HB COLD

A couple of things dawned on me today:

1, Do you realize that we have lived without a dishwasher and garbage disposal for almost five years now (and we're still married). I simply cannot remember what it is like to have them. This has to stop. So next time you think you've got it bad and you're cleaning up after dinner and it takes all of 5 minutes, remember the little people, will ya?

2, I was a lot stronger a year ago. I guess that's what happens when you go nine months between visits to the gym. Today, at BB Gym, Karoliina and I were the fat people who people smiled at just for showing up ("good for you! don't hurt yourself"). Let me tell you, there were some in shape Finns at the gym today, even the old folks there could whoop my ass. Karoliina almost passed out after spells at the treadmill and trainer. We are now too sore to move.

We were playing this game in Finnish class the other day (I was going to preface this by saying that I have a funny story about my Finnish class, but I am a little concerned that I have gone crazy here and that this story might not seem funny, so I chose not to set expecations) when we were enjoying a rousing game of Junior Alias, where I would pick a card and describe the picture on the card to the other members in the class without saying what the word is. You know, describe a cucumber or a rose without saying what it is, except now the cucumber is kurkku and the rose is ruusu.

Well Marwana, the Austrailain exchange student had to describe carrot and I guessed it, except that I couldn't remember that porkkana is carrot in Finnish, so I racked my brain and remembered that Karoliina's favorite juice is orange-carrot or appelsini-morot and since everyone knows that appelsini is orange I blurted out morot. Well since morot is not porkana and therefore not carrot in Finnish, I confused everyone including the teacher. So I began to describe what I meant only to realize that the juice - and other food products here - is labled in both Swedish and Finnish and I recalled the Swedish word for carrot. And apparently my Swedish pronounciation is so awful that the teacher, who also teaches Swedish could not tell what I was saying. When we all realized what was going on we had a good laugh, just like you did after reading this, right? Right? Riiight.

So we were supposed to head to the hills and go snowshoeing today, but get this, it's snowing to hard to go snowshoeing. We missed our chance yesterday when the sun came out for a few hours and made for a good opportunity to get outside for a while. Not today. We woke up early - and with Daylight Savings we even lost an hour - in order to get to the location as early as possible, only to see a blizzard in effect. That's right, it's almost April and I'm looking at a snowstorm that has been raging for more than 4 hours now.

And just yesterday I was able to ride my bike to town and not have any ice on the road. Not anymore, this is going to make the next few days really annoying. I think that it is supposed to get much warmer by the end of the week and if that is the case and this snow storm marks the last one that all is right with the world. The problem with that scenario is the fact that I have said and wished the same thing on the last like 5 snow storms in March alone.

I guess the only good thing about this storm is the fact that it will extend the snow shoe time frame for another few weeks, so that we will probably get out there sometime in late April and there will still be ample snow on the ground. Let me tell you I am ready for Spring.

Good News - the fans at the Kataja game were pretty rowdy. Sure they didn't know when to be rowdy and were a one-trick pony type rowdy, but rowdy is as rowdy does.

Bad News - the fans were so rowdy that at the end of the game (Kataja lost, evening the series at 2 each with the deciding game 5 tonight on the other teams court) some of the fans went after the referees after a few bad calls at the end pretty much decided the outcome. The poor ref's were waiting for the locker room to be opened when a couple of guys in the crowd went after them. Fortunately, nothing bad happened and the ref's made it in the locker room ok.

Weird News - as the game grew more intense and as I was shouting louder and louder a couple of children decided to stand right next to me and smile at me, without looking anywhere else. It was a little creepy at first and then the kids started to speak to me in the little English they knew. It was cute and we talked for a little bit, but then these kids started dancing and screaming and throwing things all over the place. I was looking around for a parent and there was none to be found. After that I stopped talking to the kids and started to watch the game, but these kids didn't leave. They kept dancing and hollering and I kept waiting for someone to do something, but it never happened. Was it my place to tell these kids to cut it out? That could've been a messy situation, but they were really annoying and blocking my view of the game.

More Good News - Passover package arrived in the mail yesterday with Matzah, Matzah meal and jelly rings.

