Happy Xmas

Xmas shopping almost complete. The earliest I have ever been ready!

And this was just too good not to post! I wonder what is wrong with our driving? - Thanks Amanda!

The incomparable Jack Black!

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/c0cf508ff8/prop-8-the-musical-starring-jack-black-john-c-reilly-and-many-more-from-fod-team-jack-black-craig-robinson-john-c-reilly-and-rashida-jones

Frickin Brilliant!!

Blah blah blah

I have been trying to get my feet under me in my new job. So far so good :)
The last month has been a bit stressful and I haven't had time to really post much. Between starting the new job, having panic attacks that they will fire me (stupid insecurity must stop) and dealing with family health issues (Grandma is quite ill, Mom has more blockages in her heart and may need another bypass, Sister has neurological damage in her spine which affecting her hands, StepMom falling and hurting her knee -results of the MRI and decision about surgery to come -, da Finn needing an MRI and possible surgery on the left shoulder - damned rotator cuff ) and just general change of seasons crap..I have been up to my eyeballs in stress.

I must apologize for being out of contact with my dearest friends lately. I have no excuses just the explination above.

So shout out to SUG, Mel, K, D, Pia, Ange, Donna, Shawn, and all my other peeps.

Radio Silence

Okay..so I took a month off from blogging. Not because I was exhausted or had nothing to contribute to the world (which is usually the case), but because i had so much bottled up inside me and I couldn't let any of it out without jeopardizing certain pans in certain fires.

End Radio Silence -

I officially gave notice at my firm on Monday. I was hemming and hawing about when to do it due to the potential giant karma doggie bite (which may still nip my patootie) by not telling them BEFORE taking advantage of a certain employee benefit of a week of lodging on the French Riviera in the company apartment. The debate was: If I tell them now - will they revoke my week in the sunny French South with 4 friends and da Finn thus causing 5 people to have spent some serious dosh on plane tickets to a place with no where to stay and thus making me dig around for a hotel room/house would have cost an astronomical amount of money and they would have all either beat me about the head and neck or made me pay them the money that they spent on their transpo??... With the fear of the karma pooch firmly in my brain (thanks K), I decided that I would not tell them until I came back from my holiday..

When I told K that my company didn't know, she warned me of the karmic payback on its way eventually..UNTIL I informed her that the reasons (aside from the primo offer I got) I had NOT told them were:

1. My fully paid summer holiday which was promised to me when I signed my contract never happened - thus the 1 week in June and 1 week in September - holy back to the US system Batman...save me
2. The position I was hired for I am STILL not doing
3. The emergency "short term" customer engagement I was asked to take (and being the good company girl I stepped up to the plate) which was only to last for 2 months tops.. - I AM STILL DOING
4. The 50% allocation that I have for that project is actually 5 people at 100% allocation worth of work and the customer will NOT pay overtime but expects me to get everything done.
5. After telling my boss I wasn't happy and this was not good (6 times I might add) - I was told that "I can't say No to the customer." and then proceeded to "sell" the other theoretical 50% of my open time to ANOTHER customer...which I shouldn't be in project work to BEGIN with!
6. Have I mentioned that I HATE being spoken about like a frakin horse? You don't "sell" me to anyone damn it!

After informing her of the 6 items above she assured me that the possibility of karmic chomping is minimal :)


So..I have accepted the offer officially from my soon to be new employer and I sign my contract this week. I am officially free from my current employer as of 24 September and start at the new joint 1 October. I have it in writing that my full summer holiday is guaranteed to me next summer and I can even take some winter time too! Did I also mention that this new job has Z-E-R-O project work and I am entering management? I will give more details on the job when I officially start as I don't want to tempt the gods into having something bad happen before then.

Okay..so the trip..


Ya know..I thought that when we landed in Nice that the part of my froggy heritage would come screaming to the forefront and I would have some sort of epiphany or swelling of familial pride...yeah..didn't happen. I kept waiting for it..and waiting for it...and...nada.. However! - some highlights:

- French people on scooters are frakin insane...and so are italian ones..Sure pass me on the left while I am taking a left turn..go right ahead you FREAK!

- NEVER have a 3 burner ceramic topped stove...ugh

- 2 balconies is ALWAYS a good thing

- When in the Cap Martin/Menton area - go to Italy for cheap wine..hey it is a 5 minute drive to the border

- The Mediteranian ocean is amazing

- French people in the area we were in are REALLY nice

- My french language skills are crap - and finally K and D believe me...I have been saying it for years..but now it is proven - thanks papa..

- K and D are really good cooks - despite a 3 burner ceramic topped stove

- In France poop is le poop...in Italy il poopo .... not really..but we had fun saying it

- Never try to get a car the size of an army tank into a parking spot in France unless you are parallel parking...oy vey

- We really ARE that funny

- The A8 is NOT as easy to find as you think when exiting the Nice airport - okay it probably is..but not for me...Look kids Parliment..Big Ben

- Dudes named Christophe who are waiters in Au Grand Inquisiteur rock

- DON'T drink the desert wine..unless you have NOTHING else

- K doesn't really like going down winding roads on the side of a mountain

- Finns have NO sense of distance and a freakin crazy if they expect me to walk up over 2000 steps in 29 degree Centigrade heat and 80% humidity..freaks ALL OF THEM!

- 7 euro for a beach chaise lounge all day is AWESOME

- The countryside and views in the area of Cap-Martin, Menton, La Turbie, Eze...all fabulous

- We are a curse to K and her ankles

- I haven't laughed that hard for that many days in a very long time

- The French Riviera in September is still H-O-T

I am sure there are TONS of things I am leaving out..but that is the general summary...

Absurdity

Ya know when you were a kid and they told you never stare directly at the sun because you will go blind...

Well..I am not blind..but I have a lovely yellow dot right now in my field of vision. Silly me decided it would be a great idea to use my mobile phone as the reflective service for viewing the eclipse today...um..yeah..not gonna do that again. .

I am sure the dot will fade...however...I wonder how my eye doctor would react to me coming back and saying .."umm...er...I burned my retina..."

Then again..could I sue Nokia for making their N82 reflective and there by causing my "dot"?... Something absurd to ponder..

And on a lighter note..

Since I went on a rant in my previous post, I figured I would lighten it up a bit.

