Saw

I just saw "Saw". Really scary movie. Scary as in chilling. How far would one go to survive and for ones family? I wouldn't cut off my own foot, that's for sure. Not that I wouldn't want to, I just wouldn't be able to. But a pretty good movie and another proof you don't need that big budget to do a good movie. Then I saw "Code 46", one of the weirdest flics I've seen! Not good weird and not bad weird, just weird...

That's one more unproductive weekedend to the history books. Been a while since I've had one of those.

Systems check

One thing that the past weeks... no, make that two years, have taught me is the joy of waking up in the morning and the first systems check shows an itch you can't reach! I mean, if that's the extent of your physical and psychological state when waking up, you're doing very OK! In the past two years I've gone from physical highs like when I'd gotten 5 vaccination shots in preparation for my world tour to the physical low of salmonella sickness in Africa, the mental highs of sitting by the Danube with a cold beer on a hot sunny summer day to the mental low of facing long term unemployment and the ensuing almost paralyzing dyspepsia! After all of this, today I woke up and only had an itch I couldn't reach. :)

Funny images in my head

Got a funny image in my head ; Natalie Portman going to the unemployment agency and being asked "how much did your last job pay per month?". "Well I got 5 million for Star Wars Episode II and that was a very long photo shoot, 5 months so say 1 million bucks per month" :) I don't know what it's like in other countries though but here you get a percentage of what you used to make and I'm the kind of guy who thinks these weird thoughts...

And the "new" version of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence" rocks!

Are things getting better?

Whenever I think about how close I was to being unemployed and all the shit that comes with it I can't help but to feel like a complete asshole. I'm almost 30 and I've been unemployed a full 3 days since my 15th birthday. Although I've had a few close calls, that's the fact. Compare that to my friend who's been unemployed a long, long time (3 years+). And he's got a house and family and stuff, I've just got me. So even though me being unemployed doesn't sound fun at all, other's have had it much worse. But still manage. Let's just hope I don't have to manage...

But today that all changed 'cause he's finally got a job! Congrats! :)

First day at a new job

Just finished my first day as a real employee at the lawfirm. And I wish I could say it was "same old, same old". But I can't, cause it wasn't. After my stomach was done playing circus for 2 hours and settled down I got into it and really enjoyed myself. It's a much better feeling actually working there than just being a hired gun. I'm just hoping it works out and it won't only be for 6 months, because seriously - how often do you really enjoy the place you're working at?! I was ok at my old work, but this will (hopefully) be much better!

Changing jobs

Ok, so why was I that depressed over 2005? Well, except that my health was seriously degrading by the day I was told that I was being laid off. It wasn't a big shock since a couple of us haven't had anything to do at work in the past few months and it was just a matter of time until something had to be done. But all of a sudden it was there, right in front of me. A few more paid months and then I'd actually have to go to the unemployment agency. For the first time in my life. But oh no, I wouldn't have it. As soon as I could I called The Man at the lawfirm that I've worked at now and then and got a job there for atleast 6 months. So for the next months I'll be getting double pay and doing a job I know how to do in the one building with the most beautiful women in the world. Am I complaining?... not really!

Oh yeah, my health is stabilising...

Getting laid. Off that is

So my services are no longer needed at Pulsen, the computer consultant company I've been working at since summer 2001. Can't say I'm surprised since I haven't been making alot of money for the company the past few months. And I can't be pissed off about it since they gave me the opportunity to travel the world. But it's still depressing!

Miserable new year

So how's 2005 been for you? For me it's been terrible. Only 2002 beet this year when it came to bad starts, but we'only 2 weeks in here so I don't know where this'll end. Not gonna bore you with details, but you know me - "it could be worse", "it's not as bad as it seems" and "it'll be ok" are my mottos when stuff goes does the drain. :)

America - f*ck yeah!

I finally got a chance to see "Team America". What can I say? Genius! Hilarious! Absolutely mindblowingly fun! But what else is there to say about a movie that starts the romantic song with "I miss you more than Michael Bay missed the mark when he made Pearl Harbor"?! Just go see it!!

And here are some pictures from the party.

Unhappy New Year

What a depressing week this have been. Hearing all the tragic stories of peoples fate and losses in the disaster, some makes you cry just reading about them. And yesterday I tuned in for the reality Discovery show "American Casino" that usually offers some comic relief with the banter between Ninya and Michael Tato. Unfortunately this was the episode when Michael actually dies! How depressing was that, I liked the little guy! Oh well, tonight is the 8 year anniversary of our gaming clan so BIIIIG party tonight. Fortunately I've got NOTHING on the schedule tomorrow :)

Right People For The Right Job?

I'm one of those people who think that the best way to see if a person is well suited for his/her job, especially if it involves management, is to see how he/she performs his/her job under extreme preassure, when things are going to hell and people's lifes are in the balance. By that meassure there are two people who should be fired. Obvious # 1 is Bush that didn't do anything when he heard about the plane hitting the WCT and still nothing after the second one hit. And for a person who occupies the job as, as the americans call it, "the most powerful man in the world" that's a pretty sucky thing to do.