Bad News - we have to wait a while before we can dig in

Truth - we've already dug in, I'm going to place an order from the Kosher deli in Helsinki and get some more sent our way.

It's official, March sucks in Finland. This has to be the most depressing month of the year...so far. I'm mostly complaining about the weather. The sun has not shown it's face in almost 2 weeks and the snow is a filthy combination of black, grey and off white. As it melts, the snow makes pools of water that make crossing the street almost impossible. We've had snow on the ground for more than 4 months now and there is no way that the snow will go away before the end of April, but hopefully the sun will come out again before that time. And to make matters worse, I forgot what life was like without long underwear, but I will admit that there is a certain comfort level in wearing long-johns.

First action at the Film Commission took place over the weekend. An American producer wanted to know how he could film a commercial shoot at an amusement park in Tampere. He was asking for 100 extras who would all have to ride a roller coaster several times - as the client is an American Theme Park that is unveiling this new roller coaster at their park this summer. Well, I've been on the roller coaster in Tampere and it is way cool, but I also live near Tampere and right now it is way cold. Seems as if the client didn't realize the problems of trying to recreate a summer feel for an amusement park in the middle of a Finnish winter. I think that there is still like 1 foot of snow on the ground there and the people would be on a ride that travels well over 30 mph in weather that is right around freezing. Not to mention the fact that the park is closed and that they want to film the shoot next week. All in all, it was an interesting experience, but I hope not all the requests for our assistance is like this one.

So this past weekend we were in Turku for Virpi and Jyrki's wedding and it was beautiful. The ceremony may have well been in Finnish because I didn't understand any of it. Oh yeah, it was in Finnish. But it was kept very short and I realized something at Finnish weddings, when they throw the rice at the bride and groom, they mean business. I couldn't believe how hard people were throwing the rice and how much pleasure they were taking in the action. Little old ladies were even getting into the action.

Another item of discovery at a Finnish wedding is the stealing of the bride. The guys and the bridesmaids got together to plan the moment where masked men would grab Virpi and take her away. I was the messenger of the kidnappers and we made Jyrki sing "Can't Help Falling In Love" in order to get her back. It was a great success and Jyrki has the perfect voice for that song. He sang so well that we were preparing to kidnap his mother just to get him to sing again.

Meanwhile, at the wedding Bjorn and I kept the wedding tradition of getting way too drunk alive and well. It was a grand old time, but let me tell you something, flying with a hangover might be the worst thing possible. And I don't have that great a flying stomach as is, but fortunately the flights were 30 minutes and 50 minutes long so there was no trouble. Which is more than I can say for the last time I flew after a wedding.

As always, Joensuu is a nice place to return to after a long weekend of partying. But I wasn't so happy to see the feet of snow on the ground after spending time in Turku - which is much further South - where the grass was already peeking through and the snow was on it's way out. I think we will still have snow on the ground until sometime in early May, but by then I will have started my travels and will not remember what snow looks like until it comes again in October.

So more good news, I will be able to see a playoff basketball game tomorrow as Kataja is on the verge of advancing to the second round of the playoffs. Nothing would make me happier than to see a victory that propels them to the brink of the championship game. I will do my darndest to get the crowd going crazy - much to my father-in-laws dislike. Timo feels that it is unsportsmanlike to disrupt the concentration of the contestants and wouldn't listen to my explanation of home-court advantage.

That's all he wrote folks.

hb

A couple of Happy's to dish out today:

1. A very happy 30th birthday to Karoliina. Funny story, she just got her Finnish driver's license and it expires in the year 2044. What the --? How is it possible that she doesn't have to renew her driver's license for another 40 years. That is some trust there, let me tell you. So when she is nearing 70 years old and our grandchildren are bugging her about the way that she drives, she will finally need to renew this thing? And the picture? When she is 55 years old, her ID will still be a picture of her when she was 30. Now I'm sure that is to her liking, but it just seems a little absurd.

2. A very happy anniversary to Andy and Tracey, celebrating their 6th wedding anniversary. Hope you guys have a wonderful night out on the town. Maybe have some Thai food, or Sushi, or maybe a nice steakhouse. Perhaps a show tonight? Man, I miss New York. Looking forward to seeing you guys again.

