Win, win, win

Christmas has now passed. I think I will still have to eat the food today but otherwise. I got presents. All the people in my family got tons of presents. I guess we've been good. We played loads of board games so that was fun. I think I actually won most the games I played on. I won Settlers of Catan with 6 people, Seafarers with 4 people, Ticket to Ride with a German map (my new game I got for Christmas), Kuin kaksi marjaa (fun Finnish game of matching words to adjectives), Puerto Rico and Thurn & Taxis (the game I bought for myself). That was a lot of winning. I did also lose games but it seems I won loads really. Winning is fun. Just playing is fun too. But yeah it was a fun Christmas with everyone here together.

I best take the dog out soon now. I promised him and it's not going to be light outside for much longer.

At the childhood home

Mmm. I just ate the best lasagne. It was just incredibly good. I made it. My little brother was lots of help also. It was one of those things I just had to do while in Finland. No oven in Germany and no-one to actually eat the stuff with me really. Also no soy stuff I need for it.

I arrived yesteday. It sort of feels like I've been here for ages already. Maybe it is just that most nothing has changed really. But that is just good except that I, with loads of help from my litle borther again, just cleaned the kitchen today and it seems I do the same things every year and no change is ever noticeable. As in the microwave is always smelly and dirty and no-one has looked behind it in ages and there is like tons of stuff that should have a place other than the kitchen table or counters but it doesn't. When I actually had a kitchen there were no extra things on the tables there. Just a little decoration on the actual table. But I sort of like cleaning when I can do it like I want and I know people will appreciate it. I still have the fridge to go. Have to fit all of the food we are going to buy and make tomorrow into it. And it is going to be a lot with 12 people eating the Christmas dinners.

The actual trip here went well. It was a long trip and such. New experiences maybe but nothing really special. I'll tell you all about it if you ask. It was mostly dark all the way. I was kind of out of it at times being tired and all or sleeping.

But I must deal with the fridge now. No help this time.

Leaving tomorrow

I bought a whopping two Christmas present during the weekend. This would seem nice since I only really had to get three (or four). The problem is that the other one is for me. I just can't help buying presents for myself. It is so easy. I know I'll like it. I'll spoil the surprise and tell you that I bought a board game for myself. So it is sort of like a present for the other gaming people in my family too (and whoever want to keep it for the next two months while I am still in Germany). And it only cost like 15 euros. Well I did not giftwrap it since I though it would be nice to play it even before Christmas just like I did last year. Now I just don't have presents for some people. I'm sorry. I'll go to the shops today too but I doubt I'll find anything. I do kind of have a good reason for not getting presents since I still had the headache on Saturday so I did not really go shopping. I just went to the supermarket and did not even buy anything proper to eat. Smart thinking. I think I am just so sick of all the things I can eat here so I just feel like eating nothing. Like today at lunch I had the biggest problems with actually eating my sandwich. I did not even have anything to read so I was just chewing away looking really bored.

Tomorrow I'll start heading for Finland. We're starting off driving in the afternoon towards Denmark. We will take one ferry in Denmark and then from Denmark to Sweden. We will drive through Sweden to Stockholm where on Wednesday night the boat will leave to take us to Turku. So after this I shall be in Finland around 8 o'clock on Thursday morning after which I will head for Pori. Very handily I will be dropped off right at home. What luck. I don't even have to drive on the way which just makes the trip all the less stressing for me. I'll just have to keep up the good spirit on the way. I know at least I won't add to the possible arguments. That is unless I get very hungry but even then I can control myself. Though hungry and tired may be a bad combination. But I have no-one to be difficult to so no problem. (One good thing about not having a boyfriend - there is no-one to be difficult to. One can only be difficult to people who actually care.) But yeah it should be an interesting (and long) trip.

Oh if someone feels they would like to see me while I am in Finland feel free to let me know. I, of course, want to see everybody but with having lots of people to see and things to do I might just forget people or maybe I am just not sure whether you want to see me so I end up not calling. I'll be in Pori for most of the time but the plan is to head to Jyväskylä after the new years celebrations. I will be there until the afternoon of the 4th. And then I'm off again.

I think I shall leave early now. I just have nothing to do. Or maybe something but starting anything new is really not wise since I will only work like half a day tomorrow. And besides, my mind is already on Christmas and going to Finland. I can't concentrate. Off I go.

