In limbo

The latest news on my planning for my trip to Finland:

I spoke with the consulate in NYC and they informed me that it is going to take longer than anticipated to get my residence permit to me. I had previously been told that two weeks was a fair estimate, but tuesday I was told it would be 3-4 more weeks. One week down at this point, but that still puts me over the deadline of my beginning of orientation at HY (helsingin yliopisto = helsinki university) on 9 Jan. Still not sure what I am gonna do there, since I really need to book a flight, but don't wanna take a chance of not having stuff in time....

The other worry I have at this point is figuring out who I am going to stay with that first night if I arrive in Finland after 4 pm (the time the rental office from which I need to pick up my keys closes). I need to just ask someone, but I'm not sure who to ask and I feel bad asking, esp since I still don't have a date of arrival. That part will work out eventually, once everything else works itself out. Still, I don't like having it hang over my head.

That's about it for the trip planning update. Still not sure about my internet access once I arrive, and Finland is on holiday this week, so communications with any offices there won't be answered til after the 1st. Guess we'll see how virtuously patient I am;) Hope the holiday season has treated everyone well!

Name registry

I found this cool. The Finnish Population Register Centre can tell you the number of registered (Finnish) people with your last name since the 19th century. Accordingly, for my last name:

	Total no.	Men	Women	In Finland	Abroad
As present name	89	43	46	78	11
As former name	33	5	28	31	2
As dead persons' name	48	19	29	39	9
Total	170	67	103	148	22

Only 170 people have had it since identity numbers started being assigned. Should I feel any more unique?

So, a little update on the Finland situation, for all those who may be curious. (Really it's just a to-do and done list for me, but I can share).

-Housing is secured. I got a nice place in West-Pasila very near a train station. I will have 2 roomate in a large flat, with a balcony on "central park." hotness.

-I've sounded the alarm and everyone from Helsinki to Sodankyla knows I'm coming. They've been warned. (Actually I still have a number of people to contact, but I'm hoping that people will talk to people will talk to people to save me some time, plus I don't have all the email addresses I need.)

-My residence permit should be able to be processed now that I have housing. I just have to wait for final confirmation on my despoit to send stuff to the consulate and then I should be set.

-Still haven't bought an airline ticket, but I'd like to know when I'll have the residence permit so I can arrive as early as possible... But how long should I wait? That is the question... I'd like to take a trek up to Iisalmi before the orientation starts, but I don't wanna buy a ticket and then not have my passport back in time. What to do, what to do...

-I have at least found a bed, in terms of furnishings. Hopefully more will be forthcoming. Gotta talk to my peeps in Helsinki. I don't really need all that much, just a bed and a desk.

-I need to figure out about the wiring of the building I am living in and how possible it will be to get internet access while in Finland. I'd like to publish pictures and stories here, but I have to make sure I have access to the net from my laptop before I promise to do so. Updates won't be frequent, but I'll hopefully keep you up to date with my travels at the very least. Don't wanna detract from the experience by sitting in front of the computer the whole time though.

I think that's it for now...

guess who got accepted to study in finland?

yep, looks like i'll be heading out soon to return to the fatherland. i got my letter monday, and now have to throw my visa stuff together pretty quickly. barring that, i'll start my studies at the university of helsinki in the beginning of january. if you wanna help me settle into helsinki lemme know:-D

KJ and JK: A Love Story

This is the story of two people, brought together by chance, who found that fate had cast them as compliments, each the inverse to the other. Not only were they born exactly 6 months apart, sharing birthdays and half birthdays, but they were also gender opposites, opposites in orientation, and inversely named. This is the story of KJ and JK, a love story in one part.

KJ and JK met under shakey circumstances. JK was drunk off his ass, and KJ soon found herself too close for comfort... yet.

Not one to kiss and run, JK perservered and spent more and more time with KJ. Still a bit scared, KJ and JK first went on a double date with another supa-fly couple.

JK and KJ were perfect! KJ found that she could really say what was on her mind, and discuss deep subjects with JK...

...Even if JK sometimes was driven up walls from the abstract nature of their discussions.

Still, it wasn't long until the two were inseparable.

They went to the same parties...

...played silly games together...

...and picniced together. It was ridiculously adorable.

Yes, whenever the wind picked up and life was all a-flutter, KJ was there to keep JK firmly grounded.

And when KJ was stressing out and a little tense, JK was there with his magic hands (not to be confused with his spirit fingers).

Soon, the two started travelling together.

In Vermont, they saw a house made of sticks.

OMG- did you see that?

haha- JK has chocolate all over his face!

So close were the two, JK wore interchangable bands which could represent their inverseness everywhere he went (with blue hair). KJ POWER!

In the end, because they couldn't decide whether they would combine as KJK or JKJ, the two decided to take a break. Still, they never forgot the good old days, and thought they may be apart next semester, they will always remember each other. If rough times come, they'll know that they are not alone, and they will walk down that road together.

World AIDS Day

Leaving on a jet plane

This morning I was dazed. It was one of those mornings that wasn’t really morning because there was no night to speak of. I stayed up through the night finishing a paper I still have yet to put the finishing touches on. My plane was delayed once, twice, then until 4.30 in the morning so my Thanksgiving break was extended by 12 hours or so. The internet went down around 1, so I couldn’t really add much definite after that. Just details. I finished that around 2, but was so wired on coffee that going for the hour of sleep would be useless. I tried anyway. No go.

By the time it was time to leave for the airport I was cold. I hate that. It’s the worst part of being tired for me. I can’t hold body heat and I shiver like a toy dog does when it’s excited. I made the trek to the airport for the second time. It’s a much different place at 4 in the morning. This morning, however, there was an abnormal flurry of activity. More Ohioans headed off to war.

