Money, it's a hit

Why does it exist? It is - perhaps a cliché - the bane of my existence. Surely there must be other ways to give compensation for goods and food?! It never seems to last, because as soon as it lands in my bank account it miraculously disappears. How come? Where does it go? Toward food and clothing and other trivial things. How to make it last? Perhaps put it in a fund. Or invest in stock. Maybe buy a lottery ticket and hope for the best. Or maybe, just maybe, leave it alone. But where's the fun in that?

Cheaper food?

I think not.
I rode my bike to Prisxtra today to take part in its glorious supply of food. I went there thinking that they had the lowest prices in town. Imagine my suprise when almost nothing was cheaper than what I get at the local ICA. How on earth can they claim that they are one of the more affordable shops in Sweden when I couldn't even get Proviva for under 20 kronor? What a joke. I'm not going back there unless they have an offer I absolutely, positively cannot refuse.

Dog poo - how nice

As a dog owner (at least part-owner) I always make sure to pick up my canine's excrement. All though not all dog owners think alike I have never come across a blatant poo-and-run. But today I did. A small dog about the size of a large rat squated to deliver a few packages and I thought that the owner would pull out one of her black bags and pick them up. But no such luck. She didn't even seem bothered about the fact that she hadn't picked them up. No reaching into her bag to even pretend to want to pick up the poo. No, she simply left. Being the Swede that I am I didn't say anything and proceeded to mumble a few complaints to myself. "How could she just leave without doing something about the crap? Perhaps she doesn't even bother to wipe her own arse after a visit to the loo?!" And so on and so forth. Perhaps I'll utter a few choice words if it happens again.

TV repair man

What I could have done without today was a car trip in the wrong direction. I had been mislead by Siba's customer relations and ended up somewhere totally off course. Let's start from the beginning. Yesterday I contacted Siba about a faulty television. I told them the make of the tv and also made sure that they knew that the warranty was still valid. The person on the other end referred me to their repair company and this morning I drove the 10.3 km to get there. On arriving I found out that they do not repair the make of the television that I had, and in turn referred me to another repair company. I proceeded to call Siba to ask them why on earth they had told me to contact the wrong people. A perplexed person asked me who had given me such faulty information and then told me that whenever a product is faulty or broken the customer should return it to the shop where it was purchased. Damn it! So, I had to drive another 10 km to get to the right place, where I was given the information that it will take at least three weeks until the television is repaired. What the ****!

When things could be better

Today is just one of those days. One of those days when you wish you'd just let someone else live your life for you. I woke up late, didn't eat a lot for breakfast, got soaking wet in the downpour that wasn't supposed to come according to the national weather service, the flat I'm staying in had a black-out and on top of all that the flat's owner's TV is slightly broke. All in all I'm having an okay day. We'll see how tomorrow fares - hopefully a lot better.

What is in a name?

Juliet:
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

Yes, what is in a name? My name is often up for questioning. "Are you related to what's-her-face... ummm... Ally McBeal"? My answer at first was "No, I am not", but as of lately I have taken to giving varying answers, such as: "I could be", or "Yes, we are cousins" and I am seriously thinking of saying "I'm sorry, but I cannot answer that question for security reasons". Wouldn't that be a laugh?
I have found that a name is really only interesting if it is exotic or if it is linked to a celebrity. Mine is linked to a celebrity, but I can assure you that I had it before her claim to fame. Nowadays people use my name as a sort of ice-breaker, even in shops. A shopkeeper will see my ID card and ask me the same question as above: "Any relation to Ally McBeal"? And I will of course give my usual response: "No". One or two times is hilarious, three to ten times is fun, but the times after that are just boring, outrageous, lacking in imagination and outright intrusive. Nevertheless, I tend to play along and try to answer as cordially as possible. The incessant interrogation will not end until she-who-is-famous is no longer famous, and I'm not sure if that will ever happen. Or else people will grow tired of her and no longer feel the need to ask me the same question as everyone else. I'm not saying that everyone is interested in me, because they of course know that I'm not related to this Hollywood being. But there is always a desire to be witty, and therefor a need to ask.
So, what is in a name, except that it makes it easier for other people to contact someone? I could have a competely different name and still be the same person as I am now. But then strangers would not ask me if I am related to a certain personage. Would that be better? I have complained about people asking me about it. Though, I do enjoy the attention somewhat, because it gives me cause to smile when I wouldn't normally. What's in my name? A bit of fun.