Monday, May 09, 2005
Tried an interesting experiment in the kitchen these past two days. Didn't really intend to, but it happened. On Sunday I cooked beef and broccoli and tonight I cooked chicken and broccoli and they were both really good. If I were in a restaurant I would go for the beef, because it was great, but at home I think chicken will be the regular ingredient.
K and I are getting ready for Cannes later this week. We couldn't be any more excited. The weather here for the past 2 weeks has been miserable. Cold, wet, cloudy, the grass is still brown, there are no leaves or flowers beyond their infancy. We are in the middle of an elongated in between stage and it is driving me crazy. I think this is what I am going to write about for my last University article. You know, these deadlines are a pain in my ass. They are always on me. I have so much other stuff happening right now that makes the fact that I still need to write this a little crazy. I should be able to get it out tomorrow, I just need to get a little agitated. Not too hard to do with some of the boneheads in this town.
But I digress. Yes we are excited about leaving for Cannes. This year's trip will be entirely different from last year's trip - except for the fact that we will still not be in Cannes, we're staying in Juan Les Pins and I'm ok with that. It's going to be different because I know people this year and we have invitations to parties already. Trying to get invites is the name of the game at these things and I've got 3 nights already booked. Last year we would walk bye the yachts and wish that we would be on them and this year my first 3 meetings are on a yacht. Then we have a party on one and another party at a villa venue. It's a little hard to believe. It's also hard to believe that we will be on the beach and in the sun. Our lake is still partially frozen, with the ice turning all sorts of colors, including a lava black.
We were out walking late tonight, like 9 - 10 and it was nice to see the lake at a different time of the day - you notice different things. Of course, I didn't take my camera at the last moment. We came across some really cool stuff, like the different colored ice and a tree that, at its halfway point, began to grow upside down. It is wonderful to have a chance to take a walk that late. K and I were saying that, during the summer, there is probably no better place to be than in Finland. But only if you have been through a Finnish winter. Such drastic extremes do a wonder on each other.
Last week in Helsinki was wild. I left from Joensuu on Monday night and met Virpi and Jyrki for dinner. We went to a huge Italian place, but it was obvious that they spent all their money on the place because the food was atrocious. I had chicken parm, figuring that I would play it safe. It was an over baked breast with - straight from the bag - cheese and a side of mashed potatoes. It was awful, as were Virpi and Jyrki's plates. When the waitress asked how it was at the end of the night we all said, "lousy."
The next morning I had a meeting with Irina at the Center of Expertise for Digital Content. I was there trying to get her advice and opinions on the film commission initiative I am driving. She was very interested in the idea and would like to sponsor the project through her center - which has a film and music agenda. I created a Mission Statement and budget for a planning year in 2006 which would result in the formation of the film commission in 2007. We will finalize the details and submit the budget for funding for 2006. We should know by autumn, if not sooner. Crazy.
The timing for this could not have been any better because one of the reasons I have felt so confident when dealing with this process is the fact that I have been learning a great deal about management and arts management specifically because I have been studying for the entrance exam to the Arts Management Programme at the Sibelius Academy. I literally would not have been able to draft a mission statement without having prepared for this exam, which was a whole nother story altogether.
After the meeting at the Center I went for lunch and then took the cab to Munkivuori - a suburb of Helsinki - for the Sibelius interview. I admit this, I had no idea what kind of interview this was going to be, no idea at all. I walked into the room which had four people at their desks and an empty chair and table in front of them. Three were from the school and the fourth was from the London Royal Opera. After a few seconds, I got nervous. I was not expecting to get nervous, but I was not prepared to have four people in front of me, making notes with each movement or sentence from my mouth. Towards the end of my first answer - one where I told them my story - I began to get comfortable. When the questions turned more professional, I became more assured and I feel as if I put my best foot forward. I answered the questions honestly and openly.
The next day was the exam. I arrived and checked the names of those who were selected for the second round. I noticed very few men's names: Pavel and Howard were the only two I recognized and I could have been wrong about Pavel. We were told that there were 5 people taking the exams at their respective Finnish embassies. We were all waiting for the test door to open, 20 of us. Me and 19 girls. I took a spot in the front corner and observed as every other seat in the room was filled by a lady.
Normally I wouldn't really compare myself to the other applicants. I would mind my own business. But this was ridiculous. I started making myself a little crazy. "If I'm the only guy, how badly do I have to screw this up to not get in?!" Then I started thinking that, perhaps they are trying to flood the job market with the ladies - statistics and crap. I wasn't necessarily thinking about the test and I will not know until mid-June whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. The questions were "What are the challenges facing an arts organization. What are the potential problems and possible solutions. Discuss." and other one that I answered - there were 3 choices and we had to pick 2 - was "Who is actually managing art?" Again I feel as if I put my best foot forward, but as I said, I won't know until mid-June how good my best foot really is.
