Just checking in to say: I know, I know.
I know I have not blogged for a couple of days. That’s because the days are packed. So much school stuff going on. Mostly reading but also studying my ass off for the exam in Formal Logic that I have to take again, next friday.
Not much else going on. I’m feeling a cold coming along. Tomorrow I’m going to cut my hair (or the hair cutting person; Evelina, is going to do it). Smalls things like this can be found on my twitter-feed.
Ok. Now I have to nurse this oncoming cold with an early night; a few extra hours sleep.
I feel good.
I feel on top of things.
I probably should not say, write or even think that. Because I probably will jinx it, the feeling.
It’s strange. The work is piling up at school; February looks like a tough month, and granted, the first question for the exam in relativism (handed out yesterday) made me freak out a little. Still, I feel I can manage.
Maybe it’s a defence mechanism that I have. A mode that sets in when there’s too much to do, and the only way to cope with it, or to cope with the failure, is this mode. If that, however, would be the case then I have never had too much to do before in my life (and I know I have) because this feeling is new.
So tomorrow it starts:
The studying of Formal Logic. The reading of Relativism. The reading of Decartes. Researching Rawls’epistemology.
Bring it on! It’s under me!
Got this clip-tip (yeah, it’s a word and I’m the originator – feel free to use it but do not forget to mention my name: Original T), below, from Lars-Martin. It’s a pretty good song, with a cool rapper and nice gi… No… wait… It’s a ten-year old, McDonald’s fed, kid rapping (or whatever) with some little girls dressed as prostitutes dancing behind him! WTF is up with that!? Can someone call America (because I’ll bet you that’s where he lives, you do not get that fat on Cuba or any other Caribbean/West Indies island… unless you’re an American tourist) and tell them to stop feeding this kid! Also tell them to put some clothes on the girls. Not that I’m a prude or anything but come on! They’re ten! Don’t have them dancing around like in a porno flick!
If your also wondering what he’s singing (no, I do not know Spanish) the best pointer comes from MattyDCFCMatty on the youtube comments; the chorus goes: Got-ta eat-ta my burrito-o (and if I’m right, and I think I am, he got-ta eat-ta the girls burritos aswell).
Today, in the midst of reading Descartes and about Relativism I had a bit of a work out.
It has been a while and what better way to start getting in shape then on a whim.
So whim workout it was.
First off I rode a bit on our (Camillas and mine) excercise bike.
That was not too hard.
Then I decided to try my luck with some push-ups.
I did nine.
And no, not in a row.
3 sets of 3.
And no, not resting my lower body on my toe-tips.
But, on my knees.
My upper body, mainly my arms, are shaking like birch leafs in the summer breeze.
The non-shape I’m in is laughable.
That has to change!
Seventh Revision; Gigantic Rock, Göteborg, 2010-02-01
Hi!
My name is Tomas Halberstad.
I am 31 years old.
I live in Göteborg, Sweden, on the island of the Hisingen.
I live with my girlfriend, Camilla, and our dog, Bosse.
I am a student and a songwriter.
I study Theoretical Philosophy (used to study Practical Philosophy) and write pop-songs.
I started this blog in order to publish my music. The idea was to write, record and post. (That hasn’t really happened but it might.)
I dislike social networks, mainly Internet-based ones but I still use them, arbitrary but there you go, live with it. If you want to find me on any one of those go to the biggest one; it’s called Google. I’m on Google.
I like my little family, food and The Arsenal, also sneakers and beer.
Should work out more but it seems to be an on and off thing with me.
Oh, and I suck at Formal Logic.
The ‘on a personal level’-crap does not want to end.
Got back an exam today. The exam I took in Formal Logic. It had a big fat U written on it. U as in Underkänd, U as in fail. I know I’ve said that Logic was/is not my thing. This just underlines it, in red. Big fat red.
Maybe it’s for the best.
As I walked the short distance from the tram stop to the school-house today, knowing I would get the result of the exam upon arrival, I thought: If I pass this course I’ll hand in my exam to the teacher and ask to do it again, because if I pass this course; my passing would be a big fat joke, a stroke of luck. This because I do not know any of the things one should know when having passed this course.
