As always with me being off work for more than 2 days in a row, with no immediate plans, I get extremely bored. Yesterday, I spent most of the day playing Power Wash Simulator and watch YouTube videos. I must have gone through 25 videos, each lasting 20 minutes or more. One of them was 2 hours and 14 minutes long, and it was a vlog from a British YouTuber called Syndicate. He's traveling home from Thailand but had a layover in Dubai - the same day as the unprecedented flood there.
Today, I have been doing some of the things I did yesterday - video games and YouTube videos. I did go outside today, but only to buy more soda (or pop), some pasta and some snacks. Now I'm bored again. If I had my own house, I could work on that, but since I rent a room, it's not possible for me to do that. I have been looking at run down houses to see if I could buy one and fix up by myself, but sadly, no such luck. The cheapest house is 390.000 kroner, and it's in a place called Maribo - which is 3 and a half hours from where I work. I COULD ask my bank to see if I could borrow some money for a house or an apartment. I'm just not sure if I earn enough to be able to borrow anything.
Then there's also the small matter of getting more debt.. I don't know, maybe I'll just stay where I am now..
The point is: I'm bored. I am going to a gig on Thursday, so until then, I'm just gonna continue to be bored.
The big talking point at work today was the fire in Copenhagen this morning, where the old stock exchange, simply known as Børsen, or The Stock, burned for several hours.
If you are not familiar with what I am talking about, it's this
It's one of the oldest buildings in Copenhagen, dating back to 1623, and it's been used as a stock exchange until 1974, where it was converted into an office building. It's also a tourist magnet. The part of the building on fire in the picture is the Dragon Spire, which dates back to 1625. It was shaped as the tails of four dragons intertwined, symbolizing the protection of the gold that trade would generate for Denmark.
The spire also had three crowns at the top, symbolizing the kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Legend has it, that the spire would protect us from enemies and from fires.
To us Danes, this is a piece of our history being destroyed. Some say it's our Notre Dame, which is pretty accurate. A lot of people were shocked - some even cried, because it's a pretty big landmark going up in flames.
The building was under renovation, and it's highly likely that someone on the renovation crew started the fire, by accident. It's unknown at the moment what started the inferno, but the police are beginning their technical work. It'll take time, but it will be worth it.
Once the technical work is done, the parts of the building that has burned, will be demolished, and new construction will begin. How much will this cost? It's unknown, but a minimum of 200 million kroner. The CEO of the Danish Chamber of Commerce, has said that no matter what, the building WILL be rebuilt.
Fortunately, no lives were lost in this tragic disaster, which is the most important thing. Most of the furniture and artwork from the building was saved, which was a huge relief. If they were lost in the fire, it would have been a loss that you couldn't put an amount on.
To put even more salt in the wound - it happened on Queen Margrethe II's 84th birthday.
Of all days..
Now begins the job of building back better than before, but one thing about us Danes is: We're a determined bunch. If we see a task ahead of us, we complete it - no matter the price or duration.
A building might be gone - but our spirit isn't!
Yesterday, I went to my youngest nieces 1 year birthday celebration, so we went to a pretty nice place in Roskilde, right next to the viking ship museum. On the menu was brunch, so I was looking forward to getting some great food and meeting new people, since my sisters fiances family were attending as well. I have only met four of them, so it was nice to meet the rest. The weather was fantastic, but a bit windy. Still - the sun was shining, so it was the perfect time to get some sun in before the meal.
My mother, my aunt, my uncle and I were the first people to arrive, so we had some time to really take in the place we were eating at. I looked at the menu, and some of the dishes were pretty expensive, but they sounded fantastic. One of the menu items was surf 'n' turf, which contained a steak from a corn fed angus cow, spiny lobster, calamari fritti, steak fries, bearnaise sauce and aioli. I am not really fond of lobster, so when I go back, I am getting the item called "steak fries". That menu item is a steak from a corn fed angus, steak fries and bearnaise sauce.
Anyway!
Once inside the restaurant, people started to show up. The first people I said hello to, were my sisters fiances mother and her daughter. The daughter and I got chatting, which was quite nice. New people to get to know is just what I need after seeing the same people for a few months.
Food was served, and we found our seats. The sheer amount of food was simply overwhelming. It's been a while since I had been at a brunch, so I was not sure if there were any rules, or if it was a "fill your plate and eat" type of situation. I looked around and noticed people went for the "fill your plate and eat" type of deal, so I made my way to the food.
