Jag älskar bra stand up komik, det är bland det bästa som finns! Jag upptäckte stand up'ens förlovade land i London, som är en av stand up'ens hemmanästen. I London finns små stand up gigs att se på VARJE kväll om man så vill det, eftersom det finns så himla många normala lustigkurrar som nån kväll, riktigt på lyset efter far too many pints tänker att "Fan vad jag är ROLIG, jag borde nog bli ståupp komiker" (fast på engelska, nåt i stil med "Bloody HELL I am funny, damn right if I wouldn't make a good stand up?!"). Och de yttrar denna tanke åt sina lika på lyset manliga vänner (mates/chums/bro's) (eftersom man vid det här laget av fylla oftar yttrar sina tankar i ord, fast man tror att man bara tänkte det...); "Fellas, don't you think I would make a brilliant stand up?!". Och hans fulla mates/bro's höjer sina pints och utbrister i unisont ölgrummel; "Damn right mate!" alternativt "F*cking ey mate, you'd be brilliant!" (beroende på hur pass finslipade i kanten de är och vilken slags öl de druckit)
Och så skapas en ny komiker på nån gratisföreställning i en grubby pub i Camden där nya "lysande" talanger får visa upp sina skills i några minuter. De flesta "lysande nya komiker" är fulla när de uppträder, för de skulle skita ner sig av nervositet annars. Och många är riktigt förskräckliga, och många (kan tänkas) gör aldrig om det. Men så finns det då, som alltid, GULDKORNEN. De må vara små, de må vara okända, de må kanske inte ALLTID vara briljanta, men de har nåt, som får folk att skratta.
Så en genomsnittlig pub stand up-kväll i London innehåller kanske 5-8 gigs, korta gig, sådär 4-10 minuter långa. Först har de några okända komiker med korta gigs, sen några halvkända, och sen drämmer de ofta till med en ganska känd en (beroende på hur mycket pengar/cred puben har och vem de kan få dit).
Efter att jag hade kommit över min skräck att bli utpekad/mobbad av komiker (som ja man ofta blir om man är utländsk, lång, ser alternativ ut, råkar säga nåt eller dra uppmärksamhet till sig på NÅT sätt) började jag tycka att stand up var SKITKUL, och gå på gigs ofta, eftersom det var som att gå på pub, men med extra humor värde utan mycket extra pengar (de här gigen är oftast gratis, eller kostar från £2-10, beroende på komikerna..).
Grejen med stand up komik, och humor överlag, är att INGENTING ska vara heligt. Ingenting ska inte kunna talas om. MEN, det kräver respekt, en genomgående respekt för mänskligheten, livet, intelligens och en förståelse att vissa saker är okränkbara, hur mycket man än skojar om dem. Och det kräver en publik som fattar att komikern fattar det här.
Således finns det en MASSA dåliga komiker, och en massa dålig publik. Men så finns det vissa, som kan skämta om VAD som helst, utan att det lämnar en dålig smak, för att de har just de gyllene ingredienserna för att vara en god komiker. Som Magnus Betnér, som skämtar om PRECIS allt, för att man bara behöver höra honom i en minut för att fatta att han är både intelligent, politiskt insatt och påläst, feminist/humanist, ickerasist, ateist och allmänt bara mänsklig. Och DÄRFÖR är det roligt och inte nedsättande när han skojar om allt från sex med djur, homosexualitet, islam och barn, för att man VET vad hans åsikter är och var han står. Och han hymlar inte med det, han är ärlig och rak. Därför, intressant nog, kan ett och samma skämt vara supersexistiskt eller roligt, beroende på om komikern faktiskt respekterar kvinnor och använder sitt forum för att vädra samhällskritiska åsikter, eller om komikern faktiskt har en taskig kvinnosyn och tycker att skämtet är roligt för att det stämmer.
Och efter denna inledning vill jag ge dig ett av mina absolut favoritklipp. men en varning, se det INTE om ni är pryda, och blir lätt förfärade över vulgärt språk. Om ni däremot vill ha en underbar feministisk bitsk humorpärla, ENJOY;
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Saturday, 28 January 2012
OMG I am so embarrased, I DON'T OWN CATS!! Or something along those lines...
I don't know if anyone else than I even think this is funny, but until someone protests I will keep on posting little funny things I find on the 'stats' function on my blog.
My favourite as you know is what people google/chrome/yahoo/whatever search engine-look up when they accidentally slip onto my blog, and from that moment (hopefully) are hooked like a crack addict is hooked on...well, yeah, crack.
