Welcome to Chaos !!

Another day another latte, I tried Stumptown Coffee Roasters on 3rd Ave in Portland today. My latte was very good, so I would definitely go back but I do not like that you have to pay to park downtown Portland. So I have to feed the parking meter before I feed my latte addiction or spend money at local businesses? That's lame. The parking downtown Portland is FREE on Sundays BEFORE 1 PM, so if/when I go back to Stumptown I will be there by noon. On a Sunday. I don't mind spending money but paying for parking to shop or eat doesn't feel right.





An underground tunnel leading down to the underbelly of Portland. Kind of creepy. I think these tunnels are called the Shanghai Tunnels. You can take a tour of them, I might have to do that.



Also there was a super blood wolf moon tonight with a lunar eclipse. I was hoping to see it, I saw the eclipse but no red moon. I took pics but nothing came out good. Of course.

I went to a place called Broder Söder in Portland located inside Nordia House which is a place for Scandinavian things. ("Nordic Northwest is a nonprofit organization focused on the five Nordic nations: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The mission of Nordic Northwest is to preserve, communicate and celebrate Nordic culture, heritage and innovation" from nordicnorthwest.org.) At Broder Söder I had the Danish pancakes....reminded me of beignets. I don't know why the pancakes come with lingonberries....I never had pancakes served with lingonberries in Sweden. We (at least I) prefer to have my pancakes with a sweet jam like strawberry jam or mixed berries jam. Me opening up the door to enter Nordia House - I really like these beautiful doors. One of the best discoveries I have made in a long time, I found a place that could make me Prinsesstårta. !!!!! That is like my FAVE dessert ever, I grew up eating it and one of the first things I eat when I arrive in Sweden, if not the first thing I eat, is Princesstårta. It is SO good. Baker & Spice made it for me and they did a good job but they could improve, I will give them some specific instructions, of the constructive kind, next time I order it. Pretty yumminess! I am not the only one loving this dessert. Check this out..... And today I went to Papa Haydn and had Boccone Dolce. They have so many good desserts at Papa Haydn, this one is DELICIOUS!

It's getting late.....I just ate a bowl of ice cream, whipped cream and a sliced banana. Had a late night craving for it.
I have spent the last few days studying. I recently started pursuing something new and it involves quite a bit of studying but that is all I have to say about that for now.
So.....about a month ago I went to the dentist. I have not been to the dentist in probably over a decade, yep over ten years for sure. So I had a check up and cleaning. No cavities and the cleaning was not bad, it was actually kind of fun. So when the actual dentist came into the room the dental assistant had already taken several X rays of my teeth and poked around in my mouth with dental instruments for a while. He sits down and asks if my wisdom teeth are giving me problems. I was like, no not at all.....why? So I guess the dental assistant had told him they probably should be pulled. He looked in my mouth and told her there is nothing wrong with my wisdom teeth and I would had definitely went for a second opinion had he agreed with her. Or just not done anything at all since my wisdom teeth don't bother me at all.
Here is what I think.....this is what some dental clinics do to generate more money. Tell people they need procedures that they really don't. This is, as most know not uncommon and there are cases of physicians that have order cancer treatments on healthy people. Like chemotherapy. Insurance fraud. Lots of income for the doctors.
A few years ago I took a friend to the dentist. She had Medicaid. The dentist pulled five teeth on her in ONE sitting. The four wisdom teeth and one more tooth. She was in and out of that place in 15 minutes. I was kind of shocked and very concerned when they rolled her out to me so I could take her home. I was like, "you pulled out all five teeth that fast?" He must have yanked those teeth out of her mouth. And later on that evening her mouth was bleeding so much that she had to go to the emergency room because she was in pain, her mouth was infected. That dentist office was basically a conveyer belt for dental procedures for low income patients. So wrong. Is it even safe to pull out that many teeth in one session? And that fast? It was a disturbing experience, I felt bad for my friend.
And now I am reading about a two year old that died a few days ago because some dentist had recommended a procedure that the child most likely did not need in the first place (the child needed crowns and root canals - for a toddler???) and that involved anesthesia and the boy never woke up. Unreal.
The complicated medical industry definitely needs a major overhaul. You want to trust the people that give you medical advise and care, you should not have to be worried about getting mislead due to some unethical greedy person wanting to cash in.

