Our washing machine – the one I told you our cats like to sit on top of when it's on – broke down last week. Luckily nobody was sitting on top of it when it was on for the last time. Or maybe somebody was but they took off much faster than I was able to run to the bathroom. Well, there was no drama really. It just made a funny noise – it sounded broken actually – and we had to unplug it before it travelled too far.
However, I had ingeniously forseen this and inherited my grandma just a few months ago and so it happened that she did happen to own another old washing machine, actually probably even younger than ours. So all we had to do was to transport it to our place. Well, for minor technical reasons we had to get rid of the old one first. We carried it down to the basement beside the trash cans. And yes, I am aware that this is quite illegal. However, I ment to keep an eye on it and order a pick up for it if it wouldn't disappear. But as I suspected the next day somebody had already moved it to the other side of the room to sit beside an abandoned television and a couple of days after it had already disappeared. This handy recycling system seems to function quite reliably in these big city owned apartment buildings for all manner of stuff.
So now we have a washing machine again. I also managed to buy a new tube and so our washing machine even functions. And to top it all off I managed to retrieve the old manual – how it still exists is quite unfathomable – and now we are even able to understand how it functions. I'm sure only a washing machine engineer could figure out to call the different programs by such descriptive names like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or even Z.
The only problem is that this washer has a way smaller tumbler than our old one had. It currently seems like the washing rate that I'm able to achieve would not be able to match the rate of dirty laundry this household is able to produce. We might be facing a bit of a problem soon.
What is the most important thing though? The cats are happy. A front loader beats a top loader any day – way more entertaining!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Friday, August 1, 2008
Cairo, Alexandria And The World Dances With Mahmoud Reda
Long time no see, I know, I know. But there is so much more to write about as well as I promised. Here's the first peace offering. Yes, I was in Cairo.
The good news is that I didn't have time to take as many pictures as I usually do and thus it might be possible for me to go through them all in a sufferable time and you might actually get to see them at some point in the future.
Here's another picture from Cairo. Don't ask me what the sign says. The flower is pretty though.
No pictures from Alexandria at the moment. There was even less time for picture taking there. And now here's the story. Last year just before Christmas I auditioned for the El Hosseny Dance Company (why it still says at the web site that they are just founding the company, I have no idea, I think it has existed for at least two years now). As I was in Iceland last spring I couldn't dance with the group before but when I got back to Finland in the beginning of June I called Tuija and asked if I could still join them for the trip to Alexandria and Tuija said yes. So the next day I went to practice and the day after that as well and the day after that and you know the drill.
Why Alexandria then? Well, there was The World Dances With Mahmoud Reda festival. There is no link here as based on my limited experience there generally are no links about anything that happens in Egypt. Now Mahmoud Reda I can link you to many pages even though it's surprising that there is no Wikipedia page about him and I so can't use my default link and chose this link instead as it contains pictures from last year's festival in Alexandria.
In the festival different dance groups around Europe come togeather to perform Mahmoud Reda's choreographies with Egyptian professional male dancers. This year as last year the groups were representing France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Finland. We had five shows at the big stage at the New Library of Alexandria in the beginning of July. Our group danced altogether seven dances, four each night. No dance pics yet though, sorry, as obviously they would not be taken by me. However, here's a picture of our group posing with Mahmoud Reda and Farida Fahmy, a legendary principal dancer of the Reda Troupe who came to see the last two shows. To get a glimpse from the past check out Mahmoud Reda, Farida Fahmy and the Reda Troupe on YouTube. This year I think the Italian group performed this piece, correct me if I'm wrong.
Standing from left to right: Laura, Marcela (our Spanish participant), Ilona, Master Mahmoud Reda, our teacher Tuija Rinne, Madame Farida Fahmy, and our teacher Mohamed El Hosseny
Kneeling from left to right: Elise, Milja, Nastya (our Estonian participant), Aino and me
The picture was taken by a professional photographer at the Library, if anybody knows who to credit here, please let me know and I will do so.
The good news is that I didn't have time to take as many pictures as I usually do and thus it might be possible for me to go through them all in a sufferable time and you might actually get to see them at some point in the future.
Here's another picture from Cairo. Don't ask me what the sign says. The flower is pretty though.
