I would like to point out that I started watching Teen Wolf as a joke, just to have something that didn't take itself very seriously playing in the background when I needed to relax from everything going on with school.

I did not sign up for all these feelings and legit butterflies in my stomach and a new stupid ship. No.

I want out. I need a userpic.


his stupid face. (gif)

I turned on the tv yesterday and managed to fall right into Beacon (E13S10) and now I really miss Smallville.
Or at least Lois and Clark, Tom and Erica. And maybe Tess.

Is the fandom  still alive?

I'm just so tired these days. Tomorrow is the last day of university, this semester. I don't think I've ever needed it as much.

I like to think that I thrive under pressure. Like every other person out there I wait until the last second to do something, just to have that motivation, have the deadline close, breathing down my neck, to force me to do something. To do my best.
Maybe I just never had quite this much to do. 
I've finally realised the stress of pushing something further away, doing it last minute and then having to do five other things at the same time. On my spare days all I've wanted to do is sleep. 
Does anyone here go by the myers-briggs personality types? I'm almost always INFJ, that's what I think of myself as. And sometimes we just get sick of seeing people. I've had days where I just want to shut myself inside my room and stare at the computer screen, maybe brew some coffee but to avoid people I stand in my doorway, listening so that there's no-one already in the kitchen.


I actually feel good, most of the time. I've been doing good in school, I got the result from Amsterdam and had scored an 8 (out of 10) on my courses. Ethnology grew as a subject, I didn't like it at all in the beginning, but it has taught me so much. I just wish the schedule could have been planned better. Everything just exploded post-easter. 

Next semester I'll be writing my bachelor thesis in Art History. I don't know what's next, beyond that. I want to work but I also want to do a Master - I just don't now what kind or where, preferably abroad. And maybe curatorship. 


Oh, and I've been elected president of Pictura, our student gallery. I'm going to have to plan better next year.

BLAH.

I'm very eloquent today. 

Actually, I just update this thing when I have to study for an exam it seems. Amsterdam in the Golden Age: Art History. Not bad. I like art. (I like art, yes, eloquent.) I'm just not a big fan of 17th century art - though, looking closely at Rembrandt's Jewish Bride, studying his "daubing" and the extreme layers of paint was pretty interesting.
Just, reading and taking notes gets boring after a while.

Post-war art (that's WWII) is so much more interesting to me.

I feel like I need to turn my tumblr into some sort of art blog, just for me to remember the works I like, when it comes to things like that my memory isn't the best.


I have the finale of Homeland streamed and ready, but I can't make myself push play, the promo last week made me scared. Claire Danes and Damian Lewis both deserve all the awards they can get for this, the emotions that show has made me go through. Such a roller-coaster.
Other than Homeland this was quite a disappointing tv-season, wasn't it? 
I mean, when my favourite new show is a Swedish one (ok, Swedish/Danish collab, the Danes do know how to make quality tv) you know something's up. (And that's Bron [The Bridge], if it airs where you are, check it out!)

Revenge is actually very entertaining (I'm a cliché and Nolan is my favourite) and I'm starting to love Happy Endings more than Community, but that's pretty much it. I skipped some episodes in the middle of 2 Broke Girls (all the rape jokes, were we supposed to find those funny?) heard that it had gotten better and started watching again. It's ok, I guess, it's my horribly embarrassing crush on Kat Dennings that keeps me watching. New Girl is awful but only 20 min/week so I watch that as well.
I never did continue watching Prime Suspect and now I think it's cancelled? If not confirmed it at least seems to head that way. Quit Pan Am as well, the sisters were too boring for me to keep watching just for the French stewardess and Christina Ricci.
Supernatural is awful but what else is new?

I called Misfits a year ago, check the tag. Liked Rudy a lot as a replacement for Nathan, other than that the third season was pretty much a waste of time.


Going back to Sweden for Christmas on the 22nd, then coming back to Amsterdam again on the 29th. Spending New Years here and staying for a week or two in January, then I'm back home again, for good. Will miss this city so much, I've had a constant ache in my stomach for the last week and only realised it's because I'm leaving soon a few days ago.
I don't even want to think about it.

