And so the year has turned. 2007. It's ok when you look at just the year, but when you start thinking about it, I mean honestly.

Is it already 8 years since I went to Argentina? Wait, this is even worse: 20 years since we moved to England. Gosh, I remember it like yesterday. Asking mom where this town of England is and if it is far from the town where we were living at the time in Finland (concerned about keeping in touch with my best friend). Playing with my barbies and making them speak English before I had actually learnt how. I guess that's where the confusion started.

But now, 20 years later I actually know that England is a different country than Finland all together. And I may have visited a couple of other mysterious places there in between too. But now its time to go back. 2007 will go down in my personal history as the year when the outside world was left behind for a while and I went back home. HYVÄÄ UUTTAVUOTTA, nähdään pian!!

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me..

..Foooour calling biiiiirds. Three french hens, two turtle doves and a paaaartriiiidge in a pear treeeeee.

For me Christmas has been over for many days now, but not for Norway. The countdown towards C-eve has turned into a countup away from C-eve. Now we are enjoying the 4th C-day with traditional lutefisk and relaxing, nicely fitting into the line of continuous feasting and merrymaking that we've been subcome to=) I still haven't seen any turtle doves or partridges or the like anywhere though. I read on the news that at least in Finland they are still trying to sort out Christmas mail at the post office. Could also be the case in Norway. Poor birds.

So the countup has started, we're all excited about The Day that this is leading to, New Year's eve. After that there is only 358 days till Christmas. Until then, I would like to wish everyone a beautiful countup and D-day. Peace out. Keep your fingers crossed for snow. Damn climate change.

Lost and Found and Lost Again Only to be Found Again

I know that absent mindedness runs in our family. I used to think that my brother was worse than me, but I'm not so sure anymore. I have lost and misplace so many things this year that I might just as well declare myself the Queen of the Absent Minded. I found my misplaced glasses after 3 weeks and after buying a new pair from Norway (which I swore I wouldn't do because that would just be plain dumb..). So apparently because my glasses were on the verge of being found, my new jacket and favourite Norway-gloves disappeared from a party on Friday. Tell me, what do I have to lose so that I can get them back? I hope its not my computer. Or my keys now that I'm alone in our house=)

From Chaos to Underwear

The situation in Tromsö at the moment is the following: people are rolling out and snow just keeps on rolling in. It looks like the whole city has been sugar coated, it's so fluffy and beautiful again! Just as I requested =) Anyway, after a couple of weeks of chaos and confusion, in a good way, things are finally starting to simmer down. Our house is cleaner than ever, but somehow so quiet and lonesome. Scott leaves tomorrow and Maaike on Tuesday, after that its just going to be me and the toilet ventilation system showing signs of life in this house. Mind you I will take the chance to bounce around in my underwear, so neighbours beware!

Where did Marjaana go?

I have slipped into the zone. It happened so fast (or gradually, who knows) that I hardly noticed it coming. The zone is a beautiful place many of us don't get a chance to visit too often. It feels like there is cotton in your ears and tiny little curtains drawn infront of your eyes. Due to mörketid, it also feels like someone swallowed Tromsö. Or put it into a bag to be opened again in January.

And so you spend the day floating around, doing whatever you please. No pressure, no people you have to meet somewhere, no schedule, no waking hours. Anytime is nap time and regular hours for doing whatever normal (like eating, going to the gym, socializing) have become so flexible that almost anything goes. Oh sweet times, I can't wait for them to continue for the next couple of weeks. Some may call it the holiday mode, I call it the zone. Hurray for the zone, may you find it soon too.

Dancing in the moonlight

Or not. I was trying to figure out how much moonlight our mørketid sky will produce when the day is officially shortest. According to my sources, the amount of sunlight on the 21st of December is 0 hours and 0 minutes. The amount of moonlight is 1%. This is no joke people. It is really starting to get dark. Luckily we have our daglyslampe and ginseng and alot going on so we hardly even notice anymore. Except in the mornings. If you sleep too long, you'll miss both dawn and dusk. We are really living life to the extreme.