Ready for the weekend?

The flu is better today. It was already better yesterday. Today it is even better. You're thinking no problem then. Well me too other than me having a headache. It started this morning and I think it has gotten worse. It gets worse when I move around or cough. I should probably take something for it but I just don't feel like taking any ibuprofen. It makes my eyes weird and I can't just take 200mg since the tablets I have cannot be put in half. Ok so I have to get going home and stop complaining. Have to go buy some bread too. I'll just spend the night reading a book. Tomorrow I have to go shopping for Christmas presents. Well I don't have to but I want to get something for certain people so I want to.

I feel like I have been walking around in a sort of daze this week. Like not really minding my surroundings. Then again I feel that way quite often and sometimes walk around as in a daze just for the sake of it. I just play music on my ipod and walk around to the beat of it and almost sing the lyrics out loud. Mostly I probably just seem weird bouncing around and moving my mouth. But the thing about being here is that I really don't have to mind what people think since no-one knows me. It actually annoys me that I may run into the guy from the disco somewhere. He would know more about me than what people passing by or sitting in a tram know. Not that he knows anything. It just sort of ruins my attitude of walking around in a daze not minding other people since no-one can recognize me. Oh but I think I am making no sense here. I blame my headache. I never have headaches.

Oh but have a nice weekend. I hope I don't get too pissed off about there being like tons of people in the city shopping. But I can always do my daze thing and put on some music. I'm quite good at getting through a crowd. And well I think it is sort of fun when it works out. Kind of like watching an intersection of roads with all the cars, bikes and pedestrians just doing their thing and it working. It is quite amazing sometimes.

Lazy me

I have just not gotten anything done today. Yesteday I actually got writing done even though I was sicker than today. Today I started out good but then got stuck with this one thing I want to write about but just don't have enough info on and I just could not get past it. So practically I have done like mostly nothing today. Or I have been "thinking" about it and trying to find info but it is such a little thing that no-one has bothered writing specifically about it and I just don't know where to look. I'm feeling quite annoyed about wasting a day but I guess I can always blame being sick and all.

I've been doing some tests as inspired by A-V's blog... Well only yesterday and at lunch today. Here's some results.
I'm 43% boring (average test taker 48%)
78% a good human being (average 57%)
9% clone-teenager (average 27%)
9% nosy (average 30%)
57% elitist (average 50%)
4% amis (average 34%)
42% inhetero (average 39%)
30% freak (average 29%)
19% REAL man (average 47%)
35% activist (average 45%)
17% tough guy (average 37%)
17% psychopath (average 39%)
My spiritual age is 26 years (average 22)
I'll die on 17.5.2065 at the age of 84 years.

Ok so that was enlightening. I'll save the interpretetions for later or for you. Only thing I will mention is that me only being 35% activist (as in environmental and such) might seem weird to some people. I tried to do the IQ test yesterday but I got bored/frustrated while doing it. Wonder what this says about me. I blame being sick and it being the afternoon.

Another worthwhile post this is I'm sure. That is what you get for reading my blog.

Good things coming my way

I just have to share how yesterday's horoscope was way good for me and all aquarians.

Monday, December 11 Aquarius: And now energetic Mars, marching through Sagittarius, hooks up with abundant Jupiter, which can only be good (okay, superior!) for your long-range plans, aims, and aspirations. Seriously, like being dealt four aces in a five-card game, it will be kind of hard (okay, impossible) to turn available opportunities and prospects into losing propositions. Today's star rating: ***** Stellar

So yeah. No matter that I am really sick and still wanting to go to the last German class. My long range plans will be superior and in an astrological way yesterday was just stellar. I spent it home reading and trying to get better. It did not seem to work yet.

So yeah, I get a daily horoscope in my trash mail like every Monday (thus it is more like weekly). I actually did order it like maybe 8 years ago. Never got around to cancelling it and since it now arrives on Mondays only and most likely not every monday I dare not do anything to it since it might cause more spam (who knows). I don't think it arrived for years and then again on Mondays. But this was just as an explanation as to why I get a daily horoscope.

