lately ...
... I've been working a lot. Or, I've been educated at my job, so it's been more like school. Last week I took a course at the call center on Internet support. I took a test on Monday, so now I don't only get the regular customer service calls, I also get calls from people whose Internet connection is down and stuff like that. So far, it's been OK. My nerves seem to be handling this one better then when I first started, so that good. We have great software to help us get the customers through the different steps to fix the problem, like changing settings and telling us their IP addresses, so that we can find the problem. It's always nice to be able to help people that way. In a perfect world, we wouldn't have to fix anything, but hey, nothings perfect, and certainly not Internet connections. But I do long for the day when everybody is hooked up with a real broadband, without modems and all that, since the connections for the people using that seems to be a lot better. Although, then I wouldn't have a job, maybe, so I guess it works out for me.
On Saturday I was at my first bachelorette party ever. We kidnapped my friend in the morning, and then went for breakfast. After that it was horseback riding (Icelandic horses who have those special ways of moving around), lunch, then a trip to a spa where the bride got a chocolate massage. Then she was photographed by a professional photographer, and then we had dinner at a great restaurant with the best buffe ever. The we were supposed to go out and paint the town red, although I was too beat by that time, after nine days of working and getting up way too early for my taste. So I went home, avoiding sleep deprivation and a club with, what I heard, not great music.
I'm to send in my application for the grad student program soon. There I have to include a proposal for a dissertation topic concerning media, globalization and democracy issues. God, it's hard to find the perfect topic. I don't want it to be unoriginal, but still it has to be interesting enough for me to spend four years on it. So if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to submit them in the comments.
Hope you're all doing well. I'm longing for a vacation in the States or Ireland, but I guess money and time are tight nowadays. Have to think of a real good present for Gran, who turns 90 in June. She's amazing, doesn't seem a day over 80 I think. When I look at grandmothers of my friends I feel so lucky: they're all mostly younger than her, but seem much older.
Peace and love and all that. Stick a comment if you want, it'd be nice to see whom I'm writing for. (And sorry for any stupid spellings or bad writing, as I said, I'm way to tired to be awake right now.)
On Saturday I was at my first bachelorette party ever. We kidnapped my friend in the morning, and then went for breakfast. After that it was horseback riding (Icelandic horses who have those special ways of moving around), lunch, then a trip to a spa where the bride got a chocolate massage. Then she was photographed by a professional photographer, and then we had dinner at a great restaurant with the best buffe ever. The we were supposed to go out and paint the town red, although I was too beat by that time, after nine days of working and getting up way too early for my taste. So I went home, avoiding sleep deprivation and a club with, what I heard, not great music.
I'm to send in my application for the grad student program soon. There I have to include a proposal for a dissertation topic concerning media, globalization and democracy issues. God, it's hard to find the perfect topic. I don't want it to be unoriginal, but still it has to be interesting enough for me to spend four years on it. So if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to submit them in the comments.
Hope you're all doing well. I'm longing for a vacation in the States or Ireland, but I guess money and time are tight nowadays. Have to think of a real good present for Gran, who turns 90 in June. She's amazing, doesn't seem a day over 80 I think. When I look at grandmothers of my friends I feel so lucky: they're all mostly younger than her, but seem much older.
Peace and love and all that. Stick a comment if you want, it'd be nice to see whom I'm writing for. (And sorry for any stupid spellings or bad writing, as I said, I'm way to tired to be awake right now.)
Monday, May 07, 2007
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOANNA
It's 24 this time, which feels a bit older. The two previous birthdays didn't feel like they did much of a difference, but now it's almost 25, and that feels like a bit more progress or something.
Below are pictures from me and my friends celebrating the last of April. I don't know if anyone is sober in any of them ...
Below are pictures from me and my friends celebrating the last of April. I don't know if anyone is sober in any of them ...
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
So, like, things are finally happening
I got a job! Finally, after 4 months of endless applications, dead-end phonecalls, and scouring the web (and actually considering a few tele-marketing gigs), I got a job to keep me afloat during the summer. So here it is: I'm gonna be delivering newspapers. Now, I realize this seems like a simple paper route, but here in Sweden things are a little different. They don't let anyone do this, since people get cranky if their morning papers are late. And it pays a helluva lot more than minimum wage, because of the uncomfortable hours. And as luck would have it, I'll be doing two "districts", since only one would not pay enough. So every morning for most of the summer, between 3AM and 6AM, I'll be working. I don't mind, except for the fact that I will have to get my drinking done after work, early mornings. One of the perks is that I get to distribute newspapers right here in my own neighbourhood once a week.
