Monthly Archives: December 2008

Ramblings about coffee and radio-aid.

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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I have woken up, walked the dog, had breakfast and just brewed myself an excellent cup of coffee (well two to be honest and they are both excellent, I have tasted them, the mornings, or perhaps days, first sip of coffee… and no I haven’t tasted both, just the first one, the rest of the coffee is still in the pot but I suspect, cleaver as I am, that the coffee in the pot tastes the same, or about the same, as the coffee now residing in my big London-mug, standing on my desk… big parenthesise… better start a new passage)

It’s time to start studyig. I have lot’s to do.

Do you live in Sweden? Do you want to help a good cause? Swedish Radio is doing a massive campaign. Check it out here.
Just text SONG ARTIST MESSAGE to 72955
I would of course like it if you wrote TRAVEL AS I WAIT TOMAS HALBERSTAD BEST SONG EVER!
It costs 50sek and the song might get played on the radio…
Yes, I know I’m not making any sense… click on the link above, wish for my song!

Thanks!

No rest for the wicked… or me.

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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I have to go to bed now.
Big day in school tomorrow.
Getting my paper reviewed and getting to know how to continue working on it. I also have a lecture in the philosophy of social science.
Today is Sunday; let’s hope Monday, a new week, brings some album reviews.
Got a mail from Rob. He is working on getting the album up on iTunes, and by that available to a bigger audience, which is good. No news on the new record, or the recording of the new record. Who knows if there will even be a record. Let’s just call it, or them, the new recording, or recordings, for now.

That’s about it. Christmas can’t get here soon enough!

The lit trees of Liseberg and Bob Hansson.

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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So. Liseberg yesterday. Nice, but a bit crowded. My sister Angela, who works there, said that we picked the wrong day. Saturdays are the most crowded, and yesterday was Lucia, so it was even more people. We bought some candy and played some at the prize wheels, not winning anything though.

The best thing about Christmas at Liseberg is the lit trees, depicted below. When I grow up and get myself a house I’m going to get myself one of those.

liseberg

Today Camilla and I went Christmas present shopping. Usually a rather dull experience, and don’t get me wrong; it was no picnic this year either, but we wrapped it up pretty fast. Let me just clarify one thing: I pride myself in getting good, well thought out and fitting gifts, and that I did!

The best thing about the day was something completely different. Camilla and I went into a book store to browse for some gifts. In doing so we stumbled upon a Bob Hansson book signing. So I bought a little Christmas gift for myself and got a little inscription along with it. I think I have all printed Bob Hansson books except one. That is to say I really like what and how he writes (and how he says it: spoken word, poetry slam…).

Now we’re home and beat. School tomorrow.

I’m wishing for christmas.

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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A good Saturday morning to you all. I was up at 0800h to look over the first draft of my paper in value theory – The effects of death awareness on the individual. I’m done with that now and have sent the paper/draft for review to my teacher. I haven’t slept proparly in many days/nights. All because of the hyper-something I talked about a few posts down.

I haven’t wished for Christmas this much since I was a little kid. Not because of the food, the presents or the atmosphere but because the 22:nd of December all this paper writing stuff will be over (if I pass). It’s been a lesson learnt for me though. Now I know how not to work when next semesters even bigger paper rolls in.

So. Middlessburroughgh against Arsenal  today. Early kick-off suits me fine. Let’s hope for a better game than the one against Porto.

Tonight Camilla and I are going to Christmas on Liseberg (the local amusement park). Should be good.

Moving on up!

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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Yes!
My record ‘The Anger’ is now at No 3 in the Danish cdon.com download chart and my song ‘Travel as I wait is at No 5!
Way to go Denmark!
Norway: Your not too far behind with my song being at No 5 in your country’s cdon.com download chart as well! 

It feels a bit weird reporting chart positions to you though. I guess the cool thing would be a shoulder shrug and a calm “Whatever…” I guess that’s not my style. I guess I care.

Ok back to death!

Hyper activity mode.

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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I am a wreck.
I haven’t slept properly for a while.
My brain is in hyper activity mode. (If there isn’t such a mode; there wasn’t such a mode and is now.)

