I didn't want to comment on the Gaza raid, but there is another ship approaching there now. Called, of all things, Rachel Corrie.
If anyone ever again tells me that the seamen are superstitious, I'll laugh in his/her face. The name just calls for a Darwin award.
Nevertheless I wish the passengers and the crew a safe boarding and very fast journey back home after it.
Showing posts with label weird. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weird. Show all posts
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Yiddish in Swedish
Went to the Yiddish class today.
Surprisingly enough, yesterday's mysterious stranger wasn't there.
Even more surprisingly, the class was taught by a Dutch guy I sort of knew. Who addressed me in Russian. Very good Russian, too. I'd never heard that he knew any Russian before now.
My absurdity meter went through the roof, and I had a feeling that the logical conclusion for the evening would be for the Dutch guy and myself to mix vodka and beer, drink the resulting cocktail in the bushes next to the parliament building, and sing "Heveinu Shalom Aleichem" in Icelandic, thereby killing all the seagulls within the hearing range, but I did not quite have the heart to suggest this. Maybe next time.
I did learn quite a lot of Swedish, though.
Surprisingly enough, yesterday's mysterious stranger wasn't there.
Even more surprisingly, the class was taught by a Dutch guy I sort of knew. Who addressed me in Russian. Very good Russian, too. I'd never heard that he knew any Russian before now.
My absurdity meter went through the roof, and I had a feeling that the logical conclusion for the evening would be for the Dutch guy and myself to mix vodka and beer, drink the resulting cocktail in the bushes next to the parliament building, and sing "Heveinu Shalom Aleichem" in Icelandic, thereby killing all the seagulls within the hearing range, but I did not quite have the heart to suggest this. Maybe next time.
I did learn quite a lot of Swedish, though.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
My life is not like the lives of other people
I am a weirdo magnet.
Today a man came up to me and told me that I look like a person who would like to take a Yiddish class in Swedish. "But I don't speak Swedish," I pointed out. "I don't think this will be a problem," he said.
This happened in the Confucius institute, so i guess the man figured that somebody crazy enough to take a Cantonese class in Mandarin would also be crazy enough to take a Yiddish class in Swedish.
The funniest thing about it was of course that he was absolutely right. Now I signed up for the class.
Today a man came up to me and told me that I look like a person who would like to take a Yiddish class in Swedish. "But I don't speak Swedish," I pointed out. "I don't think this will be a problem," he said.
This happened in the Confucius institute, so i guess the man figured that somebody crazy enough to take a Cantonese class in Mandarin would also be crazy enough to take a Yiddish class in Swedish.
The funniest thing about it was of course that he was absolutely right. Now I signed up for the class.
Friday, May 23, 2008
And now let's have a drink in support of alcoholics...
Lately I have seen several news items in the English-language media about people shaving their heads in support of some cancer victim (usually a family member).
Ugh, and I am not just saying this for aesthetic reasons. The whole idea just seems so perverse in a World According to Garp way. (In that book there was a girl named Ellen James, who was raped and whose tongue was cut out, and a group of feminists who called themselves Ellen Jamesians and cut their own tongues out in her support.)
I wonder if there are many cancer victims who actually enjoy that. "Oh, honey, we figured you don't see enough bald people in the hospital and in the mirror, so your father and I decided to shave our heads too for your viewing pleasure." Yes, I know that in many cases misery loves company, but IMO this is not an emotion that should be encouraged in oneself or others.
I was almost tempted to leave a comment somewhere suggesting what else might be cut off in support of, say, women who lost a breast to cancer, but then wisely decided not to give them any ideas. You never know...
BTW, my dear readers: you know I am afflicted with a horrible addiction to computer upgrades, and break my computer regularly in the process. Please don't show your support for me by breaking your own computers on purpose. It really won't make me happier.
Ugh, and I am not just saying this for aesthetic reasons. The whole idea just seems so perverse in a World According to Garp way. (In that book there was a girl named Ellen James, who was raped and whose tongue was cut out, and a group of feminists who called themselves Ellen Jamesians and cut their own tongues out in her support.)
I wonder if there are many cancer victims who actually enjoy that. "Oh, honey, we figured you don't see enough bald people in the hospital and in the mirror, so your father and I decided to shave our heads too for your viewing pleasure." Yes, I know that in many cases misery loves company, but IMO this is not an emotion that should be encouraged in oneself or others.