One of the items were peaking my interest: Triangle toast, fried in butter with cream cheese in the middle. On the table were other items such as three types of eggs: Fried, hard boiled and scrambled. Bacon, warm liver paté with bacon and mushrooms, five types of bread, cold meats, three types of cheese, fruit, vegetables, chicken wings, pancakes, croissants, pastries and sausages.
Sides included butter, syrup, jam and nutella. The drinks on offer were orange juice, apple juice, chocolate milk, coffee, tea and sparkling water
So much to pick from that I didn't know where to start. I started with some bread, liver paté and a pancake with nutella on. My drink of choice was chocolate milk and orange juice. I don't do coffee or tea.
As the morning slowly drifted by, the food started to fill me up. By then, it was time for cake. They had bought a fantastic looking cake from a local bakery, and it was simply divine. Not too sweet, which was perfect after an hour of eating.
A short while later, it was time to leave again. I made my way over to the first people I talked to at the start of the day and held out my hand in a hand shake to say goodbye, because I'm a gentleman and I shake hands with people that I have just met. Setting a good example, you know.
It was a fun day, and I even got to do a bit of car spotting. Behind the truly massive and impressive looking Roskilde Cathedral, I had my first ever Aston Martin DB5 spot. It was parked next to a bright blue Porsche Taycan, a 1972 Mercedes-Benz SL350 and a Caterham Seven 310R. As a car guy, it was fantastic to see three types of cars parked next to each other.
And before you ask about what happened between me and the daughter I spoke to, she was there with her boyfriend. Do I hope to meet her again? Absolutely. She's family now, in some way. Family is always good
I am heading back to see my friend in Virginia. I'm very excited, because now I know sort of what to expect, and most importantly: How much money to bring. The last time, I brought $1200 with me for one week. When I came home, I had $700 left, so I now know that I will need at least $500 for a week. However, I will most likely bring the same amount with me as I did the first time. This time, I will do a lot more shopping. I only bought two pairs of shoes and some souvenirs for the family the last time I was there, so hopefully I will splurge a bit more this time. I need hoodies. The ones here are boring and expensive. The ones in the US are cheap and not boring at all. I had the chance to buy one when I went to the airport on my way home, but at $70, I said "nah". Judging by the amount of money I had with me home, I could have bought one. Next time I will not be as stingy as I was the first time.
That also means it'll be my second time flying long-haul. The last time, I went with Lufthansa. As I described in my post-USA holiday blog, I will not be flying with them again. I am most likely going to pick SAS, seeing as they have a direct flight to Dulles from Copenhagen, and it'll be cheaper than my previous flight, although not by much. I am saving a few hundred kroner, but it'll save me the giant headache that is changing flight in a different airport. Nothing against layovers, but sometimes they cut it WAY too close. To the point where you literally have to run in order to catch the next connecting flight. By flying direct, it'll save me a bunch of time and stress.
So yes - I am heading back over the Atlantic next year. There's one year and 6 months left, until my trip, so patience is key. Once we enter November, I will book the trip. By then I should have saved up enough money for the trip. I also need my good camera, because Halloween in the USA is bound to be fantastic!
I look forward to it!
Easter has come and gone. With that, my first long time off from work came and went as well. Naturally, some people freak out over the smallest things. Often, it's stupid things. Take the whole MAGA/conservative crowd, for example. President Biden declared March 31st the International Transgender Day of Visibility. March 31st was also the same day as Easter this year, so naturally - freakout came.
"Easter is ruined", and "This is an assault on Christianity".
However, they neglected to mention that March 31st has been International Transgender Day of Visibility since 2009 - and even under Trump. Easter falls on different days every year.
Next year, Easter falls on 4/20. Blaze it, boys..
The next time International Transgender Day of Visibility and Easter coincides is on March 31st is in the year 2086. 62 years from now. By that time, everyone who is complaining about this, will be dead and buried. Unless someone finds the cure for immortality, that is.
With Easter comes my mandatory Easter holiday break. This year, it was one week. I spent my holiday going to a metal concert, catching the new Godzilla X Kong movie in IMAX and just pure relaxation. I also went to the annual Easter lunch in my family. My mother showed up rocking a cold - the kind of cold where your nose is red from all the tissue wiping. Naturally, she was asked to leave, since two small children were present.
That did not sit well with my mother, and she became offended that she was getting sent home again to rest and recover. With two small children, the youngest less than a year old, it was the correct thing to do. I'm sure my mother will be fine and see that it was the right thing to do.
Eventually.
