It’s been about four weeks since I have last written. And since then I have decided to put a new theme on my livejournal page. Makes it more pretty to look at…or so I hope. It is rather hard to describe how the last 4 weeks have been. All I can say is that they have been rather intense. At times pushing me to the limits, other times pushing me over the limits but I have managed to recover. There has been work, and family, and relationships, and soon there will also be studying to worry about.

It feels as if for the past few weeks, I have been operating in an alternate universe. In some ways good and some ways bad. As I go through the next 4 weeks of my on-the-job training, I am operating now much the same way as I did 2 years ago when I took on a new job. But that job was familiar to me and it wasn’t a giant stretch. This one is. It requires more of me then I originally thought. But I still enjoy the job though and I am enthusiastic for more. There have been some…strains…on the home front. But working through those as quickly as I can.

Anyway, in the balance of things and with the perspective of reflection, things continue to be okay. My Happy-O-Meter still pretty high…

So, I won’t make this too long as I am currently cleaning the apartment. But I will try and write later on in the week with a deeper update.

Ciao and Hugs to all!

So yeah, I had a few free moments and I just decided that it was time to do at least a general update on LiveJournal.

Vacation
If I ever have to declare one thing, it is my absolute love of the European vacation system. It really help you think about the concept that everyone has a right to disconnect from the matrix as a basic right and that vacation shouldn’t be viewed as something you earn more of the longer you stay with the company. Very different to the US where vacation is seen as a reward for longer service. Except that in today’s economy and job environment, the 20+ year employee is a thing of the past. So by building vacation into the basic fabric of society, it is helpful in a way as it frees one up to focus on the work, not on which company offers the most vacation. That being said, another byproduct of today’s world is that our employers give us so many ways to connect that it can be hard to have a truly free vacation.

Work
Many of you know that I started a new job at IBM. I was Manager of Delivery Compliance & Risk Management but as of August, I moved to being a Business Operations Manager. And so far I really like the job and what I am learning and I believe that I can make a great contribution in this new job. So I am happy overall and don’t have reason to complain.

På Svenska
Well I finally got IBM to agree to pay for private Swedish lessons. This will work quite well as my travel and work schedule always precluded me from making the classes on time. Now I will have the opportunity to agree a time with the instructor and work at a pace that works for me. I am looking forward to starting in September.

Thanksgiving
Most of you are well aware of the Thanksgiving holiday in the US and how special it is. With some luck, I will be able to go to the US this year and visit family and friends.

So anyway, this was a general update. As more interesting things come up, I’ll post 🙂

Well, not back from the dead, but from an unannounced break from LJ and Blogging. Lots has been going on. I promise I will share with everyone in a couple of weeks after a few key things happen.

In the meantime, I hope that this Blog entry finds everyone well and I look forward to updating everyone.

Love and hugs, Rodney

I just wanted to take a moment to publish on my Blog my real sincere thanks for to all you for your wonderful birthday facebook messages, voice mails, SMS, e-mails, and e-cards!
You love me…you all really love me 😀
Yesterday was a fantastic pre-birthday day. One of my best friends, Markus, took me out for drinks and Alex was there too which was really nice.

There are only a couple of things that are certain, and the rising of the sun and taxes are two of them.

In Sweden it is time to file tax returns. the cool thing about Sweden however is that they send you a form with the amounts completed for you. You make any changes if anything is incorrect. and then you can file on paper, internet, or sms. This seems profoundly more logical than the U.S. tax system (where I also have to file by next month).

Thinking about this as the sun is rising is abnormal, but I am awake anyway.

Hope that everyone has a good day today or tonight, wherever you may be!

this morning was another one of those mornings. the kind where for no good reason I wake up early. i have developed this thing in recent years where no matter what I do, I just can’t sleep in.

anyway I do have more interesting stuff to post I peomise, but for the moment I am still testing out some features on my ‘new’ phone (new to me anyway).

hope this post finds everyone well. today is bon fire day in sweden so maybe i will take some pics.

It’s just kind of a weird day.  A weird week.  I feel like screaming at the top of my lungs, yet all of the pressures kinda serve as their own feel.  I feel kind of dead inside.

It’s a good thing that there is vacation next week.

Everyone once in awhile, I get a message from one of you out there about why it has been such a long time since I posted.

The truth is I have really bad reasons.  I’ve never been known for my communications skills.  I tend to keep in touch with people using technology-enabled methods, such as Facebook or here on LJ.  Sometimes even on IM. And always SMS. I’m not big on phone calls and e-mail.

I think that the way I choose to communicate with people causes problems sometimes, and I know that everytime I try to change it, I do really good for a few weeks, but then I settle back into my old habits.

So, for those who have written and called, please know I haven’t forgot you.  Just try to imagine that I spend lots of time in front of a computer and taking phone calls (even when I am traveling).  So in my free-time, I tend to lead a tech-free existence.

I’m working on getting better at communication more often and more frequently.  So your patience with me is appreciated 🙂

Hola Guapos…

Well I do have to say that since I have last wrote, I have been hella busy.  I would like to be able to lie and say that I have just been too lazy to write, but the truth is, life has been non-stop since the beginning of the new year.  But no matter, I am making the time to write here now.  And since the link between here and Facebook now seems to work regularly and flawlessly, I don’t have to worry about information being in one place and not the other.

My personal life is overall okay…there have been up periods and down periods.  Things are better now than they were a few weeks ago.  Heard back from my sister which is always nice.  Seems my parents have asked about me which I think is also nice.  I decided that this year I would need to cut my expenses by 15% and so far I have drawn up a budget to do that.  Things in the finance department are okay as well.  It is just that I had decided last year to cut down and I actually increased expenses.  So it is an opportunity to make financial amends for last year.

But really, I don’t want to explain all of the details of work, but I basically have been working a lot of hours, combined with travel to Hungary and Denmark.

I do hope that everyone had a good end to 2007 and a great start to 2008!

Lots of Hugs!

Rodney

A Total tool actually!

I have christmas cards that I didn’t send out this year (but be ready for 2008..sigh).  I have presents for people not yet sent (I’m thinking of sending them as a combo christmas present vs happy-US-______________-month (you fill in the blank…every month has multiple official items).

I went to the gym today and I had a lousy workout…and it was a long time since I had went.  I performed at only 75% of my potential…so now I am motivated to go back tomorrow and for the next 2 day thereafter to kick-start my workout routine.  And I’ve fallen in love with digestive crackers and vegetable spread.  And I haven’t had meat in 33 hours.

Sigh, but at least I have my health.  And booze.

Hugs!

P.S.  “Feedback” by Janet Jackson is a kick ass song!