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...
1 comment:
Congratulations on weaning yourself from US (people here would of course say "American") "values."
I shop in Whole Foods where I can experience Finnish prices and avoid the miles of sugar & fat -- but it does have the advantage that the snow peas aren't 2 months old from Kenya... It is still shocking to go into a Super Stop&Shop and wonder why people need THAT much junk. There's almost no real food in 50 gazillion aisles.
*sigh* I learned 20 years ago after returning from 2+ years in Switzerland that you have to live in the local culture where you are. We had hoped to hold onto European rhythms, pace of life, less stuff, public transport, etc. Well, it's impossible. Life in Boston requires a car. We're saturated with the culture, and while the People's Republic of Cambridge (and Newton, and JP, and a few other hip niches) is a long way from mainstream American "style" it's still the US.
I actually miss Finland. Thanks for capturing the Hurl reaction so vividly...
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