Autumnal Blues!

I have hosted couple of guys in couple of weeks, nothing bad in whole thing, nothing really, but oh, how tired and blue I've felt. For everyone to know, I have been a bit ill, on medicines already 1½ months. Tried many different stuff, now going most probably to the operation to see whats wrong. I might not be the best host for anyone, but I tried and almost succeed.

First I got a guest from not so far away, from Turku, Finland. Tomi (HC, CS) was on a weekend trip which started already on Thursday and he asked if I could host him for one night. I promised fastly and there he was, behind the door after some long time being lost in Helsinki. I offered a beer and we talked about works and stuff, future plans and so on. Later on a same night we had great idea to call Sussi (HC) and ask her out with us. Sussi promised to go for "one beer". We travelled to Taka-Töölö from Etu-Töölö (from front to back). Took 3T (T is for Tölö and B is for Berghall, swedish names of Töölö and Kallio -areas). And we ended up to Hadanka for 2 beers. Sussi talked about her work and family-related stuff and we listened most of the time. Soon it was not late, but evening and common decicion was to go to home and sleep. Tomi most probably had woken up around 5 am.

Next morning we had computer-lan-session at my bedroom and we separated to different places. I went via University to Sähköjänis-festival to Savo. Tomi continued to have a fest in Helsinki.

Last week, from Wednesday until Saturday, I had a guest from Barcelona, Victor (HC) who had lived also in Riga, came to have "a holiday". I don't know what he is really doing in Helsinki, but he just stopped mainly at my place, crashing a floor and taking a shower every day. With him we met couple other Clubbers, Nico (HC, from Italy) and Kestutys (HC, from Lithuania) who live in Helsinki. Guys had a talk and I helped them to decide that Victor moves on next morning to stay with Nico and Kestutys. I had planned something else for Saturday night.

Anyway! I hope my possible guests respect me, whether I am not in good mood or I am really tired because of pains. In fact, I've been thinking that hosting the people who are in trouble without host, it's nice, but do I need to explain my crunkiness to every guest? Of course without telling the reasons, I take a risk to get not so nice comments. Though: Comments are not so important than having better health on someday. I have ended with this.

Special Guests?

Well, it wasn't really that they stayed at mine's, but they came in the morning and we walked and talked and I did kick a dog. This means, Keijo and Virve (HC, CS) came from Joensuu to visit Helsinki area for 3 days. Virve messaged me in the early wednesday:"What we should do?" I invited whole family (Viivi and Keijo and cute Niila, lappish dog) to visit my house. And they came. I played with Niila and talked with Virve, drinked coffee with Keijo and we walked around the city until Niila got thirsty and we got hungry.

Fast trip to the shop and then to home to make some delicious food. I cooked rice, vegetables with coconut cream, Virve doesn't like coconut, so they made some sausage-stuff for themselves. And then again a bit of coffee. They left in the early evening and I slept good long night dreams.

We saw eachother again on Thursday. I had settled a meeting with some friends in the evening in Suomenlinna, so did Keijo and Virve with Teemu and Alisa. I went to meet whole gang. Couples together, I feel so welcomed in that kind of crews. Anyways, day went fastly. We had good talks about life and things with others. At home I was fastly checking out the mails and talked a bit with Kliment (HC, CS) and he told that we is moving soon, so someone needs to take care of booze what he has at home. I helped him with taking a good care of booze: bottle of sparkling wine, red wine and vodka. And in the evening of Thu came Katja (my finnish friend from Tampere). She was ready stay at mine until today. So she did, with small changes.

On Friday we spent lazy summer day in the city. Walked around, bought some small stuff: I got some cd (Nina Simone) and books (Jules Verne, comics) as a bday presents for myself. Friday was also the Night of the Art. There was lots of happenings around the city. We went to Like bookstore and Stupido recordshop. After that a beer in Loose and then to home through Lasipalatsi (Glass Palace) where they showed Casablanca on a huge screen. I was planning to see Strange Fruits show. They performed at 00:00 next to the Parliament House. Suddenly the day changed to Saturday, my bday, and I opened a sparkling wine (small bottle) on a yard with a sight of a nice performance. I walked home, tried to get contact with Katja and ended to home for a small chat on the internet. I slept when Katja tried to call me. In the morning I was already at work just after 7:00.

