Libraries & The Smell of Old Books.

I like libraries. Having said that, i hadn't been to one in Finland since i moved back from Paris a couple of years ago. And to be honest, in the last five years, visits to the library have been exclusively academia-related. Hours of essay-writing and crappy vending-machine tea, armfuls of textbooks, journal hunting in the dusty recesses of research rooms...you get the drift. 

Well, i decided to make it right and head to the library with the sole ambition of borrowing some entirely academia-unrelated reading. And so i traipsed off to Rikhardinkadun kirjasto. And quite the bibliophile's wet dream that place is, too. The library was founded in 1882, and the building retains a lot of its original features. The coolest of which is the book tower, which is the highest point of the library. A spiral staircase leads up to the very top floor, which houses English Fiction. You can see clouds sailing above you, looking up through the skylight at the top of the tower. It's old, charming and eerie in equal amounts. I wanted to find a corner, build a fort and sit there with a blanket, flashlight and a thermos of tea and spend the night reading books. It's kinda awesome.

I spent an hour browsing the bookcases (and smelling the books - yeah, i'm one of those sneaky, old-book-smell-loving library pervs), trying to figure out what i wanted to borrow. i realized i'm a complete library-noob, continuously marveling at the fact that i could just pick out any books, and they'd let me take them home to read. I had to remind myself several times that that is, indeed, the premise a library operates on. And they didn't have to be bricks of books that dealt with the consequences of modernity in regard with self identity, or critical essays about the role of media as the fourth estate. (Which are the kinds of books i've come home with on my most recent, academia-heavy library visits.)

So there i was, like a fat kid at an all-you-can-eat buffet, hoarding books. In the end, i didn't take out all the ones i wanted (they'll still be here next time, i told myself - another great thing about libraries), and got out the following: Factotum by Charles Bukowski (a marvelous account of women, booze and chronic unemployment in America during WWII), The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter (absolutely fantastic reworkings of classic fairy tales; dark, erotic and always wondrous) and Filth by Irvine Welsh (i thought Trainspotting was brilliant, but this was better. Mental problems; genital rashes; substance abuse of all sorts; the misogyny, racism and corruption of the Scottish police force in the 90s and intestinal parasites. The shit, in other words.)

Having vicariously drunk myself into oblivion, killed Bluebeard and hosted a particularly observant and intellectual tape worm, i need something new to read. If you've read something awesome lately, do leave me a recommendation (and it doesn't have to involve intestinal parasites - although that would be a bonus, of course). And if you haven't, i recommend you drop by the library and pick up one the aforementioned reads (and smell some old books while you're at it).

 

Things to do on a Sunday.

Sometimes i think i fail to adequately appreciate the awesome feeling of waking up on a Sunday without a hangover. Personally, a lethal headache coupled with vertigo-inducing nausea and an aversion to light to rival that of Dracula's keep me from accomplishing much on a hung over day. Unless the aim is to lie paralyzed on the couch, unable to tear your eyes away from the Sunday marathon of The City assaulting you from MTV, and dream of a pizza you can't muster the physical strength to order. And let's face it: this is rarely the aim of any day. 

So this morning i awoke to the sun streaming into my apartment through the blinds, the icon of sobriety and spring cheer. And spent my day doing cool things, a few of which i've compiled in a list below, aptly entitled:

Cool things to do when you're not hung over on a Sunday.

1. Read a book in bed. I'm currently on Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S. Thompson, and must say my Sunday got off to a good start with a concise depiction of the stupidity of a past U.S. president, entitled 'Jesus Hated Bald Pussy'.
2. Bake scones for breakfast. Super easy to make, delicious to eat. Not as good as getting breakfast in bed, but probably the next best thing. Enjoy with the Sunday paper and extra strong Earl Grey. 
3. Write. I never seem to find the time to write non-work related stuff during the week, so i took the opportunity to get some words on paper today. What came out was a short story about a lonely recluse of a taxidermist. 
4. Listen to your Sunday playlist. You know, the one that's got all the right songs for a lazy Sunday. Mine currently includes The Drums, Midlake, Ella Fitzgerald and The Cranberries. There's nothing like singing in the shower with Dolores.
5. Venture outdoors. I went on a treasure hunt of sorts today. To the graveyard. The reason for this (apart from my graveyard fetish) is an old book i found at Hagelstam's some months back, which maps out the entire Hietaniemi Graveyard in terms of the most historically and culturally significant grave sites, and tells you who lives under the tombstones. Which is awesome. So there i am, amidst the headstones, breath fogging and book in hand, just before sunset. What i didn't take into account was that there's been so much snow recently that it's hidden half the headstones from sight, as well as blocked all but the main pathways. So i didn't get far on my graveyard adventure, but i did get to see a pretty sunset. As far as Sundays go, i'm not complaining. 

Necrophenia and Cheesecake.

Are two things that i have been spending the last couple of days occupied with. And what a lovely pastime they make for those lazy days following Christmas. Before dubious images of what that may entail fill your mind, i’ll elaborate that Necrophenia (for those of you who have yet to be acquainted with it) is in actual fact a book written by one Robert Rankin, and cheesecake is actually something i baked for Christmas dessert.

