Monthly Archives: September 2008

Things to do today!

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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I might not have time to do this. Have lots to do today. Camilla and I both. But I’m diong it for your incredible thirst for knowledge. So what to do?

Well it’s all ready begun (I hauled my ass up at 0800h):

  • Do the dishes.
  • Make the bed.
  • Fold the laundry (three whole sacks full!)
  • Clean the apartment (vacuum and all that).
  • Go out with the Boo (2 times for longer walks one time just around the block).
  • Go to the vet and get meds for the Boo (he’s not sick, don’t worry).
  • Go to the optician and collect Camillas new glasses.
  • Go to the food store/post office to collect package.
  • Go do another food store to buy food (might seem strange that we’re going to different food stores but that’s the way it is in the life of student’s with an account type card at one place and not the other.)
  • Study (this is a big one, have lots to read… as always.)
  • Train (today its time for 40:00 mins on the exercise bike).
I’m sure I forgot a bunch of things. I’ll try to get back to you tonight to copleat the list and see if I got everything done.
Ta ta. (Have no idea why this last part is in black, at least it is in my browser.)

Post office in food store.

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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My promo cd’s had arrived!
Just got a text message (apparently that is how it is done these days) from the post office (which isn’t a post office at all but a counter in a food store, apparently that is also how it’s done these days… in Sweden; all the post offices close down, you get your package in the food store) that said that my package from the guys at DPD, has arrived. Yes!

Listened thoroughly to the master yesterday. It’s a hard sounding album! Called Rob and we agreed to change one thing; the volume on a hi-hat in a song with the working title The Feelings. (All of the titles to the songs on the album haven’t been set yet, better get on that.)

Bonka! Bonka!

Sick? No. Sure? No. Training? Yes!

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After 10 days of sickness I’m back on track! Well, to be honest, I’m not back on track, since there isn’t any track. I wonder where that expression comes from? Guess it must have something to do with trains and track building and stuff. None of that going on here. I might have to revise the expression to more suit my status…

After 10 days of sickness I’m back on the exercise bike! Took it rather easy today. I hope i don’t have a reaction tomorow. We’ll see.

Go me!

No head ache, lots to cover!

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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Yesterday I had a massive head ache (I think it was lack of caffeine intake induced).
Today I do not.

Here we go!

Before I played in Punk of Country I played drums in a band called Trickbag. This was back in -94. Our tag line, at first, was “Pretty tricky hardcore”. This was never, however, the case. In was skate-punk turned indie-pop turned rock I guess.

Any how. Last year we had our first reunion. We, or at least I, thought it would be a good idea to have one since it (again: last year) had been 15 years since we first started rehearsing together. We had a reunion but it hadn’t been 15 years. It had been 13.

So on Saturday we will have the 2:nd annual TBR! 14 years down the road. It’s going to be fun.
Heres a pic from last years bash (El Guapo not included; he’s taking the picture.)

 

 

Despite the head ache yesterday I managed to get some things done after school (yes, I had school yesterday, I also had back pains from hell). I went to a music instrument store and got myself a basic MIDI-USB controller keyboard. I’ve grown tired of my old massive one so I’m selling it. I can’t play the piano and if I can’t play the piano why do I have a piano-masters MIDI-controller?

I also had a meeting with Rob. He brought me my new sound card! Yes! So with the controller and the sound card, and all the things I’ve bought before, my new home studio, my switch from PC to Mac, is very near completion.

Rob also brought me two, yes two, The Anger masters! This was quite necessary because I will soon do the promo send-outs. I ordered the promo records on Monday at 1700h. On Tuesday at 1000h I got a mail saying they were done and shipped! That’s pretty fast working. So fast in fact that I’m going to throw them a link. These are the guys who did my promo: DPD.

That’s about it but I’m sure you grew tired of reading several passages ago.

Tonight Arsenal play away to Dynamo Kyiv. Come on Arsenal! Now I have to study. I’m reading J C Harsanyi’s “A critique to John Rawls Theory” and not that I’m defending Rawls or anything but I think this guy is way off.

[Man this is an ambitious post; long and with lots of links and everything!]

Promotional material and head in-doing.

