All photos by Glenruben Engen.

So, for those of you who just check my blog every once in a while, update your bookmark to blog.maiamadness.com, and I’ll catch you on the flipside.

In July, my country experienced the greatest tragedy since the war, probably, and it’s affected everyone here in one way or another.

As for me, personally, I have moved in with my wonderful boyfriend. I’ve decided to become a physicist, and I have abandoned that track, at least for now. I’ve gone back to school, and I have decided to quit, because while I found math and physics both interesting and exciting, it’s not what I need to do. It’s not even what I want to do. I have started a new job, and I have quit it again, to work as a temp instead. I have recorded and released my first EP. I have decided to focus on music and writing. I’ve grown up, and I’ve figured out I’d rather not be so grown up. I’ve been halfway round the world, almost. I’ve learned to play a new instrument. I have spoken to my hero, and I have found another one. I’ve done so much, tried so many new things and grown so much as a person. I hope to continue to grow in the new year.

I want to thank everyone who’s helped me and stood by me and encouraged me, especially my mother, my boyfriend, and my friend Jenny who, though she may not know it, has also been tremendously helpful.

And I hope that every one of you will have a wonderful new year, that you will be happy, and accomplish many things, that you will love and live and fight and dream and be magnificent. Because you are, each and every one of you, amazing. <3

Sid Vicious spela’ fyra-strängars bas och kunde inte sjunga
Och alla hata’ honom utom dom som tyckte om han
En ukulele har fyra strängar, men Sid spela’ inte ukulele
Han tog crack och mörda’ nog sin flickvän Nancy Spungen

Om Sid hade en ukulele kunde kanske han vart lycklig
Kanske allting inte hade slutat lika illa
Han kanske inte skulle tatt så mycket heroin, i stället
Kunde han ha sjungit fina sånger för sin flickvän

Så spela det du gillar bäst
Och glöm allting om riktig text
För fast allt annat misslyckas så kan du vara lycklig
Gör läxor med et gaffelskaft
Ät flingorna med hallonsaft
Ta med din leksak till ditt jobb
Och spela ukulele

Ukulele, liten, kraftfull
Ukulele, modig, fridfull
Du kan spela ukulele, det är faktiskt jätteenkelt
Spela ukulele kraftigt, spela ukulele dåligt
Ukulele ondskan tagen
Ukulele räddar dagen
Ukulele skiner blankt från torn och slott och katedraler

Lizzie Borden tog en yxa, högg sin mamma förti gånger
Högg sin pappa förti en, det blev ett tragiskt pussel
Om dom bara gett henne ett instrument, dom puritanska
Jävlarna, dom hade inte fattat vad som händer
När man inte låter folk va kreativa, och sjunga, skrika
Och nuförtiden är det värre, för nu har dom pistoler
Det tar ungefär en timme att lära nån at spela ukulele
Lika länge tar att lära bygga bomber
Räkna på det, du

Så spela det du gillar bäst
Och glöm allting om riktig text
För fast allt annat misslyckas så kan du vara lycklig
Gör läxor med et gaffelskaft
Ät flingorna med hallonsaft
Ta med din flaska sprit till jobbet
Spela ukulele

Ukulele, lilla under
Ukulele, blixt och dunder
Du kan spela ukulele, med, i alla världens länder
Spela Joan Jett, och Jaques Brel
Och Eminem och Neutral Milk Hotel
Låt barnen krossa hatet
Spela ukulele naken
Och om nån försöker sno din ukulele, låt dom ta den

Tänk dig om det inte fanns musik, och inga sånger
Tänk dig om John Lennon inte skjutits utanför sin lägenhet
Tänk dig om John Lennon hade skrivit ”Imagine” för ukulele
Kanske folk då hade fattat vad han menade

Du tycker kanske att jag är naiv och lite dum
Att om man vill rädda världen kan man hellre mata barnen
Men i många tusen år har folk behövt musik för att va lyckliga
Och därför har jag lovat John att spela

Så spela du en Beatles låt
Gör tunnelbanan kär och kåt
Dom kostar typ 200 spänn, det är ju jättebilligt
Spela tills solen går upp
Spela tills din hand gör ont
Spela några Vreeswijklåtar på din ukulele
Sluta tjata på din blogg
Sluta låtsas konst är svårt
Lär dig bara tre ackord
Och öva ej för ofta
Gör nån mänska lycklig med
En liten grej av plast och trä
Fan, vad underbart det är att spela ukulele
Ät läxorna med hallonsaft
Gör flingor med et gaffelskaft
Ta med din leksak till ditt jobb
Din flaska sprit
Din vibrator
Din spindelskräck
Ditt objektiv
Din mor och far
Din disco stick
Ditt soundtrack från Karate Kid
Din rosenkrans
Din fina kniv
Carolaskivan, ny och fin
Ditt älsklingsrum
Din TV-film
Ditt mjukisdjur
Ditt glasöga
Din sousafon
Ditt frukost-te
Ditt Nick Drake band
Ditt vackra träd
Din glassbil och
Din ända fru
Din livsglädje
Din öppna sal
Vi ska ju alla dö en dag
Så spela ukulele

—

Recording to follow in the next few days.

Merry Christmas!

Okay, so, now that I’m done jumping around the room and squealing like a little kid… Earlier today I sent an e-mail to Tom Dickins, who is one half of the Jane Austen Argument, and absolutely amazing. I saw Tom perform with Amanda Palmer in San Diego in October and fell utterly in love with his songwriting and his voice, and he has greatly inspired me because he made the decision to quit his day job, focus on the music and say “fuck Plan B”. Which, incidently, is exactly what I decided to do when I was in San Diego, inspired by all the writers and artists I met at the World Fantasy Convention and by the Amanda Palmer gig (well, I haven’t quit my day job, but I’m definitely giving THIS as much of my attention as I can muster).

This was also why I decided to record a Christmas EP. I have little money this year, and so I thought it could be a nice thing to give to family and friends for Christmas, but then I thought, why the hell stop there? So I signed up with Bandcamp. This is the amazing thing about the music business right now. We’re on the verge of a complete change in the music business and its inner workings, where artists no longer need to rely on record labels and have more control over how their music is distributed and where the money goes.

Anyway, back to some kind of point. I e-mailed Tom, and I told him how much he’d inspired me and asked if he could consider sharing my EP with his followers. He did so much more than that. He bought it (like, paid for it, my first sale, and that’s a big deal as he just sold off several of his possession on eBay in order to pay rent) and made the following tweet:

I am so fucking overwhelmed and insanely happy, you have no idea. And within half an hour of this, I’d made my second sale and a new follower on Twitter, and about 100 new plays, too. Life is fucking beautiful right now! <3

If you want to listen to, download (for free) or buy the EP, you can click the image below.

I’ve worked very hard on this, and all of it’s done by me personally. I’m so proud right now, you have no idea…

PS: If you’re expecting a Christmas gift from me, well, don’t pay for it…

Some days, you know exactly where you’re going. You see your future before you, bright and beautiful and full of hope.
Some days, you can’t see beyond breakfast. Everything is blank and you see nothing at all.

Some days, the sky is so blue, open and inviting. You look up into the vast emptiness of it, and it’s like you’re hanging by your feet from the Earth and you could just fall into it, flying, looking down and seeing everything.
Some days, the sky is grey and oppressive, and you can feel it pressing down on you, pushing you into the ground until you can’t move, can’t think, can’t do anything.

Some days, life is beautiful.
Some days, you’d rather die.

Some days you know exactly what you’re doing
Some days you haven’t a clue.
And some days, you’ve already done it.