Christmas Eve is finally here! It feels a bit weird celebrating Xmas and the sun is shining here in Mexico. In Sweden, where I usually spend my holiday’s, it’s pitch black outside by 3pm, cold and maybe some snow on the ground. How and where are you spending your holiday’s?
I’m cooking some beets now. Going to make a Swedish ‘rödbetssallad’ which is a beet salad that goes with the meatballs I’m going to make in a bit 🙂 Got my Spanish teacher Eliana coming over from Colombia today too and she’s going to make some Colombian specialties too. Tomorrow it will be more of a gringo celebration. I do think 24th of Dec is the proper day to celebrate! I mean, c’mon, I should know since Santa is from Korvatunturi in Finland and all 🙂
Here’s my Xmas pics and I wish you all the best for the Holiday’s!!!
Hola! It’s been a while. I spent the last week after getting back from LA sick as a turd! People were sick in LA and I guess it hit me when I got home. First 2 days it was flu symptoms, and then I ate a pizza and added food poisoning to the combo. I spent the night in the bathroom and in the morning I called a doctor over. Mexico is like the equivalent of the movie character MacGyver. You know, the guy who makes a bomb out of a Qtip and a flashlight. Everything is always fixable here. Dr. prescribed some antibiotics and another guy came biking with the meds from a pharmacy 20min later. I’m finally getting and feeling better!!!
But before this week of being sick and going to LA, we celebrated Thanksgiving with some other gringos here in CDMX. Very nice evening, gringos and food! And I love this doggie! I already offered like 5 times to dog sit him 🙂
Day after Thanksgiving I flew to LA to meet up with my sister. Saw this flight crew at LAX and only their eyes were visible behind shields! Yes, I had to run in front of them and check because I was so curious. Do they fly in this too? Or is it only when getting off the plane they put this on?
Had the best time in LA with my sister. We like the same stuff and were busy from morning to night. We stayed at Roosvelt Hotel and one of the nights there was the Hollywood Christmas Parade right outside. The manager of the hotel took us to the roof top and we got an amazing view from there.
We also pre celebrated my sisters birthday with a night out. Dinner and drinks first and then hit a club.
The Grove is one of my fav spots in LA. Used to go there a lot when I lived in LA. Love their Xmas decorations, and the Godiva chocolate cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory is the best!
My sister then flew back to Sweden and I went straight to get my hair done with the best hair dresser in LA, Joan at Style Box! She is amazing and super particular. She takes her time and I’m always so happy with the results. Trying to tame down the blondness a bit now and trying for a tiiiiny bit more natural look now. Baby steps!
Then I spent a couple more days with Sandy and her family. Which feels like and which I consider my family as well 🙂 No stay is complete without some work being done… In my case being a sleaze-ball 😉
Good views and nice car on set…
I also try to be helpful around the house when I’m there. Like help with spelling homework. They were supposed to try spell different animals. Well, Puma is an animal, right?
The last day before flying back, there was a crazy fog in LA. Very eerie… Compare it to my selfie in the morning sun just a day before.
At some point before getting sick I also managed some work at home. Love this Pussitive jacket I shot on Ximena and this jumpsuit on Masha 🙂
You think I missed myself? Naaah, love being infront of the camera too much 😉
Before I’m off to start this week, I’m just gonna throw some movie/series recommendations for you. Watched a few while being sick 🙂 These are all great and highly recommend them!
Also finished this book “The Elephant Tree” by RD Ronald. It wasn’t a page turner, just pretty good.
OK, need to pull myself together now and put that Xmas tree up! I want some holiday feeling at home now!
I hope you are not sick and out thriving and being fantastic!
