Greetings from the other side.
I realize that I have been absent from blogging for quite some time now. Well, over the summer to be precise. This is due to many things. Examples include, but are not limited to: work, getting married, working on a side-project, and other IRL things.
I'm still not sure how regularly I will be able to write here - it will really depend on IRL things - but I want to say that the 'Life on the Other Side' blog isn't dead or forgotten by me. I still want to keep this going, although for now at least it will have to be on a whenever-I-have-time basis.
I hope everyone has had a great summer! :)
My own summer has been an eventful one, at least to me. I only had about 2½ weeks worth of time off from work, though that is because I started working there in August last year. Next summer I should have more than that. Anyway, in those 2½ weeks I got myself married! Which honestly was one of the best things I have done in my entire life. :) Which is good, because I am not planning on doing it again. ^__^
After the wedding we had about a week off, just taking it easy at home and sort of 'landing' again after the whole experience. After that we went over to Sweden and spent some time with my family there, which was nice.
Unfortunately we didn't get a honeymoon, but that's more down to financial reasons than anything else, and we are happy anyway. :)
Now it is time for me to go and get some work done on my side-project. Until next time, my friends.
See you all on the other side!
Visar inlägg med etikett Work. Visa alla inlägg
Visar inlägg med etikett Work. Visa alla inlägg
lördag 4 november 2017
onsdag 29 mars 2017
The ant war continues & Concert for a 90-year-old
Greetings from the other side.
A quick one today, as it is a very busy day.
Yesterday we had the same guy who had been here before regarding the ants, visit us again. We had removed the skirting boards ('golvlister' in Swedish. Blame Google if I got the translation into English wrong. ;) he he ) and he drilled holes into the walls behind them and pumped them full of ant-poison. Now, last time he was here we didn't have much luck getting to the ants. This time however, we had almost immediate success! 10 minutes after had had done that, we had about 10 dead ants on the floor. The following day we were up to about 30. We spent the night at my future in-laws place because my fiancee didn't quite feel like sleeping here with the poison in the walls and the ants crawling out of the walls. I can't say I blame her for that.
Hopefully we have been able to deal a decisive blow to the carpenter ants that had taken up residence in our home. Granted, there's no guarantee they won't come back later, but we are hoping they will at least be gone for now. We still have to wait and see how it goes though.
After some warmer days we now have somewhat cooler days again. Not 'cold' per se, but we do get temperatures that drop into the minuses at night.
As we are heading into the warmer periods of the year, Spring and Summer, I will start to see my work-load increase again. Both at work, and at home around the house. I have quite a few little projects I want to take care of this summer, so we will see how that goes. I'll probably write more about them in here as I get to them.
On the Sunday, last weekend, my fiancee and I, together with her parents, went to a concert at the city church which was held to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the school where my fiancee's brother works. He was there as well, playing the piano for several of the acts that were there, as well as performing a beautiful piano piece which he had composed himself. In all honesty he is probably one of the best pianists I have ever heard, and it was a pleasure hearing him play. All in all it was a good concert with a lot of good music.
That's about all for this time.
See you all on the other side!
A quick one today, as it is a very busy day.
Yesterday we had the same guy who had been here before regarding the ants, visit us again. We had removed the skirting boards ('golvlister' in Swedish. Blame Google if I got the translation into English wrong. ;) he he ) and he drilled holes into the walls behind them and pumped them full of ant-poison. Now, last time he was here we didn't have much luck getting to the ants. This time however, we had almost immediate success! 10 minutes after had had done that, we had about 10 dead ants on the floor. The following day we were up to about 30. We spent the night at my future in-laws place because my fiancee didn't quite feel like sleeping here with the poison in the walls and the ants crawling out of the walls. I can't say I blame her for that.
Hopefully we have been able to deal a decisive blow to the carpenter ants that had taken up residence in our home. Granted, there's no guarantee they won't come back later, but we are hoping they will at least be gone for now. We still have to wait and see how it goes though.
After some warmer days we now have somewhat cooler days again. Not 'cold' per se, but we do get temperatures that drop into the minuses at night.
As we are heading into the warmer periods of the year, Spring and Summer, I will start to see my work-load increase again. Both at work, and at home around the house. I have quite a few little projects I want to take care of this summer, so we will see how that goes. I'll probably write more about them in here as I get to them.
On the Sunday, last weekend, my fiancee and I, together with her parents, went to a concert at the city church which was held to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the school where my fiancee's brother works. He was there as well, playing the piano for several of the acts that were there, as well as performing a beautiful piano piece which he had composed himself. In all honesty he is probably one of the best pianists I have ever heard, and it was a pleasure hearing him play. All in all it was a good concert with a lot of good music.
That's about all for this time.
See you all on the other side!
söndag 26 mars 2017
Spring-time is a comin'
Greetings from the other side.
Last week I helped out in a different place to where I normally work. It was only Monday and Tuesday, but that was about all I could do since I also had my regular job that I needed to do. It was good to see a new place, meet new people and see how they did things. I really enjoyed my time there.
Life moves on at its own pace here in the countryside. Spring is coming, and you can really feel it in the air now. It's a really nice feeling! Spring does something to you, I think. It revitalizes you after the long, dark winter, and helps to lift your spirit up. We are moving towards warmer times, and it feels great! I think we all need to stop sometimes, take a deep breath and just enjoy the now. That goes for all seasons, but perhaps especially for spring. Take the time to enjoy the blue sky, the sounds of the birds coming back to life, the sunshine on the green pine and spruce trees, etc. It can really help give you some energy back. At least, that's how I feel.
Yesterday, we went to a jumble sale ('loppis' in Swedish) at the school where my fiancee's brother works. They are tearing down the old buildings and building new, so they needed to get rid of a lot of stuff. There were a lot of things there, and a lot of people. It was difficult moving around to look at things. We managed to get a couple of items though. I was hoping to find a guitar, but unfortunately not. Oh well, maybe next time.
After we got home from that we sat outside in the sunshine for about an hour, drinking tea, eating a cinnamon bun, and talking. It was really nice just sitting on the stairs looking out over the fields and towards the forest. It was warm, the wind was calm, and it is moments like that that really make you appreciate living in the countryside.
Last week I helped out in a different place to where I normally work. It was only Monday and Tuesday, but that was about all I could do since I also had my regular job that I needed to do. It was good to see a new place, meet new people and see how they did things. I really enjoyed my time there.
I keep learning new skills since I moved here. Latest thing I have tried is that I have cut down my first two trees using a chainsaw. It's a lot of fun, and I do enjoy the physical work. I'm still very much a beginner at it, but I am learning.
This will be all for this time.
See you all on the other side!
See you all on the other side!
lördag 21 januari 2017
New experiences and wedding planning
Greetings from the other side.
It's been about two weeks since my last post. I guess part of it is a busy schedule and other things to think about, as well as possibly having fallen out of the habit of writing a blog a bit. I'll try to get back into it though, as I do enjoy it. It's a good way to communicate, and to write down the thoughts I have.
This might turn out to be a short-ish post though, as I have other things to do as well today.
I had my first attempts at using a chainsaw yesterday, helping my father-in-law to cut up some logs. It was quite fun. I enjoy working outside like that. :) I also think it is a good lesson to learn for the future, how to use a chainsaw properly, seeing as how I am probably going to be using it in my work at some point in the future, and possibly in my personal life cutting up firewood, etc.
My fiancee and I also went out for a date yesterday. We went to a restaurant together, something we haven't done in a while. We had a pleasant evening, and the food was great. We discussed plans for the upcoming wedding, the wedding budget, and such. I've never been to that restaurant before, but I enjoyed the atmosphere there. It was a cozy and slightly rustic place.
Today, my fiancee has gone off to a wedding fair ("bröllops mässa" in Swedish. Yes... I actually had to look up the translation for that using Google. So if the translation is wrong, blame my Google searching skills) together with a friend to look for more inspiration. I'm looking forward to hearing what she's found when she gets back. :)
I've also spent some time with my father-in-law in the woods helping him cut down trees, cut them up and then move them. Granted, he was the one handling the chainsaw as I hadn't yet even had my first try at it yet. It was fun though.
Right now it is a bit icy outside. I'd much prefer it if the ice would be replaced by a bit of snow. There's very little snow on the ground today. Almost feels like spring is on it's way, but we're only in January still. Feels a bit odd for the season.
I think I will end this post here for today. I'll try to get back with another post as soon as I can.
Until then, take care.
See you all on the other side!
