On the edge, looking down

Sometimes it's hard to realize I've been missing out on a really nice thing all the years I've been living in my flat. Since neither me nor Peter really felt like party-hary on Midsummer we decided to stay home and have dinner on my balcony. The first plan was to set up a BBQ on the lawn outsde but there were some devastating clouds in the sky so we took place on the balcony instead. Never in the 13 years I've been living there I've been eating outside. Perhaps I tried once but that was before the roof was installed and then it was just extremely hot.

Peter very satisfied with a Kilkenny

Of course I forgot to take a picture of our nice buffet dinner with new potatoes, smoked herring, shrips, crayfish aioli and more. We thought we'd sit for a while and then take a walk. We ended up there the entire evening drinking beer, listening to music and just talking. Really nice midsummer.
And it was funny to sit up on the third floor, watching the neighbours trying to get a working BBQ dinner with two over energic kids, a huge dog and as soon as they turned their back at the food there were small birds, middle sized birds and big birds there trying to steal eveything!

In between cleaning the attic and the basement we took a walk in the sunshine. Ice cream is a must while cleaning and since I didn't have any at home we took the way through the park on our way to get ice cream.

No Ice cream here!!!

The downside with an extremly calm evening is all the mosquitos, both me and Peter got a lot of bites that itches like hell still. It sure is nice summer finally came to Sweden as well. These are the first really nice days we've had this year. Of course, it's been sunny but just barely over +20c before these days.

The evil spirit of the water (don't seem too bad I think)

Gavle-rive with the concert hall in the back

Even if it probably sounds like a dull weekend it felt great! Nice to be home with nothing planned what so ever. Can't remember when I had it like this last. Ok, Peter helped out a lot with cleaning and throwing things away. The attic was quite fast, it looked a lot worse than it was actually. The basement was worse, had to sort a whole bucket of bolts, screws, nails, tools, partex, clamps, swicthes etc. I start to realize that a lot of storage space isn't the best thing all the time... But now it's cleaned out, only the Volvo tyres left now! GREAT! I'm almost ready to go.

Fates Warning - Awakening The Guardian

Heavy Metal Thunder

The week passed very slowly and before anyone could react the weekend was over and it was back to work again. This weekend felt extremely short. Ok, I was still pretty beat since all packing and carryin boxes but still, weekends aren't normally THIS short.

I picked up Peter at the station around 9pm Friday night and we really didn't do much. Both of us was really tired so we decided to skip Monster and be fit for Saturday instead. There was a small event at Bryggeriet Metal Club, local grindcore Corrosive Carcass and Entrench from a town a few miles away. Both did great but it wasn't the same frenzy as it normally is at Bryggeriet.

It's still very nice to be there, hang out, talk and drink the Sandbacka Beers. This time there were 5 different types available. Amber Lager, Christmas Lager, some Ale's. It's a shame really, that I don't remember but it has it's reasons. That Christmas special is VERY strong, worse than crazy Belgian beer even. But it tastes very nice! We also had an invitation to my parents for dinner before the event. We finished off my Patrone Aged Tequila before we left and everyone knows what Tequila does to you!

One of the few pics of Corrosive Carcass that wasn't ALL HAIR!

And this is how happy you get after a few Sandbacka Beers!

Sunday was another tired day. We tried to clean the rest of my flat to make it representable for the buyers. Apparently the add got 291 hits the first week. I don't know if that's good but to at least it sounds promising. I just want this to be over now so I can relax at home and not clean like Monica Gellar all the time.

The afternoon and evening was spent watching movies. I've been thinking of ordering the Saxon documentay, Heavy Metal Thunder for weeks. When I got home last Friday I had package in the mailbox. Opening I realized I actually DID order it afer the concert in Edinburgh in November or so. A pleasant surprise, absolutely and it was great to see all those clips. The only thing to complain about was that they rushed over the late 80's and newer albums.

I can strongly recommend the movie though. It was very interesting and parts were hilarious. Bands really need to do things like this. Seeing this it shows how important it can be to document even minor things.

This week will be mainly spent in Borås. We decided to travel today already to avoid having to get up in the extreme hours of the morning. Don't like to take the 05:26 train anymore. We arrived in time for dinner and since it was a very nice afternoon we ate outside and then took a walk in the central Park.

Sunset over Nissan

Rabbit that needs to go to the toilet?

