Monday, May 02, 2005
Vappu - the Finnish Labor Day, also the International May Day when one celebrates the arrival of Spring came and went this weekend. It came with a rain storm and left with a snow storm. Saturday night, I was out on the town. I had to wait 45 minutes to get into the Giggling Marlin, which was easily the longest I have waited in a line to get in anywhere. You might think that living in a town of 50,000 there would not be any lines to get in anywhere. Except in this town of 50,000 there are only 2-3 places worth going and everyone goes there.
Karoliina and I - and I presume everyone else in Finland - had plans to picnic on our balcony. After all, last week the weather had been warm and sunny. We were going to take it easy, and enjoy the sun. Instead, we watched as the temperature dropped below freezing and made it damn near impossible to leave the house. Eventually I did, so that I could join some friends at the Marlin. But because I had to wait in line for 45 minutes, by the time I got inside my friends we a little too drunk to be around. Like almost everyone else in Joensuu, from age 15 to 70, people were way too drunk. Stumbling around and quick to anger. It would have been different had the weather been nicer. The party would have been held outside and people would have been happy. Instead, it was snowing and everyone had to cram into 3 bars. A perfect evening.
I'm off to Helsinki in a couple of hours. I have a meeting with a government official regarding the State Film Commission initiative I am leading and I also have my interview and examination for the Sibelius Academy Masters Programme. I am glad to get it out of the way. The past 2 weeks have been a little tense. I have a good feeling, I just need to relax.
Karoliina and I - and I presume everyone else in Finland - had plans to picnic on our balcony. After all, last week the weather had been warm and sunny. We were going to take it easy, and enjoy the sun. Instead, we watched as the temperature dropped below freezing and made it damn near impossible to leave the house. Eventually I did, so that I could join some friends at the Marlin. But because I had to wait in line for 45 minutes, by the time I got inside my friends we a little too drunk to be around. Like almost everyone else in Joensuu, from age 15 to 70, people were way too drunk. Stumbling around and quick to anger. It would have been different had the weather been nicer. The party would have been held outside and people would have been happy. Instead, it was snowing and everyone had to cram into 3 bars. A perfect evening.
I'm off to Helsinki in a couple of hours. I have a meeting with a government official regarding the State Film Commission initiative I am leading and I also have my interview and examination for the Sibelius Academy Masters Programme. I am glad to get it out of the way. The past 2 weeks have been a little tense. I have a good feeling, I just need to relax.
// posted by Howard @ 10:59 AM 