The paper I am writing is doing my head in a bit. I’m thinking about death day and night (don’t get alarmed, it’s nothing bad) and if I finally stop thinking about it for a while my brain is so wound up and the other thoughts, repressed by the thinking of death, have been held back now flooding my brain which takes the thoughts and just throws them around at amazing speeds and frequencies. It continues all night long too. I haven’t dreamt this much ever, and I usually dream pretty much (that is I remember a lo of dreams).

My album ‘The Anger’ is still No. 4 in the Danish cdon.com download chart. Added nice is the fact that the single, or just song, ‘Travel as I Wait’ is at No. 6 in the Danish and No. 10 in the Norwegian chart! Still no reviews though which kind of sucks. Not that I am desperate to read what other people think about my music it’s just I think I, or my album, need the exposure. Kind of crap but that’s the way it is.

And if you think I am going to talk about the performance that Arsenal put in last night against Porto your wrong. (And for you smart asses who think that I just did I can just say: No, because there was no performance!)

I’m feeling hyper activity mode coming on.

What’s up with the music?

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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Most of you reaching this site do so because of my music, the fact that I am the Tomas Halberstad who has released the album ‘The Anger’. Now that is the case, that wasn’t the case before, when I was just Tomas Halberstad recording an album and recording it forever. Then the frequenters were my friends and family. That’s why my writings contains more information than what is up with my music at a particular date or space in time. That won’t change. I’ll still be writing about everyday stuff. It’s who I am… in a manner of speaking.

Ok. So whats up with this post?

Well I now because of the many thousands and thousands more reaching this space every day (ok maybe not thousands and thousands more) feel the need to talk more about my music. So here goes:

Since ‘The Anger’ took forever to record I have a whole other album ready, and it’s not just crap songs; no it’s the cream of the crop of two maybe three years song writing. Rob and I have begun talking about it and ideas are forming in my head, I’m sure they are also taking shape in Robs. We are talking about which studio to record in, sounds, thoughts… There will be about 10-15 songs and I think it all will sound quite a bit different then ‘The Anger’, not because of any I-want-to-do-the-complete-opposite-thing but because we’ve hit a home run with ‘The Anger’, that kind of sound-scape cant be taken further, and further, or far, is where we want to go! Another reason might be that the songs on ‘The Anger were written two or three years ago; I now write different songs, as I will write even other kinds of songs in three years time.

I’m thinking that early next year will be a good time to really start working on the next record. Until then, focus your attention on ‘The Anger’!

Ok. Back to school…

A day short of high-lights.

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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Yes. As the headline states not much going on today in the world of me; my world. The most exciting thing might be the start of a new course at school. As of 0900h this morning I now devote myself to the philosophy of social science… or at least that is what the main book is called. I really can’t devote myself to the subject. I would like to, but can’t. It’s all because of the paper I am writing and the fact that the paper, or the first draft of it, is due on Saturday (and the whole finished thing the following Saturday). I’m a bit stressed out about that. And yes; I have a bit of a writers block.

Other fun things today: I bought the first, my first, Christmas present for 2008. I was just talking about this with Camilla yesterday. It’s so amazingly nice how the hysteria of Christmas has just passed me by this year. Normally one gets the creeps somewhere around late October but not this year. Nice. It’s going to be a good Christmas. Keeping myself occupied with the paper until the 22:nd, train ride on the 23:rd… Lovely.

Non fun things: Nothing has happened with ‘The Anger’ yet. Was the 50 or so review copies I sent out all in vain? Were they!? And of course: Rain, can’t forget the rain. Winter in Göteborg = Rain (as do almost every other time of year).

When I’ll know you’ll know. You know the drill!

Pen to paper?

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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My paper on the awareness of death is on its way. No, I haven’t sent it in for review of anything, I’m working on it, the paper. I have finished the reading part, or at least the bulk of it, and have now left to get some structure of it all before I put pen to paper, or more: finger to digit, or key. (Yes, computer world is really something. How long before expressions like “put pen to paper” are gone? I guess the guys carving in stone had the same worries when paper first arrived…).
In the structuring lies the problem; I can’t. I’ve been sitting all day, staring at the computer writing lead-in after lead-in, erasing lead-in after lead-in. Fun times! I keep telling myself that I am one day ahead of schedule, which I kind of am since I initially was going to start writing tomorrow. Let’s hope that my head sorts itself out until then.