Masha from Russia, but living in Puerto Rico, made it to Mexico one week ago. With some friends, it feels like you’ve never been apart. I let Masha catch her breath for one day before we headed out for the volcano hike. We were picked up at 7am and headed to the Nevado National Park where the volcano is located. By the description of the hike, it sounded like a regular hike, maybe just a bit harder because of the altitude. No problema we thought…
Well, after making it about half way, the guide told us the real climb starts now. We were all pretty out of breath, but little did we know what was coming! Helmets on and up we went. The weather changed and it got really chilly and foggy. We where pretty much rock climbing without any kind of safety harnesses. It was a vertical climb at times, and there were patches of snow and ice. We climbed about 15 steps and then bent over breathing and trying to catch our breath. Knowing that if we stepped wrong, lost our grip and fell, we most likely would injure ourself very badly. We climbed to the top in the last pic!
When we made it to the top – WOW. Beautiful views and amazing feeling of accomplishment!
Then walking along the rim…
Marked the top, and look at the path we took down! Basically just loose sand and rocks coming down.
But we made it and it felt pretty good to be back down again! Next time I want to try to walk the whole ridge around the crater of the volcano.
This dog lives up in the mountains and followed us along the whole hike. Probably because we all kept feeding him 🙂 So cute!
Wined & dined some with Masha. The restaurant in the first pic is called Páramo. Their tacos and cocktails are amazing! First time there and will definitely go back like 50 times, so good!
Then we tried a Temazcal (sweat lodge). Very nice experience and it’s said to “illuminate a pathway into your inner self and begin a rebirth of love in your soul”. It was hosted in this beautiful ecological kind of garden/property.
After picking flowers and plants that attracted us, we listened to the Shaman and drank tea. Then we all entered the sweat lodge and sat in a circle. Hot coals where brought in and the entrance sealed off with a blanket. The Shaman talked and sang and it was translated to us. It got very hot and it was pitch black. We sat in there for about an hour and you felt very refreshed coming out. Some people had seen animals and the Shaman explained the meanings of different animals. I would do this again!
Squeezed in some more food, massages and Mexico City before Masha left yesterday morning…
Still had time to throw in some work between meals and adventure!
It’s always sad when friends and family leave 🙁 My cure was to book a trip to LA next week and going to see my sister there and hang with wifey for a bit. Just a short trip and might be the last one abroad for this year. I do plan to squeeze in a mini-vacay somewhere in Mexico too before 2021 is done 🙂
And as a reminder, bigger is usually better! Just look at this giant cactus hahahaaaa…
So much has happened and I haven’t had the time to check in here. Now I have a big cup of coffee and a few hours before Masha from Russia arrives here in Mexico, so here we go 🙂
I wrote this yesterday, but then I thought it was a great idea to micro-dose. The thing was that it actually didn’t hit me like a micro-dose, but I had to lie down and enjoy the ride for a couple of hours LOL. And then Masha was here, and never had time to add the photos and post this yesterday. Now Monday and let’s try this again!
I only knew Día de Muertos – Day of the Dead was a big holiday here. I was recommended the Pixar movie ‘Coco’, that shows what the holiday is about. Super good movie and I learned about the ‘ofrenda’. In short it is an altar, big or small, where pictures of the deceased are placed so they can find their way to you on the Day of the Dead. You also place their favorite foods, treats, drinks etc to make them feel welcome. Also you place the bright orange marigold flowers that is the flower of the dead. Families make them at their homes and there are public ones too. I thought it was such a nice idea, so I created a simple one at home. I included Mom & Dad, our rottweilers, and Molle, a horse I took care of when I was younger. I placed candy, flowers, and a candle there too 🙂 This is a couple of days later and now I need magnets so I can put these photos on the refrigerator 🙂
And my Halloween costumes.
Some pics from the city when walking around during Día de Muertos. Very beautiful and a lot of people out! Even the ladies at the check out at the supermarket were dressed up 🙂
My friend Linda arrived the day after. So great to have friends and family over. And yes, she brought candy from Sweden too 🙂 We had a very busy and active week where we checked out the city, downtown, worked out, wine & dined, and an excursion to one of my favorite places here – Boxque Teva. Wrote about it before. Like a hobbit town for adults.
