Wednesday, February 18, 2004
Hot damn! Camera problem solved! It must have been fate. Don't believe me? Here's the story:
Yesterday after my meeting with Cliff, I went to Sokos to buy some food for breakfast (potato pancakes, yogurts, juice and some fruit) and also some dinner. Well, I forgot that we were out of olive oil and I couldn't go back because I would miss the bus - which I did anyway, but that's another story and a little embarrassing so I won't talk about it here and now - and so I decided that I would get it at our neighborhood "kauppa : store" SIWA. But after a nice little conversation with the employee, there was no olive oil to be found.
Side note, olive oil might very well be THE most difficult thing for me to say in Finnish: oliiviöljy
So on the way to Finnish class this afternoon I went to the closest store SPAR, but the oliiviöljy that they had looked gross and so I went off to the Citymarket - which is a veritable Super Target. Of course they had the olive oil, but this isn't the point either. Wait for it...because I was coming from the Citymarket, I was on a street that I had never been on before and on the corner was an electronics store. I thought about going in, figured that there was no way thay they would have what I was looking for and passed on bye. But then, after about 100ft I turned around and said what the hell.
I get into the store "Minä puhun hyviin vahan Suomea. Puhutko Englantia?" He doesn't and so commences a five minute conversation that neither one of us understood. So I look around the store and walk right to the magical cable that has been eluding me since I came to Finland. I look at it and the other employee of the store tells me that this is what I need, without asking me what it was that I did indeed need. I tell him that I would like to be able to return it if it is not the right cable. He tells me to take it and if it works to come back tomorrow and pay him 10 euros. And I will be back tomorrow with the man's 10.
Alright, I admit that I don't know if that is truly fate or simply me blowing it out of proportion; but, I have been looking for that shit everywhere and to finally have it happen out of the blue like that was thrilling.
So there will soon be pictures. I am going to paint the town camera. After being here for more than 4 months, I will finally be able to take the pictures I thought I would be taking as soon as I arrived. I think that this weekend should be really warm, like 0° or something and I will get on the bike and take advantage of the warm weather.
Speaking of weather, although it's been really cold here and that is getting old, at least the sun is coming out and staying out. When I leave for work at 8am the sky is full of the colors of a distant sunrise, but it is definitely light out. And when I leave work at 4pm the sun is shining brightly. Sure it's deceiving as hell to have so much sun light and for it to be so cold, but you take what you can get. It's kind of like being in a freezer with a really bright light that gives off no warmth whatsoever.
Yesterday after my meeting with Cliff, I went to Sokos to buy some food for breakfast (potato pancakes, yogurts, juice and some fruit) and also some dinner. Well, I forgot that we were out of olive oil and I couldn't go back because I would miss the bus - which I did anyway, but that's another story and a little embarrassing so I won't talk about it here and now - and so I decided that I would get it at our neighborhood "kauppa : store" SIWA. But after a nice little conversation with the employee, there was no olive oil to be found.
Side note, olive oil might very well be THE most difficult thing for me to say in Finnish: oliiviöljy
So on the way to Finnish class this afternoon I went to the closest store SPAR, but the oliiviöljy that they had looked gross and so I went off to the Citymarket - which is a veritable Super Target. Of course they had the olive oil, but this isn't the point either. Wait for it...because I was coming from the Citymarket, I was on a street that I had never been on before and on the corner was an electronics store. I thought about going in, figured that there was no way thay they would have what I was looking for and passed on bye. But then, after about 100ft I turned around and said what the hell.
I get into the store "Minä puhun hyviin vahan Suomea. Puhutko Englantia?" He doesn't and so commences a five minute conversation that neither one of us understood. So I look around the store and walk right to the magical cable that has been eluding me since I came to Finland. I look at it and the other employee of the store tells me that this is what I need, without asking me what it was that I did indeed need. I tell him that I would like to be able to return it if it is not the right cable. He tells me to take it and if it works to come back tomorrow and pay him 10 euros. And I will be back tomorrow with the man's 10.
Alright, I admit that I don't know if that is truly fate or simply me blowing it out of proportion; but, I have been looking for that shit everywhere and to finally have it happen out of the blue like that was thrilling.
So there will soon be pictures. I am going to paint the town camera. After being here for more than 4 months, I will finally be able to take the pictures I thought I would be taking as soon as I arrived. I think that this weekend should be really warm, like 0° or something and I will get on the bike and take advantage of the warm weather.
Speaking of weather, although it's been really cold here and that is getting old, at least the sun is coming out and staying out. When I leave for work at 8am the sky is full of the colors of a distant sunrise, but it is definitely light out. And when I leave work at 4pm the sun is shining brightly. Sure it's deceiving as hell to have so much sun light and for it to be so cold, but you take what you can get. It's kind of like being in a freezer with a really bright light that gives off no warmth whatsoever.
// posted by Howard @ 11:43 PM 