Streakers hit Charles polo match

Three male
streakers invaded the pitch being watched by the Prince of Wales during an annual society polo event. The naked trio emerged from the grandstand during a match between England and Australia at the Cartier International event in Windsor.

Two returned to the stand but the third was cheered as he fled stewards and hurdled two metal barriers to escape. Prince Charles, who was overseeing the event in place of the Queen, watched the spectacle from the royal box.

The Cartier International, held at the Guards Polo Club within the
grounds of Windsor Great Park, is one of the most glamorous dates in the social calendar. Some 25,000 people attended the event, which took place on the hottest day of the year so far. The intervention of the streakers, who stripped off during the final chukka, temporarily halted play.

However, England went on to win 10-9 and lift the trophy.
England team captain Luke Tomlinson later said it was not the first time he had played in a match interrupted by naked intruders.

"You are so focused on the game you hardly notice. It brings a bit of
humour in and the crowd seem to enjoy it," he said.

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the club said: "I think it is the hot
weather and the Pimms to blame. These things happen."

I love Pimms..and it has been known to release some of my inhibitions as well.

I just love the British sense of humour.

The American Dream

My ass!

I was just reading how the minimum wage in the U.S. is going up to a whopping $6.55 (2.81€) an hour and ultimately in 2009 (yes 2009) it will be an astounding $7.25 (3.11€) an hour. The idea that this amount of money will even support 1 person let alone a family is beyond me!

For example:

In 2006, the median monthly rent in Massachusetts was $933 per month. Now, MA is 5th on the list of rents (Hawaii, California, New Jersey, and Maryland are higher). However:

6.55 X 40 hours of work = $1034.90 BEFORE TAXES
Factor in State and Federal Taxes, FICA and let's just chop about 30% off that which leaves you a total of: $724.43

Of which you need to:
Pay rent
Buy Food
Utility Bills (electric, gas, etc)
Transportation (T pass - metro card for you Finns) - don't even THINK about a car
Health insurance - yeah like you can afford THAT..

Now..if the AVERAGE rent is $933 a month in the great state of MA, how can one even remotely expect to live on that minimum wage?Let alone feed themselves, clothe themselves, transport themselves to that job which doesn't even allow them enough to pay their rent?

Oh and then the the economists and small business state: "But if we raise the minimum wage, we will be forced to pass on the added expense to the consumers.."

BITE ME!

The 2007-2008 poverty threshold was measured according to the HHS Poverty Guidelines:
Persons (in the family unit) Annual Income threshold
1 $10,400
2 $14,000
3 $17,600
4 $21,200

so for each additional person add $3600.

The richest country in the world and they are saying that 1 person is in poverty if they make less than 10,400 bucks a year...well with the minimum wage hike, that lovely 1 person is now not in poverty!

WHAT A JOKE!

Simplicity -

This song has just captivated me lately. It is deceptively simple..but sheesh..i love it..

RIP Funny Lady

Sadly, the entertainment industry lost the great comedy actress Estelle Getty today.

As Sofia:


Out of the makeup:

Lesbo Lesbo Lesbo Llllllesbo!!!

Let me say that again..LESBO! (now that I won't be banned from saying it)

This just was too precious NOT to post (thanks MSNBC):


Greek court rules lesbians not just from Lesbos
Island residents asked for a ban on use of 'lesbian' to describe gay women

ATHENS - A Greek court has dismissed a request by residents of the Aegean island of Lesbos to ban the use of the word lesbian to describe gay women, according to a court ruling made public on Tuesday.

Three residents of Lesbos, the birthplace of the ancient Greek poetess Sappho whose love poems inspired the term lesbian, brought a case last month arguing the use of the term in reference to gay women insulted their identity.

In a July 18 decision, the Athens court said the word did not define the identity of the residents of the island, and so it could be validly used by gay groups in Greece and abroad.

The ruling ordered the plaintiffs to pay court expenses of $366.2.

"This is a good decision for lesbians everywhere," Vassilis Chirdaris, lawyer for the Gay and Lesbian Union of Greece, told Reuters. "A court in Athens could not stop people around the world from using it. It was ridiculous."

He said the plaintiffs were free to appeal the decision in a higher court.

Lesbos, which lies just off the Turkish Coast, has become a gathering spot for gay women from around the world, especially at the village of Eressos which is regarded as the birthplace of the poet in the 7th century B.C.

Several residents testified during the trial that the use of the word lesbian had brought recognition to the island and boosted its tourist trade.

Conversations with my SUG leads to..

..random photos being shown to me by my Finnish workmates.

So Sug and I were chattin' last night and in our unique way of communicating through diggs and jibes, I actually told her that I could contain myself and not be star struck around major hollywood movie types if I were to ever get a chance to be on the set of a movie she is producing at any time in my life. She then brings up one of my favorite actresses. I extolled my virutes of patience and decorum...yaddayadda...she wasn't buyin'

Flash forward to work this morning - my workmate asks if I have seen a particular picture which was in the newspaper on Wednesday. I reply no I haven't.

I must now state with absolute certainty, I would never be able to not be gobsmacked if I ever met this woman... SUG..you were right..

If this is 63...HOLY WOW!! And not 1 stitch of plastic surgery..

Go Spy Daddy!

Okay, I know I am a geek. I also have a penchant for seriously loving corny stuff. Yes, I cry at Hallmark commercials - however not recently as Hallmark isn't in Finland..

There is just something that warms my heart seeing Spy Daddy do this..



Oh..and for the record, I actually like this show.

There I said it.

The wheels on the bus go round and round.

I don't know why I am slightly surprised by this:

Rove ignores subpoena, refuses to testify
The former White House adviser could face contempt charges as a result




You can click on his ugly mug to get the story.. UGH!

Slippery Slope

As most of you who know me are aware, I am an unashamed, bleeding heart, tree hugging, liberal in most senses. In other areas it can sometimes seem to me that a mini-republican has invaded parts of my thought processes and I have to actively struggle against those tendencies. Lately, I have heard myself utter words that I never thought I would hear come out of my mouth. Things like:

"Those damned alcoholic bastids need to stop using their unemployment, which my tax money pays for damn it, to by booze. Cut them all off! Make them get a job and contribute to society for crying out loud!"

