I have an affair / What I see / Afternoon beer / Working / Walking / Moving / New books

Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. Daniel 12:4

I have an affair

I have an affair. With trams that is. I just love them, I feel very down if I cannot take a tram somewhere daily. It is so nice to ride a tram. It glides so smoothly, the passengers are always on a good mood. Not like a bus, where the passengers are angry, sad, and moody and about to throw up for the ride is not pleasant.
The 3-tram goes by our home. I can observe it from our balcony. I can even check if some of my friends is inside.

What I see

Opposite our new home is a watering hole for local underclass. One day we were drinking beer in our balcony and keeping our eyes on the watering hole. Suddenly the owner carried a drunkard out of the hole. The drunkard had lost his trousers, but soon they were also thrown out. It took him well over 20 minutes of dress up, after which he was lifted back on a chair and his bag of bottles was returned to him. His friend came out also, with some help of the owner. The friend had his trousers on, but they were not buttoned up. It took him 30 minutes to button his trousers. Then the drunkards left and we lighted some Cuban cigars.

Afternoon beer

I have developed a new habit. After walking back to the civilization and taking a tram back to Kallio, I tend to have a pint in the Rytmi-bar. Such a nice habit it is: reading, drinking, enjoying the company of others. I strongly recommend this habit to everyone. And if you want to meet me, you may well find me in the Rytmi-bar after 6.30pm daily (Mon-Fri).

Working

Well, I cannot write much about my work, for it is protected by an NDA, but I can tell that I finally have things to do! Not that I could not get bored or frustrated still, but at least I have something to fill my days in the office. Not that bad, eh?

Walking

I have found a new way to work. First I take the 3B-tram to Mannerheimintie, then the 4-train to Munkkiniemi and walk from there to the office. The walk takes 45 minutes if I do not read while walking, 55 minutes if I do. Usually I do. Usually I also stop a few times to observe the birds and to listen their songs. Hearing blackbirds and nightingales in the morning is better than having a fistful of Prozac.

Moving

Since I moved out of my parent's place 17 years ago, I have moved at least 14 times. If I count short stays while working in Helsinki and still living in Tampere, I have moved 16 times. So, I think I know something about moving. My current advice is not to move everything in one day. It is much easier and funnier to divide the work to several days. Friends are also more likely to join the effort when the effort takes only a few hours and there is plenty of beer.

New books

Some new books since I wrote last time.

• Cobra II by Michael R. Gordon — an acclaimed story of the invasion and occupation of Iraq. I have not yet read it, but it does appear very interesting.
• The secrets of happiness by Richard Schoch — a history of happiness. How happiness was a civic virtue requiring a lifetime of cultivation back in the ancient Greece, but has now become a right of everyone, no matter the cost. A very important book and worth reading after the book "The high price of materialism".
• Marketing management by Philip Kotler — the marketing bible of MBA-students. I paid only 70 euros for it in Finland. Amazon sells if for $140. Strange.
• When the rivers run dry. Water — the defining crisis of the twenty-first century. by Fred Pearce — how rivers are running drier and drier by the day and how that affects us all. I have been reading this book while walking to work for the last 3 days and have now read 200 pages. Very good book and enjoyable reading while walking, short chapters.

Alun perin julkaistu kuukausikoosteessa "Blogs March to June 2006".