A House

Here's the house and here's the kid. The house wouldn't be good for living, especially not here in Finland: too many holes in walls, but I guess it's good enough for christmas spirit. The kid is looking forward to eat the house.

I will pack my bags and follow the rest of my pack to a smaller town where M's mother lives. We'll spend our christmas there this year. M and V took a train there yesterday, hence I had a luxurious sleep in morning today.

Merry christmas to everyone.

Gingerbread time of the year

Today the annual gingerbread baking took place. The kid ate tons of dough and still we got material left for a gingerbread house. Now we just have to build it.

I am getting anxiety of the knowledge that my fantastic internship time will end soon and I have to go back to school and back to Sweden. Darn!

Swedes!

In Uppsala (Sweden) it is forbidden to speak Finnish if you work for the city. Two Finnish speaking workers were chatting in a corridor, in Finnish, when they were told that they are not allowed to do that at work - anywhere in the building. I don't know what it is with Swedes when it comes to hearing Finnish spoken. "We can't tell if you are talking about us", has been the reason I've heard. It's intresting. If I hear people speaking a language I don't understand I never begin to ponder upon if they are speaking about me or not. If someone wants to speak about me, s/he will do it anyway - they just make sure I won't be hearing it. If it's forbidden to speak Finnish, it should be forbidden to whisper too... how can you tell what people are whispering about.

A Hag Unleashed

Oh boy. I was at a christmas party last night. I danced there like a maniac. At some point I took my dress off (I had a-dress-n-jeans-outfit) and danced away in a tiny tank-top. Tank-tops aren't exactly flattering on me so I guess I didn't make the best impression on people who happened to look my dance-attack. Anyway, it was hot. Thanks to all that sweating on the dancefloor I drank gallons of water between all those glasses of white wine and that way I didn't have a hang-over the next day, which was today.

Otherwise it's dark and rainy most of the time. Tomorrow is a national holiday: Finland has its 90th birthday. Congratulations Finland.

A Luxury Morning Ahead

I managed to lock myself in a hallway today. My keys, my money and my coat was in an office that was locked. Then I had a fantastic hour and half in the hall way waiting for my boss to come. And then I finally got started with the payed job I occationally do. The job needs my inner cleaner lady to appear. Anyway, it wasn't the best saturday ever, but no worries; I have a luxury morning ahead. M took the kid with him when he travelled to see his mom and that means: tomorrow morning I can sleep as long as I like. Happy-happy, joy-joy!!!

Happy - not so happy

Hello from the chaos that's also called 'my everyday life'.

Before I start whining I have to underline the fact that the work at museums is fantastic. I keep on being happy 6.30 in the morning, knowing I am on my way to the exciting world of conservation.

And the kid is the best. Today he wanted - volunteerly - wear a neck tie when we went to see my parents. I think that's quite style conscious of him, knowing he isn't even 5 years old yet.

Some reasons to whine at the moment are:
- unfairly bad hangover today after drinking practically nothing on saturday night
- a cell phone that I dipped into a not so clean toilet and that stopped working
- my unability to be in touch with people I care about - godknows what happened to my old enthusiasm to write; even the blog isn't updated frequently now adays.

But that's the whining for now. Good-night-sleep-tight folks.

Brrr

Here's the kid in his short hair. Now when he sees his long-haired pictures he says he looked like a girl. He thinks it's funny.

In the same picture are two prints of mine I framed the other day. Let's see how long it will take before they finally are hanging on walls. Things tend to take time these days.

I am still enjoying my museum work. This week I have worked with few other conservators, re-framing huge photos that will be shown in the next collection exhibition. It's been challenging and very intresting. I am looking forward to tomorrow when I will go on with the same project.

It's cold. I don't get how I will survive real minus degrees if I am about to deep-freeze now already. And it's only -1 degrees C. I will run out of warm clothes.

Here's a picture I took in Helsinki the other day. Snow has arrived.

C

Oh f*ck, I said Viggo's film is a Carpenter film. How embarresing mistakes one can make. I have done the same slip before. Many times. Carpenter and Cronenberg both start with C, so it isn't a wonder, is it. Grrr anyway.

I have wrapped stones and harvested wooden crops this week. Contemporary art brings you all kinds of fantastic things to do.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Do I ever blog these days?

It's November already. My internship is halfway done. I have been busy. Now I see how much time I had before to spend on things like blogging. But I am not complaining. Life is wonderful and I have a very important task on my 'things to do'-list: to see Carpenter's 'Eastern Promises'. As we all know, Viggo is naked (for a while) on it. Ok, there is blood, core and internal organs too on the film; it is a Carpenter's film, but who cares as long as Viggo does his thing.