Post #80: Party, Party

I had a rather great weekend. Had a Christmas party on Saturday and I had to go to town to buy a present. One of those "let's all buy 5 euro presents". It is way hard to get anything worthwhile and something most people would like and something with just 5 euros, no more and no less. I went around for like an hour or two in like all the stores (this side of the river since I woke up too late to go on the other side). Nothing seemed to strike me as good. The usual story. Then just as I was giving up I came upon it. The best present with 5 euros one can get. A game. I think it must have been on like a huge sale since it cost 5.00 euros and was like mingling among all the more expensive games I was thinking of buying just for me. The best part was that it was like a party game with like pictures of people being bored and then starting to play the game and then having fun. It was perfect. The only problem was that one person in the party was flying back to Finland with Ryanair and so the package was sort of big.

Well the story of the present of course continues with the person flying home getting it but it was no matter since it seemed that she really liked it. I thought it was quite a fun game too. (Maybe I will go buy the other one for another 5 euro for Christmas. Now if you get one as a present from me then I'm sorry but the game was tried and tested and thus a present in which I have put thought and time.)

So we had good food at the party and lots to drink. Well not lots and lots but you get the idea. It was great fun really. I got a rather nice present too. This thing to hang on my window where I can burn a candle. I think tonight I shall use it. We even left to go to the city and I guided everybody (4 of us) to this Irish pub just because I wanted cider. Then we ordered a pitcher of Strongbow but got beer. But as all people know this is no matter since we did get the cider afterwards and we got to drink the beer that we had poured into our glasses for free. (Oh and I made a point of checking out this guy, who is in my lunch room at work, just for the sport of it. I should have continued this with saying hello to him today but not in the lunch room. I am the "strange foreign beauty" in there so that includes no talking or noticing other people.)

The we went to this disco club. The one with the weird card system where I have been once. At this moment of the story you might guess, if you know me, what happened. I was like, oh yeah, dancing. So I had some g&t, which I did not drink all the way since it was not good and too strong, and got to dancing. It was way fun since they played fun music. I was just by myself most of the time while dancing so you might guess what happened then, if you know how these things work. I happen to be innocently dancing along having fun and guys come and hit on me. It was quite disturbing in that I felt like telling them "oh I'm just dancing and I'm a foreigner so don't waste your time". It seemed not to work. Well I got rid of this one guy by being myself but it did not work with this other one. Well most likely it was because I decided to make a sport out of it since he was not so bad looking and could also dance. Company can't hurt. The funny thing is that he ended up being born in 1985 which just made it more fun in a way. Well I did not have much conversation with him with the language problem and the noise, which probably bothered me more, until he was begging me to go with him when the bar was closing at like 6 in the morning. Well I did not take up his offer since it goes against my ways. After all the begging (something about him only liking me in the bar and not the other girls and him not wanting to go home with his friends and such which in the end just made me say "too bad", schade, and think he should have chosen someone else) I decided to kind of take my leave after getting my coat. No phone numbers exchanged.

So yeah, that was quite fun. Getting out a bit and doing some dancing and such. Would have been kind of interesting to actually get a date but what can one do. The guy did not really seem the sort that usually gets interested in me so it was sort of weird. I don't think I look easy so that could not be it either. Maybe it was just all the fun I was having.

Meeting people in bars is just kind of weird. You never know what the other people want. It feels like I should at times wear like a sign with "I am going home alone but here for a good time". Then there would be no disappointment for the people who might otherwise waste their time with me. Oh but no matter. It's not my fault if people pick wrong. I'm not disturbed.

I got home safe. (My friends had left earlier as I chose to stay. This sort of thing seems to happen to me once in a while and it seems weird as it is usually in like strange places like Kuopio or such.) Slept till noon and had a sort of a hangover but it was mostly the lack of sleep. Or it might have been me getting sick since today I am actually in a flu of sorts. I am thus skipping a German class which I don't want to do since it is the next to last one but if I skip that I may be better tomorrow and actually get some work done unlike today.

Oh I got disappointed with these lyrics last week. I listened to the Tears in the morning and they have this song called "Lovers" and I am sure it went "it's written on her t-shirt and in her eyes - there is no other". I was like that is good. Really like cool or funny in a romantic sort of way. Then I had to check it on the internet and the song apparently goes "it's written on her t-shirt and it writes - there is no other". Boring.

But yeah I must go home to get better. Drink lots of tee and orange juice and smoothies and such. But the weekend was really nice. Went to eat the rest of the food on sunday too and watch a movie so I wasn't just home lazing around. I was elsewhere.

