Home Sweet Home!

I have been home since Wednesday, but my Dad and his family took a mini vacation here, and left early yesterday morning! Goodbyes are always very difficult so yesterday was totally non-productive for me, but now it's high time to try to get back on track again - including getting this blog going again! :)

I do apologize for not posting a single entry during the summer, but the fact is I think I have had real internet access two or three times since I left, and then I felt I didn't have the time to write here properly!
Please keep coming back here regularly over the next few days, because I will try to add entries on my summer every now and again, so I can be back on track with blogging as well soon.

For now, this will be my comeback entry - so you'll know I'm here again - but I will try to post more soon!

I hope you all had a great summer!

/Jessica

Blog on Summer Vacation!

Well, I'm leaving for my summer vacation soon, so this blog will take a break as well.
Before signing off I'd like to apologize for the way this blog has been run the last month or so. Truth of the matter is, the first half of 2009 hasn't been great for me - or for my family - and the last month has been pretty horrible. I know it has shone through here, and it doesn't feel good to see that almost all my entries are negative.

I can't portray something that isn't true here, I am an honest person, and this blog does mirror how I'm really doing, but it feels bad that so many negative entries has come up here. I'm hoping that this break will do me good - I'm not much for summer vacation or holidays, I usually don't like them, but I'm hoping the break in routine will make my life work out in a better way.

I won't have regular internet access during the summer, so at best I will be able to make a scattered entry every now and again, just to let you know I'm still around, but I'm hoping to get back to regular blogging when I get back home for good again sometime in August.
I'm hoping for lots of update-entries that are a lot more positive than the previous ones! :)

I wish you all the best, I hope you have a GREAT summer, and I hope you'll still be around when I'm back to blogging regularly again! :)

Take care!!

Difficulties!!

The last month or so has been really difficult for me, I seem to be stuck in a very destructive pattern that I can't seem to get out of, no matter what I do! I know I have a lot of good things going on, I managed to finish this semester in a good way and all of that, but for some reason, I just feel awful about everything right now - so I'm guessing I'm not much fun to be around!

I really don't want to start going into it, because that will make this entry very difficult and depressing, I hope I can get my act together and start feeling a little better soon! I'd like to be able to catch up on my blogs before I leave for the summer, though I can't guarantee that!

For now, you'll have to accept these pictures from Sofiero ... I was up there with Sara, Johanna, Per and Johanna on Monday, celebrating the end of the semester! *yay!* (Photos are also on Facebook) And yes, these are the "official" ones ... I will be emailing all the photos to all of those present ... *lol*

Enjoy!
Sofiero, June 8, 2009

Stress - Stress - Stress!

I thought that with handing in my essay and actually coping with the seminars, things would slow down! Boy, was I mistaken!
I'm stressing like a maniac right now, and I'm not sure how long I can keep it up! At the moment, it looks like I'll be able to relax and wind down during the first week of July and that's it! *rolling eyes*

At the moment, Annika and I are desperately trying to work out our London plans ... which can be a bit complicated at times! I also need to get a new passport first thing tomorrow, as I discovered mine expired in January. Hopefully I get it in time, otherwise I'll have to arrange for a temporary passport.
Tomorrow afternoon I'll meet up with some great friends at Sofiero for a CELEBRATION that we are ALL finished with our educations (well, I'm "kind of" finished .... I'll never be really finished!) - YAY!!!

I also need to make the corrections in my essay, and on Tuesday morning I'll have to go to Uni and try to print it ... I've never done that there before, so I hope that will work out. I will also have to make arrange for it to be copied - the Department will need 3 copies, I want one, my parents want one (each! *lol*) ... so I'm thinking I need to make 10 copies!
That afternoon I have a meeting with my professor, and before that I'm gonna have to check up a bunch of literature for a reading course I'll be doing over the summer, so he can say what he thinks will be good ...

My appartment is currently REALLY disgusting, so I'll also have to find the time to make a real, real, real CLEANING of everything - I'm also thinking of redecorating my entire bedroom ...

At this point, I'm feeling like collapsing, but I HAVE to make this work out. Next Sunday I'm invited to a friends ordination (had to look that word up *lol*), which I'm totally looking forward to - and a few days after that, I'm leaving for the summerhouse.

Celebrating Midsummer with my families, and then Annika and I are going to London - we come back on June 29, so maybe I can get some time to catch up then ... ?

Sorry about complaining so much, I guess I had hoped I could relax after the whole ordeal with the seminars, the the weeks before that were so awful, and now I'm stressing just as much as I did then ....

I'm Back - I Think!

Okay ... so this semester is almost over now - wow, that feels weird. I hope I can make a "real" post about the whole semester at some point, because there's been a lot of mixed feelings regarding these last 4-5 months!

