Food, tree-decorating fights and tv marathons

Oh, my ... It's been a while since any of us has written anything here. Ah, well, we're getting older and more career-oriented I guess. Maybe Mats is starting to hate blogs in generel, becoming a journalist as he is.

And first of all: Congrats to the U.S. and their new prez, he has a lot to live up to, but he can (hopefully) hardly do more harm than Bush did.

Christmas was spent at the mother's, with the traditional food, tree-decorating fights and tv marathons. Nice cold weather, nature ... it was all very fitting for Christmas.

New Year's was, at least for me, spent at our apartment, where we hosted a small party with good food (always food), Guitar Hero (still the best game ever), drinking of course, and watching fire works outside in the cold, drinking fake champagne. It was also great.

After the holidays I started to panic a bit, since I started to think about all the stuff I have to do at work. I guess it's a sign of getting older and more mature. I can't say that I'm too fond of that part of it, though. Anyway, after I got some of the stuff squared away, it felt better. But for a while there I just wanted to stay a student for the rest of my life - only having responsibility for myself. Very grown-up.

I was originally staying at this job from September to January, but have gotten it lengthened a few times now, so at the moment I'll be here until March or April. If I were to bet, without being too positive, there will be more. If there isn't, the plan is to do my Master's thesis between April and June. In any case I will probably be applying for a new PHD-student position here soon too .

So at the moment, even though I know what the next steps will be the coming months, I'm still not sure what I really want. Or, yes, I'd like to be a writer, but that calls for things I may not be able to produce. Although I'm working on that too, not as intensely though. At my job here I will be co-author of some research reports I guess, so that will be fun, to be published is step one. But be a scientist? I don't know ... and how will I ever? Both my parents seemed to be confused about this up to ... well, older than I am now anyway. So why do I have to decide now? (You see how whiny I'm getting!)

I guess I'll just have to go with the flow and work hard at what ever I get the opportunity to do. In the days of financial crises and lay offs everywhere (even if we don't get the staggering numbers that the U.S. gets, we're well on our way percentage wise) you can't really afford to pick and choose to much either. And I really don't hate it here.

Next week I'm going to Stockholm to speak at a conference for people working with information in various energy related companies and agencies. For half an hour I am to ignore the panic that I know will be within me. Wish me luck! (Maybe my fear of public speaking will forever be banned! Hardly.)

Stay warm,
love to you all!

PS: I'll post some pictures from the holidays here soon.