Christmas! The most magical of weeks of the year. The last week of the year. That week when you stress like a madman assembling potential gifts for the people you love and care for, then wake up with a headache on Christmas Eve (the day we officially celebrate here in Sweden) and spend all the time you would rather be spending with those same people packing those presents, getting down to the living room just to realize the old folks are helplessly glued to the TV with no will for socializing (and to think they were the ones that saw to it I didn't go down that same path!), going back up even though you have no more presents to pack, sending out some last-minute NG greetings, getting called down to dinner and... there the fun began!

The 22nd and 23rd were hectic days. First day of the week was my final work day: present delivery and then a looong walk home, past a supermarket for last minute shopping, through barren landscapes with recent snowfall trampled down as a soggy paste over the pavement, eventually a watery paste, eventually water, eventually it started to rain. I spent the 23rd at home, feeling incredibly busy but probably not doing much at all.

The 24th was 90% preparation, and 10% euphoria, packing up random re-usable packages in various sizes and piling their contents: a mixture of edibles (like Mango chips, dragon fruit and dark chili chocolate), socks, scratch cards and rare not with bigger promise on the rickety TV table - a keepsake from Costa Rica - one giant piece of polished wood (now cracked by the change of climate) sturdied by four wobbly legs. The wrapping paper piled high underneath it. The presents by the pine slowly faded away, revealing a worn wooden floor and a round rug with red and white fringe. We took turns picking up random presents and handing them out, and when it was all done I scourged the floor for more, but it was gone. Nothing under the rug either. Maybe some small forgotten gift will turn up in a closet in time for summer.

We opened presents till after midnight, till the snow started falling outside - all the while munching away on home-made snacks, and the day after I woke up with a... big smile! Mid day. Twelve. After the most refreshing sleep of the year! Since then I've been polishing up old posts, going through old art, finishing old audio, taking routine walks in the all but routine much colder, brighter and wonderful winter world outside - the snow squeaking under our feet as we move along. A Very Merry Christmas it was after all, despite insanely craving preparations and pre-present consumption craze.

Soon the New Year's upon us. It's a time for finishing up the old, starting new and meeting the fireworks with resolve and resolution! Aftermath post for resolutions of past years coming up soon, and maybe I can get some more old drafts polished and posted before I'm supposed to start on a blank slate, as I should every morning: let go of all expectations, and live life one moment at a time.

On the blog I've written 3 movie reviews, and some and then and this and that and stuff and here and also Merry Christmas! Here's last week.

Just a moment ago I was waiting for summer, then it was summer, then I was back at work, and now it's suddenly the second to last week of the year!! What have I done?

This week? Christmas shopping! A little snooping around the Internet. No work - both days were canceled - but plenty of other work to make up for lost time, and some site work, like the finally fully overhauled movie list with mini-ratings and updated tags! And we had snow! The first snow this winter, even if it only lasted two days. And sunshine since then, even if it only a couple of hours/day.

Apart from present pondering, packing and posting, we've also been to 'Little Christmas', a traditional pre-preperations party. Every year, on the last Saturday before official Christmas, we gather together at a relatively nearby neighboring relative's residence and celebrate the season, bring one present per person (all purchased at a specified price), mix them around in a bag and randomly hand them out. I attained a box of Geisha chocolates I have since then obsessively stuffed myself with, and gave another (bigger) box in exchange.

There are games; song; socializing; I was forced upon myself the role of elf/pixie/whatever you call those little Santa helpers (?) handing out presents. That was yesterday, and fun, despite the aforementioned task. Today I went for a ride, for a walk and for a round of home-made Chinese food (deep-fried bananas, amongst other interesting edibles) and games with a good buddy.

Btw, do you remember Numa Numa? All Your Base? Liero? How about Wimp, the one and only simple no-nonsense source of viral videos back in the day there was no YT? Apart from NG, of course. I get nostalgic at the end of all years. Also speaking of NG, here's a recent Tom Fulp interview.

On the blog I've posted 6 reviews, an old post, a new post and some music. Been hoping I'll get through all unposted drafts before the new year - start fresh - but there's still a few tens of thousands of characters waiting to begone, so that might be a bit too optimistic... considering Christmas is soon officially upon us and the time to get off the Internet and spend time with the family nigh. The time of signing cards is done. It's time for packing presents and dining by a fine pine and thinking up laborious resolutions for the New Year. Whatever happened to just having a peaceful vacation, relaxing and enjoying the snowy silence of a few sunny days?

If I don't post in a while: have a good one! ;)

Christmas is closing in fast! I've had plenty of time, for plenty of projects, but suddenly I'm metaphorically snowed in and wondering what I should prioritize. We had our first real snow this winter a couple of days ago, it melted fast, froze over and covered the world in a cold hard blanket of invisibly slippery substance. Then it melted again, and this time it didn't freeze! Haha!

I'm back to playing Pokemon Ruby (to attain Pokemon for the next gen Pal Park import feature in Pokemon Diamond) late nights after ferociously reading through my first four Harry Potter books (will borrow remaining trilogy). I'm hooked on the one-part Killer Mike's hiphop duo collabo Run The Jewels newest album, creatively titled Run The Jewels 2 (here's one video from this album and one from the last one) and I just discovered some filters in Fireworks that let you do amazing things!

I'm planning to make a little interactive showcase of all the alternative versions that Christmas Card spawned before reaching its final form, with selectable layers so you can see exactly how everything combines. It's my first art project where I've 1) drawn a card with purely pencil and paper 2) scanned the drawing 3) colored it in Fireworks and 4) outlined it in Flash 5) removed certain parts through Fireworks 6) inverted the stars and erased the background 7) covered all cut lines with additional outlines 8) added original layers with filters for overdrawn detail 9) dotted a thousand stars and 10) added hidden Illuminati symbolics... because that's what the collab was all about. Phew. Finished. Finally.