So I was waiting and waiting for this Prime Minister guy to show up yesterday, but I had a meeting at noon and I hadn't eaten anything yet. So I ran downstairs to get a sandwich and when I returned, the PM had already shook all the hands and was leaving the building. And to think, I even trimmed my beard for this guy.

Oh yeah, another thing that pissed me off is the fact that the basketball playoffs (Finnish Basketball, that is) begin this weekend and the Kataja homegame is this Saturday, and where will I be? In Turku for Virpi and Jyrki's wedding. Who do these people think they are? Planning their wedding during the playoffs? Where is the decency? I just hope Kataja advances past the first round so that I can catch a game.

And this snow keeps on coming. Every morning we get a little snow and ice and then the temperature warms up and the ice and snow turns to slush and water and it pisses me off. For those of you who can't tell, the sun has not come out in many days and the weather has been awful, hence the bitch session.

I'm trying to think of some more things that have been chappin' my hide lately...Well just because I can't think of something right now doesn't mean that there isn't something else out there that is pissing me off as we speak - or as I write.

On to some more uplifting thoughts: I had my first pitch meeting regarding the basketball documentary that I am thinking about and the local producer bit hard. I think that I have a real chance of raising enough money to get this thing done. I happen to be in the perfect situation. The local producer is my boss, and the fact that we are employees of the film commission and work together with the local studios means that equipment and personnel will be available and cheap. I am now working hard on the story and will hopefully try to begin filming this October - a trip to Hawaii will probably not happen until summer of '05, but I can wait.

Also, the filmmaking class that I am teaching has been very enjoyable. Collectively there are 8 of us and together we are writing a monster movie that will take place here in Joensuu. Sort of Dracula meets Army of Darkness meets Woody Allen. The writing sessions are a lot of fun and everyone is participating. I think we will continue to meet even after the class is over. We will hopefully have a 10 page synopsis at the end of the sessions and we will then shop it around to see if anyone wants to give us money.

Something else that is making me very happy is the fact that 2 months from today K and I will be packing our bags and getting ready for our 3 week trip to Texas and New York.

Pretty cool news. Tomorrow, the former prime minister of Finland will be paying us a visit. Not too sure why, but apparently he is a film buff who also has strong ties to the region.

I don't know what I was thinking when I said that yesterday's snow dusting was a good thing. The recent snow has turned to slush and made the roads virtual swimming pools. There is so much water out there right now that it is near impossible to get anywhere and stay dry. I would much rather have hills of black and grey snow and dry roads and walkways than have a white post-card looking city that is completely water logged.

Another thing that I am beginning to worry about is this daylight thing. It's been so long since we've had regular daylight hours that I'm wondering how easy the transition will be to more light. I'll explain: For the past several months it has been dark when we go to work in the morning and dark when we leave work in the afternoon. Now, with the coming of Spring, the sun is out and shining brightly before 8am and stays out until 6pm. I certainly don't mind this evening sunshine, but since our bedroom window faces East, our room becomes very bright way too early and the Spring has just begun. What happens when the sun begins to rise at 3am? If it's not one thing it's the other, huh?

Also, with the warmer weather around the corner - say 6 weeks away - I will experience my first summer without air conditioning. And I must admit, when it is all said and done, air conditioning is my favorite invention of all time, well maybe a close second behind the wheel. K and I will need to get in line to buy several fans for the oncoming heat wave - try 80 degrees F.

I suppose you might be able to infer from the subject matter of my past few posts - the weather - that not much is going on here and you would be right, not much is going on here.

Bad news, I think I will miss Kataja's playoff basketball game if it is to take place this weekend. K and I will be in Turku for the wedding and since the opposing team is quite formidable, there may only be one home game in which to attend and make a scene. This is too bad as I was mentally preparing for the heckling and had even been brainstorming for new and creative insults to shout at the top of my lungs. Hopefully the team will advance to the second round where my vocal support can be injected into the crowd. Oh well.

