A month later and here I am again. Guess I can't stay away. :-) End of 2017. I guess a little reflection of the year is in order.

Don't know really where to start. :-) It's been a pretty good year, most of it. Apart from the autumn this year. Less good that one.

Early 2017 was good. The winter-part and the spring-part. I do work a lot, and I do enjoy it.

I feel like I started to grow into my professional role a lot this year over all. And it started this year, pretty much. I feel more confident. And I know what to do, how to do it.

One thing I do know though, and I am working on it, is that I want to do to much. I have a lot of ideas. Things I want to do at work. But there's never enough time, you know? I did get more time this year. Before I worked only 30 hours a week at the school and 10 hours at a neighboring library. This year I got 40 hours to work only in the school, so that's good. More time. But there's never enough time when you are the sole responsible for EVERYTHING at a workplace, is it? :-)

So this autumn it just got a bit to much with work, family and everything. Usually the autumn blues does not effect me. I've never suffered from it. But this year... This year it hit. Hard. Hard as fuck. Depressed friends told me I showed signs of depression, and that might be true. I had no energy for anything. And I pulled back from socializing with anyone at all, even my best friend. And I stopped logging into my chat programs. Which I used to do a lot before. I just didn't have the energy. I didn't have any energy left at all when I came home from work, and I constantly felt like I lacked there to, despite my boss and colleagues telling me otherwise. The teachers and other staff at school think I do a great job to, but at that time I couldn't take that in. So that was not a fun part of 2017.

And lets not start on the political climate in the world these days. That's a depressing state for sure. Fuck Trump. And that's all I'll say on that, or this post will be even more of a downer.

The Swedish political climate isn't to much fun either, since Sverige Demokraterna, which is the alt-right here in Sweden has far to much power. And is gaining it. And there's far to many areas in Sweden where crime is running rampant (and the school I'm working in is in one of them areas...), but trying to beat it with racism is not the answer. Racism and hate never is.

*sigh* So that was the less than good part about this post, but it's reality, so that's that.

But despite how I've felt about my job, I do like it! Even though I struggle with my hooligans, when I'm alone with them, they're so nice to talk to! It's when they come in a group, things get crazy. And the other kids/teens at the school are WONDERFUL! There's about 700 kids/teens at the school now, and the hooligans are around... 10-15 kids/teens. Soooo many refugee kids though, or children of refugees. Hence why I work my ass off to make sure they get the best possible help to make it here in Sweden. To do that, you need to know how to read...

As you can see much of my life is... work...

Then there's Alexandra, of course. The best thing in my life. :-) She grows SO FAST! It's crazy! And she's growing up to be a really good kid. :-) Spoiled, yes. Both grandma's really do love to spoil her rotten. *lol* No wonder my MIL wants to, since Alexandra is her only grandkid. :-)

She cares a lot of her friends and her cousins. She really loves them. So I hope when she starts school she'll have her friends in the same class. Fingers crossed. Her big cousin Tilda, who is 10 years old, is Alexandras big idol. She follows her like a little puppy when we're at the same spot, and she learns a lot from her.

One thing she's really gotten from Tilda is the love off horses. Alexandra started riding this year, and she has really taken to it! She's always been very shy, but not when she's at the stable. She's really outgoing there, and not afraid of the horses at all. :-D At this riding school you don't only learn how to ride on the horse, but also how to take care of the horse. The whole thing. And she's not afraid to get her hands dirty. Not at all. So that's really impressive! And she's getting really good at riding to, for her age. :-D So I'm totally happy with driving her to the stable once a week. Eventually there'll be more than once a week, I know. But I'm fine with it, since it seems to be good for her, not only physically but mentally to! And she loves it! Win-win!

Her teachers/caregivers at daycare says she is doing really well at daycare to, she's popular with the other kids. She likes to learn new things. To try new things and to explore. And to help her friends when needed. Only time she ends up cranky is when she can't run the games she does with her friends. I think that comes from her being an only child and always deciding the games herself at home.

Another bad thing is that she's inherited two bad qualities from me and Peting... My tendency to 'disappear' in my fantasies, to the point I dream while being awake and not hear or see what's going on around me. So people have to touch me or call out for me to snap me out of it. Alexandra does this to, especially when tired, morning or evening.

Another thing, that she got from Peting, is her absolutely HORRID morning-temper! Now, I don't expect anyone to be cheerful at 6am in the morning which is the time I wake her up, but my GAWD! There's some serious fights quite often when she just refuses to do anything at all, and fights and hits me to get out of it. I've been brought to tears some mornings because I've been so frustrated and this autumn and winter I've been late for work nearly every morning. :-/ Peting is like that to. Well, he is not fighting, but I do avoid going into the kitchen until he's taken a seat and started on his breakfast. Just saying.