It's been about two weeks since my last post. I guess part of it is a busy schedule and other things to think about, as well as possibly having fallen out of the habit of writing a blog a bit. I'll try to get back into it though, as I do enjoy it. It's a good way to communicate, and to write down the thoughts I have.
This might turn out to be a short-ish post though, as I have other things to do as well today.
I had my first attempts at using a chainsaw yesterday, helping my father-in-law to cut up some logs. It was quite fun. I enjoy working outside like that. :) I also think it is a good lesson to learn for the future, how to use a chainsaw properly, seeing as how I am probably going to be using it in my work at some point in the future, and possibly in my personal life cutting up firewood, etc.
My fiancee and I also went out for a date yesterday. We went to a restaurant together, something we haven't done in a while. We had a pleasant evening, and the food was great. We discussed plans for the upcoming wedding, the wedding budget, and such. I've never been to that restaurant before, but I enjoyed the atmosphere there. It was a cozy and slightly rustic place.
Today, my fiancee has gone off to a wedding fair ("bröllops mässa" in Swedish. Yes... I actually had to look up the translation for that using Google. So if the translation is wrong, blame my Google searching skills) together with a friend to look for more inspiration. I'm looking forward to hearing what she's found when she gets back. :)
I've also spent some time with my father-in-law in the woods helping him cut down trees, cut them up and then move them. Granted, he was the one handling the chainsaw as I hadn't yet even had my first try at it yet. It was fun though.
Right now it is a bit icy outside. I'd much prefer it if the ice would be replaced by a bit of snow. There's very little snow on the ground today. Almost feels like spring is on it's way, but we're only in January still. Feels a bit odd for the season.
I think I will end this post here for today. I'll try to get back with another post as soon as I can.
Until then, take care.
See you all on the other side!
lördag 7 januari 2017
Welcome to the new year!
Greetings from the other side.
And thus I return from the holiday season, bringing wishes of well-being and happiness for you all. I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years together with family, friends, loved ones, etc. I also hope that the new year will be a good one, for everyone on this blue marble in space that we live our lives upon. May this new year at least see the beginnings of an end to wars, abuse, poverty, loneliness, and all the other things that ails the world. At least that is what I hope for, and pray for.
The night before yesterday I sat up until 4 or 5 am playing a tabletop roleplaying game over the internet with my friends. It was so much fun, and I have missed it dearly. I don't get to do that too often these days. Then I ended up getting about 4 hours of sleep, before I got up because I had to be at work the next day. Granted, I didn't need to be there until 1 pm, but I had some other stuff to do before-hand as well. It is safe to say that I was pretty knackered by the end of the day. So early night for me last night and then I slept for about 10 hours. I guess my body needed it. It's good that the weekend is here now.
So, my last post was on December 20, which you can find here. Since then I have had my first Christmas here in Finland, and it was a fun and enjoyable time together with my fiancee and her family. Next year we will be celebrating Christmas with my family in Sweden, and then probably do an every-other-year kind of thing. Anyway, focus on this year, and this was the first time I had ever celebrated Christmas away from my family, so it was a bit of a strange feeling. In the end though, it was an enjoyable time surrounded by good people and a warm atmosphere. It is definitely something I am looking forward to do again another year! :)
Even the family dog, Bamse, got excited about Santa's visit and all the presents. Sadly I don't have a picture of him at that moment, but here's another picture of him taken on the same day at least:
He's a big Newfoundland boy, and at 10 years of age he is currently older than the average life-expectancy of dogs of his breed.
There were a few new food-items among the Christmas food that I hadn't tried before. I honestly don't know what to call most of them in English,so I won't attempt to. I will say however that I enjoyed everything that I tried.
Oh, and I also worked during Christmas service on Christmas Eve, as well as during mass on New Years Day.
Christmas Day was spent taking it easy and having lunch with my fiancee's parents. On Boxing Day (Annandag Jul in Swedish) we went to visit my fiancee's sister and her family.
In the days before New Years both my fiancee and her mother got ill. We had intended to celebrate New Years with my fiancee's parents, but in the end we went over for dinner and then went home again. My fiancee went to bed early and I stayed up chatting with friends online for a while. Luckily they are both feeling better now. Though her mother had to go to the hospital and was diagnosed with pneumonia, something which she has since then been going to the health clinic 3 times a day and gotten regular doses of antibiotics intravenously. My father-in-law and myself have luckily managed to stay healthy so far.
All in all it has been a good time, and I can look back to it with fond memories. Now we have a new year in front of us. Let's do the best we can out of it! :)
I wish you all a happy new year. May the new year bring happiness, peace and love to all.
Until next time.
See you all on the other side!
And thus I return from the holiday season, bringing wishes of well-being and happiness for you all. I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years together with family, friends, loved ones, etc. I also hope that the new year will be a good one, for everyone on this blue marble in space that we live our lives upon. May this new year at least see the beginnings of an end to wars, abuse, poverty, loneliness, and all the other things that ails the world. At least that is what I hope for, and pray for.
The night before yesterday I sat up until 4 or 5 am playing a tabletop roleplaying game over the internet with my friends. It was so much fun, and I have missed it dearly. I don't get to do that too often these days. Then I ended up getting about 4 hours of sleep, before I got up because I had to be at work the next day. Granted, I didn't need to be there until 1 pm, but I had some other stuff to do before-hand as well. It is safe to say that I was pretty knackered by the end of the day. So early night for me last night and then I slept for about 10 hours. I guess my body needed it. It's good that the weekend is here now.
So, my last post was on December 20, which you can find here. Since then I have had my first Christmas here in Finland, and it was a fun and enjoyable time together with my fiancee and her family. Next year we will be celebrating Christmas with my family in Sweden, and then probably do an every-other-year kind of thing. Anyway, focus on this year, and this was the first time I had ever celebrated Christmas away from my family, so it was a bit of a strange feeling. In the end though, it was an enjoyable time surrounded by good people and a warm atmosphere. It is definitely something I am looking forward to do again another year! :)
Even the family dog, Bamse, got excited about Santa's visit and all the presents. Sadly I don't have a picture of him at that moment, but here's another picture of him taken on the same day at least:
He's a big Newfoundland boy, and at 10 years of age he is currently older than the average life-expectancy of dogs of his breed.
There were a few new food-items among the Christmas food that I hadn't tried before. I honestly don't know what to call most of them in English,so I won't attempt to. I will say however that I enjoyed everything that I tried.
Oh, and I also worked during Christmas service on Christmas Eve, as well as during mass on New Years Day.
Christmas Day was spent taking it easy and having lunch with my fiancee's parents. On Boxing Day (Annandag Jul in Swedish) we went to visit my fiancee's sister and her family.
In the days before New Years both my fiancee and her mother got ill. We had intended to celebrate New Years with my fiancee's parents, but in the end we went over for dinner and then went home again. My fiancee went to bed early and I stayed up chatting with friends online for a while. Luckily they are both feeling better now. Though her mother had to go to the hospital and was diagnosed with pneumonia, something which she has since then been going to the health clinic 3 times a day and gotten regular doses of antibiotics intravenously. My father-in-law and myself have luckily managed to stay healthy so far.
All in all it has been a good time, and I can look back to it with fond memories. Now we have a new year in front of us. Let's do the best we can out of it! :)
I wish you all a happy new year. May the new year bring happiness, peace and love to all.
Until next time.
See you all on the other side!
tisdag 20 december 2016
Christmas time update
Greetings from the other side.
It's been a while, hasn't it? Since my last blog entry, I mean. I have been meaning to write, but things have gotten in the way or the energy just hasn't been there at the time to write something. Then again, it is Christmas time. Hopefully I will get the writing back on track soon again! :)
So, what's been going on since last time? Well...
We went over to visit my parents in Sweden over the weekend a couple of weeks ago. It was good to be back in Sweden again. Strange feeling coming home again after 4 months living in Finland, and a strange feeling going back to Finland again. I've always felt at home here in Finland, so it was a bit like leaving home in order to go home. I can't really describe the feeling any other way, and it wasn't like any other feeling I have felt before.
My fiancee and I also got to visit a couple of friends while we were there. It was good seeing them again. They had recently moved to a new apartment, and it was nice seeing their new place for the first time as well. :) I wish I could have visited more friends while I was there, but sadly there wasn't enough time. I guess there is always next time though! :)
As of December 15th I am done with the 4-month trial-period for my job and I am now a regular employee! :) In practice this doesn't really change anything. The trial period is only there to give the employer and myself a period to try each other out. It feels good that it is over though, as I am quite enjoying my job here. :)
Speaking of my work and the people I work with, we went out for Christmas lunch together last week. We went to a place where my father-in-law used to work. He can even be found on a painting there, together with 3 other chefs who worked there at the time.
