Dark humor

Happy Halloween!
The other day my Korean flatmate, Seungho, and his girlfriend, Hansun (sp?), were asking me about what Halloween is all about, and I gave them the whole schpeal about how it is the eve of All Saints Day, the day to honor all of the saints at once. Then I couldn't remember where the association of evil and spooks came from so I told them it was because all of the bad spirits are jealous of the souls who went to heaven, and they are out to git 'em on the night before, and we have to dress up like scary demons ourselves so they don't mistake us for good-a's and haunt us. I SWEAR that is what they told us in grade school.

And in the spirit of Halloween, be sure not to miss the Conan O'Brien show on November 6th. The Finnish monster band, Lordi, will be the musical guest. They are the first-ever Finnish contingency to win the EuroVision Song Contest (in 2006 with the highest margin ever) which is normally cheesy, campy music.


But really Halloween comes from the pagan holiday, Samhain, which signifies the end of summer. I don't know how I could forget that, as I LOVED the book "The Mists of Avalon" This is the time of year when everything outside seems to be dying, and Samhain is the night when the dead revisit the earth and signifies the new year. The Celtic calendar is divided into two halves: the light half and dark half. This is the time of year for gathering-in and shutting, and the beginning of summertime in the "otherworld". "The dead have passed away from the social concerns of this world to the primordial chaos of the Otherworld where all fertility has its roots, but they are still bound to the living by ties of kinship."

That fits SO WELL with life in Finland. This is the part of the year when everybody is in a bad mood and constantly complaining. They/we get reclusive and concentrate more on work, watching TV (both Finnish Idols and American Idols are super-popular here.... what-ever), hanging out at home with only family or your respective boy/girlfriend, contemplating what is wrong with the world, drinking excessively (they do that in the summer too, only with a different attitude), and killing each other.

Indeed summer is over in these parts (you can't really tell how hard it is raining in this video that I shot the other day, but you can see how not-sunny it is these days):

It is also a good time of year to pursue your own hobbies and interests. This winter I plan on (oh you have no idea how nice it feels to type that... both last summer and the summer before I wanted to make plans of how to pass the time in the winter, but never had the certainty to be able to really do so).
After this post, I will draw up my goals for this winter. Work starts again on Monday, so this weekend will be the last of free me. I plan to attend two parties, one at a friend's place in Espoo, and the aforementioned masked ball. And get all of my clothes ironed, and hopefully get some exercise and spend time outside. I feel like I haven't moved around enough the last few days and I feel somehow dead.

Songs in my head

Once again, I woke up with a random song in my head. As I perused the news first thing in the morning, I had to have a real life listen.
I don't think I've ever seen this video, but it is pret-ty cheesy.

It cracks me up how some of the greatest bands (which tend to lean toward the heavier side) can have the lamest videos. Brilliant music, but silly vids. Another one of my all-time favorite bands threw this one at us most recently.

And just because there isn't a good shot of the most gorgeous man in Finland in that Amorphis video: Tomi Koivusaari. It's prounounced (in a Homer voice) "Mmmmmmm... TOH'- mee KOI'-voo-sah-ree" Check out this one. He's the rhythm guitar player with the bun. Yeah. A bun... a very, very manly bun.



Aw man, I just got word that I should go in for a meeting with the VP for Environmental Affairs and head of Env Affairs-Corporate this afternoon. Not that I am not happy to meet with them, its just that I have been enjoying my time off A LOT. This is my last week as a slacker, sleep in 'til whenever I want, spend all day doing whatever I want, living in Celialand kind of person. Next Monday I re-join the corporate world and will do my best to not let this blog (or my life) become about work.

Whoosh, now I am off to meet a friend for coffee this morning. I spent the last few days by myself and now I think I need to make an effort to rejoin humanity.

Utensil collection, etc.

I've always had the idea that I want to use mismatched utensils. So I have been collecting them over the years. I think I am amassing a pretty nice assortment. What do you think?
Spoons

Knives

Forks


I got a few new specimens when I went treasure hunting last week. And I also found a darling table & chairs, a corner hutch (don't you think that is a fun word to say?), and two additional space age mod chairs. Tomorrow I will take pictures and post them, because I need a bit of help deciding which colors I should paint them.

