I went bouldering for the first time in my life. This is the practice of climbing (in this case) walls with artificial holds, arranged to put up problems of most physical in nature. Since the climbs are only up to 5 metres tall, theres no safet equipment involved apart from common sense and cushions. To my surprise it’s not my arms that were the most to suffer but my hands. The skin in my hands and fingertips feels quite tender at the moment.

There’s always the problem of how much abuse are you going to subject yourself to when you are trying something physically demanding the first time. I think I did well. I expect to find myself a bit difficult to fist my hands in the morning and probably also my wrists will feel tense but probably nothing too bad to avoid me from operating a mouse.

Now I’ll just have to get to know the lingo involved.

I turn 34 ugly ones today. I’m a year shy from being middle-aged. Damn.

How I spent this glorious day? In the morning I attended an Aikido practice conducted by Bruno Gonzalez (5.dan Aikikai) which with the practice from last night left me quite well-done. Since Helsinki is having an annual serial arts festival I felt it my duty to at least go and take a look at it.

I was too tired to get interested in any of it. I bought me some comics and headed up to coffee and some light shopping. I bought myself a DVD box of the Black Books -series, one of the funniest comedies ever. Then I came home, got me some chinese take away and watched two movies. Now I’m off to bed. Fascinating, isn’t it?

I went to see the new Batman movie, enticingly named close to one of the modern classics of serial arts (The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Returns respectively). I didn’t like the movie. I didn’t have much anticipation for it so I don’t think I was let down in anyway.

I’m left wondering WHY I didn’t like the film. There was nothing wrong with the film. It wasn’t bland. It wasn’t boring or alienating. An idea of an explanation came to me later. The film was somehow malignant, there was something deeply black about it. The film was in short depressing. There was something about the worldview of the film that rubbed me the wrong way, but my analysis stops there. I’m not interested in digging deeper into why that is. I can only suggest you to go and see the film itself.

It’s a very rare occasion when a film or any other kind of piece of art has almost a physical effect on me. Supposedly it happening verifies that I’m still alive?

Arthur C. Clarke died today 19. March 2008 at the age of 90. 8´-(

ACC was one of my favourite authors. Hes books filled me with hope when I had no evidence whatsoever that things would ever get better. But I also love his prose. It is a joy to read, to which I have seldomly ran into before or after. As a personality he was encouraging, he convinced me that this was a good time to be alive, to see the future happen infront of our eyes.

If you wish to have your conscience expanded try these books by him:

• Rendezvous with Rama (1972) (suom. Uhka avaruudesta*)
• The Songs of Distant Earth (1986) (suom. Kaukaisen maan laulut)
• The Fountains of Paradise (1979) (suom. Paratiisin suihkulähteet)
• Childhood’s End (1953) (suom. Lapsuuden loppu)

Clarke told in an essay of his (The Memoirs of an Armchair Astronaut (Retired) (1993?)(suom.Nojatuoliastronautin (evp.) muistelmat)) about an encounter he had with J.R.R.Tolkien. ACC was a member of the British Interplanetary Society since the 1930’s. BIS were a fierce advocate of space exploration. Note that this was decades before we even scratched the earth orbit.

The members of the British Interplanetary Society and two opponents of extra-planetary research C.S.Lewis and J.R.R.Tolkien had a discussion about the meaningfullness of space exploration, Lewis and Tolkien were vehemently opposed to the idea, claiming that it was madness to ruin this planet and then run off to ruin others. The two sides never reached an agreement and after the discussion Tolkien told Clarke that he was absolutely convinced that he (Clarke) was an evil person, but it would be extremely boring if everyone was good. Parahprased from memory.

(*) I know, it’s a terrible translation.

<o Good night, Sir!

My first week in Helsinki sees the gradual dissipation of the beginnings-panic. I have pretty much settled in, although th bulk of my belongings still sit in Tampere waiting to get hauled here. I have some cashflow problems because I didn’t supply my tax-card in time. That was 60% off my salary which was already only 3/4 of a pay since I started the 7th. My rent lease, however, began in 1. January. And I have to pay for the move as well… When I’m done with moving, I have to start thinking about how to buy more stuff into my illustrious apartment, currently all I have is a sofa (which unfolds into a bed) and a small self-made table.

No fear! I’ll manage. I’ll be spending one week in Riga as a part of my training, which should be interesting. I’m expecting conflicting schedules, missed dead-lines, un-announced meetings you need to attend to and so on. Just like in reality!

I’m almost done with adjusting to my new sleep schedule. I have found a working cycle-route to and fro my workplace (which is subject to change in few weeks) . The very nice aspect of all this is that the days are rapidly getting longer and temperature has been generally temperate.