Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Summary of 2008?

Tuomo writes: It’s New Year’s Eve – time for one more look back at some of the ups and down of our 2008. The events are in no particular order; any other form than flow of thought would be too much work otherwise :-

Teddy passed away in September ;-(

Lulu entered our life in October.

Our friends Sean, Nate, and Nicole came for a shoestring budget visit. Well Nicole was on a budget and a schedule; the rest of us weren’t. Lots of sitting in the car while the rain ruined all opportunities to view the Rockies. A faboo weekend in Seattle in the end though we ended up having dinner at probably the most overpriced and overrated restaurant in town.

Our friends Tytti, Pekka, and Timo, and came for a visit and brought summer weather with them. Tytti cooked us some fabulous meals and enlightened us of the finer nuances in oenology. I got to tour Seattle with Tytti and dance to our hearts' content to 80s classics at Neighbour’s. Pekka and Timo, who came over a week later but only for a very short time, got a whirlwind tour of what Tytti had explored in the past 10 days. Finally, when Tytti left back to Finland, Dave and I got to tour San Francisco with Pekka and Timo. The usual: the Wharf, the Castro, cable cars, Berkeley – but fun!

In August we got to see the Champagne Ladies for the first time since our move. A fabulous week at the beach awaited (after a red-eye flight to Philly on board a flight with no other than “Pam”!). Though the week began with a trial for our crimes against Champanity, the week was pretty much what we had been anticipating all year.

Dave’s dad got infected by multiple tick-borne diseases, which almost forced Dave’s parents to cancel their trip to see us. Fortunately, he managed to recover so that they were able to benefit from some of the best weather that BC has to offer; in fact, Dave’s dad managed to get a sunburn – though the medication he was on also contributed to this! High Point of the week: high tea at the Empress Hotel in Victoria followed by a double-decker tour (high point: poopin’ harbour seal). Low Point of the week: Too bad that Teddy’s passing away coincided with their stay…

Later we learned that while Dave’s dad was in hospital for the infection he had a heart attack. Consequently, he had to go through a multiple by-pass in October, which caused changes in our Thanksgiving Day week travel plans. Balmy Florida became freezing Rhode Island, but a good time was had by all.

In late April and early May, I had a wonderful time in Finland, including the first Vappu (“First of May”) since 1996.

We made some friends with some new people on the US election night, which of itself was a truly historical event to witness.

The lower mainland got a white Christmas for the first time since 1971 (?), which meant that nobody knew what to do with the snow, in particular here in Langley where side roads remain to date in substandard condition.

Wonderful Christmas – our first one in our Canadian home – with a dinner party with our local family. Everybody was stuffed and needed to kick back a bit to loosen the belt. Plus ça change, plus c’est la meme…

All other events have been securely stored in our long-term memories; just remind us :-)

Finally, not a posting without a clip, just to remind us how time is an evanescent concept:



Onnellista uutta vuotta! Happy new year! Bonne année! Gott nytt år! Καλή χρoνιά! Head uut aastat! Gelukkig nieuw jaar! Boldog új év! Ein gutes neues Jahr! Farsælt komandi ár! Yeni yiliniz kutlu olsun!E gudd neit Joër! Akemashite omedetō! Szczęśliwego nowego roku! Feliz año nuevo! С Новым Годом! Blwyddyn newydd dda! Feliz ano novo! La mulţi ani! Šťastný nový rok! See you in 2009! MWAH!

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Guess What I Got for Christmas :-)

Tuomo writes: This had to be the best Christmas - evah! Normally gift guidelines recommend us not to get fitness and/or health related presents because of the underlining message "You're fat!" and so on. Well, in my case, I know I'm fat, so I have to do something about it.

One of the numerous thoughtful prezzies from Dave this year was in fact Wii Fitness. I've been dying to get one for like months, but I was reminded that one never knows what Santa brings in his sack. And sure enough, I found a Wii Fitness amongst my prezzies. Yayyy!

I just finished installing and synching it, so I'm good to go tomorrow morning. The stats were far from flattering, as if I needed numerical evidence for why I should get back on the fitness bandwagon! I also found the following YouTube clip that I plan on using as a source of inspiration to reach my weight and BMI goals six months down the road. I also expect results nothing less impressive than on the dude in clip :-) Enjoy!

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Now Where the Heck is Kyle?

Tuomo writes: Whenever Dave and I go on holidays and don’t have access to Breakfast Television, someone seems to get booted off the morning. First Dave and Simi and now, case in point: Kyle “Argyle” Donaldson.

When we returned from our Thanksgiving week, we were mighty disappointed when Kyle wasn’t there to wake us up on Monday morning. Or on Tuesday… Or for the rest of the week. We were like, "What the bleep!" In the meantime, someone called Riaz Meghji had taken over Kyle’s role on BT. Riaz is entertaining and all that in that puppy-eyed kinda way, but something’s missing. We definitely want Kyle back!

Hmm... maybe we should stop travelling... :-)

According to my source on things related to BT, Kyle had made this really off-colour statement live, and for this reason he allegedly got booted. On the other hand, the BT crew has the habit of making off-colour jokes all the time, which in the States would have had them all fired ages ago, so I don't quite get it. Nevertheless, I have seen Kyle on City TV news at noon, and his profile still appears on the BT website, but no pics of Riaz. So what the bleep?!

For info on Riaz, here's a blurb when he was still in Toronto and a YouTube clip. Tytti, are you watching? What do you think? :-)

On a more positive note, I learned while reading Laila Yuile's blog that Dave Gerry is not only back on TV (Monday thru Friday on CBC at 3 PM - yayyy!) but Laila has posted two guest blogs by Dave (Nov. 24 and Dec. 1).

My Dave’s car already has a Phoebe; thanks on Dave Gerry’s to-the-point observation, it now also has an Antonio :-)

Man, do I miss Dave Gerry in the mornings...!

Friday, December 26, 2008

Merry Christmas

Tuomo writes: So it's Boxing Day already... Best Christmas ever - until 2009! :-) Christmas dinner with a Scandinavian style ham, rosolli, carrot casserole, and Karelian pastries followed by an assortment of cookies and washed down with glögi... So how come am I feeling so stuffed?!

Here's a cute little clip that will hopefully inspire me to start using my new Wii Fitness:



We joined the new Gold's gym in town about a month ago, but due to all kinds of circumstances they won't be opening until Jan. 1. Talk about an excuse to procrastinate! We hope to get back on the bandwagon, and maybe even join (gasp) Weight Watchers again. As for me, I'm sick and tired of feeling depleted of energy and just plain ole fat. I saw some pictures of me taken weeks after I got off WW, and I do not what I see in the mirror these days.

I must, I must, I must increase my... energy levels! How's that for a dime a dozen new year's resolution?! :-)

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy (American) Thanksgiving!

Tuomo writes: It's amazing how muhc you miss home during the holidays, isn't it? Regardless where your home is...

Due to circumstances around Dave's father's health, the original plans on spending Thanksgiving week in balmy Florida got transferred to... well... not so balmy Rhode Island. When the captain on our Southwest flight to Providence announced that the temperature in Providence was 25 F (-5 C) - without factoring in the wind chill factor - there was this collective gasp of disbelief. One almost expected the oxygen masks to drop down due to sudden cabin depressurisation :-)

This week has been first time back to RI since Christmas. In many ways not the ideal time of the year, and a lot of the business landscape has been affected by the recent economic turmoil. But still, it has been been fun to be at Dave's parents. Home" for my I guess if you want to use formalism, where Home is in Helsinki and Home' is in Hyattsville, meaning Langley must be Home"'. At any rate the week has been full of familiar sounds and sight - not to mention some culinary treats, keeping in mind that I'm no gastronome by any extent! For five-star and more exquisite gourmet experiences in RI, look elsewhere :-)

Here are some of my favourite places for a meal in RI (besides Mamma's of course!):

Athenian Deli & Restaurant (1242 Oaklawn Ave, Cranston): Greek comfort food in a blue collar diner environment. This is a MUST and a big disappointment when it has been closed for the holidays :-)
Wien-O-Rama (1009 Oaklawn Ave, Cranston): Hotdogs like I've never appreciated before, with or without celery salt.

