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I wrote that I didn't do anything this summer, but that's not completely true. I went to Las Vegas in June and joined a tour with Footloose that took me to several national parks in Utah and Arizona, including Monument Valley and Grand Canyon. The park that I enjoyed the most was Bryce Canyon, an amazing place with beautiful red rocks in strange formations.
I didn't have time to see much of Las Vegas so that's one of many holiday plans for the future. (So many places, so little money.) I'm not much of a gambler, though, and I can honestly say that I haven't got a clue how you play Poker or any other card games.
Next on my to-do list is to book a time at the vet's to neuter my feline fur-ball Ingvar. He's a real nuisance at the moment and picks fights with my mum's old cats whenever we visit her. He seems more interested in fighting than having sex, though. Females are more or less ignored. Maybe he's gay.
- Mood:
complacent
Ingvar's real name is Perequita's Overpowered by Funk, but that's a bit too complicated to shout when he's misbehaving. Ingvar is a very old Scandinavian name that was used by the Vikings a thousand years ago. It's still in use, but most people called Ingvar today are in their sixties or older.
- Mood:
restless
It's a lodging tour and we're staying in hotels. The last time I travelled with Footloose, we slept in tents in the Canadian Rockies. That was cold, even though it was in late June. I hope to have a good time and meet some nice people on this tour.
- Mood:
chipper
I must clean my flat this upcoming week, which doesn't happen too often. I'm terrible at cleaning, especially hoovering. I hate it! The reason I have to clean this week is that the breeder who I bought my cat Ingvar from, is coming to have a look at my cat to see if he is good-looking enough to be mated with one of her females. Ingvar is a pure-bred Persian with an excellent pedigree, but that's no guarantee that he is good enough. Feels like we're both being inspected.
- Mood: restless
Well, on Monday it's back to work again. I can't say I'm looking forward to it. I wish I had nicer students that didn't whine so much. It really gets on my nerves when they think they are the centre of the universe. If they looked around they would see that there are at least 20 other people in the class that want my attention and there is only one me.
I survived the holidays at my mum's but I was bored! My cat had a nice time anyway. He likes all the canned cat food that my mum gives to her cats. I've started to give him some canned food every day when I get home from work, as a treat. It seems to be the highlight of his day.
I'm thinking about what to do in the summer. I'm going to a Harry Potter conference called Accio in Oxford in July, that's all I know so far. If I can afford it, I would like to go somewhere in June. In 2003, I went on a walking tour in Canada with Footloose and I would like to take another look at North America. I wish I had a better-paid job.
- Mood: okay
I have a holiday for over two weeks now, and I'm so happy about it. If only I didn't have to go to my mum's over Christmas. She lives in a little cottage way out in the woods where I grew up. It's very beautiful there but it gets so dark and lonely and boring at this time of year. She expects me to stay at least until Thursday but then I'm off back to my flat and my things (and my computer).
Merry Christmas to everyone!
- Mood: content
I've been so busy at work this autumn and too tired in the evenings to update this journal. Next week is a holiday for the students in Sweden and teachers only have to work until Wednesday, so I hope to be able to relax a little. I really need this break! I've started to almost hate some of my students and I'm really fed up with teaching. I wish there was something else I could do where I didn't have to get into contact with so many people and their problems.
Being in the Harry Potter fandom, I know I really should read Deathly Hallows properly after that rushed reading in July. Problems is; I don't want to. I didn't like DH at all, in fact, I think it is the worst book in the series and not the triumphant ending I wanted it to be. It was obvious that JKR sorely needed an editor and I got the feeling she wanted the whole thing over and done with.
Another one of my mum's cats has died. This time it was Rune, a neutered male who was 11 years old and a very nice and funny little friend that liked to do high-five with his paw. He will be missed a lot. At least my own cat Ingvar is healthy and happy.
- Mood:
tired
My kitten Ingvar is eating and growing and getting sweeter every day. Only problem is he likes to wake me up early in the mornings for a little cuddle and if it's close to the time I'm supposed to get up, I find it hard to go back to sleep. I still miss my cat Tryggve, though. His death was so sudden and I haven't really come to terms with it. Part of me still expects him to come back.
- Mood:
relieved
My cat Ingvar is eating and growing and he really is a little darling! He likes to wake me up at 5.30 in the morning for a little cuddle. It's very sweet of him but too early for me to really appreciate it. I'm going to bathe him next week and I've bought really expensive shampoo and conditioner to make sure that he looks good. We'll see what he thinks about that.
I've "come out " as a Harry Potter fan at work. I told the women I share a room with, why I went to London this summer and they took it very well. I guess they already regard me as a likeable eccentric. I haven't told them about fan fiction, different ships or the slash community, though. I'm not sure they would be understanding about that.
- Mood:
busy
I went to Dublin for a few days this week. I've never been there before and I didn't know what to expect. At first, with the memory of my trip to London fresh in mind, I thought that Dublin seemed very small with not much to do or see. As the weather got better; I started to like it a lot more, but I didn't really fall for Ireland until I went to Malahide on the coast. That was great! Walking on the beach when the tide was out was something I will remember. I would like to see more of Ireland but I would like to have someone with me to share the experience. Going on holiday on your own is OK, but a little boring. You don't really want to go out to dinner at night and see all the groups of friends or couples, so I had sandwiches at the hotel, mostly.
What's really brightened up my life is that I've bought a new cat! His name is Ingvar, an old Scandinavian name. I actually named him after a Viking that is mentioned on several runic stones that can be found in the area where I live. This man was the leader of a group of Vikings that went to what today is Southern Russia and Ukraine, down to the Black Sea. Anyway, Ingvar is incredibly cute and looks and feels like he's made of candyfloss. He's a Persian, of course, like Tryggve was. I will try to post a picture of him, if I can get the hang of how you do it.