Now, in reality I would not have done the above. The thought rose out of the utter disbelief in myself and this subject, as a pair.
Sadly, life has a way of taking care of situations and things like this; hence my not passing.
This means I have added three weeks of work to this semester, and not three weeks added on. No. Three weeks taken out of nights, weekends, holidays. And I really need to pass this course, otherwise I might not get into the courses I want to take next semester…
Arsenal just lost to United and I feel like shit.
It really gets to me. Worst each time. Hate it. Both the feeling and the loss.
Other than that it’s been a week of meetings I guess.
Not the work kind but the person to person time; the encounters, the good kind.
On Friday I re-connected with a friend I hadn’t spoken to in five years.
On Saturday Camilla and I went to Mr. Brandts birthday beer drinking hang. Nice and mellow around the kitchen table with beer’s and nuts.
Today we all, Camilla, The Boo and I, have been to my ‘grand nieces’ first birthday party.
All very good.
Not much else going on.
School, I guess.
Have a thought about how we value life, and how we give the loss of the same life, in two different, hypothetical, ways different value (on a scale) even though the result is the same; the life is lost.
Do not know if my thought is a blow to consequentialism or to the hypocrisy that then can be ‘moral man’.
Maybe I’ll share that with you one day.
Maybe not.
I’ve said that I would post my bachelors thesis here.
Not that I think any of you will read it, more as evidence that I really have worked on it; and finished it. This thing I’ve spent so many words describing (here, on this site).
Well, the day has come when you’ve all finally have forgotten it. That day is now (or more likely; months ago). Still, here it is, the Thesis; Is Fully Informed Better Than Cast In Oblivion? A Discussion On The Veil Of John Rawls And The Proviso Of David Gauthier. (Just click on the little .pdf-button and you’ll be in heaven.)
Thanks to a neighbour, browsing around our street on GM, I now know I am on it. And not only me, The Boo aswell.
I know I’ve Twittered a while back that I saw the GM car, several times, around my block. I even got a really bad picture of it.
It’s that small red dot at the very end on the road. (If you could make out it’s a car, a Opel Astra, then buy yourself a cake as a prize.)
Yeah… so now to the evidence. Here’s The Boo and I on Google Maps:
Maybe not the best picture of The Boo and I, still… a picture.
Big brother sees you, and he’s coming from behind.
Really hectic week.
Hence the non-bloggin.
Let me try to summarize:
On Wednesday school, the new semester, started with an introduction lecture. I also, through that, learned/decided what classes I am going to take this spring:
An in-depth course in Classical Problems; concentrating on Aristotle – On The Soul, and Descartes two books: Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy.
A course in Modern Philosophy; concentrating on the analytical philosophy from 1970 and forward.
A course on Relativism; the pros and cons – where the cons is brought forward by Thomas Nagel’s - The Last Word. And, an essay course, in which I can write about anything within the realms of Theoretical Philosophy.
Still on Wednesday, after the school stuff, I hooked up with Lars-Martin and Rob for the last of the keyboard-tales for the new album. Only managed to take two pictures the entire time we were there… with my phone… and already published on my Twitter-feed. Anyway, here goes (again).
Lars-Martin and I heading up to the studio by elevator:
Lars-Martin’s keyboard settings for one of the songs. (If you look closely you’ll see that the setting seems to be, at least according to the top of the keyboard-window, classical acoustic guitar, or something. I assure you that this is not the case. I have no ide as to why that text is there. Bug?)
We stayed in the studio untill 0030h. We finished! (Sort of.) While trying to sleep, but failing because of all the thoughts ranting around in my head, It came to me that we had missed recording one synth. An arpeggio… Oh well.
Even though being in the studio all night. I still managed, by text updates on BBC/Football, through my phone, to follow the Arsenal-Bolton game. Yeah! Fuck Bolton!
Ok. On to Thursday. Now, this was supposed to be a quiet one but I slept in. Then had to go to a lecture. Then Camilla and I meet up in town for a coffee. Then home for a dog walk. (After which I found a little bump on one of The Boo’s paws, which I did not think much of…) Then up to a neighbour for a little computer support. And then I don’t know what happened. Then I went to be early.