I was almost tempted to leave a comment somewhere suggesting what else might be cut off in support of, say, women who lost a breast to cancer, but then wisely decided not to give them any ideas. You never know...
BTW, my dear readers: you know I am afflicted with a horrible addiction to computer upgrades, and break my computer regularly in the process. Please don't show your support for me by breaking your own computers on purpose. It really won't make me happier.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Good-bye, Viking
I do not, generally speaking, travel on the Finland-Sweden ferries to eat. I know that some people who have discussed that issue on various web forums, as well as the owners and managers of said ferries, might disapprove of it, but in general I don't. I have nothing against the fact that many people regard those ferries as giant floating eating and drinking establishments, but I regard them as transportation to and from Stockholm, and to a certain extent as somewhat-cheaper liquor stores.
I don't mind eating in those restaurants if people I am with want to, but if not, I am quite content with sandwiches and suchlike that I bring with me. Yeah, I know they sell sandwiches there, too. I, however, make better sandwiches (I used to do that for a living, and when I am making a sandwich for myself I am obviously a lot less concerned about the price and a lot more concerned about my own taste than Viking Line is). Moreover, I don't think I have any moral obligation to shop or go to the restaurants on the boat if I don't feel like it. I do shop quite a lot, but that's because they have cheaper booze. Their food is not any better or cheaper than in Finland.
Viking Line seems to disagree. Sometime last fall they started confiscating sandwiches from passengers going onboard. For the sake of security, you know. Their PR person, Johanna Boijer-Svahnström, said that there have been cases when people were heating up their food on camping stoves.
I understand the problem with camping stoves, fire safety, and suchlike. However, how likely is a passenger to heat up a sandwich on a camping stove? Especially if he doesn't have an actual camping stove?
"We don't allow it. You can't bring your own food onboard. One could say that if you are going on a cruise, then you should eat there."
She also says that the cruise lasts from the evening till the morning, that during the night the sandwiches can go bad, and the epidemic caused by bad food would be a nightmare to them. I wonder whether she thinks that a person with a few sandwiches can do the Jesus fish trick and feed them to all the other passengers, or that a food poisoning is a contagious disease, or that people bring plague sandwiches with a side order of Ebola.
They have to be careful with the security out at sea, she says. Not as careful as an airplane, but more careful than in a hotel.
That was in September. At the time, a certain web forum quoted Viking Line's rules: "3. Elintarvikkeiden, ruuanlaittovälineiden, alkoholin tai huumeiden tuonti laivalle on kielletty." (It is forbidden to bring food, cooking devices, alcohol or drugs.) This is quite a bit more restrictive than an airplane: I've brought food, cooking devices and alcohol many times on an airplane without any problems whatsoever. The only restrictions were that the cooking devices could not have fuel in them, and nowadays the liquids have to be in the checked luggage.
Viking line was sorely in need of a reality check, such as a reminder that they are in the business of transporting people from place A to place B, and that people might want to transport stuff with them, including, yes, food, alcohol and cooking devices.
The reality check arrived, one way or another, and now the same rules say "3. Viking Line ei salli matkustajien tuoda mukanaan elintarvikkeita, joista on tarkoitus valmistaa aterioita matkan aikana." (Viking Line does not allow passengers to bring foods which are intended for cooking meals during the trip.) This is, BTW, a change from yesterday, when they said "3. Matkustajat eivät saa valmistaa omia mukanaan tuomiaan ruokia laivalla." (Passengers are not to cook foods that they have brought onboard.) The rule proceeds to give examples of stuff you can bring onboard: baby food, food for allergic people. "Uncookable food for those who either don't like our stuff are are not willing to pay for it" remains unmentioned, but I don't see how it could be against the anti-cooking rule.
Except that a few days ago they confiscated cookies, chips and bananas from some family. Sorry, but if they consider cookies, chips and bananas to be foods exclusively or even primarily meant for cooking, especially in the absence of a cooking device, this means that Viking Line has gone, well, bananas.
I think I'll switch to Silja from now on. They might have higher prices, but they don't have stupid rules that they change every day and break every time they feel like it. Besides, IIRC they have a better tax-free.