Well, before we got going we decided to eat brunch. It was me, Linda and Andrew. I usually carry a small bag around my waist. Decided to place it on top of my backpack that I placed about 1meter from our table leaning against the wall. Long story short, one older guy in a suit pretends to drop his wallet, keys, and coins right by my feet. When we look, the other guy grabs my purse and takes off. We realized a bit too late what had happened. Police came quickly and people were helpful in helping to translate what had happened. Luckily Andrew had my phone and I had my computer with me in my backpack. I blocked all cards right away and luckily my bank had stopped their attempts to retrieve money and make payments. That within 5 minutes of getting ahold of my wallet.
When we finally settled everything we ordered an Uber to Boxque Teva about 45min on the outskirts Mexico City. Linda pointed out that the Uber was running out of gas. The gas light was blinking. The driver didn’t seem concerned though so we relaxed. When we were in the woods, the car suddenly dies. Luckily it was only10 minutes walking, uphill though, but we made it 🙂 Fingers crossed the Uber driver made it too 🙂
The next morning we walked along the main road there. Such cool houses and surroundings.
We came to a park entrance and met these 2 ladies in a house there. They told us they were park security. They invited us inside and offered us some food. They where so nice and I gave them mine and Linda’s Pussitive hats. Explained to them it is my ‘tetas’ on the picture on the hat and they seemed to appreciate to wear my titties on their head hahahaaaa…
Some more pics from Linda’s visit…
Made Linda model some Pussitive gear too before I let her fly back to Sweden.
Last week was all about catching up on work. More Pussitive stuff. I love this jumpsuit with the text TRIPPY 🙂
Shot a bunch for Onlyfans…
Catching up in the gym. I really like pushing and dragging the sledge. Imagine my legs and booty growing while I’m at it!
On Friday there was a small get together and we where invited by a couple at the gym. First time at this place Jardin Paraiso. Super cool place and it got packed.
I consider myself a great partier, but these Mexicans we were with, took it to another level. Hard to keep up, but they were all great fun. We were the first one to leave, and I felt like an amateur. If I’d stayed longer, I’m pretty sure I would’ve spent all day yesterday in fetal position LOL… I was able to cure my hungover with 1 Ibuprofen and a hamburger yesterday 🙂
Here’s som cats & dogs for you too. So many cute ones here. My favorite is this guy with this kitty in his backpack. Threw in a squirrel in there too that was cute 🙂
And yesterday I finished the book ‘Dune’. I loved it! Lmk if you have other great sci-fi reads to recommend!
Masha just texted that she’s boarding in Florida. Going to be so much fun having here here. We got a volcano hike and sweat lodge trips planned for next week 🙂
How are you doing? Remember, don’t try to blend in – stand out!
It was 10 busy days in LA! I have tried to catch up on sleep this weekend after coming back to Mexico on Friday night. There was a birthday brunch here on Saturday that required some recovery as well hahahaaa…
It was so great to see my best friend Sandy and her family again. I always stay with them when in LA and I feel like I’m part of her family 🙂 So much catching up to do and kids were ready with Barbies within 10 minutes of my arrival. I have my own Barbie there, named Barbara, and somehow the kids always remember that and I always have to play with Barbara.
There was a lot of shooting while in town. So spoiled that Sandy is the best make-up artist and fixed my face up every time 🙂 Here are just a few samples.
The hot brunette is Silvia Saige – yummy! And she has two super sweet cats too that I was running after almost as much as Silvia LOL…
I also shot a whole day with one of my all-time favorites Courtney Taylor! She’s just so damn hot and also so much fun. We were laughing so hard and the day flew by too fast! The photographer has all the pics so I’ll show them later.
Also flew out a day to shoot in Phoenix. The photographer makes you look your best. Even though he pays, he always shares some pics with the model that she can use. Not always the case with photographers. Here are a couple 🙂
And a couple of my selfies from that day… Not quite the same quality and elegance!
