rain, rain, rain, and tax

The rain is like a wall outside the open windows, it's actually quite fascinating (as I type, the other two in the office are just staring and exclaming in astonishment, making noas ark references - it's that kind of rain).
Incidentally, today is the start of Roskilde, Scandinavia's biggest rock festival taking place a few miles away (in the outdoor's, of course...). It's also the day when most high school kid's in Copenhagen graduate and are riding around in open cars and trucks around the city.

Moahaha that's the only thing cheering me up this awfully slow Friday afternoon, life is not fair!! and you'd better learn it soon and get used to it...
It's also the day after I decided to wash my rain jacket after 4 weeks of on-off rain (but not this kind of rain), which I consequently didn't bring with me today. An umbrella really isn't going to help much if it's still raining like this in an hour. Oh well. TGIF.

My sister has been home this week and my mum and dad have vacation as well, so they've been on outings and bbq:ing and sipping wine till late in the evenings, while I've been getting up at 5.40am like usual. I also have a cold, and after a few shorter weekend trips I'm now gagging for a longer vacation.

Today we got paid and my 5 days of unpaid holiday really made it's mark. In July I'm taking two weeks... but I can't imagine not taking any holiday. Still, this part of the Scandinavian system really sucks. Even when I worked for slave wage in Spain and also in the UK I never had to earn my holiday compensation. Granted, we had fewer days, but still. So far, the famously fair and wonderful Sweden appears to be quite crap in comparison to where I've been with regards to the labour market:
-higher taxes
-despite higher taxes going to the doctor/health centre costs you a standard fee (free in UK, in Denmark, in Spain we had co doctor = free as well)
-'karensdagar' ie the first day each time you're sick you don't get paid (gov currently aiming to make it 2!!)
-the first year of your employment you don't get paid holidays

I'm lucky I work in Denmark, and not. Tax in Denmark is the highest in Europe, including Sweden. So, I'm being taxed to finance healthcare which I am not recieving, and have to pay in Sweden. Still, we only work 35h/week compared to 40 in Sweden. And then wages are higher than in Sweden. So basically, if I ever started working in Sweden, I would get:
- fewer paid days due to unpaid sick days
- lower wage
- work more hours per week
+ slightly lower tax

(notice how I wrote 'if I ever work in Sweden'? ha)

On an unrelated note I've decided to start tagging my entries - it's really quite spectacular I haven't done it before, even if no-one else reads this. I'm a librarian for heaven's sake! Classifying is what I do, all day (not books, but still). So. I might make that a project this weekend, tomorrow is supposed to be equally dull before weather prospects improve slightly...
bye for now
/grumpy