Friday was going to be my the first of my study days. I was going to start reading Aristotle. That did not happen. After the mornings Boo-walk I found that the little bump had grown substantially larger. So I called the vet, and had to go there. Now Boo is on antibiotics and has to wear a Funnel over his head to prevent him from licking his wound. He’s got an abscess…
Coming home from the vet. Camilla and I put the funnel on The Boo and then we went mega grocery shopping… by bus. I hate that. Takes like forever! Coming home we made dinner, watched Sweden loose in handball and then comfort-ate little candy and drank soda’s…
Now I am going to vacuum the apartment.
Guests tonight.
Yesterday I did nothing.
Today I did even less!
And, I’ve been feeling like shit all day. Head ache, like I’m about to throw up.
Soon I’ll get to sleep though. Ahh, the sleep.
Tomorrow school starts. My second semester studying Theoretical Philosophy. Time does fly.
I’m not sure what to expect. I hope we’re fewer students (then last semester). I’ll give you the lowdown tomorrow (maybe).
I’ll also record the remaining keyboard tracks with Lars-Martin tomorrow, hence the maybe. We could end up ending up in the middle of the night. We really have to be done tomorrow. 1. Because Lars-Martin is a very busy man, about to become even busier. 2. Because the studio shuts down, for a month or so, on February 5, to be refurbished.
Today I’ve done exactly nothing. (Well, I’ve done the laundry and organized my school stuff… still, nothing.)
This due to the small winter break, given to me, and the other students, between the two semesters; fall and spring.
The break is a whopping four days, and since the last exam of the fall semester, was on Friday, and the first lecture of the spring semester, is on Wednesday. I have had nothing to read or think about, and as earlier; nothing to do.
Ok. Remember what I just wrote.
On another note (no pun intended) Lars-Martin e-mailed me today and asked if we could change the time and/or the date for the keyboard recording coming this week. (I said we could, so it’s now on for Wednesday.)
Ok. Remember that aswell.
Now. Naturally I had to let all my avid fans; that’s you, know/learn all this, in an instant. No time to waste! So I Twittered it.
This got my mind going.
So:
1. Not having anything to think about.
2. Lars-Martin giving me something to think about.
3. Having to communicate this.
———————————–
4. Why is something called pushed forward when it’s dragged back?
Not understanding a bit of this?
Let me clarify:
Let’s say A, today is January 18.
Let’s also say B, an event is to take place, on January 22.
And further, let’s say that C, the event is rescheduled to January 21 (a date closer to January 18, than it is to January 22).
Now. When C happens, it’s common to say the event has been pushed forward (and, in coherence: if the event were to be rescheduled to January 23, it would be common to say that the event has been pushed back).
I am also going to assume that:
4. Time moves forward.
5. The future is ahead of us (the further in the future the farther ahead).
Now to the question:
How can an event rescheduled from January 22 to January 21, a point in time closer to us, be said to be an event pushed forward? In that; how can an event rescheduled from January 22 to January 23, an event further away from us, be said to be an event pushed back?
Pushed forward back in time?
Pushed back towards the future?
Something is off. (If it’s my understanding of the English language, I apologise for taking up your time.)
First of, a bit of an apology. I said, two days ago, that I the day after (that’s yesterday) would post something on the keyboard recordings with Lars-Martin. I did not. I’m sorry.
I had an exam in Logic yesterday. The last exam of the semester. The last exam of the course. I just had no energy left after that. Not that I kept internet-silent. I still have my Twitter-feed for the odd grunt.
So, as promised, but a day late, here’s a picture of Lars-Martin in action:
Further on, all is looking good. The next semester does not start until Wednesday. This means that I have a few days in which I can’t think of anything school related even if I wanted to. Because in this vacuum there isn’t anything offered to think about! A welcome change of pace. School has been in session, mentally, since September 1:st.
Since Camilla has the same School/non-school situation we’re going to spend the weekend just relaxing. Dinner with the family, perhaps a movie, dog walks, TV and why not a trip into town.