So, this week's favourite with no doubt is the following, which not just one person has search engine'd, but TWO PEOPLE;
My favourite as you know is what people google/chrome/yahoo/whatever search engine-look up when they accidentally slip onto my blog, and from that moment (hopefully) are hooked like a crack addict is hooked on...well, yeah, crack.
So, this week's favourite with no doubt is the following, which not just one person has search engine'd, but TWO PEOPLE;
" awkward moment when you realize you don't own cats"
When does one FIND oneself in one of these awkward moments when one 'realizes that one does not own cats'? After dating a cat-crazed person and trying to score points by telling them how much one love cats? And very detail-mannered told them how many cats one has at home- to then get to drunk, bring them home, and as one steps into the flat/house realise that; 'SHIT, I DON'T OWN CATS! NOT A SINGLE ONE!'???
? I am just as much a question mark as you (i presume) are. Could someone please tell me about their awkward moments when they have realized they do not own cats?
Thank you sincerely,
Anna-Karin the amused blogger who loves her wierd blog readers.....
...& Leia, the cat who awkwardly realised that she has an owner who reads difficult mexican novels
x x x
Secret Angels, cats in the drawers or just how much one can cram into one week of sick-leave...
Update from the sickbed/nest; I. AM. OFFICIALLY. B.O.R.E.D!! Blöd, boring, tråkigt, tylsä, aburrido (correct me if I'm wrong but I think it's boring in spanish...)... I'm on day 6 of my stay-almost-only-in-my-house-sick leave and I have pretty much tried out every single activity which one can do in the winter, inside, without the ability to sit for too long, or generally move around too much.
In a way it's been a pretty good week, because imposed calm and rest is usually quite good for me, as I have energy in abundance and have an ability to do too much of everything for too long, which leads to either me hatifnatting (*see picture below) around doing ten thousand things at once, with a total lack of concentration and an inability to do anything properly and finishing a single project. Which usually leads to me getting sick in one way or another. As to impose calm and bedrest on me.
(*Hatifnattar are creatures of the Moomin valley who are electrically charged. When there is a thunder storm the hatifnattar comes out to play, and they lead electricity and start vibrating and moving around quicker and quicker. An Anna'ism is that I/other people are 'hatifnatting around' when they have so much energy they are almost electric, and they start a thousand projects at once without finishing a single one..)
I have lived alienated from my body for sooo long that it feels like my corporal shell and my mind are two different existences. My body is crap; it falls ill, get sore, have biological needs etc etc. My mind on the other hand - is what I thrive on. But every time I do get ill, and get a corporal scare, I realise that 'hell I forgot that it's a holistic hole, if I abuse my body it will get ill, which will make both my body and mind suffer'. It's kinda annoying that I am so goddamn stubborn and short sighted that I have to get a mega cold, a ligament inflammation in my shoulder or Lumbago Acuta to realise (well, re-realise) this!
Every time it happens I tell myself; THIS TIME I won't forget, THIS time I'll start taking care of myself. NOW I am grown up. NOW I can do this. And then I get better, and I start it all over again...Sigh. But, the illnesses and problems have started coming closer and closer together now, and I also have this new need and craving for both alone time, relaxing time and need for SLEEP, so maybe maybe (whispered with SMALL letters) this time I will remember it a little bit longer than my nose is long....
Fact is I have wanted to start yoga again for ages, because yoga is one of the few things which makes me connect with my body, to feel that I am a whole being. And when I do yoga regularly I both feel better physically and mentally, and also feel better about myself. My sleeping patterns get better, I tend to want to smoke and drink less to be fitter and thus better at yoga classes. My body has a different kind of lean-ness to the angular skinnyness it has now. I also eat better, cause good hardcore yoga makes you both TIRED and HUNGRY. And sore the next day...but rather than being that rough post-gym-soreness it's a warm and cosy soreness, which makes you feel vital and strong (well, I can only talk from my own experiences off course..)
I also miss work, I really really wanted to go into work today! I have been working so little recently, because of my London-visit, and now because of my back. I miss the social aspect of my work, and I miss feeling part of something, and doing something worthwile with my time and energy. AND I miss my workmates! Ah I do love my workplace, I was hoping that I would love working at Friends as much as I loved drinking there, and turns out I think I like working there even MORE than I like drinking there! I love being part of the little Friends-family, I like my regulars, I like my newbies. I like that mostly the clientele is really great! ok it's a pub, obviously we get rough ones just like any other alcohol serving establishment does, but most people go to Friends because they know it, they know the concept, know the owners, know the other two bartenders (i.e me and the other lovely redhead(;) , know what to expect, and respect both the place and the people who work in it. So, I do like my shifts behind the bar, I get to both work hard and chat, to do what I do on autopilot (serve pints and every now and then shake a cocktail) as well as practise a bit of finnish and get to know new people.
