Snowy ride to town and back

In the morning the sky was little overcast and grey, this evening the ground is white and beatiful. Will it last or not? My pessimistic Finnish opinion is that the snow will melt in the most inconvenient time possible to produce slush puddles just wide enough that you can't quite make it jumping over them..
Pessimism aside, after interesting meeting with the professor to whom I might be doing my thesis for I headed to town to meet Halle.
Snow coming down and melting as it hit the ground. I managed not to fall on my way. We had quick lunch at Mac's Steak house... and found some two sided tape for our mirrors, which we bought from the recycling center last weekend.
Halle braved the snowy roads and hopped on her bike also and we made it back home, with only minnor fears for our noses and fingers. They are still attached to us and not even turned white. PHEW..
.

Thicker than pea soup

Finland's traditional Thursday meal was only surpassed in soupiness today by the weather. It's turned cold and foggy with the possibility of snow tomorrow. Coming back from Prisma up the incline of the Joutsentie bridge the cyclists in front of me, shadowy black silhouettes, ascended like silent specters and disappeared in the mist.

Trip to recycling center

It was overcast gray day, wind and spitting rain.. you could say it was almost dark and gloomy night, right before the day of elections for the local council. We took off with our bikes to make our way to the recycling center... and after some reassuring that we are still in "Greater Oulu area" and that the place is just around the corner we made it. 1 h before closing.. best ever timing if you ask me... unless shopping for some gadgets...
The social democratic party greeted us, tired travelers, with BBQ sausages and chocolate goodies and what not to bribe our precious votes. With Ellis (great aunt) threatening voice still ringing in my ears: "not one of our family has gone left!" I ate the juicy sausage, had some hot coffee and lovely chocolate.. Elections elections election.. of local council....
On our way back, we had to snap a photo of this sign... don't do it... or your car will get wet...
The elections came and went, I did my civic duty... til next elections I guess..

Carpet Beating

How Finns maintain their calm exterior...

The birds ate all the rowan berries

These little feathery friends came and ate all the red berries from the trees around our home...Now most of the leaves are gone, berries and I am getting ready for snow, not just the occasional frost on the ground in the morning. As this Sunday we will forget to turn the clocks and are 1 hour early on the move to the church... it would be nice if some snow flakes would be floating down to decorate the landscape here..

Second step on the long road to dentistry

Yesterday I managed to pass yet an other test, on neuron anatomy and advanced tiny little step closer to being a dentist. But what did I really learn, latin names for different parts of human brain and nervous system.. And how is all that relevant to being a dentist?

On my 3 day working experience, when I didn't work, but watched other dentist work obviously, I learned that dentistry really is manual labor. The courses that tech this skill are yet 2 years away, till then I will have to crawl through whole library of theory about medicine and anatomy. I guess for the unsuspecting future client of mine it is reassuring to know that I can pinpoint any part of his body and call it with Latin name.... I will be like a consultant, I can tell what is wrong with their pelvis or at least take educated guess, but have to tools for fixing it... hmm..


Today is the day of, recycling center visit... let us hope we find the stuff we need, not so much the stuff we want.. :) well I am sure it will be worth the 7km bike ride in lovely Oulu Autum weather.

Crazy Dayz

At the end of the week Stockmann had their annual sale "Hullut Päivät" (crazy days), we needed to take a look, even if there was nothing we particularly wanted, except kitchen clock and other stuff..
Our lazy Saturday morning extended to 1pm after which we made our reluctant way to tow in a lazy cold drizzle.. The premature Halloween ghost advertized crazy days and scared the kids on the street.








Our shopping was short but sweet, one kitchen clock and coffe.. vanilla flavor.
I think every kitchen needs a clock, for cooking and for that hurried slow morning coffee, when you bare witness to the fastest fifteen minutes of the day...right before you have to brave the sub zero arctic weather and battle the psychological polarbears on the way to school... Now that we have the clock on the wall I can keep my eye on the long arm..

I think Halles choice was excellent! the french style mixed with our...finnish american-english (Marmite jars)..

My old job..

Just got mail from Antti, my dear twin, who directed me to a website with info on world financial crisis.. and voila, there was RBS!! How strange as when I worked there their weekly report on RBS always talked so highly about the bank and their good investments. And not only that, their employers money is highly tied to the bank.. I wonder if they have their retirement plans in order now... ?