New Site

In case any of you still check on this site occassionally, I've openeda new site since I'm back in Iceland and not Finland. Click here to go to the new site.

More pictures

Well, I haven't written in awhile since it was Christmas. And then coming back to Finland has been stressful. Problem after problem after problem, after stress and more stress. And the fact that all the money which I managed to save up in the last five months to use for a trip to Amsterdam with Daniel, or to visit Vinnjar and Alex in Oslo, or go to Russia has magically ended up in the bank account of the University of Iceland. All of it. I mean, all of it plus 10euros more than what I had!!!! Yup, life is good.
But I managed to get a lot of photos developed, and Annika was nice enough to drop my camera off at my apartment while I was away so I have photos from my trip to Karelia (Karjala) when I went to visit her at the beginning of December.
Click here for the photos and scroll down to all folders that have the "new" symbol next to them. Comments to the photos will follow shortly. I'm too lazy to do it right now.
Until then . . .

To know the darkness is to love the light,
to welcome dawn and fear the coming and night.
-- The Book of Counted Sorrows

Why oh Why does she wear those things!

It became incredibly clear to me last night that women are evil. Pure evil! They're mean, heartless, complex, and they know what makes us tick!
One of my coworkers who is very very very attractive with a terrific body decided last night to wear a nice dress with a skirt and fishnet stockings. The stockings weren't so bad except that they stopped above mid-thigh meaning part of her gorgeous leg was exposed with the stockings and a little strap which was connected farther up. The site of this will drive almost any man wild. It certainly did me. But why does she have to wear those things? It was nothing but torture (to an extent). I was already quite drunk when I took notice and couldn't watch the comedy group but had to look at her from the other table without anyone noticing that I wasn't watching the comedy group behind me. And I say it's torture because there was nothing I could do about it. She's not married, but at least 12 years older than I am and hardly ever engaged in conversation with her at work. I doubt she would have gone for me. So I didn't have the possibility to take her to a room, slap her ass and go to town (or "Git 'r Done" for you Zach). Nope, not for me. I got to sit there, in torture, hoping dinner would last as long as possible so I wouldn't have to stand up and draw unwanted attention to myself.
Until then. . .

"Do you know that look women give you when they want to have sex? Me neither."
-Drew Carrey

2 - 1 = 4.6e

2 - 1 = 4.6e

This here seems to be a pretty strange equation. Indeed it is. First, you'll realize that 2 - 1 should not equal 4.6e. Some people aren't even aware that letters can exist in math. So how can this be? On a second glance, this might be the type of equation you would find in Quantum Physics (The science of possibilities). So maybe at some sort of sub-atomic level, this equation might be possibile depending on what you're dealing with. (I'll buy anyone a beer who can tell me in what situation 50+50=99. And this is true in one instance.) But this isn't Quantum Physics either. Let me fill you in on the story of how I came across this mind-boggling equation. Hopefully, someone can figure this out. I'm not sure Will Hunting could get this one

Well, I went yesterday to the Helsingin Urheilutalo which is a gym and sports center with a swimming pool as well. I have paid for a monthly membership to this place which allows me access to the gym and the pool. But on this dark and overcast day I didn't have time to go to the gym and pool like I usually do. So I decided just to go swimming. I go to the front desk with my membership card to have the woman put on a swimming credit (one must do this every time.) The woman takes the card, puts it on the scanning machine and then tells me that I must pay 4.60€ ($5.68) to use the pool. I ask why and she tells me that when I come and use the gym I can use the pool. But if I only want to use the pool and not the gym and pool, I must pay the normal entrance fee.
Does this make sense to you? It didn't make sense to me. I gave the woman this look of disbelief and very seriously asked her to explain that again to me because that made no sense to me whatsoever. She rephrases it to say, "Your membership is valid for the Gym. When you use the Gym you THEN are allowed to go to the pool free of charge." I honestly couldn't believe what I was hearing. What fucking difference does it make if I use the Gym or not?
I then thought of a way out of it. I told the woman, "Okay, well, last week I came and used the gym, but didn't go swimming. So I'll just use the free entrance to the pool today." She looked at me with annoyance and said, "Sorry, but free use of the pool is only on the day of using the gym."
Since I didn't have any of my workout clothes nor time to work out, I couldn't just go up and work out. I then thought of another idea. I told the woman I would go to the gym. I went up the stairs to the entrance to the gym, swiped my card through, went into the lockers and to the toilet, drained the lizard, and walked back out. I went to the front desk again and told the woman as if I had never spoken to her before, "Ah, one for swimming please." She looked at me and said, "Sir, this is not funny. If you want to swim, it will cost you 4,60€." Trying to get my right of not having to pay for swimming was like trying to squeeze blood from a rock. So I forked over the cash and went on my merry, little way.