Chocolate Salty Balls

There is no better setting for a succesful julebord than a fire alarm going off, chocolaty meatballs, off-tune singing and wild guitar playing. Not to mention all sorts of drinks and lots of hot people everywhere. I would say that I had some of the most interesting conversations I've ever had about the ethics of seal hunting, the solutions to the conflict in Israel-Palestine and about one book that evey guy at the party seemed to have read. It is generally just refered to as 'the book'.

As I didn't know what book they were talking about, someone had to clear it out for me: it is a book called 'Spill' or 'The Game' and it is apparently like a bible on how to hit on women and score with a 'ten' as it is called. I would just like to announce that I have my doubts about what kind of women you can score with the tactics in the book, I suppose they work on girls who are not as sceptical as me or a lot of women that I know. One of the tactics is to create a really interesting personality for yourself and in that way catch the interest of the woman. Uhm.. am I totally crazy or wouldn't it be better if you actually HAD an interesting personality of your own and worked it from there? =D Ok, I admit that for the purposes of casual flirting and dating and such it might work. Who knows, maybe even I've fallen for it once or twice without knowing it!

My name is Bondas, Jamas Bondas

Don't you just love going to the movies? I do, even when the movie sucks. Casino Royale was one of those movies, but we got a lot of entertainment from the audience where the movie didn't do so well. There were clearly different sections of people sitting around us. Behind me was the special effects group, gasping and cheering every time something blew up. To my right we had the mixed couple introducing the girl who didn't know how to put her phone on silence and thumbled around so much that the boyfriend ultimately took over. He on the other hand was the pokerguy, oooooing and aaaaaing at the players hands. The big oooaaaaahaaahahaaa (turining into laughter in the end) came at the end of the game when Bond won. And then there were the usual Bondguys everywhere, laughing at Bonds majestetic performances when wooing the girl or saying something witty before shooting someone. I think our group would fit into the category "commenting on product placement and making little sighs when the going got too cheezy". That's all a cover-up though, inside we were speechless and gasping for air. He is Bond after all.

Back to the Future

Time is running at the speed of light again. Yesterday was our Independence Day, the day of the year when we celebrate not being under Russian rule. In a decade or so we get to celebrate the big 100 years of independence, be sure to be in Finland when that happens, we're so damn proud that the party will be HUGE!

Anyway, what I was actually going to say is that as the days are hopping along with such speed, I have totally forgotten to get one of those chocolate christmas calenders. How can you even imagine counting down for chistmas without one?? So today my mission is to find one and start preparing for the big day. But before the relaxing 24th, there is a lot going on. Casino Royale, tearing down of Redd Barna exhibition, going wild in our julebord and saying goodbye to everyone in our house. I have like a week alone in here before I leave for Os. Finally! I'm so sick and tired of all these people roaming around here all the time =)

Upper body

Today is the day when my upper body muscles get a whipping. I have deliberately not done too much with them in the gym because they tend to grow, fast. And as I don't specifically want to look like a lady swimmer (scaaaryyyyyy) I have left their workout to the minimum. But as I said, today they will have their moment in the spotlight as we go on a challenging but enjoyable bouldering adventure. Yippii for climbing, haven't done it for ages but I'm sure its like riding a bicycle. In the summer.

Sensitive issues

I am hereby voting for the return of the snow. If anyone wants to second this motion, feel free to do so. Mørketid is a beautiful and mysterious time here in Tromsø, but the beauty of it lies in the pale blue glow of the reflection of the moon on the snowy mountaintops and in the northernlights dancing their way through the night in the abyss of a sky like glorious strokes of a paint brush. The special effects have been replaced by clouds hanging on the mountaintops and sporatic patches of melting snow in the gutters of the roads.




I am getting sentimental, yes. I have the right to do so because this is my last month here. So lets get the snow rolling in like it did just over a month ago!

Ode to my thesis

You leave me feeling confused,
I hate to say it but sometimes even used.
You still don't have a puropse or a name,
And I end up thinking: GET OUT OF MY BRAIN!
Why do you feel the need to swallow me whole,
I never expected that to be your role.
The end is nowhere near,
Screw this, I'm going for a beer.