Last weekend my fiancee and I, together with her parents, went for an hour-long drive to listen to a Christmas concert with my fiancee's brother's youth choir, which he is heading. It was really nice, with a live band and some really good singers. It was a really beautiful church as well. :) Well worth the long drive to get there.
My knee is finally well enough again that I have been able to roleplay (tabletop roleplaying) with my friends again! :) See, in order for me to do that I need to go upstairs since we usually play late in the evenings and my fiancee needs her sleep. So I can't really sit downstairs and play. But now that my knee is better I have been able to go upstairs and play again. For those who don't know, we play over the internet, using Skype to talk and a program called MapTools for maps, tokens, dice-rolling, etc. Works a treat when we are all scattered across the globe. Anyway, it is really good to be back playing again. I've missed it.
Time for me to head outside now and help bring in the Christmas tree. I hope you all are having a wonderful Advent-time and if I don't write again before Christmas I want to wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS! :)
See you all on the other side!
It's been a while, hasn't it? Since my last blog entry, I mean. I have been meaning to write, but things have gotten in the way or the energy just hasn't been there at the time to write something. Then again, it is Christmas time. Hopefully I will get the writing back on track soon again! :)
So, what's been going on since last time? Well...
We went over to visit my parents in Sweden over the weekend a couple of weeks ago. It was good to be back in Sweden again. Strange feeling coming home again after 4 months living in Finland, and a strange feeling going back to Finland again. I've always felt at home here in Finland, so it was a bit like leaving home in order to go home. I can't really describe the feeling any other way, and it wasn't like any other feeling I have felt before.
My fiancee and I also got to visit a couple of friends while we were there. It was good seeing them again. They had recently moved to a new apartment, and it was nice seeing their new place for the first time as well. :) I wish I could have visited more friends while I was there, but sadly there wasn't enough time. I guess there is always next time though! :)
As of December 15th I am done with the 4-month trial-period for my job and I am now a regular employee! :) In practice this doesn't really change anything. The trial period is only there to give the employer and myself a period to try each other out. It feels good that it is over though, as I am quite enjoying my job here. :)
Speaking of my work and the people I work with, we went out for Christmas lunch together last week. We went to a place where my father-in-law used to work. He can even be found on a painting there, together with 3 other chefs who worked there at the time.
Last weekend my fiancee and I, together with her parents, went for an hour-long drive to listen to a Christmas concert with my fiancee's brother's youth choir, which he is heading. It was really nice, with a live band and some really good singers. It was a really beautiful church as well. :) Well worth the long drive to get there.
My knee is finally well enough again that I have been able to roleplay (tabletop roleplaying) with my friends again! :) See, in order for me to do that I need to go upstairs since we usually play late in the evenings and my fiancee needs her sleep. So I can't really sit downstairs and play. But now that my knee is better I have been able to go upstairs and play again. For those who don't know, we play over the internet, using Skype to talk and a program called MapTools for maps, tokens, dice-rolling, etc. Works a treat when we are all scattered across the globe. Anyway, it is really good to be back playing again. I've missed it.
Time for me to head outside now and help bring in the Christmas tree. I hope you all are having a wonderful Advent-time and if I don't write again before Christmas I want to wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS! :)
See you all on the other side!
fredag 25 november 2016
Advent Sunday is a coming
Greetings from the other side.
As Advent Sunday approaches, the Christmas spirit is on the rise in this household. My fiancee has made gingerbread cookies, and Christmas music has slowly started to filter into the ambient atmosphere. Both of us are people who love this time of year. We have even got a bit of snow and frost outside today, which was a pleasant surprise to wake up to this morning. It isn't much, and you can still see blades of grass sticking out through the snow cover, but it is better than nothing. :)
I got calendar from Sweden in the mail today from EFS. For those who don't know, EFS is an independent organisation within the Church of Sweden, which focuses on missionary work, voluntary work, and every-day faith (according to the website. They can say it much better than I can. Though I had to translate it from Swedish, so hopefully my translation is acceptable). I spent two years at an EFS church in Umeå, Carlskyrkan, doing work-training, and even more time as a volunteer. It was a really good time in my life and I have a lot of fond memories. I met so many really good and wonderful people there, including the people I worked with. I am really thankful to all of them for giving me the opportunity to be there, and for receiving me with open arms! :)
I am happy that the calendar has arrived, because we were talking just the other day, my fiancee and I, how we needed one. :) It is now hanging on the wall above my desk at home.
On Sunday, which is Advent Sunday, I am scheduled to work at church at the service. I'm not sure what the job is called in English, but in Swedish we call it "Kyrkvärd". Basically, I make the preparations before the service, I make sure everything is where it needs to be, I handle the sound equipment, and just make sure everything is in order before, during and after. I've done it on a couple of occasions already, but I am still nervous because it is my first Advent Sunday and there is going to be a lot more people there. Wish me luck!
I've had to go back to my moving-boxes and rummage through them to find the Christmas CDs I brought with me from Sweden. I've only found two, but I am pretty sure there should be at least one more in there somewhere. Granted a couple of boxes at the back of everything could contain some CDs, but I didn't feel like bringing everything else out of storage just to get to them. Luckily my fiancee has quite a collection of Christmas music CDs that we can listen to as well.
See you all on the other side!
As Advent Sunday approaches, the Christmas spirit is on the rise in this household. My fiancee has made gingerbread cookies, and Christmas music has slowly started to filter into the ambient atmosphere. Both of us are people who love this time of year. We have even got a bit of snow and frost outside today, which was a pleasant surprise to wake up to this morning. It isn't much, and you can still see blades of grass sticking out through the snow cover, but it is better than nothing. :)
I got calendar from Sweden in the mail today from EFS. For those who don't know, EFS is an independent organisation within the Church of Sweden, which focuses on missionary work, voluntary work, and every-day faith (according to the website. They can say it much better than I can. Though I had to translate it from Swedish, so hopefully my translation is acceptable). I spent two years at an EFS church in Umeå, Carlskyrkan, doing work-training, and even more time as a volunteer. It was a really good time in my life and I have a lot of fond memories. I met so many really good and wonderful people there, including the people I worked with. I am really thankful to all of them for giving me the opportunity to be there, and for receiving me with open arms! :)
I am happy that the calendar has arrived, because we were talking just the other day, my fiancee and I, how we needed one. :) It is now hanging on the wall above my desk at home.
On Sunday, which is Advent Sunday, I am scheduled to work at church at the service. I'm not sure what the job is called in English, but in Swedish we call it "Kyrkvärd". Basically, I make the preparations before the service, I make sure everything is where it needs to be, I handle the sound equipment, and just make sure everything is in order before, during and after. I've done it on a couple of occasions already, but I am still nervous because it is my first Advent Sunday and there is going to be a lot more people there. Wish me luck!
I've had to go back to my moving-boxes and rummage through them to find the Christmas CDs I brought with me from Sweden. I've only found two, but I am pretty sure there should be at least one more in there somewhere. Granted a couple of boxes at the back of everything could contain some CDs, but I didn't feel like bringing everything else out of storage just to get to them. Luckily my fiancee has quite a collection of Christmas music CDs that we can listen to as well.
See you all on the other side!
torsdag 24 november 2016
2 new additions to the family
Greetings from the other side.
A few days ago my future in-laws got themselves 2 new additions to the family, in the shape of two little 9-week-old kittens. :) They are just adorable little bundles of cuteness and fun right now.
They have been named Molly and Freja, with Molly being the one sitting closest to my mother-in-law there in the picture above. So my fiancee and I have been pretty busy visiting and spending time with these two adorable newcomers in the family. :)
Took them a bit to get used to the family's Newfoundland dog as well. The poor things had never seen a dog before in their 9-week-old lives, so they were in for a bit of a shock. Luckily the dog, named Bamse, is one of the calmest dogs you will ever meet and he is also fairly used to cats from before. The cats however, weren't as calm as he was. You could see their different personalities in that moment though. Molly hissed at him, but stayed put, while Freja mostly wanted to run and hide. They've gotten used to him by now though, which is good.
Beyond that, it has been a fairly grey week over here. It's been raining, and even when it hasn't been raining it has still been fairly wet outside. As well as a bit windy. It has limited me a bit as to what work I have been able to do outside, but then again my knee is pretty thankful for it.