I also just scraped together the last hexalist update. I just started playing Crystal Story II (it's addicting). I was just made aware there's a TV series made off of the Transporter movies! I watched the first four episodes yesterday, it felt generic and plain and had a crappy theme song, and no Jason Statham, but the police officer is still the same. I've done a bunch of other interesting things, I think, but it's past midnight and my memory's currently malfunctioning, so I'm off to Pokemon.

New on the blog: 6 movie review and these (a blog) other (a music video) things (a kickstarter plug). Also check out the early drafts for that Christmas card I've been working on! Here's last week.

Here in Stockholm we've had 1 hour of sun in November. Up North they've had 44. Usually it's the other way around, but it really didn't seem like that little. I guess even daytime clouds are an illusion of light. Seems hopeful. Seems like even though December and January are supposedly the darkest months of the year, we may be through the darkest month already! :D

Also I got a cold. Woke up with a sore throat this morning. Felt tired yesterday but still refused to give up reading just one more chapter on the third Harry Potter book (and so on... in that vicious cycle of all addictive reading). Guess that was my mistake. I'll probably be on my way to the 4th book tonight though, given this newfound opportunity to relax and savor the restful moments. If you haven't read Harry Potter yet, it's a great series, and if you want to save the best for last: watch the movies first!

In other news, we have a tiny little yellow ladybug (and why lady?) crawling around the house right now. Mid-winter. It was scrambling along the edge of the table at dinner yesterday, and we put out a flake of carrot peel for it to gnaw on. Just one flake bigger than that little critter itself; probably a month's worth of food. Though it seems they don't really eat that stuff. They'd rather eat plant lice... vicious little ladybuggers. Hope hoverflies will do though, because we have plenty of those!

Swapping topics, there'll be no more Walking Dead (the only series I follow) till February! And right at the best part! Random wonder: do lips shrink with age? And as for what I've been doing this week, I've been working; collaborating; reading; writing; recording; shopping intensely for that time of the year that always nears faster than you expect it to.

On the blog: posted 6 reviews and then some other things. And most importantly, Stop TTIP!

Here's last week.

The latest episode of One Piece (672) was tragic. The season finale of Walking Dead was tragic. This time of the year is just tragic. Well know, I actually went bowling yesterday and I scored highscores! But that's just because nobody else scored higher.

In these hectic days before Christmas, these darkest days of the year, we always light up the world with our candles and glamorous glitter and try to feel a bit better even with the sun so gone, but what is there really to celebrate?... is what I'm thinking at the time of typing. Oh yeah, I scored Yahtzy twice yesterday, in one game, with an extra dice, on the second throw each time (!)... but in retrospect it doesn't seem that braggable. Was in a great mood yesterday so I should have probably written this theh, huh? Write now and life feels tiresome... but that's today. Tomorrow I hear the sun's coming in for a quick visit!

What have I done this week? I've worked. I've prepared. I've spent a day with a buddy, bowling, playing Yahtzy, playing Pokemon (no longer with a buddy), trying to stay consinstently active and efficient even when I wake up dazed and never really wake up till days up. Eyes glazed. Better up pace.

What have I written? 10 reviews, a question, about a power outage, ghosts and catching Uxie. I'm writing, midnighting, the lighting still bright in my room where my mind is a kite and I've bright wings...

The third and (I'm guessing) final Shady episode came out this week, just before the ShadyXV album. I haven't listened enough yet to know if I'm disappointed, if I'm pleasantly surprised, or if it might grow on me a bit more, so that review will have to wait a while. Meanwhile, Krizz Kaliko (aka Krazzy Krizz) is battling the Strangeland Bandit for their thanksgiving sales. And Kim Dotcom might go to jail!

Or he might have, but at the time of writing it seems he's simply on tighter bail. I hope he pulls through OK! Not because I admire him as a character, but right now I admire his resolve; what he stands for more than anything. That he's standing strong against the corrupt corporations and the motherfuckin' American government! Huzzah! That video might contain some interesting Q & A if you're interested. Info on Internet freedom and all that.

Also, looks like a new Star Wars movie is on route! So far it looks good.

Here's last week.

Well no, no not really, no hit, just had to wordplay. :P You know.

Moving onto the weekly summary! I've been posting so much at the BBS this weekend I don't feel like typing up too much, but in short: the GOG sales are over, I got an invite to their brand new multiplayer platform, I wonder if you can use an old laptop battery as a UPS for a stationary computer, I stumbled upon a Buddhist joke, I just posted the tenth movie review this week, and here's some music and screenshots of Prey - the game.

In other news, there's a new Shady XVI episode out, the Cxypher was disappointing, the Naruto manga is ending (!), I've been updating the layout a bit, might not be getting that new alternative part-time job after all, have made my way all the way to the Pokemon League in Pokemon Diamond - after catching all Unown and 3/4 of the first legendaries aaand... life moves on as usual.

As usual. Days they fly away when the skies are gray, and though I'm nigh sighing and lying like hay doing null and no way, days still feel slow when I bide in shade. Rhymes on my tray along with vials of D-vitamin, it seems frightening, but I am OK. As long as I drink those vials I think I'll wake up on the brink of sunshine, time booming by like a sink mine, far away from the vile and timeless, the gray marshes where starch is, music either silence or a serenade of violins. I'm off to bed, soon a dreamland I'll be in, maybe take a swim in the summer lake, like a lumber in my slumber if I... find my fins. Wake up in the morning to the known aroma of fine muffins. Mmm.

Oh, and check out the NG animation beatdown trailer if you haven't! It's for an event you might want to go to if you live on the other side of the planet. More info through that link. Here's last week.