No pictures from Alexandria at the moment. There was even less time for picture taking there. And now here's the story. Last year just before Christmas I auditioned for the El Hosseny Dance Company (why it still says at the web site that they are just founding the company, I have no idea, I think it has existed for at least two years now). As I was in Iceland last spring I couldn't dance with the group before but when I got back to Finland in the beginning of June I called Tuija and asked if I could still join them for the trip to Alexandria and Tuija said yes. So the next day I went to practice and the day after that as well and the day after that and you know the drill.
Why Alexandria then? Well, there was The World Dances With Mahmoud Reda festival. There is no link here as based on my limited experience there generally are no links about anything that happens in Egypt. Now Mahmoud Reda I can link you to many pages even though it's surprising that there is no Wikipedia page about him and I so can't use my default link and chose this link instead as it contains pictures from last year's festival in Alexandria.
In the festival different dance groups around Europe come togeather to perform Mahmoud Reda's choreographies with Egyptian professional male dancers. This year as last year the groups were representing France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Finland. We had five shows at the big stage at the New Library of Alexandria in the beginning of July. Our group danced altogether seven dances, four each night. No dance pics yet though, sorry, as obviously they would not be taken by me. However, here's a picture of our group posing with Mahmoud Reda and Farida Fahmy, a legendary principal dancer of the Reda Troupe who came to see the last two shows. To get a glimpse from the past check out Mahmoud Reda, Farida Fahmy and the Reda Troupe on YouTube. This year I think the Italian group performed this piece, correct me if I'm wrong.
Standing from left to right: Laura, Marcela (our Spanish participant), Ilona, Master Mahmoud Reda, our teacher Tuija Rinne, Madame Farida Fahmy, and our teacher Mohamed El Hosseny
Kneeling from left to right: Elise, Milja, Nastya (our Estonian participant), Aino and me
The picture was taken by a professional photographer at the Library, if anybody knows who to credit here, please let me know and I will do so.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Real Business
Here's a Viivi and Wagner from a few weeks back. Wagner has invented a whistle that attracts real estate agents. Having met some of the same sort just a few days ago, this made me laugh out loud. In the last frame Viivi is asking how one does get rid of them and Wagner says that he thought they would have natural enemies.
As for anything else, my life's all upside down in a good busy hectic sort of way so no updates. Also I'll be gone for a few weeks soon and will not be taking my laptop so there really will be a silence for a while. And then I suppose the list of things to write about will be only much much longer.
Here's a link to the strip in Hesari.
As for anything else, my life's all upside down in a good busy hectic sort of way so no updates. Also I'll be gone for a few weeks soon and will not be taking my laptop so there really will be a silence for a while. And then I suppose the list of things to write about will be only much much longer.
Here's a link to the strip in Hesari.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Käpylä Village Festival
This weekend was the Käpylä Village Festival, Käpylän kyläjuhlat in Finnish. Käpylä is my childhood neighbourhood and my mum still lives there. You have seen some garden pictures from there last summer and if you haven't heard my lectures about my beautiful home neighbourhood, go ahead and read the Wikipedia article linked above. The lecture is more or less the same. I checked.
The Village Festival is a biyearly thing, every other summer it is held in Kumpula, a similar neighbourhood nearby. There is always music and other program, festival food and festival beer and such like but for us the main attraction has always been the flea market. It is a real flea market with ordinary people who carry their tables out on the street and spread their old pots and pans on the tables and sell in the spirit of getting rid of old stuff and buying some new much cooler stuff from the neighbour's table. And nobody is doing any business, they are only fulfilling the meaning of life which is of course to carry stuff from one place to another.
We had a beautiful weather this weekend and I even got a bit of red on my nose from the sun. We also sold quite a lot of stuff with my mum. And we didn't buy anything at all (except food) so I think all in all we managed pretty well.
All the pictures are from my old home street Pohjolankatu, where the flea market was held. The street was closed from traffic that day. But somehow I think that the amount of people did compensate for the lack of cars.
PS: I've been getting complaints about the slow updates. Some say that it has to do with Facebook and in a way that is true. That and the fact that I've been incredibly busy lately. It is actually slightly less time consuming to write one sentence that somebody else has already started by giving you the first word than coming up with a whole post full of text not to mention pictures. But I will try.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Kotona
At home. There are trees. There are freaking many trees. All around. They are green. And tall. And the sun is shining. And it's warm. And I can hear the sound of the wind in the trees just outside the kitchen window. I didn't know one could miss the sound of the wind in the trees so incredibly much.