- Mood: cheerful
Then, when I got back home, tragedy struck. My beloved persian cat Tryggve died last Friday. He got some kind of infection in a wound on his behind while I was away, and when I got back and brought him to the vet it was too late. The tissue around his penis was destroyed. I can't really blame my mum who was supposed to look after him. She's blaming herself a lot as it is. My mum's old and handicapped and Tryggve always got angry if you tried to touch his behind, so you didn't want to mess with him unnecessarily.
I've been really sad this past week, not wanting to talk to anybody. I stayed with my mum until yesterday when I forced myself to go back to my flat and all the memories of my furry friend. I'm feeling a lot better now and have started to look for a new cat on the internet. But Tryggve was the most wonderful cat ever!
- Mood:
sad
My mum called this morning to say that one of her cats, Felix, was missing. Later, she called to say that he had been killed by the neighbouring farmer's harvesting machine. Rest in peace little Felix. You were a wonderful cat that loved kittens and raised them like a mum. I believe you are in cat-heaven now, filled with little kittens that love you.
- Mood: okay
I've been away for a while to visit my mum. It's nice to be there in the "outback" where I grew up, but it gets boring after a while and I start to miss my flat and my things, especially my internet connection. My aunt, who's 84, has had an operation in the stomach and I'm a bit worried about her. She has no appetite and she's very tired. She lives next door to my mum so I saw a lot of her while I stayed there. I took her dog for walks twice a day.
I've got a new bike! It's wonderful to have a decent means of transport again. I think I will go on a little trip in the countryside tomorrow if the weather's nice. Not too far, just to see some new places.
I've started to re-read the HP books to prepare for Sectus. Some people at Sectus have probably read them ten times or more, but I rely on my good memory so twice will be enough for me. There are so many books to read (not to mention fanfiction) and so little time.
- Mood: content
- Mood:
enthralled
It's such a relief. I'm so happy that things turned out allright.
- Mood: happy
I still haven't heard anything about my job. This has become a farse really. I don't know how they have been able to mess this up so completely.
Anyway, on Thursday I got a call from a rather posh school in my hometown Strängnäs, where I had applied for a job but not with any high hopes. They asked me to come on an interview on Friday, so I went there and I think things went well. There were two jobs as Swedish/English teacher available, one steady, one temporary. So now I have to have an answer from my present school so I know what to say when that posh school calls back. I really, really, really hate this situation! On the positive side; maybe there's hope that I will have a job in August after all.
- Mood: touched
Well, a week has gone and I still don't know if I have a job in August or not. I asked my boss on Friday and he said that they will know next week. You can't accuse them of being fast in their decision making. I don't know what the outcome will be.
I went to that interview on Wednesday and I either scared them off completely or made a great success. My interview was the shortest of them all and I hope it was a sign that I'm a strong candidate. One thing that worked in my favour was that I already live here in this town and that I don't have any children. The headmaster (a woman) perked up when I said it was just me and my cat in my family. One woman brought her baby to the interview. That's not exactly the best way to give a prospective employer a good picture of you. So typically Swedish. Children are holy in this country.
My furry partner and I are going away for a couple of days to visit my mum. I will try not to think too much about the future.
- Mood:
frustrated
I'm really scared about tomorrow. I have to go to my boss and ask him if there is a job for me in the autumn. I'm terrified that he will say no. Maybe I should have tried to ask him on Friday, but I just wanted to go home then.
I got a call from another school here in this town and the headmaster asked me to come and talk to them on Wednesday. That would be great news, except she wanted me to bring papers that I'm qualified as a teacher. I haven't got those papers yet. I don't know what they will say or what I will say to them.
To complicate matters further, someone called me on my mobile from a school in Gävle, late Friday afternoon, but hung up before I could answer. Tonight they tried again on my home telephone. I pretended I wasn't home but they will definitely try again tomorrow. I don't know what to say to them. I don't want to move back up north.
I don't know if I can sleep with all the butterflies in my stomach. Why am I so silly? I'm supposed to be a smart, well-educated woman, but my selfconfidence is lousy.
Nate died on Six Feet Under tonight. I knew it was going to happen, but I thought he would die in the last episode. I used to have such a crush on him the first season. That's a long time ago now. I used to live with my boyfriend Per and hated if he disturbed me when I was watching Six Feet Under. No arguments about the channels anymore, that's one advantage of living alone.
- Mood:
scared
I had my usual meeting today with my colleague about the class we share responsibility for. That woman surely has mental problems. She seems to think she is responsible for everything and that we other teachers are just slackers that refuse to do our part of the job. She's working herself up to a nervous breakdown and all for nothing. I felt like hitting her in the face today.
I'm re-reading "Into thin air" by Jon Krakauer at the moment. Nothing to cheer me up like a book about people that freeze to death ; ) Tomorrow it's exactly 11 years since that fateful day on Everest. Krakauer is a very good writer and gives a personal account of what happened that makes you really feel for the people involved.
- Mood: worried
Things look bad as far as my job is concerned. It seems I'm the last on the list to get any courses for next semester. The head-teachers have still not talked to me! I thought the school was run by competent people but I'm reconsidering that.
I don't know what to do really. I don't want to move. I only moved to this flat six months ago and I'm getting tired of having to find a new job every spring. I think that is why I don't like spring anymore. It should be a happy time but it's not - it's just filled with worries and depression.
My cat Tryggve is a wonderful support but I just wish I had some human support as well. I guess I need friends.
- Mood: sad