Right, so... This last month or two, I've started doing a lot better. I even start feeling an urge to go back to the vampire-LARP, which we stopped doing as well this year. We took a break, but now I'm started to feel energy and urge to go back to that to. They've done a restart this year, so instead of vampires in the modern age, the LARP is now set in the medieval times. Medieval vampires... We'll see if I can figure something out for it. I've noticed that many of the LARPers that moved away from this city for work and education has started to move back again. It would be fun to play against them again. :-)

So as you can see, even though this year has been tougher than previous years, I'm still going out on top. At least that's how it feels like to me. :-) I do have hopes for 2018. Alexandra is starting school! So that's going to be interesting! Onward to 2018!

Books, movies, tv-shows... I'll just have to make a separate post for that! Kudos if anyone had the energy to read through all that!

I made a deal with hexenhasel today to be better at posting, and I'll try to do that. I'm not sure I can jump back so far to catch up, so if there's any post you want me to read specificlly, link to it in a comment or just tell me whatever you want me to know. :-) I'll jump back until December 1'st, and then keep up from that.

This entry is cross posted between LJ and DW. Comment where you are comfortable.

Well, talk about an LJ-kerfuffle this time. I don't even know what to make off it... I see friends, long time friends disappearing.

It hurts a bit, I won't lie. Although, I do understand why. The TOS from LJ is a bit... weird and creepy, for sure. And not exactly kind to any LGBT people what with the view Russia has of the same. :-/ So I get it. I do. The servers AND the company has been in Russia for YEARS, it's just with these TOS it's become more apparent, I suppose.

I'll stay though, but expand. I'll be active on both Dreamwidth AND Livejournal. To me being active on both places, that are so alike, is no different to me than being active on both Twitter and Plurk. Those two are basically the same to. *shrug*

Me biggest concern with all this was how users would handle each other...

I've been on LJ since 2003. The crazy that has been going on on Livejournal during those years could fill a damn book. Not to mention the way the users and employees has acted.

So I was worried those that decided to stay would be getting shit from those that left Livejournal. And vice versa, of course. Those that left would be getting shit from those that stayed.

To my relief though, I've not seen a HUGE amount of that. Of course, it's been hinted at, but only a little. So I was expecting worse there. Sometimes I'm glad to be wrong.

Long time friends can follow me on either Livejournal OR Dreamwidth. I'll continue to crosspost. You're free to comment wherever you wish.

Just be kind and respectful to everyones choices.

This entry is crossposted between LJ and DW. Comment where you are comfortable.

No one should be surprised over this... ;-) Here's a sharing post!

This will be in a jumble I am sure. *lol* Anyway...

First up, I really like this sign language translators view on her work. I really do. :-) I'd love to see her work on a concert one day!

Meet the interpreter who has signed for the Wu-Tang Clan, Killer Mike, and the Beastie Boys.

And this kinda made me smile, especially since I try to start exercising more.. and I as well try not to be seen as I try to run in the tracks... by looking down and looking away... So yeah. I loved this. :-)

( To the fatty running on the Westview track this afternoon: )

Talking of weight, this to made me smile. It really did. This couple ROCKS! :-D

I'm Overweight and My Boyfriend's Not. Big Freaking Deal.

And this? This is just to freaking cute! :-D James Marsters who played Spike in Buffy... gets to meet his mini-me... Or Mini-Spike at any rate! :-D Such an awesome character he created is STILL gaining fans! Such a cutie! :-D

( Mini-Spike meets real Spike!  )

Maybe I should buy this book once Alexandra is getting old enough to have an argument...? Which will most likely be shortly. :-P

How to talk so kids will listen and listen so kids will talk.

Will admit to consider that...

Hey, Dreamwidth users! :-) This might be something of interest if you like to use different layouts and such... ;-)

Tutorial: Using Flexible Squares at Dreamwidth (Smooth Sailing, Mixit, Nebula)

I am considering trying this out on my secondary journal, to be honest...

And, who said bag pipes are boring? Seriously, this guy rocks... ROCKS! Rock on, mate! :-D *LOL*

( The BAD PIPER!  )

Here's his website... And he is pretty much naked on his official poster... ;-D *grins* The BadPiper.Com.

More music! I do so love music. :-) This to was pimped by one or another of my friends, and I gotta say... Even though I am no huge country-fan, this music-vid was gorgeous. All props for the artist to be an openly gay guy in such a macho music-genre. :-) Loved it. Absolutly loved it. :-)

( All-American boy by Steve Grand )

Such a gorgeous gay storyline in both the song and the vid, wasn't it? :-)

And then I got this from another one of my friends who started talking of not having enough spoons... Cue me being confused. But when she showed me this, I kinda got it. Brilliant theory to explain the unexplainable. So others can understand. If any of you start talking spoons, I will most likely get it next time. :-) Or at least have an easier time trying to. :-)

The Spoon Theory

Good way to explain the unexplainable, wasn't it?


This entry is crossposted between LJ and DW. Comment where you are comfortable.

I wouldn't call me a refugee from Livejournal... that would be wrong.

I've called Livejournal my home for 9 long wonderful years. The people on my friends list there are my extended family, my good friends... In other words, I followed them here. I didn't like it. I didn't want to. But I did.

So the only thing happening here will be reposts from my main journal on Livejournal. Ignore, go there to comment, friend me here or there. I don't care. But there it is.