It actually feels like arriving in a tropical holiday destination. You have to take off almost all of your clothes and the air is bright and there are happy alive sounds all around and a soft warm caress of the wind against your face and your arms as you walk to the store in your shirt and your sandals. We have been properly calibrated it seems.
Ja käytiin kaupassa ja kasattiin kärry täyteen suomalaista ruokaa: karjalanpiiirakoita, ruisleipää, viiliä, Fazerin raparperipiirakoita ja pätkiksiä ja siideriä ja varrasleipää. Ja radiossa soi Anssi Kelan Milla. Melkein rupes itkettään.
And to be fair I think I have to report also on the earthquake. Namely there was an earthquake not far from Reykjavík yesterday. The center of the quake was in Selfoss, about 50 km south-east from Reykjavík, which is a typical earthquake area.
We were at home packing. And suddenly it felt like the neighbours washing machine must have broken down and then the floor was trembling and there was a big rumble and we looked at each other and said: "It's an earthquake!" and then we looked out of the window and had just time to wonder if we should go down to the street or stay up and then it stopped. And after two seconds the whole house (we're at third floor) swayed a couple of times from side to side.
But as we went outside afterwards the life seemed completely normal. It was a sunny day and people were milling around and sitting in cafes. Somebody said that the phones had died for a while or was it electricity but that's about it.
My friend told me though that there was some damage all the way in Akranes as well, which is about 100 km from the center of the quake and that in the liquor store some bottles had fallen down from the shelves. So there must have been damage in Reykjavík too. And in Selfoss there really was a lot of damage and even some injuries and the people are now sleeping outside in tents in the fear of after quakes.
Our departure was timely as we could carry all our extra blankets and pillows and sheets and such to the nearby red cross this morning at 4am before heading for the bus to Keflavík.
It actually feels like arriving in a tropical holiday destination. You have to take off almost all of your clothes and the air is bright and there are happy alive sounds all around and a soft warm caress of the wind against your face and your arms as you walk to the store in your shirt and your sandals. We have been properly calibrated it seems.
Ja käytiin kaupassa ja kasattiin kärry täyteen suomalaista ruokaa: karjalanpiiirakoita, ruisleipää, viiliä, Fazerin raparperipiirakoita ja pätkiksiä ja siideriä ja varrasleipää. Ja radiossa soi Anssi Kelan Milla. Melkein rupes itkettään.
And to be fair I think I have to report also on the earthquake. Namely there was an earthquake not far from Reykjavík yesterday. The center of the quake was in Selfoss, about 50 km south-east from Reykjavík, which is a typical earthquake area.
We were at home packing. And suddenly it felt like the neighbours washing machine must have broken down and then the floor was trembling and there was a big rumble and we looked at each other and said: "It's an earthquake!" and then we looked out of the window and had just time to wonder if we should go down to the street or stay up and then it stopped. And after two seconds the whole house (we're at third floor) swayed a couple of times from side to side.
But as we went outside afterwards the life seemed completely normal. It was a sunny day and people were milling around and sitting in cafes. Somebody said that the phones had died for a while or was it electricity but that's about it.
My friend told me though that there was some damage all the way in Akranes as well, which is about 100 km from the center of the quake and that in the liquor store some bottles had fallen down from the shelves. So there must have been damage in Reykjavík too. And in Selfoss there really was a lot of damage and even some injuries and the people are now sleeping outside in tents in the fear of after quakes.
Our departure was timely as we could carry all our extra blankets and pillows and sheets and such to the nearby red cross this morning at 4am before heading for the bus to Keflavík.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Changes
The swans from the lake Tjörnin have left for the North for Summer. There was only one swan at the lake tonight. And we know, we saw all it's friends already up there in the North.
Also my favourite cafe Barinn has closed down. There was a yellow wrapper on the windows that informed us that on Friday May 30th a new bar will open there. And we will be flying back to Finland the same day.
So my life here ends and I have to reborn again for Helsinki. How to be a mathematician again after being a dancer for five months, I have no idea. The truth is that the biggest change has happened already. I don't wish to reborn.
But the weirdest thing we saw on tonight's walk was this house in Tjörnin. Yes, in Tjörnin. What happened here??
It is a piece of art of course. By easy googling I found out that it is an installation called Atlantis by Tea Mäkipää and Halldórs Úlfarsson and that it has been already sailing in Finland. Here's a link to Mäkipää's cite. (Mäkipää is Finnish of course and Úlfarsson Icelandic.)