"Stupid people who live off unemployment need to get off their asses and get a fucking job already. I am tired of paying taxes out the ass to support a family of 435 people who are fully capable of working!"

It brings such a disturbing level of shame to myself to hear my own voice utter such broad statements of intollerance and well...conservativism.

And then I come across something like this:

New Police Chief Wants Everyone's Fingerprints
Published 09.07.2008, 07.14
Source: YLE

Finland's new National Police Commissioner Mikko Paatero wants police to have access to a controversial national fingerprint database being planned for passport identification purposes.

In an interview with the newspaper Aamulehti, Paatero said that the planned fingerprint database would be an excellent investigative tool for the police.

Current plans call for all passport applicants to be fingerprinted no later than as of next June. If implemented, this means in practice that the fingerprints of nearly all Finnish adults will be on record within the next ten years.

An Interior Ministry task force is in charge of formulating the details of the new database. Plans already do include its use in the investigation of serious criminal offences and in the identification deceased persons and disaster victims.

Finland's Data Protection Ombudsman Reijo Aarnio is opposed to the establishment of the fingerprint database. He says that potential mistakes and misuse could cause serious problems for citizens. Aarnio believes that criminals will still be able to mislead the police by leaving fake prints at the scenes of crimes.

A final decision on setting up the fingerprint database will be taken by Parliament.


There are those people who say that if you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to worry about. What about personal privacy?!? What is next, a Finnish version of the Patriot Act??!

Ouch..

That would be the sound my wallet screaming in pain. Getting older suxors. Suxors to the tune of (as of today's exchange rates)611buckaroos to you the faithful masses who read my blog (all 6 of you most likely).

I finally found glass frames (sort of). Of course they are framelss bendable jobbers which will hopefully extend their lives in my treacherous care, but jesus h. christ on a pogo stick!

So in 3-4 weeks, my glasses/not glasses will be ready and I will be able to go get them..

they look someting like this...

At last..

and I am not talkin about Etta James.

2 1/2 years after moving into our flat and after saving some serious dosh, these are finally in..

Talky or no talky?

Okay..so I have been debating something in my head - and sometimes out loud with myself which really freaks people out - about whether or not I might start putting talky blog posts on here.

Now..this is a very delicate subject. A talky blog requires I can and will actually be able to speak coherently and also will kind of remove my "anonymity" and actually lend a voice to my rantings.

It may also open me up to all kinds of stalker types. I am not so sure I am ready for that. I do fully expect the slamming flames and the usual cracks about my Rick Springfield hair (still growing it out SUG)and nasty comments on the virtues or lack there of regarding my looks, fashion sense (or lack there of), and what overall makes me me. However, it would actually allow me to explore the whole video making/editing thing on my phone and also my webcam.

...ugh..indecision is killing me.. I wonder if I can do a talky blog without actually using MY face...oooohhh..now THAT just brings up a whole Conan-esque thing...

hmmmm...thoughts?

HA!

more cat pictures

RIP FUNNY MAN

The world lost a true genius. The following 10min video is his famous 7 words you can't say on TV. He always pushed the the envelope and made people really take a look at how we can take ourselves WAY too seriously.



and additionally...

Me and my optic nerve

So yesterday I went to the opthamologist. It had been about 10 years since I last went to the eye doctor due to seeing halos around stuff (que twilight zone music). My eye doctor in the States did an eye exam and informed me that I was developing about an 18 inch focal point (almost precisely the distance from the end of my nose to my computer monitor/laptop screen) and that I needed to take a few breaks each day during work and alter the focus of my vision to relieve the stress on the muscles in my eyes. Due to working so much without breaks, my eyes were getting really fatigued and by the end of the day the eyes were so tired that the way they did something (insert big latin word that I can't pronounce here) wasn't as efficient and that is why the light refraction around objects like tail lights, reflective surfaces etc appeared to have a sort of halo effect.

10 years later, I notice I am starting to get headaches more often and a bit of acheing in my eye sockets at the end of the day.

So, I make my appointment and go. First, let me say the doctor was very very nice and incredibly professional and smaaaaaaht. He goes through the whole look here, is this blurry, put your chin here and look through this yaddayadda. He then gets to the dialating my eyes so he can take a pressure reading (GROSS) and look at the gooey parts inside with is magic machine (ick!). It really was a surreal experience. He puts the drops in my eyes and says: "Okay we are going to wait about 10 minutes and then really take a look."...he then proceeds to ask me about the whole Democratic nomination thing - the States' elections are being watched with great interest here by many people..

Right..pupils the size of plates and we are ready to continue.. Right eye - pressure good, gooey parts where they should be. Left eye - pressure good, gooey parts where they should be and something EXTRA where it shouldn't be.

Long and short of it:
1.) The protective film over my eyes is way too thin to keep out the goop and crap in the air and I have a happy whole year supply of some sort of medicated drops.
2.) I need glasses - stigmatism in both eyes (not bad luckily)and that pesky 18inch focal point is even more pronounced - spectacles here I come..

and the kicker..

3.) I have a "tumor" (his words not mine)in my left eye very close to the optic nerve and about 3mm from an important blood vessel. Now I freaked out like mad when he told me this. TUMOR!??! WHAT??!! Deep breaths and he tells me that it is not very common, however it does not appear to be malignant. Now I need to go to some special eye place and have them take a picture of the inside of my eye (DOUBLE GROSS!) and also see an opthamologist every year to monitor it because if it grows at all it could press on my optic nerve or cause blood flow problems and we all know the result of that. On the other hand if that happens it would give a legitimate reason to wear an eye patch and then I could talk like a pirate every day :)

Did I mention that dialation of the pupil makes it IMPOSSIBLE to read or be in bright light without searing pain to my head? of course I had to have this done when we have 18 frakin' hours of sunlight!!!

Sing with me now:
I wear my sunglasses at night..

It Never ceases to...

piss me off at how much time I waste at the Office of Unwashed Masses (a.k.a. The Foreigner's Police Station in the Malmi section of Helsinki).

Last Thursday the UVI (immigration office) called da Finn to let have her tell me my permanent residency permit was at last finished processing (8 frakin' months later) and that I needed to drop off my passport so they could apply the auto-go-magic sticker to it and that I would need to leave the passport there for a few days. Okay..how long does it take to smack a sticker on the thing for chrissake?

