Another year over.
How was the year of 2011? It all began with a skiing trip to Norway. I was convinced I'd die, and I didn't, so I'd say that the start of the year couldn't have been better.
It continued with a cold and icy spring. My second cousin (Albert's cousin) got married. We were late to church so I had no time to put on shoes. Church floors are FUDGING COLD. Epic fail.
Spring was turbulent and crammed full of studying, as I took the most intense course ever and did my field practice at a school outside of Stockholm, with pupils of 85 different nationalities.
There was also the best unplanned party ever - on stage at the student nation, with the spex group and gorgeous head waitress Sofia. I will never again be able to say: "I have never crashed a party while dressed in skimpy Brazilian-carnival-undergarments."
Then followed Walpurgis and spring ball. Did I mention that one of my biggest dreams came true around spring prom, as I got the chance to wear a BRAND NEW HOMEMADE PRINCESS ZELDA DRESS? :D
In June, my mother and I went to Österlen, as usual. Although the weather could have been better, I never will tire of the beautiful landscape of southern Sweden. Then there was the Storytelling festival of Ljungby, during which I got to listen to wonderful stories from all around the world. I especially enjoyed the lovely Kate Corkery and the witty couple Love and Mona Ersare.
Come Midsummer, Jakob came to visit us down south! Along with friends from Ljungby and friends from Linköping, we celebrated Midsummer in Heinrich's parents' red little cottage in the middle of nowhere; had dinner and fired air guns at beer cans. It was nice. =^.^=
Otherwise, summer was long and rainy. I spent most of it working, and if I happened to have a night off, I phoned Heinrich. As we were both slightly bitter about no one else having time for us, drinking beer together seemed like the ultimate solution to our social problems.
I also got to spend a lot of time with Tess, which was very nice indeed! ...even though she got my roleplaying character pregnant with twins. (Because seriously, no one gives birth to three children, even if the father happens to be the god of water. Right?!)
The blackest cloud of summer was no rain cloud, though - it was that awfully dark cloud that came with the death of a friend who died much too young. Sometimes, the world is that rotten. I never expected to go to a funeral this summer, but now I'm going to keep this horrid piece of information in mind: Care today, because tomorrow may be too late.
Come the end of the summer, I was in my first car accident. I got muscle ruptures and internal bleedings in my arm after having been out biking and running straight into a towed car. Yay! I'm the epitomy of clumsy.
Also, Daniel and Roy came to visit Sweden! It's good to finally meet the person who, on Facebook, in the middle of the night, when you come home plastered, convinces you to have another beer and never mind packing stuff for tomorrow's journey.
Daniel Jago, I WENT TO THE BLOODY TRAIN STATION IN FISHNETS AND A NON-EXISTENT SKIRT, STILL DRUNK, AND FELL ASLEEP ON THE FLOOR OF THE TRAIN BECAUSE THERE WAS NO FREE SEAT! WITH TWELVE PAIRS OF SOCKS AND TWO PAIRS OF PANTIES IN MY BAG! HOW WAS THIS A GOOD IDEA?!!
Around August, there was also a lot of stuff to haul into and out of vans and up stairs, as Albert finally decided to move to Uppsala (I'm no longer forever aloooone).
I also started working for the Uppsala Student Union, and lived happily ever after - well, at least until June 2012, when my work for the union is finished.
Along came autumn. Now, autumn was without doubt the best season. "Why?" you wonder. I'm gonna tell you why.
Autumn - and October - started with a trip to London with Albert. Instead of a rainy, cold England (which was the picture I had had in mind) we met a sunny, warm England with a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius... My first epic fail of the trip was not to bring any wearable clothes. Once I had amended that mistake on H&M, we had a really good time; walking around sites I've only read about in books and seen on TV. I'm not entirely sure that I would have climbed to the top of S:t Paul's Cathedral on my own, so it's a good thing Albert gently forced me. He's such a nice chap.
Above all, 2011 was a year of gaming. 2011 was the year when I bought a Wii and a Playstation 3, ran three roleplaying campaigns, tried out a bunch of new board games and card games, and bought 8 video games (a new record). The whole of autumn passed in a flurry of gaming.