I must admit that I am getting a little tired of all this snow. The past week's warmer temperatures have turned the once cotton white scenery into a cancerous eye-sore of dirt covered snow hills. I wonder how long it will take to melt all of this snow. My bet is more than one month, so that by this time in April I will still be looking at, at least several inches of snow.

That being said, the snow that came down last night was well-timed. Considering the fact that the dirt covered snow has really started to make the town look ugly, last night's snow repainted the town white and let me tell you, this town looks a lot better in white than it does in black and grey. There is an old saying in Finland, New snow is the death of Old snow and now that I have seen it in practice it makes sense.

Not much else to report here on the front line. We are traveling to Turku this weekend for Virpi and Jyrki's wedding. This should be a great time and I am looking forward to it. Any chance to socialize is welcome. Also, I think that I will get to the movies while in Turku and that is something to look forward to. I think that I have been to the movies three times since I have been in Finland. Considering the fact that in Brooklyn we lived 2 blocks from a theatre and went almost once a week for nearly 3 years, this is a huge change. But it's not like there is a great selection here in Joensuu and foreign movies are out because I can't understand what is spoken and I can't understand the subtitles.

So it's DVD land for us, except for the fact that DVD's run at 4 euros which is way too expensive, considering in Brooklyn they were half the price. You know, you would think that New York City would have a greater cost of living than a small town in East Finland, but you would be surprised. Here's what I mean (in dollars):

Bus in Joensuu: $2.95 / Subway in New York: $2

DVD rental in Joensuu: $4.90 / In New York: $2.25

Sure there are other things like

Rent in Joensuu: $600 / In New York: $1400

But some of the day to day costs are really expensive and so, on the movie front, we just watch the movies they show on TV, some good some bad others really bad. But look at it this way, when we do get somewhere where the cost of rentals is pretty cheap we will finally have a large number of films that we have not yet seen. This can only be thought of as good news, because in Brooklyn we would spend almost a half-hour trying to figure out what the hell we were going to watch.

K and I are really looking forward to the trip. I think that we will starve ourselves for the week leading up to the travels so that we can really gorge ourselves on all the food we have been dreaming of.

hb hungry

Couple of things.

First, it wasn't just me and it wasn't just Amsterdam, because after one week off, almost everyone in my Finnish class forgot nearly everything we had learned in the previous 10 weeks or so. That's right 10 weeks to learn and 1 week to forget. On Monday when Arja, the teacher, greeted us in Finnish we all burst into laughter because we had no clue what she had said. But after a while it started coming back to us, although I really need to devote a lot of time to learning this language. My impression of the Finnish language and the rules that govern it is a lot like a parent. When you ask why this is the way it is, or why that is the way that is, the answer is seemingly always, because it is.

Second, it wasn't just me and it wasn't just Amsterdam, but playing our first full-court game in the Arena was just plain exhausting. The court is easily 20% larger than a regulation court and rather than a hard wood court, everything is blue. The court is blue, the lines are a lighter shade of blue and surrounding the court on all sides is a white mesh curtain that reaches to the ceiling. So in other words the floor is indecipherable, the lights are way too high up and extremely bright and everywhere you look there is a white mesh curtain. It literally takes us 30 minutes to get used to the fact that we all suck when playing here. However, that 30 minutes is filled with jokes and laughter and so all in all I enjoy playing there. The guys have really begun to warm up and it makes the time much more enjoyable.

Speaking of enjoyable basketball, at the end of today's Kataja game - the last one before the playoffs begin - people were coming up to me and congratulating me for helping the team win the game. Here's the setup: Kataja was playing like crap, they were sloppy and lazy and so was the crowd (Apparently this is endemic of the season, it's the late winter blues when Spring is in the air, but there is still 3 feet of snow on the ground).

Well anyway, at halftime I was so upset that the crowd was so dead that I decided to take matters into my own hands. On the opposing team there was a Brit who was getting to the foul line quite often, well the first time he got up to shoot a free throw in the second half, I began to yell at the top of my lungs, "You suck, Reed (his name)! You're gonna miss! You got no game! You're ugly! You can't make anything!" and so on. Everytime he went up to shoot I got up to shout. And in a cozy arena with 800 silent Finns, one person screaming got everyone's attention, including Reed's and he missed his first shot both times he went to the line. He made the next one and shouted back at me and I knew I was in his head.