Seriously..I got to the office at 8am (when they open)..the line was already 345433 people long. So I wait my turn for the deli-counter style number dispenser to give me my holy-grail of numbers only to find out that the queue which *I* need to be in doesn't open until 9am and the button is disabled until then. All the people who want the queue that I want have now lined up in front of the dispenser and will not go anywhere unitl 9. So..by the time I get in the right queue, I am number 16. I then have to wait again until the office I need to go to is open at 9 AND wait for the 15 people in front of me to be served. Did I mention there is no free wi-fi in that joint either..so I couldn't even get any work done while waiting!!!

1 hour later, ::bong:: E16 is up on the display. I get up and go to the office and hand the woman my passport stating my purpose for being there. She proceeds to put a yellow sticky on my passport, print out a document and tell me I have to come back in a few days to pick up the passport.. Soooo I have to go through this ALL OVER AGAIN!!!

..on the bright side, only 2 more trips to the land of the unwashed masses for me and then I have citizenship...hopefully...

Donna Reed, Bastard, DUCK!

Right..so I am hopefully going to be submitting my citizenship application fairly soon (depending on when the frakin' permanent residency permit is finished processing..but that is a horse of a different colour). Whilst going over the application, and being sure of satisfying all of the requirements: Crazy? (check), Pay insane taxes (Check), etc, - I came across the section asking for my parents' information. This info was asked on all of my residency permits too..except when I went past the standard portion of Name, where they live, country of citizenship, date of birth etc..there is another section (2.3) asking:


Ovatko edellä mainitut vanhemmat keskenään avioliitossa tai ovatko olleet? • Är de ovannämnda föräldrarna sinsemellan gifta eller har de varit sinsemellan gifta?
Kyllä, vihkimispäivä ja -valtio
Ja, vigseldatum och stat ___________________________________

Ei • Nej

Eronneet, avioeropäivä ja -valtio
Frånskilda, datum för skilsmässa, stat ___________________________________


Now, I realize wanting to know where my parents live, nationality, and date of birth, is standard (wouldn't want me bring over unsavory types after obtaining the brass ring of being a citizen of Suomi) but what the hell do they care about;

a: Are my parents are still maried - their wedding date and what country - who gives a flying frak in a donught hole?
b: If they are not married (and I am a bastard...well I am a bastard, but not in THAT sense)
c: Are my parents are divorced - the date they divorced, and in what country - see snarky comment from item "a"

I can just picture this conversation:
"Mum..um..ya know that guy you were married to for 11 years, still can't stand to be in the same room with him 30 years later, refuse to call him by his name and just refer to him as "THAT Man" when the topic of my paternity comes up?...Um..er..what is the date of your divorce?"

So..either it is Donna Reed, I am a Bastard or I better really duck fast after asking Mum that gem...although I suppose it will just be an ear chewing considering I am 5000 miles away :)

IMPEACH!!

Before you get all pissy and say "But Fusche..you live in Europe and pay taxes there." - I still have a right to be outraged. My folks - who should be retired by now damnit, but can't due to healthcare insurance needs - my brothers, my sister, my cousins, my friends, etc are all presently footing this cost.. This is a disgrace.

One step forward..

48 to go!

Next to go DOMA

Here's to being an optimist.

Fuggedda 'bou dit..

SO I was reading my daily dose of vapid entertainment news and I noticed that Dennis Farina got arrested.. How stupid can one be? I have to admit, that everytime I have seen him, my first thought is "made man". Then I read..he used to be a cop for 20 years.. Hell-ay's sunshine and dinners at Mr. Chow must have addled his brains..

This got me thinking about mobsters. Modern 'merican history is rife with tales of the modern day mob. I will admit, one of my favorite movies is Goodfellas. "What am I a clown? I amuse you? I make you laugh? Funny? Funny how?" BANG! - gotta love Joe Pesci. Then my mind wandered to my new country and it's history of "mobsters" (organized crime).

Here is a breakdown of the the organized crime families in the States (the list is long..feel free to just skim):
New YorkFive Families
Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese, Lucchese
Buffalo crime family ( AKA The Arm )
Morello crime family (extinct)

New Jersey
DeCavalcante crime family

Chicago
The Chicago Outfit, Genna crime family (extinct)

Pennsylvania
Scarfo crime family (Philadelphia) ,Bufalino crime family, Pittsburgh crime family

New England
Patriarca crime family

Cleveland
Cleveland crime family, Porello gang (extinct)

California
Los Angeles crime family
San Francisco crime family (later incorporated in the Los Angeles crime family as a crew)
San Diego crime family (later incorporated in the Los Angeles crime family as a crew)
San Jose crime family (later incorporated in the Los Angeles crime family as a crew)

New Orleans
New Orleans crime family

Missouri
St. Louis crime family

Kansas City
Kansas City crime family

Florida
Trafficante crime family

Detroit
The Detroit Partnership ( AKA The Combination )

Seattle
Colacurcio crime family (alleged) - the "alleged" cracks me up

Wisconsin
Milwaukee Crime Family


Finnish Organized Crime:
The Obtshak, a consortium of the Estonian Mafia and Russian Mafia holds a prostitution monopoly in Finland. They may also employ Finns as "minders", that is, gangsters.
There are a few motorcycle gangs as well..but let's face it...the Ruskies and Estonians are the predominate ones and they are in cahoots. 1 frickin' consortium? Sheesh. Fuggedda 'bout dit..

I then took a look at the crime statistics in Finland. For a country whos citizenry firmly believe that Finland is a relatively safe country (and for the most part it is: (per wiki) In Finland, 101 crimes per 1,000 people are reported annually, which is third highest in the world. Finland also has the highest homicide rate per capita in Western Europe being three times that of Switzerland for example.

I read this statistic and I was thinking to myself: HOLY CRAP! Then I took into account:
US total population as of July 2007 - 301,139,947
FI total population as of July 2007 - 5,238,460

...just a rambling thought today...

Getting my Geek on..

For those of you who know me, know I am a geek. Seriously..a geek of EPIC proportions (for a girl) in some ways. Needless to say, having moved to the land of Santa and Reindeer has caused my geek to morph in a few ways but for the most part I am still a big -ole - sci-fi/fantasy loving G-E-E-K.