So, today on Thanksgiving I'm reminded again how one just can't erase 11 years of memories just like that. Prior to moving to the States, Thanksgiving was just this cultural thing that I was aware of but it really didn't mean anything else. Now it has to be one of my Top 3 celebrations of the year: no presents, no religion, and everyone, regardless of their origins, is invited to have a good meal with their beloved ones. Something that in my mind spans all human kind.

In other words, for all our readers: Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you for being "you" - and forreading this blog every once in a while too :-)

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Go Obama!

Tuomo writes: OK so the US elections came and went, and four weeks later, I still haven't commented... I guess everything worthwhile saying has been said and analysed to the nth degree so that li'l ole linguistics me probably has not much to comment on the outcome.

On election night, we went over to our friends' Tim and Keith's place to watch the results roll in on NBC and CNN. On most occasions being three hours behind the east coast is a nuisance, i.e. by the time we want to call our friends and family in Maryland and Rhode Island, it's close to midnight their time! However, this time the results were in well before 9pm, and we were good to go home around 10.

IMHO McCain gave a very eloquent speech; too bad that his booing supporters continued to reveal the true colours of the Republican Party...

There was a collective gasp in the room when President Elect Obama mentioned gays [and lesbians] in his speech. There was nary a dry eye in the room as we witnessed the end to the eight years of nightmare under Dubya. It was such a wodnerful and uplifting speech... And the family is adorable too; let's hope the puppy issue gets resolved soon :-) So here's to a new dawning full of hope at a time of turmoil of various kinds, economic, social, you name it!

Ironically, on the same night that the future president of the United States explicitly made reference to gays and lesbians, more ominous news came from possibly the most progressive state in the country, California. Proposition 8, the evil-spirited move to bring down the recently passed law allowing gay marriage in California had passed. And the irony of ironies is that the people who helped boost Obama were primarily the same ones who helped this proposition pass. Not that Prop 8 would have changed Dave's and my lives in any way (at least, at this stage, thanks to Clinton's DOMA in the 90s), but it made us mad for like days.

As someone on one of the columns that I read regularly put it, this wasn't just telling us to get back to the back of the bus - we had been run over by the bus.

Thank goodness then that this has activated the LGBTQ community to stage protests across the country - or as CNN put worldwide, with a demonstration in London! Hopefully this fury encourages the community to be more forceful... I mean, if my memory doesn't fail me, just last week gay partnerships were made legal in Bhutan :-)

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Election Day!!!

Tuomo writes: I was telling Dave last night that it feels like eight years of a nightmare are finally coming to an end. I excited, Dave's excited, and judging by Facebook, a lot of my friends in Finland are excited, too. I hope our friends in Baltimore are excited - and voting...

Now of course you all realise what this means. Yes, tomorrow the media speculation over the presidential elections in 2012 can begin :-)

In the meantime, enjoy this clip:

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Madonna in Vancouver!

Tuomo writes: As they say, "beggars can’t be choosers" and a lot of aspects in life can be best called "sour grapes," so I advise people to read my review of Madonna’s concert in Vancouver through these clichés.

For one, I hadn’t realized how big BC Place Arena is. I mean, not big – HUGE! An estimate of 30,000 people was there that night, and I think that is a fairly accurate estimate. Come to think of it, 30,000 is like 10% of all Iceland :-) Mind you, BC Place Arena will also be the venue for the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony, so that should give my out-of-Vancouver readers some perspective of the scale I'm talking about. The three of us were sitting on the fourth level in the nose-bleed, and from there the stage felt like it was at least ten blocks away. Flanked by two huge letters M in pink, the stage had three screens and two others to the side, to the left and right of the huge Ms. While the show was on, the outermost jumbo-tron screens followed what was going on on the stage while the three on-stage screens functioned as back-drops to each number performed.

As a result, Madonna appeared to be 5 millimetres tall; I hadn't realised she'd be so much smaller in person! :-) Without the two jumbo-trons, it would have been next to impossible to see what was going on on the stage. At times, when Madonna and her dancers were performing close to the back-drop screens, it was in fact impossible to see what they were doing, so a lot of the show was lost on me. In the end, if you wanted to enjoy the show, you had to keep your eyes peeled on the jumbo-trons. Consequently, the thought of purchasing the tour DVD might have been a better choice :-)

As for the numbers, Madonna performed quite a selection of her songs from along her career, focusing not so surprisingly primarily on her latest album. Some of the arrangements were interesting, to say the least, others unfortunately weren't. For example, Borderline made me think of this; had I paid to see a goth performance, I would have accepted it as is without questions, but now I’m not so sure. I didn't like the way Human Nature had been arranged either; for one, I don't care that much for this song, and two, it just didn't work for me. Others fortunately, like La Isla Bonita was arranged and mixed so that it sounded in Dave’s words like what Moldova would be submitting as their Eurovision entry for 2009, i.e. he didn’t like it, but I sure did!

In my mind, She’s Not Me and Far Away, which were new to me because I haven’t purchased the album yet, which hopefully doesn’t mean my gay card will be revoked, were arranged beautifully and the stage performance was at its best, mostly but not only thanks to the imagery on the screens. A propos, during She’s Not Me, Madonna depicted a lighter side of herself when she fended off earlier iconic stages of herself as the stage act, which I think shows that she can have a sense of humour, too. Finally, Like a Prayer and some of her earlier "standards" performed more towards the end did leave an up-lifting "party" feel in my mouth – also due to the fact that I didn’t have to peer any longer at the stage from behind the queen standing and partying in front of me when I didn’t feel yet like doing so :-)

That said, I’ll give the whole experience a B+. Once again, for $100 you can’t really expect to be within spitting distance from a major pop star, now can you? However, the fact that I was so often better off watching her perform on the big screens or I would have totally missed the pleasure of the stage action did leave bit of a - pardon the pun - sour candy taste in my mouth. But considering how much I love sour patch kids, I did enjoy the show for the most.

Two lessons to be learned. One, buy Hard Candy. Immediately! Two, for future reference, be prepared to fork out the bucks when planning to attend an event in BC Place Arena! :-)

Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Tuomo writes: Wanna see something really scary? No, I’m not talking about ghouls, goblins or ghosts... Oh no, I’m talking about the Race Monster: It usually lurks around red places (states, necks, etc.), and it roams around wrapped in (gasp) prejudice! EEEEEEK!!!



On a much lighter note, enjoy this.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

It's Madonna!!!

Tuomo writes: So tonight is the big night when we – finally – get to see Madonna perform at BC Place Stadium in downtown Vancouver. We missed her Confessions tour, but Dave’s brother and sister got to see her in Boston. Our initial envy turned into mild mannered glee when they told us that they were astonished by how many gays there were at the concert that night. Umm hellooo, under which rock have you been hiding since the 80s?!? :-)

In honour of this grand event in my life on the eve of Santa Madonna(according to Breakfast Television, "everyone" will be there tonight – including "Argyle" Kyle!), here are a couple of clips, either by Madonna herself or inspired by her, starting with Dave’s favourite:



This one's deliciously wicked:



And this one is just downright delicious:



And finally, no tribute would be perfect without this one :-)

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

As per Request - Sorta :-)

Tuomo writes: Pekka mentioned a great Eurovision song from the early 80s, back when music was the main point and not skimpy hemlines cut in a bias and pyrotechnics :-)

I couldn't help posting the clip so that everyone understand what we are talking about: Giannis Dimitras and Feggari kalokerino "Summer Moon". Παρακαλώ!

Into the Groove!

Tuomo writes: To echo my admiration of Tytti's impeccable taste in music, I've always felt a bit embarrassed about admitting that I am a Madonna fan.

Pretty much everyone agrees that she doesn't have any real singing - or acting - skills, but man does she cover up for it in so many other ways! I remember when she came out with Like a Virgin in the early 80s and I was in high school. I never really got a kick out of it, but it did catch my eye; even to this day, I wouldn't include it in my Top 5, let alone Top 10 Madonna hits, but hey, you gotta start somewhere. It wasn't until Into the Groove and her Blonde Ambition phase came out that I started to pay real attention to her. I loved the "packaging" and the cheekiness that it came in it! As a budding homosexual, I was titillated by her provocative approach to presenting herself; oh those outfits. So garish, so provocative, so... 80s! Later on, Madonna's overt support for the gay community made me a lifelong fan even though I have to admit that I sorta lost interest in her around her Kabbalah inspired album but got - pardon the pun - back in the groove along with her Confessions on the Dance Floor album.