On the other hand it is interesting being sober in a place where (most) other people are drunk. It's a kind of interesting sociological experiment. You get to see a lot. You get to hear a lot. And as a hairdresser, you are silent as the wall. What happens in a bar stayes in a bar. That is all I will say....
So I know this week of imposed rest is good for me, because I want to get this backsituation sorted out. So that I can start doing yoga. So that I can start toning up my back and stomach to avoid this in the future. So that I can start working again. So that I can SIT again. I never thought I would miss sitting so much! turns out sitting is quite usefull. Also turns out having a cup of tea/coffee/drink with someone who every second minute jolts up to walk a few lapses is quite distracting. And also gives the impression you are a bad listener. I think I might make a badge stating 'I am listening, if I jump up it's not cause you're boring [most likely] but because I have to move around so not to freeze up in this position!'
However, as I have regained a LOT of my ablity to move around, to bend down and to do normal stuff I have slowly this week started doing things. Monday, Tuesday and wednesday was a boring blur of hourly exercises, sleep on hard surface, moaning and groaning, pill-popping and teadrinking. Thursday I felt a lot better already, and took the opportunity to start wintercleaning my house in both a calm and slow manner, a project which I have continued on Friday and today, and I can almost promise that the house is now so clean that you can lick almost every surface. You can also safely lick the inside of the coffee brewer, and the sink, and the table...And in pictures I have pretty much done the following this week....
In a way it's been a pretty good week, because imposed calm and rest is usually quite good for me, as I have energy in abundance and have an ability to do too much of everything for too long, which leads to either me hatifnatting (*see picture below) around doing ten thousand things at once, with a total lack of concentration and an inability to do anything properly and finishing a single project. Which usually leads to me getting sick in one way or another. As to impose calm and bedrest on me.
I have lived alienated from my body for sooo long that it feels like my corporal shell and my mind are two different existences. My body is crap; it falls ill, get sore, have biological needs etc etc. My mind on the other hand - is what I thrive on. But every time I do get ill, and get a corporal scare, I realise that 'hell I forgot that it's a holistic hole, if I abuse my body it will get ill, which will make both my body and mind suffer'. It's kinda annoying that I am so goddamn stubborn and short sighted that I have to get a mega cold, a ligament inflammation in my shoulder or Lumbago Acuta to realise (well, re-realise) this!
Every time it happens I tell myself; THIS TIME I won't forget, THIS time I'll start taking care of myself. NOW I am grown up. NOW I can do this. And then I get better, and I start it all over again...Sigh. But, the illnesses and problems have started coming closer and closer together now, and I also have this new need and craving for both alone time, relaxing time and need for SLEEP, so maybe maybe (whispered with SMALL letters) this time I will remember it a little bit longer than my nose is long....
Fact is I have wanted to start yoga again for ages, because yoga is one of the few things which makes me connect with my body, to feel that I am a whole being. And when I do yoga regularly I both feel better physically and mentally, and also feel better about myself. My sleeping patterns get better, I tend to want to smoke and drink less to be fitter and thus better at yoga classes. My body has a different kind of lean-ness to the angular skinnyness it has now. I also eat better, cause good hardcore yoga makes you both TIRED and HUNGRY. And sore the next day...but rather than being that rough post-gym-soreness it's a warm and cosy soreness, which makes you feel vital and strong (well, I can only talk from my own experiences off course..)
I also miss work, I really really wanted to go into work today! I have been working so little recently, because of my London-visit, and now because of my back. I miss the social aspect of my work, and I miss feeling part of something, and doing something worthwile with my time and energy. AND I miss my workmates! Ah I do love my workplace, I was hoping that I would love working at Friends as much as I loved drinking there, and turns out I think I like working there even MORE than I like drinking there! I love being part of the little Friends-family, I like my regulars, I like my newbies. I like that mostly the clientele is really great! ok it's a pub, obviously we get rough ones just like any other alcohol serving establishment does, but most people go to Friends because they know it, they know the concept, know the owners, know the other two bartenders (i.e me and the other lovely redhead(;) , know what to expect, and respect both the place and the people who work in it. So, I do like my shifts behind the bar, I get to both work hard and chat, to do what I do on autopilot (serve pints and every now and then shake a cocktail) as well as practise a bit of finnish and get to know new people.
