The 51st State

I made it to Örebro finally, only to discover that Martin doesn't yet have broadband in his apartment. The catastrophe is a fact. What kind of half-assed industrial society is it we're living in when not even a Swedish Metropolis such as Örebro has fast internet connections everywhere. Sigh. At least I managed to find this fantastic Märtas Café where I can get unlimited amounts of coffee and internet for the humble price of 17 Kr.

It's interesting to see how Sweden has changed in these last five years, at least for me who's been abroad for most of that time I think the changes are quite apparent. Sweden is - despite its strong anti-Americanism and leftish views - becoming more and more like the U.S. At times I feel like I am back in Boston when I see the brainless youths (the Swedish elementary school system has collapsed after some idiotic reforms a few years back) who all look and sound like popstars, arrongant but with nothing to say. And as cream on the mashed potatoes, as the Swedish saying goes, the day before yesterday I got to watch, in utter frustration, how the majority of Swedes now, just like the Americans when I was in Boston, clinged to the TV screens to watch the Swedish version of American Idol, where they just like Americans enjoyed themselves immensely watching other aspiring brainless popstars make fools out of themselves, probably with a hidden dream in their minds that one day they would get to do that too. But then again, maybe I'm just envious. :-)