Most of all I have to admire her for having had such a long career in a field that these days is infested with flavours of the day that become one hit wonders overnight. In fact, considering that way back in the beginning, she was expected to become a one hit wonder herself, so three decades of pop hits is in my book something to be proud of.

From the selection of three decades of songs as the icon of pop culture par excellence, I think my favourite Madonna song is Into the Groove mentioned above. Highlighted in - and promoting itself - the movie Desperately Seeking Susan, I couldn't help falling in love with this romantic comedy. In fact, it is one of my guilty pleasure movies: not much along the lines of a unique plot or fabulous acting, but it struck a chord in me at that time that still continues to vibrate. Besides, how many singer-actors in a supporting role can say they've danced to their own music! On my dance card, this one ranks high on my list of top pop dance songs...

So tomorrow when Madonna hits the stage in Vancouver, I hope she will be performing Into the Groove. That sure would make this 42-year old man very happy. In the meantime, I'll contend with the YouTube clip. Too bad I'm not now at home where I could lock the doors and dance - to my hearts content :-)

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Introducing Tytti

Tuomo writes: This is what a funk brings you to: How can it take so long to write a blog entry on one of your dearest friends?!? I mean I wanted to do this for her "major milepost," and the gifts that were supposed to reach her and to be waiting for her when she’d return from her trip to Turkey didn’t get sent until today (like FOUR weeks late)...

At any rate, I have been wanting to write about my friend Tytti for the longest time. With Pekka and Timo, she’s the third leg of the tripod that keeps my life in focus. For the life of me, I cannot remember the exact circumstances of how we met other than it was at some party organized by SUB, the student organization for English majors at the University of Helsinki. In what must have been the fuksiaiset, or "freshman induction," and in my drunken haze, I remember her saying timidly that she wanted to participate in Sub. Fast-forward a year or two, and she was the chair of SUB!

So what do I appreciate so much about her? For one thing, she’s always been able to provide a frank but fair view of the state of affairs. I can’t think of anyone as well-grounded and well-versed in her opinions, ranging from choosing the perfect pair of floral pattern pants to how to deal with parents in denial. All of this delivered spot-on with kick-ass precision of a world-class stand-up comedienne... Oh the bons-mots I have come to cherish!

Second, we both share the joys of travelling. Unfortunately we haven’t had too many opportunities to travel together (London 1990, Tallinn a time or two in the late 90s, and hosting her in Toulouse and Barcelona 1991 and Vancouver in 2008), but even these few ones are worth a pot of gold. Oh the anecdotes! Without her and her infallible taste in culture, I don’t think I would have discovered as many best kept secrets. Add to this an appreciation of good food, be it gourmet or not, I couldn’t think of a better travelling companion. I don’t understand people who can’t sit down every once in a while for the tiniest of salads or just an amuse-gueule to process the sights and sounds du jour – or just to chitchat. Nor can Tytti. Add a refreshing gin and tonic to the equation, and things just get better. Nor will I ever have to worry about coming down with malaria either.

Finally, I appreciate her taste in music. With a background in music from high school, she has a taste for a wide variety of music, ranging from classical to the most eclectic performers of world music. As a perennial language queen, I love music that isn’t always your run-of-the-mill, dime-a-dozen mainstream music in English; when she’s around, I have no qualms about putting on music that I know would drive other people climb up the walls: French, Turkish, Latin/Spanish, Arab, bhangra, you name it...

In fact, the song that I would like to dedicate to her is Hijo de la luna by Mecano. I discovered this Spanish group while I was studying in France in the early 90s. When I returned to Finland, she was the first one to appreciate Mecano categorically without comments like ewww, creepy or This isn't in English. As a lot was going on in our lives at that time, we both seemed to get a kick of some kind from their somewhat edgy and controversial lyrics. Oh and I guess we were both going through some kind of a Spanish phase in our lives, too...

We miss you very much. Husband-hunting in Seattle any time soon?

Click here to see the original version of Mecano's Hijo de la luna.

But check this version out, too. It is so up our alleys! ¡Arriba!

Who's Got da Funk?!

Tuomo writes: And not the pleasant kind of funk either...

I guess the current slump started after our European friends left and our week at the beach was over. Ever since that everything has felt more or less blah.

It didn't help when when our friends at the beach - hopefully jokingly - mocked my attempt to keep in touch by means of this blog. All kidding aside, I felt hurt, especially when since the trip none of them have even bothered to wonder and/or ask me why I haven't been updating my blog. They were the main target audience in my mind that determined to write this blog in English. I might as well change the language to Finnish because those who do read this are our Finnish friends. And considering that I haven't written much in a few months, they probably haven't been following this either, so I'm questioning why bother in the first place... which definitely guarantees that this blog doesn't get any updates!

I haven't gone to the gym in ages. I haven't eaten sensibly or been on WeightWatchers since June. All I have done is eat and watch TV. And not without snacking on goodies that aren't carrots... I just can't seem to get interested in anything.

I postpone doing things for later. Or tomorrow. Or next week... or month.

I did get myself to go to a hot yoga class (Bikram) for like three times. Then I lost interest. Or motivation. Or maybe it was too pushy. Or something.

I need to get excited about doing something. Like going to the gym... or something.

Though I do have to point out that there has been a glimmer of some end to the funk. I recently got in touch with two friends from the past (thanks to FaceBook, my seemingly only source of social contact). I've written an e-mail or two with them in French and Estonian, something that seems to get my groove back on. I also got my car serviced today, and for some strange reason I feel like achieving things so that when Dave comes home the kitchen won't be a mess or the hallway upstairs won't be strewn with laundry to be folded or put away.

In fact, to prove the point that not everything is as gloomy as it may seem, I ran across another blast from the past, or a YouTube clip, Zoolookologie by Jean-Michel Jarre that got me in a merrier place, at least temporarily. Oh I so love the 80s graphics; it reminds a lot of my high school art work :-)

Saturday, October 25, 2008

We're South-East Asian!

Tuomo writes: We had nothing else to do, so we took the Which Country Are You quiz. Here are the results, first for me, then for Dave:



Tuomo: You're Vietnam! After years of muddling through on your own, you've finally repaired yourself to a point of respectability. You would have been much better off had people you didn't like not kept insisting on spending so much time with you. But
those times are fading quickly and these days you're pretty sure you won't get burned.



Dave: You're Thailand! Calmer and more staunchly independent than almost all those around you, you have a long history of rising above adversity. Recent adversity has led to questions about your sexual promiscuity and the threat of disease, but you still manage to attract a number of tourists and admirers. And despite any setbacks, you can really cook a good meal whenever it's called for. Good enough to make people
cry.

Now that was positive!

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Teddy In Memoriam

Tuomo writes: On Sunday September 7th approximately 5:05PM Dave and I bade Teddy farewell.

After the lab report from our vet, it became clear that it would require next to a miracle to end Teddy's declining health. At first we had thought that Teddy had begun to lose weight because he was getting a bit more excercise walking up and down the stairs, but eventually it became clear that something else was going on. By the time we contacted the vet, we weren't sure for how long Teddy hadn't been eating or drinking at all.
The lab results were devastating. All indicators, way beyond several deviations from the normal, suggested that Teddy was suffering from kidney failure, a typical ailment among small pets I believe. As suggested by the vet, Dave brought Teddy over to the emergency clinic for intense IV. Unfortunately the first 24 hours had no effect on his wellbeing, and in course of the following 24 hours Teddy had a seizure. It was a tough decision to make, but it was clear that there would be nothing but suffering ahead for poor Teddy, so we requested him to be put to sleep.

As I'm writing this, I still can't help welling up. We made use of one more opportunity to be with Teddy. We petted him a lot and took lots of pictures, but it was clear that Teddy was in a lot of discomfort; the IV tube hanging from his left paw probably didn't add to his benefit.

Needless to say, Dave and I wept unashamedly while we watched Teddy explore the room we were in. Ten years of good times as well as bad were about to become precious memories... In the end, it felt really painful to say, "Goodbye, Primogenito."