I don't mind eating in those restaurants if people I am with want to, but if not, I am quite content with sandwiches and suchlike that I bring with me. Yeah, I know they sell sandwiches there, too. I, however, make better sandwiches (I used to do that for a living, and when I am making a sandwich for myself I am obviously a lot less concerned about the price and a lot more concerned about my own taste than Viking Line is). Moreover, I don't think I have any moral obligation to shop or go to the restaurants on the boat if I don't feel like it. I do shop quite a lot, but that's because they have cheaper booze. Their food is not any better or cheaper than in Finland.
Viking Line seems to disagree. Sometime last fall they started confiscating sandwiches from passengers going onboard. For the sake of security, you know. Their PR person, Johanna Boijer-Svahnström, said that there have been cases when people were heating up their food on camping stoves.
I understand the problem with camping stoves, fire safety, and suchlike. However, how likely is a passenger to heat up a sandwich on a camping stove? Especially if he doesn't have an actual camping stove?
"We don't allow it. You can't bring your own food onboard. One could say that if you are going on a cruise, then you should eat there."
She also says that the cruise lasts from the evening till the morning, that during the night the sandwiches can go bad, and the epidemic caused by bad food would be a nightmare to them. I wonder whether she thinks that a person with a few sandwiches can do the Jesus fish trick and feed them to all the other passengers, or that a food poisoning is a contagious disease, or that people bring plague sandwiches with a side order of Ebola.
They have to be careful with the security out at sea, she says. Not as careful as an airplane, but more careful than in a hotel.
That was in September. At the time, a certain web forum quoted Viking Line's rules: "3. Elintarvikkeiden, ruuanlaittovälineiden, alkoholin tai huumeiden tuonti laivalle on kielletty." (It is forbidden to bring food, cooking devices, alcohol or drugs.) This is quite a bit more restrictive than an airplane: I've brought food, cooking devices and alcohol many times on an airplane without any problems whatsoever. The only restrictions were that the cooking devices could not have fuel in them, and nowadays the liquids have to be in the checked luggage.
Viking line was sorely in need of a reality check, such as a reminder that they are in the business of transporting people from place A to place B, and that people might want to transport stuff with them, including, yes, food, alcohol and cooking devices.
The reality check arrived, one way or another, and now the same rules say "3. Viking Line ei salli matkustajien tuoda mukanaan elintarvikkeita, joista on tarkoitus valmistaa aterioita matkan aikana." (Viking Line does not allow passengers to bring foods which are intended for cooking meals during the trip.) This is, BTW, a change from yesterday, when they said "3. Matkustajat eivät saa valmistaa omia mukanaan tuomiaan ruokia laivalla." (Passengers are not to cook foods that they have brought onboard.) The rule proceeds to give examples of stuff you can bring onboard: baby food, food for allergic people. "Uncookable food for those who either don't like our stuff are are not willing to pay for it" remains unmentioned, but I don't see how it could be against the anti-cooking rule.
Except that a few days ago they confiscated cookies, chips and bananas from some family. Sorry, but if they consider cookies, chips and bananas to be foods exclusively or even primarily meant for cooking, especially in the absence of a cooking device, this means that Viking Line has gone, well, bananas.
I think I'll switch to Silja from now on. They might have higher prices, but they don't have stupid rules that they change every day and break every time they feel like it. Besides, IIRC they have a better tax-free.
Friday, January 25, 2008
OK, now we found the mother of all bad plumbers
At Stora Enso's factory in Skutskär the emergency shower turned out to have sulphuric acid instead of water. They found it during a routine checkup, and nobody was hurt.
Damn, and here I thought that a fountain coming out of the toilet bowl in a friend's place was bad...
Damn, and here I thought that a fountain coming out of the toilet bowl in a friend's place was bad...
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Curiouser and curiouser
I came home today, and the freezer was open a little bit.
There is a possibility that I left it open, but then it must have been at least 5 days ago, but everything was still frozen.
WTF?
There is a possibility that I left it open, but then it must have been at least 5 days ago, but everything was still frozen.
WTF?
Who pissed in my toilet?
Came home yesterday from work, and the toilet seat was up. I am pretty sure I did not leave it that way, and there wasn't anyone else there. Or at least shouldn't have been.
Paranoid, who, me?
Paranoid, who, me?
Monday, March 26, 2007
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