Sunday, April 02, 2006
Last night - a Saturday - at about 1:30am, as K and I were returning from Antero and Jenni's place, we came upon a city center that felt just like a zombie movie. It was all so chaotic, masses of people stumbling around here and there, but never in a straight line. People peeing wherever they felt like peeing. Anyone walking alone was running. I guess since we weren't drunk we could see it how it really is, but how one never sees it because who the hell is out in the center of Helsinki at 2am on a Saturday night if they are not drinking? No one, that's who. Well, us yesterday, is who too.
From the train station to our flat is probably the busiest area of Helsinki, like Times Square, except without the lights, the Disney and the wide selection of late night eateries. Helsinki late night fare is hotdogs, kebob and then a sausage and potato dish of sorts. On a side note, a Taco Bell would make a killing here.
I'm going for a visit to J-town at the end of this week. I'm quite excited about it and I am now quite relieved that there is a film showcase happening on Friday, because outside of visiting my old workplace there wasn't gonna be a thing to do in J-town, at least not without my bike. Gotta mention something, as I wrote the word happening I almost wrote this "there is a happening on Friday" instead of what I did write, "there is a film showcase happening" and had I wrote the former and not the latter I would have been guilty of Finglish - or the way Finns speak English - and using the word "happening" to describe an event is so commonplace that I have almost forgotten how to say it otherwise.
So anyway, going to Joensuu this weekend for a meeting with Markku about the movie, a Kataja playoff basketball game (who says March Madness only happens in the US? Huh? It's happening right here baby! Much sarcasm intended) and then a game of Texas Hold'Em Poker with the J-town billiard club in their secret billiard room in the middle of the city in the parking garage. Also in the secret chamber is an antique pool table that holds the largest billiard balls I have ever seen in my life.
Ha! I was about to discuss the weather and then I realized that we are out of March and today the sidewalks were ice free and what a bloody difference a day makes. Although now the weather is in that annoyingly in between stage where it is too warm to wear my heavier coat, but too cold to wear my lighter coats and so I wear the heavy one and sweat and then freeze and then, inevitably catch the cold that I have right now.
Another something to tell, I saw my very first lettuce commercial the other day. A commercial solely devoted to different types of lettuce - the types they grow and sell in Finland, of course. It was a medicine cabinet with a green cross on it and inside it were those lettuces.
And that's about that.
From the train station to our flat is probably the busiest area of Helsinki, like Times Square, except without the lights, the Disney and the wide selection of late night eateries. Helsinki late night fare is hotdogs, kebob and then a sausage and potato dish of sorts. On a side note, a Taco Bell would make a killing here.
I'm going for a visit to J-town at the end of this week. I'm quite excited about it and I am now quite relieved that there is a film showcase happening on Friday, because outside of visiting my old workplace there wasn't gonna be a thing to do in J-town, at least not without my bike. Gotta mention something, as I wrote the word happening I almost wrote this "there is a happening on Friday" instead of what I did write, "there is a film showcase happening" and had I wrote the former and not the latter I would have been guilty of Finglish - or the way Finns speak English - and using the word "happening" to describe an event is so commonplace that I have almost forgotten how to say it otherwise.
So anyway, going to Joensuu this weekend for a meeting with Markku about the movie, a Kataja playoff basketball game (who says March Madness only happens in the US? Huh? It's happening right here baby! Much sarcasm intended) and then a game of Texas Hold'Em Poker with the J-town billiard club in their secret billiard room in the middle of the city in the parking garage. Also in the secret chamber is an antique pool table that holds the largest billiard balls I have ever seen in my life.
Ha! I was about to discuss the weather and then I realized that we are out of March and today the sidewalks were ice free and what a bloody difference a day makes. Although now the weather is in that annoyingly in between stage where it is too warm to wear my heavier coat, but too cold to wear my lighter coats and so I wear the heavy one and sweat and then freeze and then, inevitably catch the cold that I have right now.
Another something to tell, I saw my very first lettuce commercial the other day. A commercial solely devoted to different types of lettuce - the types they grow and sell in Finland, of course. It was a medicine cabinet with a green cross on it and inside it were those lettuces.
And that's about that.
// posted by Howard @ 11:48 PM 