But the close runner-up is now Laila Freivalds, our secretary of state. When I first heard about the disaster in asia when I got up on sunday 26th I kinda understood it was serious as hell but knew there was nothing I could do and was pretty sure the powers that be did all they could. Little did I know that meant going to the theater and not showing up for work until 11 am monday morning which is what she did. And now she's seriously saying they didn't know how bad it really was! If I get a call that we have a hard drive failure on our primary server in the weekend, I'm not gonna be able to relax or enjoy anything without trying to find out just how bad it is! But on TV there was Lottie Knutson being interviewed for a long time answering alot of questions and doing her best to be as responsible as she could and became like a familiar face as the "go-to" girl on this thing in sweden. Who was she? She's in charge of public relations & information at one of our travelling agencies! But she knew how bad it was and desperately pleeded for help already on sunday evening. That's pretty bad...

Someone who's perfect for his job by this meassure however is LeRoy Cain, flight director at NASA when Columbia was suppose to come back. When he feared the worst he did exactly what he was supposed to do and kept the place cool.

Me? Well I proved in Copenhagen I can handle the stress and improvise myself out of a terrible situation...

Happy New Year?

I guess I'm suppose to wish everyone a happy new year. But under the circumstances I think it'll be a damn tough start to 2005 now that the death toll estimates is up to 6 figures. I guess that makes it difficult for 2005 to be any worse.

Propagande

I recently saw a BBC documentary I recommend everyone to see if you get the chance - "The Power of Nightmares". A documentary about how governments have stopped promosing the utopian society and replaced it with the promise that the future won't be worse than yesterday. It's about the philisophies about using nightmares and the "good vs evil" mentality that certain people are very keen to push on us. And it tells both sides of the stories, as well as how the Al Quada organisation didn't really excist until the american justice system created it themselves and then just went with it. It takes up alot of stuff most of us have no idea about. Just see it. If you can.

Wrath of Mother Nature

This latest "wrath of the Earth"-disaster was quite something, wasn't it? And after seeing some videos of it the spontaneous thought is that it wasn't a huge wave alá "Deep Impact" that did it. But if there is one positive thing about this tragedy it is that the internet is for once regarded as something positive. The media that are so quick to mention that bombmakers had downloaded stuff from the internet or whatever are equally quick to point out the positives in a tragedy like this. From blogging to using it as a small messaging system just to say "I'm ok!".
And one day we'll learn not to build major cities so close to the water. Even if it's from a practical standpoint a good idea, things like this as well as the doomsday prophecy of global warming should have some kinda of impact on where we chose to build cities. But the mistakes have already been made I guess, good luck trying to move them...

Christmas

Hope everyone had a great christmas, if you even celebrate it? Mine was pretty ok. Don't know why it was only "pretty ok", but it was. Probably my fault. But we finally ordered those F1 tickets for my 30th birthday! We're going to Silverstone on July 10th which is one month after I turn 30, but this way Amy and her Paul will make it which makes all the difference!

Btw, pictures are up from the christmas weekend at my folks place.

Friends

The last episode of Friends was on swedish TV last week... talk about the end of an era. 10 years that show's been going, it's had it ups and downs but it was quite sad to see it end. Although it's gonna be in reruns forever and I've seen every episode so many times I can pretty much recall any scene in my head. And one of these day's I'm gonna fill that part of my head with something useful...

Also saw "Ocean's 12" the other day. Man that was a disappointment. I liked the first one. Liked the sting and ensemble cast, but this one was not even close. So chalk up another one in the "reasons sequels shouldn't eve be done" right there with Scream 3 and Naked Gun 3...

Christmas party

Last friday was the annual christmas party at work. And they are usually pretty wild. I dunno, what do you think? Before you go all judgemental on me, check what's in front of me. 3 beerglasses and 2 shotglasses and that's just what could fit in the frame. Yeah, pretty wild and another blackjack success story. And as usual woke up on saturday saying "I'll never drink again" 'cause lets face it, I'm not 20 anymore...

Christmas gift of the year

According to the swedish consumption authority (or whatever) it was decided that this years Christmas present was one of those slim TV:s you hang on the wall. Cool, right? ... just how much are people spending on Christmas presents these days? I've been told that I sometimes spend more than I should on Christmas gifts, but I would never even think about buying something for $3.000, no matter how much I loved that person! That just doesn't make sense! Sounds like they were a bit scared over the GNP...

And speaking of terrible Christmas gifts, you've heard that Britney released her "Greatest hits" album recently, just in time for Christmas shopping. Did I just get the entire point wrong, or I thought "Greatest hits" was something a has-been artist put together when they needed more money? Not a 23 (or however old she is now) yeard old with a careet that's still going strong did?

Blogging

Have you heard about this new internet phenomenon called "blogging"? It's when opinionated people start a diary somewhere to express their opinions about everything from movies to politics on a semi-daily basis and... oh wait, I've been doing that for 5 years so yeah, I can see how that's a new phenomenon! ... Went to the insurance company to file a claim about my mishaps behind the wheel. Let's see if that guy that changed lane without looking will live up to his mistake or if he and his wife will cook up some bogus story of what "really" happened.

Driving again

This is just my luck! As I was driving in to work this morning I noticed the temperature of the engine was going a big high and right when I parked it the needle reached the red area. Not good. "not another trip to the mechanics!" was my firt thought. So I filled it up with some coolant and as I started driving home I watched it closely. And the good news was it was just that simple, refill the coolant. The bad news is I was watching the needle too closely and bumped into the guy in front of me - and he had one of thos hooks on so now I got a big nice dent in the front, and I mean big. Maybe big enough for me to fail the inspection I got coming out next week - that is just my luck! And no damage to the other guy's car...