On the other hand it is interesting being sober in a place where (most) other people are drunk. It's a kind of interesting sociological experiment. You get to see a lot. You get to hear a lot. And as a hairdresser, you are silent as the wall. What happens in a bar stayes in a bar. That is all I will say....
So I know this week of imposed rest is good for me, because I want to get this backsituation sorted out. So that I can start doing yoga. So that I can start toning up my back and stomach to avoid this in the future. So that I can start working again. So that I can SIT again. I never thought I would miss sitting so much! turns out sitting is quite usefull. Also turns out having a cup of tea/coffee/drink with someone who every second minute jolts up to walk a few lapses is quite distracting. And also gives the impression you are a bad listener. I think I might make a badge stating 'I am listening, if I jump up it's not cause you're boring [most likely] but because I have to move around so not to freeze up in this position!'
However, as I have regained a LOT of my ablity to move around, to bend down and to do normal stuff I have slowly this week started doing things. Monday, Tuesday and wednesday was a boring blur of hourly exercises, sleep on hard surface, moaning and groaning, pill-popping and teadrinking. Thursday I felt a lot better already, and took the opportunity to start wintercleaning my house in both a calm and slow manner, a project which I have continued on Friday and today, and I can almost promise that the house is now so clean that you can lick almost every surface. You can also safely lick the inside of the coffee brewer, and the sink, and the table...And in pictures I have pretty much done the following this week....
Cooked food, eaten food, planned food, thought about food...
Had some lovely surprise friend-visits and goodies brought to be, as well as company! Tack fina ni! <3
(Thilda had made these get well muffins for me)
Tried to sort out the clothes situation in my bedroom, which included an element of difficulty as Simba and Leia found both drawers and boxes immensly interesting...Leia in the drawer...
Simba in the drawer...
Simba in one of my boxes (which was meant to be used for storage, not as a cat play-pen...)
Oh yes, I got bored after wearing the same tracksuit bottoms and hoodie for 3 days straight, and decided to dress. Which turned into dress up. And make up. And backcomb very dirty hair a LOT!...AND take pictures out of lack of better things to do...
really dirty hair is very good for backcombing I realised...and black and white is always flattering...
Friday morning I had a nice but odd realisation - someone (no idea who!) has finished the snow path I started before getting sick...and the showel has moved. And the guilty person is NOT my dad. What the....?
Whoever you are, secret angel, you made a backsick young woman pretty happy!
the person in question has smaller feet than I have...that much is certain (righthand foot print is mine...)
Oh how I love this house! my little snow-nest!
Yeah did I mention that I cleaned, and cleaned....(the pots on the hob are washed and dried FYI)
and I've had the fire roaring most of the time for warmth and wellness factor..
Clean, clean, tidy, tidy (I stopped short of combing the carpet, it hurt my back too much...)
Detox on the outside....
...and in! Blueberry youghurt and banana, and heaps of green tea with echinea...
hmmm...what does one do on a friday night if one does NOT go out? Hmm, pull out the entire contents of the cupboard and fridge and cook for 4 hours perhaps?
I was doing rice, lentils, chickpeas and soymince ALL AT ONCE...typical Anna style..
Made some supertasty lentil-chilli-veg (beetroot, carrot, peppers, onion, garlic)-soymince-jasmine rice burrito-mix. With tortilla and lemongrass dressing. It tasted a lot better than it looks.
Well, off to do my exercises again...So long darlings!
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
January in a good light - a few things that happened (in pictures)
One of the best things this month was the fact that Malin, Maija, Henke and the cats came to Finland. Henke sadly had to leave for work after a few days, and Malin & Maija after about two weeks, but the cats are staying here for a while!
It was amazing to get to spend more time with my deardarling sister, and the little cute dimple which is my niece Maija, here is a gooden picture of Maija at mine
January was also time to vote in the presidential election, which reawakened my interest in politics! I have always been interested in politics, but since I have been living abroad for such a long time I haven't been very aware of what has been happening on the finnish political scene. But now I am more up to date thanks to the election!
I am also feeling quite optimistic about the finnish political landscape at the moment. The wave of nationalism that we (and so many other countries) have felt the last two years have awakened people's interest in politics, which is GOOD. Seldom something bad which does not bring something good with it. Apparantly we needed 'The True Finns' to be elected into parliament before people waking up and thinking 'hey what is happening to our country?!'. But not a day to late, there is always time for changes, and for thinking again. And the fact that an openly gay, progressive, green candidate got the second most votes in the first round is a GOOD sign for Finland! Go HAAVISTO.