Anywho, the students of Lund just celebrated our favourite holiday, "Siste April", as it is known here. Nothing fancy in the name, it just means "last of April". So me, my friends, and thousands upon thousands of fellow students made their way to the municipal park early in the day, found a spot to sit on, and began the drinking. Last year the city had to spend around SEK 350 000 (Roughly $52 000) to clean the place up afterwards, and despite efforts to keep the place clean, I imagine that it will cost even more this year.
After a number of hours in the park, me and my peeps returned to our housing area Vildanden, and continued the party there. We had a large tent. With salvaged furniture.
So April last turned into May first, when people across the world take to the streets to celebrate the workers of said world. The lefty politicians hold speeches and there's marching and band-playing. And here in Lund the university's very own men's choir held their annual concert to welcome spring. I was at home, nursing a particularly bad hangover. The final beer-tally of the previous night landed at 27, twenty seven 12 oz cans of beer. Which one hell of a record for me. All in all, a good day.
Anywho, the students of Lund just celebrated our favourite holiday, "Siste April", as it is known here. Nothing fancy in the name, it just means "last of April". So me, my friends, and thousands upon thousands of fellow students made their way to the municipal park early in the day, found a spot to sit on, and began the drinking. Last year the city had to spend around SEK 350 000 (Roughly $52 000) to clean the place up afterwards, and despite efforts to keep the place clean, I imagine that it will cost even more this year.
After a number of hours in the park, me and my peeps returned to our housing area Vildanden, and continued the party there. We had a large tent. With salvaged furniture.
So April last turned into May first, when people across the world take to the streets to celebrate the workers of said world. The lefty politicians hold speeches and there's marching and band-playing. And here in Lund the university's very own men's choir held their annual concert to welcome spring. I was at home, nursing a particularly bad hangover. The final beer-tally of the previous night landed at 27, twenty seven 12 oz cans of beer. Which one hell of a record for me. All in all, a good day.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
UPDATES: Linklist and recommended TV
We've started up a list of links, seen here to your left. Feel free to give us tips and we'll put it on the list (if we like it, or course). There's also a list over TV-shows we like, since this is one of our not-so-classy, but true, passions.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
"So, what's new with you?"
That's a funny expression. But it kind of describes the whole point of this blog. So, here goes:
I've started working on a more regular basis now at the call center. It's fun sometimes, and sometimes it enormously boring. People asking you the same question over and over again, especially when it comes to the bills. Yesterday the most irritating thing happened: the company that hires the call center I work for put out an ad in one of the big Swedish tabloids. People kept calling in wanting to get this new digital TV deal, two channels for the price of one and a half or whatever. The problem was, it was an old ad. They put the wrong one in the paper, and we had no possibility of giving the people what they had decided to get. The deal was nowhere to be seen in our computer systems. It made a few of them very angry, which I totally get.
My only problem with these people is that when you tell them that the only way they can make an official complaint to the big bosses is through writing (fax, email, post), they get even angrier and demand to speak to someone. What's so hard about writing??? At the same time, when they want information from us, they always need it in writing. Can't they see how hypocritical that is?
Usually I'm on the customers (or consumers) side. Even when I'm working I secretly think bad things about they way the digital TV-company does stuff. But, of course, I want to keep my job. So I say nothing, and then my face goes red when the angry customers ask me "How can you work at a place that conducts business like this?"
School is interesting, as usual. At the moment I'm getting ready for a debate in class. Me and a guy I don't really know or like are going to be against one of the Swedish liberal party's most non-liberal idea: putting new citizens through a test in Swedish. Not a test of knowledge about Swedish culture or history, but the language. You can all ask John, it's not an easy language, and I must say, isn't it better putting money into other stuff, like getting the segregated immigrants into more jobs, where they can then learn Swedish?
It's not like Swedish is spoken in many other countries than Sweden. None, almost. In Finland they speak some. So it's about ten million people, at the most, who speak Swedish in the world. Add a few thousand more, for the German students who, for some reason no one knows, chooses to study Swedish instead of French, Spanish, or Chinese?
The problems with segregation and discrimination has to do with a lot more than learning to speak the language. And I know one thing for sure: a lot of the French and German grammar and words I learned left my mind right after I did the test. You have to spend time in the place where the language is spoken. And the people who want to become citizens of Sweden already do that.