In terms of goodness, the two are far from evenly matched. It seems now that i’ve gotten halfway through both (getting through the cheesecake has proved far easier, not to mention more enjoyable) i can justifiably conclude that the book (which features a rock band, Aleister Crowley, the summer of love, an army of zombies and the end of the world) cannot surpass the cheesecake (which features fresh mint, after eight chocolate filling and lemony raspberry-mint sorbet).

I think this is probably because of Rankin’s style of writing, which I find arch to the point of being supremely irritating, and the fact that halfway through the book, I remain oblivious to any kind of masterful plot it might contain. My disregard or lack of understanding for said book has nothing to do with the sugar high-induced attention deficit state in which I’ve so far been reading it.

I originally picked up the book because someone compared Rankin to Gaiman, who is the author of one of my all-time favourite books (that, and the fact that it had a neat skull design on the cover), which in itself sets the standard rather high. Yet to be impressed by Necrophenia, I think I’ll plough through till the end and hope it gets better.

This cheesecake, on the other hand, is pretty good. It’s a spin on the classic baked, cream cheese version, with melted after eight chocolates and fresh mint thrown in the mix for some extra minty goodness. Unfortunately this isn't a vegan version, but you can easily substitute the egg with an egg replacer and use vegan mint chocolate instead. I tend to stray from recipes when i bake, which is why the amounts are approximations, and i encourage you to adjust them as you go along, if need be. As the cake is quite rich, it's complemented nicely by a zesty raspberry sorbet, which is super easy to make. This cake will happily feed six greedy eaters, or eight normal ones. 

After Eight Cheesecake 

For the base

• about 200g (half a pack) of digestive biscuits
• handful of rice krispies (optional, but they add a nice crunch)
• 3 tablespoons of margarine

For the filling

• about 600g of vegan cream cheese (Tofutti brand is pretty good)
• 3 organic eggs (or your choice of egg substitute)
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla sugar
• about 200-250g of after eight chocolates (depending on how much mint chocolate you fancy)
• about 1dl of sugar (give or take, as much as you feel is needed)
• chopped fresh mint (a handful, or as much as you like)

Crush digestives, add rice krispies and melted margarine. Line your cake tin (ideally 23cm in diameter) with the mix and pop into a 180 degree oven for ten minutes.

Whisk together cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer. Add eggs one by one, whisking only until consistency is smooth. Throw in chopped mint. 

Melt most of the after eights in a water bath, adding a little water and the vanilla sugar. Chop remaining after eights into chunks. 

Mix melted after eights, chocolate chunks and whisked cream cheese together. 

Pour into cake tin, and place onto lowest level of oven. Place a dish of hot water underneath the cake tin to achieve best cheesecake baking results.

Bake at 165 degrees for about an hour and ten minutes. 

Raspberry-Mint Sorbet

• Raspberries (frozen work well for this)
• Juice of half a lemon
• Chopped fresh mint

Throw all ingredients in a food processor. Add lemon/lime/sugar to taste. When pleased with result, put mix into a freezer proof container and leave in the freezer until it has set, but isn't fully frozen. Use an ice cream scoop to serve sorbet with cheesecake. 

Enjoy. I recommend enjoying a slice (or seven) with a really good book.

Happy Bearded Birthday.

And so it was that yet another year had passed, and December 11th was once again upon her. Happy friggin' birthday, me.
Now, some folks take this opportunity to dwell on the rapid decline of youth's heyday, and others get hit by serious angst about all manner of things they have yet to achieve in the process. My personal preference this year involves neither course of action. Instead, i'll face this annual aging party head on. Bring it, 24. I'll take you on with a Facial Hair theme-party (an account of which will surely follow), armed with champagne and bearded cupcakes . 
And these lil presents (that i may or may not have bought for myself).

A book, or four. Grimm's Fairy Tales. I've been wanting to get an edition of the original tales for a long while now; these are the hardcore, hardly happily-ever-after versions, not that sugar-coated Disney rubbish. Why eat gingerbread when you can eat children?


The Greatest Show On Earth is rather simply and conclusively subtitled "The Evidence For Evolution". Go on Dick, tell 'em.


I feel like some quality time with the daddy of Gonzo is long overdue, so i'll save Kingdom of Fear for the Christmas holidays.


On Monsters is "An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears". I was drawn to the cover before i even knew what the book was about, and so i was even more chuffed when i scanned the contents: Ancient, medieval, scientific, psychological, contemporary and futuristic - this book covers the whole monstrous spectrum. Especially looking forward to reading about mischievous taxidermists, monstrous births, freaks and creeping flesh, all of which have a section devoted to them.

Then i came across this dress while buying a scarf at Cybershop in Kamppi. At 34 euros, it really was a steal, and very little persuasion was required to convince me of its loveliness. i really like the cut, and the little bow is quite adorable. Also, it'll look rather fetching coupled with a beard. 

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.