There's a lot of statues and art i the city. Some nice, some odd, some very strange and a few cool ones. This Bunny is funny though, looks like he's about to pee in his pants or so!

Borås seem to be a very nice town. Cozy restaurants, the park, the river and that old charm whith a lot of older buildings. There's a lot of wooden houses in the City Center still. Most of those in Gävle burned in the last city fire in 1869...

Now I'm having two days of work hard work in front of me now! Whole day meeting tomorrow. A lot of meetings on Wednesday too... Feels like I'm not doing anything but talking from time to time.

At least there's a long weekend after these days. Of course, that mean more packing, sorting, throwng things away but the good thing with that is that the move is closer to done the more I work now. And this weekend Peter will help too! It's his time to carry heavy stuff now!

Cheers

E

NP: Saxon - Lionheart

Packed, blue and broken

So, there's been a few more days of packing this week. Some really hard days actually since the photographer was booked for this morning. I packed 13 moving boxes with CD's and 7"'s and a little more. All of that I had to take to my parents since the insurance doesn't cover that kind of equipment in the attic. So all CD's from J-Z is packed, carried down and put at my parents house together with 8 guitars. It was NOT fun to carry those boxes down the stairs I tell you. They were a little too heavy for me so I used my knees and hips as support so now my right knee has a slight purple color. The rest of me is just pretty beat up but I'm sure as hell is happy I don't have to carry down the rest. We'll have to see if that'll break Brynäs Express, have another 10 boxes of CD's for them and all the Vinyl! *muaahahahaha*

My place was pretty chaotic when I was packing. CD's everywhere, boxes, clothes and millions of other stuff. Filled half the containers downstairs I think with paper, plastic and just garbage. Feels quite good to clear out everything. I also had to move around the furnitures a little to make it look like a real flat. Don't know if i succeeded though.


The fun thing when I'm cleaning, it can look very messy and like there's a thousand more things to do. Then all of a sudden everything just clears and it's done. Ok, it took quite a few hours to get it in order but it turned out quite nice I think.

The downside though is that I don't have all my stuff here anymore. As always I have the urge to listen to the CD's from J and on... The ones I don't have access to until I unpack them in Borås. But the good thing is that the stereo got a real place and I don't have to fight my way through clothes and guitars to be able to play vinyl. My player is crap though but at least it's accessable. That is one of the highest priorites when moving. A new Vinyl-player, and a GOOD one!

There was a very nice weekend between the packing as well. Peter booked a release fest for his band Void Moon. So now the demo is offcially released. It was more a private party with a little too much to drink but what the hell, all releases deserves a release party. The demo turned out really cool I think. a lot better than I (and even the band) expected. Check it out at http://www.myspace.com/voidmoonmetal (or click on the cover)

And waaaay too late we decided to do a little photosession. I don't know, there were a lot to drink but I think the blurryness the photographer has to be blamed for! :O) At least there's proof there was a release party!!!

Void Moon: Peter, Jonas, Tomas

Sunday it was time for Kiss at Malmö Stadion. The biggest concert in Malmö ever, 22.000 people. I admit I was sceptic to the whole thing to start with but I'm really happy me and Peter decided to get the quite expensive tickets. Sure, Kiss has sounded better but the show is still very cool. Both me and Peter got redicilously thrilled when Gene started to chew blood and flew up on the light rig. Eric Singer won the show though, damn he's good. A great singer too, he sounded awesome both in "Black Diamond" and "Beth".

Peter watching Mustasch

Me waiting for Kiss

The show with all the pyros and effects

Sure. the whole event is more a family gathering nowadays. Me and Peter in quite ordinary Metal outfits were a minority. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it was a nice evening and a lot of funny people to watch. Watching this show I realized how long it was since I last saw a band that actually put on a spectacular show. I normally like the club-gigs better but everny once in a while it's nice with a specacle like this.

Now, back to packing and cleaning!

Cheers
E

Out of the closet, into the box

So, the test to get my flat looking like a real one has started. If I get the way I want it the photographer comes by on Wednesday June 16 and the add will be out on Hemnet on June 18th. It will be very interesting to see if someone wants to live in the place that has been mine for 13 years now. I thought I would be a lot harder to give it up but everything actually feels very good. My time in that flat is done, it's time for someone else to take over.