At home, in my parents house, my dad is always playing music. He has an old mac laptop (don't ask me about the model, I've heard it so many times but always manage to forget - it's the one after the colourful ones, I think) and its only function is as a music computer. It's connected to the stereo equipment and contains pretty much all music we own as a family (well, not entirely true, but there's a lot on it!). Every fem months he'll, as a project, digitalize his old LP's - when he did Jesus Christ Superstar I wanted to rip my ears off, he plays the songs over and over again to get the intro/outro just right, fading, not too abrupt!

When I lived in Norway I started listening to The Kinks and Leonard Cohen a lot, having that kind of music in the background made me feel like home I guess.
Here, in Amsterdam, it's classical music instead. I'll be the first to admit that I know nothing about classical music, I've never really been interested. My dad loves it, I'd like to say that Händel is his favourite, but honestly, I don't know - I wish I'd cared more. I'm not even sure what counts as "classical" music, perhaps I should be more specific? I can't.

Anyway, right now I'm listening to Bach's Weihnachts-Oratorium because I felt like something christmas-y but not pop-y and I listened to The Nutcracker yesterday.

What I should be doing is studying for my exam on Monday, on Dutch literature in the 17th century, I just don't care. At first, I thought it was just the book that was written in a spectacularly boring way, but then I realised that I could read and read and still just, not care. At all. The music makes it a little easier to concentrate, puts me in a good "study" mood, but only for an hour at a time - at the most.

   ***   

Sorry I haven't been around much, there's just so much going on all the time. October was particularly busy, a lot of people came to visit and stayed at my place. Nice but draining.
I've been thinking about posting some pictures here, if anyone would be interested? Amsterdam is pretty amazing.

Everything is still great here, I don't know what I ever did to deserve it. Or how I'm ever going to be able to go back home. I miss some things, of course. I miss my family, friends, my cat (I really do miss her, so much that I almost can't look at cat-videos without going in to cuddle-withdrawal), and ordinary, every-day things - speaking Swedish, knowing my way around, communicating and just feeling a part of it all.
I do feel great here, but it's still not my city. And I'm kind of scared of what this place and the people here are doing to my confidence - for some strange reason I seem to stand out here, while back at home I'm just a face in the crowd. It's weird. I know I'm not beautiful or extraordinary.


Two out of three of my courses are great, but sadly I hate my film course - it's just a giant waste of time. The art course is pretty much on things I already know, but the professor is great and we go to a museum almost every week, so I still like it a lot. Amsterdam in the Golden Age is exactly the way I thought it would be, and probably where I'll learn the most.

I went to see Midnight in Paris with two friends on Friday, and I'm not a fan of Woody Allen, but this film was all I needed and more. ( Read more...Collapse )



TV SEASON

I'd like to start with saying, I quite enjoyed the first episode of Community. It wasn't the show's strongest (duh.) but after being without it for so long, it was enough. Just. Please stop making fun of Britta. Britta Perry is awesome, she has flaws, but she's still amazing and not the opposite of Batman at all.


Now, for myself, to keep track of everything, or for you to see if you want to watch, this is a list of pilots I've watched:

2 Broke Girls.
Not as hopeless as I feared. Still, if the scripts don't grow from the pilot, I'm dropping it. Giving it two more episodes because of my enormous crush on Kat Dennings.

The New Girl.
Ergh, not really sure what I think, honestly. This one, as with 2BG, wasn't as bad as I expected, but it was still pretty bad. I'm glad Damon Wayans Jr. is still doing Happy Endings (which I love). Giving it one more try, because half hour (20 min) comedies are easy to watch.

Revenge.
HA! Uhm, sorry. It's a bit like Desperate Housewives, but younger. Didn't hate it, didn't love it, but it was entertaining. And I do have a thing for female leads, even though she's every clichéd venger ever.

Pan Am.
Not as "wannabe Mad Men" as I thought. Will keep watching.

Prime Suspect.
I never saw the Helen Mirren series, except for the last episode, so I can't really compare the two. But I did like the pilot of this one. And it has Kirk Acevedo, I can always use more Joe Toye in my life.

Homeland.
Just so good. Though it doesn't actually premiere until October 2nd so the next episode is far away - I want it now! Damian Lewis and Claire Danes were both outstanding.


I think that's all, for now... Did anyone watch Person of Interest and was it any good? I don't think I'm picking up any new CW shows, but I will try the first episode of Hart of Dixie, just because of Wilson Bethel.