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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Short update on whats going on:

I’ve ordered the promo copy’s for The Anger an hope to have them here in a couple of days. Then after that I’ll send them out to wherever you send promo copy’s. There is however the limited issue of 50… issue… so to speak.

I’ve also taken down the sticky post with the link to the interview and mp3 on itsatrap.com. You can find the direct link them (interview and post) under In the news:

That’s it!

Haven’t studied as much as I wanted and needed because of the home exam questions in that very subject that I wanted and needed to study in; they, the questions, have arrived and there doing my head in!

Less sick, healty and sweaty, more reading.

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I have decided that this, today; Monday the 15:th of September, will be my last day of sick (at least for this time). Are you sick still!? You ask. More or less. I still have a bit of a cold but it has day by day worn off. So tomorrow, after 10 days of not training (9 being sick and 1 resting), I will do my first set on teh bike in the room down the stairs through the door… and then I might try something else.

Brandt goes to Healthy and Sweaty (Friskis & Svettis). It’s a gym, a health club with a socialist society heritage. The peoples health club. Nothing fancy, just straight forward physical health at an affordable price. I’m going to try that out. There is one not too far from here. I’ll just have to get my bike fixed, which I will do tomorrow, and then I’m off! I have a sort of awkward feeling towards it though. I don’t know why. I kind of all ready feel embarrassed; the thought of going there and doing that training thing in group with an instructor. 

I think I must think about that one for a while. I think I have an answer. I just have to argument it back and forth for a bit in my head before I know that my answer is correct, or at least plausible.

Now I have to read. I have lots and lots of reading to do before tomorrows lecture. Lots and lots… (I was planning on writing WooHoo! here, to end this last passage, but I wont. WooHoo has kind of a negative ring to it, like I could do something better then read. Truth is I probably can’t. I find my studies very interesting and I learn stuff about stuff and myself every day. Ha! Aren’t I a fine little goody two shoes, or whatever it is called.)

Dare to do drugs here.

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Today Brandt and I went on A photo shoot. Very professional. I thought that since I now have a back-from-the-dead music career going on I’d better have some nice pictures to show people of me.

Brandt and I went out in the forest and then went to concrete heaven (or hell). We got some really nice pictures.

I would like to share one with you.

At concrete heaven we stumbled upon some graffiti: VÅGA DRÅGA HÄR the tag said. This means Dare to do drugs here. That would have been the end of it if it weren’t for the very funny fact that the taggers, and presumably drug takers, had miss spelled there dare. If the miss spelling some how would be translated into English the tag would say: Dare to do drogs here.

Brandt is going to mess with the pictures a bit so they’ll get real nice. Then I’ll present them to you.

Superslowsaturdaysummary.

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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Today has been oh so slow.
After this superb morning nothing much has happened. Anders and Lars-Martin dropped by and we watched a couple of games of football. Arsenal crushed Blackburn with 4 goals to 0. I’m delighted. As for now I’m having a quiet night in. Camilla and the Boo are of to one of Camillas friends for a movie and as I still am a little sick I stayed at home. Just to bad that there’s just crap on TV. I could study a bit but I really haven’t got the energy.

Goood Morning Giiigantic Roooooock!

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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There has been a lot of complaining on my part lately, mostly because of my cold and the fact that I CAN’T BREATH THROUGH MY NOSE GOD DAMNS IT! But I won’t complain today. How could I?

It’s a marvelous day and I suspect it has a lot to do with the weather. It’s a lovely, I have to say, autumn day. The Boo dragged me out of bed at 0800h because he wanted to go out but that was ok. It was a bit chilly but the sky was all blue and as the walk progressed the mercury climbed. Our stroll ended at the bakery where we bought fresh bread then we went up for breakfast. Nice indeed.

Also I have that Mp3 and Interview thing on www.itsatrap.com, I’ve posted details here above.

Gigantic Rock in the morning:

Travel as I wait!

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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Ok! The wait is finally over. At last some music from me; Tomas Halberstad.

If you click on the link below you will arrive to It’s a trap! What’s that you ask? Well it’s a music journal dedicated to Scandinavian music and today they have an interview with me along with an Mp3 post (naturally of a song that I’ve written and is preforming!