Speaking of the knee it has been getting better. Now it only complains if I put strain on it instead of all the time, which is a HUGE plus. :) I am hoping it will soon be well enough to not complain at all, but I am still taking it a bit easy because I know how easily I could accidentally aggravate it and make it worse again. Still, I am able to do more now than I was a week ago, which is a good feeling. :)
Yesterday, my fiancee and I started putting up Christmas decorations around the house. Feels good to get it all up, even though it took a bit of work. It looks nice, I have to say. I am really looking forward to our first ever Christmas together in the same place! :)
Until next time!
See you all on the other side!
A few days ago my future in-laws got themselves 2 new additions to the family, in the shape of two little 9-week-old kittens. :) They are just adorable little bundles of cuteness and fun right now.
They have been named Molly and Freja, with Molly being the one sitting closest to my mother-in-law there in the picture above. So my fiancee and I have been pretty busy visiting and spending time with these two adorable newcomers in the family. :)
Took them a bit to get used to the family's Newfoundland dog as well. The poor things had never seen a dog before in their 9-week-old lives, so they were in for a bit of a shock. Luckily the dog, named Bamse, is one of the calmest dogs you will ever meet and he is also fairly used to cats from before. The cats however, weren't as calm as he was. You could see their different personalities in that moment though. Molly hissed at him, but stayed put, while Freja mostly wanted to run and hide. They've gotten used to him by now though, which is good.
Beyond that, it has been a fairly grey week over here. It's been raining, and even when it hasn't been raining it has still been fairly wet outside. As well as a bit windy. It has limited me a bit as to what work I have been able to do outside, but then again my knee is pretty thankful for it.
Speaking of the knee it has been getting better. Now it only complains if I put strain on it instead of all the time, which is a HUGE plus. :) I am hoping it will soon be well enough to not complain at all, but I am still taking it a bit easy because I know how easily I could accidentally aggravate it and make it worse again. Still, I am able to do more now than I was a week ago, which is a good feeling. :)
Yesterday, my fiancee and I started putting up Christmas decorations around the house. Feels good to get it all up, even though it took a bit of work. It looks nice, I have to say. I am really looking forward to our first ever Christmas together in the same place! :)
Until next time!
See you all on the other side!
fredag 11 november 2016
Winter-clad greetings!
Greetings from the other side!
Ok. Time for my second attempt at this. I sat down to write my blog post and had gotten a fair bit into it when my laptop suddenly decided to erase everything I had written. Sadly I had not remembered to save it before hand. Not that that would really have mattered as the blog auto-saved just after everything was deleted so it was gone anyway. Oh well.
It has been almost a week now since my last blog post. It's been a busy week and I haven't really had the energy to sit down and write blog entries in that time. Today however is a day of rest of relaxation for me so I figured I would see if I could write something. Well, when I say "rest and relaxation" I neglect to mention that so far today I have already been to the chiropractor about my knee, been grocery shopping and ran some errands with my fiancee, and been called out on a short, job-related errand. Now though, I am back home and hopefully the rest of the day will be calm. Normally, doing things like that in a day is no big deal, but with my knee being a bit sore after the visit to the chiropractor, it's a slightly different story.
My knee has been getting better, but is still a bit stiff and swollen, so I went to the chiropractor to have a look at it. He treated it and for the next week or so I'll need to take it easy and be careful with it. I'll still be able to do my job, but I do need to take it a bit easy so I don't twist the knee or strain it excessively. Hopefully it will be completely well in about a week or two. Keeping my fingers crossed.
The first snow of winter has arrived here now. From talking to relatives and friends over on the Swedish side I know that they have been getting quite a lot of snow lately. I know that my dad has been shoveling snow quite a lot. We, however, have had some cold temperatures, but no snow. Until now. It's not huge amounts, but there's maybe a decimeter of snow. From what we've heard the weather should be getting a bit warmer again this week so we might see some rain and the snow will most likely melt away.
I am still keeping out hope that we will get a white Christmas this year though.
I have also been working a bit on the tabletop RPG world building project. The map-making has been at a bit of a stand-still, but I have been getting a bit of writing done, which I am pleased about. It is a good vent to have after a long day of work. Especially since I have a physical job it feels nice to exercise the brain instead from time to time. :)
I think that is enough for now.
See you all on the other side!
Ok. Time for my second attempt at this. I sat down to write my blog post and had gotten a fair bit into it when my laptop suddenly decided to erase everything I had written. Sadly I had not remembered to save it before hand. Not that that would really have mattered as the blog auto-saved just after everything was deleted so it was gone anyway. Oh well.
It has been almost a week now since my last blog post. It's been a busy week and I haven't really had the energy to sit down and write blog entries in that time. Today however is a day of rest of relaxation for me so I figured I would see if I could write something. Well, when I say "rest and relaxation" I neglect to mention that so far today I have already been to the chiropractor about my knee, been grocery shopping and ran some errands with my fiancee, and been called out on a short, job-related errand. Now though, I am back home and hopefully the rest of the day will be calm. Normally, doing things like that in a day is no big deal, but with my knee being a bit sore after the visit to the chiropractor, it's a slightly different story.
My knee has been getting better, but is still a bit stiff and swollen, so I went to the chiropractor to have a look at it. He treated it and for the next week or so I'll need to take it easy and be careful with it. I'll still be able to do my job, but I do need to take it a bit easy so I don't twist the knee or strain it excessively. Hopefully it will be completely well in about a week or two. Keeping my fingers crossed.
The first snow of winter has arrived here now. From talking to relatives and friends over on the Swedish side I know that they have been getting quite a lot of snow lately. I know that my dad has been shoveling snow quite a lot. We, however, have had some cold temperatures, but no snow. Until now. It's not huge amounts, but there's maybe a decimeter of snow. From what we've heard the weather should be getting a bit warmer again this week so we might see some rain and the snow will most likely melt away.
I am still keeping out hope that we will get a white Christmas this year though.
I have also been working a bit on the tabletop RPG world building project. The map-making has been at a bit of a stand-still, but I have been getting a bit of writing done, which I am pleased about. It is a good vent to have after a long day of work. Especially since I have a physical job it feels nice to exercise the brain instead from time to time. :)
I think that is enough for now.
See you all on the other side!
lördag 5 november 2016
All Saint's Day
Greetings from the other side.
Happy All Saint's Day to those who celebrate it. Yesterday evening, my fiancee and I went to the local graveyard together with her parents to, like many others, light candles in remembrance of loved ones and relatives who have passed. It was dark outside, and the graveyard was lit up only by the candles that people had put on the graves. It was very beautiful, and gave a sort of serene feeling inside. Even though it was a bit chilly outside, the beauty of it sort of made you warm on the inside anyway.
I have always liked All Saint's Day. It, much more than Halloween, was a part of my life as I grew up. I guess that is why it, with its quite remembrance and honoring of those who have died, hold a much more special place in my heart than Halloween ever has or will. I respect other people enjoying it, and it does seem like fun, but I guess since I didn't grow up with it it doesn't mean as much to me.
Today my fiancee and I, together with her parents, have sung in the local church with a temporary choir that was put together for All Saint's Day specifically. It was a nice ceremony, with remembering all those in our parish who have passed away in the past year. A candle being lit for each one, while the pastor reads their names out loud. I am happy I was able to be part of that, and I hope that our songs will have given those there some comfort.
The weather is beautiful outside, though a bit chilly. Currently it is -3,3 degrees Celsius, so not that bad but still starting to get a bit chilly. I am thinking I might go for a walk later if my knee is ok with it. It feels good to be able to take walks again. I've missed it when my knee-issues have been getting in the way.
Work has been going well. I just need to remember to let my knee rest from time to time and to think about how I lift and carry things, etc. It is quite enjoyable working outside this time of year. It is one of the things that I like about my job, that I get to work outside and get fresh air. In the winter time, however, there will be less work for me to do outside, so most of my work will take place indoors instead. Which, depending on how cold it gets outside, might be a good thing.
Now I am going to rest for a bit.
See you all on the other side!
Happy All Saint's Day to those who celebrate it. Yesterday evening, my fiancee and I went to the local graveyard together with her parents to, like many others, light candles in remembrance of loved ones and relatives who have passed. It was dark outside, and the graveyard was lit up only by the candles that people had put on the graves. It was very beautiful, and gave a sort of serene feeling inside. Even though it was a bit chilly outside, the beauty of it sort of made you warm on the inside anyway.
I have always liked All Saint's Day. It, much more than Halloween, was a part of my life as I grew up. I guess that is why it, with its quite remembrance and honoring of those who have died, hold a much more special place in my heart than Halloween ever has or will. I respect other people enjoying it, and it does seem like fun, but I guess since I didn't grow up with it it doesn't mean as much to me.