My friend Kati has been enjoying the hospitality of the Sunshine State for about 3 months now on a research fellowship with a university there (back in July). We are in email contact and have been having interesting conversations on the finer points (both good and bad) of the red, white, and blue culture (specifically in the south) - bagels(good), vapid small talk(bad), a gazillion choices in the supermarket to feed your junk food addiction(good and bad), 8796 channels of television - in particular the SciFi channel (GOOD! GOOD! GOOD!). Now, Kati is a member of the geek patrol as well - one can't be a geneticist and NOT be a member. I think it has something to do with using long scientific words in your work being an auto-go-magic membership getting factor.

So, I get an email from Kati 2 weeks ago lamenting that her social interactions have been a bit strained/difficult and she believes she has succeeded in offending people at every turn. For those of you who aren't familiar with Finnish culture, I will briefly explain a finer point of said culture - as much as this is a generalization and I mostly hate them, most any Finn will agree with the following assesment of their beloved Finnishness - Finns don't do small talk. Actually Finns really dislike small talk and as a result are not very good at it - unlike Americans. Now, an American will go around the block and speak to you for 5 minutes without really saying anything until they feel comfortable enough to ask you what they really wanted to ask you (after all the questions about how you are, how is the family, isn't the weather lovely..etc). A Finn will just come right out and ask you - full stop. If a Finn wants to know something they will ask you and it is a real question - if they ask you how you are, they really want to know and the obligitory "good and you?" answer isn't really what they are after. Needless to say, there can be a bit of confusion or perception of rudeness of a Finn because of their inability to do the small talk thing and answer your question directly. This has led to Kati feeling she has offended everyone in the Uni by being direct and honest - I informed her that she should NOT learn to be disingenuous but possibly be a bit more understanding of the cultural difference - it is a 2 way street after all..but I digress... (as usual)

Okay..so in that email, Kati mentioned how she is enjoying a nice glass of wine and that Battlestar Galactica(BSG) is about to start so she is sort of in a heaven of sorts :)

Now..I must admit that I think I have some geek demerits on my record at this point because I hadn't seen the new BSG at all. I was one of those die-hard original series fans and didn't want to watch another re-make of a series that I loved as a young adult which I felt would disappoint me. A fact which I relayed to Kati.

The following weekend, her sister Satu sends a text message that she has Season 1 and Season 2 on DVD from Kati's flat here in Helsinki for me to watch. Kati had emailed her sister and asked her to drop by her house and bring them to me. Talk about a sweet thing to do! Now, my 'merican cultural upbringing obligates me to watch at least the mini-series introduction to the new BSG..it would be rude not to right?

2 Words: FRAK ME!

I must say..I have been really pleasantly surprised.

One thing...not so sure about Starbuck being a chic. - Disclaimer - my feminist-comfortable shoe wearing sensibilities LOVE that there is some eye-candy that isn't vapid and forgetable... HOWEVER...Starbuck (go Dirk!)was one of my favorite characters from the original series and I am having a hard time with the fact that it is a girl...

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Cheese with my whine..

Okay..briefly - I have discovered that muscle groups which I thought had become extinct on my squishy out of shape anatomy are indeed still present. How do I know this? Because of the agnonzing protests they inflict upon me with every move.

I have begun training again. I decided to branch out from traditional martial arts and try something different.. Krav Maga..

Ouch…

Schooled by Master Po (a.k.a. Sug)

Sug's comment was too good NOT to post as it's own entry...

"They're Gangster Tough which is its own breed and his hair is downright funky.

See, grasshopper, there are different types of tough:

Gangster Tough: DeNiro, Pacino, Samuel L. Jackson

Cop Tough: (Similar but a little different) Bruce Willis, Charles Bronson, James Garner

Crazy Tough: Mel Gibson (Lethal Weapon, Mad Max), Kurt Russell ("Escape from..." franchise)

Cowboy Tough: Clint Eastwood, Clint Walker, John Wayne, Christian Bale,

Soldier Tough: (Similar to cowboy) Lee Marvin, Kirk Douglas, Russell Crowe

Unexpected Tough / Reluctant Hero (rises to the challenge): Harrison Ford, Viggo Mortensen, Hugh Jackman, Jackie Chan, Will Smith

Cartoon Tough: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sly Stallone

Stately / Biblical Tough: Charleton Heston, Richard Burton,

There are others - I could go on and on like Spies (toys and slick martial arts): Jet Li, Daniel Craig,

Now you'd never see Chuck Heston playing Snake Plissken (Russell) and you'd never see DeNiro as the Man With No Name in Pale Rider but they are all Tough Guys.

Here endeth the lesson. "

Unabashedly..skeptical

I am unabashedly a HUGE fan of both DeNiro and Pacino. Blame it on me seeing Raging Bull, The Godfather, Scirpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Taxi Driver, The Deer Hunter, Casino, Heat,Wag the Dog, Scent of A Woman...and the list goes on. These 2 men are icons of the tough guy genre.



So..in September this hits theatres:





I do have one question though...WTF is up with Al's hair? Is it just me or have the hair & makeup people really been HORRIBLE with his locks lately. 88 minutes..HORRIBLE hair.. (not a really great movie either..but it was Al and I HAD to see it)...

The cast also includes: Brian Dennehy, Mark Wahlberg, John Leguizamo (a highly under-rated actor)...and ugh 50 Cent..

I don't have high expectations, but if you get a chance..watch the trailer and tell me if I am wrong to be skeptical of this movie.

Have my 2 favorite tough guys reached the point of needing to gracefully step back from the in-your-face type of tough guy and now moved into the realm of stately tough guy who doesn't have to do a damn thing to make you quake in your shoes?


I think the answer is yes

Christ on a bike

As if screaming babies, cramped(read: NO) leg room, bad stuff loosely described as "food", and a seat that reclines a mere 4 centimeters wasn't bad enough?

Now THIS to make your life that much more enjoyable at 30,000 feet...

I can see it now:

Int. PLANE:
Man:
"WHAT?!...Plane!...I AM ON THE PLANE!"

SMASH CUT TO:

Fusche being escorted off the plane by the burly local constabulary of the destination city. MAN follows behind with blood oozing from his nose holding an icepack to his now blackened eye.


FADE

uh oh oh oh oh...