I think we maybe had 2 days that were a bit more chill. I threw on the bikini and tanned it up a bit.
Also did a round of shopping for some Pussitive stuff in Downtown. Afterwards met up with Jose who I became friends with in Puerto Rico. Found out through IG he was visiting LA at the same time as me. So good seeing him!
As always Sandy and I did one night out. It was her husband’s birthday and we celebrated pretty hard at Paris Tokyo in Beverly Hills. I only have this one pic of us before it got out of control hahahaaa… I can just say that the next day I woke up with half the birthday cake in my bra, hair, and clothes! But we had fun, all that matters!
And all too fast the ten days were gone! Hopefully I go back very soon 🙂
By the way, watched ‘Dune’ this weekend and reading the book. Wow, can recommend both! Have you read the book or seen the movie?
OK, time to hit the gym and get this week started off strong!
How was your week? I started mine by turning a year older. I don’t feel it, but I feel like I look it 🙁 In panic I googled face lifts this week to see what options are out there hahahaaa…
I loved my crocodile birthday cake that I got!
Why settle with only cake when you can have donuts too! After all, it was my birthday!
My favorite gift to myself is this Ninja Grill! WOW, it’s amazing. So far I’ve grilled steaks and chicken in it and roasted potatoes and vegetables, all perfectly grilled and roasted! I really recommend this because it’s so easy and fast!!!
Not only did I celebrate my birthday this week, it was also Mexico’s Independence Day. A restaurant had a special menu with Mezcal and burgers for the holiday. We were required to be blindfolded to try to get the different flavors from the Mezcals. I only managed to get drunk hahahaaa… Oh, and the little crayfish looking things in my hand are river shrimps you snack on. Tasted like a river, so I washed it down with some more Mezcal 🙂
It was also about time to get my hair fixed. Got recommended this hair salon and they did a great job. Even though it looked like I had a head full of tampons at one point!
And in between celebrations and hair fixing, I did what I do pretty good 🙂 I don’t know why, but I never seem to get tired of being in front of the camera. In Swedish we call it ‘linslus’ and there’s no real translation, but literally it means ‘lens lice’, nice huh?
There are a bunch of expat WhatsApp groups you can join to get help or join activities. We signed up to go see Casa Organica by the architect Javier Senosiain Aguilar. What a place! One of the coolest houses I’ve been in, and I’d live there in a heartbeat!
It was designed to be one with nature, so it has soft and round forms with no sharp edges or corners. If you are in Mexico City, definitely book a tour here. More about this place here https://en.casaorganica.org/
On Sundays I try to plan my upcoming week a bit. What I want to do, have to do, and set some goals. I have a really exciting meeting on Tuesday with an incredible local photographer here. If everything goes as planned, we’re shooting a thing for a Swedish publication.
I’ve come to a realization that I’ve lately started to crave and eat a lot of sugar, sweets, and candy. Have to cut down and eat better and healthier foods. When I eat proper meals, I crave less sugar. Can anyone invent a healthy chocolate croissant with proteins, healthy fats, and no sugar please?
I also started updating my backup account on Instagram. This is more of a personal account with less sleaze and skin, and more everyday stuff. If you want to follow it’s @itsmepumaswede. I also cleaned up my Twitter account and will be focusing a bit more on art and NFT that I’m very interested in.
Work more on Pussitive and with that I leave you with a Pussitive vintage skirt and t-shirt 🙂
Do you have any goals for next week? Feel free to share and we can check up on each other in the end of this week 🙂
Experienced my strongest earthquake yet. Even though I felt them when living in LA and Puerto Rico, this one in Mexico was much stronger! It was Tuesday night and we were watching TV. There’s an alarm that sounds right before it starts shaking, but we didn’t hear it. All of a sudden the couch was swaying. The security downstairs called on the intercom and told us to hurry outside. Luckily everyone was dressed. Made me realize there must be people having to run outside pretty much naked. It felt like walking on a boat out on the ocean as it swayed some more when we headed out. Then all the power went out except for some lights powered by a generator. Everyone was out on the street and some in pyjamas’s and slippers.
