I got my gallbladder removed yesterday and being surrounded by people from all social classes, genders and races reminded how much of a monster you’d have to be to think universal healthcare only benefits “leaches” or whatever.

I was put through a bunch of tests for months to find out what was causing my pain and nausea, I got cheap medicine to manage my symptoms while I waited for my operation date (I could have waited under a month if I had taken the offer of getting operated in a different city but decided to wait instead) I got a bunch of free pills and injections in preparation for the operation, I got operated, I was sent to recovery where they helped manage my pain with morphine followed by anti-nausea, they gave me food for my blood sugar, information and phone numbers to call if I got nervous and finally sent me home with more morphine pills.

I’m far from a “leach” yet there’s no way I would have been able to pay for all that here and now. That’s why it’s good actually to pay taxes for this sort of thing because not only is it cheaper than a private insurance but it’s incredibly heartwarming to be surrounded by people you know you also helped get the help they needed.

The whole thing from the first day I called my doctor about pain and nausea to me sitting here with no gallbladder took less than a year and the only thing I had to pay for out of pocket was some cheap medicine and I’m currently on sick leave which I’m also getting paid for.

I promise you, a bit of socialism isn’t so scary.

Last time I wondered if Danish vagabonds, also known as Landevejsriddere (country road knights), live by some sort of code because even though they’re usually drunk they’re always very pleasant and friendly and as it turns out, yes they do. LINK

You can’t just put on a festive hat and push a pram with your earthly belongings and call yourself a vagabond in this country. You have to be mentored by an older vagabond and travel along the vagabond routes for two summers and one winter before you get your vagabond name at an annual ceremony at Hjallerup Marked where all new vagabonds are ”baptized”.

They also have an annual ceremony at Egeskov Marked where they vote on who should be their king for a year and help settle conflicts in vagabond society. They give the title to the vagabond who has been the kindest and best behaved all year.

The vagabonds have rules they live by: no lying, no stealing, no fighting and always be polite. If they catch any of their members breaking the rules they beat them up because it’s important to their survival that outsiders can trust them. They make their living by sharpening knives and scissors or doing manual labor like helping you chop wood, clean up your garden or the like.

That’s why if you see a vagabond you know you’re in safe company no matter how drunk they are. Should you come across one support an old tradition full of rituals and kindness by giving them some coins or a sandwich.

Am I alone in thinking this looks like a demented turkey?

When you not-Scandinavians are afraid to leave your baby outside in a pram is it mostly because you’re afraid a person is going to snatch them or mostly because a wild animal is going to take them?

(Because we do that here and I just had a discussion where people couldn’t agree on why people are afraid to do it in other countries though I’m sure it depends on the country)

Edit: weather didn’t even occur to us because people will let their baby sleep outside in minus degrees, rain, hot sun and storm. It’s all about placing the pram in the right spot and using covers and mosquito nets and whatnot.

Listening to podcasts like Scared All The Time and Behind The Bastards made me forget how desensitized I am to the horrors of the world compared to my colleagues and that they definitely don’t appreciate being told how chimpanzees actually kill children after they joked about children being abducted by chimpanzees and turning into Tarzan despite them talking very seriously about dingos killing children two seconds earlier…

“When people say they want a wolf as a pet remind them we already made that. It’s called a dog”

My favorite quote about keeping wolves as pets and the breeding of wolfdogs.

Uh oh someone didn’t heed the warning about the Pet Cemetery.

This has got to be one of the funniest things LEGO has done.

They took all those jokes about the pain of stepping on a Lego block and turned it into this!

A lava pit made of orange and red Lego blocks!

I heard the kid walking around it say “Should I take my shoes off before I go in?” and the mom responding “…no”

You’d be forgiven for thinking Ladiva doesn’t have a boyfriend if you only looked at fanart and I can sorta understand why. Hazen doesn’t appear in the most popular game, he’s not as interesting as her and their relationship isn’t super obvious if you’re not familiar with Japanese romance tropes. But guys, they have an umbrella scene LINK

But yeah, they’re both mature adults so they don’t blush or giggle or have misunderstandings like in highschool romances. They have experience and both know what they’re doing so its mostly focused on them having shared ideals and complimentary interests (she likes to cook, he likes to garden and grows herbs, vegetables and fruits for her) and Hazen proving himself worthy of Ladiva by giving her the comfort and protection she gives everyone else. When she hurts her arm he’s the only one who notice but he also respect her wish to keep it a secret and heals her in private in an emotionally intimate scene. Together they happily take on the roles of mom and dad for the “young ones” as Hazen calls the child and teen crew mates.

I’ve never had a comfort character but I think Ladiva might come close. She’s an older trans woman who knows how cruel the world can be so she has something of a motherly aura and seeks to comfort everyone who feels unloved. She loves her strong body because she sees it as a gift from her parents that helps her defend and protect those who need it.

I could go on and on about how realistically feminine her movements are (mature and not overdone to the point of parody) and the way the camera frames her in traditionally feminine ways that really helps convey her gender despite her preferring to keep her body as is but I’ll stop myself.

Every time I explain religion in Denmark I try to make it clear that the majority of Danes are culturally Christians meaning we baptize our children and celebrate Christian holidays like Easter and Christmas because they are fun traditions but few have any strong religious beliefs.

Yesterday I was reminded of the clearest symbol of this; the Dagmar cross.

I noticed my mom wearing a Dagmar cross and asked if it was the one my grandmother always wore. Turned out it was my sister’s because my sister doesn’t like wearing jewelry and then she asked if I wanted mine. I forgot all about it but was happy to get it back and I’m wearing it today.

It’s considered a national symbol in Denmark and is given to children either at their baptism or confirmation and many people wear it for that reason even if they don’t consider themselves religious. The original was found near the grave of a beloved medieval queen, Queen Dagmar, and has been mass produced by jewelers ever since. It’s on par with the little mermaid as a national symbol.

So if you see someone wearing this very chubby looking rounded cross with eight small dots they’re most likely Danish and you shouldn’t assume they want to go to church with you or even pray. But also, you are totally allowed to wear one if you’re not Danish and it’s a more meaningful souvenir with deeper lore than a Little Mermaid fridge magnet.

Wow I knew a lot of people in Denmark want to boycott America but I had no idea it was widespread enough for our main grocery store chains to do this. People are ANGRY at Trump like I’ve never seen before.

In The Hall of The Mountain King is one of my favorite classic pieces and this rap version from a modern skrako play might be my favorite reinterpretation. Skrako is a type of Danish play that puts equal importance on acting, comedy and rap, meaning all the actors are either stand-up comedians or rappers.

Looking at photos of early skinheads is fascinating.

It started out as a culture of working class solidarity. Crazy how it got hijacked by neo nazis.

New chapter of Kentauer is up LINK

As always, trigger warnings apply.

Ellie being my “savior”.

One of Percy’s favorite games is when I try to grab his nose with hooked fingers (so as not to accidentally poke him with my nails) and he loves when I pretend to be scared or hurt when he gently bites me.

It was apparently too realistic for Ellie who decided to get between us. You can even see the moment she decided he’s being too rough with me when he lazily “lunges” at me and she fixes her eyes on him from then on.

She’s a massive hypocrite though because she play-bites me too.