I have slept really bad the last couple of nights. A lot of dreams. A lot – A lot. I think it has to do with me reading too much thought provoking material. Something I won’t stop doing…

Mats Jonsson is in the house!

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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Late, late, post today. Did you miss me? Of course you didn’t, it’s Saturday. I’m sure you all have lots of better things to do then pine for my ramblings. Never the less; here they are:

So what have I been up to today?
Well, I’ve been reading up on my Death (not my Death, perhaps just Death; see what I did there, giving it, death a capital letter, like it’s a thing, which it isn’t… I think). I’ve read Thomas Nagel and Mats Furberg. Interesting stuff.

I’ve also seen my boys, Arsenal, do the dirty on Wigan. Sure it was a scrappy win but thinking about Stoke, Hull and Fulham I’ll take a scrappy win any day. Didn’t really like the way the fans at the stadium treated Eboue though. Never my favourite player but one shouldn’t treat one of ours like that. I mean come on, the poor guy has just come back from injury and was thrown in a, for him, unfamiliar position. Bad on you!

Ok. What else have I done? I have named my hair. What!? Yes! Named my hair. With all the studying and ‘The Anger’ stuff going on I really haven’t had the time to get it cut. I haven’t had it cut since mid-June. It is now an object, or a body of it’s own, hence the naming it. So, do not keep us at bay! What is it called!? It is called Mats Jonsson after my dad, or more pictures of him from the late seventies and early eighties and his hair. I’ll post a picture of Mats Jonsson (the hair, not the dad) before I cut it which I have no idea as to when I am going to do. At the soonest January and I suspect it’ll be after the 25:th because thats when I get my student money.

That’s about it.

Knew I would jinx it…

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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I knew I would jinx it when I, earlier today, wrote that there probably would surface som reviews of ‘The Anger’ today. How do I know this? Well, do you see any reviews (and you can choose to emphasise either the you or the see)? I found out today that I got another airplay on Portland’s College Radio. I like those air-plays!

I’ve been reading a lot about death today and death is not as bad as it seems. Not that I now want to die, nor wish the life out of anyone, quite the opposite. I think that knowledge of death and the acceptance  of it makes us able to live. Even though we can’t, for a fact, with certainty, say that death will come to us, as individuals, we have to accept that it can and most likely will. The energy it takes to deny this is so consuming that life itself will become almost unbearable. That’s my take on in anyway.
You all can read a nice article on it here; Awareness of death: A controllable process or a traumatic experience? By Argo Moor.

The campaign…

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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Rob called Mr D today and we got some idea as to what has happened with the campaign that he was supposed to have in order by now. “Everybody has sent the right material to the right person.” Why nothing has happened was beyond him. He’ll get on it on Monday. Now we don’t mind really. The campaign in question is more for him, or the company he works for. Let’s just hope it all works out.

Top of the morning to you.

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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Today will be a day of reading. Yes reading. The very same thing that you are doing now. The main difference is that I’ll be reading something interesting whereas you are stuck with my ramblings.

If anything pops up I’ll let you know. Some reviews are bound to come floating today don’t you think. We also have the Mr D situation. If anything clears up there I’ll shout it at the top of my lungs (but you won’t be able to hear it).

Less than a thousand words.

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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It’s bee quite some time since I last posted a picture on this blog and pictures are fun. Also: I need a brake from thinking and reading. I am working on my paper in Value Theory, now called: The effects of death-awareness for the individual. I’ve made good ground today. The picture below shows exactly how good a ground.

Ok. A question: It is said that a picture says more than a thousand words but what of a picture of words? Can a picture of words say more, and in saying have a higher amount of words, than the words in the picture (and I am here assuming that the words in the picture are less than a thousand)?

One of the many lies we are tought as children exposed!

paper_1

Electronic, poppy and with mood swings.

Posted on by Tomas Halberstad
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The first small pices of result from the review copies sending out are starting to emerge, at least one small piece (found here). It’s from dagensskiva.com and there not saying much, in fact they are saying very little; there more or less just acknowledging the fact that they have received my record with the words: Tomas Halberstad used to sing in Punk of Country. Electronic, poppy [my comment: and I don't think they mean the flower] and with mood swings [My translation].

All right then.