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I just noticed the other day that Christmas is just around the corner. Ooops. This is really strange for me, since I'm someone who usually begins Christmas plans in October. This autumn a lot has happened, though, with me moving and studying full time (indeed full time), so maybe that's why I hadn't given Christmas another thought until now.
I decided I'm going to be all relaxed about it though. I tend to spend lots of time finding the perfect Christmas presents for everybody (not that I always end up giving The Perfect Gifts, mind you), agonizing over which kind of Christmas cards I'll make, and even thinking about a theme / a colour scheme for wrapping paper. I don't know if the last sounds like fun to you or just like I'm strange, but it's fun to me. But this year I'm letting it all go. I'll even *gasp!* buy the few cards I'm going to send - I did have a few ideas for cards, but all things considered (like the fact I don't know whether I'd find the right supplies and I have an exam or two for every week before Christmas) I think store-bought is the way to go. Helps me stay calm and relaxed. I hope.
Don't get me wrong, I like agonizing over the perfect wrapping paper & ribbon combination, I don't stress about Christmas in a bad way (though last year I did have some anxiety attack symptoms just before Christmas - I don't think that had anything to do with ribbon, though). Although I'm afraid I'll have a nervous breakdown if I ever have a family and a home to decorate for Christmas. Or maybe I just won't have any time to stress about things like that if I have kids.
...That doesn't keep me from browsing The Nice Package! Flickr pool though. There's a lot of inspiration for gift wrapping (I think everything from red felt flower is absolutely beautiful), you can see some of my favourites up there.
After sitting non-stop at my laptop, taking breaks only to go sitting in class, I start to feel that my Jules chair isn't that comfortable, after all (but it was best of the cheap chairs, and ok really if you don't sit all day). One project down, and I-don't-want-to-think-how-many to go. As usual, I didn't start early, but I'm unusually relaxed about it all - maybe I'm finally embracing the fact I'll never do anything until I have to, and probably do better work under pressure. Or at least I do it faster. Maybe I could attend some 'Embrace your inner sloth' -course?
I hope I'll have a chance to go to Helsinki this weekend. I've got a gift certificate for a yarnshop in Helsinki, and I have to use it before December. Also got some other things to take care of there. And I miss this guy.
On the other hand, I know I'll probably get more things done for my classes if I stay here - we'll see.
Photos that have made me happy lately:
this by Jay Waldron (found him via Abby; I like so many of his photos... the light & atmosphere in this one)
and this by Sannah Kvist
Hope they make you smile too!
This is what I've been doing, so nothing special going on here.
I've also been getting Christmas food cravings - I already bought Annas Pepparkakor (they are the best store bough I've found) few weeks ago, and the other day I was craving for glög (kind of mulled wine) and the dish very close to rice pudding we eat in Finland usually on the Christmas Eve (or at least, my family does). It's less sweet though, no vanilla, and we eat it as the main dish, hot & sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. And we call it porridge. Must sound crazy to everyone who's used to rice puddings... Traditionally one almond is put in the porridge, and the one who gets it will marry in the next year / get lucky some other way.
Maybe it was the snow that got me thinking of glög and all. It's all gone now, though - well, I don't have to decide whether to get winter tyres for my bike or just stop cycling. But just today I was thinking of my nephew, who's going to be two in three months (already! can't believe that) and then I realized how near Christmas is. Better do something about it. No self-made presents this year at all, but maybe Etsy will come to help!
Now I'll stop babbling - here are some links for you to look at while I sip glög and try to get back to work:
I found Kris Atomic's blog just today. I like it even better because the first thing I saw was lyrics from a song I like. :)
And she reminded me (one of her posts did, that is) about Robert Ryan. I've been in love with his beautiful and amazing work for a while, but didn't knew he had a blog too. And here's his shop.
Have a good week, y'all! (As I'd say if I spoke with Southern American accent. That's what I've been studying about. [by the way, just last week I was told I write American English and speak with a British accent. Hmm.])
So now it`s officially autumn. I do like autumn, especially September, when the trees still have leaves and they start to turn yellow and red and orange. There`s so much of autumn to like, like evenings getting gradually darker, candles, woollen socks, the quiet comfiness of sitting home at night and reading or maybe listening to a good cd. And then there are those crisp, cool, sunny days which feel like a gift since you expected it to be rainy and you feel blessed to have those days of sun before winter.
At the moment I`m a bit perplexed by the fact that summer is over - the weather here has changed and it`s been clear for the past week that this is it, autumn`s really here. Maybe it`s because summers fly by so fast when you`re working (one of the few things I hate about adulthood: time goes so much faster than when you were a kid, or a teenager even). Or maybe it`s just me having a hard time adjusting to the changes in my life. I don`t think I`ve really realized I`m moving, even now the d-day`s only a few days away (on Friday this week, to be excact). I`m not having second thoughts, really, since I`ve known for a long time that I need change, and I do feel excited about studying something new. But the excitement is somewhat dimmed by the thought of leaving Helsinki, my home and friends. I`ve noticed how much I really like Helsinki, and though I`ll visit often I can`t help but miss living here already. Another thing is that I realized all the plans with friends will be put on hold until my next visit and, wonder of wonders, their lives go on here even though I`m not a daily or weekly part of it all.
(I do know all this is silly since it`ll take me only two hours on train to visit Helsinki, and despite I`ll be living in a strange town where I know only a couple of people everything will surely be fine. I don`t need to be assured of that. I just need a couple more days to wallow in my moving-away -anxiety, then I´ll be fine and dandy and ready to face new challenges. Really.)
I`ll be heading to Tampere tomorrow to take part in some beginning of the academic year -stuff, then back to Helsinki by Wednesday and packing and moving and organizing a going away party (would somebody do that for me? please?) so probably won`t have much time for blogging, or many coherent thoughts to write down. Will try to post the feet week photos every day though - that`s partly why I joined, to keep something happening here even though I`ll be busy. Have a good week, all!
The photo is from the year 1963, probably taken by my grandfather. My mum, then 15, and my two cousins, aged 6 and 4, at the summer place my grandparents used to have.
