If you're going through hell, keep going.

So I'm back to One Piece, have finally finished revising the latest batch of leftovers, posted the Project 2017 recap, and am back home after a brief tour to the Northerly Norths - to the humble abode of the one humble soul I know who lives there... in which home I might be able to reside a few days; spend good times. I mean I did. Good times spent.

I posted a short log of my trip up there... typed on cellphone whilst on foot, and one on the way back. I'm looking at other people's vlogs and thinking they really make travel seem like such a social thing, when so much time is really spent waiting, with time to waste at whim and thumb (touchscreen).

Maybe it's different if you vlog. Is it? Picking up a camera in public though, and speaking to an imaginary audience amidst a crowd, it's just... eh... no...

But vlog or no, it was a fun trip! Cold. Snowy. Exotic! I took some photos.

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People demand progress, but they hate change.

Earlier this year, about ten weeks in, I thought I'd try recording ten of these weekly verses in one swoop.

I promised then that I'd give it another try when I reached twenty... and I did, I think. I'm not sure how it went though, or where I have the recording, but as the year slowly came to an end I thought: why not record everything in one swoop? All 52 verses back to back, as only a lyrical master might be able to! Right. Yeah. It seemed like a good idea at the time...

As it turns out managing a full two hours of recordings in one session was a bit much even for me (more like especially for me), so I split up my verses in two batches: up until summer, and everything after that.

They're both about forty minutes long, fast-paced, ferocious, with occasional freestyles and... full of flaws. That's what happens when you attempt such a thing in a single take... but I am pretty proud of the results regardless! I did it. It didn't turn out perfect, but it was fun, good practice, and it feels like a great way to conclude both year and project!

I uploaded the earlier batch completely unmodified, but this time I've at least compressed and normalized the tracks a bit, so they hopefully match the sound levels of all the other recordings for the year. If you ever feel like playing all of them back to back these are the last two: 53 and 54. ;)

It's been a long year! Some weeks were fun, others not so much, but I'm happy with the consistent outlet (and put) of creative verse this project provided. They were longer at the start of the year, during summer, and during the end of it, but some of my favorite pieces are the shortest ones, too. If you're looking for one favorite I think Week 27 is the one I like most. Maybe because I was in a special place when I wrote it, or because it makes me feel like I can actually sing, a little... there's also Week 50. Keep in mind there is no autotune or similar being used here. I know it's not perfect, but it's all natural, and I feel like I'm getting better.

Actually there's a lot of other ones I like too. I'd better not get into it too much. Feel free to browse through the year that's been and see which ones you like more than others, and don't forget to leave a comment. ;)

Without further ado here's the final two-take session of Project 2017 verses, recorded on the last two days of the year. First verse 1-27...

...and then 28-52, microphoned in right before the fireworks struck the sky!

That's all for 2017, and for this year there is no project. I've kept it going in varied forms for a few years now, but I feel like it's time to take a break from that routine: to seek new perspectives, priorities, and purpose with my craft, though there'll still be plenty of creativity and craft on the blog!

May the New Year be full of good things, growth, and new opportunity!

Happy 2018.

I should make it a belated resolution to not check in on these deals so much! Already have more games than I'll be able to plow through in a lifetime... but in case you don't, there's a thing going on today. It's the last day too. Background here.

Ladies and gentlemen, today we have a passenger that is allergic to peanuts, so please do not eat or open any package that contains peanuts... the stewardess announces. I wonder how many will actually respect that, but then again I wonder how many actually eat peanuts on a national flight. They don't serve peanuts on national flights... as far as I know...

Moments later a teenage girl is crying, saying I'm sorry mom but I have to get out... and pushing her way towards the front of the plane. The mom goes after her. We wait. They're speaking in the front of the plane, through the door. I'm not sure if the mom is back or not a while later... or the girl, though they'd been sitting just a few seats ahead of me. Maybe she's a twin because there is a girl sitting there who looks incredibly similar. Soothing music plays in the background.

The captain eventually announces a family had to leave, and their baggage is taken off. The twin girl is still there. We tax off, but during the security information broadcast a man tries to stand up, and the stewardess interrupts her broadcast to get him to sit down. We stop at a defrosting station to defrost our wings too. Take off: 30 minutes behind schedule. Fortunately I have nowhere important to get this time, but it looks like we really won't be making that bus this time around...

And we didn't. We landed at the wrong terminal and caught another bus to the right terminal instead. 5 to 4. Counting down. People crawled off the plane ever so slowly via the back entrance. I was one of the first off. Claimed a good spot. Someone forgot a pillow seat, so they called it in before we drove away - an old man received it. Hope he was the right recipient. He looked embarrassed, so I assume he was.

A few minutes later one final trio leave the plane. Had they been asleep? Who knows. We finally pull out, drive through a late night mist, back stage, past more vehicles than you'd think an airport holds... and pull up to the terminal. Those who don't have any further flights to catch may leave through the blue door with a big 3 on it. Everyone else via 2 or 1. Down for the count. I go for threedom.

I meet my buddy at the airport, who's been wondering where I was the last fifteen minutes. Apparently two planes from the same place were set to arrive at the same time - and the other one made it before mine. We stop by McDonalds for a bite to eat before the next bus home... since it's an hour and a half until then. It's the last bus of the day.

Time flies and suddenly it's time to run! We abandon a card game with withered cards with which we weathered out the wait (along with dual milkshakes and a fish filet burger with too large gluten-free bread buns because that's all they had).

We catch the bus. It stops. We wait a while before the driver announces we need to change buses. The bus is broken.

Another bus parks behind us and we hustle over. It's cold, and soon cramped, and the driver drives like he's never driven a bus before, over curbs and edges and around close-cut corners... but we don't catch up on lost time and thus we miss the train. By three minutes. Fifteen minute delay with the bus.

So we sit in a waiting train playing cards, a few minutes past midnight in a muddling mist, just one station from home. Half past twelve I'm finally back in Bro, and after a brisk walk ready to unpack my bags and take a long night's sleep...though work awaits tomorrow.

Did I mention I had a couple hours to spare before the airport this time around? The bus at Töre was late as well, and I had some time to wait so I checked a nearby shop, and found some stuff past expiry date with reduced date that was unfortunately a bit too far past recovery.

We got a double-decker bus the second segment of the trip to Luleå. I sat on top with an Asian tourist couple in front of me. They hit 'Stop' at the wrong station - the first with Luleå in its name, but after a short conversation with the driver we went onward, and arrived late, but I had time to spare so that was OK!

I roamed the city looking for a good place to eat... and didn't find one. The one place that showed promise had closed. Time started getting short and alternatives got fewer, so I settled for something at the airport instead. Their shrimp salads were all gone, but a fresh fruit drink, a little Keso and a bag of popcorn I had in my bag made do. It was a big bag in a big bag. Time moved fast. I took a bunch of photos in the city. Not all that bad to have a few hours extra after all. Did you know they had snow? Check it out.

Finally home; it's been another adventurous trip.