Being almost 40, with no partner for my entire adult life, I feel it's time to once again throw caution to the wind and go on a blind date, to see who I can meet.
I am not very demanding of my future blind date: Be a decent person and be employed full time. I don't want to end up with a raging racist/homophobic person who is broke. Someone who loves to laugh, would also be nice. It doesn't have to be in a restaurant or in a cafe. A walk and talk is much better. Just for an hour, to see if there's chemistry. I am always suggesting meeting in a public place, with lots of people. If there's a second date, it could be in a restaurant or in cafe. Third date could be in the cinema, and the fourth date could be in a theme park.
The time to visit each other in their private homes is only when we both feel like it's the right time to do that. No point in pressuring to meet privately for the first time. You'd want to see if the person you're on a blind date with is sane and not a creepy serial killer like person.
The thing I have heard most from women, going on blind dates - or any date - is that the guy they're meeting won't take no for an answer or are way too creepy. I saw a tiktok about a woman from England who met a guy on a dating app. They agreed to meet, but the guy kept trying to arrange to meet where the woman lived. Naturally, it was a hard no from her side, but the guy didn't catch on.
As you could imagine, meeting up in a public place wasn't his ideal location, because he packed an overnight bag because apparently, he thought he's get lucky with her.
Men like that are the reason why the men, who aren't creeps, get a harder and harder time finding a date. Once, I met someone online, and after a few weeks it was time to meet in person. She said to me "Now you're probably demanding to meet at my place, right?", to which I said "No. I prefer to meet at a public place with lots of people, and if you decide not to pursue this further, that's fine". It only resulted in that first date, which I respected.
I am blabbing on. The point is, that I want to meet someone new. Hopefully that will happen soon.
In other topics: A new movie to my collection. This time, it's a fairly new horror movie, called The Last Voyage of the Demeter. It's a supernatural horror movie based on a chapter in Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, from 1897. The film is, naturally, about Dracula and the terror and horror he inflicted on the Demeter.
It's a fun and very gory time. It's not very creepy, but the creature design can be a bit frightening to younger viewers.
It's also a bit sad at times, and downright depressing at other times, but most of all: It's very good! If you are a fan of supernatural horror movies with lots of blood, give The Last Voyage of the Demeter a view!
It's no secret that I aren't the healthiest person in the world. I eat a lot of fatty foods, particularly burgers. I like to make big monsters, such as a triple bacon cheese burger, with a LOT of bacon, cheese and grease! I also eat other stuff as well, but the common denominator is fat. My family requested that I had my cholesterol tested, so I did.
I went to the doctor, at the end of last month but it was too late in the day to take a blood test. So I had to book my own appointment in a lab, to get it done and finally see how my health is.
I did get my blood pressure measured at my doctor, and it was normal. Nothing major to be worried about there, but I still had blood work to be done. Fast forward to the day before yesterday, where I had an appointment. A few minutes after my booked time, I was guided into a small room, with a chair. The technician asked me to sit down and get comfortable.
Usually, when you get blood drawn, the technician places a rubber band on your arm, in order to draw out the vein. Mine? Well, mine popped out without the need for the rubber band. In went the needle, and out came the blood. 5 minutes after I sat down, I was finished. I then went off to work, curious at what the test would show. Definitely high cholesterol and sugar.
The results came today, and they were surprising, to say the least.
Two of the parameters were below the norm - my vitamin D and my cholesterol.
I have severe vitamin D deficit, which makes sense, because I am not in the sun a lot. The surprising one was the cholesterol. I would have bet any money that my cholesterol was too high. Instead, it's too low, but only by a tiny margin.
Am I healthy? I don't know. I will phone my doctor tomorrow to ask her what she thinks of the results. I can, however, see that I am a lot healthier than the last time I took this kind of test, so that's a plus
I redid the math, regarding how much everything will cost me for my 40th birthday celebration-bash-shenanigan-event-thing..
With food from a catering company, the entire shindig will cost me 11.346 DKK, which is about $1653. If I make the food myself, the cost will be significantly lower. 8158 DKK, which is $1189. I save 3189 DKK, or $464. I will use that saving for my upcoming Italy trip.
The $1189 is with EVERYTHING included. Food, alcohol, beer, wine, champagne, soda, candy, snacks, coffee, cookies and loads of other things. The one thing that I haven't added is all the decoration I need to get, as well as all the confetti cannons, which I am buying here and there.
There is a TON of saving when you do things yourself. I have drafted in my mom to help me cook, and my friend is also going to help me with planning and decorating.
