Eating Muffins in an Agitated Manner

Motor Sports

 
  Taru
  Originally uploaded by ssssari.

Posted by Sari

My friend Taru's hobby is Enduro. Personally, I think she is bonkers but in a totally admirable 'OMG how on earth does she do it' kind of way. I am dogsitting for her this week-end because she is taking part in "Päijänteen Ympäriajo", a three-day classic race which apparently is held at this time of the year because the weather conditions are the worst possible. The history of the competition is called "Wet and Cold. Sixty times around Lake Päijänne". The contestants are usualy so covered in mud you can't really tell who is who at the finish.

This time this is especially true. There is more snow, water, sleet, mud on top of frozen groud, just plain mud and did I mention sleet and mud than previously, the spring being late.

We went to see her off and checked out a time-trial in Sipoo. When we piled back into the nice warm car on our way back to Helsinki it started to rain sleet. Taru continued to the next time-trial. In the dark. While it was raining. Over two hundred participants began the race, four of them Women. Did I tell you she is mad?

Horsing around

Posted by Sari

This week-end I have been busy volunteering at Equitainment show at Helsinki Fair Centre. The show was a fun mixture of all sorts of horsey music-hally numbers designed for family entertainment. There was Fonzie the pony, Finnish Horses, Carmen and Don José on horseback, camels doing dressage and lots of other entertaining show numbers. Great fun especially for kids.

After the show on Saturday Kyra held a clinic for dressage riders in TeamPP. It was wonderful and a bit surprising to see that over two-thousand people had bought a ticket to see Kyra explain her training-method with the help of her students. Dressage sure has gotten more popular since the early 1990s when we were actively touring competitions. Mexi was sitting next to me counting the flying changes, shifting her body weight on her chair and having flash-backs to staring at the corners of the manege...

All in all, it was fun. Not to mention a very good chance to excercise my spoken swedish...

Golf and Scholarship

Posted by Sari

Channel 4 digi is showing British Open. Not a reason to do a jig in itself as golf is a boring TV sport, but this year Open is again at the Old Course of St. Andrews, which has made me nostalgic. The views from the 1st and 18th fairway towards the Royal and Ancient golf club just makes me go all misty-eyed. Studying at St. Andrews was great:  teaching was excellent and the milieu was just incredible. (As an example, the bilding on the left right -you have no Idea how hard passing driving test was when you have difficulty distinguishing left and right - in the picture from the fairway is Hamilton Hall, one of the dorms)

I tried to do as much of the standrewy things as possible while I was over there: lived in a hall of residence, had my turn at the High Table Sunday lunch, walked the pier walk went to debating society meetings, took part in the rasin-weekend (excluding the foam-fight), never stepped on the initials in front of the chapel, went to ceilidhs, saw Twelfth Night staged at the ruins of the Bishop's Castle and even tried some golf - defenitely not my sport.

The smallness of the Town and the ubiquitousness of Golf can cause cabin feaver, but even if the passage of time is making the past more golden than it really was, I really had fun. And managed to do more work and get better grades than ever in Finland to boot. I rather thing the Anglo-American university system suits me buch better than the Finnish German-based system.

Seleção!!!

Posted by jukkahoo

Brrrrraaaaaaaaazzzzzzzziiiiiillllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[samba] Auriverde rules! What could be more "beautiful game" than that? Adriano! Kaká! Ronaldinho! And Adriano again! 4-1!

Did you see how Cicinho played? The tiny man assisted in all four goals. Magnificent! He may well be the answer for Cafú´s probable departure from the international games in the near future (he did leave Auriverde after Japan, but he seems to have changed his mind at some point). Sadly, Gilberto is no Roberto Carlos, even though he isn't bad. Not just... great enough. If only Roque Junior wouldn't be Carlos Alberto Parreira's backrubber or summat.