German class yesterday

I almost freaked yesterday. Nothing big though. I wrote in the blog and left work as usual. I was just not feeling like going to German class but I was like "what reason do you have not to go - the weather is nice and you have nothing better to do anyway - just do what you do everyday and go by the bread store, eat at home and then be off". Then I stepped out of the building at work and, yes, it was raining. I was like "where did this come from - kind of seems like I'm not supposed to go to German class". So I went home by the bread store in the rain. I was suddenly kind of pissed about the rain since I had like no warning and I was feeling rather tired or something. I left my bike in front of the house where I leave it when I am going to go off in a while again just so I would be more oriented to actually going to German class. I was really thinking of not going. Two hours of sitting after the whole day of work on the computer did not seem inviting. Well I got home, ate and then surprisingly just left for German class since it was not raining. I think the main reason I actually went was to prove to the people there that "a little rain" does not bother me - "rain or shine and I shall bicycle over, the sporty person that I am".

When I got to German class I was totally unable to concentrate on the actual teaching. I fidgeted and tried to get a hold of myself. Instead of paying attention, which I just totally could not do without jsut freaking out, I did this crossword puzzle from the book. I did not really feel like doing that either but I just had to do something. Eventually I got a hold of myself and the class ended up being quite fun at the end. The person next to me, talked about him earlier, totally freaked out when he did not get this grammar thing (partizip attribute or something of the sort) and people were talking about everything else and making noise like they usually do. He was like "shut up". He almost yelled it and slammed his book on the table. I think it was about time someone else noticed how at times the learning environment is not quite the best.

Well the point of the thing is that I am quite proud of myself for actually going to the German class and getting through it. Ok so before it I sort of freaked out at home and bit the hat off my chocolate Santa as I told him he was not going to be smiling much longer. I'd got the thing from a co-worker on St. Nicolaus day (Sinterklaas) just to clear up that I had not bought it myself. It was not so bad. And yes he is still smiling since I ended up not biting his head off.

Anyways. The weekend should be nice. A little christmas party on Saturday and we are hitting another christmas market on Sunday. I hope we will also have time to go climbing. I need to get rid of some extra energy as one might notice. Have a nice weekend!

Writing and not writing

I've been attempting to write my thesis all day. Well not all day since I did do some cleaning up of my old experiments just to have a break. Now I should be writing about powder x-ray diffraction but I just don't feel like it. I did get two new articles on the subject but it's no use if I don't read them. The biggest problem with writing is trying to figure out what to write in the introduction. It's supposed to be about the subject in general. ("Esitetään aihe yleisellä tasolla" is the only instructions I have for that.) I just don't know what to write in the introduction. It might have been wise to actually start writing from the introduction so as not to now fear all the time that I may be writing stuff I may want to write in the introduction elsewhere. Problematic. So today I may have spent an hour just fiddling with the styles and stuff and just looking at the screen and trying to think about what to write or trying to get myself in the mood to write. And this is only the theoretical part I've been writing. The practical is in no shape at all. Last week sometime I actually organized the layout a bit as in I did the table of contents so when I do feel like writing I'll have already organized where I will write things.

I'm not stressed about this thing or anything but I only have like one more full week to write things before going to Finland and there I will have to have some sort of version of the theoretical part for my professors (yes, there is two due to me doing organic stuff and wanting to be an inorganic chemist though most likely only one of them will actually read the thing). I have no idea how in good shape it should be before they read it. I'd kind of like it to be in quite good state so as not to feel embarrashed when handing it over. Though the point is that they will comment on it and then I can make it better and if I think it is too good then I will just get disappointed. So maybe it is good that the thing sucks at this point. Or well it does not suck since "I am a really smart person and thus can not write anything that truly sucks". There is still lots to do on it though and I haven't really read some of the parts that I have actually written after I wrote them. I am waiting for when I have all parts "as good" and then I will make them all better and then try to do the same thing again. The problem is that I was never a big fan of checking test answers or anything like that so I might have to stretch myself a bit to actually care enough to do it properly.

There we go. I had to tell someone.