No hair, no money

Kid's hair is short again. We cut it last sunday. He seems to like his new very short hair. I like it myself simply because it's easier to take care of. And he does look cool in it.

In the picture you see a portion of spaghetti. Would you like to have parmesan with it?

Today I got a letter that told me: I won't get no student-money in Finland either. Last spring I was told that Swedish system won't give me any money. So... I shall go on living on M's good will.

Art

Here's another self portrait from the road. The frame is for a large beautiful aquarelle by a Finnish painter. The thing is that when you work with contemporary art you may end up handeling works of art that look like pieces of crap in your eyes and still you have to treat them well and with respect (oh, what a wonderful metaphora for meeting us people too). I have truly enjoyed my time at the museum. I'll be working with new art at least until the end of this month and then I will go back to older stuff.

Weather is getting cooler and days darker. It must be about the same time of the year as it was when I returned to Finland last fall. A year has gone by quickly.

Eyes for Art

Now I have worked with contemporary art at one of the museums. It's been fun, like all I've done during my internship so far. Only to be in museum interiors makes me feel happy and special. It's nice to spend one's time in spacious rooms and with objects of beauty - or at least objects of intrest.

As you can see I have special eyes for contemporary art.

A Paid (cleaner) Lady

Oh god. How did I end up in here - again? My now-a-days rarely seen alterego 'the cleaner lady' is earning money (no one else in my multipersonal me isn't). Today when I polished a toilet in a location I wondered, first of all: how the hell that shit turned into dark brown concrete had ended up on the wall behind the toilet thingie, and for second: how come am I cleaning again? Will I be a cleaner for money when I am an old lady, if I become an old lady to begin with?

Oh well. Maybe this is my call.

Meanwhile I am enjoying my non-paying internship at art museums a great deal.

Loud Creatures in Forest

This weekend we went to a friend's place about 50 km's from where we live. We had lovely time: we picked up mushrooms, had a bath in sauna and ate well. In the forest the kid made the perfomance above.

Do I Blog at All Anymore?

Life seems to be so full that there is no space for the internet-lifestyle I used to have. I run to the museum every week day morning - well, I do take a bus. I come home, cook and try to go to bed early; otherwise I am half dead the next day. And that's about it. Fortunately the time-consuming work-part of these actions is fun. Working as a conservator at an art musem is fun.

This weekend I'll travel away with the kid; first to my parents' place Helsinki and then to a house in a small village about an hour's drive from Helsinki. Nice, I say.

Thursday

Here's the kid on last weekend. We had a nice, though quite a windy day on sunday and we went to a beach near by to throw stones into water, which is always fun to do. Just try and you'll notice.

I've been enjoying my practice at a museum. Days just rush by - a phenomena that hasn't occured in my working life so far that often. One could draw a conclusion that I have finally found my thing to do. Unfortunately I haven't got time or energy to do any other projects, like a painting project I've planned to do this fall. All the same, I am having fun.

Killer

I have a mission: I suspect that a huge group of Attagenus woodroffei individuals has a cosy dwelling in our wardrobe and I am to go through all there is in it and exterminate every single one of those little creatures. Hours of killing is next on my scedule.

It's been fun to be at the museum. I am looking forward to another week at work.

This picture was taken this week at my friend's exhibition's opening. Wall papers on the background are part of her art work. It's a fantastic exhibition. If you happen to be in Helsinki go and have a look. The gallery is Huuto at Uudenmaankatu

New Phase

Weekend in woods was lovely. There were berries and some mushrooms to pick and there was a sauna, also a table full of food and silence. Japanese ladies liked it at least as much as I did.

Our guests left and cooler weather arrived. They did say that they tend to bring the good weather with them, but they never said anything about bringing it back home with them.

Now I have started my practice at an art museum and it feels good. The only shadow side is that I don't get payed for the fun, but I will work hard to learn new things about working with art on paper and to create a good reputation as a conservator.

My e-mail correspondence is very slow now a days. Please bare with me even if it seems I never write. I will write eventually.

Trying Desperately Get Better by Tomorrow

Here's a picture taken by my Japanese friend. It's seldom one documents everyday moments at a food store.

I managed to catch a cold. First the kid was sick and I stayed home with him and then I got the cold myself and stayed home while my guests had to entertain themselves the best they could. I intend to feel better by tomorrow. A cottage in woods is waiting for us and I would love to be there. If I am not able to drive tomorrow M will be the chauffeur for the ladies.

Touristing in Helsinki Area

I have been busy experiencing Finland with our Japanese quests. It has been fun and I have been to places I never been to before, like Vartiosaari, where we had a bath in sauna. Today we went to Nuuksio National Park and "hiked" on a 2 km's trail - which was exactly the right length for us who dragged along a 4 years old and a 1,5 years old. Nuuksio is fantastic.