Btw, here is a pic of one end of my room (it's teensy... and very clean at that moment, hence the polaroid moment):


Lastly, I got invited to go to a masked ball on the island fortress, Suomenlinna, next weekend. I want to make a mask, but have no ideas. Any suggestions? The "gown" I will wear (yeah right... like it will ever happen) has a slight Asian flair. SAY!! Maybe I will revert to my youth and be a geisha girl like I was for several Halloweens as a child. I LOVED geisha girls when I was little. I even had a geisha-girl-roller-skate themed birthday party. And my mom made a geisha girl birthday cake. And my dad teased her that it looked more like a monster. Then as a teenager I had great fun making monster cakes for all of my friends' birthdays. Man... it is all so connected.

Celia Ingrid Peterson

You know what... I absolutely LOVE my name. It (once again) affirms how stylish my mother is, and I thank her so much for naming me (first off) after her own stylish mother and (second off) after my Swedish roots. My name makes me feel good every time I see it. It is unique and comes from my roots.
Speaking of which, while I lived in Sweden I had a really interesting boyfriend from Göteborg who showed me the building where my ancestors walked through to get onto the boat to come to America. Then I found out that he was married.
Which reminds me... fathers... remind your girls that they are precious, just the way they are. I missed that sentiment because my dad died too young, and it hurts. So those of you who have the privilege of raising your girls... make them feel very, very, very special, okay?

Obligatory political post

Ok kids. Here we go.
The president is supposed to be the leader of the U.S.A., right? My brother said it best when he said that the president is the mascot for America. Of course you want a president whose politics you support, but at the end of the day, you should focus that energy into choosing your congressional representatives.

Here's what I want in a leader:
Someone who can unite the country and diffuse all of the aggression that is brewing there. That is basically the main reason that I can't live in that country... overall things feel so aggressive and judgmental and black and white and small-minded. Sorry, but that is just how I feel. I am really unhappy when I have to live in the States (just ask my mom and Jim... they know all too well).
And it has gotten WAAAAY worse during the past 8 years. The president really does set the tone for the country, no matter how much you try to ignore it. I first moved to Finland in Aug 1999 as an exchange student. Then people reacted positively when they heard I was American. Now... not so much. I cannot tell you how many people have given me shit because of Bush and the war. It is embarassing and I really sick of it. Just the other night I was standing in a taxi line talking to my friend, when the woman (Finnish) in back of us heard that I was American and went OFF about how much she supports Obama and hates republicans and thinks it is the most important decision of our time. She looked like your typical blonde Helsinki party-animal, but she knew her shit and spoke her mind. It was impressive. Who knows who the president of Finland is? Now you do.
Having people how spew and shove ideas down everyone's throat as a leader makes people not like us. And guess what, a certain pig who wears lipstick is seriously aggressive and small-minded and she scares me.

"Now get that bitch out of here. Nothing personal. I love her soul."

But seriously, I find it interesting that a certain party which uses really aggressive, fear-mongering tactics is the same party whose policies and positions seem to be inciting aggressive thoughts and behaviors against the U.S. Karma is a bitch too, I guess.
Anywho, check out what my amazing friend Lisa has been spending her time doing. They've lauched the Obama-rama Swing State tour where they go around guerrila-style (as in marketing, not warfare) in their Stealth Van and assert their 1st amendment right.

Stuff

Hello consumers. Do you constantly wonder about how the products you buy are weighing on the world? Need some help making better choices?
First of all, I recommend first and foremost you try to base your purchases on need versus want. Do you really NEED that really good-smelling lotion (when you have three half-full bottles at home)? Use up what you have and wait until you really do need it. This will save you a lot of money too. It is how I ended up having a lot of money saved up at the end of the summer, even though Helsinki is one of the most expensive cities in the world (right mom and Jim? :).
Also, this website seems like it would be great for (American) consumers.

The Good Guide
GoodGuide is building a comprehensive source of information on the environmental, social, and health performance of products and companies. The GoodGuide team works with a network of leading academic institutions, government data sources, non-governmental organizations, and private research firms to bring world-class information to consumers.