Things which should stay in the 80's

Big Hair
Pegged Jeans
Polo Cologne


and...THEM

Never mind that Donny and his little (then less famous) brother Mark (or Marky Mark as he was known then)..moved to Braintree (where I lived) and made the traffic a nightmare - all the little teenage girls who could drive were driving around looking for their house..

I know what you are gonna say: "But Fusche, you LOVE 80's music! You have written about your love of 80's music multiple times." Yes, Yes I do and have..but I couldn't stand them THEN and I am definitely NOT interested in hearing anything from them now. I have never been a fan of boy bands...EVER. Give me a band that actually has members which can play an instrument and doesn't focus their music to 12-16 year old screaming teenyboppers any day.

..it just makes me feel old...

Speaking of..I remember going to see Matchbox 20 (before they were very successful) at the Orpheum in Boston with Sug one night and we were seated in the nose bleed balcony section. Now the Orpheum's balcony is one of the most rickety horrible places to be even if the band is great..however, we were sitting there and Rob Thomas comes out to do his accustic thing and starts playing What's Goin' On There are Beth and I groovin' one of the best songs EVER written when this little teenage girl (probably about 15) just made us feel like her grandma. It went something like this

Teenybopper(all swoony and screechy turns to us): "Is this their new song??! I LOVE IT!"

Beth and I look at each other with THAT look ..you know the one

Beth (very patiently): "No, this is "What's Goin' On" by Marvin Gaye."

Teenybopper(with confused look): "Who is Marin Gaye?"

Beth and I just are gobsmacked

Me (irritated and feeling QUITE OLD): "Nevermind"

WHO IS MARVIN GAYE!?!? What are you STUPID!?!?! Marvin Gaye is baby makin' music you pubecent piece of screeching garbage!...

Fudge..only I didn't say fudge

..bonus points if ya get THAT reference..

So the bank that we use was bought by a Danish bank (no glaze please), and over the weekend they "re-vamped" their webbank services...well let me tell you this..

THEY SUCK!

Why in the hell would I wanna pay interest on interest you stupid mo-fo's!? Oh and who's bright idea was it to take away the next bill information on my accounts (master card and personal credit line)? I like to know what my bill is before that stupid paper one comes in the mail..and I like to pay it before I get that stupid paper so I can have the self satisfied feeling of tossing the fricking thing out without even having to open it!

Oh..and now i can't figure out in advance the interest deduction on my taxes before the end of the year because they don't itemize the frickin list so I know how much interest was paid...BASTARDS!!!!

Did I mention that I can't even find if they have my standing investment order still in effect??! I mean I realize I am no Bill Gates here...but my paltry sum that goes into my investment account every month has slowly been gathering a few bucks here and there..and in the long term it will be good to have that kind of savings when I give up work life...and now I can't even tell if it is gonna go on the 15th as it used to..

Oh ..and don't even get me started on the fact that our mortgage is due tomorrow and we have no idea what the frickin bill is. We could always see that on-line and make sure that the mortgage money was in the joint account for the auto-go-magic withdrawal..now..no such luck....

AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH

Duuuhh..I couldda told ya

What everone already knows..

I personally vote for the worst..

Must....get...skyone....

I am HUGE Terry Pratchett fan.

The Colour of Magic
Tim Curry as Trymon?! Brilliant! Jeremy Irons as Vetinari!?!? ..Again Brilliant!
Sir David Jason as Rincewind?!?...oh holy hell

Can you say torrent??? ..oh..and a geek too?

In all honesty, Terry Pratchett is one of the few authors that have made me laugh OUT LOUD while reading his work. The man is genius. It is sad that he is now ill, but what a body of work!

Resistance is Futile

..my sug has a blog... :)

Sometimes it is really rough having one's best friend live 7000 miles away with a time diff of 10 hours... Haven't seen SUG in over a year..wicked bummer... Aside from being one of the most cerebrally funny people in the world, she is a pretty darn good Sug to have in your corner when it comes to ANYTHING... We have noticed between us however, that we don't like women very much. Odd statement coming from a softball playin' member of the pink triangle team...but seriously. We can't really stand many women. -I also use to many tripple dot's when trying to express my opinion, but I digress- I personally think it is because we don't suffer infantile and dramatic behavior lightly and the fact that we are just THAT smahhht and funny. What is worse is those women who THINK they are smart and so chic and cool..and AREN'T.

What I think would make the world tilt on its axis, altering life as we know it, is if my SUG, myself, K & D, Mel & Laura, Mira, Michael, and Leb all ended up in the same place at the same time. OH HOLY CONVERGENCE OF THE MEDULLA OBLONGATA POWER PANTHEON BATMAN! - It is disturbing sometimes to think that my favorite people in the world have never met...they just hear about each other from my many many stories.

I have known my SUG since 1993..and I can honestly state that even though I am now 7000 miles away in the land of the frozen north, my Sug will always be my best mate..and i couldn't be prouder to call her friend or call her at 4 am drunk. I seriously think we share the same brain at times.

If you are lucky enough to have a friend that you can be sitting with at a restaurant or in a cafe people watching, drinkin' a Dunkies or just driving around- look at each other give the arched eyebrow and the sardonic smirk - You don't have to say a word..because you both share a brain and have had the exact same thought at the exact same time. The ensuing fit of hysterical laughter and one liners makes your tummy muscles hurt from shaking with mirth.. - Then you my dear reader are one lucky bastid.

I know I am.

Getting my back up!

Where does censorship begin and the right to freedom of speech stop? Recently I have been following items in the news here in Finland over the last few months about an art exhibit being closed, another artist and Time's" Photagrapher of the Year" for 2001 was investigated after a complaint by 7 individuals said that the photographs were an offence against human dignity, website links being blacklisted on the premis of childpornography (which does not contain them btw) and most recently, my friend Phil having a lawsuit filed against him by a filmmaker/publisher for libel due to Phil's blog containing posts and comments about him which he finds insulting and also blaming Phil for the downward turn of his publishing business. (You can read all about it on Phil's blog)

At which point does the line get drawn between freedom of speech and outright sensorship? If someone breaks a law then they have broken a law and most people will say that they need to bear the consequences of their illegal behaviour. However - what would have happened and where would, for example, the US be without Rosa Parks, or Brown v. Board of Education? Rosa defied the "whites only" rule and segregation laws and became the mother of the modern-day civil rights movement in the US - it was ILLEGAL for her do do what she did and the US is a better place for it.