In theory I know that the guys fighting overseas are my age; have similar backgrounds; want many of the same things of their lives that I do of mine. But there’s always something more real about witnessing something firsthand. Goodbyes are painful. I know all too well, as I’ve said too many. For many of these guys, this was the first goodbye. None of the farewells I’ve ever said had such tension in the air. This goodbye could really be a goodbye for them, not the “until we meet again” usually associated with parting. They might not come back.

One kid followed me through the security line.

“Is this the place where I empty out my pockets?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“And my shoes?”

“Yep, they want it all.”

He then went and found a seat off on his own, waiting for the plane to Charlotte to carry him away. His first plane trip, and there’s the possibility of it being a one-way trip.

While he was sitting there, it was noticeable that he didn’t quite fit in with the other guys. He wasn’t necessarily more shy, just not yet one of the gang either. Social dynamics here, something I can relate to. Guys that could just as easily be me or my friends, packing off to war. Yet there I sat, in my privileged seat, returning to the comforts and safety of New England university life. Yet another way in which I am fortunate, that I need to appreciate more.

All too much for 4 in the morning.

Uutiset 19 Nov

It's a light day, methinks:

-Finally a definition of normal I can live with. It's not new per se, but it's new to me anyway. According to Ellen Goodman:

"Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for - in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it."

And in the Finland shakedown:

-Flushed cell phones clogging sewers. I wonder how much Nokia makes off of replacement phones for those that met this watery end...

-The Baltic Times on the recent outrage in Finland over an Estonian shipping company's sewage disposal in the Gulf of Finland.

-Now your medical life will be ruled by SMS too!!

-Russian spies in Finland at Cold War levels again. So the counterintelligence officers in Finland may actually have a lot of work to do. I was wondering the other day why any country would put spies in Finland to steal government (as opposed to corporate) secretes. Seems as though Russia has its reasons.


-Baa raaa muu. The sheep are on the loose

The new Harry Potter movie was pretty amazing. Consider this my endorsement. Missed the last 30 seconds or so though because the fire alarm went off in the theater. That was rather annoying, especially since the exits took us through 4 stories of asbestos filled halls.

Europa down?

I've been trying to access the EU's Europa site for the last few day but have been unable. Does anyone know if it is down or what the deal is? If you're able to get it please leave something in the comments. I have a paper to write and need the site...

Europa

Update: It works fine now. Not sure what all that was about.

Keeping up with the Beckhams

Photo: BBC

I'm not gonna lie, I love the Beckhams. I mean, who wouldn't want their lives? Ali G did an interview with them that's now on funny-videos.co.uk. It's absolutely hillarious! Watch here:

http://www.funny-videos.co.uk/videoAliGPoshBecks.html

Uutiset 15 Nov 2005

-The EU will not investigate claims of secret US jails in EU member states.

-Ali G may get sued by the Kazahks for misrepresenting the people with Borat

-Halonen's approval rating (drops) to 71%. Does this mean that she's twice the president Bush is? I'm just asking...

Source: Roosewelt Pinheiro/ABr. 31.Oct.2003.
-...and more Finland: Police may reprimand citizens using SMS. Turn signal out? Best watch out for that text message from the cop you just passed.


-...the last bit on Finland: Conditions for immigrants not all that different between Paris and Helsinki. The Helsingin sanomat explores

-Esquire Magazine names Bill Clinton the world's most influential man.

Violence hits other European cities

GatewayPundit has recapped everything pretty well. This is getting progressively more scary. And for real scary. Not like House of Wax with Paris, Chad, et al. that is scaring the hell out of me right now. It's a completely different scary.

La haine- a film prophetique?

Slate recently published a story about Matthew Kassovitz's 1995 film La haine in which it points out the prophetic nature of the movie. I saw the film last year as part of a French course and presented on race relations as shown by this movie. Though Slate's review may be hard to follow if you haven't seen the movie, it's pretty decent at the outset. I don't think the author gives enough appreciateion to the director or plot towards the end of his review, though. The Cut Killer remix of Edith Piaf from the soundtrack was stuck in my head for days after seeing the movie.

Uutiset

-Finns still opposed to joining NATO. 26% for, 55% against according to the most recent (Suomen) Gallup polls. These figures actually reflect a slight increase in support. At its highest, support was only at 29%. Security and soverignty issues topped reasons for opposition, which is surprising coming from an EU country. Or is it?...

-Helsinki to become a SUPERcapitol? With the annexation of Espoo and Vantaa gaining support, it may happen...

-Conan in Finland? He talks about it enough....

-English about those bloggers arrested in Paris.

-Dictionary.com word of the day for Nov. 8 - nosegay- a bouquet. Riiiiight.

-Essentialist Explanations offers a lot of quotes about the Finnish language (and others). I especially like:

Finnish is essentially Japanese spoken with an Italian accent.

--John Davies

(I always thought Finnish sounded almost Japanese like at times, especially with the spoken "saisinko" and a few other words .) Also:

Ffiinnnniisshh iiss eesssseennttiiaallllyy aa llaanngguuaaggee ffoorr ppeeooppllee wwiitthh ddoouubbllee vviissiioonn.

--Clint Jackson Baker

Good stuff.

-Brown Bears clinch Ivy League Championship. Sweet! We also won both hockey games I went to this weekend.

-NYT publishes stories from Muslims on the riots in France

Love?!?!

Japan's princess is giving up her 12 layered ceremonial kimono (see below) and the life that goes with it (including the ability to live in the royal palace with her parents) in order to marry a commoner. That's gotta be like normal love x12- once for each kimono.


Photo: AP