K and I are getting ready for Cannes later this week. We couldn't be any more excited. The weather here for the past 2 weeks has been miserable. Cold, wet, cloudy, the grass is still brown, there are no leaves or flowers beyond their infancy. We are in the middle of an elongated in between stage and it is driving me crazy. I think this is what I am going to write about for my last University article. You know, these deadlines are a pain in my ass. They are always on me. I have so much other stuff happening right now that makes the fact that I still need to write this a little crazy. I should be able to get it out tomorrow, I just need to get a little agitated. Not too hard to do with some of the boneheads in this town.
But I digress. Yes we are excited about leaving for Cannes. This year's trip will be entirely different from last year's trip - except for the fact that we will still not be in Cannes, we're staying in Juan Les Pins and I'm ok with that. It's going to be different because I know people this year and we have invitations to parties already. Trying to get invites is the name of the game at these things and I've got 3 nights already booked. Last year we would walk bye the yachts and wish that we would be on them and this year my first 3 meetings are on a yacht. Then we have a party on one and another party at a villa venue. It's a little hard to believe. It's also hard to believe that we will be on the beach and in the sun. Our lake is still partially frozen, with the ice turning all sorts of colors, including a lava black.
We were out walking late tonight, like 9 - 10 and it was nice to see the lake at a different time of the day - you notice different things. Of course, I didn't take my camera at the last moment. We came across some really cool stuff, like the different colored ice and a tree that, at its halfway point, began to grow upside down. It is wonderful to have a chance to take a walk that late. K and I were saying that, during the summer, there is probably no better place to be than in Finland. But only if you have been through a Finnish winter. Such drastic extremes do a wonder on each other.
Last week in Helsinki was wild. I left from Joensuu on Monday night and met Virpi and Jyrki for dinner. We went to a huge Italian place, but it was obvious that they spent all their money on the place because the food was atrocious. I had chicken parm, figuring that I would play it safe. It was an over baked breast with - straight from the bag - cheese and a side of mashed potatoes. It was awful, as were Virpi and Jyrki's plates. When the waitress asked how it was at the end of the night we all said, "lousy."
The next morning I had a meeting with Irina at the Center of Expertise for Digital Content. I was there trying to get her advice and opinions on the film commission initiative I am driving. She was very interested in the idea and would like to sponsor the project through her center - which has a film and music agenda. I created a Mission Statement and budget for a planning year in 2006 which would result in the formation of the film commission in 2007. We will finalize the details and submit the budget for funding for 2006. We should know by autumn, if not sooner. Crazy.
The timing for this could not have been any better because one of the reasons I have felt so confident when dealing with this process is the fact that I have been learning a great deal about management and arts management specifically because I have been studying for the entrance exam to the Arts Management Programme at the Sibelius Academy. I literally would not have been able to draft a mission statement without having prepared for this exam, which was a whole nother story altogether.
After the meeting at the Center I went for lunch and then took the cab to Munkivuori - a suburb of Helsinki - for the Sibelius interview. I admit this, I had no idea what kind of interview this was going to be, no idea at all. I walked into the room which had four people at their desks and an empty chair and table in front of them. Three were from the school and the fourth was from the London Royal Opera. After a few seconds, I got nervous. I was not expecting to get nervous, but I was not prepared to have four people in front of me, making notes with each movement or sentence from my mouth. Towards the end of my first answer - one where I told them my story - I began to get comfortable. When the questions turned more professional, I became more assured and I feel as if I put my best foot forward. I answered the questions honestly and openly.
The next day was the exam. I arrived and checked the names of those who were selected for the second round. I noticed very few men's names: Pavel and Howard were the only two I recognized and I could have been wrong about Pavel. We were told that there were 5 people taking the exams at their respective Finnish embassies. We were all waiting for the test door to open, 20 of us. Me and 19 girls. I took a spot in the front corner and observed as every other seat in the room was filled by a lady.
Normally I wouldn't really compare myself to the other applicants. I would mind my own business. But this was ridiculous. I started making myself a little crazy. "If I'm the only guy, how badly do I have to screw this up to not get in?!" Then I started thinking that, perhaps they are trying to flood the job market with the ladies - statistics and crap. I wasn't necessarily thinking about the test and I will not know until mid-June whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. The questions were "What are the challenges facing an arts organization. What are the potential problems and possible solutions. Discuss." and other one that I answered - there were 3 choices and we had to pick 2 - was "Who is actually managing art?" Again I feel as if I put my best foot forward, but as I said, I won't know until mid-June how good my best foot really is.
// posted by Howard @ 11:14 PM 
