The sum of all vices is constant

After my visit to the dermatologist which ended with me having to contact another doctor to get a referral for blood lipid testing, I have now accepted that I will most likely have to give up my last vice, white sugar. This time I have time to mentally prepare and "enjoy" my last days with sweets and soft drinks.

When I get the test results, I am convinced that I must be medicated and completely abstain from white sugar and reduce saturated fat in the future. When I had to give up Coca-Cola because of my vertigo, it was decided the second I was informed of the problem. I never got the chance to "take one last".

We haven't brought home any new candy since the dermatologist gave me the bad news, but we had a lot of candy in our pantry that I've been eating ever since. I am aware that this is not the best behavior but soon I will have no vices.

I don't smoke, barely drink and will soon have to give up sweets, soft drinks and reduce saturated fat. Since the sum of all vices is constant, I wonder which vice I will pick up...

I ❤️ Florida

I miss Florida so much it almost hurts. If we had the financial conditions, we would move there immediately. This summer it will be 5 years since we were there last. I sincerely hope that we can travel there in the summer of 2025 and stay at least 6 weeks.

Apart from the obvious, the great weather, the ocean, the beaches and the shopping, I also love the mentality there. I am socially competent and talk to everything and everyone, just like my grandmother. A quality that is not always appreciated in Sweden. If I see someone with fine shoes, a nice jacket or an flattering haircut, I say so. Most of the time, the person will be happy while looking at you with a certain skepticism.

In Florida, this is how they roll. I don't know how many times I've stood in an elevator in Florida and been complimented on a pair of shoes, a bag, etc. At the same time, I know exactly how many times it has happened in Sweden, zero times.

To be perfect and at the same time completely wrong

For full transparency, I stand politically very far from the Swedish Social Democrats and its socialism plus the Green Party and its environmental movement.

Actually, me and our little family are the most perfect poster boy for the climate movement. I dare say we live more in accordance with their demands than many of them themselves.

We have bought an electric car. Not by choice, but because the municipal politicians forced us. With a fossil car, we would never be able to drive straight home but would always have to take detours because the Social Democrats and the Green Party, which govern the city of Stockholm, will close many streets in the city to fossil-powered cars from next year. We are one of the lucky ones who can walk to work so we haven't used our car in almost 6 weeks. In addition, we live very close to the heart of Stockholm city center, which makes it easy for us to use the various municipal means of transport.

Also, due to the pandemic and the ongoing economic downturn, we have only traveled by airplane once since 2020. Even when it comes to clothes, we live according to the Green Party's latest move.

The Green Party wants to stop "fast fashion", that is, mass-produced clothes at a low price. The textile and fashion industry is responsible for a very large negative climate and environmental impact, and this type of fashion in particular puts a heavy burden on the climate, according to the Green Party. They also believe that the importation of cheap clothes, mainly from countries outside Europe, is one of the major problems.

We have always bought high-quality clothes with a classic cut that last a long time. Junior bought our first and so far only "fast fashion" t-shirt a few years ago which shrunk in the first wash. We would be their perfect voters to showcase if it weren't for our political views.

When you don't see the mote in your own eye

For full transparency, I am politically very far from the Swedish social democrats, socialism and the left-wing movement.

I have a feeling that a certain type of people within the left movement have lost their way in their ideology. They have become so obsessed with ethnicity and skin color that issues of fact are not even secondary to them. In Gaza, homosexuality is prohibited and can lead to up to 10 years in prison. In Iran, women must wear the hijab or face prosecution. There are even young women who have died after being arrested for not wearing the mandatory veil correctly in Iran.

An ethnic Swedish journalist and writer living in Sweden expressed her support for Iran on social media in connection with Iran's attack on Israel on April 13, 2024. One person posted on the woman's social media quote "You call yourself a feminist and celebrate one of the world's most oppressive regimes against women..." unquote. The woman replies quote "I would praise the devil if he attacked Israel" unquote.

In my opinion, such expressions clearly show how certain types of people in the left movement have lost their moral values ​​and only focus on ethnicity and skin color. The saddest thing is that they don't realize it themselves, but instead see themselves as "good".

He's way too smart for that

For transparency and my own agenda, I strongly dislike our previous government, the Social Democrats with the support of the Green Party and the tacit acceptance of the Left Party, who ruled Sweden for 8 years. At the last election, I voted for the current government.

As part of the work to maintain and raise pension levels, the government has set the target age for pension for 2029 at 67 years. The increase in the three pension-related age limits that the Parliament had previously decided on came into force at the turn of the year 2022/2023. The pension group that worked on the proposal consists of representatives from the Social Democrats, Centern, the Liberals, the Christian Democrats and the Moderates. Work on the adjustment of the retirement age began in 2020.

To have, as a decision-maker, participated in the work to raise the retirement age as late as the end of 2023 in order to demand a reduction in working hours 18 months later is unbelievable.

The fact that the Swedish social democrats who were part of the pension group now demand a reduction in working hours clearly shows how disconnected from reality the politicians are. I'm reminded of when Junior came home proudly telling me that he had been voted "most likely to be a politician" in class, to which I responded with the quote "You're a lot smarter than that." unquote.