"Brain Dump" by Annalogue75 © Original 2023 via Creative Fabrica Spark™
Before the restart or rejuvenation of this Blogger blog I read through the posts I made in the past - I don't know what or IF I was thinking... 😂
I really have no defense. But I do have a good sense of humor and the ability to laugh at my own silliness. That's too uncommon these days, unfortunately.
Before I remove those old posts completely, they're just collecting dust as drafts anyway, I thought I could document them as a blogpost. Mostly because I'm stickly about preserving information but almost as much because I find it amusing to see how much I have changed in my writing, thoughts, and perspectives.
As there are a number of posts, though not especially lengthy, I am dividing this reposting in two blogs. This is #1, of course.
So here they are, my first blogs on Blogger. Let's start with the oldest first...
⏳
A start
May 9, 2009
"So..., this is the first post.
Nothing fancy, overwhelming or extremely interesting - just a start of this version of my blog.
Knowing that Swedish isn't the most well known language on this planet, I felt the need to do an english version of my blog.
The words may not be exactly the same, maybe not even the topics. But the author, the brain, and the heart behind them both are the same.
This will be grand!!
Awesome!!
So..., this was the first post. Ok. Good... It's done.
I think I'll have a coffee now."
☕
Old age
May 14, 2009
"I am getting old... I know this because I am deadly tired and sleepy and will go to bed in a few - and it's not even 11 pm!!
I could blame it on nursing, on The Baby and his obcenely early morning habits, or on The Other Half for something/anything/whatever... But the truth is - I am getting old...
Gaaaahhh!"
👵🏼
Friday night fun
May 15, 2009
"It's friday night, almost saturday now, and it's a long weekend. I am making a swedish dish with salmon.
I have mixed the salt, sugar, white pepper, and chopped the dill, mixed it, cut the fish, trimmed it, seasoned it, packed it in foile, and put it in the fridge... Chopping the dill was hard work - was supposed to need two packs but the one I bought was huge, and only half I used. Bored me silly to chop it, and then realizing I need more for the sauce! One of the sauces that is, what I need for the other one I don't know. My mum would know. She know about this stuff. I miss my mum, especially now... I have to call her tomorrow, and ask all about sauces to salmon.
Did I say it is friday night? I am getting old and boring - and the only cure is shoe shopping, that is something I know! Have to do that asap, before it's too late..."
🛍️
Tips from the coach 1
June 2, 2009
"As an immigrant in a country other than big brother Sweden you need to consider and fix everything yourself. And yes, it's a lot to think about, and one must keep a cool head in the meantime, otherwise one will easily become hysterical ...
Just take this with healthcare - damned good system it is in Sweden, really!
If you are moving to Canada, it is not only to become ill or so just like that, oh no! A visit to a local emergency clinic costs about 650 swedish crowns, excluding tests and follow-up visits. Dental care is a bit cheaper, I repaired a loose filling for about 800 swedish crowns including everything, and it was an emergency visit also. Specialty health care, we should not even talk about it... Extremely costly and enormously complicated!
I became pregnant almost at the same time that I landed here, so I can tell the most horrific things about how one get treated as an insurance-less immigrant here. But I'll spare you the details for the moment.
What I want to tell you right now is what to think about before a long term stay or move to this part of the world - Ontario, Canada, to be more precise.
1.Get a great long-term insurance (at least one year validity) covering everything - and I mean everything!
Make sure that this insurance covers dental care, hospital care, doctors, specialists, eyeglasses, medication, accidents, diseases of all kinds, medical testing, rehabilitation, pregnancy, disability aids, follow-up visits and everything else that has to do with health.
Forget Försäkringskassan (Swedish state insurance) - they provide no compensation for anything that happens or is going on here. There is no agreement with this part of Canada ...
2. Look up family doctors as soon as it is human possible - do not wait until it's needed. You need a family doctor for everything here, and most do not accept new patients or have year-long waiting lists for new patients. In principle, no doctor accept someone who does not have an insurance of any kind, and many do not accept patients without social security number (which takes forever to get ...).
3. Be sure to have money to pay for everything with. Usually caregivers want to get paid in advance or against an invoice!
I myself have spent around 35 000 swedish crowns for health care and other care surrounding my pregnancy, and then I had an easy pregnancy! Only now, more than a year after I immigrated, I have a family doctor - and he accepted me just because I am so healthy and most likely will not need any care for the foreseeable future ... Apparently, there are masses of paperwork for the doctors if you need care but do not have insurance, and who doesn't want to avoid that?
4. Finally, you can count on having to run around a lot if you need something special when it comes to health care. And I mean a bloody running around! Imagine this:
You should always first go to the family doctor to talk about the problems, and he wants you to take some samples of blood or so. Samples are taken in a lab, usually there is a lab in the nearest emergency care clinic. Then the doctor need to look at the results, which is a new mission there. Is it necessary to get X-rayed or so, he must refer to a place that does that, and then you take a new turn with the results to the doctor... Then he referres to a specialist, who usually want to do all that with the tests all over again, and that means a new trip to the lab. All in all, it may take weeks before you have had your care - and that is if you've fixed everything with the insurance and such things beforehand, and can pay for yourself in each place. Do you now realize what a good system Sweden has?
Now of course I still had a hell of luck here, I met so many wonderful people who helped me and guided me around in the system early. But I miss the simplicity of Sweden, the Health care clinics are fantastic creations! I will come back to my personal journey through the Canadian health care system, but for now it is enough ... Now I'll turn on some coffee!"
🧬
Carrots
June 3, 2009
[ Pic Removed ]
"This is my son, Nathan. He is four months and one week old.
He's eating carrots.
Carrots are yummy!
They are especially good on the forehead.
Mmm..., carrots!"
🥕
Rear facing or front facing car seat? Important information...
May 12, 2010
"YouTube video about the importance of the use of proper car seats.
Really good and not scary or so, I promise.
Watch it!!
—
—
My son will be rear facing for as long as possible, preferebly to age 4!!
No discussion. End of story."
*) The YouTube added to this post is NOT the video that originally was posted, that YouTube video no longer exists. The video added has the same message as the original one and is short and on point.
🚗
Number two of this little collection will follow as soon as I possibly can.
Until then... 👋
/Annalogue75