And finally Kaká woke up. A lot of work during previous four matches, but little to show for it. Juninho Pernambucano played (what, a game and a half?), scored a glorious goal and showed amply why he is the heart and soul of Olympic Lyonnais. Kaká needs to play like this (and like he does with AC Milan) in order to keep his position. But then again, it's CAP, he is notorious for sticking with the system, and at present the system is Kaká with Ronaldinho. We'll see what happens next year, when the three champions (Il Phenomena, Il Pendolino and RC) are thrown into the mix.  Ronaldo AND Adriano up? Robinho and Ronaldinho passing the ball on up-midfield and Kaká with Whoever-likes-to-defend behind them? With Roberto Carlos and Cafú (or my new favourite Cicinho) running the sides. Could Ze Roberto or Emerson take Roque Junior's place?!! Please...?

And Adriano! Il Imperatore was sublime tonight. Two outstanding goals and great moves through-out the game. That left feet is worth its weigh in gold-pressed platinums. And more. Much more.

The Canaries are now the reigning World Champions, Confederation Cup and Copa America Champions. Rather impressive. A week ago the under-21 team were still the reigning champs. And I believe the under-17 team champions are... Brazil!

AURIVERDE!!!! [/samba]

(Um, yes... the Swecon report. RSN. Meanwhile, read what Tero has to say about it.)

It's over

Posted by jukkahoo

Yes, the rather valiant effort by Team Finland was, alas, not enough before the might and SKILL of the players from East.

But was it not a match? Lucky goals, brave attacking, furious defence and some very energetic attempts by our Men in Whites. It was our continuation period, but as the time soon/slowly was up, it was penalty shootout-time and what little hope there was, was soon done with, over, lost, finished.

I could've wished for more with this team, but not more of this fighting spirit. This was a TEAM in the end, not just a bunch of 2nd-tier NHL-players and Swiss League veterans. It was a noble effort and I thank you, my dear brave warriors for it. Thank you.

We had a nice bunch of delightful Scottish bottles for various players and as I write this, we have drinked Jere, Päällikkö, Scapanen and even a wee bit of IFK (Ileach) whisky.

Next year it's Latvija and Riga. Looking forward for that one. Good Night and may Team Sweden win the Ice Hockey World Championships in 2005!

Existential hockey angst

Posted by Sari

Kisastudiossa on tänä vuonna huonekalujen laajoista järjestelyistä huolimatta jouduttu Ukraina-peliä lukuunottamatta turvautumaan lattiapaikkoihin. Yleisömenestyksen seurauksena yllekirjoittanut on syönyt aivan liikaa naposteltavaa ja jos joku tässä kuussa mittaisi tuota alkoholinkulutusta niin saattaisi jopa tuloksista huolestua. Asiantuntevasti on kisastudiossamme seurusteltu Suomen joukkueen vahvuuksista ja heikkouksista (Jussi Jokinen kentälle! Mitä se Saravo siellä tekee! Voi hyvä luoja, Kallio! Tuosta olisi Hal Gill tehnyt jo maalin…) Kiitettävästi ovat myöt viskipullot tehneet maaleja, korkkaamatta taitaa tällä hetkellä olla enää Viuhkola. Ja okei, se nolo annospullo Kolmea Leijonaa  jonka avolanko toi Kuhdan pulloksi ennen kun karkasi ansaittua kuittia pakoon Kiinaan asti.

Koska jostain syystä eräs huomioni ei saanut tarpeellista vastakaikua studion jäsenistä koen tarpeelliseksi levittää angstiani. Minusta on kovin mielenkiintoista se että niin monessa joukkueessa on tänä vuonna sukunimikaimoja. Meillä on Jokinen ja Jokinen, Tsekillä on Kaberle ja Kaberle, Kazakstanilla Koreshkov ja Koreshkov, Tanskalla Degn ja Degn, Slovenialla Rodman ja Rodman, Slovakeilla Hossa ja Hossa (ja valmentajana kolmas Hossa). Ruotsi yrittää viedä tässäkin voiton koska heillä sekä Sedin ja Sedin että Jönsson ja Jönsson. Sveitsillä ja Kanadalla ei ole sukunimikaimoja joukkueessan mutta heillä molemmilla ja Tsekillä on toisaalta kaikilla pelaaja nimeltä Fis(c)her. Tämä tekee elämän vaikeaksi fantasiajoukkueen valmentajalle, kun selostaja vaahtoaa Kaberlen komeasta maalista ei voi olla koskaan varma onko kyseessä se oikea Kaberle (Frantisek). Ja antoiko sen syötön nyt Slovakian Satan vai Stana? Loppuvatko maailmasta sukunimet kesken?