GoodGuide's scientists have collected data from around the world on chemical ingredients, products, brands, factories, companies, industrial sectors, and even countries. We gather the highest quality data available and convert this information into ratings that can be used by non-scientists to easily evaluate products and companies.

Who knew Suave Balsam shampoo not only smells good and is dirt cheap, it is a more eco-friendly option too!!

Another thing I can recommend is, make your own, homegrowns. I picked up a copy of Scientific American to read on the train to Lapland, and there was an article which explained why doing things by hand is so satisfying and relaxing. Basically, it all boils down to our brains being hardwired for delayed gratification. The harder/longer we work at some task, the more likely it is to be successful or turn out well. That is why so many people like to cook, knit, garden, etc. for pleasure. It also might help explain whey so many people are depressed today. By simply zooming to the store to buy stuff, ripping open a plastic bag, and pressing a few buttons (in order to hurry to catch the latest episode of this or that, or a-hem, read blogs or do whatever online) we are robbing ourselves of some of the simple pleasures which we really NEED in order to feel okay.

How about trying to make your own cleaning products? Use glass containers to store them in, please. Say no to plastic. These guys did:


Because check out what you are dealing with otherwise when it comes to cleaners. YUCKY-YIKESY.

(I copied these from a sheet that Jayne Mulford from The Utah House forwarded to me as a .pdf... email me if you want the original version)

FANTASTIC CLEANER from Clean and Green by Annie Berthold-Bond
1tsp. borax
½ tsp. washing soda
2 Tbsp. Vinegar or lemon juice
¼- ½ tsp. liquid soap
2 cups hot water
Combine ingredients in a spray bottle and shake to mix. Spray and wipe. Alter ingredient ratios as needed.

OVEN CLEANER:
1 cup or more baking soda
A squirt or two of liquid soap
Sprinkle water generously all over the bottom of the oven. Completely cover with Bicarb soda. Sprinkle again and let set overnight. This will loosen the grime to be wiped off next morning. Then wipe out with a bit of detergent on a sponge. This combination will also make a paste that can be applied to the sides and the top of the oven. As with any other cleaners, be careful not to get the paste on the elements. If this recipe does not work, make sure you have used enough Bicarb soda and water.

FURNITURE POLISH
Apply mineral oil to cheese cloth. Rub over wood. Allow to soak in for about an hour (or overnight for dry or unfinished wood). Wipe with a clean, dry cloth. Store the oiled cheesecloth in a sandwich bag to use instead of disposable dusting cloths.

TOILET BOWL CLEANER
¼ cup Borax
Juice of ½ lemon
Add to toilet bowl. Scrub with brush and let set one hour or overnight.

DISCOLORED ALUMINUM CLEANER
Boil one of the following solutions in aluminum pan and watch discoloration disappear. 1 tablespoon vinegar to 1 quart water OR 2 teaspoons cream of tarter to 1 quart water.
Warning: Do not use baking soda or washing soda on aluminum.

WINDOW CLEANER
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups water
Mix all ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake well before using.
For big jobs, apply vinegar and water with a sponge and squeegee dry.

SILVER POLISH
3 parts baking soda
1 part water
Mix to form a paste. Rub on silver with a clean cloth, rinse thoroughly and dry. Or just place tarnished silver in a pan of water with 1 Tbsp. Salt, 1 Tbsp. baking soda and a few sheets of aluminum foil. Let set for one hour, rinse with warm water, and polish.

I <3 videos

Here's a medley of my favorite videos (I'm a sucker for great choreography)
This video is so stylish... not only the dance moves, but also the fashion (it's about 7 yrs old, but still cool) and colors and art direction...


I can remember before the times of youtube searching for this video on the internet because I love it so much...


Some newer favorites that I find quite fascinating:
Who knew tweens could be so cool. They obviously got their dancing points from Britney Spears, but when Belgian youth do it it looks so much edgier, don't you think?


If a goddess were human, she would have this body. Isn't it hypnotic and gorgeous and fun? I just love this group these days.


And for the ladies... in my mind there will never be a sexier man in my book besides Morten Harket (lead singer of a-ha). In my next life he will be my husband. Or, if I happen to be reincarnated as a man, he will be my wife. Really, by then I hope there are no gender discrimination or any of this nonsense about who can get married to whom... no matter what, in my next life, I will marry Morten Harket. Even if he is a pig and I am a horse.
And this song shall remain on my "top ten" list forever (along with a few other a-ha faves).