Today my fiancee and I, together with her parents, have sung in the local church with a temporary choir that was put together for All Saint's Day specifically. It was a nice ceremony, with remembering all those in our parish who have passed away in the past year. A candle being lit for each one, while the pastor reads their names out loud. I am happy I was able to be part of that, and I hope that our songs will have given those there some comfort.
The weather is beautiful outside, though a bit chilly. Currently it is -3,3 degrees Celsius, so not that bad but still starting to get a bit chilly. I am thinking I might go for a walk later if my knee is ok with it. It feels good to be able to take walks again. I've missed it when my knee-issues have been getting in the way.
Work has been going well. I just need to remember to let my knee rest from time to time and to think about how I lift and carry things, etc. It is quite enjoyable working outside this time of year. It is one of the things that I like about my job, that I get to work outside and get fresh air. In the winter time, however, there will be less work for me to do outside, so most of my work will take place indoors instead. Which, depending on how cold it gets outside, might be a good thing.
Now I am going to rest for a bit.
See you all on the other side!
söndag 30 oktober 2016
Halloween and life
Greetings from the other side.
Halloween is now upon us. Everywhere you look online there have been Halloween sales going on for he past week or two, and 'spooky' images and images of pumpkins carved in various ways have been popping up everywhere. I have to confess though I have never been that much into Halloween. I guess it is because it wasn't really a part of my childhood as such, I didn't really grow up trick-or-treating, and I don't really remember it being a 'thing' in general where I grew up until I was too old to really go trick-or-treating, etc. I get the idea behind it and the draw of it, but I just don't really feel very much about it when it comes down to it. I do think that I am probably a minority in that these days, which is fine. I don't mind Halloween as I think it is probably a fun holiday for kids, and grown-ups get a chance to be creative with their decorations. :)
I realize that I might sound like a really boring person, but hopefully I made it clear that I don't mind Halloween. All I am saying is that it isn't something that I grew up with so it doesn't really hold any special place in my heart. I can understand why others enjoy it though, but it has never been a big part of my life.
The sky is blue outside the windows for the second day running. It is beautiful. The air is cold and crisp as well. :) I really wish my knee was well so I could go out for a walk, but in the long run it is probably best that I stay inside and rest it until it is well again. I hope that will be soon because after something like four weeks I am getting a bit tired of it being like this. Granted, it has been better at times and worse at times, so it hasn't been all bad all the time. Which I am happy for. I just wish that it would go to being good ALL the time soon so I could start doing the things I want to do again, and help out more around the house and everything that goes into that.
Winter tires are finally on the car now, thanks to my father-in-law. I would have done it myself but because of my knee I really couldn't. He was also with me yesterday when I was working at a memorial service to help me out so I wouldn't strain my knee more than necessary. I am really thankful to him for that, and so is my knee. The knee was sore afterwards, but not as sore as it could have been. When we were driving there it was actually a bit slippery out on the roadway, and at one point the tires spun a bit. It wasn't too bad though, and we got there in one piece without any scares. I guess winter is on its way now. I have been told by a couple of people that they are expecting this winter to be really cold and bad. What I guess in Sweden we would call a 'varga vinter' (wolf's winter). We will see though. I remember last time I saw someone promise a "varga vinter" (the newspapers that time), while I was still living back home in Sweden, it turned out to be a really mild winter instead.
I think that's all for now. Time for me to go stretch my legs a bit. Need to still keep moving my legs from time to time so the knee doesn't get too stiff. I just need to be careful when I do it.
See you all on the other side!
Halloween is now upon us. Everywhere you look online there have been Halloween sales going on for he past week or two, and 'spooky' images and images of pumpkins carved in various ways have been popping up everywhere. I have to confess though I have never been that much into Halloween. I guess it is because it wasn't really a part of my childhood as such, I didn't really grow up trick-or-treating, and I don't really remember it being a 'thing' in general where I grew up until I was too old to really go trick-or-treating, etc. I get the idea behind it and the draw of it, but I just don't really feel very much about it when it comes down to it. I do think that I am probably a minority in that these days, which is fine. I don't mind Halloween as I think it is probably a fun holiday for kids, and grown-ups get a chance to be creative with their decorations. :)
I realize that I might sound like a really boring person, but hopefully I made it clear that I don't mind Halloween. All I am saying is that it isn't something that I grew up with so it doesn't really hold any special place in my heart. I can understand why others enjoy it though, but it has never been a big part of my life.
The sky is blue outside the windows for the second day running. It is beautiful. The air is cold and crisp as well. :) I really wish my knee was well so I could go out for a walk, but in the long run it is probably best that I stay inside and rest it until it is well again. I hope that will be soon because after something like four weeks I am getting a bit tired of it being like this. Granted, it has been better at times and worse at times, so it hasn't been all bad all the time. Which I am happy for. I just wish that it would go to being good ALL the time soon so I could start doing the things I want to do again, and help out more around the house and everything that goes into that.
Winter tires are finally on the car now, thanks to my father-in-law. I would have done it myself but because of my knee I really couldn't. He was also with me yesterday when I was working at a memorial service to help me out so I wouldn't strain my knee more than necessary. I am really thankful to him for that, and so is my knee. The knee was sore afterwards, but not as sore as it could have been. When we were driving there it was actually a bit slippery out on the roadway, and at one point the tires spun a bit. It wasn't too bad though, and we got there in one piece without any scares. I guess winter is on its way now. I have been told by a couple of people that they are expecting this winter to be really cold and bad. What I guess in Sweden we would call a 'varga vinter' (wolf's winter). We will see though. I remember last time I saw someone promise a "varga vinter" (the newspapers that time), while I was still living back home in Sweden, it turned out to be a really mild winter instead.
I think that's all for now. Time for me to go stretch my legs a bit. Need to still keep moving my legs from time to time so the knee doesn't get too stiff. I just need to be careful when I do it.
See you all on the other side!
torsdag 27 oktober 2016
The last couple of days - An update
Greetings from the other side.
Yesterday was the final work-day for me this week. At least going on my regular 60% schedule. I also have some extra work on Saturday. Which is good, because every little bit helps, really. :) I have gotten a lot of work done this week however, so it should be ok even if I don't work today or tomorrow.
I visited a naprapath ('naprapat' in Swedish. I translated it via Google. Though it seems about the same as a chiropractor.) today about my knee. I figured that since I have already seen a doctor about it and it hasn't gotten well yet I might as well try other options as well. I really don't have anything to loose. Hopefully the treatment he gave me will help, though I have been ordered a few days rest for the knee to allow the swelling to go down so I won't really know until after a few days. He also gave me some light exercises to help strengthen the muscles around my knee. Wish me luck!
I was thinking of not working Saturday to allow my knee to heal up better, but my father-in-law has promised to help me out, and it isn't as physically demanding as my regular job can be, so I should be fine as long as I take it easy and remember to rest when I can. I am lucky, and thankful, that he is able to come help me out though.
This evening my girlfriend and I are going, together with her parents, to go practicing with a temporary choir, that has been put together for one performance in church on All Saint's Day (Alla helgons dag), also known as All Hallow's Day according to Wikipedia. Luckily for my knee we will be sitting down the entire time, or most of the time at least. :)
Yesterday I spent some time practicing my map-making again. I am quite enjoying it. :) I have not had the time to do so today yet, but I might do it again this evening. It feels good to be back working on it again, as I have been feeling it is something I need to do for my continued world-building exercises.
Time for me to go get ready for this evening's choir practice.
See you all on the other side!
Yesterday was the final work-day for me this week. At least going on my regular 60% schedule. I also have some extra work on Saturday. Which is good, because every little bit helps, really. :) I have gotten a lot of work done this week however, so it should be ok even if I don't work today or tomorrow.
I visited a naprapath ('naprapat' in Swedish. I translated it via Google. Though it seems about the same as a chiropractor.) today about my knee. I figured that since I have already seen a doctor about it and it hasn't gotten well yet I might as well try other options as well. I really don't have anything to loose. Hopefully the treatment he gave me will help, though I have been ordered a few days rest for the knee to allow the swelling to go down so I won't really know until after a few days. He also gave me some light exercises to help strengthen the muscles around my knee. Wish me luck!
I was thinking of not working Saturday to allow my knee to heal up better, but my father-in-law has promised to help me out, and it isn't as physically demanding as my regular job can be, so I should be fine as long as I take it easy and remember to rest when I can. I am lucky, and thankful, that he is able to come help me out though.