Summed up in brief: After paying 50€ for a montly membership; you use the gym, you use the pool. You don't use the gym, you pay 4,60€ each time on top of the already paid 50€ and you get to use the pool.
Can anyone figure out this equation? I remember in my advanced math courses we had to learn to show proof that a certain equation was the answer. Can anyone find the proof for this one? Or a logical explanation?
Until then. . .

"Anyone who cannot cope with mathematics is not fully human. At best he is a tolerable subhuman who has learned to wear shoes, bathe, and not make messes in the house."
-Robert Heinlein

"As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality."
-Albert Einstein

"In mathematics you don't understand things. You just get used to them."
-John Von Neumann

I Never Reckoned, Today Could Bare a Light

Today is a fine day. A mighty fine day, indeed. What??? . . . Chicken strips for everyone???!!!

Today something was made official and it needs to made public record. It was decided upon by both parties that I, you know who I am, officially have more money in my bank account that that of Brandon, aka The White Wizard. Why is this good news? Glad you asked! You see, for the past years I've had to scrape by month by month (with the occasional help from M.O.M.) while Brandon continued to sell his soul to the money-grubbing monsters of Target, Blockbuster Video, Applebees, and O'Charleys. He was able to buy a ticket to Iceland (also to Germany two years earlier) get smashed almost every day (and take advantage of a few lovely ladies while he was at it) take a trip to the north with me in a rented car, and pay for my sorry ass half the time. This trip barely put a dent into his lovely bank account sum. Well, the tides have turned and it is now I that reign supreme. So how is it that we really measure such a feat? Well, simply put . . . I can buy more beer than he can!
Ooooohhh, the sailor's life is the life for me with a bump deedly dump and a diddly dee. And I never ever gave a *bonk* about the weather, because the weather never ever gave a *bonk* about me!
Let us rejoice! "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." -The White Wizard after becoming a little Wop-Sop-Soy

The gift that keeps on giving (all year round)

Today I decided to stop by into one of those "erotic" shops called Sex Asema (Sex Station) to pick up some . . . uh . . . supplies. That's it! Supplies! It was a nice little shop, nothing classy, yet nothing trashy. The way I like it. I mean, the way an "erotic" shop should be. Anyway, after I make my "purchase" the woman (yes, a woman working behind the counter) tells me that since it's Christmas they include a little christmas present for all the customers. And what is it? A calculator! Yes, a calculator!!! Now I can use the calculator to calculate all of my expenses from the shops . . . I mean all the beer I drink downtown instead of using the damned little calculator on my phone. You may ask, "Why such a fuss over a calculator?" Well, for starters I don't have one! I have plenty of money to buy one, but since I have one on my computer and on my phone why spend the money on an actual one? So now I have one which is bigger, with big buttons to match my stubby little fingers! It's terrific! And since it's free, it makes it that much better. Here's a little picture of her even with the words Sextavarataol Sexasema and the address. I guess they don't want me to forget where I got it!
Until then. . .

Back Again!

I know it's been awhile since I've posted anything, but I've been so busy I haven't had much time. For some news, which I realized I hadn't told anyone. Because the Socrates Agency in Iceland only offered me a job for four months and not a year like I asked I applied to the University of Helsinki as a visiting student (a priviledge only offered to students of other Nordic Universities. So I lucked out) and will be continuing my Germanic and Finnish Studies next semester. My residence permit lasts until July so I believe I will stay in Finland as long as I can before returning back to the Devil's Island.
And I am finally free from my restaurant job!!! With Stefan leaving to Germany I had to work more shifts than I wanted and when he came back another cook quick, so Stefan was sent to work at the other restaurant and I covered his shifts at my restaurant. Hence, I didn't have much time. But two months ago I asked the Manager for 3 weeks Christmas vacation which she gave me the okay for. She then tells me later that 3 weeks is too long to go without me so they will have to hire someone else while I'm gone meaning I will have only a few shifts when I get back. Since she okayed my vacation I was pissed. A week later Stefan calls to meet me for a beer and tells me to start looking for a new job because they were planning on waiting until I come back and then telling me they had no work for me. It's nice to know I'm so expendable despite the fact that I always show up to work, always take any extra shift that is asked of me, and I've never called in sick. And they can throw me away so easily. So I went to them and said I'm leaving in a week which the Manager wasn't happy about. Now they're short two cooks and Christmas is coming which is really busy. Oh well, not my problem anymore. Now I can enjoy my life again!
So I shall spend the next two weeks working in the mornings at the school and in the afternoons looking for a job with evenings off!!! It sounds nice. That's about it for now.
Until then . . .

P.S. I managed to make it to Ruth's Birthday Party. Here are the pics.

Going back to the whole Men/Women debate

I haven't put any other blog up because nothing has really happened. Due to Stefan taken a week vacation to Germany and then one of the chefs at the other restaurant quitting I've had to cover a lot of extra shifts. No real free time. As soon as something interesting happens I'll post it. Otherwise I have a few new photos up. You can see some of Helsinki, from my casa, and a few strange things I come across in this country.
Until then . . .