Ooh la-lah-lalalalala-lah


Yeah... so what if I learned all of the moves from this video and even assembled a bra-top, black leggings, huge belt outfit inspired by it? At least I never wore biker shorts or harem pants.


Woah. I reverted into something light and shameful. Let me back it up with a band that I recently saw:

and these guys too:


No list could be complete without her. There's no doubt that Madonna is interesting. There's no doubt that I idolize her. I think she looked prettiest here (and I just love this song)


Oh this list could go on and on and on....
I just love videos and bands and music

Normal morning in Lapland...

So I spent the weekend in Lapland on the island of Ajos. It's a small island at the tip of the Gulf of Bothnia, just outside the town of Kemi, where my "Finnish family" hails from. They are certainly a wacky bunch, as you will see.

The main reason I journeyed up there this time was to be part of the surprise 30th birthday party of my pal, Paula (she is also a Kemi native). I haven't seen her since my Joensuu days but when I heard that Jani, now her hubby and babydaddy since I saw them last, was organizing such an event I just had to go. Plus it has been a long time since I got out of Helsinki, so the perfect opportunity could not be passed up.

Happy Birthday Paula (and congratulations on a brother or sister for Anni!!!)

Although several years have passed since I last saw Jani and Paula, it didn't seem like it. Neither of them have aged (although maybe Jani's sideburns are longer and a bit more distiguished, but that's it) and parenthood hasn't changed them at all. I hope it won't be so long before I see them again.

...Now, people from Lapland are known for their hard-drinking ways, and my pals are no different. For example, here is Jaana explaining to me about their family's fridge (which has been jam-packed with Tarja mummo's delicacies every time I have seen it). Apparently times weren't always so plentiful:

That is a raw makkara (sausage) btw.

Luckily I was in no such state, and fully capable the next morning for my lesson in making Karjalan piirakka (Karelian pies) from the master, Tarja mummo (Granny Tarja). If one described Finnish cuisine, one would HAVE to include Karjalan piirakka. Karelia is the region in which the Finnish national Epic, The Kalevala, is set and is an area of great importance to the Finnish psyche. It is also where I lived when I first moved to Finland, in Joensuu (translation: Mouth of the River).

To make Karelian pies, first you must make the rice pudding. Basically you boil rice in whole milk and butter with a bit of salt until it is soft.
Finns love to eat this porridge for breakfast, especially on Christmas. I, however, cannot stand it. The texture creeps me out.





Next you prepare the dough. All it consists of is water, some salt, a bit of white flour, and mostly rye flour. You mix it up with the end of a rolling pin until it is sticky but holds together.





Then you knead it, sprinkling intermittently with more rye flour, until it no longer sticks.



Do you like my apron?

Next. you divide the dough into four equal portions, and roll each one out into a long snake. You chop off 1-in. segments, roll into a ball, then roll out into a flat oval. Then drop a tablespoonful of the porridge into the middle, fold over the long sides, then crimp the edges with your fingers to close the dough around the porridge.

I still need a bit of practice, but I started to get the hang of it:

Now I can't go on any further without re-telling this story:
One of the first times I was visiting Ajos, well, let's just say I ended up in a state similar to Jaana in the previous video. The next morning I had the worst hangover of my life. As I was sitting at the kitchen table trying to drink some coffee, Tarja mummo and her best pal were spritely making Karelian pies. They coaxed, "Celia, why don't you try to make one?" and to humor them I gave it a try. As I did so, the two of them snickered like kids and when I demanded "What they hell are you two laughing at?!?" I learned of the old wives's tale that each woman fashions her Karelian pies distinctly, and they are said to resemble a certain part of her female anatomy. Leila, the friend, was like "Yeah... mine always have a lot of porridge."
Not exactly what I wanted to know as I was already sturggling to keep from barfing.