It was safe to head back in after about 10min they said. Slept with a bag and clothes next to the bed in case there would be aftershocks. Luckily there was none!
It was good to catch up on work this week. Shooting and going through pics from the Pussitive shoot.
Also got my lashes done, mani + pedicure, dental visit and scheduled to fix a broken cap in 2 weeks. On Friday I had planned a dinner with a girl who I have common friends in LA with. We met up at a hip Greek restaurant called Nostos. So much fun meeting someone with common friends since you pretty much already know they’re going to be great since your friends like her 🙂 Fun dinner with Jenna and I got a new favorite drink now – Carajillo. Espresso and a Licor 43. Supposedly Licor 43 is supposed to contain 43 different ingredients. Not sure if it’s true or not, but the drink is dangerously good!
Luckily I don’t always drink espressos with alcohol! Found a new cafe yesterday with super good coffee (even without liqueur) – Constela.
Also found this cute Hungarian cafe. Just scoped it out and haven’t tried it yet, but I will! It’s special since my best friend Sandy in LA is Hungarian 🙂
And sometimes I just give in to my sugar cravings hahahaaaa… I did not feel well after finishing almost everything, but it was worth the satisfaction at the moment!
That’s about it for this week. BUT, tomorrow is my birthday wohooo 🙂 For the first time it’s starting to dawn on me that I might be considered old eeeek… I don’t feel that old, but the numbers speak for themselves. I might be half way through life. Just to convince myself, I’ll post some pics that was taken when I was in Vegas visiting Sophie Dee. All youthful with pink hair. Still got it right? RIGHT???? Hahhaaaa…
Going to work some more now and later heading out for some BBQ. Next week is also Mexico’s Independence Day so I hope to celebrate that too 🙂 Never pass an opportunity to celebrate!
My sister was visiting for almost 2 weeks and we made the most of it! Our first activity was to go watch some Lucha Libre ‘fighting’. Booked it as an Airbnb experience and had a great guy who explained some of the history and rules to us. Very interesting and I recommend to go watch and learn some about it. Not just watch the movie Nacho Libre 😉
Next up was a day trip to some hot springs and subterranean caves. We were picked up at 6.30am and it was about a 3,5h drive out there. There were already 2 people in the little car + the driver, so it was a very tight 3,5h ride. Luckily we stopped for breakfast, coffee, water shoes, and plastic pouches to protect our phones.
And finally we arrived!
Wait, let me just throw a few poses before we go down to the pools!
There were several pools to choose from and my sister and I found our own private pool to soak in. So relaxing and there were beautiful views. Not just the views of me that is…
The area is pretty big and you could walk around and go into large caves. Someone told me to get under this waterfall because it was like getting a massage. Sure, and I luckily grabbed my bikini bottoms last minute, right when they were going to be washed off too…
Then we jumped into a small bus that transported us to the other caves. There had been a lot of rain so we couldn’t enter the cave at the bottom. Normally the water is all clear there too, but now it was all muddy. I loved the waterfall above its’ entrance.
Luckily there was another cave higher up. We were told to turn on our flashlights on our phones because it was pitch-black when you stumbled deeper in. It looked like the cave came to an end, but then our guide asked who wanted to crawl in to a super small cave. YES! It was tight sliding in with your feet first, but wow, so worth it. Like a private little sauna in the mountain. Barely fit 4 people. No space for anyone with claustrophobia, that’s for sure! We turned our flashlights off and you couldn’t see your hand even if it touched your face.