The current plan is to buy all the food, decorate, put up tables, chairs, put soda, beer, champagne and some of the food into the fridges, so they'll be nice and cold for the party the following day. On the day of the party, at 9 or 10 am, we'll begin making the food. It's gonna be the single most Danish menu ever: Honey glazed ham, frikadeller, salad, bread and something called creamed potatoes. I know, this sounds VERY dodgy, but it's pretty simple: Potato slices in cream, heated up in the oven. Some people love it, others hate it. Me? Well, I'm somewhere in the middle. It's not my favourite thing to eat, but I really don't mind them.
Regarding the frikadeller, I am estimating that 30 people will show up. Let's say each person eats 4 frikadeller each. That's 120 frikadeller that my mom has to make. It might take an hour or three, but it will be worth it! I will, of course, help with making them. I'm not going to let her make 120 frikadeller on her own. It's not even certain that 120 is enough. It might be that more have to be made, because they are VERY popular! Like.. Extremely popular! But - what even IS a frikadelle? Well, let me tell you!
A frikadelle is a rounded, flat-bottomed, pan-fried meatball of minced meat, often likened to the German and/or Danish version of meatballs, but the origin of the dish is unknown. The term frikadelle is German but the dish is associated with German, Scandinavian and Polish cuisines. They are one of the most popular meals in Poland, where they are known as kotlety mielone.
There are various local variants of frikadelle throughout Scandinavia, as both a main course and a side dish. In Sweden, the word frikadeller refers to meatballs that are boiled, not pan-fried, but they are a bit.. Weird in Sweden.
The origin of the word is uncertain. According to the Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Deutschen, Frikadelle (pl. Frikadellen) can be found end of the 17th century in German, and is related to the French fricandeau, and Latin frigere ('to roast'). Other variants used in Germany are Boulette/Bulette, Bratklops, Fleischpflanzerl, Fleischlaberl, Fleischküchle and Grillette/Grilletta as well as the Austrian Faschiertes Laibchen. It may be derived from fricandeau de veau, a dish of sliced veal, larded with pork fat.
In the Dictionnaire des dictionnaires (1837) fricadelle is defined as, "In Belgium, a ball of minced, cooked meat" and a separate word, fricadèle, is defined as fricandeau. In Phillips's New World of Words (1706) it is defined as "Fricandoe, a sort of Scotch Collops made of thin slices of Veal, well larded and stuff'd." The Oxford English Dictionary defines fricandele (variation fricadelle) as a "quasi-French form of fricandeau".
Here in Denmark, frikadeller and cold potato salad goes together at picnics or at potlucks.
Come to think of it - I also need potato salad.. That means I have to redo my math - again..
I have begun the expensive task of buying what I need for my birthday in three months time. I have so much to buy, but I am taking it in stages.
Today's stage was all the soda. Five crates of mixed sodas and 18 small bottles of Fanta Exotic. 704 kroner for that, or just around $103.
The next stage is the beer, alcohol and the food, which will be very expensive. I am going to write down everything I need for the various foods: Hot wings, hotdogs and burgers. I know I need some onion, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, mustard, ketchup and cheese, if someone wants to make a cheese burger. Apart from that, I also need a load of other things, but that will all come in time.
I don't need to buy wine, because my mother has that in stock. I also need snacks, chocolate, coffee, candy and possibly a cake as well.
It's gonna be expensive, but so worth it!
Picture this - you match with someone on a dating app and get talking. It goes quite well, and you joke around while still maintaining a somewhat serious getting to know each other type of conversation.
At some point - silence. Not a peep for three days. You begin to form a message in your head like "Hey, did I say or do something you didn't like or approve of? Because if so, I am sorry", only to be met with "profile deleted".
That happened to me - and it's not the first time, which makes me wonder if there's something wrong with me, or if I have to change my whole approach to talking to people online. The only thing I can think I did wrong is jokingly say "I am available at that day. Just saying!" when she named the food she was going to make. Again - it was a joke. I would never force anyone to meet me if they didn't want to. I also made that clear to this person.
I have also experienced being ghosted several times, and being asked for money a few times. One person asked me if my family was rich. When I said no, I was blocked.
Maybe online dating isn't for me. The last time I met someone on a dating app, we went for a coffee but she decided that nothing more would come of it, because of what she called "multiple red flags" - which left me pretty dumbstruck, since I didn't do anything red flag stuff. We walked and talked for an hour, so I am not entirely sure why multiple red flags were shown.