Also my favourite cafe Barinn has closed down. There was a yellow wrapper on the windows that informed us that on Friday May 30th a new bar will open there. And we will be flying back to Finland the same day.
So my life here ends and I have to reborn again for Helsinki. How to be a mathematician again after being a dancer for five months, I have no idea. The truth is that the biggest change has happened already. I don't wish to reborn.
But the weirdest thing we saw on tonight's walk was this house in Tjörnin. Yes, in Tjörnin. What happened here??
It is a piece of art of course. By easy googling I found out that it is an installation called Atlantis by Tea Mäkipää and Halldórs Úlfarsson and that it has been already sailing in Finland. Here's a link to Mäkipää's cite. (Mäkipää is Finnish of course and Úlfarsson Icelandic.)
Friday, May 23, 2008
Saara is updating her blog.
Today
Saara has returned home (to Reykjavík) happy and tired.
May 20
Saara will start driving north and towards Akureyri in less than an hour.
Saara will spend the next four days with Tommi driving aroud the island.
May 19
Saara is on a very well deserved holiday! ;) ;) ;).
May 18
Saara wants to thank everybody for a wonderful night!
May 17
Saara warmly welcomes everybody to Mango studio's Spring performance (bellydance!) at Tonbergi, Tonlistaskola, Dalbraut 2, Akranes tomorrow on Sunday at 18:00.
Saara is finally finished with grading and feels quite finished because she has been dancing all day.
May 16
Saara has blisters in her feet and a big bruise in her left knee and feels incompetent.
May 15
Saara is tired.
Saara is deliriously happy.
May 14
Saara has chosen her music for Sunday. She will dance Avril Lavignes Innocence. Now three days to make the choreography...
May 13
Saara tries to finish two choreographies before 7pm.
May 12
Saara is trying to do four things at the same time with poor success.
Saara had a super fun day with Maria and Siggi and Michelle and Bill and Tommi of course. Thanks for the great company guys!
May 8
Saara has fallen hopelessly in love with a couple of mountains and does not ever want to leave this beautiful country.
Saara is still equally busy but with different work.
May 7
Saara reads project reports that are copy pasted from Wikipedia...
May 6
Saara is alive again.
May 5
Saara finished grading almost two hours before dead-line this week.
Saara is grading again but sneezing a bit less.
May 4
Saara is grading, sneezing and drinking tea.
May 3
Saara has had an utterly crazy day.
May 2
Saara is tired.
Saara is gggrrrrading again.
May 1
Saara had her last math class yesterday and got a "Lost in Iceland" T-shirt from her studets.
April 30
Saara will celebrate her n:th vappu away from Finland by working, working and working... :/.
April 29
Saara went to Finland, got ill again, had a tearful day, enjoyed the spring, graded all the papers on the flight back and is now trying to get better while working...
Saara is back online...
April 23
Saara finished her lecture notes, got sick, was working too much and is now getting better. Tomorrow she will celebrate the first day of summer by sleeping.
April 21
Saara is pissed off because somebody has stolen her absolutely favorite new pair of furry violet socks from the laundry room. Grrrr!
Saara got all correct in her Icelandic test.
April 20
Saara has finished this weeks grading and will now start working on next weeks lesson plans...
April 19
Saara has polished all the shoes, washed three loads of laundry, cleand the bedroom, done the dishes and has now also vacuumed the whole apartment to avoid working.
Saara has polished all the shoes, washed three loads of laundry, cleand the bedroom and done the dishes just because she's soo fed up with writing notes.
Saara has polished all the shoes.
Saara is hungry.
April 18
Saara has finished over a half of this weeks grading and will now go home.
Saara is grrrading.
Saara had ice-cream for breakfast.
April 17
Saara should be sleeping.
April 16
Saara wants somebody to translate Hakim & Don Omar's "Tigi Tigi".
April 15
Saara has apparently given too many and too hard problems to her studets this week.
April 14
Saara went to see 21 with her probability class. (After class. Because they were going and asked her to come with.).
Saara is teaching.
April 13
Saara was just pranked to think that she had lost her friend's car! Ggrrrr!
April 12
Saara danced Brazilian samba for the Icelandic tv tonigt.
April 11
Saara is just tired.
Saara 's thoughtful neighbours just cut out the water - again.