This evening my girlfriend and I are going, together with her parents, to go practicing with a temporary choir, that has been put together for one performance in church on All Saint's Day (Alla helgons dag), also known as All Hallow's Day according to Wikipedia. Luckily for my knee we will be sitting down the entire time, or most of the time at least. :)
Yesterday I spent some time practicing my map-making again. I am quite enjoying it. :) I have not had the time to do so today yet, but I might do it again this evening. It feels good to be back working on it again, as I have been feeling it is something I need to do for my continued world-building exercises.
Time for me to go get ready for this evening's choir practice.
See you all on the other side!
torsdag 20 oktober 2016
A nice day & some thoughts
Greetings from the other side.
Today is the day my parents arrive for a visit from Sweden. Not sure what effect that will have on my blogging in the next few days, but if I have time I will try to post something at least.
It's been a busy but very good day so far. I had a really good day at work and got to spend the time there with some wonderful and kind people. :) After work we have been cleaning the house and getting everything ready for my parents arrival tonight. They will be bringing a few things over from Sweden for me. Things such as the winter tires for my car, a book case, and a few other pieces of furniture. Though I can honestly, at the time of writing this, not quite remember what it all was. Oh well, I will be reminded soon enough.
It has been a beautiful autumn day outside today. The sky is finally blue again after a few days of thick cloud cover, there's been very little wind and the outside air has felt crisp and cool. Today would have really been a perfect day for a long walk, if we had had the time to do so. Granted, I should probably rest my knee a bit when I am not working as well, to give it as much recovery as I can, so going for a walk might still have been out of question anyway.
Things have now calmed down in the house, and now we are just settling down to relax while we wait to go pick up my parents at the ferry terminal. 4½ hours worth of boat ride can be quite boring at times. Trust me, I know from experience. Though that can vary quite a lot. Some times it feels like the minutes are crawling by, and other times it actually goes by relatively quickly. I am fairly glad that my girlfriend and I don't have to make that journey every time we want to see each other anymore. It was well worth it at the time though, but it is nice to have reached another stage in our lives together, and not having to be apart like that anymore.
My old choir is performing in my old church this evening at a fair trade-themed music café that is being held there. I really wish I could go and listen to them, and meet my old friends. Unfortunately that is not possible, but I wish them all the best.
That's it for me for this time.
See you all on the other side!
Today is the day my parents arrive for a visit from Sweden. Not sure what effect that will have on my blogging in the next few days, but if I have time I will try to post something at least.
It's been a busy but very good day so far. I had a really good day at work and got to spend the time there with some wonderful and kind people. :) After work we have been cleaning the house and getting everything ready for my parents arrival tonight. They will be bringing a few things over from Sweden for me. Things such as the winter tires for my car, a book case, and a few other pieces of furniture. Though I can honestly, at the time of writing this, not quite remember what it all was. Oh well, I will be reminded soon enough.
It has been a beautiful autumn day outside today. The sky is finally blue again after a few days of thick cloud cover, there's been very little wind and the outside air has felt crisp and cool. Today would have really been a perfect day for a long walk, if we had had the time to do so. Granted, I should probably rest my knee a bit when I am not working as well, to give it as much recovery as I can, so going for a walk might still have been out of question anyway.
Things have now calmed down in the house, and now we are just settling down to relax while we wait to go pick up my parents at the ferry terminal. 4½ hours worth of boat ride can be quite boring at times. Trust me, I know from experience. Though that can vary quite a lot. Some times it feels like the minutes are crawling by, and other times it actually goes by relatively quickly. I am fairly glad that my girlfriend and I don't have to make that journey every time we want to see each other anymore. It was well worth it at the time though, but it is nice to have reached another stage in our lives together, and not having to be apart like that anymore.
My old choir is performing in my old church this evening at a fair trade-themed music café that is being held there. I really wish I could go and listen to them, and meet my old friends. Unfortunately that is not possible, but I wish them all the best.
That's it for me for this time.
See you all on the other side!
måndag 17 oktober 2016
A special day
Greetings from the other side.
This will be a fairly short post. It has been a wonderful day, but also a long day, so I'm a bit tired.
Today has been a busy day for me, but also a day filled with good feelings.
It was the first day back at work having been on sick-leave last week due to my knee. Lots of things to do this week, but got off to a good start. The weather didn't quite cooperate, being a bit windy and chilly with cloud cover so you didn't really see the sun or the sky much, but it was ok anyway. It felt good being back, and good to be working and doing something again. I think this past week of immobility made it a pure joy to be able to do stuff again. I've really missed it. The knee still feels a bit tender and stiff, but I am able to work and do all that stuff as long as I am a bit careful. It hasn't gotten worse from working today, which is positive. Today went fine, so now I am resting my leg for another day of work tomorrow.
Today is also my birthday, and we've had guests over for dinner and coffee. It was really nice and everyone was in good spirits. It is always a pleasure spending time with my girlfriend's parents and siblings and their families. They are all so easy to get along with, honest and really good people. My girlfriend had made a ham and cheese pie for dinner, and then a healthy version (raw food) of a mars-bar cake, which was delicious. :) I am blessed to have her in my life, and she truly helped make this day a special one.
See you all on the other side!
This will be a fairly short post. It has been a wonderful day, but also a long day, so I'm a bit tired.
Today has been a busy day for me, but also a day filled with good feelings.
It was the first day back at work having been on sick-leave last week due to my knee. Lots of things to do this week, but got off to a good start. The weather didn't quite cooperate, being a bit windy and chilly with cloud cover so you didn't really see the sun or the sky much, but it was ok anyway. It felt good being back, and good to be working and doing something again. I think this past week of immobility made it a pure joy to be able to do stuff again. I've really missed it. The knee still feels a bit tender and stiff, but I am able to work and do all that stuff as long as I am a bit careful. It hasn't gotten worse from working today, which is positive. Today went fine, so now I am resting my leg for another day of work tomorrow.
Today is also my birthday, and we've had guests over for dinner and coffee. It was really nice and everyone was in good spirits. It is always a pleasure spending time with my girlfriend's parents and siblings and their families. They are all so easy to get along with, honest and really good people. My girlfriend had made a ham and cheese pie for dinner, and then a healthy version (raw food) of a mars-bar cake, which was delicious. :) I am blessed to have her in my life, and she truly helped make this day a special one.
See you all on the other side!
söndag 16 oktober 2016
An eventful weekend
Greetings from the other side.
This has been a fairly eventful weekend, but also a weekend filled with a lot of joy, music, good food and good people.
Yesterday my girlfriend and I went together with her parents to sing with a choir that they are in. It was my first time rehearsing with this choir, so I was a bit nervous. However I soon felt right at home. Everyone was incredibly nice and friendly, and there were a lot of familiar faces there as well, including some other members of my girlfriend's family, such as both her siblings and their spouses. It was a good feeling being back singing with a choir again. Though I admit it was a bit of a tough start. One afternoon to practice 8 new songs and then performing them in church after dinner. Luckily, being part of a choir you can hide a little bit, but I think I did alright anyway and didn't need to 'fake it' almost any. We also had a very energetic choir leader who was smiling the entire way through and did her best to spread positive energy to us all. Besides her, My girlfriend's brother was also playing the piano for us when we were singing in church. I have to say he is a really great pianist, and it was a joy hearing him play. We could probably not have sung a single song, and the church would still have been filled with wonderful music from his playing.
All in all it was a very positive experience and I am looking forward to next time we meet. :) Unfortunately it seems that this choir only meet up once a month, or every other month, or something like that. I am not entirely sure.
I have missed being in a choir and singing. I used to be part of a choir back home in Umeå called Cantare. I had roughly 3 years with them, and it was nothing but a joy. :) Though that choir met and practiced once a week, so with this new choir I am probably going to need to do more practicing at home instead.
Today we have just gotten back home from fist visiting church and then the church hall. There were a lot of people there today as they had some visitors from abroad. All in all it has been a nice day. I love meeting new people and so far everyone I have met here in Finland have been nice and friendly. My girlfriend was also scheduled to sing today, which she did really well. She had her brother playing the piano as she sang as well.
We are still getting people come up to us to congratulate us on our engagement, which is nice. People seem truly happy for us, and we are very happy for that.
Tomorrow is the beginning of a new week, and I return to work once again. I will probably take it easy in the beginning and see how my knee responds, but it should be alright. It feels good to be back to being able to do things again. Having an injured knee really hampers your ability to do things.
See you all on the other side!
This has been a fairly eventful weekend, but also a weekend filled with a lot of joy, music, good food and good people.