In memory of Teddy, here's a poem in Finnish I found on the Internet (originally in Swedish?) ; underneath it is my prose-y translation in English:

KISSAN HAUTAJAISISSA

Luona pikku ruumiin me seisomme,
ei nouse tuosta enää konsaan se.
Sun kehruutas koskaan ei kuulla saa,
ei nähdä miten luomes vilkahtaa.

Kissavainaamme, kiitos, pikkuinen,
joka päivästä, yöstä saat kiitoksen,
jotka saimme sun kanssasi elellä
ja sua rakkaasti hellien hyväillä.

Sinä lohtua meidän käsillämme toit.
Sinä monena äänenä meissä soit.
Mau, sähäys ja kynnen välkähdys-
mitä kertoikaan häntäsi pyyhkäys.

Olit itsenäinen sä aina vaan,
mitä ikinä kävitkin luuraamaan.
Sinä vapaa olit, taas orjia me
kunnes hautaan viimein vaivumme.

Vailla unia sä nuku, ja maaksi jää.
Meitä pöydässä ikävä räydyttää.
Mutta muistos on talossa ainiaan.
Se ei tunnu kylmältä milloinkaan.

-Lars Huldén-Suom. Satu Marttila

AT A CAT’S FUNERAL

We now stand gathered next to your tiny body
Ne’er shall it move again;
Your purring won’t be heard any more
nor how your eye bats will be seen

Our dearly beloved, lifeless kitty cat,
We thank you for every night and day
That we got to share with you
And pet you with tender love and care.

You brought us comfort by means of our hands
You rang many chords within us
With a meow, a hiss and a flash of a claw
Or whatever that flick of your tail ever meant.

Forever you maintained your independence
Whatever you set your mind on
You were free while we mere slaves were
Until we all in a grave in peace shall rest.

Sleep your dreamless slumber and dust become
While the pain of missing you consumes us
But your memory shall always remain in the house forever:
Ne’er shall it feel cold ever more.

May you, Teddy, rest in peace in a place where nobody ever steps on his tail or picks you up without your concent :-)

Monday, September 29, 2008

What's Going On with This Blog?!

Tuomo writes: Where did Septemebre go? And what's up with updates?

Just having some technical problems (read: annoying pop ups) at the home computer that prevent timely and unadultared blogging.

Hang in there, my friends! :-)

Friday, September 5, 2008

Teddy's Seriously Ill :-(

Tuomo writes: Those of my readers who are on Facebook may have already read that Teddy, our Primogenito (who I wrote about) has not been feeling well.

Basically in a nut shell, we noticed a while ago that teddy had started to lose weight. No biggie there because he was "big boned" to begin with; maybe the exercise of running up and down the stairs were having a positive effect on him. It wasn't until last week that we noticed that the loss has been quite substantial and was having an effect on his personality... He doesn't seem to have been eating either, so the poor creature is probably not only dehydrated but also undernourished.

To the extent that I had to take Teddy to the vet, who carried out some lab exams to see what was ailing poor Teddy. It turns out that he has a serious case of kidney disease: his blood, urine, and other figures were way over there, and now as an immediate remedy should be on IV fluids for the next 3-5 days.

The vet (for references for what seems like otherwise a great and tactful vet contact me!) basically made no promises of permanent or even imediate recovery, so we are understandibly under a lot of emotional distress. We can only hope for the best - whatever it is...

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Why Public Schooling Is Important

Tuomo writes: Here's another clip that our friend Doug brought to our attention. A leprechaun in Alabama? Or is it just a crackhead who got hold of the wrong stuff and was told to "play a leprechaun," eh? See for yourselves:



Apparently the town of Crichton and the leprachaun sightings have turned into a pop culture phenomenon. For more visit Wikipedia or Where Da Gold At.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Why I Love Living in Canada

Tuomo writes: The following clip was brought to our attention by our friend Doug in Baltimore:



We have our fair share of juvenile criminals here in Canada, but this young boy serves as a warning of what bad parenting leads to, no matter where you are...

Friday, August 22, 2008

Oh No... Now Tasha ;-(

Tuomo writes: I couldn't believe it when I heard yesterday morning on BT that Tasha Chiu was leaving, too... So Tasha as well as Dave and Simi may have been faces on TV... But it was the TV in our bedroom and they were there every morning in our bedroom to wake us up and entertain us while we got dressed.

Now it feels as if we've lost close friends. And we had so many to begin with in our new living environment :-(

I have to admit I got teary eyed when it was time to say goodbye...

Good luck, Tasha (and Dave and Simi)! You (all) will be missed dearly in this household.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Jos metsään haluat mennä nyt...

If you go to the woods today... You may run into this:

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Dave & Simi - Fired??

Tuomo writes: I've been wondering about this for a couple of mornings: what has happened to Dave and Simi on Breakfast Television/Vancouver? Last Monday morning expecting to be greeted by the beaming faces of the regular BT cast, I was surprised to see Kyle and Tasha. Not that there's anything wrong with these two, but they were there on every morning last week... yesterday... and today. How bizarre... Util this morning I found out (like a week after everybody else it appears...) that... gasp... Dave and Simi have been fired! :-(


Dave

Simi
When we moved to Canada a year ago, GlobalTV drew our attention. Soo enought though, I got irritated by the stiff presentation style and by the not-so-informative traffic news (there would always be a helicopter shot of a bridge I wasn't going to use followed by the sponsor pitch). I would occasionally switch to other channels, especially during commercial breaks, and that's how I discovered Dave and Simi. At first their style came across as useless bickering, but gradually I came to appreciate their style of hosting the show: professionals who know each other and who know how to entertain the morning viewers with their witty banter.
I read that the format of BT is going to be changed. Why? I switched from GlobalTV to BT; doesn't that count as something? I hope I will be greeted by Kyle and Tasha from now on; I don't know if I ever want to wake up to anything else :-)










Kyle & Tasha, the current hosts of BT

Monday, August 18, 2008

RetroPop: Pieni ja ihmeellinen

Tuomo writes: One thing I love about travelling abroad is coming across music you wouldn't otherwise. Finnish pop music is popular... well, in Finland, so whenever I go visit my parents, I have the radio and tv on to catch a hit or two.

In April, I came across this clip by a new group (well, at least to me; they may have been around a while...) called RetroPop. I liked the le petit prince-esque visuals as well as the song, Pieni ja ihmeellinen itself ("Small and amazing"). The soundscape took me back to the early 80s, the era of Neo-Romantics, and the lyrics were delightfully angstridden. The Neo-Romantics were all obsessed by technology taking over our emotions; Pieni ja ihmeellinen is all about taking care of our "small and amazing" planet:



My brother recently returned from Finland, and I had asked him to bring me the album because when I was in Finland, it nor the single (!) hadn't been released yet. I still love the lush and Neo-Romantic soundscape of the hit single. The rest of the album has unfortunately been a bit of a disappointment: underneath the 80s soundscape lies more teenage angstscape (is that even a word?) - defying authorities and coping with peer pressure - than a 42 year old man can stomach at one listening.

I wonder if I should be learning something from this... :-)

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Philadelphia, or How to Waste a Perfect Opportunity to Visit a Major US City

Tuomo writes: Don't you love it when your flight gets cancelled...?

You wake up in a room you don't recognise. Ah yes, your flight got cancelled due to ATC congestions caused by a massive thunderstorm. Things could have been worse: sit in a plane on the tarmac for hours waiting for take-off and then (a) take off in the middle of a thunderstorm or (b) return to your gate. The hotel turns out not to be even in the same state as the airport you were flying out of: Gloucester City, New Jersey rather than Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. No wonder the ride from the airport had taken so long the night before.

The hotel the airline put you up in is a Comfort Inn, which it is neither. Rather no comfort and a Dump de Dump. The staff at check-in had been grumpy and totally incapable of cracking a smile. Hmmm having to deal with a customer base consisting mainly of passengers with cancelled flights makes you forget how to smile... The fear of scabies doesn't disspiate after a shower in a slimy tub. Check out and deal with the same unfriendly staff; is it really that difficult to smile -even if you have to work somewhere in 'burbs of Philly in New Jersey?