Anywho, next the pies go into a hot oven, such as this one. Many Finnish households have a stonefire oven which helps to keep things warm in the wintertime:First they go in the oven. And when they are brownish they come out:

Then they get doused in butter... winters are long and hard in these parts, so one must eat accordingly:



Karelian pies are best enjoyed topped with munavoi (mashed hard-boiled eggs and butter) and a glass of cold milk.
It's good thing we made these hearty pies for sustenance, because later in the day, after an arduous journey to Europe's largest candy store and a taxing sauna session, Papa Hurtig was off to fight some Russians:














(deleted...)

Whew.

So I have been at the induction sessions for the Nokia Graduate Program for the past two days.
First of all, to clear things up, this is not another trainee/maternity replacement job. So everyone can please stop saying that I have too much education for what I am doing. Btw, the other people in this program have PhDs and MBAs and are from amazing universities, incl. MIT & Standford in the US (though I didn't have a chance to talk to them too much). I am very, very lucky to be in this whole program, a bit intimidated, and confused as to how I even ended up in it.
As I understand now, we are funded for the next year and a half with the expectation that we will focus on our specialization area (Environmental Affairs for me). Otherwise, we can arrange which units/projects we want to work on as we please. I think it is partially up to us, and also the powers that be, but the intent is that we follow our own interests to develop our competencies and skill sets so that we will make more well-rounded leaders in Nokia. In fact, I got an email the other day from the VP for Environmental Affairs for a personal meeting on how I can utilize this opportunity to be a "change agent" for sustainability in Nokia. Peaches, I hereby dedicate this post to you.
So these past two days have been filled with info sessions, networking, powerpoints... Intense. It has been fun to meet the other people from this graduate program though. And especially good to hear the motivation behind what Nokia is doing. Of course at the end of the day it is about surviving in this marketplace/game. But it seems like everyone who talked to us-- very higher ups who most people never get a chance to meet. Including our CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo who was with them on Tuesday and I missed it... doh. Btw, he sometimes eats in the canteen with everyone else. I've seen him a few times and he always eats by himself. When I have noticed he always eats soup (like me) and can eat it in 7 minutes (not like me). I timed him.
But I am too tired to write more now. While I was in these sessions I got some ideas (and some ideas with some friends... thank you all) about what I will write about next. Some include:

• Bollywood
• Treasure Hunt
  
• Economic Recession & Finland
• Nanotechnology
• Ovi & the web
• The concept of Resilience
• Misuse of the word Ecosystem
• My use of profanity
• The death of patience
• The Power of We
• The Internet and the Higgs-boson (woah... might have to smoke something for this one... j/k)
  

Pretty intruiging topics, eh? Stay tuned.

Do you ever find yourself saying "Why do I have to be such and IDIOT?!?" Yeah... me too.

So after I cheerfully got up got up got up got up, posted that last one, and drank some coffee, I got a phone call from Krista, who is the other Env Specialist in the N0k Grad Prog. I was like "HI!!" and she was like "Where are you?!?" and I was like "At home. Where are you?" and she was like "At Nokia, at the induction session." And I was like "SHIIIIIIITTTTTT". I totally had it in my mind since I received the invitation and agenda, that the induction session was Wed-Fri. But in fact it was today (Tues) through Thurs. Damn. I guess I didn't miss that much that I haven't heard about so far, but it looks pretty bad. And I missed the trip to the factory in Salo (about an hour away from Hel-stinki), and just getting to know the other people in the program (from all over the world). I felt like SUCH an idiot, and it wasn't too easy to keep that little devil on my shoulder from screaming at me and ruining my day. But I fended him off, and tomorrow I get to meet everyone.
Here's what I will wear:
(yes those are Inovar scrap circuit boards decorating my wall... so what)

