Hudfärgs betydelse

Har precis lyssnat till en intressant diskussion om hudfärg. Kort men väldigt bra. Jag håller med alla och hoppas att den här diskussionen kan fortsätter i Sverige.

http://svt.se/svt/play/video.jsp?a=1274788

Amsterdam, here I come!

I am going to Ansterdam today! Yipeee! My first holiday in more than a year. Granted it is a short ine and the weather prognosis is wet and chilly but I am determined to enjoy it. 

I have been to Ansterdam countless times. But have never seen the city. Well, you see I have always restricted my movements to the corridors and shopping of Schipol, the international airport. Now I get to see the city. 

I can't wait to get on to the canal bus, wander through the streets. Sit at the cozy cafés, find great bookshops and spend hours there, see the museums, the old church. The list is endless and I hope the weather allows. Of course there will be no stopping my excursions, come rain or high water. Though I should not really mention the latter as it may happen and given that I will be below sea level for a week, it is not a comforting thought.

Books I want to read

Thought I would write these down before I forget. You know how it is; you see a wonderful book and say to yourself that you would definitely like to read that. Before you know it you do not recall what the title was, let alone th author. All that remains is a lingering memory of having despeately wanted to read some exciting book. Now, I should stop with the rambling before I actually forget what I REALLY want to write:

Satanic Verses

Kalla det vad fan du vill

Gomorrah

Snabba cash

 This list will grow as I recall (hopefully!) the others and as I find new ones.

Have realised what a blessing, or whatever one would call it, it is to be able to read in three languages. Unfortunately there are not so many books of genre that I like written in Luganda. But that's okay. 

Enjoying bed solitude...

Well, I should be sleeping but the wonderful sleep is being elusive.  Since I had not written yesterday, tough this would be an opportune time. My significant other is at the moment sleeping in the couch while I work from the cosy warmth of our bed. No, it is not I who banish him to the sofa- Though I do not mind hogging up the whole bed. :-D. It is infact his favourite place to sleep- Though he would vehemently deny this. But only because I think he feels it would not be right to admit that he enjoys the discomfort of cramping his 6ft plus body in a narrow and hard 3ft sofa with his nake cranked at an impossible angle. He would think it was especially embarrassing to admit that he enjoys this more than the warm comfort of his bed with a soft body close by. Well, T,V and the couch always win. I am getting used to it and started actually enjoying it. So I do not bother to wake him up anymore. For who would not bask in the luxury of a big warm bed all to oneself? Hmmm.... :-D 

Wanted to write a little more. But I am starting to feel sleepy. So I will doze off. Or at least try to. More about the job hunt and the Tanzanian guy in med school tomorrow. Tra la!

Of hair and guilt

As most women do now and then, I had my hair done. Cannot really say what I did. For then all would know the secret of my new radiance. Suffice it t say that I now understand how Beyonce, Rihanna, Lil' Kim, Tyra Banks and all those other African American ladies manage to have gorgeus hair that is longer than anything I have seen on an African head. :-D. Now, you might be thinking, "Well, here she goes, another grandiose woman." But no worries, I do not in the least look like any of them. A little shorter and less curvaceous many would agree. Now I have a full head of beautifully soft and glorious hair and plan to enjoy it while it lasts. 

The whole hair thing got me reflecting on the topic of preoccupation with hair. Most women ( I envy the few who are not included) have a love-hate relationship with their hair. Of these women I would say that women of African descent have a more troublesome relationship with our hair. Being bombarded with beauty images, movies and all of women with long flowing hair, we incorporate this idea of beauty into our subconscious. We then strive to achieve it. And believe me, this is no mean feat. The biggest hurdle to our gorgeousness (or so we think), is this amazingly kinky hair the majority of us are born with. See there, "kinky" is the word that is often used to describe the tight curls that cover our heads... and other regions. But is that not a negative word? "Kinky"?  Well, we of course have to go from kinky to soft, flowing and beautiful. The hours and money put inot this endevour are enough to support many kids in any one village with food, shelter and school fees for several years if not a lifetime. 

Having said all that, even though I am usually a sane and reasonable person, I join the insanity of trying to change my hair into something it was not meant to be. And waste resources in the process. But oh! How beautiful the product is! (Sometimes! ;-D). Today was one of those insane behaviour days. 

I struggle with the reality of the selfishness of the hairdo, but marvel at, piroutte and run my fingers through my gloriously soft and long hair. Well, mine for now. And I blame the hairdresser who reminded me of how the money I spent on doing the hair could support several children through school for years for this bad conscience. Maybe I should put to use an equal amout of money for a worthy children's cause everytime I spend on hair? Going to seriously consider this. Maybe with this I will convince my dearly beloved that dreadlocks are a wonderful idea.

Speaking of dreadlocks, why is there still such a big negative fuss about them in Sweden? Whenever I have talked about getting short lovely ones I have been told that it would not be looked upon favourably, especially in my profession. Give that I have not yet reached the self actualization level, I am conforming.

Dental woes and dental fleecing.

After yesterdays fiasco with the extra charge I called the tandläkare mottagning. Jag pratade men en trevlig kvinna som förklarade att tandläkaren hade nog gjort någon behandling. I told her that that was definitely not the case as my treatment was scheduled for after the penicillin treatment. She said she would ask the dentist to call back. She has not yet. Well, what can I say? It seems some people take their right to set their own charges too far. I thing it is lämplig för tandläkaren att säga att jag ta 650kr i undersöknings avgifter istället för att påstå att man har gjort en behandling som patienten har ingen aning om. I guess I have to admit that I was fleeced.

My regular dentist is tjänstledig, (basically away from work) till january! Woe is me, woe is me. I have to find someone else to remove this tooth as there is no way I am going back to that other one who overcharged me. There is no more trust there and without trust, I do not have the confidence in her to fiddle around in my mouth. A friend's fiance may help with a refferal to his dentist who he swears by. 

I am wondering how it would be for me a s a psykiatrist to charge oturageous amounts for someone who comes in for 15 minutes, I take a brief history, decide they have a borderline personality disorder, say that they should come back for treatment next week and then charge for consulatation and for treatment. 3000kr tack!

Simply unfair: Of teeth and dental charges

Was at the dentist's this afternoon, or rather evening. Had not drained my abcess today so it looked pretty impressive. Having examined me she decided that I needed antibiotics and that the tooth needed to be extracted. 

Extraction! ! ! That means I will have two whole teeth gone from my lower jaw! And they are both molars, one from each side. How is one supposed to chew and enjoy food!? Well, she did not even poke the yellow mess to let it drain a little. So, with a date booked I went to the recetion, paid my bill and left.

First, I was shocked at the price. 670kr for this brief visit. A similar visit to my regular dentist with exactly the same examination, x-rays and even a littl more done I had paid 350kr from which had been deducted försäkringkassas very generous contribution of 150kr. Now here I was paying so much more. On checking the receipt again, I found that they had billed, apart from the examination and x-ray, 340kr for treatment and simple procedures towards treatment of the problem. BUT WHICH TREATMENT! ! ? I only got a prescription. (I had also got one from my old dentist who charged me only 350kr). In my opinion, this is daylight robbery. But I will give the office the benefit of doubt and assume that being the last patent of the day, they were tired and confused and billed for something they did not do. I will call them tomorrow to ask about this. And in the future, I will stick to my old faithful and fun dentist! Serves me right for dentist shopping.