Really, really tired and really, really stressed out.
Still, a blog, and why not!
Super trooper Lars-Martin (still with a wry beck), myself, and later Rob, spent most of the day recording keyboards, pianos and synths for the album. We recorded the basic keys tracks for five of the ten songs. (Basic in the sense that we might go back and put an add, as in addition, here an add there.) On Thursday we’ll try to get the rest done. It sounds great!
I’m stressed out because of the exam I have to take tomorrow. I do not feel ready enough. I also feel that the lack of preparation is my fault. So I’m a bit upset with myself aswell.
I’ll have pictures of the recording session for you tomorrow.
Fingers crossed this exam goes well!
Sorry for the non-blogging.
This week is packed. Recording and exam! (And as a little added bonus, my tailbone, or some muscle in the region of my tail bone is hurting like hell. No fun, no fun at all!)
Ok. On with the important stuff: Bass recording!
Yesterday Mr. Brandt, Rob and myself headed over to Studiolokalen (which we now have re-named to Studio Inspelningsstudion, in a nice Gothenburgian word pun tradition). Initial problems set aside all went well! We managed to record all the bass-tacks, for all the 10 songs (of my upcoming album) in just one day, and get a great lunch in at Maharani! mostly thanks to Mr. Brandt and his quality of always being well rehearsed.
Got a text from Rob today! He sat down this morning and listened to the tracks and said they sounded great (with an emphasis)! So, that’s fun! Excited about tomorrow when Lars-Martin and I are going to head over to Studio Inspelningsstudion and start recording keyboards!
Mr. Brandt and his weapon of choice. A nice Fender Bass borrowed from Daniel, the Punk of Country!
Friday is here. The weekend.
Came home a couple of hours ago. Came home from the second to last lecture of this semester (which strangely enough runs untill January 15 with the next one, the spring one, starting on January 18). It was a lecture in Formal Logic. Not at all my thing. Not my cup of tea. I hate tea.
The weather here in Gothenburg is lovely, from the inside. Sunshine and blue sky. The wind and humidity, however, makes being outside almost unbearable. The cold, humid air finds its way into your very bone marrow. (And, in a few minutes time I’ll have to take The Boo out for a walk…)
I’m waiting for an e-mail or a call. I know I’ve said that I’ve now stopped working with my last album, ‘The Anger’. Or, not now, I stopped doing it, working on it, on November 30. Still, something might happen yet. As I said, and e-mail or call might change it all.
Yes, there is something happening in the world of recording my second album.
Next week we are going to try to get both bass and keys done, in that order. Lars-Martin, Mr. Keys has a wry neck, or just wry neck, and apparently, it’s a bad one… strange, as I called Brandt to see where he was on the bass-playing he told me that he too has a problem with his head/neck area. Is it the Halberstad virus going… or perhaps syndrome! Is it true!? Will it finally be so!? Will I at long last have my own syndrome!?
Yes, I’ve been away for a while. On vacation. Just the one post (from my phone) below.
Now I’m back and in full FX!
Ok. So let’s start with a picture. It’s a picture from my 1:st!-campaign (which was discontinued on Nov 30:th). Still, nice to see them rolling in. Nice to ’see’ my music ‘out there’.
So where is there? Well, this time there is Argentina!
Thanx to Anibal!
Hello all! Have not been blogging much with Cristmas and all being upon us, submerging us, swollowinging us whole (then spitting us out, burping happily). Also, I’m on vacation. Camilla and I are (as you, my avid fans know) in the deep forrests of Högfors. It’s been snowing like hell here (as it has in most of Sweden). So, lard ass, why can’t you blog onyour vacation? This Höfors, does it lie in the 1950’s? No. I have not got my computer with me and Camillas dad’s computer is on the fritz. (Now blogging frommy phone, therefore all the spelling errors, in coherance and other gramatical strangeness.)
Well, just wanted you all to know that all’s well!
Camillas boyfriend, Bosses owner (or perhaps master but that sounds so harsh), philosophy student, Arsenal supporter, over weight and song writer. Also: friend, brother, son, uncle and grand uncle.
Posted by Tomas Halberstad 