I got this tea today at The Spice & Tea Exchange. I feel grateful for the tea.
Before I forget (again) I have been wanting to write about Nobel Peace Price winner (2018) Denis Mukwege. He shares the 2018 Nobel Peace Price with Nadia Murad. So Denis is that kind of a human being that makes you think, well it makes me think at least about my shortcomings as a human. He is amazing, he does so much good, he is brave, intelligent, educated, he helps others and makes an enormous difference. If you want to learn more about him you can do so easily online.
I have read his Nobel Lecture and if you want you can as well. I recommend reading it.
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2018/mukwege/55721-denis-mukwege-nobel-lecture-2/
Here is just a part of it,

"My name is Denis Mukwege. I come from one of the richest countries on the planet. Yet the people of my country are among the poorest of the world.

The troubling reality is that the abundance of our natural resources – gold, coltan, cobalt and other strategic minerals – is the root cause of war, extreme violence and abject poverty.

We love nice cars, jewellery and gadgets. I have a smartphone myself. These items contain minerals found in our country. Often mined in inhuman conditions by young children, victims of intimidation and sexual violence.

When you drive your electric car; when you use your smart phone or admire your jewellery, take a minute to reflect on the human cost of manufacturing these objects.

As consumers, let us at least insist that these products are manufactured with respect for human dignity.

Turning a blind eye to this tragedy is being complicit.

It’s not just perpetrators of violence who are responsible for their crimes, it is also those who choose to look the other way.

My country is being systematically looted with the complicity of people claiming to be our leaders. Looted for their power, their wealth and their glory. Looted at the expense of millions of innocent men, women and children abandoned in extreme poverty. While the profits from our minerals end up in the pockets of a predatory oligarchy.

For twenty years now, day after day, at Panzi hospital, I have seen the harrowing consequences of the country’s gross mismanagement.

Babies, girls, young women, mothers, grandmothers, and also men and boys, cruelly raped, often publicly and collectively, by inserting burning plastic or sharp objects in their genitals.

I’ll spare you the details.

The Congolese people have been humiliated, abused and massacred for more than two decades in plain sight of the international community.

Today, with access to the most powerful communication technology ever, no one can say: “I didn’t know”."

It makes me think about my own role on this planet and what I do or don't do to make things better or worse. I have more means to contribute and make better choices than the people who live in difficult conditions. I understand that their main focus is survival. But I am safe, I sleep in a warm bed and I eat every day. I can go and buy myself tea to enjoy later while laying on my couch. I can do more for others and for the world. Can you?
I know that Denis Mukwege won't read this but I am deeply grateful that people like him exist. Thank You for all that you do. You deserve every price and recognition there is.

Well.....Happy New Year everybody - 2019 is here. I started the morning of New Year's Eve with a vanilla latte, the last latte of 2018.



New Year's Eve was celebrated inside with food and friends, furry and human. It was fun and nice, I stayed up until 2 am and the first thing I ate after midnight was peppermint candy ice cream.
I got served breakfast in bed when I finally woke up because I am a real pillow princess, a cup of coffee and a bowl of blueberries and strawberries.



After lounging around the house and reading a bit....I am currently enjoying these three books by Jacqueline Frances, it was time for a walk on the beach. Hello 2019!



First sunset of the year.



Three pics of me from last year. Didn't the year go by fast, like always?







What can be said about 2018? I feel that it is becoming increasingly dangerous for women out there, where can one be safe? So many cases of absolutely senseless violence against women....all over the world. I used to want to explore the world and thought nothing of doing everything by myself. I don't know about that anymore. I rather be safe than sorry I guess.
As far as politics go....I agree with Noam Chomsky (what an interesting human he is!), "he characterizes the U.S. as a de facto one-party state, viewing both the Republican Party and Democratic Party as manifestations of a single "Business Party" controlled by corporate and financial interests." I think many feel the same way.
The last thing I ate today by the way was peppermint candy ice cream - ice cream what a yummy way to start and end the year.....



Here are a few more pics before the first day of the year is over.





I am hoping for a good year with positive personal growth and doing small things of niceness for others - animals, nature and humans. You know, in between just doing the regular everyday mostly mundane things that most of us have to do.