Dressing up for to work at a corporate headquarters is hard. Everyone at Nokia looks so cute and clean and put-together. It is a struggle to keep my clothes ironed, hard combed, face powdered... so not me. I wish I could just wear this:
(except it is too clean... I threw it on the floor for effect, because that is how I most like to choose my daily attire... what is closest on the floor when I wake up. Really there is nothing there because I happened to vacuum recently)Anways, I decided to not let my idiocy get me down all day. My best gal pal came over (she is a teacher and they are having their autumn break at the moment) and we drank coffee. At one point, the sun just came out in all of its glory, so we rushed out to well... just be out.
First we got a spare set of keys to her new place at the cobbler downstairs. Yes... I live above a cobbler. How perfect is it?!? There are so many cobblers around town:
(the wooden door to the left is my door)
I just wish this cobbler was as scary as the one that was on Main Street in Logan. I might be embellishing this a bit, but in my memory he was wall-eyed and wore a scary leather apron, and came out from behind the dark and mysterious back room (I don't even wanna know what went on back there) slapping a rolling pin in his hand. But that doesn't quite make sense now does it? Let's just say he had a hook, and that can be scary enough.
Anyways, as we were leaving I noticed two of my neighbors who I haven't yet had the pleasure of making their acquaintance:
They are very, very nice.
Then we went to the watch shop, where I showed them the warranty for this lovely (and expensive) watch I bought last summer. One should never buy a cheap watch, coat, shoes or glasses. It quit working, and it turns out that the mechanism broke because water had gotten into it. Now, I don't swim. Nor do I regularly drown people. I never find myself in any situation where my wrist would be submerged in water. But there was always moisture under the crystal on muggy days. And the warranty said that every watch is water-resistant. But they were trying to tell me that it is not water-PROOF therefore the warranty isn't valid. Yeah right. I told them to call the manufacturer to verify that. And if they call me back and say that the manufacturer said so, well... we'll just see about that.
Anywho, next on the list of chorettes was to return some bottles to the wine store. In Finland, every time you buy any beverage from a bottle or can, you pay an extra 20 cents per receptacle. Then, when you are done with it, you take it back to the shop, feed it through the fun recycling machine, then get a receipt for however many bottles you returned and can get your money back from the cashier: Simple. Solution.

Then we had to go to the post office so I could mail my security clearance and Mallu could return her books to the library in the same building. Right now there are really colorful leaves all over the place in Helsinki. It smells like autumn. Like Ichabod Crane.
When we crossed the street, the sun again turned everything completely golden and it was breathtaking. Here's what the post office looked like:Then I went to the store and bought some tomatoes and goat cheese, because I felt like eating some tomato soup for dinner. But it turned out waaaaaaayyyy too thick and rich, so it was pasta sauce instead:
I made plenty to freeze and next time I eat it, something lemon needs to be incorporated into the meal.The light in our kitchen really is that yellow. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE our red chairs. When I was homeless and an illegal alien a few years ago, I dreamt of living in a place with red chairs at the kitchen table and an old-fashioned elevator. Dreams come true!!!

Get up get up get up get up

Morning.
I woke up with this song in my head (that always happens to me... sometimes SUCH RANDOM songs... love it... its going on my "simple pleasures" list). I'm going to blog about it when it happens.
Cansei de Ser Sexy

(what a cool name for a band- translates into Got Tired of being Sexy)

This song is my inspiration for today. I hope you guys listen to it because doing so first thing in the morning is making me absolutely sure that my day will be a goodie. You too you too!!

Speaking of songs...
Does anybody else notice random coincidences as much as I do? (and another thing that is going on that list to the right) Whenever it happens, or whenever I have a deja vu, it makes me feel like I am on the right track. All day yesterday while I was being a house mouse and listening to the radio, I was vaguely wishing I could hear Violent Femmes (a teenage fave... Angie once told me that everytime she called me in highschool, she knew it would be playing in the background). But I have NEVER heard a Violent Femmes song here, nor have I heard any Finnish friend mention them, nor have I even listened to them for years. I think I tried to play some in Joensuu, and it got very swiftly shot down.
But last night, at about 10:30, on came Blister in the Sun!!! Ironically, I think. It's bye bye to sunshine for Helsinki.

So now we have to think of fun things to do in Finland to keep our spirits up. Right now this song is doing it for me. My 11 year old pal recommends eating "some salty bits, so things don't get too gloomy".
What do you do to keep things upbeat?

PS I just heard a foghorn!!

Nesting

I spent today pretty much going ape-sh*t cleaning. Like a complete maniac.
I just woke up leisurely (no major plans for the day, ahhh.....), ate some breakfast and lollygagged.