This is what I looked like when I went voting on Sunday morning;
And then, what else? I have made a lot of good food this month.My appetite has been a bit on and off, but I am trying to eat warming, filling food to both calm my excessive Vata (yes a bit of ayurvedic speak there), and to keep warm during the cold month.
Right now I am trying to use the fact that I am stuck in my house and eat as much as possible. Being sick is sooo boring, so I can just as well use the time to make good breakfasts, lunches and dinners for myself. Today I made this greekinspired pasta, with giant beans, red pesto, sambal oelek, veggies, tomato passata, cream cheese and LOTS of spices, yummmiee!
I think I may just roll out of my house like a Mumintroll in spring when I've got this Lumbago Acuta sorted. I could do with a little layer of speck, I am bored of being bony and skinny. And bored of feeding my body crap like cigarettes, excessive coffee and alcohol. Now I'd like to be strong, healthy and a bit more muscular (I am not talking buff, god no, just have better muscular build to better be able to cope with crap like this back pain...). How was it now, nothing bad that doesn't bring something good with it?
It was amazing to get to spend more time with my deardarling sister, and the little cute dimple which is my niece Maija, here is a gooden picture of Maija at mine
Maija Piraya and the adorable facial features - slightly chocked
Maija curious and handwaving
The cats, as we know, are doing well at mine, eating their own bodyweight in food every day, sleeping most of the days, cuddling, fighting, walking around like they own the place and making silly noises.
This is how I found Simba on the floor a day when I (in his opinion) had spent too many minutes at the computer, not giving him constant attention
Adorable silly rubbercat!
The return of the INTERNET was another BIG thing in January. My blog has been suffering massively with the lack of internet, and I am happy to be back to my old blogging self. Albeit struggling with not becoming facebook addicted again, so I am trying to do everything internet related in moderation.
What I do enjoy though is having soundcloud and youtube back, and I was so happy i celebrated by watching the ENTIRE Lip Service series, AGAIN, in one day. Here I am having breakfast with Frankie and Cat in Lip Service (nothing like having brekkies with old friends, viral characters or not...)
January was also time to vote in the presidential election, which reawakened my interest in politics! I have always been interested in politics, but since I have been living abroad for such a long time I haven't been very aware of what has been happening on the finnish political scene. But now I am more up to date thanks to the election!
I am also feeling quite optimistic about the finnish political landscape at the moment. The wave of nationalism that we (and so many other countries) have felt the last two years have awakened people's interest in politics, which is GOOD. Seldom something bad which does not bring something good with it. Apparantly we needed 'The True Finns' to be elected into parliament before people waking up and thinking 'hey what is happening to our country?!'. But not a day to late, there is always time for changes, and for thinking again. And the fact that an openly gay, progressive, green candidate got the second most votes in the first round is a GOOD sign for Finland! Go HAAVISTO.
This is what I looked like when I went voting on Sunday morning;
primal colours to beat the finnish winter darkness
And then, what else? I have made a lot of good food this month.My appetite has been a bit on and off, but I am trying to eat warming, filling food to both calm my excessive Vata (yes a bit of ayurvedic speak there), and to keep warm during the cold month.
Right now I am trying to use the fact that I am stuck in my house and eat as much as possible. Being sick is sooo boring, so I can just as well use the time to make good breakfasts, lunches and dinners for myself. Today I made this greekinspired pasta, with giant beans, red pesto, sambal oelek, veggies, tomato passata, cream cheese and LOTS of spices, yummmiee!
I think I may just roll out of my house like a Mumintroll in spring when I've got this Lumbago Acuta sorted. I could do with a little layer of speck, I am bored of being bony and skinny. And bored of feeding my body crap like cigarettes, excessive coffee and alcohol. Now I'd like to be strong, healthy and a bit more muscular (I am not talking buff, god no, just have better muscular build to better be able to cope with crap like this back pain...). How was it now, nothing bad that doesn't bring something good with it?
today's dinner
Now I am bored, and my leg is aching from standing too long, so I''m gonna have some more food and the 12th cup of herbal tea of the day. So Long!
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
you know you are sick when....
1.) you spend more than 50% of your time in bed, alternatively longing for your bed.
-I haven't slept this much in ages, much because my back's been hurting so goddamn much that I haven't been able to lie still for more than about 20 min. at a time, and pretty much started crying of pain as soon as I moved. Now I can lie down flat without much pain - BLISS!