I bought a bike today, it's not the worst bike ever but it was way over-priced. Still, you need one to get around here and cheap ones that aren't crap are hard to find. Plus the bike-shop is just next door to where I live and if something brakes within the month I can take it there and get it fixed - free of charge.


Amsterdam is great, really easy to fall in love with. My courses doesn't start until next week, I've already been here for two. Last week was introduction week for all the international students. Getting to know each other, the city and drinking. Quite a lot of drinking, though I think I managed to hold back much better than some.
We were divided in to groups and I'm pretty sure mine was one of the best. Two great coaches, both dutch, who are so much fun and friendly. I actually met up with Bonnie yesterday for coffee and some vintage shopping.
I've gotten to know two American girls who know pretty much every other American here (there are quite a few and they all seem to be from California), a really nice Australian girl and a few other Europeans - I love the mix of people.

I've always considered myself an introvert and during the weeks here I've actively forced myself to come across as social and outgoing. It's not that hard - I do want to get to know new people - but it's something that I have to think about. There was a "Borrel" (party, beer drinking) at a pub on Wednesday that I skipped, but I have a stupid cold and my period, so I'm gonna blame that. Still, it was nice to just stay in, read fic and watch some tv-shows.


I recently re-watched Generation Kill and I had honestly forgotten how great that series is. When I went in to the big Waterstones on Wednesday I actually bought the book by Evan Wright, just to see how different it is. It's not that much, HBO seem to have added some scenes and a bit of drama, but the basics and the narrative feels genuine.
With the lull in the Star Trek XI fandom I've been reading huge amounts of Brad/Nate fic instead, the GK fandom is full of amazing writers.

I finished watching Sirens and I'm already sick of Suits, not sure if I'll even watch the rest of the season. I'm excited for the start of the TV season, I especially miss Community a great amount. It's going to be weird without Smallville on Saturday mornings (or, you know, around noon when I wake up), what I've heard about Supernaturals new season sounds strange. 
I feel like I need to write down a list on the new shows I want to check out, at first I thought there would be quite a few, but now a lot of them seem to start mid-season instead of Sept./Oct. so maybe not.


I don't even know what I'm writing anymore. I'll just stop

I've bought my ticket to Amsterdam - one way - August 19th. It's fucking scary.

I'm finishing off stuff over here, packing up my room, one more application to the university, paying rent for the first month in the city, etc. Loads of things I hadn't even thought about.

Also, trying to stream as much as possible. I've watched both seasons of Luther (preferred the first on, the second had me thinking way too much of Norway), seen all of Suits that's available (I like it) and trying to catch up with Sirens - mostly for Richard Madden, but the other characters are growing.


Where did this summer go, how is it already August?

I have a hard time processing everything that has happened in Norway. I've just comeback from our summer house, I spent the entire train ride reading the paper and crying. I got some weird looks.

Just. My heart goes out to everyone, everyone affected, even if it's in the tiniest way.

I used to live in Oslo, a girl in my corridor is from Bergen, politically active... I can't stop thinking about it. There's nothing I can say.

I don't understand how you can shoot down teenagers, create a bomb, and claim that it's because of religious believes?? 


It's like there's a hole inside of me.

I went to a midnight showing of Deathly Hallows Pt. 2, not expecting much - I never really do re. the films.

Prisoner of Azkaban is still my favourite (it's my favourite book as well, everything just flows) and I still wish they'd got Cuarón back. But still, part 2 was SO. GOOD.

There was, of course, some weird things, things they added and things they cut, but over-all it does the last half of the book justice. And one of the first things I said to my friend as we were walking out, it's so pretty. For once they got the special effects right - especially the dragon looks amazing, you'd think it was real. Actually, it made me think of the first Jurassic Park movie and Hammond's "spared no expenses", that's what it felt like.

Rest under the cut, no real spoilers if you've read the books, but still...

( about the film vs. book and things they addedCollapse )


I don't know what more to say - there is so much more, but I can't seem to get it out.
I didn't think I would cry, but at the end something just broke. I started out laughing and then it just changed and I was bawling, sniffling and snorting - it wasn't pretty.
Oh, I hate 3D, don't see the point of it at all, but just this once I actually think it enhanced the experience. It was beautiful and well worth the money.