While awake...

This is simply fantastic! Very impressive and stylish!

While awake...

Today I saw 'our' homeless guy. I saw that he has a new jacket and pants. He used to wear a lightblue jacket and jeans. Now he wears an army green jacket and jeans. I saw him sitting in his regular spot - on the concrete busstop bench. His hair is a tangled, crusty and overgrown mess. Sometimes I wish I could walk up to him in the middle of the night (when he sleeps) and cut it all off! I wonder who he is. He is not very old. When I first moved here and began seeing him walk past our place, I noticed the young face behind the dirty face and overgrown beard. 'Our' homeless guy limps. I wonder why. I have noticed that he scratches himself a lot when he sits on that concrete bench. It might be because of lack of proper hygiene, and as a result some type of skin disease. A few days ago I saw him walking, at a fast pace as usual, with his bedroll under the arm and a coffee in his hand. Every few months or we notice that he has made a change to his walking patterns. He takes different routes. Different roads. But not too often. The first few years I saw him he would always walk along the same streets, but it almost seems as if he's expanded his routine over the years. I am, in a strange way, happy whenever I see him take a new route. It demonstrates hope. 'Our' homeless guy never talks. I have never heard him say anything but strange sounds or syllables that sometimes resemble whole words. He talks to himself in a language noone undestands. Sometimes I wonder how long he will live, how long he will survive the way he lives. I think he is mentally ill. Sometimes I wonder what he would be like if he got/accepted the proper care and medical help he needed. Often, when I see him, I am glad for him - that he is still here. He is alive.

While awake...

Someone sent Jonah Goldberg an interesting email regarding monsters and how some human beings seem to lack goodness. I am grateful and feel blessed that I live in this time and geographic location. I am among the fortunate to have had a safe and healthy upbringing.

While awake...

Let it be known that I do still dream, but have not lately felt any urge to share my nightly visions. Consider yourself lucky.

Phil of Finland for Thought writes about Finnish Happiness. Some of the comments are simply hilarious. But it's a juicy conversation topic for me on the daily walk with A. We discussed what could be the reason behind this way of thinking in Scandinavia.

What does makes this Finn happy is the thought of these delicious Fat Tuesday treats. See this picture for a prime example. Since my grandma is not nearby with her homebaked 'semlor' I had to get inventive. The closest thing to 'semlor' that I can think of here is challah bread, which actually is very similar to my grandma's 'semlor'. So tomorrow I will fashion 'Fat Tuesday Buns' out of challah bread, fill them with semi-artificial whipped cream and organic strawberry jam, and eat them! If I were back home I would also eat split pea soup for lunch and go tobogganing in the afternoon and go for a nice after-ski in the evening.

Have a Fat Tuesday!

While awake...

Super Bowl observations (yeah, from 'moi'!);
Paul McCartney's performance was very enjoyable. How very nice to watch a true professional performance. Can't say much about the visual chaos that accompanied the music, but I am not complaining.
Oh, and I like the 'arm flapping thing' the Eagles players do when they get a touch down. Looks cool!
Oh, one more thing:
T.O. playing with a hairline fracture on his fibula. And a torn tissue on his ankle. Sounds crazy when you think about it, but really - there is an explanation:
Think of men. Then think of men way back in time. When men fought face to face. When real men didn't complain about a few scratches or bruises. It still exists today, but now in the artificial form of sports.
I love people! Or best expressed by Maude:

Harold: You sure have a way with people.
Maude: Well, they're my species!

Battlestar Galactica observations;
I have a problem with the female version of Starbuck. Starbuck should be male. Don't get me wrong; I am probably the first in line to support strong female characters (a la Ripley in Alien and so on), but this role is not meant for a female. Katee Sackhoff gives her Starbuck character a very male, rebellious, and cold persona. Starbuck (in the old series) was very flirtatious and rebellious, a super hunk. So my problem is - why give this role to a woman? It makes no sense to me. I don't identify with her because she is too cold and masculine. She needs more feminine qualities asidelong the hunky pilot stuff, but there are none to be found. Perhaps the creators thought women would like Starbuck and think she is a cool and strong woman, but I find it a complete turn-off. I think even some men might find it difficult to like her since she's so masculine. Again, I love strong female lead characters that have some masculine sides to them, but why did Starbuck have to be a woman... I really really liked the male Starbuck. I used to watch him and Apollo on black and white TV! Sigh...