Fall Cocoon.

Mornings are becoming a challenge. The colder it gets outside, the harder it becomes to venture out of bed. We've all been there. This happens to me every year. Knowing this, i thought i'd combat my morning indisposition by being better prepared this time around. I thought investing in a super-size, super-warm blanket would not only keep me toasty at night, thereby guaranteeing a good night's sleep, but would also make it easier to face the chilly, pitch-black morning. That line of thinking failed epically. Instead of making the transition from horizontal to vertical easier, my devious bedding is encouraging me to lurk under the covers indefinitely. (Further contributing to my demise, it hits the 'snooze' button a lot.)


Whether it's the wintry weather or some inexplicably bizarre need to nest, my life has revolved around food and books for the last week or so. This became evident on Sunday, when i waited in line for almost two hours for the Helsinki Vegan Food Party (Kasviskekkerit) organized by several animal rights and environmental organizations. The purpose of the event is to introduce omnivores to vegan food, but the usual suspects (veggies, vegans, raw foodies, etc.) have been known to flock to the feast as well. The hungry masses were treated to everything from starters to desserts. My personal favorites included a seriously intriguing raw food chocolate smoothie that tasted of alfalfa sprouts (weird thing is, it didn't contain said ingredient; even weirder thing, it was pretty good), and the best vegan chocolate and coconut brownies i think i've ever tasted. In the end, the wait was worth it, as partygoers were sent home with a load of goodies that included an assortment of vegan food staples, from grains and pulses to salsa and coconut chips. So now that i've got the blanket and the food, i'm all set for hibernation.


I've also got the books. I've usually got about three books i'm trying to simultaneously read. Of my current three, i just got through Dubious Deeds by Philip Ardagh. I remember picking the book up at Hietsu flea market and thinking that i've found a twisted story with happily-harrowing characters and dark humor, i.e. everything i love about contemporary cross-over children's fiction. My rejoicing was hasty. It didn't do much for me, to be honest. Using an omniscient narrator who frequently addresses and educates their reader is as annoying now as it was when Blyton did it. You can only get away with it if you're a certain Mr. Dodgson stuck in Victorian times with an altogether better story. Sorry, Phil.

Next on my list is Peter Singer's Animal Liberation, which i bought when i was in the States in May, but haven't gotten around to reading until now. I read quite a lot of Singer for an essay on Veganism that i wrote some years ago, and found his views compelling, so i'm anticipating a good read.

My third book of the moment is the bargain Vintage Tattoos book i picked up on my Friday walk. A lot of it is the basic stuff you'll find in all tattoo books, but this one has some great photos i hadn't seen before. I especially like the pictures of women, tattooed from head to toe, in the 1920s and 30s. Most of these ladies made their living at carnivals and fairgrounds as sideshow freaks. If i ever manage to get all the brilliant pictures in my tattoo folder inked into my skin, i could take a stab at a career as a tattooed lady. Too bad i'm still missing most of the ink, spend too much time in bed, and don't live in 1930.