Ice Hockey and Vappu

Posted by jukkahoo

It's almost May and so it's also the time to start lying to oneself and create unrealistic expectations from the team in Blue and White. Yes, it's Springtime for Team Leijonat!

Kisastudio will be located at Casa Tali with appropriate furniture movements provided by Yours Truly and some unsuspecting Male of the species (my money is on JussiTee). Since the first game (vs. Denmark; jukkahoo says 5-1) begins at around 9.15 PM, we're heating up the sauna beforehand. Nothing like clean skin and rousing ice-hockey match. Or something.

Vapusta tuli mieleeni hassu juttu: luin tässä oikean työskentelyn lomassa ystävien ja yhteistyökumppaneiden verkkopäiväkirjoja ja törmäsin erään satunnaisen tuttavan sivulla toivotukseen: "Happua Vappua!"

"No jopas," (sanotaan Syksy Räsäsen äänellä), tokaisin ääneen ja totesin moisen sanonnan olevan aika hauska tapa toivottaa tätä työläisten ja opiskelijain juhlaa. Voisiko tästä tulla tapa? Tai ede spienenpiirin perinne?

Kunnes vaisun epäluuloisena ihmisenä palasin jo pois klikkaamalleni sivulle, löytääkseni vain sen tavanomaisen ja tylsän hauskaavappua -tervehdyksen. Blaah. Se ei kuitenkaan ole mikään syy olla ottamatta käyttöön uutta ja toivottavasti laajalle leviävää tervehdystä:

Happua Vappua!!!

The Curse is broken!

Posted by Sari

In honor of Boston Red Sox finally taking home the world series, below is a stream of consciousness report of the seventh game of the American League Final written in a dingy little guest room at West Side YMCA in NYC, as it was all goingo down:

Here I am sitting on my bed in NYC watching – believe it or not – baseball. The American League Championships Series, the Yankees against Red Sox, seventh game. Boston’s ability to loose the important games is legendary, I can’t think any team who has been so near but so far for so long. The story goes it is the curse: Boston sold Babe Ruth to Yankees, and haven’t won a world series since. That is about eighty something years. Everybody from presidential candidates to cartoonist have been making jokes about how big a masochist do you have to be to be a Sox fan.

But miraculously, and first time in the history of baseball, it seems like a team which was down three to nothing is making a come back and going to the World Series. It is the bottom of the eight at Yankee Stadium and the game is 9 to 3 for the Red Sox.

I, of course, know next to nothing of baseball. For me, it is the slower more boring version of Pesäpallo, with the funny pajamas for uniforms. Honestly, I am not even clear on the off-side rules, even though Jukka (the Mets fan) has been trying his best to teach me. Even so, I am supporting Red Sox, yes I am. Because, well firstly Yankees. The Manchester United of baseball, ew. And secondly, even though the dry seasons with HIFK are nothing compared to the eighty something years  of disapointments for Red Sox, there is some fellow-feeling there.  Oh, and I have seen the outside of Fenway Park, but I have never seen Yankee Stadium. That I know of.

… And apparently they just had another run. I don’t know how, because I thought the Yankees outfield caught the ball, but whatever. Top of the ninth and 10-3. I mean, not even Sox can screw up that lead. Right now there are people running up and down the corridor shouting bottom of the ninth! 10-3, yes! (I suppose it is the bottom now because the long-haired bearded guy, Johnny something,  just came the third player out)

Ooh, and there is a japanese guy batting for the Yankees. I remember being more than a bit surprised to learn baseball is a big thing in Japan. And nothing is happening, they are walking up and down the diamond chewing something. Gum? Tobacco? Ooh, Two out for Yankees. Looking good for Sox, except the pitcher threw four wonky ones, and that Yankee guy got a freebie to first base.