Maybe it was my video gaming, the way I talked or what I ate. I simply don't know, because she refused to say what those red flags were.
Maybe I'll just stay single. It's working out pretty well so far, anyway
Back in late September 2022, I bought a gaming chair. It was one of those clever chairs that could go completely horizontal, and it was textile, which I thought would be very comfortable. However, when I got the chair assembled and sat down, it was like sitting on a rock. It was bad. But I decided to keep it, because.. Well, it could go completely horizontal. The coolest thing ever! However, my back soon decided to say "Nah, not gonna work today", and I experienced terrible pain.
Fast forward to November last year, when one of the wheels snapped off. The welding had given way. so it was wonky, because.. Well, a wheel was missing. So what did I do? I took all of them off, as you do. I then had to drag the chair whenever I wanted to play on my Xbox, so I decided to spend some more money and buy a new chair. This month has been expensive.. Anyway!
I decided to treat myself, so I bought rubber wheels for the chair and a PVC mat for the floor. The wheels and mat came the day before yesterday, and the chair came yesterday. I bought a mesh chair, which is supposedly very good for your back. Maybe it's all in my mind, but I really can feel a difference. My old chair forced me to shimmy every 15 minutes - this new chair has not forced me to shimmy once. So in that regards - it's money well spent. I am happy with my purchase.
Speaking of things to be happy about - work.
A few blogs back I spoke about being team-lead in training. These past few days, I have felt like they are slowly ramping up my training. I could also imagine this, but it really feels like I am being slowly turned into a team leader. I am in charge of the warehouse phone from 4 to 5 pm, and most of the drivers come to me if they have any issues regarding their orders. It's quite nice, actually. I keep joking about wanting a raise, but there IS some element of truth to it. I would love a raise. I have been at the same salary since I started. I need to have a talk with my logistics manager about it. It's not important, because my salary is pretty good as it is. It's above $20 an hour. That's all I want to share about that. But with this new job load comes new challenges, that I have to figure out. Some of the challenges are easy, but some can get pretty tricky. But - there is still much to learn and obsess over.
Speaking of obsession - I have a new one, and it's food related! I am on a quest to make the perfect sandwich. I sometimes buy a chicken/bacon/chili mayonnaise sandwich from the fuel station across the road from where I work. It's good, but I know I can make it better. I tried to make one today, and while it was decent, it wasn't the perfect sandwich. I need to get the ratios correct. I will make one for lunch tomorrow, and I'm gonna tweak some things about it. Mainly less chili mayonnaise and more carrots and chicken, and possibly adding some cucumber. The level of lettuce was perfect, so I have that going for me regarding that. I will make the sandwich tomorrow morning, because overnight in the fridge will make the sandwich all soggy and ew..
Lastly - we have two new people in the house. I have met both of them, but only talked to one of them. I am sure the other person will come around, but if not - well that's okay. I heard the other person is only staying here for a few months anyway, so no point in making friends. However, I do say hello when I meet him in the kitchen or in the hallway. He seems pretty chill, so maybe one day we'll have a full on conversation
Let's answer the last bit of the question: Is universal healthcare socialism?
No. For decades, developed capitalist countries around the world, have had universal health care. These countries consider universal health care necessary for a healthy economy and population. Places like Australia, Japan, and Canada all have universal health care.
But what is it? Universal health coverage (UHC) means, that all people have access to the full range of quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship. That means it won't financially ruin you if you have to go to the hospital to get surgery or if you decide to add another human to the population. It basically means that everyone is entitled to health care. From the homeless on the street to the CEO in the biggest company.
How is it funded? Via taxes. Financing comes predominantly from state-level general tax revenues and, to a lesser extent, a municipal income tax. That means that if I pay my taxes, I can get all the coverage I need, without having to pay for my visit.
I saw this bill here for the birth of a child
$30K for a child birth. Because Denmark has universal healthcare, we pay absolutely nothing for the birth of a child.
Now, you might be asking "How much are you paying in taxes?"
I will tell you how much: 39%. I pay the bottom-bracket tax. The top-bracket tax is for people who are high-earners. The limit is 568.900 kroner per year, or $82.299. Anything above that is taxed an additional 15%.
Yes, we do have a high taxes, but they aren't too high. Most people can make ends meet without having to work two or more jobs. Our salaries are also pretty high, so that is also a contributing factor to making ends meet with just one job.
Some people are pushing for health insurance, but it's been shelved because our current system is working well
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