After works, I had to bake a cake, I had invited some people to visit me for coffee and cake, so there was a delicious cake with banana and strawberries. At four came Sami (HC/CS/BW) and at five Tiina and Katja. Later on again Sami with his friend, Kaisa, Jenni, Riikka and Julieta. We celebrated a bit with red wine and continued to the bar at 20, came back before 23. I had small chat again and fall a sleep early while Katja wanted to meet some friends on the city.

On Sunday we needed to wake up early. I got an cruise ticket to Tallink new boat as a bday presents from my uncle, so we decided to use it right after the fest. With Kaisa, Katja and Tiina we went to Tallinn, stayed there some 7h, walked around and came back to home. Today was first day of this years academic life. I guided rookies and will do the same for 4 days in a row now. That's all about hosting right now. Next guest will be right after the coming weekend, which I will spend in Savo on our family autumn festival.

No guests lately!

Well, i am a bit sick right now, so I ended up NOT to host right now so much like I did couple weeks ago. But, If I got nice mails from people who are coming to Helsinki, I will definately do something.

Time Is on My Side

I had a long-waited guest from my hometown. My aunt from mothers side came to have a 2 day holiday in Helsinki. Pirkko is somewhat in her 50s, cool person and perfect relative to have.

Anyway, she is working in a financing area and she got work related tickets for the concert on Tuusulanjärven Kamarimusiikkifestivaali (Tuusula lake's Chamber Music Festival). It was interesting to get the other-vip-ticket to there. The concert was in three parts: Hindemith's Four Temperaments, J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto nr 3 (G major) and never-seen-before Radioktet by Rinneradio, Pekka Kuusisto and Meta4. I really enjoyed a trip to Järvenpää and back, the concert itself. And we continued to look for a dinner place after 21.

We checked out Santa Fé, Barcelona Tapas and Michelle, but we ended once again to Kappeli. Kappeli is an old chappel hall in the middle of Helsinki. Food is basic, but quite good. Interior and athmosphere in there is magical, August night outside, drinking Kir royal and eating Mushroom Pelmeni. We felt like we would have been abroad, Esplanadi park was beautiful in evening dusk. We walked back to home via smaller streets. Enjoyed a bit more of german redwine and talked about human life.

Morning broke as a beautiful sight. It was light from the beginning, and after fast shower we decided to eat breakfast outside. I have had Krulla in my mind while thinking about late sunday-breakfast. Krulla on Fredrikinkatu was closed for the summer, so we continued to Ekberg Cafe. Had Salmon bread and coffee. It was delicious, but aunts tummy didn't somehow liked the stuff. We relaxed a bit in Esplanadi park before continuing to Stockmann to buy books from Akateeminen and kids clothes for my uncles babies, Emma and my god-daughter Ella. They are 2 and 1 yrs old, having same size of clothes. Quite the same situation with me and my older sister Elina, who ended up with 155cm, while I grew to 172cm.

We came home to relax a bit more, and then her bus left back to Varkaus. I had restless feeling, so I decided to do something. I called to Kaisa, visited her and fixed her computer a bit until we left for tram 3T ride to Kaivopuisto. In there we had ice-cream, sat on a coastline and talked about important things. She had to leave to see her boss and I came to home. Now I am here, but Teemu and Alisa (both HC-members) asked me to join for park-trip tonight, so I am leaving again. Now -- to Töölönlahti park. To sit in the evening sun and drink one beer.

