Category Archives: Current Matters

Not My Day

Current Matters, Weather

There was an important message on the company mail, stating that all company this-and-that -model phones would be changed. There was a three day window, Monday through Wednesday, at the beginning of the month, from 8 to 15, at the office to change it. I had one of those models. Since I’m on training this week I decided to leave early today to get it changed. As per the instructions I remove the SIM-chip beforehand.

Being such an organized person, I also remember to pack my climbing gear, sweatpants and my shoes, before I leave home.

I arrive at the office in time, only to hear that the change isn’t supposed to take place until _next_ month! Ok… I barely make it in time for my training (running in the sleet) and I plan to assemble my phone during the day, just in case somebody needs to contact me. At some point I remember I left the SIM-card at home. Ok. I also forgot my t-shirt at home and I didn’t feel like sweating in my work shirt, so I decide to stop by at home before going climbing.

Once I get back home, I start to unpack my bag just to notice that I had forgotten the damn phone at home in the first place! Just not my day. I doubt there is anyone as unlucky in the world as me is.

And I didn’t go climbing either.

Dead People

Current Matters, Nostalgia

One of my favourite Finnish authors, Veikko Huovinen, has died. Veikko had prose that had a distinct deliciousness to it. I always wondered about the apparent success of another Finnish author, Arto Paasilinna, who’s prose is so much poorer compared to Veikko’s.

My first contact with Veikko’s work was when there was a tv-series based on his short stories. One of them involved two men, quite bent on drinking alcohol, with the other one being somewhat older and richer. At one point these men left on a roadtrip together, stopping every now and then to buy some more booze. And not just your ordinary gutrot but more refined stuff.

The younger man grows more impatient during the trip since they are not touching the alcohol. He is left to imagine the drunkage taking place when they get to their destination, a recluse log cabin in Lappland or something. Instead of staying at the log cabin, the old man takes the younger man into the woods, which are a-plenty here in Finland, for long hikes. Instead of drinking all the alcohol, the old man proceeds to bury them! In the middle of nowhere! Expensive stuff!

All the accumulated booze is scattered in to the wilderness. Shortly after the trip, the old man dies and leaves the younger man the locations of all that booze… The younger man soon becomes a skilled orienteerist and a cross-country runner, with the occasional prize of a nice bottle of single-malt, instead of slowly drinking his brains out in his flat.

All the above paraphrased from memory. That was the story that sparked my interest (way-back when I was a kid) and made me ask one of his story-collections (“Matikanopettaja”) for Christmas. I was pretty much sold. I’ve been reading his stuff over the years, not really extensively, but enough to keep the fan-flame alive. Pretty much a year ago, one of the finest gentleman in the world, Sam The Bedrock, held his graduation party in Sotkamo, where Veikko lived all his life. We went to get a view to his house, overlooking a river. I took a photograph or two and in one of those photos, if you squint your eyes, you might just imagine seeing Veikko in the window looking outside, pondering… hmmm… pondering… about what…?

Loomed Anniversary

Current Matters, Hedonism, Nostalgia, personal

I don’t think I could have wished for a nicer day. I just got back from a fireworks display at the amusement park after spending a good few hours there on the day that was just enough to ask for for this time of year. Sunny and pleasant all day. A nice retribution for yesterday when I got literally soaking wet on a cycling trip.

The day went as planned. Some light computer gametry and coffee in the morning. Day at the amusement park. Retiring home for a pizza in the evening. Catching a fireworks display at night. There’s still some pizza left and a spot of heavy cider in the fridge.

It is shame that the supposed humans I know are such a bunch of pussies…

Yet Another Anniversary Looms

Current Matters, Nostalgia, personal

As faith (and not just faith, but to be honest, a whole bunch of natural laws and the accumulated experience of human kind to this moment) has it, I will turn 3-fucking-5 just week from today. My initial plan to celebrate this occurrence of maturing process is to spend it at Linnanmäki, the local amusement part down the street, after which I will promptly denounce sobriety.

If anyone of you bots out there would like to suggest something else, or even better, engage in the above mentioned activities with me, don’t hesitate to contact me. I have some monetary means at my disposal to take part in various kinds of arrangements. You have exactly one week! Can you handle it?! No! I asked CAN YOU HANDLE IT!?!

