A Short Report From A Couch Potato

We started to watch Pushing Daisies. We have seen two episodes so far and there are several things in that lovely and silly series I like: cheese, knitting and dogs - among other things. I am looking forward to see more.

Snow, snow, snow & an unpaid commercial

In Japan people are admiring cherry blossoms and here in Finland all we see is snow.

I am reading articles and sorting them out to those I can refer to on my thesis and those I can bring back to the high pile of paper I have on a corner table in another room.

We have two rooms and a kitchen. And that was just for the record. I don't want anybody to picture that we have rooms after rooms. Or why not. We are living in a mansion with 25 bedrooms and 17 servants. And a butler. Or was a boxer? Oh no, it wasn't a boxer, it was a half Irish Setter (other half unknown). Our crazy late dog, whose ashes are somewhere in Finland, next to a tall pine.

I better start reading and writing the thesis.

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That was not all I wanted to say, so here I go on writing.

Because of this lovely shirt I've got as a present from a friend, I have a nickname "Motherfucker" in certain circles. I find it quite amusing. Mentalwear have a fantastic selection of crazy t-shirts. You can easily order them anywhere on this planet. Who wouldn't like to wear a motherfucker t-shirt? I am wearing mine right at this moment.

Easter Promises

Last weekend I was in Sweden, just for a weekend. Travelling with a small suitcase made me feel like a decent, average, sane human being.

I met my mentor (for the thesis I am writing) and had a meeting with another teacher and with couple of class mates. It was nice and relaxing to be in Sweden without "I have to stay here forever"-agony. On saturday I went to The Nordic Watercolour Museum for an opening. Exhibition was beautiful - go see it if you have a chance - and the dinner afterwards was lovely.
The picture is taken right next to the museum.

When I returned to Finland the kid had caught a cold, so he stayed at home with me until yesterday, instead of going to his daycare. I didn't get that much done when he was around, but once he went back to his daycare routine I started to read articles and I have to say: it's fun.

Now it's Good Friday. For me that doesn't mean so much, except that shops are closed and they play fantastic music on the radio: Pergolesi's "Stabat Mater" and Russian Orthodox church music, Bach's Matthew's Passion etc. M took the kid with him and went to his mom's place. I will follow them on sunday. I promise I will be a good student and work on my thesis until then.

Language Problems

Sometimes there are weak moments when I think I should quit writing a blog in English. It's terribly embarresing to see all the language mistakes I've made (and published!!!) and sometimes things I try to tell don't make any sense - but the same thing happens in Finnish too, so that must be else than a problem with language.

But the fact is that this blog has brought good things to my life: I hadn't met such wonderful people as Tim and Jo if didn't have started to write this blog in English. Also, it's great to get comments every now and then and that way to hear how people, who still have a patience to read this, are doing with their lifes. Or at least hear from them. And I can always announce: this is Finglish. In Finglish you write like this.

I have started to write my degree thesis for the school. I am writing it in english (no finglish allowed) and I must say it's not easy. The longer I have been able to communicate in English, the less, I think, I can.

Five Years

Now that I am in Finland it doesn't mean that I would be living home. Oh no. There is a massive pipeline renovation going on in our humble home, especially in the bathroom, and our family unit has been in exile at my parents. We will return home next weekend. Hopefully. It's been a while since I've been there - other than fetching things.

Today my lovely son has his 5th birthday. This is the first time we celebrate his birthday in Finland. We have a habit letting him eat ice cream for breakfast on his birthday - that's what happened this morning too. He seemed to like it as much as he did last year and year before that. That boy likes his ice cream.

Now I am off bake a cake for the boy.