People all around me were staring at me to scream everytime he got up to shoot and so I did. As the game wound down and Kataja won by 2, people all around me were giving me the thumbs up and pointing in my direction and giving affirmative nods. For those unfamiliar with the Finns, these 3 gestures are almost equivalent to propping me up on their shoulders and singing for he's a jolly good fellow. With the playoffs starting in a couple of weeks, I am going work on my trash talk and see if I can't make a scene or two.

Third, back to the fact that Spring is in the air, it is. The sun is out and finally giving off some warmth. The temperature will be above freezing for the rest of the week - at least in the day time. The huge chunk of ice that was resting dangerously on top of our roof has melted and the streets are becoming filthy. I think K and I will be buying some cross-country skis this weekend. We've been told that this time of the year is great for skiing and also for ice-fishing and so I am getting pretty excited about the Spring time. We've started to ride our bikes to work again and the timing is perfect as the bus fare has gone up a dime to 2.40 which is like 3.50 in dollars and for a 5 minute ride. Way too much money for that trip.

Fourth, saw some very feignt Northern Lights last night. Really cool, except for the fact that they were so dim and I really couldn't tell whether they were just clouds or not - night clouds for those who remember. But I was told that they were Northern Lights and that is good enough for me. I would like to be absolutely sure the next time and I would also like to have my camera with me and be by our house as it is further out in the country side. We were in the city and the lights were probably making it more difficult to see them. Also real freaky moon last night with a cloud around it that looked like it was breathing.

Oh, I thought I would let you know that the most prominent constellation in the night's sky is Orion. I don't know what's around by you, but that's what's around by us.

Also, and I could be WAY off on this one, but I have a question for the fam. Many, many years ago did we see an outdoor concert that had Gladys Night and the Pips? That's not the real question, the real question is, Was Bob Dylan performing at that concert too? I have this vague recollection of being at an outdoor concert and seeing some guy on stage playing the guitar with a harmonica mount as well. I never got a good look, but I remember that there was a large crowd and, like I mentioned, I can vaguely recall the outline of this person. I must have been very young, but this memory popped into my head recently and I have to know if it is true or not.

Happy belated birthday wishes to my sister, Tricia.

OK, I'm back from Amsterdam and I have a few things to say about it:

1. The city reminds me of gold for some reason and there were relatively few moments of sunshine throughout the trip. Still, if I were to describe Amsterdam in one word, I would call it golden. The streets and buildings seemed to sparkle and provide their own color in the absence of green leaves and sunshine. To tell the truth, the overcast sky added a bit to the beauty of the old town.

2. What is up with the toilets? I have no idea who could have possibly thought having 2 levels in the toilet is a good idea. One level for the business and another level for the water. That's right, business and water are separate. And in a very small space, I'm talking real small here, this division is brutal.

3. Sometimes letting your vacation happen to you is the best strategy. This was the case on Thursday. After arriving and situating our stuff in the Flying Pig youth hostel, we made our way down to Leidseplein and then onto the Museum area, where we were able to catch an duet of Mongolian musicians, in full wardrobe playing traditional Mongolian music on very old looking string instruments. They were set up underneath the Rijks Museum and the acoustics were marvelous. It was very powerful music and drew a large crowd. I was pleased to have been there at the beginning so that I found myself with a very good vantage point.

Upon leaving the musicians we entered the park that is in the middle of the Rijks Museum and the Vincent Van Gogh museum and that park feels like an art installation in and of itself. The trees were cropped into sculptures - I can only assume this is done in the winter time and that the trees are allowed to blossom during the Spring - which added a surreal element to the park. Phil and I hung out there for an hour or so and then made our way into the Van Gogh museum. Big fan of that museum. I have about 5 paintings that I liked more than the others and I don't think I can name them all right now, but one is the View of Paris, the other is Roots, and another is Green House, I think one is Fiddler and the last one might be Almond Tree Blossom. These five were ones that I had never seen before and truly found fascinating.

