The life and times of a fallen hacker
Archive for the ‘seasons’ Category.
It’s a simple collection of criteria:
So while it feels like winter, it’s not the real thing. Yet.
But the clear skies brought in by the high pressure are much appreciated.
Another tradition, another post. Only the good things are listed, no reason to dwell on the kingdom of suck.
Previous years listings are also available:
2007, 2006 and 2005.
As is the tradition, the various things that happened this year are retrospected here:
No links. The archives are now fully functional and search works better than expected.
Previous years’ analyses are also available:
2007, 2006, 2005 and 2004.
Have a swell 2009.
The picture is off flickr, I couldn’t get a decent fix on a sub-optimally lit glass of champagne with the phone camera.
Indeed, have a merry and relaxing Christmas.
See you in a couple of days.
Rex at Fimoculous has started the annual year in review.
Thus far it’s mainly music and books, but if the last few years are any indication, the list will seriously bloat up during the next six weeks.
Indeed, happy halloween. At least the weather is appropriately gloomy.
(How to jack-o-lanternify lego minifigs.)
Vuoden Luontokuva 2008: Etelä-Suomen Talvi by Simo Mikkonen
The Nature Photograph of 2008 has been selected, this year’s winner is the attached image. An image that shows the worst season of the year - the gloomy and wet november. Which, of course, has been stretching for months on end the last few years.
(The nature photographer’s sites seem to be hit hard tonight, I’ll update the link when they’re back online).
Three days of glorious vacationing done, all traditional, all too brief.
Black. Or greenish gray to be fully exact.
Plentiful. Ate a lot.
Literary. Read a lot.
Peaceful. Slept a lot. And pet cats many times.
While planning world domination on the side, of course.
Restful and jolly holiday season for all.
Today was officially the shortest day in Helsinki.
Snowless, it’s been pretty dark lately. But the weather’s been mostly on the collaborative side, and it’s been less miserable than it could have been.
First snow, and actual albedo. Then longer days. Sounds like an easy enough plan to follow.
Yes, it’s been getting steadily colder, and the first snow fell yesterday.
And hopefully we’ll escape the fifth season, the quellë altogether, and move right into a proper winter.
After all, this can officially be the worst period of the Helsinki weather - ubiquitous rain turning tarmac into slippery photon eater is no-one’s idea of a great time.
Against all odds spotted a duo of well-carved pumpkins on the steps of O’Malley’s on wedndesday night.
And a clone of Snow White’s as well.
One of the firm signs of the autumn is the arrival of a new novel by Ilkka Remes. Or actually two, since the author has taken to releasing two books simultaneously: the traditional annual technothriller and a more or less related kids book alongside.
This year’s book (based on a brief reading of the back cover blurb) is about german heritage in modern day Finland, with probably a good measure of eugenics and biological warfare thrown in for good measure. Hopefully the cover image (a nazi astronaut on the moon) bears some relationship to the content and is not just for show.
Incidentally, the main event is several euros cheaper than the much thinner young adults’ book, and the trend seems to continue amongst the older books - the kids books are rather expensive as paperbacks.
So, four weeks of glorious idling later (mainly in pleasant weather), what’s the final tally?
No links to individual entries. Mainly due to a sudden bout of laziness.
My original aim was to have a dramatic picture of a sunset to signify the end of the vacation, but today’s sunset turned out to be very much on the lame side on account of a very light cloud cover. Hence a quite different selection of an image.
August is knocking just around the corner, and the deep summer season has begun, symptoms:
Come to think of it, I’ve never spent the independence day in the states.
Certainly thus missed quality barbecues, patriotic speeches, over-chilled lager, Hail to the Chief ad nauseam, post-BBQ football, and many other things besides.
Something to think for the upcoming years, definitely. And preferably somewhere out in the boonies, not in a heat-scorched city.
Meh. Never got a real hangover from yesterday, but seemed to enter bouts of cosmic nausea occasionally.
Which slightly marred an otherwise very enjoyable barbecue evening in Jollas.
Two excellent cuts of steak, greatest salad I’ve eaten in months and dessert worth beheading a few french nobles. Of any of which I took zero pictures, proving that an omni-present camera is no good if not used.
Missed out on most public transport on the way out, and walked a couple of kilometers through the still very well-lit, but completely deserted Jollas. The picture is taken off a ridge, just before the sun slightly dips below the horizon.
Had the first post-work beers on the cliffs near the office of the summer.
Firmly in the can-mode, the evidence of careless dachshund-walkers is prevalent in the nature, with brown glass and cardboard carelessly strewn around. We took out what we brought.
The mayday’s very traditional festivities on Ullanlinnanmäki were celebrated in unexpectedly warm weather. And expectedly good company. And with very predictable set of supplies.
Apart from tippaleipä, of which the local shop was utterly sold out. But that’s a manageable loss.
Time to make sense of the way too rapidly moving finnish and russian players in the hockey world championships now.