A Swedish holiday is coming up. Maybe it's more "northern" or Scandinavian. Anyways, April 30th all the Swedes try to barbecue and then stand around big bonfires to celebrate that spring is coming. It's usually ironically cold that night, of course. Also, it's the kings birthday, but more and more people seem to be ignoring that, thank god. For students like me, it's a big deal. It's one of those holidays that are actually celebrated with your fellow students (unlike Christmas for instance). This, of course, only means one thing: boozing. I mean, it's the first holiday of the year when you get to do this outside. All food and drink tastes better outside.
Historically, it's celebrated by Swedish students because this was the day when you changed your dark, winter-student-hat, to the nicer, white one (as seen on the picture below). Now, nobody wears these hats unless it's a very official deal, like the Nobel dinner, but it's nice we're celebrating the remnants of something very important. No. At least for once, it's not some thing out of the Bible we're celebrating.
May 1st is also somewhat of a holiday. This is when people get the day off and the banks are closed. This is also the day when the biggest party, the social democrats, and other people of the left wing, demonstrate, hold speeches, and keep the Swedish people remembering what this country is all about. OK, I'm exaggerating a bit, but that's almost it anyway. I'd be mad if I wasn't so fond of the lefties.
So, what's new with you?
I've started working on a more regular basis now at the call center. It's fun sometimes, and sometimes it enormously boring. People asking you the same question over and over again, especially when it comes to the bills. Yesterday the most irritating thing happened: the company that hires the call center I work for put out an ad in one of the big Swedish tabloids. People kept calling in wanting to get this new digital TV deal, two channels for the price of one and a half or whatever. The problem was, it was an old ad. They put the wrong one in the paper, and we had no possibility of giving the people what they had decided to get. The deal was nowhere to be seen in our computer systems. It made a few of them very angry, which I totally get.
My only problem with these people is that when you tell them that the only way they can make an official complaint to the big bosses is through writing (fax, email, post), they get even angrier and demand to speak to someone. What's so hard about writing??? At the same time, when they want information from us, they always need it in writing. Can't they see how hypocritical that is?
Usually I'm on the customers (or consumers) side. Even when I'm working I secretly think bad things about they way the digital TV-company does stuff. But, of course, I want to keep my job. So I say nothing, and then my face goes red when the angry customers ask me "How can you work at a place that conducts business like this?"
School is interesting, as usual. At the moment I'm getting ready for a debate in class. Me and a guy I don't really know or like are going to be against one of the Swedish liberal party's most non-liberal idea: putting new citizens through a test in Swedish. Not a test of knowledge about Swedish culture or history, but the language. You can all ask John, it's not an easy language, and I must say, isn't it better putting money into other stuff, like getting the segregated immigrants into more jobs, where they can then learn Swedish?
It's not like Swedish is spoken in many other countries than Sweden. None, almost. In Finland they speak some. So it's about ten million people, at the most, who speak Swedish in the world. Add a few thousand more, for the German students who, for some reason no one knows, chooses to study Swedish instead of French, Spanish, or Chinese?
The problems with segregation and discrimination has to do with a lot more than learning to speak the language. And I know one thing for sure: a lot of the French and German grammar and words I learned left my mind right after I did the test. You have to spend time in the place where the language is spoken. And the people who want to become citizens of Sweden already do that.
A Swedish holiday is coming up. Maybe it's more "northern" or Scandinavian. Anyways, April 30th all the Swedes try to barbecue and then stand around big bonfires to celebrate that spring is coming. It's usually ironically cold that night, of course. Also, it's the kings birthday, but more and more people seem to be ignoring that, thank god. For students like me, it's a big deal. It's one of those holidays that are actually celebrated with your fellow students (unlike Christmas for instance). This, of course, only means one thing: boozing. I mean, it's the first holiday of the year when you get to do this outside. All food and drink tastes better outside.
Historically, it's celebrated by Swedish students because this was the day when you changed your dark, winter-student-hat, to the nicer, white one (as seen on the picture below). Now, nobody wears these hats unless it's a very official deal, like the Nobel dinner, but it's nice we're celebrating the remnants of something very important. No. At least for once, it's not some thing out of the Bible we're celebrating.
May 1st is also somewhat of a holiday. This is when people get the day off and the banks are closed. This is also the day when the biggest party, the social democrats, and other people of the left wing, demonstrate, hold speeches, and keep the Swedish people remembering what this country is all about. OK, I'm exaggerating a bit, but that's almost it anyway. I'd be mad if I wasn't so fond of the lefties.
So, what's new with you?
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