2.) you eat the wierdest things, and everything tastes either amazing/not a thing.This will generally be because you have been sick long enough to not do shopping, or that you are too tired/sick/achy to actually bother about what you eat. Alternatively your head spins too much you just grab the first best thing.
-Brunch; 2 karelska piroger with the last remaining hommous, a banana, tea, finished off some youghurtraisins and youghurtcashwes I found in a bowl, finished off some paellalike thing I had in the fridge. Half a cream, custard, jam, marzipan bomb my dear sister brought. My next to last cigarette. A breakfast bar (I was very very hungry)
-Dinner; curry instant noodles with ketchup (tasted GREAT), the remaining custard/cream/marzipan bomb, tea, last cigarette..
(Looking at old pictures from my trip to Örebro in September 11 makes me happy!)
3.) you grown so loudly of pain that your cats look very perplexed and confused at you, wondering why you are making SOO much noise
4.) you are dressed in the WIERDEST of things, and you don't even care going dressed that way to the hospital
-today's fashionable outfit is leggings, a wool scarf around my lower back, giant woolly socks, inherited LONG sweatpants (I don't own practical clothes), white wool legwarmers on top, woolly mansized sweater tucked inside sweatpants, massive hoodie on top, scarf. Topped off by fashionably punkinspired hair standing up to all imaginable directions. Luckily I had a shower and hairwash just before I lost mobility, so I am reasonably clean and wellsmelling, thank god for that.
this one makes me smile! always! <3
5.) You are soppy and sentimental, alternatively irritable and angry
-generally from lack of sleep, pain and just the shitness of life induced by sickness
6.) If you are single you think; why the HELL am I single, being sick whilst single SUCKS!
If you are NOT single you think; thank GOD for not being single
(alternative 3. you think why the hell am I single, then your sister turns up with baked goods, your friends call to see if they can help you, your other sister +husband act as your personal drivers, your boss calls you to tell you not to worry about having the week off - and you think, hey life is not that bad after all. relationship status is not all)
7.) in the middle of the night, when things are always the worst (tired, in pain, sniffling, feeling sorry for yourself, not being able to sleep), you make bargains with god/the devil/the universe/yourself that when you get well, THEN- then you will start a NEW LIFE, with exercise, good food, good sleeping habits, never smoke again, never drink again etc etc etc
-this usually does not apply when you actually regain healt.
sunny days!
8.) You repeadedly think 'Why wasn't I happier when I was well?!' , 'Why didn't I wake up every single morning, skipping out of bed screaming in extacy I can jump I can skip, I am W.E.L.L!?!'
-fact is, we (humans) rearly appriciate good health until we have poor health, and when we get well again we forget about being sick again. I guess it's something to do with the brain's survival instinct and coping capacity...
stripes, laughter and drawn on mustaches
9.) you make the wierdest of plans for the future, which all seem perfectly sane at the time of the sickness condition. Most of them seem a lot less sane in a normal condition....
(mine at the moment include brilliant work ideas, travelling plans and flying unicorns...)
10.) You realise which people you miss most in your life - and hopefully this is something you bring into your healthy life as well
-I miss my friends in faraway places, increadibly much! and I miss having the concentration capacity, ability to sit, time (well now I have time, but not the ability to sit...) and money to be in touch more, to visit more!
But dearest darlings remember this;
*Rosita darlingest, you are in my thoughts daily, as soon as things pan out a bit more, more work, more money, less bad health etc I will make a visit to Örebro, it is long overdue and I miss you like hell!
*Kim, love you to bits, you are amazing and clever and wonderful and I hope your first few days at your new work have been brilliant - Kick their asses sugar!!
*Michelle my belle - you are my shining star, thanks for EVERYTHING the last few months - hope you are awesome and kicking London ass as usual!
*Sonita - I am sorry I am so shit with being in touch, too much going on right now, but I am thinking of you all the time! as soon as I am better we'll skype!
*Soffi, Elin och Sofia; Ni är alltid där i topp! alltid i mina hjärtan! saknar er! <3
11.) This blog entry took about an hour and a half to write, standing up, jumping around every now and then to exercise, eating in between, answering phonecalls....
Sunday, 22 January 2012
Self-irony - again...
I can't stop thinking what a brilliant decision it was to stop taking myself so goddamn serious all the time.... It was a decision I took this summer, when I was manic as h*ll and pretty much a tornado of notsleeping, noteating, oversocialising and doing everything 200%.