Until next hosting from Here :)

It's Not a Cry That You Hear at Night

I've had nice guests right after Faces. Eliina, Sintija and Liva (Eliina's shared flat is a HC-member) came from Latvia. Eliina is my Latvian teacher from Latvian Academy of Culture. She's as old as I am, nice girl who has a nice family. First Latvian who invited me to visit countryside home and terribly nice person in anyways. Girls were checking out the city, we talked Latvian (it was so great to notice that I understood all, had just a tiny problems to express myself. They stayed 2 nights, I wasn't at home all the time while they were here. Girls left to Latvia and left me invitation to visit them and also a great small stabule made of ceramics. What a voice with chromatic system.

In any sense, my week has been terrible disorder. I've been sick, lots of small accidents has happened. And besides all, I am really tired. So on Tuesday I got second guests Marianke and Ryanke from Netherlands (CS) . We had nice conversations about hospitality networks, they just started to use first. I made a good advertising for BeWelcome. On Wednesday girls went to see Suomenlinna and city and places and restaurants. I had to visit doctors and go to work with disabled kids on Olympic Stadium where Rolling Stones had a concert. I get out from work at 00:45 and met girls at Bar Loose, because I needed a beer.

Girls had booked a fastferry to Tallinn. It left 8:30 in the morning, so they left my place at 7:20. I slept until 11:30.

Brief Stopping in Helsinki on a Way to Mongolia

Danny and Lucy from UK (CS) were visiting me shortly. They will stay in Helsinki some more days, but I am going to Faces today. I promised to host them while I totally forgot that yesterday was a gig of Stereophonics (UK). So I was a bit sorry that I couldn't be a good host for them. They just relaxed a bit yesterday: watched TV and read travelling books while I was on a concert.

Danny and Lucy are on a way to St. Piter, Moskva and through Siberian express to Mongolia and China. 9 weeks in total. They left UK right after graduation. Nice guests, I just hope I could have get to know them a bit better.

Now Faces, before that a bit of No Shame band singin' Nothing left to believe.

Shopping with Credit Cards

Yesterday I met Verena (CS), from Munich, Germany. She was using cs for her first time and I was lucky to be her first host. It came out that she is funny, joyfull person in a similar sense with me, I enjoyed her company from the first point (though we both were tired of works or walks). We got some food from Stockmann store, just because I needed also a tv-antenna-cable and I knew that there will be food + cable at same place in Stockmann. And besides, Stockka has also good variety of food, which is a good thing... hmmm... cheeese. ;)

After those we came home and made a delicious dinner with fresh baked bread, tomato-mozzarella salad and spinach pancakes with cranberry jam and most of all: Oiva cider, which is a one of the best Finnish ciders. We talked about basises of hospitality: how many nights is easy to spend with other people, do you need to offer something else than a place to sleep, what if you have some problems with your guests.

I told her that I prefer 1-3 guest who are staying 1-2 nights, in special cases even more (like if I already know a bit of that person). I will offer them food if I am making for myself and a tea if they come later. On a morning I try to offer coffee or tea and bread with butter and cheese, if I have time to eat also. But mostly I kick the guests out for the time I need to be somewhere else than at home. I hope that my guests will understand that I am not available 24/7 to talk, that I need also own time. I told for Verena also about a small problems which I have had and also a good people whom I have met.

Later on the evening we were thinking about possibility to go to the bar, but we decided to skip it, because we were too tired. We made a bed for Verena just after Simpsons ended at TV (21:00) and were watching Surface and Sex and the City. While watching we talked about studies and universities, we found out that we're studying both a cultural studies: she just graduated for Cultural Anthropologist and I hope some day I will graduate for Ethnomusicologist (or Music Anthropologist) Right after that I decided that I am too tired and started to sleep.

Today we got lazy morning with breakfast and then went to shopping to Itäkeskus. Verena spend A LOT money to things and I bought just some crappy shower gel. Well, It was nice to see what there is to offer. We hurried back, and then she left with a lot of new clothes and shoes in her bag. Thank god for sales.

I've had a lot of HC and CS mails lately. I am hosting 1-3 persons in a week. Right now it feels correct, I don't need to think about my own life...