After the Van Gogh museum we went looking for a bite to eat and came across the city Casino. Now earlier that day Phil was talking about his passion for poker and his talent in the game. He was saying how much he would like to enter a poker tournament and see how good he really is. Well as soon as we get into the casino they tell us that there is a poker tournament tonight. 60 euro buy in with 60 contestants. Phil signs up for it. Yours truly knows better than to lose €60 playing poker, because yours truly knows where he stands with the game of poker.

So we have like 2 hours to kill before the tournament and we kill them both. We eat our worst meal of the vacation, Dim Sum and then make our way back down to the casino. Now, as soon as we enter the casino, Phil runs into a girl he remembers from college, Blythe. Apparently I should remember her too, but I got no clue who she is. Well, Blythe is now a flight attendant for Continental airlines and is here overnight with the rest of the crew. The co-pilot and Phil start talking about poker and the co-pilot is quick to buy in to the tourny. I strike up conversation with the rest of the flight crew and the night has just begun.

While Phil and the co-pilot play, I'm drinking and eating with the crew and as we are a loud group of Americans people come over and talk to us. Dutch, Albanian, English, you name it. Now I do have to say something regarding this good time, and that is the fact that these people had to get on a plane and work at like 10am the next day and we were partying late until the night. Seems that they MUST stop drinking 5 hours before the flight and that is the only rule. I kept thinking to myself that I was glad that this was the co-pilot over there and not the 1st pilot. Many hours later Phil tells me that he has made it to the final table of 10 out of the original 60. About an hour after that he comes back from a 6th place finish with €180 in his pocket. Not too bad.

After the casino we make our way back to the hotel via the Red Light district. Unfortunately I did not bring my camera with me at night so there will be no photos of the lovely ladies in the door who all want to ask you a question or two. Now I don't know anything about zoning and property value in the neighborhood, but all you need to do is look at the quality of the product in the window (I know that's really crass, but oh well) to know if this is a good part of town or not so good.

We finally turn in at around 3:30am and call it a night. Except for the fact that we were staying in a youth hostel and that meant that there were two other people staying in the room with us. Well one of these kids - we were easily the oldest dudes there - comes back at 5am and turns the lights on and begins to repack his clothes. This kid was hysterically stupid. He kept nothing in his locker, rather he stacked his clothes on top of each other and kept them in the middle of the room. His ID was left sitting on the floor and the one valuable thing he did have, his computer, he kept in the locker. The problem was that he left the locker wide open and the lock and key were on the floor. He left Phil and I in the room with all his stuff for several hours.

End of day one.

Beginning of day 2:

We wake up and have to move. The Flying Pig is a hip place and the rooms were all reserved for the weekend before we got in town. So we spend the next hour locating a place and find one, the Regent Hotel. I think that this is probably a 2 star hotel. Phil and I shared a large room that had its own sink and dresser. The toilet and shower were communal, but the overall cost was cheap and we were able to book it for 2 nights and so I was happy.

We wanted to get to the Hague on Day 2, but the room situation kept us in Amsterdam for the day, which was pretty relaxing yet uneventful. We walked around the neighborhood. We went to the Anne Frank museum and that is a very well done exhibition. Later that day I was able to buy a new pair of basketball shoes that were on sale and SO much better than anything in Joensuu that I had to make the purchase. We went back to the room for a long nap and woke up to have a wonderful Italian meal - Wine, salad, pasta, espresso, sambuca - it was the best meal I have had in a while. We finished the night rather early and prepared to get to the Hague in the morning.

And that is just what we did, we went to the Hague. That town was small, cozy and palatial. It felt like one big castle, with a crowd of Turkish protesters yelling about somehting or other. It was nice, but did not offer much more than beauty, so we came back to Amsterdam and went about getting ready for the night. We found ourselves in the bustling common area of Leidseplein, we grabbed a couple of seats outside of the coffee shop and sat and watched people all night long. The weather was chilly, but not unbearable and the crowd was friendly, but not too friendly. We finished up in the nightclub that was filled with British people and then eventually made our way home.