But then it hit me. I felt like cleaning. I'm not quite sure what compelled me, but I guess I just like doing mindless labor sometimes. And cleaning in this place is somewhat like a vortex: once you slip into it, it can spiral out of control. I have no idea how long people have been moving in and out of this place (at least 5 years is my guess) and there are lots of nooks and crannies that remained unscrubbed for YEARS, no doubt... reverse tragedy of the commons. Or maybe the compulsion had something to do with my propensity to get off on tangents and decide to scrub underneath where the dishwasher once I started vacuuming... Or maybe now that I know this is really my home, I feel the need to clean the nest a bit.
I share my home here in Helsinki with three other people. Hmmm... typing that seems weird somehow. I was just reading several different blogs (speaking of vortices) by women in Provo (???) like this and this and this. The last one was my gateway into the whole loop... I had to think the other day how I even found that blog originally, but I think she ended up on my gmail contacts (along with her blog) from when I worked at the Leonardo. And the rest is history I suppose.
ANYWAYS (I told you... tangents), they write a lot about their families and homes. For some of them, that means their husbands and kids, for others it extends more outward into their community. So now I am thinking about what my notion of home is exactly. I definitely feel like this place that I am living in is my home. My roomies are not necessarily my family though... but maybe kinda. They are all super-nice and I feel somehow like we are a tribe of sorts... a motley, multicultural tribe of four: Finnish, Australian, Korean, and 'merican. But we have our own things going on, and who I consider my Finnish family consists of other people who I have known since I first came to Finland (Joensuu) in '99. I talk to at least one of those nuts almost everyday, if not multiple times a day. And I get along with some of them better at some times than others, but I know I will most likely be attached somehow to them forever (whether they like it or not).
And of course my REAL family is all back in Utah and the U.S. And of course Utah is technically my home and there are some things I miss about it (hello... why else would I be reading those blogs). It really doesn't feel that far away to me... but far enough. In another post I am going to explore why Utah really never felt like home to me.
And another why Finland does. Two separate posts, with hopefully few tangents.
So yes, for now I guess I can simply say that my own definitions of family and home have their definitions extended quite far beyond the more traditional, nuclear unit. Sometimes I regret that, but on the other had, I've had a pretty exciting go of it until now, and wouldn't change it.
But now, tweet tweet, its time to nest.

Tomorrow I will make a special effort to take some more pics of my nest. For now, this is what it looks like to gaze out our lovely kitchen window. I like to peek at people when they are out on their balconies. One one there is a cute, older couple that hangs out in their robes, no doubt after going to sauna.



And one very important aspect of days that I spend at home: Radio Helsinki.

Long time coming

Here I am!
So now it seems that I am really here. I did it. Finland is my home. And I love it.
I decided to start posting here finally, because I am really finally HERE.
I got offered a spot in the Nokia Graduate Program, which is this program where they "invest in people" and basically give you three, six-month long projects to work on, with the intent to give you as much exposure to Nokia, as well as supervision and feedback... basically guaranteeing a position after the 18-months are over (it was even stated as an "expectation" during my interviews... made me a bit nervous). But this year is the first year that they are having specialists in Environmental Affairs in this program, and I am quite lucky to be selected. From what I understand, the selection process is very competitive. It makes me a teensy bit uneasy to commit myself to Nokia for a definite 18 months, and a likely career, but I suppose it is necessary at some point. I have now made a commitment to SOMETHING!!! And the thought of never having to worry about a residence permit again is quite nice. I just need to figure out how to balance a bit better, and that is one of the purposes of this blog. I want a place to track my progress and share with others. And if I find myself posting ONLY about work, well then I give everyone free reign to chastise me. If anyone even ends up reading this, that is...
So today is just a dreary October Sunday in Helsinki. I woke up a bit ansty and had to do some cleaning, and whilst taking out the trash I noticed that it isn't quite as dreary as it looks. So I suppose I will do some Pilates immediately upon posting this, then some stretches and a heating pad on my back (another big goal in the coming months is to work in more physical fitness into my routine). Uh oh... I have been thinking of re-doing my personal ABCD. If I do, it will most likely get posted here.
I will go visit some friends this afternoon... part of my extended "Finnish family". Then I will study Finnish, make a salad, and read (current read is better-late-than-never for last month's book club, The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood... so far so great). So on with the day for me. And thanks for reading this first post!!