The weekend has begun! I’ve listened to Kent’s new album now, and I like it. The first track is not that great (in fact I will remove it from my iPod) but from track no 2 it definitely takes off. I like the disco/electronica/synth rhythms. Right now I think that Töntarna is the best track. Well done Kent!

Tomorrow afternoon me and a bunch of other colleagues are going out to the sports bar Poolhouse, just like last year. That will be fun!

Kent, pretty much the only Swedish artist I listen to, has made some really good music through the years. Their new album Röd (Red) is being released this week and the first single from that album, called Töntarna, is stuck in my head right now. Just like my other major favorites U2 and Madonna, Kent has gone from playing pop and rock to experiment with electronic and synth music. I like that! Some think that Kent’s music is too depressing with its dark lyrics about death, broken hearts and such, but reality is depressing isn’t it? *cynical* Hehe. Anyway, Töntarna is good and I look forward to listening to the rest of Röd!

It’s that time of the year again - turning the clock one hour backward means darker days. Old news, but most of us keep whining and moaning about it. Especially when it’s raining, like earlier today. Bleh. Then it’s easy to daydream and get tempted to get on the phone/internet and set a course for warmer latitudes… Like I used to a few years back. Oh, I want to travel again someday. Around the world! That would be so totally cool. One only lives once. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate my driving license.

Speaking of which, I drove about 300 km this weekend. I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again: driving a manual transmission car is NOT easy. I drove automatics too much in the US to get used to not using the left foot, which is causing me to “forget” about the clutch sometimes when I need to stop. Totally wrong, I know, something so fundamental… And it’s been a while since I last drove an automatic, too! Sweden has one of the toughest, most demanding and expensive driving educations in the world, which is only positive in the long run. Frustrating and difficult, yes. Getting the pink card is a milestone and I’m glad to be on my way there.

I’m home, it’s already Thursday, and I have just uploaded a bunch of pictures from work on Facebook. Take a look and comment if you want. I even added captions in which I try to explain parts of the printing process and how it takes place in each department. Yes, I am a complete BTT nerd! Haha On Saturday it’s All Saint’s Day here in Sweden (Halloween in the US), so tomorrow everyone gets off work two hours earlier than usual. The weekend starts a little earlier. Which is nice, because I’m going out driving!

It’s Saturday, I got up at 10:20 and I’m feeling very good! Because today is my birthday and I’m here with R. I feel so good in his company. He makes me happy. We’re drinking beer and talking about anything and everything. So now I’m 24, on the 24th. Hehe. Man, where did time go?! I remember that just one year ago, I was working and that was my most productive birthday ever. This week has consisted of lots of bike riding and printing newsposters. I miss the paper rolls, hehe. I love my job… it’s one of the best things that ever happened to me. Really.

The handling of the paper rolls (trade term: reel handling) is what I’ve mainly been working with this week. Before that, I’ve been working either in the packaging or prepress departments. I think it’s good to rotate around the plant, not only for the variety but also to improve one’s competence. It’s good to be flexible because we are a team. The more one knows, the better. Reel handling is actually rather simple when it comes down to it, it’s just a matter of routine. Practice makes perfect. Kinda like driving. Working with the paper rolls is rather fun! It’s physical work (those buggers weigh like a ton each) which I like. Printing newspapers is mostly about process supervision because of it being automated and computerized. Of course, as with everything else in our modern society today, the machines do most of the work. I don’t mind a little bit of physical labor, though. It’s good exercise and time goes fast. I get restless if I sit still on a chair and supervise bundles on a conveyor belt. So I will definitely return to the paper rolls.

The six day workweek is over. I don’t have to get up at 5:40 AM until Monday October 26th, woohoo! Yes, I’ve been working today as well, 6:15 AM - 1 PM and it was quite hectic. I’ve been preparing and replacing a whole bunch of paper rolls today so I’m kinda tired. It’s very nice to sit here now and relax with some good music and candles. Now I’m going to watch District 9. It seems to be an interesting and exciting movie.

This list is a must see for anyone working in the printing industry: http://www.geekabout.com/2009-01-14-511/10-of-the-worlds-coolest-printing-plants.html. It would be really cool to visit the New York Times plant. Our little (in comparison) printing plant in Borås should be on the list too!

This weekend was also spent more or less behind the wheel. It feels great to have a life outside the internet, hehe. I took a trip to one of the two IKEA stores in Gothenburg and bought some neat stuff such as a new ceiling lamp for the kitchen, fabric and an area rug. IKEA is great. Anyway, I actually made it onto the interstate! Even if I still mess up sometimes with certain obvious maneuvers that I *should* master by now  - yes, I know I’ve only been driving a couple months and that Rome wasn’t built overnight - I feel that I’ve come a long way already. A whole new world has opened up to me, that’s for sure. Whoa.

A new fun work week has begun. I’m going to sleep as I have to be up at 5:40 AM.

I’ve driven many kilometers on the road by now. This past weekend I took a big step further toward the pink card as I went driving in city traffic with traffic lights and roundabouts (there are lots of them here in Sweden), darkness, rain, high speed country roads (not the 110 kph freeway though, not yet)… Shifting up and down, when to do it and why, making a proper turn without stalling the engine which is particularly irritating when I have a vehicle behind me, starting the car uphill, and so on… Learning how to drive is complex but I really want the pink card! I’d like to get it sometime next year. My instructor, who has several years of driving experience, says that it gets better every time I get behind the wheel. Wow, yes, I am proud and I think it’s going quite well! Hehe, did I really drive on the interstate that one time in Tampa, with the manual transmission Dodge pickup truck after only driving like four times with it prior…?! Can’t help but remember those times. Oh well, this time I’m going all the way!

I just read that a new law regarding the so called TV license fee is coming up soon. Everyone that has a device capable of receiving TV signals, such as a TV, video, digital TV transmitter etc, is required by law to pay 2076 SEK a year. The authority administering the whole thing is named Radiotjänst and they have TV inspectors employed to travel all over the country and harass visit people, just to check whether one has a TV or not. Yes, it’s true. Read more about Radiotjänst and Swedish TV here. The top banner just pisses me off… Wouldn’t there be more important things to devote society’s resources to, than to waste time and money on documenting a whole population’s TV possession?! It’s ridiculous! Geez. I feel sorry for dad who has paid the fee all his life…

The new law that takes effect on January 1, 2010, will extend the definition of a TV receiver to also include computers with an internet connection because SVT, the Swedish public television company, is using the wonderful Internet as a way to broadcast its programs. That means, people who have chosen to just own a computer and not a TV, obviously will be forced to pay the fee just because a computer with internet has the OPTION to access SVT programs! For crying out loud! What about watching TV on a cellphone, will that be subject to the fee as well? I’m glad I’ll still be living in this household when the law takes effect, as dad is already paying the TV license fee. The internet connection is in his name, too (but I’m paying for it, of course). The whole idea of the TV license fee is obsolete and I’m against it because I don’t want to be forced to pay for something I don’t consume. I hardly watch TV anymore. I want to consume media as I want, when I want, not according to SVT’s program schedule. If I were interested, I would sign up for cable TV. That is the way to go if you want to watch TV. If you want it, you pay for it. There’s no law forcing you to sign up for cable channels. Simple and logical.

Abolish the TV license fee once and for all and let the people have freedom to consume media as they want! Use the full potential of the Internet and make way for legal services such as Spotify and Voddler so that we can end the discussion of illegal filesharing once and for all. Something that’s fast and simple to use. All kinds of music, movies and TV shows etc available for a reasonable monthly fee.

How hard can it be?