all things me

Why is it that when I ask a question to which I want an actual answer, it’s next to impossible to know if the answer can be taken seriously? Is it a Man Thing^TM to smirk while replying — always?

Apparently I’ve been mistaken for an advertisement board. The phone I bought contained a pre-installed software for a wrong service provider. When I turn off the phone, it first displays this huge red logo for that wrong service provider and then Nokia (which I don’t mind). I guess when I turn on the phone it displays the same logo. The software is for easy-to-use WAP services which I wouldn’t mind, if they weren’t from the wrong service provider, thus unavailable to me. I wrote an angryish comment to the company (which sold the phone, not the wrong service provider) asking if the software could be removed, and the response was “the software must be updated, which costs 25 €”. So, I’ll just have to live with it. Perhaps one day I’ll make the wrong service provider a right one, if they offer good prices (I haven’t got a bill from my current provider yet — that’s how inexpensive they are), and can actually use the services already installed on my phone and flashing that annoying red logo in my face. Until then, I just have to keep my phone on all the time.

Hindsight is 20-20; I maybe should’ve asked if they had a phone without the darn pre-installed software. Or maybe I should’ve taken my money elsewhere. Agh, I’m so stupid. (But I still love my phone despite its huge red flaw!)

This morning I was choosing clothes to wear: black trousers, of course, then I took out my new black cheat shirt, looked at myself and thought “naaaah”. Instead, I wore the plum/maroon version of the shirt. What’s happening to me?! Am I, perhaps, getting old? Too old to feel comfortable in all black (well, except the white cuffs and collar)?

I reached double dozen today. Yay me. Grandma and grandpa got me Carrie (the S.K. book), and I got Sudoku book and coffee flavoured filled chocolates from Mum and Dad (Dad also got me a cell phone pouch). We also had some chocolate ice cream cake. Lovely.

Today is the official presidential election day. Later we’ll see whether Conan will have another 6 years of joke material. I wouldn’t mind, though, and he’ll get tired of the joke eventually, right? No? That’s what I thought…

Later we’ll also see whether the current president is so popular that there won’t be a second round. One of the other candidates has been using ‘second round’ in his campaing: “use your vote wisely so there will be a second round” (meaning, don’t vote for the current president who gets over half of the votes if polls are correct).

And yes, I already gave my vote.

When I hopped on the bus, a tall man in front of me shows his travelcard to the card reader; he pushes a button to pay for his trip but nothing happens so he walks away (into the bus). I show my card — unlimited, pre-paid travel — to the reader, nothing happens, I grunt and walk into the bus. But the driver stops me, “it didn’t read your card.” I say “the machine must be kaput” but wave the card again and luckily it works this time. Why did he stop me and not the man who should’ve paid for his trip? I must look like a juvenile delinquent.

delinquent; juvenile delinquent — A person who neglects or fails to do what law or duty requires. A juvenile guilty of antisocial or criminal behavior.

Some people who listen to music while they work to help them concentrate don’t realise how much noise they are making: tapping, drumming, fingernail clicking, humming, whistling…

I probably wouldn’t mind so much if the battery of my mp3 wasn’t barely empty. (I’ve never wished so badly for a day to end.)

Today I went to spend the Christmas money I’d got from Dad and a lottery ticket (the one where you scratch to find 3 same sums of money or three Xs or Os in a row — I’ve never won big, but this time I got 23,50 € which I think is better than nothing).

I bought myself some new clothes (the main reason I dragged myself to the centre). Three tops of which two are actually the same but in different colours (yes, the other really is non-black!). One is a cheat shirt because it looks like there’s a white collared shirt underneath but actually there are only the collar and cuffs sown to the sweater. Spares me the annoyance of layered long-sleeved clothes and doesn’t look too boring. The sweater and the other non-black shirt are dark red or maroon, something like that. Not very me-like, but maybe I’ll live.

I also bought Poets of the Fall CD (Signs of Life). I don’t usually like Finnish bands, so because I like this one I had to buy the CD. I also got Storm of the Century and Big Fish DVDs. They were 2 for 20 €, so after I’d found Storm of the Century (a Stephen King movie, what else), I wanted to find another. I haven’t seen Big Fish but Ewan McGregor is in it; it can’t be too bad.

This I’ve knitted myself

The heel is kinda odd because I misunderstood the instructions but I’m making another pair (this time knee high) and I’m doing it properly now.

I don’t understand knitting blogs, though. They’re really big in Finland at least. In case you’re interested — which I truly hope you’re not — I’ve finished perhaps 15% of the first knee-high sock. How thrilling.

Happy Winter-een-mas!!!

[Update Jan 14 ’06] At Vera’s request, I present: the almost-knee high sock

I didn’t have the patience to go on with the leg part. It’s more deformed than the short sock because I had to start with more stitches (loops) and improvise the rest. [/update]

• Christmas
• Birthday
• Snow (or the possibility of it)
• I don’t have to groom before taking the dog out because I can just hide my bad hair under a woolly hat.
• It’s not sweaty.
• I can sleep in properly because the sun (and the birds) don’t start invading my room at 3 am.
• People don’t wear open shoes.
• Apparently, in winter I get the energy to dive into my articles.

Our dog has a blog and even though I rarely write in it, I wanted to give it some time in the limelight. Well, it may be permanent – that box on the main page. There are some pretty photos and cool changing header image on the site. It’s a sort of sandbox for WP stuff — the rare occasions I have the energy to play with it (nowadays — or currently).

Hope you like it.

(Can you think of a more boring title? )

Merry Christmas everyone!! We have given out presents already, njah njah. I got wonderful things: Splinter Cell Chaos Theory (Kory, yay!!!) and Path of Neo. Ooooh, which to install? Both! I also got books — Secrets of the Code by Daniel Burstein (“The Unauthorised Guide to the Mysteries Behind the Da Vinci Code”) and “a guide for grammar police” or something like that And I got Donna Tartt’s Secret History from a friend of mine who got me the Little Friend by the same author a few years ago. It’s not my usual style of literature, but I liked Little Friend very much. I can’t wait to start with the new book. Sister had got me a Stephen King movie, Silver Bullet.

Now, to the title. I think, when you are little and your Dear Santa letters are like this…
– pretty pink Barbie
– candy
– somesuperduper Lego package
– some electric spy thingy gadget
– something pretty impossible to find
… each of those dashes represent the word ‘and’.

When you get older and your letters are like this…
– Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
– Path of Neo
– Prince of Persia Two Thrones
– Ring 2 DVD
– Call of Cthulhu
– something on Da Vinci Code
– very heavy dictionaries
– (you get the drift)
… the dashes represent the word ‘or’.

Each year I need to point this out to Dad when he gasps after seeing my wishlist. This year, it was pretty short though (SC:CT, PoN, PoP:TT), but the things I wished for weren’t cheap.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll need to hop into the boots of Sam Fisher and slip on the nightvision goggles.