So click on, read away, download and listen!

www.itsatrap.com

Direct link to Mp3: http://www.itsatrap.com/mp3.php?t=805

Feels good to have some music out there! It’s been a long wait…

CB4, party no-go and sick.

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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Has anybody seen the movie CB4?
I have (I don’t know why really, must have been on TV).

If I’m not mistaken, in the movie, a couple of guys start a rap-group (loosely based on gangster rap icons NWA) called CB4 (Cell Block 4). Ok, then the group brakes up and all of the members start very successful solo careers. One member of the group has a hit single which rather obviously points out his ethnic heritage and his stance towards society.

I would like to do a rendition of that songs lyrics here and now:

I’m sick ya’ll!
I’m sick ya’ll!
I’m sicker than sick and I’m sick ya’ll!

So yepp, still sick, sicker in fact. This is really hurting my training. I don’t know when I’ll be well but I doubt that there will be any training going on this week. The 10 year graduation from upper secondary school anniversary is definitely off for me. Why? I CAN’T BREATH THROUGH MY NOSE GOD DAMNS IT!

Depicted is my training schedule for September (September was going to be my month). The S:s stand for Sjuk which is Swedish and means Sick. 4 days of training… Suxx Ass!

Rub it in…

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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It hadn’t really affected me.
I didn’t really care.
It didn’t seem like that big a deal.

Then the local news paper sent me a mail. 

It’s more than a month until my birthday but I guess now, on September 11:th, it all begins. 
The paper sent me a letter to congratulate me and to offer me a free add, or notice, regarding my birthday. I won’t take them up on it.

It’s a bit crap to see the 30 in print. 

I guess I just have to face the fact that I’m over the hill, done fore, yesterdays news, the fat lady who sings, hell frozen over, a bit too old, grandpa…

Sicker than yesterday; not good!

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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Just came back from a lecture at school and if that did not do my head in, speaking and foremost thinking about John Rawls’ Vail of Ignorance, included in his Theory about justice as fairness, this cold of mine certainly does. I’ve been sick for about five days and it isn’t getting better. It might be that the ten year anniversary from upper secondary school is off for me. Have no idea when I’ll be able to train again…

Look at me! Feel my sickness! 

Just before the reading starts.

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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Still a bit sick. But it’s getting better. I haven’t trained in five days. And I have a massive amount of reading to do. That’s about it. The state of it all. Yesterday I read for most of the day but the material is tough, it’s hard, it takes time to get through.

Nothing new on the musical front. I am waiting for the promo copy’s of the record to get here. Then I’ll send them out to people who get promo copy’s. Then I’ll be a rock star.

Honestly, I’m just writing this post to postpone reading for a bit.

Got a phone call yesterday. It’s been ten years since I graduated upper secondary school in Uddevalla. We’re going to have a little get together at Mortens. (Judging from their website it doesn’t look all that promising.) The thing is on Friday so it’s a bit short notice. We’ll see what happens. I’ll have to talk to Lars-Martin and Anders…

UPDATE:
Apparently these guys are playing at Mortens on Friday; that can’t be good…

Audio at last!

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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I’ve been talking and talking about The Anger. About the album I’m making, made, is done. The day has finally come when I can get up of my lawn chair, the one placed next to other lawn chairs, in a circle, in a classroom, at night, and say:

Hi. My name is Tomas… and I am a musician.

(…and the rest of the people in the lawn chair circle all go: Hi Tomas.)

This coming Saturday you all will get a taste of what the album is like.

That’s all for now.

The Tomas Halberstad layer cake (of death)!

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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Ever heard of Meringue-Sviss or Meringue-Swirl? No. Then I’m claiming it. 
From now on it shall be known as Tomas Halberstad layer cake (of death)!
What now?
Well, I’m still sick and I feel sorry for myself because I’m sick. So I have to eat. Eat something unhealthy.
But you’re on a health kick!?
Yes. But I need my food when I’m sick. How else will I get well?

Ok. Over to the cake.

Camilla and I did it and ate it today. It took us all of a commercial brake to finish it all.

Here’s how you do it:

Thinly sliced bananas
Whipped cream
Meringue
Vanilla ice cream
Chocolate sauce

Layer the ingredients until the bowl is full!