You find the shuttle bus you want to take back to the airport idling in front of the hotel. For 15 minutes. Now how much was the price of gas again? The bus seats 14 - legally - but there are 16 of you; the 20+ minute drive is just as long and uncomfortably bumpy as the the night before.

The train from the airport to the city centre runs every 30 minutes. Except that the one you are waiting for is more than 10 minutes late. No announcements. Are we even on the right track? The 25 minute long ride lasts longer than that, and the fare is quite steep: US$7. Beats hanging around the airport all day...

Finally in downtown Philly. What to do, especially when one does not have a map or any other forms of information on the city. Ah yes, the Liberty Bell. Thank goodness the storm last night ahs cooled down the air a bit, so the ten block walk feels good. At the intersection before the museum, you notice a group of tourists heading the same way as you. What else do you do, but put on some speed and beat them to the line. After all you want to have your belongings checked by the security staff before theirs.

You learn a lot about American liberty. How everyone loves and wants it. Except that you learn that the Bell had cracked well before July 4, 1776, and contrary to popular myth, it was not rung on that day at all. Aha, so what else about American history is a myth, you wonder? The exhibition is farily small as is the Bell itself. You have your picture taken in front of it, like the dozens of other tourists who have made it there so early in the day. You wonder how many of them were on cancelled flights, too.

Lunch time! You want a real Philly chesse steak sandwich. You've had those before at food courts, all claiming to be authentic. Except the mall nor the HQ of the chain have ever been anywhere near Philly. Suprisingly difficult to find a decent place for lunch. You locate a diner (God bless America) where you order one with buffalo chicken wings as an appie. The sandwiches - meh! - come before the wings. The wings look delightfully meaty but turn out to be lukewarm (frozen again!), and the sauce is nowhere as spicy as you want them...

Two more hours to go before it's time to return to the airport. Mindless roaming around with a surprisingly high number of Italian tourists, who are just as lost and baffled in the city as you are. Except they have maps, and you don't. What's this square again? Ah JFK Square, with a magnificent water fountain. Check out the passers-by while digesting your food. You come to realise that there's a big and famous museum that you could have visited too. You realise that you could have seen and done a bazillion of other interesting things during the six hours you're in town. Bah...

Go for a cup of coffee and a treat at Borders. Say hi to your "friends," i.e. the wider and less expensive selection of books than in Canada.

Go back to the railway station. Run to the platform from which the train to the airport is about to leave any minute now according to the schedule. Except by the time you get to the platform, panting and wheezing, you find out that the train is 16 minutes late. Nice. You pay US$ 7 again for the 25 minute ride to the airport.

With boarding passes ready since last night and the luggage checked in, proceed to the security check. Have your bottle of soda confiscated because you hadn't finished it in the morning and you thought you'd finish it later.

So yeah, Philly must be a fantastic travel destination :-)

Another Testimonial on Why Flying These Days Deserves a Boo and a Hiss

Tuomo writes: To be fair, we have a friend who works as a flight attendant on US Air and who was on our recent flight to the east coast. It was a red eye flight, so needless to say, without him, it would have been quite uneventful and otherwise dreary as red eye flights go.

We understand that airlines are struggling with soaring fuel costs, and as a result, the paying customer gets to bear the brunt and deal with the nickling and diming of every aspect of the flying experience, such as pay US$15 for every checked in luggage...

However what we experienced on our way back goes beyond any sympathy. As my brother pointed it out quite approriately, we don't fly to get a good meal. Therefore if you want a meal, bring one on board on your own or pay for one provided by the airline - or their caterer - at least in North America.

Before our flight boarded, there were announcements that US Air had started charging for freshments (US$ 2 for a can of soda, which I think is quite preposterous when I pay CA$ 1.25 on campus, and even that is expensive) and that meal and snack boxes were available on the flight. Fair enough: a meal box for US$7 sounded like a deal.

By the time the flight attendants made it to row 15 where we were sitting, we were told that they were all out of the meal boxes. In fact, there had been only three (3!) for sale, meaning that they were all sold out by the time the attendants had made it to the second row of economy class. Basically, this means that the caterer (NOT US Air!) has calculated that an A319, that seats over a 100 passengers, has on average only three passengers on board interested in a meal. This means technically that the 12 passengers sitting on the first two rows of economy class are in first class; the rest of us is just chopped liver. As a result, a lot of grumbling was heard...

We settled for a snack box, which, in a not very untypical North American fashion, contained mainly sweet rather than savoury items with the exception of a small can of chicken salad. After 12 years in North America, I still have an issue with snacks mostly entailing something sweet, so here I'll just throw my hands in the air and deal with it :-)

Let me also point it out that this was a 5+ hour long flight! Admittedly, one could (and clearly should) have stocked up prior to departure, but where oh where does one find such a meal for 7 dollars at airports these days?!

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Holiday, It Would Be SO Nice

Tuomo writes: Greetings from the beach, or more precisely Rehoboth Beach in Delaware. The weather is fabulously warm (25 C/80 F), the humidity is tolerable, and the drinks have been deliciously cool and juicy.

The red-eye flight to Philly was a blast! Our fellow Champagne Lady R. was one of the flight attendants on the flight, so instead of little sleep, we little sleep BUT free cocktails at the back of the A319!

Connecting with the rest of the Champagne Ladies has been a fun, but at the same time a poignant reminder of the fact that we have been utterly unsuccessful at establishing ANY kind of a circle of friends in our new environment :-(

Dave and I were subjected to a Champagne Lady Tribunal for crimes against Champanity and Champanicide (don't ask...). We were found guilty of crimes against Champanity (the issue of Champanicide was left either deliberately or undeliberately open... hmm...), but all charges were dropped because, out of mercy, the members of the Tribunal unanimously had missed us too. Awwww :-)

Now something disturbing has emerged: the fact that I'm available for the latest news both on this blig ("What on earth is a blog?!?") and Facebook ("Face what?!") has been considered not effort enough of keeping in touch... I mean, didn't I start this blog with the express goal of having and providing the opportunity to keep in touch with my friends back home, wherever "home" is...? Hmm, clearly gotta work on this...

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Off to the Beach!

Tuomo writes: How convenient! Right when the weather turned from six weeks of clear and sunny (back) to cloudy and drizzly, we're packing our bags and heading to the Beach! Which beach, you may ask. Well... I'll let you know later :-)

In the meantime, enjoy this eternal beach inspired ditty:

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Maynards!

Tuomo writes: Here's a clip of one of our favourite TV commercials for Maynards, a Canadian brand of candies ("There's fun inside!"):



The song is by a Canadian group called Major Maker, and guess what - the song is called Rollercoaster. You can see the original full clip here; for more info on the group, see their myspace page.

More Pics of Our Home

Tuomo writes: How about some more pics of our home?

Outside - against the sun, hence not the sharpest pics ever - a bit like the photographer himself... - and the front porch:



More pics of the first floor, i.e. the kitchen and the dining room area:




More on Mr. van Koeverden

Tuomo writes: If mere pics of Adam van Koeverden are not enough, how about a clip of a recent photoshoot:

Adam Van Koeverden's sexy photo shoot
Adam Van Koeverden's sexy photo shoot


Awwww, shucks... Now what was the 18th letter again? ;-)

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Adam van Koeverden and the18th Letter of the Alphabet

Tuomo writes: Adam Van Koeverden, 26, the reigning flatwater kayak Olympic and World champion in K-1500 m, was recently chosen to be the flag bearer for the Canadian Olympic Team ("Team Canada") at the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.





Congratulations and good luck! Oh and he also makes me think of the 18th letter of the alphabet ;-)

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Il Primogenito

Tuomo writes: Whatever you do, don't make snide remarks about his size in front of him. Or wonder if he's pregnant. Or if he's eaten a pregnant cat. Teddy is just big-boned and has feelings too, like his "mommy" and "daddy." So there! :-)

We may have unfortunately lost exact count of how old Teddy, our first cat, is, but he still deserves the moniker Il Primogenito, or "first-born." Our former roommate, who had a cat, moved out with the cat, so we felt we wanted to get a cat, to keep that positive feng shui or whatever cats do to our living environments going on. We did plenty of research on how to choose the right kind of cat, not just in terms of breed but also in personality. Like our roommate's cat, we wanted a personable and people-friendly cat, not a hisser that hides behind couches. Eventually we contacted a lady in Dundalk, a blue-collar suburban area in Baltimore. We refer to her "affectionately" as the *Dundalk White Trash Kitty Whore*. It turned out that after we had given her the check, not only did she have kittens but also puppies for sale in a house that in hindsight had all the tell-tale signs of a puppy mill, something that all our kitty lit sources had warned us not to use...