Anyway, I started a little about a week ago, emptied the brown oak-tree bookshelf, disassembled it a little and started dragging it up in the attic. There were really strong flashbacks from the renovation and I realized very quickly I don't want to carry everything up or out all alone one more time. This being the Sweden Rock week too, not the easiest thing to get someone to visit when carry heavy furnitures is on the agenda. Matte (Malu) said he was up for it and damn right, he showed up too! Can't thank him enough for that. Three IKEA-Billy's in the thrash, the rest of the brown heavy one up at the attic, also the big closet up on the attic. I don't know if I want/can bring them to the new place but I'm not ready to throw them out yet either. But I think I'll call some help organization for the oak-shelf and sofa at least.

Then we also took down my nice Jon Oliva's Pain backdrop and the whole flat changed. That's a 3x10m big backdrop which I wrapped half my flat in. Peter suggested I should just roll it lightly and push it into a corner. That ball would have consumbed half the flat. When I got it I was so curious to see it I opened it. Took me about 20 minutes to unwrap it so I could see at least a bit of it. Then it took me two hours to fold it back together again. It's very ungainly and hard to manage. I wonder how the reaction would have been on the ones looking at the flat, either the backdrop still on the wall, or rolled into a big ball covering half the livingroon. The wall is so empty even if the backdrop was quite anonymous anyway and there's a strange echo in there as well. Now only the rest remains, the clothes I still need together with guiars, records and other stuff and trash is ALL OVER THE PLACE, looks like hell really... But I have two more days to get it in order. Still doubt it will look like a "real" flat though but at least there will be some space to show off.

Speaking about Malu, isn't this a look-a-like so say? I found this time at Lagerhaus, couldn't resist really! Where you find Matte???

Then we've been to Muskelrock as well, Sweden's strongest Festival. We chickened out and decided to stay at Hotell Rådmannen in Alvesta instead of Camping this year. The weather was absolutely better than last year but it IS very nice to wake up in a bed, have access to toilet and start off with a nice Hotel breakfast. Also we had the chance to chit-chat a little with the bands who also were staying at the Hotel. Pagan Altar hng around the hotel the most and it was nice to see them again. Terry made excuses about his voice, a throat infection had been bugging him for a while. Ok, he wasn't as fit as he use to be but Pagan Altar still did an amazing gig. Even at a low point they hold extremely high standard! Awsome guys and an awesome (and probably one of the worlds most underrated) bands.

Else me, Peter, Uffe, David and Angelca together with a whole bunch of Metal Heads made mischiefs the whole weekend at Tyrolen in Blädinge! A really nice and funny weekend, I'll absolutely go back next year again.

Have a nice weekend!

The flat and the cat

So, we got the flat we wanted, the really nice and fairly newly renovated one in Hedvigsborg. Signed the papers last week and returned them to the landlord, also made a deal with the the person who has the flat right now to get the keyes in mid July so I can take care of some shopping before it's time to move. Just imagine the horror to NOT have a TV for a few days...



I really liked the fact that kitchen, balcony and living room almost was merged. It's going to be fun to squeeze in all record shelfs and everything in here. 85 sq m should be enough for both Peter's and my stuff... Right now I'm just trying to decide what to keep and what not to. The only bad thing with the flat though is that the Jon Oliva's Pain Backdrop won't fit anywhee...


Else there's 3 large rooms, black tiles on the kitchen floor and a huge closet to hide most anything in. The living room could have been a little bigger though but I think it will be ok. The Balcony is almost as an extra room, still open... But it will be nice in the summer!

I'm really looking forward to move now because my flat feels smaller each day now. And it's NOT fun to pack things. Think I had "fancy" glasses enough to lend to the Royal wedding... Also, as the realestate guy said, I have to make it look like a "real" flat for the photography... Else no one will buy it, and I really want to sell it now...

I also had a day, working from home... From Peter's place that is and got a taste of what's coming. In the new flat I will certainly not be in charge... It will be a little black hairy guy who's gonna set the rules. For example, I forgot to close the door to one of the closets and the cat made a run in there. When Peter looks at him and says "hey" Strumpan jumps out. I tried the same and he just turned his head and made it a little more comfortable for himself.

I doubt giving hime a nice dinner, the really fine Sheba - Tuna Fillet increase his respect for me...

Back to work I guess
E