I have survived writing and handing in my essay, defending it before the seminar and also act as an opponent on another student's essay. Now I have to make some minor corrections and hand in an essay next week, which will be graded - and then I can actually apply for my Bachelor of Theology Degree!! That's pretty amazing!! I started University studies in August 1998 ... this feels really huge actually! :D

However, I haven't been feeling very well, especially not the last few weeks. A great deal of things has gone horribly wrong, and I'm still amazed at the fact that I managed to end the semester in the way that I did, because I had some serious doubts.
I feel really good about actually doing it, but a lot of other things have been suffering because of it. There are a lot of things that haven't been working for me personally, I managed to deeply hurt one of my greatest friends, which I feel awful about - I just hope I haven't hurt every friend I have now ...

Sorry about this, I know I should be on top of the world right now, but despite the fact that it's great and a real milestone to have done this now, there are a lot of things I don't feel so good about right now ...

Hopefully I'll get back to blogging regularly now, at least until I leave for the summerhouse (which will be a few days before Midsummer)! I have quite a few blog entries to go through, here and in my other blogs, as I've been putting most of my life on hold lately.

Take care!

Yep - Again!

Oh my, another Sunday ... this is starting to feel ridiculous!
I really want to get my act together and start blogging again ... however, I'm not sure when that will be. Things are quite complicated right now, and as usual, there's a BIG stress factor at the end of the semester!
I'm currently studying with my essay (the one required to get a Bachelor's Degree), I have a meeting with my professor tomorrow, and the whole thing has to be handed in on Friday! *gulp*
I also have some engagements with the course where I'm mentor, and that's turned into a bit more than expected ... and I also found out some not-so-great stuff regarding the practical matters surrounding the essay!

Pretty much everything is rather messy right now, and for me to be able to blog properly, I'd have to give you all a run-down, and I don't have either the time nor the energy to do that.
*fingers crossed* this blog will be back and up and running again when most of this semester has calmed down!

Take care!

Weekly Entries?!

Seems like I'm only making one entry a week here now ...
I'm sorry I'm not blogging more right now, because I've always enjoyed this blog, and I have been grateful for the response it has gotten ... however, when things are as hectic and complicated and confusing as they are right now ... I don't feel up to writing about it!
I'm not sure how much of all of this I want to keep a bit more private, and how much I'm comfortable in writing, and I'm basically feeling stressed out constantly now - so the blog has been put aside.

I'm having a rather stressful time now, for the rest of the semester - I'll have my last seminar on June 5th ... but if things start "working out" (and they might, Friday was a pretty good day at Uni), I'm hoping I'll be able to get back to more regular blogging ... guess we'll just have to wait and see! :)

At Last!

I apologize for neglecting this blog right now.
I have to admit, I'm not feeling the best, and when I don't, I can't see the point to update this blog. One thing is if there's an explicit reason for not feeling well, and when you gain something from sharing that, or having a constructive discussion about it - but that is NOT the case right now! I don't even write in my own personal diary much now, and that's something I can usually be helped a lot by!

I think I'm mostly feeling bad because the whole thing with the essays are REALLY confusing me right now, and when I'm confused I can't stay focused, and when I can't stay focused, I don't do anything, and when I don't do anything, I feel stressed out and awful!
(short summary, I know!)

Anyway ... there's always hope I guess, and I'm hoping to get something done today! I have a meeting with my professor tomorrow and hopefully at least some things will become clearer after that ... *fingers crossed*

I did learn yesterday that there is one thing that can actually snap me out of my bad, destructive moods: going for walks! I have never liked it before, but I really do now!! Bringing the camera and taking your time, that is a great way of clearing your mind. You can think about the difficult things if you like, but you don't have to if you don't want to. I'm "rediscovering" my home town in a new way now, and the more I walk, the more I realize there are other places in town I want to explore! Granted, it's not a very big town, but I still haven't covered all of it yet! :)

I didn't take that many pictures yesterday, but the walk did me good anyway! I took a walk in what in these parts constitute "woods" (though not in any other part of the world, I think!), it's a very small area, but covered with trees and it's really beautiful! They have a little "farm" there, with a few animals, ducks, geese, cows etc - families often come there with their kids. I went past there yesterday and encountered the cutest little geese baby ... he kept following me around on his side of the fence! *adorable!*

You can check out the few pictures here:
Out for a Walk, May 9, 2009

(Also, my personal blog has been updated!)

Finally Photos!

Okay, so I'm still in an argument with the World Wide Web over the fact that it seems impossible to get a FREE webdomain that can actually host Simpleviewer! :(
However, I've realized I can't sulk over this forever, and I still have a couple of domain tied into my internet provider (didn't want to use them since I plan to change provider - maybe - soon), so I decided to use that, at least for now!
I'm guessing I have to make some changes later on, but I'll worry about that than!