It is my understanding that Finland is a country of freedom of speech which their veterans fought for. A free and independent Finnish State. Where is it illegal for someone to present the facts of their life (in the instance of Mr. Vanhanen's ex-girlie) in a public way? Mr. Vanahnen is sueing Ms. Ruusunen and the publisher for illegally "revealing and spreading private information". According to many sources (and I haven't read the book and have no desire to) - " The narrative of the book is dominated by text messages between Ruusunen and the prime minister.." - Sooo..he writes these things to his girlfriend, she decides to share them and he cries foul. WHATEVER! My opinion is that he, being a politician, is trying to save his bacon - and no amount of - I am filing this as a private citizen and not the Prime Minister - statements will change my mind. Who really gives a crap in the woods what his relationship with this woman was like...certainly not I. However...the point is... why can't she reveal facts about her life..which happen to include him..if she has the text messages from him to prove it factual..then..what is the issue..OH RIGHT..his career..

Art sensorship because of offence to human dignity?? What about Picasso?!??! Some would state that his depiction of women is offensive to the dignity of women. What about pornography?..some would say that pornography is offensive to the dignity of both men and women.. Where does the line get drawn?... Slippery Slope my friends...

And as for Phil's situation - I firmly believe that the filing party will get his whining butt spanked in court..but it is seriously disturbing when the sueing culture which is prevelant in the States makes it to Finland. Freedom of Speech is Freedom of Speech - Ms. Ruusunen is publishing precisely what Mr. Vanhanen wrote..and not some made up tale of what he didn't write. The Artists mentioned here are precisely that..artists, the blocked website was actually one protesting censorship (convenient it was blocked eh?)...and Phil's blog is his experiences and views on Finnish life...

again I ask..where is the line?....

Not just for queens..

Oh my goodness! Must get to Vegas! Go DIVA(s) go! I think I might have apoplexy if I were able to go..3 Divas...I think I am channeling my inner gay boy

From the BBC!

Cher signs up for Las Vegas run

Cher said she was "happy and proud" to
announce her returnUS singer Cher is to return to the stage for a three-year
engagement at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
Cher's 200-show run - which alternates with performances from Bette Midler and Sir Elton John - begins on 6 May at the 4,300-seat Colosseum.

"I started in Vegas at Caesars so I've come
full circle," the 61-year-old said. "I'm back, and I plan to give my fans the
best experience yet."

"I think everybody knows I only do things in a big
way," she added.
'Captivating' The all-new concert will feature 18 dancers and aerial performers, costumes by designer Bob Mackie and "dazzling" special effects.
The show will play four nights a week, with ticket prices
ranging from $95 to $250 (£48 to £128).

"Cher's name in one word
encapsulates icon, award-winning legend and captivating performer," said Caesars
Palace president Gary Selesner.

Last year Celine Dion completed a mammoth
five-year engagement at the Colosseum, built especially to house her A New Day
concert. Midler's concert, entitled The Showgirl Must Go On, opens at
Caesars Palace on 20 February

Nail biter

Okay..I am practically down to the nubs here...Super Tuesday is here...Tuesday’s free-for-all is killing me as 43 contests in 24 states allocate 3,156 delegates!

I tried to come up with something witty..but I just can't right now...


except..I am trying to get a friend a job at my company...gotta up the sappho quotient here :)

Expensive piece of Tail...

From the BBC...

US network faces $1m nudity fine

NYPD Blue ran
on ABC until 2005US
television network ABC may have to pay a fine of $1.4m
(£707,000) for airing an
episode of NYPD Blue which depicted female nudity.
The Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) said the 2003 show had
"multiple, close-up
views" of a woman's buttocks before the US watershed.

The FCC deems "sexual or excretory activities" shown in an "offensive"
way
before 2200 as indecent.

ABC has rejected the claims, saying the
buttocks are not a sexual organ.
The proposed penalty has been imposed on
all 52 of ABC's stations who
broadcast the episode.
The scene in the
police drama, which ran from
1993-2005, shows a boy surprising a naked woman
as she prepared to take a
shower.

The FCC said it received several
complaints about the sequence, which
also showed one of the woman's breasts.

...An ABC spokeswoman said that
the programme was broadcast with
parental warnings and that "the realistic
nature of NYPD Blue's storylines
was well-known to the viewing public".
The
broadcaster has said it will
appeal against the decision, which is the second
largest indecency fine
imposed on a broadcaster.

Seriously folks..get over it...MTV shows more in one video than NYPD Blue
EVER had... Oh right...the land of puritans!

Learning my lesson

After the embarassment of having Hale point out that Accuradio incorrectly listed Jon Bon Jovi as the composer of "I Don't Like Mondays" by performing the simple act of using Google and clicking on the Wikipedia site....

Today's 100 Uutislehti (Finnish free newspaper) announced that this guy turned 80 today.. I have done my due diligence before creating this post.

Per Wikipedia:

"Mickey and Minnie debuted in the cartoon short Plane Crazy, first released on May 15, 1928."

However:

"The Walt Disney Company celebrates his birth as November 18, 1928"

Now I feel as though I may have redeemed myself in Hale's eyes..she the Icey Bitch (and I say that with love)....

Hurl

Warning: The author cannot with complete certainty state that rambling and a possibly large amount of stream of consciousness writing style will not ensue.


Right..I have not blogged in a while because I just didn't have it in me. I don't need Prozac, but the state of affairs in the world these days have given me such bout of melancholy. So this one might be a bit long. Fasten your seatbelts and please keep your hands and feet inside the car at all times until the ride comes to a complete stop.

Yesterday's blog got my brain neuron(s) firing again a bit. Hopefully, this will lead to more posting from me - because I know you all miss my razor sharp whit and incredible insight into things geo-political , environmental, sociological, as well as my take on the finer points of the over-the-top fashion, big hair styles and the commercialization of music and film era which was the 80's. Admit it. You love me. Who wouldn't? After all..you are only human :)
Okay short(not really) recap of our trip to Beantown:

The first 5 days, and New Year's Eve were M-A-G-I-C!!!! - It was so great to see realtives and dear friends. I happily ate my Boston chinese food favorites on our first eveing. Can you say peking ravioli?? I refuse to call them potstickers! mmmmm yum! Consumed a decent pizza for the first time in 2 years, and had a hella good bottle of wine in the North End that I N-E-V-E-R would have been able to afford here.

