Samson

I believe that today's university student must skip at least 10% of their classes to maintain the motivation to go to the rest. So that's what I'm doing now - piking on Introduction to Scandinavian Culture and Society so I can instead sit in my room. And honestly I'm quite looking forward to the next 2 hours of not doing much except playing guitar, mulling over the headfuck night that was last night, and keeping all you attentive readers up to date with my sitch.

Slowly but surely, I feel like I'm settling into normal life in Sweden. I've even got a bit of a pattern happening. I try to wake up at 9 every morning, have my classes, go to lunch with some friends, hit up the Systembolaget if there's stuff happening in the evening, drink absurd amounts of cheap coffee. Gym three times a week. Tuesday is environmental film and pub night. Thursday is Sydskanska nation night, because we've got someone in the know who'll give us the free tickets. That man is Tyko, a completely crazy party-guardian Swede, who, in his spare time, indulges in such drinking games as "Staple Poker" (where you staple gun your arm if you lose a round) and the family classic "Give Your Friend A Black Eye" (which is pretty self explanatory).

On Tuesday I got told by a Swede that he didn't think I was an international student, because I dressed very well. OMG. Probably the first time I have received such a complement, given that in second year my favourite jumper had a permanent paint stain and I believe "grooming" is something you only do when you're trying to get a job. I think his exact word was "indie". He told me about Blekinsga nation, apparently very good for people like me. I'll take a complement where I can get it, thanks.

So by now you may know that Sweden had its election on the weekend. I had to interview some Swedes to find out whether they were content with the results, and it seems that most people hold the same opinion: although they may be left leaning or socialists, they really want to see change in Sweden. The Social Democrats have been in control for about 6 of the 7 last decades, and people believe they've come too comfortable in the position of power, that they're taking it for granted and they're becoming the new elites. Most of this can be exemplified by the old Prime Minister, Göran Persson, who just bought himself a luxury mansion and had appointed his wife as the head of the Systembolaget. Although it's sad that Sweden is following the trend of heading Right like the rest of the world, the new PM Fredrik Reinfeldt is a FOX and I am looking forward to seeing his beautiful eyes gazing out at me from many a newspaper in the months to come.

I had a haircut a few days ago at Hairlight Express. Yes, Hairlight Express, as in Starlight Express, for all us closet Andrew Lloyd Weber fans(i hear ya). There's nothing that will bring a grin to my face like a daggy hair-related pun and although it may not live up to some of the clangers from North East Victoria, kudos none the less. The hairdresser was a lovely lady with marginally more English than I have Swedish, so we complemented each other well. I forgot about trying to find the right words for "a short, choppy, layered bob with a side part" and put my trust in her hands. Now I'm trying to decide whether I like it or not. Sometimes I think it's hot, in a kind of annie lennox cross early natalie imbruglia cross winona rider, other times I think my head looks like a half-plucked chicken carcass or a baby bird. If you know what I mean.

For the last month Dougal has been conducting a kind of psychological experiment where he doesn't look at his reflection. His dedication is impressive - he stoicly avoids looking at reflective surfaces and he's covered up his bathroom mirror with cardboard (leaving a little area for him to shave). The result of this? He wants to chop off his dreadlocks. All of them, every last dirty clump! Two and a half years of hard work is coming off tonight at a ceremonial beheading. I will take heaps of pics, don't worry. It's sort of another experiment: to see how much of Dougal's identity is tied up with the 'locks. He's a brave boy.

Lauren Ware is coming to Lund on Sunday. I'm meeting her in Copenhagen tomorrow for a night of debauchery and cultural misunderstandings. She says she's tired of making new friends every day, which I can completely understand. I'm already planning to make her hot chocolate and feed her cookies and look after her.