Well, maybe not so much a decision as a realisation, I realised that if I would keep on taking myself as serious as I have all my life I will become utterly miserable. It just didn't work when I constantly fell off bikes, dived into the nightclub headfirst (I didn't see the step) after avoiding the place for about 2 years [yes I landed flat on the ground, got up, laughed and said 'Well that was a hell of an entrance!'], constantly walked/rushed/ran into things and hurt myself, talked too much, said the 'wrong' things, talked too loud etc etc etc.
In order to NOT be constantly mortified and embarrased I decided to just start shrugging things off. And it worked pretty well. I might have taken it a bit over the top for a while, a little bit of social akwardness and embarassment is healtly I think, but it tought me something very very valuable - The ability to laugh at myself. And the ability to let people laugh at/with me, without being too hurt.
Fact is we all do stupid and silly and unthought about things, all the time, every day. Little things. Big things. Some things are too embarrasing to share, and some things are hilarious to share with your best friends, because you know they will laugh. Because serving up a really good embarrasing story to your friends is like serving up a good dinner - you know what your friends like, how to make them feel happy and comfortable, and by offering this good dinner/good story you give them a little bit of respite from the seriousness of the world. Also, laughing is good for the health - so you lenghten their lives!(:
See, there aren't really any BAD things about not taking yourself TOO seriously! I like lectures, and I wanted to give this little 'don't take yourself/or me too serious' lecture before telling you the 'laughing at myself moment' which highlighted my day;
So I went to vote. I haven't voted in Finland for a long long time, and I wasn't legible to vote in England, so basically I haven't voted in any election since I was about 18 or 19. The seriousness of the situation made me a little frazzleed. I feel out of place in very stern/adult situations which I don't know how they work, and it makes me awkward. I say wrong things, do wrong things. But I handled the situation quite well by saying 'I haven't voted for a while' when I was frazzling about with the votingpaperthingie and didn't know if I needed an envelope (WHY do they have them on the table if you're NOT supposed to take one?).
So anyway, wrote my number on my piece of paper and went up to the lady which I imagined I was supposed to give the voting ballot to. She had a massive stamp and stamppad. I didn't see anywhere to put my vote so I guessed I would just give it to her. The massive stampinkpad looked intimidating to me, and my frazzled brain just thought 'do what you do in nightclubs' so I put my hand down to be stamped. before realising that OBVIOUSLY she wanted to stamp my VOTE not my hand, THIS IS NOT A NIGHTCLUB ANNA-KARIN! So I laughed, she laughed, and I said something along the lines of 'I haven't voted for a long time'. And I giggled to myself for about 2 minutes afterwards, because it was such a silly thing to do, but hey, at least I voted!
Note to self; if the sight of a stamppad makes you stretch your hand out in an instant, you frequent nightclubs to often.
Well, maybe not so much a decision as a realisation, I realised that if I would keep on taking myself as serious as I have all my life I will become utterly miserable. It just didn't work when I constantly fell off bikes, dived into the nightclub headfirst (I didn't see the step) after avoiding the place for about 2 years [yes I landed flat on the ground, got up, laughed and said 'Well that was a hell of an entrance!'], constantly walked/rushed/ran into things and hurt myself, talked too much, said the 'wrong' things, talked too loud etc etc etc.
In order to NOT be constantly mortified and embarrased I decided to just start shrugging things off. And it worked pretty well. I might have taken it a bit over the top for a while, a little bit of social akwardness and embarassment is healtly I think, but it tought me something very very valuable - The ability to laugh at myself. And the ability to let people laugh at/with me, without being too hurt.
Fact is we all do stupid and silly and unthought about things, all the time, every day. Little things. Big things. Some things are too embarrasing to share, and some things are hilarious to share with your best friends, because you know they will laugh. Because serving up a really good embarrasing story to your friends is like serving up a good dinner - you know what your friends like, how to make them feel happy and comfortable, and by offering this good dinner/good story you give them a little bit of respite from the seriousness of the world. Also, laughing is good for the health - so you lenghten their lives!(:
See, there aren't really any BAD things about not taking yourself TOO seriously! I like lectures, and I wanted to give this little 'don't take yourself/or me too serious' lecture before telling you the 'laughing at myself moment' which highlighted my day;
So I went to vote. I haven't voted in Finland for a long long time, and I wasn't legible to vote in England, so basically I haven't voted in any election since I was about 18 or 19. The seriousness of the situation made me a little frazzleed. I feel out of place in very stern/adult situations which I don't know how they work, and it makes me awkward. I say wrong things, do wrong things. But I handled the situation quite well by saying 'I haven't voted for a while' when I was frazzling about with the votingpaperthingie and didn't know if I needed an envelope (WHY do they have them on the table if you're NOT supposed to take one?).