Yesterday my girlfriend and I went together with her parents to sing with a choir that they are in. It was my first time rehearsing with this choir, so I was a bit nervous. However I soon felt right at home. Everyone was incredibly nice and friendly, and there were a lot of familiar faces there as well, including some other members of my girlfriend's family, such as both her siblings and their spouses. It was a good feeling being back singing with a choir again. Though I admit it was a bit of a tough start. One afternoon to practice 8 new songs and then performing them in church after dinner. Luckily, being part of a choir you can hide a little bit, but I think I did alright anyway and didn't need to 'fake it' almost any. We also had a very energetic choir leader who was smiling the entire way through and did her best to spread positive energy to us all. Besides her, My girlfriend's brother was also playing the piano for us when we were singing in church. I have to say he is a really great pianist, and it was a joy hearing him play. We could probably not have sung a single song, and the church would still have been filled with wonderful music from his playing.
All in all it was a very positive experience and I am looking forward to next time we meet. :) Unfortunately it seems that this choir only meet up once a month, or every other month, or something like that. I am not entirely sure.
I have missed being in a choir and singing. I used to be part of a choir back home in Umeå called Cantare. I had roughly 3 years with them, and it was nothing but a joy. :) Though that choir met and practiced once a week, so with this new choir I am probably going to need to do more practicing at home instead.
Today we have just gotten back home from fist visiting church and then the church hall. There were a lot of people there today as they had some visitors from abroad. All in all it has been a nice day. I love meeting new people and so far everyone I have met here in Finland have been nice and friendly. My girlfriend was also scheduled to sing today, which she did really well. She had her brother playing the piano as she sang as well.
We are still getting people come up to us to congratulate us on our engagement, which is nice. People seem truly happy for us, and we are very happy for that.
Tomorrow is the beginning of a new week, and I return to work once again. I will probably take it easy in the beginning and see how my knee responds, but it should be alright. It feels good to be back to being able to do things again. Having an injured knee really hampers your ability to do things.
See you all on the other side!
måndag 10 oktober 2016
A short update
Greetings from the other side.
This will have to be a shorter post unfortunatelly.
Yesterday was a good day. We had friends and family over for coffee to celebrate my girlfriend and I getting engaged. A good time was had by all in my humble opinion. Sadly my family or friends from Sweden were unable to attend, but as I think I mentioned in my previous post, we will celebrate with them as and when they are able to come over for a visit. We already have my parents coming here at the end of this month, which we are excited about.
In less exciting news my knee is still not well, so I have been to see a doctor about it and I am now officially on sick-leave until Sunday. I am under instruction to take it easy and rest my knee as much as possible. I hope it will be better by Sunday, so I can go back to work again. Feels strange sitting home when I know there are things that need to get done. I am trying not to to think about it though, and not to let it get to me. There is no point in me stressing over it, as I can't really do much about it anyway.
I can't wait until my knee is well again. Not just because of work, but also just simple things like being able to help out in every day life. Things you normally take for granted that you are able to do suddenly aren't so simple anymore. Luckily it is something that can get better again.
That's it for me for today, I think.
See you all on the other side!
This will have to be a shorter post unfortunatelly.
Yesterday was a good day. We had friends and family over for coffee to celebrate my girlfriend and I getting engaged. A good time was had by all in my humble opinion. Sadly my family or friends from Sweden were unable to attend, but as I think I mentioned in my previous post, we will celebrate with them as and when they are able to come over for a visit. We already have my parents coming here at the end of this month, which we are excited about.
In less exciting news my knee is still not well, so I have been to see a doctor about it and I am now officially on sick-leave until Sunday. I am under instruction to take it easy and rest my knee as much as possible. I hope it will be better by Sunday, so I can go back to work again. Feels strange sitting home when I know there are things that need to get done. I am trying not to to think about it though, and not to let it get to me. There is no point in me stressing over it, as I can't really do much about it anyway.
I can't wait until my knee is well again. Not just because of work, but also just simple things like being able to help out in every day life. Things you normally take for granted that you are able to do suddenly aren't so simple anymore. Luckily it is something that can get better again.
That's it for me for today, I think.
See you all on the other side!
måndag 3 oktober 2016
Tales of a mixed weekend
Greetings from the other side.
The weekend went by in a flash, or at least it felt like it did. On Saturday my girlfriend and I went together with her mother to a music café. It was really enjoyable with good music, nice people, and a pizza buffé. The only downside to the evening was that I somehow managed to hurt my knee. Again. Same one that has been hurt before. I didn't really do anything to cause it either, as far as I have been able to work out. As I got out of the car when we arrived there, my knee suddenly started feeling stiff and sore. It is still sore, stiff, and feels swollen even though it doesn't look it. From what we have been able to work out it seems to be some kind of inflammation or similar thing in the places where the muscles attach to the knee. It's a bit difficult for me to explain in english, but hopefully that made enough sense.
Luckily though, it has been slightly better today than it was yesterday and on Saturday, so I am hoping it will keep getting better from now on. It does restrict me a bit in my work, which sucks, but at least I am able to work, just not at a very fast pace and I need to be careful so I don't put too much (or any really) unnecessary strain on my knee while I do it.
When you have an 'injury' like this you quickly realize how much it affects you in your job and in your everyday life. I can't wait until my knee is better again.
Yesterday was spent resting and taking it easy. The knee meant I wasn't going to be very mobile anyway. My girlfriend and I got our engagement photos taken by a friend of hers, and later I got some work done on the world-building, as well as on some game mechanics for the tabletop RPG stuff.
We also got the bookcase assembled and put up yesterday, and it currently has about 3½ shelves filled with binders and my tabletop RPG books and boxes.
We had our first 'proper' frost night last night. By that I mean, we might have had other cold nights with degrees dropping well below zero degrees Celcius before, but this is the first night I can remember where the temperature was still below zero when I woke up this morning. Only -1 but still. Second morning so far (though not in a row) where I have had to scrape the windows free of ice on my car before I drove off to work.
See you all on the other side!
The weekend went by in a flash, or at least it felt like it did. On Saturday my girlfriend and I went together with her mother to a music café. It was really enjoyable with good music, nice people, and a pizza buffé. The only downside to the evening was that I somehow managed to hurt my knee. Again. Same one that has been hurt before. I didn't really do anything to cause it either, as far as I have been able to work out. As I got out of the car when we arrived there, my knee suddenly started feeling stiff and sore. It is still sore, stiff, and feels swollen even though it doesn't look it. From what we have been able to work out it seems to be some kind of inflammation or similar thing in the places where the muscles attach to the knee. It's a bit difficult for me to explain in english, but hopefully that made enough sense.
Luckily though, it has been slightly better today than it was yesterday and on Saturday, so I am hoping it will keep getting better from now on. It does restrict me a bit in my work, which sucks, but at least I am able to work, just not at a very fast pace and I need to be careful so I don't put too much (or any really) unnecessary strain on my knee while I do it.
When you have an 'injury' like this you quickly realize how much it affects you in your job and in your everyday life. I can't wait until my knee is better again.
Yesterday was spent resting and taking it easy. The knee meant I wasn't going to be very mobile anyway. My girlfriend and I got our engagement photos taken by a friend of hers, and later I got some work done on the world-building, as well as on some game mechanics for the tabletop RPG stuff.
We also got the bookcase assembled and put up yesterday, and it currently has about 3½ shelves filled with binders and my tabletop RPG books and boxes.
We had our first 'proper' frost night last night. By that I mean, we might have had other cold nights with degrees dropping well below zero degrees Celcius before, but this is the first night I can remember where the temperature was still below zero when I woke up this morning. Only -1 but still. Second morning so far (though not in a row) where I have had to scrape the windows free of ice on my car before I drove off to work.
See you all on the other side!
lördag 1 oktober 2016
Cell Phone Adventures & Life
Greetings from the other side.
The weekend is here again, after another week of work. Starting on Monday things will be a bit different for me as my job now goes down to 60%. I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I have more time on my hands to do other things, and admittedly some of those things will probably involve more work in other places. On the other hand my salary also goes down to 60%. That is less good, but as I said I can fill it out with working extra at other places, so we should be fine.
We had a lot of errands to run yesterday. Included in that list of errands were to get me a finnish cell phone so that the people living here wouldn't have to call 'abroad' every time they were trying to reach me on my swedish phone. Turns out it isn't that simple to get a phone when you are newly arrived here in Finland. I can buy a cell phone if I pay the whole sum for it up-front, something we had decided was too big a sum to splash on a phone right now, all things considered. That just left us with one option: paying in installments. Granted, they did have that option - you could buy one and pay over 6 or 10 months - but it requires me to have lived in Finland for a minimum of 3 years. 3 years. To buy a cell phone. And my girlfriend couldn't get it in her name either as she is currently recovering from her burn out and is thus, technically, still considered unemployed. The fact that I have employment, a salary, and would have no problems paying for it didn't matter at all. So technically together we meet all the pre-requisites: I have a steady job and a steady income, and she has lived here all her life. Unfortunatelly that wasn't enough.