And that's that. I'm back in Joensuu and glad to be. The trip to Amsterdam was great, but next time I will make the trip with Karoliina, because there is a lot of romance to that town and Phil's just not my type of girl.

Just in case anyone asks, I am responsible for bringing the basketball game of 21 to Joensuu. So in a couple of years, when all the kids are playing 21 in the schoolyard, it was me, not him, me. I even learned them the tip-ins part of the game. Sure I only won one game out of 5, but hey I gotta go easy on 'em right? Riight.

Let me tell you an interesting problem that I am facing regarding this trip to Amsterdam, I have no idea how to pack for it. I'll explain, the weather in Amsterdam is a tropical 40 degrees, compared to the 15 degrees that is currently outside my window. Now, of course 40 degrees is still quite chilly, but it will be interesting to see how I've acclimated to the cold when I get there. I think it's better to play it safe and pack warm. I also think that I am going to try to do this in a minimalistic sort of way. I'm thinking lots of underwear and socks and that's about it. Who am I there to impress? Phil? So I'm thinking of taking the cultural lesson that I've learned here and I will wear the same thing all the time. Ok, maybe one change of clothes, but I'm looking to go light folks.

I've been able to pick up on a few conversations lately and they all revolve around the same thing, the price of booze, cause it's going way down. The Finnish government is reacting to the fact that Estonia will soon be a member of the EU and is looking to prevent massive alcohol purchases out of the country and has reduced the cost of booze by 45%, beer 18% and wine 10% and the people here are giddy, and with Spring coming, oh my god it is going to get crazier and crazier.

You should have heard the guys in the locker room. All they can talk about is how it is now cheaper to buy a half-liter of vodka than it is to buy a six pack of beer (almost, but close enough). These guys are like little boys about to get drunk for the first time. They are speaking in Finnish, but I can figure it out - mostly because they are only talking about vodka using numbers and I know about both of these things.

One thing that I have realized about these Finns, they don't like to drink water if they are drinking alcohol. Now, I am a firm believer of drinker water when having a few in order to not go overboard and to prevent a serious hangover, but when I am out it is next to impossible to get a glass of water and when I do I have to down it quickly so that no one sees and disapproves, it's wild. And you cannot refuse a drink, no matter what, puke be damned (Alright I exaggerate for dramatic effect, but the gist is there).

OK, I still need to clean and pack and I don't know when I will get the energy. So let me ask you this, why is it when K is at home I am able to clean a little more and do the things that need to get done and when I am home alone, I don't do crap. It takes all my energy to wash the dishes from breakfast or even to throw the trash in the bin rather than on the table. Weird stuff, huh? Is it that I can finally be gross? Got no clue, but fortunately I have to have the place looking nice upon our return or else I got trouble with a capital T and that rhymes with K and that stands for wife.

If I were a betting man, I would be rich! Ok, maybe not rich, but I would have won some money at the tracks this weekend. I arrived just in time to catch the first race and stayed long enough to watch the second race and while the horses prepared for the second race, I noticed that horse number 4 really knows how to move and so I said to myself that this horse would win - of course I didn't place a bet - and horse #4 did indeed win (I have the picture to prove it).

The setting was great. The weather was warm, about -5 degrees C = 25 degrees F. The sun was shining and the track was covered with snow. The horses gather around in the same place, but not in any gate or anything like that, then they take off in a completely unregulated way. It all works itself out at the end - two laps around the track and the best horse will win regardless of the starting position. It was all very exciting and then disappointing when I realized that I had picked the right horse to win.

So I spent the day riding around on my bicycle and went to the basketball court at 4pm to play a few games. When I left a 6pm, the weather had dropped from -5 to -15 = 5 degrees F and it was a pain in the ass (well in the face) to get home. I was hoping that I wouldn't get sick, because I have a trip to Amsterdam to think of and so I spent some time in the sauna to warm up and it worked. I don't think that I will ride my bike again anytime soon.

Other points of interest, I saw the biggest icicle of my life yesterday, it must have been 6 ft long. It was as if I was frozen and hanging off someone's house. I wondered how lazy people can be to not get rid of that kind of icicle. The same house had several feet of snow piled on the roof. So either they are very lazy or they are not in town.