So anyway, wrote my number on my piece of paper and went up to the lady which I imagined I was supposed to give the voting ballot to. She had a massive stamp and stamppad. I didn't see anywhere to put my vote so I guessed I would just give it to her. The massive stampinkpad looked intimidating to me, and my frazzled brain just thought 'do what you do in nightclubs' so I put my hand down to be stamped. before realising that OBVIOUSLY she wanted to stamp my VOTE not my hand, THIS IS NOT A NIGHTCLUB ANNA-KARIN! So I laughed, she laughed, and I said something along the lines of 'I haven't voted for a long time'. And I giggled to myself for about 2 minutes afterwards, because it was such a silly thing to do, but hey, at least I voted!
Note to self; if the sight of a stamppad makes you stretch your hand out in an instant, you frequent nightclubs to often.
Kekkonen, Kekkonen, Kekkonen...Kakkonen
Yup, I am off to vote in the Finnish president(al?) election. The first time I vote in several years, because I have have felt so out in regards to finnish politics during my years as an 'abroad Finn'. I kinda have a policy that you should be at least a little aware of politics and the candidate you choose to vote for, and since I have had no clue what has been happening in Finland the last 7 or so years I have not voted.
BUT, as a Proper Finn (said ironically) Living in Finland I will now do my societal duty and vote. And yes, I have read up a bit more about my candidate, and not just been influenced by the spotify campaign (if you have heard it you will recognise my blog entry title...).
Also, please do vote. Another of my Anna'isms is 'if you don't vote you can't complain!', so at least for your own sake, VOTE and you will be able to with a clean concious bitch and moan for 6 years to come.
I am voting green, liberal, progressive, gender and sexuality-aware and anti fur-industry. It's not very often I actually feel I find a presidental candidate which corrolates with my views, but I think I have found one this time.
Upwards and Onwards
BUT, as a Proper Finn (said ironically) Living in Finland I will now do my societal duty and vote. And yes, I have read up a bit more about my candidate, and not just been influenced by the spotify campaign (if you have heard it you will recognise my blog entry title...).
Also, please do vote. Another of my Anna'isms is 'if you don't vote you can't complain!', so at least for your own sake, VOTE and you will be able to with a clean concious bitch and moan for 6 years to come.
I am voting green, liberal, progressive, gender and sexuality-aware and anti fur-industry. It's not very often I actually feel I find a presidental candidate which corrolates with my views, but I think I have found one this time.
Upwards and Onwards
Saturday, 21 January 2012
vilsevals turns Cat Blog - getting the catdrug out of my system
Ok, being a new pet'owner' is not easy for anyone- it's a little bit like having children, without the pain, the extreme responsibility for the rest of your life and that someone is utterly dependent on you. Actually, getting two pensioner cats is nothing like having children when I come to think of it...
What I WAS going to draw paralells to having children is that you can't seem to get enough of your new pet/child. You become slightly crazy in love with them at first, and talk about them nonstop, take pictures of them, take pride in them. Feeling this way about your children is obviously perfectly sane and good and i wish that all kids would be their parent(s) apple of their eye. And I guess it's good that/when people feel this way about their pets too, because out of this wierd lovefeeling you feel comes a need to protect, to nurture and to look after. And again, if all people would feel that way about their pets/animals in general we would have a lot less shit (ie. animaltorture and murder) in the world.
POINT IS (this is taking a while I know, I haven't had a cup of coffee yet and is always a bit unfocused then...) that I have become a crazy cat lady. I talk about 'my' cats all the time, I post pictures of them, I have noticed that this blog has all of a sudden pretty much become a cat blog. My friends ask me 'how are the cats?' after asking how I am. I talk to them (the cats) all the time, coo with them, tell them off, just have little conversations with them (such as 'so Simba, what do you think we should have for dinner, pasta or rice?' 'Leiha u silly sausage, u can't be lying on TOP of my laptop, I can't work then...silly cattie...'). We are still in the getting to know each other phase, which means that everything they do (everything positive) is amazing. Simba sighed really loudly the other day, and I thought it was hilarious, and I have always loved Leiha's little soft paw in your face when she wants attention.
Oh monkeys, bless 'em. One thing though - If I ever, and I mean EVER, say that I will create a Facebook account for my cats - Please shoot me there and then, ON THE SPOT! no mercy! (and then take care of my cats...)
(theory is I'll write about them for an entire entry, maybe then I will get bored and start talking about more adult blog interesting subjects...)
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