We are still going to try calling and asking Sonera (service provider) whether there is something we can do with them. Why Sonera? Because of the fact that with them I can call in all the Nordic countries (or it might just be Sweden and Finland, I'd have to double-check) without paying extra. If that doesn't work I might just have to buy the phone at some point when I am back home in Sweden visiting instead. Which, considering I will now only be working 60% in my main job, will probably be a bit easier to find time for.
The weather has been pretty up-and-down this past week. We've had a rainstorm one day, sunshine the next day, storm winds the following day, etc etc. You can definately tell that the autumn is here. It is quite beautiful out here this time of year with the trees donning their autumn-dresses. Especially when set against a clear, blue sky.
The house is getting into better and better shape with regards to the two floors. Soon we will hopefully be able to have people from Sweden come over to visit, something I am definately looking forward to! :) We have brought in the book case now which will get assembled soon.
That's it from me for this time.
See you all on the other side!
The weekend is here again, after another week of work. Starting on Monday things will be a bit different for me as my job now goes down to 60%. I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I have more time on my hands to do other things, and admittedly some of those things will probably involve more work in other places. On the other hand my salary also goes down to 60%. That is less good, but as I said I can fill it out with working extra at other places, so we should be fine.
We had a lot of errands to run yesterday. Included in that list of errands were to get me a finnish cell phone so that the people living here wouldn't have to call 'abroad' every time they were trying to reach me on my swedish phone. Turns out it isn't that simple to get a phone when you are newly arrived here in Finland. I can buy a cell phone if I pay the whole sum for it up-front, something we had decided was too big a sum to splash on a phone right now, all things considered. That just left us with one option: paying in installments. Granted, they did have that option - you could buy one and pay over 6 or 10 months - but it requires me to have lived in Finland for a minimum of 3 years. 3 years. To buy a cell phone. And my girlfriend couldn't get it in her name either as she is currently recovering from her burn out and is thus, technically, still considered unemployed. The fact that I have employment, a salary, and would have no problems paying for it didn't matter at all. So technically together we meet all the pre-requisites: I have a steady job and a steady income, and she has lived here all her life. Unfortunatelly that wasn't enough.
We are still going to try calling and asking Sonera (service provider) whether there is something we can do with them. Why Sonera? Because of the fact that with them I can call in all the Nordic countries (or it might just be Sweden and Finland, I'd have to double-check) without paying extra. If that doesn't work I might just have to buy the phone at some point when I am back home in Sweden visiting instead. Which, considering I will now only be working 60% in my main job, will probably be a bit easier to find time for.
The weather has been pretty up-and-down this past week. We've had a rainstorm one day, sunshine the next day, storm winds the following day, etc etc. You can definately tell that the autumn is here. It is quite beautiful out here this time of year with the trees donning their autumn-dresses. Especially when set against a clear, blue sky.
The house is getting into better and better shape with regards to the two floors. Soon we will hopefully be able to have people from Sweden come over to visit, something I am definately looking forward to! :) We have brought in the book case now which will get assembled soon.
That's it from me for this time.
See you all on the other side!
torsdag 29 september 2016
Energy levels & Thoughts
Greetings from the other side.
I finally seem to have my energy back again. It has been very strange how my energy-levels have been coming and going in the last couple of weeks. Hopefully it is back to stay now, as it has been affecting me quite a lot. I have soldiered on as best I have been able to, but admittedly some times I have been working at half-speed because of it. :-/ I have been able to do my job and do the tasks I am required to do, but I would have much rather been doing it with my normal energy rather than feeling like I'd rather go lie down and rest. Keeping my fingers crossed that my energy-levels have stabilized now.
Going through a period of time like that makes you realize how important it is to be able to feel like you have the energy to do things. Not tired like you haven't been sleeping even though you have been making sure that you get the required amount of sleep. It's a weird thing because no matter how much you sleep you still feel like you haven't been sleeping much at all. I wasn't showing any other symptoms either, like fever or anything like that which might have helped explain the sudden lack of energy.
Besides that though, I have been doing alright. Things are going well at work and I am still feeling like I am growing with the job. I have had a chance to meet a lot of wonderful people, and it is always a pleasure talking to them. Today I was helping out at a meet-up for people above the age of 60, and I really enjoyed it. They were really friendly and it was a joy helping out.
Only cloud on my work-related 'sky' is that, starting on Monday, my job goes down from 100% to 60%. I will probably be able to fill out the rest by working extra in other places, etc, however. So my girlfriend and I should be able to manage.
I am hoping that my energy-levels will remain at their normal level from now on.
See you all on the other side!
I finally seem to have my energy back again. It has been very strange how my energy-levels have been coming and going in the last couple of weeks. Hopefully it is back to stay now, as it has been affecting me quite a lot. I have soldiered on as best I have been able to, but admittedly some times I have been working at half-speed because of it. :-/ I have been able to do my job and do the tasks I am required to do, but I would have much rather been doing it with my normal energy rather than feeling like I'd rather go lie down and rest. Keeping my fingers crossed that my energy-levels have stabilized now.
Going through a period of time like that makes you realize how important it is to be able to feel like you have the energy to do things. Not tired like you haven't been sleeping even though you have been making sure that you get the required amount of sleep. It's a weird thing because no matter how much you sleep you still feel like you haven't been sleeping much at all. I wasn't showing any other symptoms either, like fever or anything like that which might have helped explain the sudden lack of energy.
Besides that though, I have been doing alright. Things are going well at work and I am still feeling like I am growing with the job. I have had a chance to meet a lot of wonderful people, and it is always a pleasure talking to them. Today I was helping out at a meet-up for people above the age of 60, and I really enjoyed it. They were really friendly and it was a joy helping out.
Only cloud on my work-related 'sky' is that, starting on Monday, my job goes down from 100% to 60%. I will probably be able to fill out the rest by working extra in other places, etc, however. So my girlfriend and I should be able to manage.
I am hoping that my energy-levels will remain at their normal level from now on.
See you all on the other side!
måndag 26 september 2016
An update
Greetings from the other side.
This will probably be a short update, as I am a bit short on time and energy today.
The last few days have been eventful. I proposed to my girlfriend on Friday, and I got a yes! :) YAY! We went out and bought the rings and now we are settling into our new, engaged, life together. It feels wonderful!
Not sure what is wrong with me today, but I am severely lacking in energy, and have been all day. I hope I am not coming down with something now. :-/ Will probably make an extra early night tonight and hope that I feel better tomorrow.
This is my last week working 100% at my current job. Starting next week, and for the coming 6 months, my job is at 60%. I will be able to work extra in other places to make up for it, but it still feels like a bit of a hassle. Oh well. It could be worse. At least we are healthy, happy, and we know we'll survive on the lower income.
I am starting to feel very much at home here in Finland now. :) My biggest hurdle is still learning the finnish language. Considering it belongs to a different language group than Swedish, that I haven't studied any language like it before, and that I am somewhat limited in when I actually have time to study, I have a feeling it is going to be a slow process for me. I'm still going to try though! :)
I think that will be all for now. I'll return with a better post later when I have my energy back.
See you all on the other side!
This will probably be a short update, as I am a bit short on time and energy today.
The last few days have been eventful. I proposed to my girlfriend on Friday, and I got a yes! :) YAY! We went out and bought the rings and now we are settling into our new, engaged, life together. It feels wonderful!
Not sure what is wrong with me today, but I am severely lacking in energy, and have been all day. I hope I am not coming down with something now. :-/ Will probably make an extra early night tonight and hope that I feel better tomorrow.
This is my last week working 100% at my current job. Starting next week, and for the coming 6 months, my job is at 60%. I will be able to work extra in other places to make up for it, but it still feels like a bit of a hassle. Oh well. It could be worse. At least we are healthy, happy, and we know we'll survive on the lower income.
I am starting to feel very much at home here in Finland now. :) My biggest hurdle is still learning the finnish language. Considering it belongs to a different language group than Swedish, that I haven't studied any language like it before, and that I am somewhat limited in when I actually have time to study, I have a feeling it is going to be a slow process for me. I'm still going to try though! :)
I think that will be all for now. I'll return with a better post later when I have my energy back.
See you all on the other side!
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