Aflec still has the duck in the commercials! I like that duck. And now with the statistics. Quite as inexplicable as in cricket. And they did it. It is midnight, and people are partying in the corridor. Hotel, you see people out of town. Fox commentators are comparing the come back to Lake Placid Ice Hocey gold. And I am still thinking the mistake was to take Tretjak out of goal. Fox has cameras in bars in where people are partying. Billy Chrystal did not look that happy. At least I think it was Billy Chrystal.

And who are they playing against in in the World Series? Astros or Cardinals, apparently, whoever they are. There seems to be a new reality series Nanny 911, where a supernanny comes to help tired and worn out parents with their unmanageable progeny. Now lets see what the pundits will say. Historical come-back blablabla… Inredible night for Red Sox blablabla…. They believed in themselves blablabla… And now with the pouring of the champagne. This commentator guy is calling Sox a feisty and rugged team. Oookay. And there was a very cute “Just Do It” commercial from Nike, the almost ninety years on Fenway park. I am sure it is online somewhere. I think things are quieting down in the corridor, maybe I get to sleep at some point…

Guys, this is a disaster says the local Fox affiliate reporter.

Not a lot

Posted by jukkahoo

... happening. Been, that is. Mostly work, since there is that again. Something though.

The EURO´04 Championships have been entertaining and full of surprises. The Great ones have fallen one by one, mostly due to that pesky Greece. Greeks are in the final! With Portugal. Both teams are coached by a foreign coach (Rehakles and Big Phil), both have never won anything (in terms of adult football success) and both are relatively minor league teams. Portugal is a definitive favourite, with more world-class players (as the saying goes) and the pretty much fanatic support of the home crowd, but those Greek-fans are pretty loud and actually beyond fanaticism as it comes to supporting. In a good way, let's hope. This could go either way.

My "beloved" Czechs managed to clinch the defeat from the jaws of victory, as is now popular to say. They should have won the game, but alas! This time strategy and willpower outnumbered skill and... whatnot. Elán. I'm not too stressed about this, I could've lived with each and every one of the last Four (4th being Holland), though I least like the orange-shirts. My before-games prediction was eerily good. I picked 6/8 of qualifyiers (Spain and Italy being the wrong ones) and my last Four were 3/4 (with Spain in place of Greece). Final being Portugal-Czech with the latter winning.

I'm going with Portugal. It may finally become the "Brasil of Europe". It only needed real Brasilians in order to make it thus far. Go Deco, go Big Phil! Campéaos!

Oh, and I saw a doctor (9th?) again. She was a very nice (Russian?) woman called Shabasavskaja (or thereabouts). We share the year of birth and regarding that, thought that we're not really that old - if old at all. Prime of our life, barely 25.

And she told me that all the results from the tests were good, within all normal parameters and even my gout seems to be a thing of the far future, as my urine acid levels are less than they were last time. Yowza! Yahoo! Yatzy! Yello! Yonkers! Next check: October.

Yesterday was the day of the annual Helsinki SF Associations Suomenlinnan Kesäretki. The person in charge of the weather has been taken care of.

Some stup... brave souls decided to brace the elements and apparently spent several un-godly hours in the tunnels of Kustaanmiekka. Considerably more intelligent people (like myself and some Turku-fen) never ventured to the Naval Fortress of Elemental Misery and Dampness, but headed straight-away to the Helsinki University SF Clubhouse and had a decent picnic there, in warm and... in relatively pleasant conditions. At least there weren't any bananaflies around. The Stormtroopers managed to reach mainland and the Clubhouse around 7PM and much fun was had by all.

I've read very little lately, with Euro´04 and all that work, but I hope things will turn out differently soon. More when that happens.

There is also the little thing called Finncon happening soon. Next weekend actually. See you there?

Sana hallussa

Posted by Sari

Vaikka englantilaisesta jalkapallosta en paljoa perusta niin heidän kolumnisteilleen on syytä nostaa hattua, on vaikea kuvitella että tätä kielikuvaa voisi vielä pitemmälle venyttää:

"England didn't just snatch defeat from the jaws of victory - they climbed down victory's throat, reached down victory's gut into victory's colon, grabbed defeat by the reeking tail, hoiked it out and slapped each other gleefully in the face with it like a wet salmon."

Koko artikkeli löytyy täältä.