January 2004

January 31, 2004

Last Sunday

You know that feeling when individual events cease to have distinct beginning and endings and they begin to bleed into each other? That was last Sunday. A first date. Me, feeling light-headed and nervous (a washing machine running a spin-dry cycle). Her, taking it very well. Nervous, too, she said. We went for coffee, which became beer, and then dinner at my parents’ who live in another city.

There are three of her sitting in front of me, in a coffee shop slash bar in Kallio: a girl I used to go to school with; a blogger I once wrote a letter to; and the flesh and blood woman I’m meeting for the first time.

Before I go to meet her, my apartment is teeming. My roommate runs around the apartment shrieking that this is the most exciting day of the year.

Eleven hours later, on a sidewalk in front of her house, we are standing close, her hands in mine, both of us wondering if either of us is brave enough for a first kiss (is this an uncertainty that is ever outgrown?). I ask her if I should come up to see her place, or...

“Maybe not tonight,” she says.

I was going to finish my sentence with: “Or maybe we’ll leave something for date #2.” It occurs to me later that there’s a lot of room for misunderstanding in what I said. Oh well.

But you know where I’m supposed to be right now? On my way to her place. I’m already late. Welcome to date #2.

And here’s what really happened.

Ilya

January 30, 2004

Anything wrong in this picture?

Anything wrong in this picture?

Ilya

January 28, 2004

  • The prez at a diner. Huh? Via Alex via Sumppi.
  • To fix messed up spacing between letters in Photoshop, click the cursor between the offending letters and, holding down the ALT key, use teh arrow keys to increase or decrease the gap. This tip from Myrsky’s Janne.

January 25, 2004

The power of a crush

Never underestimate the power of a crush. Not only did I not mind listening yesterday to a friend tell how he met his girlfriend (this happened two years ago), I was actually really into his story.

Ilya

January 24, 2004


January 21, 2004

Sivarit on homppeleita

On joitakin asioita, joita en harkitsematta mainitse uusille tuttavuuksille. Ei sen takia, että häpeäisin niitä, vaan sen takia, että ne johtavat liian usein vakiokeskusteluun, jossa sanotaan aina samoja asioita. Read more

Ilya

January 20, 2004

I have that look

Suspected TerroristLast Thursday, while having a few beers at Bud’s Pizzeria, a local rat hole on Helsinginkatu, a guy in his mid-thirties crashed our table and started talking. He was drunk but not stupid, at least not at first. After he started talking about the courage and stamina and virtue of the veterans who defended our country against the evil onslought of the evil Russkies in the Winter War, he became pretty stupid. Funny how war talk can do this to people.

At some point the guy said I looked like a Jew. He wouldn’t believe me when I said I wasn’t, and that I don’t have any Jewish blood, either.

“Well, anyway,” he said, evidently proving his point, “if we went to America, you’d be stopped and I wouldn’t. You look like an Arab.”

The high point of the conversation was definitely when he said that he knew that sivari or not, were our fatherland under threat, even I would gladly take up arms and defend our women and children. He had tears in his eyes.

“I’d take you as my squad leader any day. You’re smart, I can tell. You have that look.”

We left shortly after.

Ilya

January 16, 2004

Firma Oy:ssa liikkeellä eväsvaras

Kinkkupizza syöty
Firma Oy:ssa liikkeellä eväsvaras

Valtakunnalisesti toimivassa Firma Oy:ssa on liikkeellä eväsvaras, varoittaa eräs rosmon uhriksi joutunut työntekijä. Viimeisin tapaus sattui perjantaina ennen kahtatoista yrityksen Leppävaaran toimitilojen neljännessä kerroksessa.

Nälkäiseksi jääneeltä asiakaspalveluyksikössä työskentelevältä Maija Meikäläiseltä hävisi jääkaapista kinkkupizza. Meikäläinen pitää ruokavarkautta vakavana, ja on lähettänyt asiasta tiedotteen kaikille yrityksen työntekijöille sekä lehdistölle.

Varastelulle ei Meikäläisen mukaan ole puolustusta.

- Se, että ruuassa ei lue kenenkään nimeä ei todellakaan tarkoita sitä ettei se ole kenenkään, Meikäläinen sanoo.

Meikäläinen on ryhtynyt toimenpiteisiin ruoan varastelun lopettamiseksi ja voron kiinniottamiseksi. Tutkimuksistaan Meikäläinen paljastaa vain sen, että hän on “nälkäisenä vaarallinen”, ja että aikoo aloittaa jääkaapin tehovalvonnan.

- Webbikamera on asennettu, Meikäläinen sanoo.

Ilya

Saapuipa postilaatikkoon

Alla oleva ilmestyi tänään toimituksen postilaatikkoon. (Viesti ei ole kenenkään meidän työntekijältä.)

Hei!

Nyt on oikeasti joku huonotapainen ihminen liikkeellä, minunkin kinkkupizzani on lähtenyt 4.kerroksen jääkaapista! Se, että ruuassa ei lue kenenkään nimeä ei todellakaan tarkoita sitä ettei se ole kenenkään!

VARO! OLEN NÄLKÄISENÄ TOSI VAARALLINEN!!! WEBBIKAMERA ON ASENNETTU!

Ilya

January 11, 2004

Dinner for eight

People over, making dinner. Some people in the kitchen chopping vegetables, marinating tofu, washing dishes, splashing water on the floor. Some people in the huge living room, sitting and talking (about nothing much in particular), offering their help in the cooking, satisfied with not getting their hands wet. The apartment is shown around, yet again, as a new person arrives. We are all roommates, some old ones, some new. An evening that can’t be planned.

And yes, we got the apartment. It’s been a crazy month.

Ilya

January 7, 2004

  • Syy miksi Oraksella on Suomessa niin kova markkinaosuus.