Plenty of food and drink places there to choose from. First time trying Dorilocos. Saw a lady eating them and asked what it was. Basically a bag of Doritos and then you put in carrots, some spicy nuts, jicama and hot sauce. (Bet you can put in a whatever you fancy). WOW WOW WOW!!!! So tasty! Washed it down with a Pina Colada 🙂
The day came to an end and as we were walking back to the car we spotted this animal. Didn’t give a shit about us, my leftover Doritos or a raw banana hahahaaa…
Great day except for the 7h ride there and back in the tiny car. Both me and my sister exited the car looking like two cramped up Cheez doodles!
Showed my sis some of the different parts of the city, we ate, drank, shopped and enjoyed hanging out together!
Can’t all be just chilling and relaxing. With my sisters jetlag in control we worked on Pussitive. Shooting and planning. We’ve been lagging a bit, but got a bunch of new stuff coming now, so it’s time to grind!
Sometimes catching more than just Pussitive in the pictures…
It was so great having my sister here! We are very close and it’s always hard to say good bye. Luckily it’s not too long before we get to see each other again 🙂
After my sister flew back to Sweden time to catch up on work and working out 🙂
Last night I went out to dinner and drinks with a couple of friends visiting from Puerto Rico. Had 2 Mescal drinks and that was enough for me to sleep in and totally forget I had an interview this morning at 8am 🙁 It was about my book now being available as an audio book in Finnish too wohoooo 🙂 In case you’re a Finn – here’s the cover and I’ve been told you can get it at all the major audio book places 🙂
Now headed out to get a manicure and pedicure. On Thursday I got a dental appointment and Friday I’m getting more lashes. Damn, it would be so much easier if you could just Snapchat-filter yourself in real life!
This weeks dogs content and and this beautiful cat I saw at a market. I’m impressed by this guy handling 10 dogs on his own and everyone heading the same direction. Barely ever see or hear dogs fighting or growling at each other here either. I grew up with 2 male Rottweilers and I can’t even imagine them handling other male dogs possibly wanting to come close to sniff their butts! It would of turned in to a Carne Molida…
Finally in the new apartment!!! “Efter mycket om och men…” as we say in Swedish. Translation would be something like ‘After a lot of if’s and but’s…’. Different realtors have different requirements when you are not a Mexican resident. Some require extra deposits, guarantors, or in my case, a security check done by a company, insurance in case I take off, and extra rent deposits. Well, I passed the security check and then it came to sign the lease agreement and paying the insurance. Lease agreement was 14 pages in Spanish. (Thank you Caroline in Puerto Rico for translating despite sick baby crying and storms). Insurance needed to be paid in cash as the 1st months rent. Emptied (not really) an ATM. After adjustments to the agreement, signing and paying, with them having 2 lawyers present, I thought it was finally done.
Nope, next they didn’t want cash. Cash returned and wire transfers needed to be made. BUT, I’m very happy to say that I have finally moved in! Well, still waiting to have the washer/dryer, dish washer and refrigerator installed, but I love the apartment!
Me delivering some necessities to myself the night before moving in.
There’s been a lot of trying and buying furniture, kitchen stuff, and trying out the perfect pillow this past week.
Tiring to run around, but luckily there’s tacos around ever corner to energize you!
When tacos aren’t enough – go for sugar! This crazy donut shop is called The Secret Donut Society. You enter this room to place your donut order.
Then go into this room to pick up your order from one of the mirrored cabinet on the wall.
And then you stuff yourself! By the way, there is almost always a line outside. Only had to wait about 15min to get in…
Good thing there’s a great gym close to me so I can burn off the tacos & donuts 🙂
Also thrown some paint on my face and worked 🙂
Found a great nail salon close by too. Got to keep them claws sharp!
This weeks favorite dogs that I’ve come across 🙂 Last dog probably would’ve jumped out of the window if he’d fit hahhaaaaa….
I’m now seated on my new comfy couch. Should pack up after I finish writing this, but I have a feeling I’ll stay comfy on this couch! I need to charge my batteries because tomorrow my sister gets here – YAY! So happy and excited about that! Already planned some activities and going to be awesome to show her Mexico City!
