...Is that they lose all common sense when they panic. The second problem with people is that they panic way too easily. They start running around screaming "Oh my god, we need to do SOMETHING!".
Bah, humbug!
Freeze!
So, a while ago I complained that the winter in here feels more like autumn. No snow anywhere, and it's not really cold at all. Well, all that changed with a bang (*! We are having around -15 to -25 degrees of coldness in here and there's snow everywhere. And it happened quite fast. Hell, just few days ago we were told in the news that power-companies are lowering their rates, because warm winter has caused energy-consumption to go down. Yesterday we were told that previous records of energy-consumption have been broken due to the coldness. They have actually turned on the reserve power-plants to cope with the demand. All in time-span of few days.
* = Yes, it can get cold with a bang. When temperature drops enough, the water inside trees freeze. When that happens, the trees start making this banging noise, as the frozen water in them expands. The trees do cope with it just fine though.
Yes, I'm keeping my eye out for the pillars of light. No luck yet, though.
* = Yes, it can get cold with a bang. When temperature drops enough, the water inside trees freeze. When that happens, the trees start making this banging noise, as the frozen water in them expands. The trees do cope with it just fine though.
Yes, I'm keeping my eye out for the pillars of light. No luck yet, though.
The sound of silence
So, now that I'm no longer sick, the Mrs. is. It's apparently a infection of the trachea. it was very painful few nights ago, and she (nor I) didn't sleep much. But she now has antibiotics and strong painkillers, so she's managing.
One of the things the infcetion has caused is that she can't talk. She can manage a faint whisper, but that's about it. So she communicates through writing and signs instead. So our household has been quite silent recently.
Related to this: I'm quite pissed at my mother in-law right now. She was the person who gave this to the Mrs. And she also infected her grandfather as well. Quick note: if you are ill, don't go marching around infecting other people! I would guess that the Mrs. has better things to do that to lie in bed crying because her throat feels like it's burning.
One of the things the infcetion has caused is that she can't talk. She can manage a faint whisper, but that's about it. So she communicates through writing and signs instead. So our household has been quite silent recently.
Related to this: I'm quite pissed at my mother in-law right now. She was the person who gave this to the Mrs. And she also infected her grandfather as well. Quick note: if you are ill, don't go marching around infecting other people! I would guess that the Mrs. has better things to do that to lie in bed crying because her throat feels like it's burning.
Cool words of the day
Few days ago I had a revelation. The Finnish word for "month" in "kuukausi". "Kuukausi" is composed of two separate words put together: "kuu" and "kausi". "Kuu" means "Moon", and "kausi" means "cycle" (as in time-period or something, not bicycle). So "kuukausi" means literally in English "A cycle of the Moon".
Related to this, I realised that the Finnish word for "Earth" is "Maailma". "Maailma" is composed of two separate words: "maa" and "ilma". "Maa" means "ground" or "land, while "ilma" means "air". So "Maailma" is "ground-air" (or "land-air") in English.
Who came up with this stuff? It's brilliant!
Off-topic, but... I have been sick the last few days. And although I'm back at work today, I'm still not 100% OK. But I'm getting better. I know that I should be sending some email, and I will do that ASAP.
Related to this, I realised that the Finnish word for "Earth" is "Maailma". "Maailma" is composed of two separate words: "maa" and "ilma". "Maa" means "ground" or "land, while "ilma" means "air". So "Maailma" is "ground-air" (or "land-air") in English.
Who came up with this stuff? It's brilliant!
Off-topic, but... I have been sick the last few days. And although I'm back at work today, I'm still not 100% OK. But I'm getting better. I know that I should be sending some email, and I will do that ASAP.
Let's enjoy a Wii!
As I said in my previous blog-spot, I bought a Nintendo Wii. Idea was to expand the possible activities me and Mrs. could do together (we have also took up swimming recently). And of course, I really liked the idea behind the machine. Mrs. hated the idea, and has told me for the last two months how "gaming sucks" and how she does not want a console in the home. But, I went and bought it anyway, confident that she would change her mind. Yes, I like living on the edge.
Few things about the machine first: It's beautiful white and refreshingly small. It has that feel of high quality around it. I like to just hold the controllers in my hands because they feel just right. The machine is also very silent.
So, has the machine vindicated itself? I kept telling the Mrs. that "They designed this machine to appeal to people who don't normally play games". Well, that's the theory. That's the thing I kept on telling myself. And the funny thing is... it actually works. Soon after I had set the device up, the Mrs. was having great time playing tennis on the console. She was really enjoying herself.
The real test took place on sunday as my in-laws were visiting. I showed the console to my father in-law and gave him the controllers. After two minutes, he was having a blast playing boxing. He's not a gamer. He simply does not play games, on computer or console. But it took about two minutes to get him hooked on the Wii.
So, both the Mrs. and the father in-law having great time playing games on a console. Hell is freezing right about now.
Few things about the machine first: It's beautiful white and refreshingly small. It has that feel of high quality around it. I like to just hold the controllers in my hands because they feel just right. The machine is also very silent.
So, has the machine vindicated itself? I kept telling the Mrs. that "They designed this machine to appeal to people who don't normally play games". Well, that's the theory. That's the thing I kept on telling myself. And the funny thing is... it actually works. Soon after I had set the device up, the Mrs. was having great time playing tennis on the console. She was really enjoying herself.
The real test took place on sunday as my in-laws were visiting. I showed the console to my father in-law and gave him the controllers. After two minutes, he was having a blast playing boxing. He's not a gamer. He simply does not play games, on computer or console. But it took about two minutes to get him hooked on the Wii.
So, both the Mrs. and the father in-law having great time playing games on a console. Hell is freezing right about now.
Cash-flow
I have been out of control lately. I have been spending money of all kinds of things. I guess it started around October (IIRC) when I bought the new camera. It cost me quite a bit, but it was one-off thing. Soon after that I got the new car. Well, I took a loan for that, but still. You could say that that's a one-off purchase, and a bigger purchase that was required due to the circumstances. Then came the Christmas, and I spent money on presents. But that too is a natural thing to do, right? Last weekend I bought a Nintendo Wii (comments about Wii will follow this blog-entry). No, there's no excuse for that one, apart from "I really wanted it". Just another gadget for the home. Rationally, what I should have said to myself is "You have already bought all kinds of things lately, give it a rest already". But I didn't.
So, I'm making a promise here and now: I'm going to start saving money. Yes, even through this spending-spree I have managed to save money (There's a fixed amount of money set aside every month), but my cash-flow has been negative. Yes my "savings" have gone up, but the amount of cash I have has gone down. It's time to become cash-flow positive again. And still, there are things that I would like to get. In short-term there's a scanner/printer/copier that I would like to get. Printer is a good thing to have, and it would be convenient for printing photographs. We shall see. Fact is that I have managed without printer for several years, so I could manage in the future as well. Maybe the Buddhists are right, the root-cause of suffering is desire?
So, I'm making a promise here and now: I'm going to start saving money. Yes, even through this spending-spree I have managed to save money (There's a fixed amount of money set aside every month), but my cash-flow has been negative. Yes my "savings" have gone up, but the amount of cash I have has gone down. It's time to become cash-flow positive again. And still, there are things that I would like to get. In short-term there's a scanner/printer/copier that I would like to get. Printer is a good thing to have, and it would be convenient for printing photographs. We shall see. Fact is that I have managed without printer for several years, so I could manage in the future as well. Maybe the Buddhists are right, the root-cause of suffering is desire?
It's beautiful
The Apple iPhone being demonstrated as we speak is the most amazing piece of engineering and design I have ever seen. I'm literally at a loss of words here.