From the litter that was presented to us, a litter of cute white kittens with peanut patches, Teddy came across as the one that was the most interested in, feisty yet delightfully playful, so we chose him. Once at home, he also turned out to be quite smart too because when he had to go for the first time, he chose to do his business on a pile of newspapers (it probably seemed familiar to him). We caught him in time and brought him again over to the litter box - and he got it! No accidents ever since - except whenever Yours Truly has forgotten to clean his litter box...

For years Teddy was this aloof cat - typical I guess, like your average teenager - who wouldn't interact much with us... except that he clearly enjoyed being in the same room or otherwise near us, purring and minding his one kitty business. Over the years, and in course of the past 2-3 years however, he has become much more affectionate, so that he actually seeks out our attention. He still doesn't like to be picked up, and when he's lying on one of us, if we have to adjust our position, he runs off. However, there's nothing like when in the mornings while I'm having breakfast - especially on mornings when I'm wearing dark and/or when I'm in a rush - he decides to climb on my lap and make himself comfortable. It really breaks my heart when I have to shoo him off. It is so relaxing to have relaxed, purring cat on your lap... You know, that feng shui kinda thing...

Despite several big moves within less than six months, including our big move to Canada, Teddy (and his "sister," on which I'll write later) has adapted pretty well to being a fabulous cat in Canada. Quite an "achievement" for a little kitty cat with humble origins in the suburbs of Baltimore!



To sum, here's some trivia on Teddy:

Full name: Teddy Helluva Cat
Nicknames: Big Cat, Pooper, Hey You
Likes: women; milk that is left over after a bowl of cold cereals
Dislikes: People who pick him up, step on him or don't clean his litter box; car trips; spritzes of water
Favourite hangout around the house: In paper bags, on the couch (see photo)
Favourite pastime: Lounge on the couch while observing the world; lick water in the bath tub
Favourite position: On his back with legs curled up
Guilty pleasure: Chewing on plants (result: barfing at 3 am)
Things that upset "mommy" and "daddy": (nocturnal) hairballs; hair

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Pics of the House

Tuomo writes: Here's a pic of our living room area (kitchen to the left):

But who can spot Teddy? :-)

Where's My Safe Left Turn

Tuomo kvetches (again): And now that I’m still in a negative place… It can’t be just me, but I find turning left in the Lower Mainland to be next to impossible. People complain about congested traffic all the time, but I am convinced that part of it has to do with the way intersections and turns to the left in particular have been handled. All other things being equal, if it weren’t, then how come my commute home, which involves several more turns to the left than on my way to work, can take well over five minutes longer?

For one, I hate it when the flow of traffic comes to a grinding halt just because someone has to turn left against on-coming traffic. With no way around this driver, everybody has to wait until there is a gap in the traffic flow for the driver to get out of the way. Hello? More turn lanes, anybody?

Ok so what really gets me the most though are turns to the left that offer turn lanes AND lights… but which are still never on or only for like a fraction of a second. You still end up waiting most of the time till the last moment, preventing drivers behind you from turning and/or moving on. Even better yet, the one or two drivers that do manage to squeeze by at the last moment do this despite the risk of blocking and/or avoiding on-coming traffic… So how does this improve general traffic flow and safety?

Here are just two examples of badly timed or managed intersections for left turners that I can think off the top of my head:

* When turning north from the Langley By-pass on to 200 St, the light (!) allows only few cars to proceed at a time from the turn lanes

* In Richmond, when turning left to Lansdowne Road from Garden City Road, the left-turn light is hardly ever on. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I could turn left at a green light; most mornings I vie for that precious gap in the on-coming traffic

Ahhh... now that I have this off my chest, I guess I can move along in my life :-)

Monday, July 14, 2008

YVR SUCKS!!!

Tuomo kvetches: It's been a while since my last post. I must be going through some light form of culture shock because there are a couple of things I'd like to complain about, so pardon the unusually negative tone...

Don't you hate it when one little thing ruins everything that had been so delightful...?

Last Sunday (July 6), we returned from our three day trip to San Francisco with Pekka and Timo. We had a lot of fun, we walked around and explored the city, and needless to say had a drink or two along the way (more on this at some later point in time).

Our flight back to YVR on AC landed on time after 11pm, and everything went as usual until it was time to get off the plane. During my several decades of travels have I ever experienced where the passengers were literally trapped in the jet way because the door leading to the terminal was locked! After well over ten minutes, the doors were finally opened, and we were let in the terminal and continue our dreary treck to the customs and immigration hall.

What makes me particularly mad is that, all possible security breaches aside worthy a police/RCMP investigation (what if somebody had panicked for instance?), the two people, a young man and a woman, who came to open the door couldn't even bother to say, "We apologise." When I hear the woman say, "Thank goodness someone came to open the door; you could've been there for ages!" I asked her why we had had to wait behind the door for no reason. The only response was a sheepish grin and a shrug of shoulders...

What kind of airport management is this?!? Like does it happen often that YVR staff neglects to keep up with their schedule, especially at late hours when the last thing on passenegers' minds is wondering why they have to wait in a jetway?

All I have to say is that despite the fancy facades at YVR, I don't think I'll enjoy the experience of using YVR ever again. As if I had a choice either... :-(

Thursday, June 12, 2008

It's a Baby Girl... Beluga Whale!

Tuomo gushes: Not much fascinating going on in our lives, other than the anticipation of our next guests (exactly a week till Tytti arrives), so a clip on the most recent birth at the Vancouver Aquarium is called for. On Tuesday (yes, that's two days ago I know making this old news) Qila the 12 year old beluga whale gave birth to a bouncing baby girl (vitals: 1.5 metres long, weight 50+ kgs). What makes this birth interesting is that Qila herself was artificially inseminated and so was her now new-born baby girl.



This morning, the baby beluga was shown on tv swimming around in her pool quite vigorously, and was she ever cuuuuute! Not puppy cute, but beluga cute :-) She has no name yet, so if you have any suggestions, stay alert! I myself propose... hmmm... how about Qutey :-)

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Weight Woes...Sorta

Tuomo bellyaches: So I weighed in this morning at 206.8 lbs (93.5 kg), down by .4 lbs (180g), missing my 10 pound milepost by .4 lbs. Boo hoo hoo, ooh hoo hoo...

At least now I know for sure that the scales at the gym are more reliable...

I guess the reason why I'm feeling a bit frustrated is that the weight has been coming off so slowly. Admittedly, it didn't exactly pounce on me overnight either, but I feel desperate about weighing at least less than 200 lbs. At the same time, nor is there any self-imposed deadline by which I have to fit again in my 34" jeans, so I have to do some serious self-reflection on why I'm so adamant about being at my "ideal" weight (whatever that us). I guess one point of frustration is that I have a closet full of dress pants that I'd like to start wearing again on a regular basis and not only on days when I don't feel particularly bloated or when I think I can wing it by pulling in my belly all day long :-) They do fit me better now than way back in December when I had to wear them to two job interviews, and man was I in pain, so that's better than nothing...!

Besides, not that the path ends at reaching that ideal weight: that's when it really starts because this time, I'd really like to keep my weight at check and not to have to rejoin Weight Watchers ever again, even as a lifetime member...

Next week is going to be particularly challenging with our friends Nicole, Sean, and Nate coming over for a week as our first (summer) guests. Sean and Nate are annoyingly slim, in the sense that ostensibly they seem to be able to eat anything in sight without any effects on their waistlines. I guess this week will then have be a week of damage control. Maybe I'll sneak to the gym a couple of times on my way to or from work for a thirty minute cardio workout...

