List of Things Which Have Happened
Archive
24 December 2007
Here's an actual list! And it's about as trivial as you could get. It's this year's score for Christmas card creatures. This means, ignoring cards featuring general subjects, messages, Biblical scenes etc., and ignoring plants like trees and holly, but including Santa and snowmen, all the various kinds of animal. So, 2007's winners are...
- Robins - 5 cards
- Santa - 5 cards
- Penguins - 4
- Snowmen - 3
- Dogs - 3
- Reindeer - 2
- White doves - 2
- Polar bears - 1
- Nuns - 1
- Owls - 1
- Duck - 1
- Tonttu - 1
There you have it. It proves nothing at all, I have no idea whether it reflects any trends or not. I wonder if I should have included the nuns in with the score for penguins. And the tonttu? That was a clever one, very well spotted. What is it, you ask? Ah, I think I'll keep that to myself! There's reason to be superstitious...
21 December 2007
So then, last Saturday there was another trip down to Manchester for the Finnish Christmas Party. I spent the previous evening doing a manic amount of baking. I did the same Finnish cookies I took last year, which all disappeared. They didn't entirely this year, but that could be because by accident I made double quantities. Also, I took a short cut and made what were essentially rock cakes. But that wasn't the piece of resistance. I made cheesecake for the first time. Yes, it tends to be a mistake offering your prototype to the public, but I ate a thin sliver and reckoned I could risk it. I never had any more, because it was eaten up, and to be honest was a little sickly sweet for me. But I'll do more and get my method right.
What about Joulumaa? Ah! We had a quick practice in class and went out all bullish. And it went down reasonably well. Myself, well, although my effort was okay and I enjoyed it, I did mess up in a ridiculous way. Being a little taller, I went to stand behind Laura the teacher. Unfortunately space was limited, and I found myself having to hold my song sheet close to my face. When I wasn't wearing my reading glasses. So in the last verse, which I never learnt perfectly, my voice would have gone walkabout for that awkward little line or two. Never mind! It was fun. I'm sure that last year only the little kiddies put on a performance, but this year, I think most of the classes did something. Hyvää joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta!
10 December 2007
On Saturday there was a little Finnish Independence Day Party down in Manchester. This was nice and friendly, and I found myself reaching for a certain sweet which is peculiar because I don't go so much for sweets now; but this was something made by Fazer a well known Finnish manufacturer, and you'd be surprised at how much vodka they can get into those little chocolates. Anyway, as is usual, we all stood and sang the national anthem. I'm not Finnish in any manner of speaking but you join in, don't you. Except that being new to this I couldn't find my place until near the end of each verse. This doesn't bode well for next Saturday, when our class has to sing a song for the School's Christmas Party. I love a challenge, don't you?(!) It was even more of a challenge when I thought we had to learn it by heart. Luckily, the tune is quite simple and within my range. It's called Joulumaa which I think means Christmas Land. You can hear a karaoke version of it on YouTube. If you want! I'm still trying to memorise it; I intend to sing it with as much gusto as I can. And I very much don't want to emulate the Hungarian phrasebook (if you know your Monty Python) and upset any of the small children who will be present. Or their parents. I went on a long walk down to the Post Office today and took the songsheet with me. I was quite vocal where I thought I couldn't be overheard(?!).
2 December 2007
It's been raining incessantly and while the sky wasn't actually black yesterday, it seemed fitting to settle down to watch the Blade Runner: The Final Cut dvd which had arrived. I got the one with umpteen versions included. I've no idea whether I'll watch the lot; I'm not one of the obsessives who needs to compare all the tiny differences. But I was keen to see one, a very short scene that struck a wrong note with me when I saw the original in the cinema. I mean, I was never too bothered about Deckard's narrative, or Zhora's death (I don't think I even noticed the out of place stuntperson) etc. The ending always seemed weird to me, where they fly over the landscape from The Shining, not so much for the visual incongruity, but because I couldn't see how that landscape could exist given what we'd been shown so far. Anyway, the most irritating small detail had always been the sky the white dove flies up into, and the building in that view which doesn't look like it's from that world at all. And I was glad to see the clip was now replaced and appropriate. If I was to be really fussy, I would say that the style is very subtly of today's state of the art; and once I'd noticed that, I realised that some of the added detail in the background in other scenes wasn't quite of a look with the original. Very slightly reminding me of Akira as much as anything. But that being Japanese suits it maybe. Uh... why am I dwelling on minor stuff? Let's celebrate the whole: the film looks incredible. And the look is the main reason why the film is one of the two most important SF films ever made, along with 2001. No, I won't get into the argument here, it's too big. But I've considered it many times, and remain convinced of it. And to follow up the point about the look, I appreciate that while the look of the film is one part of the impact the film made, it's obvious now that Vangelis' soundtrack was just as important. It's a magnificent achievement.
27 October 2007
I feel lousy today, I'm suffering from some kind of bug. Outside it's wet and grey but not too cold.
Finland? Oh yes, I made that trip. Two and a half days in Helsinki, with an old mate of mine. We had a good time. Bars, cafés, galleries, trams, cathedrals; Suomenlinna, the Academic Bookshop, Stupido, reindeer sausages and an ice hockey game. Can't wait to visit again. I loved the atmosphere of the place, sort of ordered and relaxed if that doesn't sound like a contradiction. More space and fewer people! Helsinki is a beautiful city, too. A great introduction to the country. I only wish I could tell you that I spoke lots of Finnish!
Nähdään!