Since I’m bad (and lazy) at writing a short description about any book that I’ve read, I copied this caption from Amazon about this book:
“People go to Huntington Beach in search of the endless parties, the ultimate highs, and the perfect waves. Ike Tucker has come to look for his missing sister and for the three men who may have murdered her. In that place of gilded surfers and sun-bleached blonds, Ike’s search takes him on a journey through a twisted world of crazed Vietnam vets, sadistic surfers, drug dealers, and mysterious seducers. He looks into the shadows and finds parties that drift toward pointless violence, joyless vacations, and highs you may never come down from…and a sea of old hatreds and dreams gone bad. And if he’s not careful, his is a journey from which he will never return.”
I liked the book, but I think it’s a book that I will not remember for very long. Some books make a deep impression on me, or something really sticks out in it, usually the story, and I’ll remember the book. This one mostly was a great and fun read, but I doubt I’ll remember details from it next year. Also it felt like the ending was a bit hastily finished compared to the rest of the book. It’s a good read though!
Dawn Patrol by Don Winslow
I did get intrigued about the surfing culture from ‘Tapping the Source”. I think this one was slightly better than the above. Again, caption from Amazon:
“Every morning Boone Daniels catches waves with the other members of The Dawn Patrol: four men and one woman as single-minded about surfing as he is. Or nearly. They have “real j-o-b-s”; Boone, however, works as a PI just enough to keep himself afloat. But Boone’s most recent gig-investigating an insurance scam—has unexpectedly led him to a ghost from his past. And while he may have to miss the biggest swell of his surfing career, this job is about to give him a wilder ride than anything he’s ever encountered. Filled with killer waves and a coast line to break your heart, The Dawn Patrolwill leave you gasping for air.”
Exciting book and I liked reading about San Diego trivia & history, since I used to spend some time down there when I first got to the US. I liked that it kept you guessing how it would end until the last few pages. Easy, fast and exciting book and I recommend it.
Another book by Don Winslow that is amazing and that I really recommend is ‘The Winter of Frankie Machine’. Super great!
This Is Your Mind on Plants by Michael Pollan
I loved Michael Pollan’s book – Change Your Mind. It literally made me experience and experiment with some more psychedelics myself 🙂 I guess you decide if that’s good or bad LOL. I’m a great believer in how they can help people in some instances, instead of traditional medication. Expected this book to be similar and as great, but I was a bit disappointed. I enjoyed getting the history of opium and mescaline. The caffeine section had some interesting parts too, but overall the book was just not as amazing as his first book.
Here are a couple of sections in the book that I highlighted. Very interesting and true facts!
“All who try to construct a sturdy definition of drugs eventually run aground. Is chicken soup a drug? What about sugar? Artificial sweeteners? Chamomile tea? How about a placebo? If we define a drug simply as a substance we ingest that changes us in some way, whether in body or in mind (or both), then all those substances surely qualify. “
“Is it the quality of addictiveness that renders a substance illicit? Not in the case of tobacco, which I am free to grow in this garden. Curiously, the current campaign against tobacco dwells less on cigarettes’ addictiveness than on their threat to our health. So is it toxicity that renders a substance a public menace? Well, my garden is full of plants—datura and euphorbia, castor beans, and even the leaves of my rhubarb—that would sicken and possibly kill me if I ingested them, but the government trusts me to be careful. Is it, then, the prospect of pleasure—of “recreational use”—that puts a substance beyond the pale? Not in the case of alcohol: I can legally produce wine or hard cider or beer from my garden for my personal use (though there are regulations governing its distribution to others). So could it be a drug’s “mind-altering” properties that make it evil? Certainly not in the case of Prozac, a drug that, much like opium, mimics chemical compounds manufactured in the brain. “
Pollan, Michael. This Is Your Mind on Plants. Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Tomorrow I hopefully sign the contract for the new apartment. Keep your fingers crossed, because I really want to move and settle in. I have learned not to get too excited before papers are actually signed and I’m holding the key. Until then, shit can happen 🙂