Yeah right, and pigs will fly :-)

Friday, May 30, 2008

CNN News Item of Inspiration

Tuomo writes: So there is life after ESC... but what am I to write about? Hmmm... Oh I could always yammer on the topic of weight loss: I haven't said a word in weeks! :-)


After almost three months I haven't even lost my first 10 lbs! How frustrating :-( On one hand, there have been two trips that have jeopordised all efforts. Then there's been the issue of not going to the gym or doing any form of exercise. As Dave pointed it out, my previous stints at Weight Watchers have been most successful when I've gone to the gym. I've been going to the gym pretty regularly (as well as paid attention to my daily points except...) for the past two weeks, so I expect to see some results... like NOW! :-)

Last week, i.e. after one week of exercising (circuit training) and possibly thanks to a salty supper, I actually put on weight - 0.2 lbs, or 90 grams! This week, the scale in the bath room didn't budge showing 208 lbs (i.e. weight gain) until yesterday when it showed 206.4 (i.e. wight loss). This is the weight the scale at the gym has been showing me since Tuesday - admittely while I'm totally in the nude (not a pretty site!). At home, we've come to the conclusion that our Weight Watchers brand scale is worth diddlysquat because we gain and lose weight as we move the scale around - or even shift our position!


It's going to be interesting what the verdict is going to be tomorrow morning. I'm so close to losing my first 10 lbs - and my second golden star, which I didn't yet earn last week... But then we didn't stay for the meeting anyway, so that made me feel better about the .2 lb weight gain :-)


Those who know me know that I'm very easy to get excited about things. The same holds true for documentaries, articles, reports, what have you on weight loss. Today while getting the house ready for the first guests of the summer (!), I was watching CNN (nothing else going on on TV between 10am and 4pm...) and a segment on a guy who has lost more than 100 lbs. His story made me feel good about losing weight and got me refocused on the positive aspects of weight loss. If he could do it, then goddamnit losing 20 more pounds can't be impossible - just challenging :-)


Also check out this guy's blog in the side bar!


So wish me luck with tomorrow's weigh-in. I had two samosas for dinner, and I'm sure that with all the fat and sodium (but they were oh so yummy!!!) all my efforst for this week were pretty much ruined... or maybe not... Stay tuned!

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Eurovision 2008: The Day After, or the Jetsam and Flotsam

Tuomo writes: The party's over, time to wrap things up and start thinking about next year...

Thank goodness there's the Internet and message boards; I used to be so depressed the day after Eurovision with no one to discuss the results and speculate - until I got to college and found my ilk... And now I got to blog about this... It was worth growing up :-)

A couple of words on the results, starting with the Top 10:

1. Russia (272 points) Поздравляем! Apparently a dog-and-pony show with pyrotechnics isn’t enough these days: you need an ice skater too :- I still think Dima put on a better show in 2006: even the song was better than this one without a refrain...
2. Ukraine (230 points): No surprise…
3. Greece (218 points): No surprise…
4. Armenia 199 points: No surprise…
5. Norway (182 points): Norway the best Scandinavian country in 2008?! This song is starting to grow on me, but I still fear that at any moment the lyrics will turn into Christian rock…
6. Serbia (160 points): Sure, the host country always does well…
7. Turkey (138 points): Well of course :-)
8. Azerbaijan 132 points: So close behind Turkey. Go figure :-)
9. Israel 124: I still can’t believe this, but oh well…
10. Bosnia-Hertsegovina (110 points): As Dave put it (and he can be picky, so his word carries a lot of weight here!), the most original performance and a fun song, too. Besides, Finland gave this one 8 points (3rd best) in the semi-finals voting... Did the chicken get to run around on stage, too?

And then last but not least a few (hopefully well and wisely) chosen words on the others:

Latvia: 12th?! Oh and guess what: 12 points from Ireland. Quelle surprise! Thank goodness all the other mock entries were either eliminated (Ireland, Estonia) or placed lower than this (Spain). Let’s hope this nips the trend at its bud NOW. No more funny ha ha numbers, please. Ever.
Sweden: 18th?! This uber-produced, perfected and bleached beyond recognition number placed 12th in the semi-finals but made it to the finals only thanks to jury votes (instead of televotes) – and bumped Macedonia (10th) in the process. All along, Sweden was supposed to be such a shoo-in to the Top 5. Oh the irony of placing 18th. Oh and 18th last year too with 51 points vs. 47 points in 2008.
Romania: 20th?!? What’s wrong with you people?? :-(
Finland: 22nd!!! And not last… Dang! Let’s hope this puts an end to Finns believing that one can’t lose with heavy rock (“Hevillä ei voi hävitä!”) – BECAUSE YOU CAN! Try rock like Turkey… or bringing hunky javelin throwers à la Russia. And maybe have Ransu or Ti-Ti Nalle sing for Finland :-)

Now, honestly - what am I going to blog about next…? :-)

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Good Evening, Bonsoir (3/3)

Tuomo & Dave write/écrivent: Here are finally the results of the Langley jury for the final – what a task! Voici enfin les résultats de la vote de Langley pour la finale – quel travail!

United Kingdom: one point; la Rouyaume-Unie: un point
Finland: two points; la Finlande: deux points
Turkey: three points; la Turquie: trois points
Sweden: four points; la Suède: quatre points
Bosnia-Herzegovina: five points; la Bosnie-Herzégovine: cinq points
Greece: six points; la Grèce: six points
Iceland: seven points; l’Icelande: sept points
Armenia: eight points; l’Armenie: huit points
Ukraine: ten points; l’Ukraine: dix points

And finally… our twelve points from Langley B.C. go to (drum roll)
.
.
.
Romania! Et finalement nos douze points de Langley B.C. pour La Roumanie!

Thank you very much, have a nice evening everybody, and see you next year! Merci beaucoup, bonne soirée à tous, et à l’année prochaine! :-)

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Eurovision 2008: Results of the 2nd Semi-Final

Tuomo writes: First of all, congratulations to all the songs from the second semi-finals that made it to the finals. Once again, here's a quick commentary on today's/tonight's results (in order of performance); note that I/we haven't seen any of the performances live either:

Iceland: Yayy!
Sweden: Duh! :-(
Turkey: Whew :-)
Ukraine: Duh!
Albania: Ok...
Latvia: Tonight's WTF HTH :-(
Croatia: OK...
Denmark: This one fell in the category of Bubbling Under, so glad to see that it made it to the finals. Now, will we witness some serious nordisk samarbete on Saturday night when, after so many years of one or more Scandinavian countries missing, all are together again on the same stage...? :-)
Georgia: Ok...
Portugal: Really?! HTH? Though good for Portugal. The competition does need more diversity: just say no to glambots :-)

Totally saddened by Switzerland's failure to pass; apparently he had forgotten how to sing :-(
And no Hungary either... Dave's intuition was correct... Too Disneyesque I guess...
No Bulgaria. Macedonia. Or Belorussia. Oh well...

De gustibus non disputandus est :-)

Interesting Links on Eurovision Voting

Tuomo writes: I love ESC to death - I could spend hours listening to the songs and reading on trivia, but still there are people who have elevated ESC into a science (or seen something scientific in it to study). Good for them! :-)

I just came across two websites that I have to read more carefully myself, but I thought I'd share them immediately with any of my/our readers (what... 5? 6?). Derek Gatherer (how appropriate!) has done a study on ESC voting patterns. His study has corroborated our worst fears and come to the conclusion that there is a voting block, commonly referred to as the Balkan Block, but wait - there are in fact several others!

To read and - gasp - learn more, click on the two links below:

1. Comparison of Eurovision Song Contest Simulation with Actual Results Reveals Shifting Patterns in Collusive Voting Alliances
2. Eurovision Song Contest Predictions for 2008

And don't tell me you all have already read this and that it's old stuff for you! Then why wasn't this triv... I mean... information shared with me?! :-)

Good Evening, Bonsoir (2/3)

Tuomo & Dave write/écrivent: Here are the results of the Langley jury for the second semi-final; we have to say it was a difficult task to come up with tonight’s points. Voici les résultats de la vote de Langley pour la deuxième demi-finale; il faut avouer qu’il nous a fallu beaucoup de peine à ranger les points de ce soir:

Turkey: one point; la Turquie: un point
Albania: two points; l’Albanie: deux points
Belorussia: three points; Biélorussie: trois points
Macedonia: four points; la Macédoine: quatre points
Bulgaria: five points; la Bulgarie: cinq points
Sweden: six points; la Suède: six points
Iceland: seven points; l’Icelande: sept points
Hungary: eight points; la Hongrie: huit points
Ukraine: ten points; l’Ukraine: dix points

And finally… the twelve points from Langley go to (pregnant pause)
.
.
.
Switzerland! La Suisse: douze points!