Autumn was when the group called the Gamers' Guild slowly grew until it became what it is today: Damn fine! To all of you wonderful, fantastic, lovely and amazing people who decided to join the Gamers' Guild at the student nation... you rock! ^.^
During spring semester, three to five people met now and then to sit and hang in a corner while other people played war games. During fall semester, 15-20 people have met frequently, every bloody Sunday (as well asother days), to play board games, card games and roleplaying games.
Did I mention roleplaying games?
Roleplaying games is the single best pastime out there. You get to be creative, you get to tell and listen to stories, you get to meet exciting new people, you get to BE exciting new people and you get to escape from Planet Problematic, AKA Earth.
The semester came to an end as I, along with a Wiccan, performed a winter blot in Uppsala to mark the end of the darkness and the return of the sun. Those of you who do not live on the same latitude as Alaska and fudging Greenland cannot possibly imagine how dark it gets here during wintertime. If there is evil in that darkness it does not sleep, because it's dark basically all day long.
Winter never came to Sweden, but here I am, on "Christmas break", in Ljungby, Småland (it just doesn't have the same ring as Memphis, Tennessee, does it?), waiting for this year to end.
What will the new year bring? I don't know. Probably lots of work and lots of play, because all work and no play will make Zal a dull gal. All play and no work will also make Zal a poor gal, so I guess I have to maintain some kind of balance.
This year I shall make a list of things I want to do next year. Then, when the year is over, I hope to have a list that says... well, nothing... because everything will be crossed out.
* * *
Best films seen 2011:
Sucker Punch (Best soundtrack in a film for a long time.)
How to train your dragon (Vikings! And dragons!)
Zombieland (Bill Murray is epic.)
Norwegian Wood (The book by Murakami is better, though.)
Star Trek (Zachary Quinto, where have you been all my life?)
Never Let Me Go (The book by Ishiguro is better, though.)
Black Swan (Eerie, but lovely.)
Thor (As what you'd call a pagan, I have to love it, or hate it.)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part II (The book is better. but Alan Rickman makes it worth watching.)
The Gamers & The Gamers 2: Dorkness Rising (Unthreatened #1! The epitomy of FRP/RPG dorkness!)
Biggest film disappointment:
Bridesmaids.
Best documentaries seen:
Bondens tid på jorden/ The Farmer's Time on Earth (Beautiful and sad.)
Hästmannen/The Horse Man (Gorgeous pictures, touching story!)
Best TV series seen:
Invader Zim
Game of Thrones
Best quote from a film: The Gamers
Nimble: "I walk down the corridor."
*FIERY DEATH!*
Nimble: "Did I say walk down the corridor? I meant sneak down the corridor."
*FIERY DEATH!*
Nimble: "Did I say sneak down the corridor? ...I meant crawl down the corridor. Inch by inch. Looking for traps."
*FIERY DEATH!*
Nimble: [To Rogar, the party tank] "OK, actually, you go first."
*Rogar takes a fiery hit in the chest, drops to Nimble how few (many) hit points he has left, then kisses his biceps.*
Best quote from a TV series: Invader Zim
Gir: [crying, five minutes after eating the cupcake] I miss my cupcake!!!
Best graphic novel read:
Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra: Y - The Last Man
Best books read:
Haruki Murakami - 1Q84 part 1
Haruki Murakami - 1Q84 part 2
Brandon Mull: Fablehaven
Neil Gaiman, Al Sarrantonio: Stories
Holly Black & Cecil Castellucci: Geektastic - Stories from the Nerd Herd
Eoin Colfer: The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy... and another thing
Mats Strandberg, Sara Bergmark Elfgren: Cirkeln (The Circle)
Ethan Gilsdorf: Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks
Mostly played songs:
Five Finger Death Punch: Hard to See
The Beatles: Something
Avenged Sevenfold: Bat Country
Annie Lennox: Sweet Dreams Are Made of This
Alice Cooper: Poison
Best music come across:
Anders Norman
Best concert:
Iron Maiden, Gothenburg
Best musical:
We Will Rock You, London
Best festival:
The Storytelling Festival, Ljungby
Best theatre show:
Anna Karenina, Uppsala City Theatre
Best spex:
Karl XII, Linköping