So here are a few links to recent photos! :)
I have also decided to make a webpage with links to these photos, just because it's simpler to put everything in one place - so if you want to bookmark that as well, I'll give you the link (nothing fancy, it's just a page with links on it, but hey, it might make things a bit simpler!).

Ocean Walk, April 29, 2009

City Walk, April 30, 2009

Jessica's Picture Page

Enjoy! :)

17,000 - And Time For An Update!

I'm really sorry my updates here have been taking SO long ... still, I think I'm back now, so better late than never, right?! :)

First of all, celebrating 17,000 visitors - yay!! :) A big thank you to all who come here to visit! :)
Who knows, maybe we can reach 20,000 by the 3rd year anniversary on September 20?

Anyway, the time since I got back from the summerhouse has been very intense indeed, and I have had my hands full just trying to cope with everything - so the blog has been neglected! But I thought it was time for a summary of what's been going on, and hopefully I can start blogging regularly after that! :)
Also, I know I still have the 'My Fair Lady' review to add, and trust me, it will come! :)

When I got home from the summerhouse, I had to totally focus on my reading-course, the exam was on Tuesday (April 28), and I hadn't been able to study at all the way I had hoped while I was away.
Things was a bit complicated though, as I had been invited to a seminar with well-known Swedish author Jonas Gardell - who became an Honorary Doctor at our Department last year. He's published a theological book recently ("Om Gud" - "About Jesus") and the students who had studied Old and New Testament Exegesis during the last year was invited to a closed seminar with Mr Gardell, and this was Monday afternoon (April 27)!
I was quite nervous as I have never been to such a thing before, and I had no idea what would be expected of me. So this mixed in with my own studies on the theology of the covenant made things a bit complicated.

Monday came, and the seminar turned out quite nicely! :) Some things I felt were a little awkward, but mostly, I enjoyed it quite a lot, it was very exciting and I got to do a fair bit of thinking based on everybody's comments!
I will try to do an update on the seminar in my Swedish Theology Blog later on.

I wasn't home until about 5.30 p.m. and I had a hard time focusing on my own studies, but Tuesday afternoon did arrive, and it was time for my oral exam! I was practically in a state of panic, I felt a lot less prepared than for my last exam, and even though the professor is really down to Earth and kind, I felt awful!
Turns out I was really lucky, at least I think so. First out was reading and translating, and while I always find that terribly stressing, I felt I did better this time. Granted, it was a much easier text, but I'm still glad it was okay! The discussion afterwards felt a little less great ... while I did have things to say, I felt I needed a lot of help and pushes to get in the right direction.
That said, I was very very surprised to see that the professor wrote VG (the high grade!) on my certificate!!! Amazing!!
When I first got there, I didn't even think I'd pass, but after having felt my way though it, I was fairly certain I had passed - but not VG! :) Yay!!

Wednesday was a not-so-great day ... pretty much everything I did turned out bad and wrong and ... wrong! Lucky for me, I could look back on Tuesday (and Monday), so that didn't get me down completely - and since then I've been able to relax a bit, catch up on practical matters etc. and now it's high time to get started on my essays!
I know the next part of the semester will probably be the most intense I have ever experienced, EVER, but I'm still feeling motivated and I want to do this - and that's the main thing, right?! :)

At the moment, I'm a bit frustrated though! I've spent the entire morning, trying to work a few things out online, and it will NOT work ... one thing's on Facebook and there's nothing I can do about that, but the other thing REALLY bugs me!!

I really enjoy the program Simpleviewer, a programe to show pictures and images, and I have done a bit of photographing the last few days, so I wanted to use that programme to show my photos! I've been at it like CRAZY, and now I've gotten the programe to work - yay - but I can't find a place to upload it!!
I'm not into websites anymore, all my accounts have been deleted, so I decided to create a new one ... yeah right! *rolling eyes* Passagen.se (a swedish site) worked out, until I started the FTP-upload programe - which cannot connect to the server.
Tried Fortunecity, it worked out really really well, everything seemed to work ... but ONE file in the Simpleviewer programe won't upload to Fortunecity because it's "not allowed" - HUH?!?!?!
I'm getting totally frustrated at this, the photos are beautiful, but I wanted a simpler way to share them than having to : transfer them to the computer, save all of them in a smaller format AND as thumbnails, upload them to my photobucket account and write all the codes by hand here ...
I know I can upload them directly onto Blogger, but I don't have much space left on my account, and I have several blogs, so I'd rather not upload too many pictures that are something like 4-5 MB each in size ...

Sorry about the ramblings, I'm just really mad about this now ... I had hoped to solve it easily since I'm busy with other stuff ... no such luck, I guess.
Anybody have ANY ideas about this - I'd be more than grateful to listen ...

Take care!