However, after the first 5 days, I wanted to get on the first plane back to Helsinki. Seriously, I had the WORST case of reverse culture shock. I was all fine for the beginning, but then I started to become overwhelmed with the noise and the consumer-materialistic-biggerbetterfasternownownow mentality. I think I have become too used to Finnish silence. I enjoy silence these days. I know that sounds odd to those of you who know me personally (being the frickin loud talkaholic that I am)..but doesn't ANYONE shut up there? I also realized how much I have grown (some people would say changed or become euro-trash..but I digress) when I finally noticed exactly how LOUD my family is. My ears hurt. My brain felt assaulted.

And how many choices of cereal does one really need? I mean an entire isle of sugar ladened, processed, not-really-food-but-we-market-it-as-that types of "breakfast cereal"?Granted there were a few "healthy" options..like Raisin Bran which one would think because of the fact that it is Bran would be healthy..untill you look on the side panel and notice how much sugar they have coated the raisins in. Um..rasins are dried grapes...grapes=sweet, natural sugar...HELLO!!! And in the Breakfast isle...PopTarts. Now I can not diss PopTarts as a yummy sugary snack. It is just that. A sugary snack that with NO nutritional value whatsoever..but to put it in the BREAKFAST isle just leaves me baffled. Don't get me started on the portion size for 1 individual at restaurants being big enough for a family of 4 (what a waste of food) along with the 353542 options for side dishes, salad dressing and versions of starch, or the lack of environmentally friendly packages or items..the 345436626265425962 SUV's on the road....

We did do the obiligatory shopping till we dropped (weak dollar)...but after that I was done with it. I love my family and miss them terribly, but I think I can finally say with absolute certainty that I no longer really miss the US.

There are tons of great and wonderful things about the US and I am one of the first people to get my ire up when generalized statements are made about Americans (I find it rude when anyone generalizes ANY culture), but I am much happier here in the land of high taxes, low salaries and unpredictable weather. I am evolving...

- end rant -

And now onto politics... Come on..you knew it was coming!

"WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush and his top officials ran roughshod over the truth in the run-up to the Iraq war lying a total of 935 times, a study released Wednesday found. Bush and his administration "waged a carefully orchestrated campaign of misinformation about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein's Iraq," said the damning report entitled "False Pretenses." According to the Center for Public Integrity, eight administration officials "made at least 935 false statements" about Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction, or links to Al-Qaeda, on 532 separate occasions......

.....The US president was found to have made the most false statements referring a total of 260 times to Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction and Al-Qaeda's alleged links to the Baghdad regime.

But then-secretary of state Powell only just lagged behind with 254 false communications, said the study by the center's founder Charles Lewis and researchers....."

hmmmm...am I surprised? 260 times and he hasn't been impeached?!?!? Hmmm...blow job=impeachment proceedings; Lying to get into a war which has caused thousands of deaths=Nah not so much.. I just don't understand how this guy can be such a teflon moron.

....I will try to post something more amusing later...i just needed to expunge that from my system...

Dude..

It is one of those days where random thoughts and memories are assaulting my brain. I have my headphones in and am listening to a Flock of 80's music on the web. Don't worry if you don't know what I am talking about (accuradio.com), but I am sure you get the 80's part. So there I was grumpy about having to be in the office at 07:15 for a 07:30 for a conference call which I didn't schedule and some moron from the middle of nowhere thought it would be a good idea to have a con call with the US (east coast), London, Helsinki and Munich at 07:30 am GMT +2…yes folks that means 5:30 am for London, 6:30 am for Munic and 12:30am for NY…and to top it off the KEY person who was supposed to be on the call blew us all off...WTF? Sooo..I popped my headphones in and proceeded to launch the aforementioned net radio program so I could have some happy music from my teenage years blaring in my head while I worked on the 36456 things I had to get done this morning…
It must have been karma..what is the first song I hear? None other than the song which forever will be ingrained in my consciousness as a reminder of that horrible time I had growing my hair back out after a rather unfortunate incident involving a recent beauty school graduate and a pair of sheers.. I had an old photo of myself after a bad haircut and made the mistake(?) of showing it to my best friend in the universe Beth. What does this jewel of humanity and scion of compassion say to me upon viewing the commemorative kodachrome?..Sing it with me now…
.."You know, I wish that I had Jessie's girl,
I wish that I had Jessie's girl
I want Jessie's girl,
where can I find a woman like that, like
Jessie's girl,
I wish that I had Jessie's girl,
I want,
I want Jessie's girl..:"
I have told this story before, but for some reason today it just made me laugh so hard I almost peed my pants! Here I am alone in my office (because no RESPECTABLE Finn in my company would be here at 7:30 in the morning unless they are crazy)..laughing and singing my tail off…what comes up next in the musical offerings this morning??

Boomtown Rats - "I Don't Like Mondays" -it isn't Monday..but we all get the point..oh and did you know that song was written by Jon Bon Jovi of all people?!?!) edit note: because of Hale's comment..damn Accuradio needs wikipedia..listing Jon Bon Jovi as the frickin composer..ugh!

John Mellencamp - "Rain on the Scarecrow Blood On the Plow" - okay..can that guy change his names MORE times in one life..he is like the orginal PrinceSymbolbacktobeingPrice kinda guy

Hall and Oats - "I Can't Go For That" - nice mullets boys--nuff said

Icicle Works - "Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream)" - ahhhh liverpudlians

Steve Perry - "Oh Sherri" - the original powerballad singer!..do NOT diss the Perry

VanHalen - "Jump" - aside from being a GREAT song and an anthem of my formative years, there is one thing that disturbs me about this song…remember the video? NO ONE should have to be subjected to seeing Dave in spandex…UGH! Dude..my eyes are bleeding

John Cougar Mellencamp - "Cherry Bomb" - okay..dude quit changing your NAME!!!!

Dude..where is my Champion sweatshirt, pegged jeans, bad cologne and turned up collar of my Izod??!?!?!

All in all it was a decent morning aside from the con-call from hell….