* * *
Yes, these are all my status updates from the last few weeks, unedited. It's all that Facebook still shows. This is just to prove that although I've been letting my blog down lately my debt to the holy web has been paid diligently all the time nevertheless.
A few remarks: Our trip was amazing. Also the show was amazing. (Obviously.) I'm also finished with the probability course. And finally: I did find my furry violet socks, they had slipped underneath the drawer.
To get more of this kind, just friend me on Facebook. ;)
Saara has returned home (to Reykjavík) happy and tired.
May 20
Saara will start driving north and towards Akureyri in less than an hour.
Saara will spend the next four days with Tommi driving aroud the island.
May 19
Saara is on a very well deserved holiday! ;) ;) ;).
May 18
Saara wants to thank everybody for a wonderful night!
May 17
Saara warmly welcomes everybody to Mango studio's Spring performance (bellydance!) at Tonbergi, Tonlistaskola, Dalbraut 2, Akranes tomorrow on Sunday at 18:00.
Saara is finally finished with grading and feels quite finished because she has been dancing all day.
May 16
Saara has blisters in her feet and a big bruise in her left knee and feels incompetent.
May 15
Saara is tired.
Saara is deliriously happy.
May 14
Saara has chosen her music for Sunday. She will dance Avril Lavignes Innocence. Now three days to make the choreography...
May 13
Saara tries to finish two choreographies before 7pm.
May 12
Saara is trying to do four things at the same time with poor success.
Saara had a super fun day with Maria and Siggi and Michelle and Bill and Tommi of course. Thanks for the great company guys!
May 8
Saara has fallen hopelessly in love with a couple of mountains and does not ever want to leave this beautiful country.
Saara is still equally busy but with different work.
May 7
Saara reads project reports that are copy pasted from Wikipedia...
May 6
Saara is alive again.
May 5
Saara finished grading almost two hours before dead-line this week.
Saara is grading again but sneezing a bit less.
May 4
Saara is grading, sneezing and drinking tea.
May 3
Saara has had an utterly crazy day.
May 2
Saara is tired.
Saara is gggrrrrading again.
May 1
Saara had her last math class yesterday and got a "Lost in Iceland" T-shirt from her studets.
April 30
Saara will celebrate her n:th vappu away from Finland by working, working and working... :/.
April 29
Saara went to Finland, got ill again, had a tearful day, enjoyed the spring, graded all the papers on the flight back and is now trying to get better while working...
Saara is back online...
April 23
Saara finished her lecture notes, got sick, was working too much and is now getting better. Tomorrow she will celebrate the first day of summer by sleeping.
April 21
Saara is pissed off because somebody has stolen her absolutely favorite new pair of furry violet socks from the laundry room. Grrrr!
Saara got all correct in her Icelandic test.
April 20
Saara has finished this weeks grading and will now start working on next weeks lesson plans...
April 19
Saara has polished all the shoes, washed three loads of laundry, cleand the bedroom, done the dishes and has now also vacuumed the whole apartment to avoid working.
Saara has polished all the shoes, washed three loads of laundry, cleand the bedroom and done the dishes just because she's soo fed up with writing notes.
Saara has polished all the shoes.
Saara is hungry.
April 18
Saara has finished over a half of this weeks grading and will now go home.
Saara is grrrading.
Saara had ice-cream for breakfast.
April 17
Saara should be sleeping.
April 16
Saara wants somebody to translate Hakim & Don Omar's "Tigi Tigi".
April 15
Saara has apparently given too many and too hard problems to her studets this week.
April 14
Saara went to see 21 with her probability class. (After class. Because they were going and asked her to come with.).
Saara is teaching.
April 13
Saara was just pranked to think that she had lost her friend's car! Ggrrrr!
April 12
Saara danced Brazilian samba for the Icelandic tv tonigt.
April 11
Saara is just tired.
Saara 's thoughtful neighbours just cut out the water - again.
* * *
Yes, these are all my status updates from the last few weeks, unedited. It's all that Facebook still shows. This is just to prove that although I've been letting my blog down lately my debt to the holy web has been paid diligently all the time nevertheless.
A few remarks: Our trip was amazing. Also the show was amazing. (Obviously.) I'm also finished with the probability course. And finally: I did find my furry violet socks, they had slipped underneath the drawer.
To get more of this kind, just friend me on Facebook. ;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
