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my dog friends
I didn't want to leave my whiny I-feel-like-crap-woe-is-me -post here for the whole weekend (if I again don't have time for blogging). I'm all better, and even the ten-hour shift I have on Friday doesn't bother me yet. Maybe wearing stripy tights yesterday helped. I'm wearing them again today. Listening to Roisìn Murphy helped too.
When I read Pippi Långstrump (or Longstocking) books as a child, the most impressive thing ever was her chest of drawers: it had plenty of small drawers of different sizes, and when Tommy and Annika first visited Pippi, they were allowed to open one drawer each and keep what treasure they found inside. I think Tommy found a small dagger (or knife; but in Finnish it was translated as dagger), can't remember what Annika found, a mirror perhaps? (You who've read Pippi recently or have better memory, correct me if something here is wrong.)
Later I had this Pippi board game where you had to search for treasures (such as tin cans, horse shoes etc.) in Pippi's garden; I liked that game a lot.
That chest of drawers made a lasting impression, because as a teenager I still wanted one with lots of small drawers, and preferably not all the same size. Now I'd probably find that a bit fussy, but it would be neat to have one of those old, beautiful library card catalogue drawer-thingies. Like this. Only I don't know what I would store in those drawers. What would you?
So last week I was busy and energetic; this week I'm nowhere as busy but feeling like crap. Or, more like I'm too tired to lift my feet. Blah. This might have something to do with all this three days here, three days there -thing I've got going for the past weeks, and hormones as well - either way, on Monday I was wishing it was weekend already (only I'll be working, so I didn't really wish that). I'm lucky we don't have any assignments due this week, or I had hard time finishing them! (There goes the optimism... As I mentioned in last Tuesday's comments, I'm no optimist, and sometimes can't even fake it. :))
Some Estonian dark chocolate with dried cherry pieces (by Kalev), not too sweet but just right, and slouching under the duvet reading makes it a bit better, though. (I've finished Sense and Sensibility, finally, and moved on to Wuthering Heights.)
And dreaming of this tunic, by Mika Piirainen for Marimekko (the bag is there just to show the print, as I couldn't find a bigger photo of the tunic - but I saw it in a magazine, and it looked really nice with jeans). The price of it doesn't go with my student budget though, so I may have to content myself with an umbrella with the same print.
For some reason I also like these two dresses below (by Mika Piirainen; pattern by Maija Isola), although they do scream Marimekko so loudly I might not wear them after all.
all photos: marimekko.com
Hello there! I've been busy busy busy and will be even more busy this week. I've had little time for blogging (or even reading blogs), though there are quite a lot of things I've been meaning to write about... To make it easier, here's a little list:
things that have made me happy recently
-Seeing Saatana saapuu Moskovaan (based on the novel The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov) in theater on Friday night - it was great! And I also got to wear a vintage dress I bought back in January for the first time; it was nice to dress up for a change (not that you have to dress up for theater - but I like to).
-This little guy, who had his birthday on Saturday. Now he's 2, has started to talk in Helsinki dialect (which sounds so funny - neither of his parents do), loves cars and has very strong opinions about things. I asked him who lives in the trailer in the photo, and he said 'Auntie. Auntie is there. Auntie is quite small.' (suomeksi olen tätikummi). Way to melt his auntie's heart, again.
-And the immaculate way he puts his cars in whatever order he has in his head
-My Christmas cactus in full bloom
-Air's Playground Love on the radio today; it always reminds me of the atmosphere in Sofia Coppola's film Virgin Suicides (which made a huge impression on me when I first saw it years ago).
-My new security blanket - the hoodie I'm wearing in the top photo. I bought it a few weeks back and have been wearing it almost constantly. It's got swallows printed all over it, so it goes with my favourite pendant, and birds on garments is always a good thing. And it's really comfy! At home I wear it with the hood on, it's a bit chilly at my place right now. I think the insanely busy days are a lot more manageable when you're wearing something comfortable (also, I can't be bothered to think of my outfits that much if I'm busy/tired). The funny thing is the colour - I'm not a big fan of blue, and was going to buy a brown one, but somehow this came home with me...
-Last but definitely not least, the sun! All this busyness is much easier to handle when the sun is shining. Even if you don't have time to enjoy it outdoors. After five sunny days I feel ...rejuvenated is the right word, I guess.
Have a good week. I think I'm having one.
I worked in Helsinki all Friday and Saturday, so the weekend went by in a blur. Nevertheless, I managed to squeeze in seeing - finally! - Control with miss H on Saturday night (the movie was great, and visually very beautiful; I think it shows that Anton Corbijn, the director, is a photographer as well), check out some thrift shops with J on Sunday and have blinis (or blintzes?) for dinner at sister's, and to top that I met sweet P for tea and coffee at my old university today before taking a train back to Tampere (oh, and I squeezed in a taxi ride to the 24-hour pharmacy in the middle of the night as well - I should always keep painkillers with me, even though I very rarely need them).
My sister makes delicious blinis! Sister's Irish friend (and nephew's godmother) M is visiting, so they wanted the dinner to be something Finnish. Blinis of course are more Russian, but we're from Eastern Finland, so... And considering potatoes are so big a part of traditional Finnish cuisine, it's hard to think what to make for someone who doesn't like potatoes (I find it funny that someone from Ireland doesn't want to eat potatoes, though!). M was very brave and tried everything, even gherkins with honey.
listening to Pet Shop Boys at J's (someone's in love with a Dutch man)
after the movie a couple of drinks in a nearby bar - great wallpaper!
Sunday dinner
Yesterday was a day of sweet treats: it was both Shrove Tuesday and the birthday of Johan Ludvig Runeberg, the national poet of Finland (even though he wrote in Swedish!). We have special pastries for both days.
On Shrove Tuesday, we don't pancakes; we eat semlas instead. If you read the blogs of certain Swedes, you've probably already seen them. Filled with whipped cream and almond paste or strawberry/raspberry jam (I like almond paste better). They are delicious but really messy to eat!
I had a couple of hours off this afternoon and went to eat a semla in a delightful café in central Tampere. I think it might be my favourite café at the moment: it is furnished with beautiful old furniture (really old, not just old-looking) and they serve their coffee and delicious cakes from fine old china. It's the kind of place where you should be wearing a dress and old-fashioned lace-up boots and have a gentleman to accompany you.
The pastry related to our national poet is Runeberg's tart, which was supposedly created by his wife Fredrika. In the café they had these tarts too, but I restrained myself. :)