Summer Vacation Update

Current Matters, personal

Hi all! I’m doing great, thank you for asking. My sense of humour is gradually returning to normal, which is good, since everybody thinks I’m a funny guy. I’ve just passed the middle of my summer vacation and the weather has been nominal. On every day that I’ve travelled it has rained, but there has been some sunshinage as well. Sometimes at the same time.

Not everything has gone according to plans, but in my mind the whole idea of a vacation is not to have too rigid a plans. How are you doing? I hope this entry finds you well. I hope you are currently wearing a bikini and preparing to send me all the photographs of yourself in them to me. For personal usage only.

I hope you a many ice lattes,

Yours, devoid of any sarcasm,

K.

Summer Vacation!

Current Matters, personal, Social

To my complete expectations my Summer vacation has just started. Five weeks of non-work-related activities are in store. Which means I’ll be available for all kinds of suggestions and invitations of non-work-related nature. Be proactive, don’t let me invite myself over!

Benefits of Keeping Your Eyes Open

Current Matters

This week I visited the local library on a whim. On my way out I happened to glance at a poster they had stuck on the door. This is nothing special, there’s always something to spam about. But this poster caught my eyes. They had a guest coming today, a real live astrofuckingnaut,  Harrison “Jack” Schmitt, the last man to set his foot on the moon (he was second to last to leave Moon)!

He gave a small presentation about his the Apollo 17 mission he was on with, about his role as a trained field geologist. There weren’t that many interesting revelations, I was expecting a bit more on looking into the future, but the few comments (e.g. it would take a nation about 10 years to get back to moon, a private enterprise might make there in 15. The most likely nations to get there are US, Russia and China ) didn’t really reveal anything special, although he told all kinds of interesting things about their mission. Apparently the fastest way to move of foot on Moon is hopping from one foot to the other. Schmitt, with his mission mate Eugene Cernan hold the speed record on Moon, 18 km/h, downhill on the Moon rover.

There were the possibility of taking your picture with him, but I saw there were far too many, more eager people have one too, so I passed the opportunity. It was a shame he didn’t have any Nasa caps to share…

Time to Change

Current Matters, personal, This Blog

Not too long ago, I attended a cinematic event. Now that I can actually afford them I’ve grown to dislike them more and more. My biggest gripe are the advertisements. I’ve payed dear money for the priviledge and then they see it fit to show me probably the finest concentration of tripe known to man. Some of the ads are obviously mean’t for radio. Thats multimedia for you.

In that sea of meaninglessness something caught my attention as I was hoping to see Tropic Thunder instead. It was an ad for some jewelry which was apparently an improved version. Thus it had “2.0” added to its brand name.

Internet, I’ve known since my Blog began in it’s present form that the name was already a tired joke and that there would be a time when even Stephen Colbert would announce that it’s done. At that moment, in that movie theatre, when that deep voice claimed the reason for naming that jewelry something + “2.0” it was clear to me that now was that time. It’s time to get back to basics.

Ladies and Gentlemen, fÃ¥r jag presentera… Kimmo’s Blog (classic)!

I’m Officially Certified!

Beginnings, Current Matters, personal

Certified ScrumMaster that is. I took a two-day course, led by Jens Østergaard and James O. Coplien, both outstanding lectureres. It wasn’t an impediment that the subject matter hit my local repository of human experience and values with good matches. Which means to say that I agreed on the explicit and implicit values and preconditions within Scrum.

It is kind of ironic but I recognize that the characteristics of Scrum that speak the most sense to me probably make it also incredibly difficult to wield in practice. For example, in Scrum, no-one and I mean no-one, can come and tell the development Team what they should be doing. The Team selects and co-ordinates itself, what it is going to do. But the Team itself is not responsible for the process and results, the ScrumMaster is. The ScrumMaster owns the process, i.e. is responsible that everything is running smoothly, including doing any- and everything to remove obstacles from the Team.

If there’s anyone wondering what’s the point of majoring in Philosophy in the Real World(tm), acquiring and assimilating different ways of thinking is probably a lot easier. I feel that I have at least one new one in my toolbox now.