It is soon the end of December and darkness is turning to more brighter days. At least, the calendar tells me that. The 21th of December. I have made a big change in my life. I have started to have tea instead of coffee. I like coffee a lot, but for me, tea is a little bit healthier.

“Tea began as a medicine and grew into a beverage”

I have traveled some in my life, and one of the best memories are tea plantations in Malaysia. They are so beautiful. And it is amazing that a country can have such climate zones very close. Very warm and humid climate, and then, up in the mountains, much cooler temperature where the tea grows.

Tea is a little like wine. The quality of the leaves depends on e.g. the earth and how high up in the mountains they grow. What kind of leaves are harvested. How the leaves are dried et cetera. Black or green tea. Tea has been a beverage during many centuries, and even more; in China 5000 years ago, used as medicine and also in business. If you had problems with your stomach you had one kind of tea. Headache, another type of tea.

After starting to have tea instead of coffee, my blood pressure has lowered. In the beginning I had huge abstinens accompanied with headache. However, I miss coffee. Soon I will see tea plantations again. And I will also learn something new. How rice is grown in Sapa, in northern Vietnam.

I really like to make my own bread, cinnamon rolls, cakes, cookies etc. It is a hobby. I know the ingredients, I do not follow the recipes to 100% since it is a way to allow creativity to inspire. Good for your health. That is for sure.

I have had a lazy day today. Walk with my sweetie. We passed by the church to lit a candle. I was going to have mother to church tomorrow since it is advent, but there is no church service. I like the December songs a lot. Listened to beautiful “Douce nuit” today.

These days I read about confucianism, hinduism and buddhism. Just to broaden my views.  To have knowledge about various religions is a way of showing respect, I think. I have become very interested in something called “Puja”. I don´t know why, but it is a beautiful religious ritual. So, I just had a calm day today.

I am rather excited after yesterday. So much snow! I went to the countryside because I help my parents with various things and I also like to be outdoors with my sweeties. There is no longer any buses to where they live. I don´t know what kind of messages local politicians give because this is clear: you should not live in the countryside but move to cities.

There was so much snow. However, no skiing this weekend, probably next weekend if it is a little colder. I don´t like to go skiing if the snow gets stuck under your skis. But, I got very good exercise. Running in snow! I actually learnt that once at “Gärdet” in Stockholm several years ago. I would never have though of doing that, but it is possible and gives a lot of exercise. It is also good for training balance. In addition, I did some walking with sweetie. She just loves being outdoors. This time she hunted some deers, barking.

December has arrived. A month full with obligations, but also with a lot of fun. There is so much to prepare. Decorate, preparation of “lutfisk” (it is a kind of dry fish that you put in slightly salty water on the 9th of December), saffrans bullar, ginger cookies, Lucia etc.

This weekend has been rather busy. Lots of running since I need exercise. Walking with sweeties. Lady has a little something in her paw. Maybe a thorn from one of the bushes in the garden when she is chasing the squirrel.

Last Thursday I went to a meeting in Stockholm, an alcohol dependence group for alcohol research. My previous mentor Professor Jörgen Engel is a member of the board, and it was a long time ago since I saw him. Since I have dedicated many years of my life to alcohol research I remember a lot. Brain reward systems are very interesting. Why do people consume alcohol or drugs? There are a lot of reasons, and I remember that my mentor mentioned “Jeppe på berget” when he lectured about alcohol dependence or abuse. This is a famous book and has been played at many theaters where a lot of answers can be found.

By coincidence I found this T-shirt when I rearranged some in my room. It is a photo of Professor Arvid Carlsson. He was mentor to my mentor, Professor Jörgen Engel. There is some kind of research inheritance. Integrative pharmacology. Professor Carlsson has developed and elaborated on the dopamine hypothesis over many decades. All drugs of abuse interact with the brain reward systems and dopamine seem to be a common denominator. And Professor Jörgen Engel, in his turn, has dedicated his life to study the neurobiological mechanisms underlying alcohol dependence.

When I worked on my thesis I studied the cholinergic interaction with dopamine pathways. Many studies have confirmed that there is a close association between alcohol consumption and smoking. It seems like the brain dopamine pathways become more sensitive if they are subjected to intermittent nicotine exposure. That is, that an abuse of a drug can lead to addiction to other drugs of abuse.

This was now a long time ago, and my life is now writing.

Today is a very unique day in Sweden. Första advent. Again, since I am grown up in the countryside, traditions will never disappear. This is the beginning of December, a busy month when everything needs to be prepared for holidays. I am staying at home today with choir music and also some “Konge røkelse” from Norway. This is the last I have from the røkelse so I have to find some more. We always sold that at the pharmacy during December.

I searched the internet because I wanted to share one of the songs by Håkan Hagegård. However, I could´t find, but if you you would like to listen to a carol, “Nu tändas tusen juleljus” is very suitable today. You can find it on Itunes. The first of four candles is lit today. Next Sunday candle number two will be lit.

Snow is falling from the sky in Stockholm today. It is a very cosy “Första advent”. Advent is a very beautiful word. It means “to wait”. Väntan in Swedish.

Yes, it is definitely true that time passes so rapidly. Already Friday. I wasn´t going to write tonight, but I couldn’t resist. Need to feel some inspiration when I write, but after having chocolate ice-cream energy appeared again. Life saver.

I have been struggling some, or to be honest, a lot with this web site. I have discovered that I don´t know much about computer language. So, I have learnt some this week. I got help from a friend from high school who knows a lot about computers. And, it is actually 25 years ago since we graduated from high school. What I remember most is the huge load of work there always was from school. Since I grew up in the country side there wasn´t much to do but study. My best friend lived several kilometers from where I lived so we always needed our parents to drive. Life is different now.

Yesterday I went to see health care. I needed to refresh my hepatitis B vaccine. Viruses are dangerous and clever. To wash your hands and have the hands to stay away from the eyes and the nose is a good way to avoid viruses.  But sometimes that doesn´t help. Immunology is very fascinating. It is incredible how modern medicin has developed. A hundred years ago several infections were more or less mortal, but today a lot of lives and suffering is avoided due to vaccination. An immunological memory with antibodies.