On a lighter note. I finally got my hair cut last weekend. It looks jsut about the same but only shorter. Before going I of course got the "oh but my hair looks great - I don't have to cut it" -thing I always get before going to have it cut. I do actually think it would be better a bit longer now. I think I will just have to wait it out. The place I went to was funny. I paid like 15.50 for the haircut and them "washing" it and then I styled/dried it myself with their products. It was kind of fun because I am sure the hairdresser would not have got it right and I did arm myself with my own hairspray just in case. Though one of the fun things about going to have one's hair cut is getting it done nicely afterwards. As in with me "oh it can look nice and go in directions I may want it to go in if I spend that much time on it... good to know if I ever have the energy or care enough" My hair just does what it wants sometimes. Many hairdressers have battled with it. I think it looks just fine when the ends point the way they want as long as they don't fly around being all static.

I got this calendar free outside the gates yesterday. It is one of the ones where there is a sheet that you rip off for every day. I was like "thanks". Then I got home and noticed that all the pages don't have like Larson comics on them like would be nice but have quotes from the Bible and such. I should have known. Then I just had to go round my room saying things like "it is the German word of God... from the Holy Book... learn German through God's word... thou shall be saved" with a really American accent. It was fun. I put the calendar up and decided to use it next year. Then every morning I can read God's word as I start the day. What could be better.

A neighbor of mine practices opera singing every day and then again last night at like midnight.

More of the future

Today at lunch I was walking form the cafeteria with my boss and we were talking about stuff. Like how I still have 6 months of student money from the government and what I have to do before I graduate and stuff. Then she was like "have you applied for a summer job?". I was like "oh yeah, I'd have to apply like now". Then I was like "oh wait, I really maybe should or then again no... what if I graduate before the summer and what if I don't..?" The problem is that I have really not looked in to the future beyond coming back to Finland and finishing my studies. Maybe I should. It does seem like a smart idea. I still have the 6 months of student money so I can live till September even if I don't graduate before that. I really don't want to leave Jyväskylä for the summer since it is really an truly the last chance I have of spending my summer there unless of course a miracle happens and there is an interesting job there for me or I suddenly have the urge to do a doctorate. So I am coming to the conclusion that I shall again "spend my summer in Jyväskylä studying". Quotation marks since that is exactly what I was supposed to do last summer. I will finally be in Jyväskylä for the Rally and get to bum drinks off foreign and Finnish drunk men as well as participating in the thing against the Rally. I shall swim in a lake and rent the row boat (Kellukka) that I have wanted to try out for the past 5 years. And if all else fails I will rent myself off as cheap labor to some strawberry farm or something.

Oh I don't know if this seems like a good idea at all but if it is what I want to do then it is what I shall do. Besides I am way too lazy to start looking for an actual job and writing applications and such. I'd actually have to get a job that I could perhaps keep after graduating or so. That is just way too much to think about. I just want to spend time with my fish and frogs. (If I get them back since today both the care-takers said they might want to keep them.)

If I spend too much time thinking about the future I might not notice that I actually have loads to do right now. And I do. Not that I am not in a sort of care-free mood all the time. I think that will have to change before I am finished here.

Oh but I must hurry home again. I have to go to the store to get like food before German class. I just have no time to go to the store any more. I think I have written about it. Though the situation is now worse since I go climbing on Wednesdays.

It is like the Finnish independence day tomorrow (the sixth). I don't know what to do about it.

Coming home

I have to start thinking about coming back home already although it is like 3 months away. I have to book flights and stuff. I have to start thinking how in the world I'm going to move my aquariums and when (well the aquarium part I don't really have to plan yet I just like thinking about it but other things have to be taken care of).

Pause. Have to write an e-mail.

Done.

I forgot what I was thinking of. Anyway. Someone will have to come pick me up at Tampere airport on the 2nd of March since that is most likely when I will be coming back for good. From then on I will have tons to do with moving everything and getting my life back on track. I'm already all mixed up about the idea of it and thinking I will probably take like a month to get it all together and then I will have to study too. Oh I don't like planning so far away though I should like contact people at the biology department to ask what courses I should do examinations on to get my missing 4 credits (ov) and then I don't know what. Uh oh it's going to be all a big mess but I sort of like myself when I have tons to do and I'm an utter mess from doing things and having to change my ways and stuff. I can't wait. It's kind of like dating. Dating really messes up one's life. Well at least mine. New people, weird new schedules and going from place to place not knowing what is going to happen next. I might not be making any sense.

Oh but gotta hurry home. I have to make it to the bread store. I have to eat. I had two coffees a while ago. (This might explain some things.)