Thank you again, have a nice evening everybody! Merci de nouveau, bonne soirée à tous! :-)

Eurovision 2008: Serbia

Tuomo writes: Last but not least is Serbia, the winner of 2007 Eurovision! Serbia will be represented by Jelena Tomasević, featuring Bora Dugić, and the name of the entry is Oro:

Here or

In 2007 fembots, in 2008… this?! Hasn’t Serbia submitted this ballad before? Wasn’t this again about longing after the one and only love of one’s life (2004, 2005, and 2006)? Are the Serbians not capable of submitting a fun, uplifting Eurovision entry? Not that this has prevented them from being successfully in the Top 10 from the get go (placing 2nd, 7th, and 4th correspondingly) :-)

While Finland plods on thinking that havey metal and Teräsbetoni is the way to go… a trend that we disapprove of and ope will in 2008 :-)

Eurovision 2008: United Kingdom

Tuomo writes: After decades of being one of the few countries (with Ireland and Malta) to be allowed to sing entire songs in English, the language of international pop culture, the star of the United Kingdom has waned a lot since the mid 90s. The nadir must have been in 2003 when the UK joined the zero points club hosted by Finland and Norway! Oh well the only way is up, even for the United Kingdom who, as one of the Big Four, doesn’t have to lift a finger (i.e. qualify through semi-finals) to be in the finals. And by the way to be fair: the same applies to the other three Big Four

In 2008, the United Kingdom introduces Andy Abraham and Even If:

Here or

Positively the most ambitious, most professional ESC performance by the UK in years! Good job: I loved this!! But will it win? The UK will be performing second on Saturday, that cursed position that - to date - has failed to generate a winning song...

Eurovision 2008: France

Tuomo écrit: When I started learning French, there were no such things as an Internet, youtubes, message boards, let alone support groups. All there was li’l ole geeky moi who desperately wanted to learn French. Every year I would therefore look forward to the Eurovision song contest for musical language material in French (remember – no MP3 files to go around in any language…). At best, there would be France, Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxembourg with entries in French; at worst, there was just la douce France. With the help of subtitles in Finnish, I tried to decipher the original French and sing along as well as I could. To this day, I think the best way to learn to pronounce any language – a language like French in particular – is to sing, so I guess I was intuitively on to something… Or could it be that this argument somehow circular :-) Beuf, qu'est-ce qu'on peut y faire...? :-)…

In 2008, France sends in Sébastien Tellier and Divine:

Here or

Mon dieu: Jesus sings Pet Shop Boys :-) A pleasantly bizarre performance à la Cirque du Soleil kinda way that only the Francophones can successfully pull it off. Which is also one of the reasons why I remain a Francophile after all these years :-)

M'enfin... Sauf que je ne suis pas convaincu que cette chanson soit même en français… Je l’aime malgré tout mais je n’en comprends pas les paroles. Anglais? Français? Ou même Occitan? Ou c’est peut-être seulement moi qui après toutes ces années en Amerique du nord sans contact (et hélas effort) quotidien n’arrive plus à comprendre… À l’aide!!! :-)

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Eurovision 2008: Results of the 1st Semi-Finals

Tuomo writes: First of all, congratulations to all the songs that made it to the finals. Here's a quick commentary on today's/tonight's results (in order of performance); note that I/we haven't seen any of the performances live yet:

Israel: I'm surprised... We had this on our Bubbling Under list.
Azerbaijan: Well duh :-)
Norway: I still think this is like two day old oatmeal. As Dave put it, nice melody, awful lyrics.
Poland: This instead of Slovenia?! :-( I'm appalled...
Bosnia-Herzegovina: I'm surprised that Dave loved this... It's groing on me too though :-)
Armenia: Well duh :-)
Finland: What the BWAAHMP?!? :-) HTH, or How this happen? So the testosterone driven 14-year-olds across the continent got their act together and televoted en masse as I has suspected... Well, good for Finland! Though clearly this is sending the wrong message to Finns and Finnish teenagers in particular :-)
Romania: Thank goodness!!!
Russia: This song is in a dire need a distinct refrain. As it is now it just sounds flat from the beginning to the end
Greece: Well duh :-)

So Slovenia didn't make it. I'm forced to push forth my lower lip as I sulk on this. Not happy :-(
And Belgium didn't make it either. We both thought it was cute with its klezmer sound...

Oh and thank heavens that neither Estonia nor Ireland succeeded in their attempts to sabotage the competition! Mwahahahaaa :-)

OK on to the second semi-finals, which I suspect will turn into a proverbial bloodbath with more than just 10 good candidates running for the remaining 10 slots in Saturday's finals...

Good Evening, Bonsoir (1/3)

Tuomo & Dave write/écrivent: Here are the results of the Langley jury; voici les résultats de la vote de Langley:

The Netherlands: one point; les Pays-bas: un point
Azerbaijan: two points; l’Azerbaïdjan: deux points
San Marino: three points; Saint-Marin: trois points
Bosnia-Herzegovina: four points; la Bosnie-Herzégovine: quatre points
Belgium: five points; la Belgique: cinq points
Greece: six points; la Grèce: six points
Andorra: seven points; l’Andorre: sept points
Armenia: eight points; l’Arménie: huit points
Slovenia: ten points; la Slovénie: dix points

And finally… the twelve points from Langley go to (pregnant pause)
.
.
.
.
.
Romania! La Roumanie: douze points!

Thank you, have a nice evening! Merci, bonne soirée! :-)

Monday, May 19, 2008

Eurovision 2008: Portugal

Tuomo writes: We've come to the last semi-finalist, Portugal!

For the longest time, ESC victory for the geographical outliers of Europe, Norway, Greece, Finland, Iceland, and Portugal, remained elusive until Norway broke the mold in 1985… then Greece in 2001… then Finland in 2006. This leaves Iceland and Portugal as the last western European countries that still have to dream of an ESC victory. Iceland came in pretty close to that dream in 1999 placing 2nd when That Bitch Whose Name Is Not to Be Said Aloud took home the award. Portugal, however, has placed only 6th as its closest to winning (1996) so Portugal needs to work hard to win. Or make it to the Top 5 – which, incidentally, Finland hadn’t made it to until winning in 2006! :-)

In 2008, Portugal is represented by Vânia Fernandes and Senhora do mar:

Here or

Again for fear of the wrath, this time of a certain Lusitanophile, I’ll just say that Vânia’s performance will probably “grow on me" … and that Portugal needs to continue to work hard… or geto ver the fact that Fado, as heart-twistingly fascinating as it is, does not quite work on teh ESC arena:-)

Eurovision 2008: Macedonia

Tuomo writes: I don’t care what Greece wants this country to be called, but here’s Macedonia, Tamara, Vrčak & Adrian, and Let Me Love U/Vo imeto ljubovta:

Here or


(In Macedonian here)

Once again, better in the original Macedonian: leaves something for the imagination. Not that I wondered too much about this one – at this stage at least. Maybe later in the gym :-)

Eurovision 2008: Cyprus

Tuomo writes: People complain about how the Balkan Block has taken over the Eurovision Song Competition tipping the balance of top ten countries in favor of the newbies, i.e. east European countries and the Balkans in particular. Well, lemme tell ya, everything pales to the game of “Douze Point Footsie” between the old school countries of Greece and Cyprus. Talk about neighborly fraternization when year after year these two countries would spare their highest points for each other – though admittedly this has become less blatant in course of the more recent years…

In 2008 Cyprus brings forth Evdokia Kadi and Femme Fatale:

Here or

Oπα! Bring on the bouzouki! And electric guitars, oh my…

In 2007, the entire song was in French (too bad it didn’t make it to the finals), this year just the title. Just wondering if this is going to be in Greek or English? No matter what, Cyprus – provided that they make it to the final along with Greece (duh!) – will get the token 12 points from Greece…

From me, 12 points for bringing hot men on stage… For the rest of performance, I better hold my tongue for fear of the wrath of certain Hellenophiles… and say no more than that this was quite original :-)