Baby We'll Be Fine

Goddamn. So i went and saw The National. I'm not even gonna try and describe it, or write an epic post about it. All i'm saying is, those of you who were there, you know what i'm talking about. Those of you who weren't: how could you be so foolish? Personal highlights include Matt making his way through the audience, taking an empty seat, sitting down and singing Mr. November; getting to touch him as he made his way back to the stage and passed right by us; hearing Slow Show; ending the whole show in a singalong of Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks...Yeah, all i've got is 'goddamn'.

 

<3 <3 <3

New Favorites: Kippo and The Ounce

Frozen yogurt has finally made it to Finland, huzzah! Kippo, a dinky little hole in the wall on Iso Roba, opened shop a week or so ago. The place is tiny, the frozen yogurt is home-made to a special recipe, and it's all organic. And tastes damn good, too. The idea is to get a cup of froyo and choose from a selection of toppings ranging from nuts to berries to chocolate. I opted for the dark chocolate chips, but i could have just as well eaten the frozen yogurt topping-free, cause it's that good on its own. A small kippo of froyo with one topping will set you back a little under four euros. A little pricey, but it's not something you have every day. (who am i kidding, i'd eat frozen yogurt every day if i could). Come June, this place will be the shit; muggy heat, flip flops, frozen yogurt on your way to the park...the shit, i tell you.

In the past few years, tea shops have been popping up around town, which is good news for coffee-shunning tea addicts. Up until now i've mostly done my tea-shopping at Thehuone on Eerikinkatu, so for a change i decided to check out The Ounce on Freda. Compared to the classy, minimalist decor of Thehuone, The Ounce is like the set of a period play; it's like you've set foot into Ye Olde Tea Shoppe, complete with a shop assistant who looks like Little Bo Peep. I guess it's kind of endearing. In any case, the place smells delicious and they have a nice tea selection, in little brown bags with hand-written labels. I ended up going for some flavored black tea, most of which have curious names. But i'll admit, sipping on a mug of 'Alice in Mirrorland' or 'Lolita' is admittedly a more exciting start to the morning than a cup of the old Earl Grey.

Back with a Vengeance.

It's been a million years since i last wrote. I'd love to say the reason for this has been a decadent, extended vacation in the tropics, as plentiful in cocktails as it is lacking in computers. But no. Quite the opposite, to be honest. I've been AWOL because the amount of work i've been doing lately has been verging on the incredible. Having said that, it's all been awesome, but what with all these events, projects and plans, there's been precious little time for anything else. Like blogging. Or sleeping, for that matter.

So here's what's happened during all the blog silence. A running theme has been me, spending a lot of time on the floor (and no, it's not all because of drunken blundering). Yours truly attended a JV-course and got certified to work as security. Said course consisted of two weekends of early (mostly hungover) wake-ups and a lot of time being handcuffed, strangled, or pinned to the cold concrete floor of Nosturi by people who were all bigger than me (and seemed nowhere near as hungover).

Photo courtesy of Hopponen

The other reason a big chunk of the last months has been spent on me hitting the ground is Roller Derby. The difference is that for this i've been sober, and the people responsible for flooring me have all been girls on wheels. Which, to be honest, is a lot more fun. Thanks for all the bruises, battering and good times go out to all the lovely ladies (and dudes!) at Helsinki Roller Derby.

Photo of November's Freshmeat by Dagger

The most recent thing that floored me, however, occurred this past weekend, and has little to do with sobriety. I'm talking about Femmagaala. In the myriad of work projects i've been meddling in these past few months, this one manifested itself last Saturday in the form of a raucous party at Henry's Pub. Complete with lipstick on mirrors, artists not being able to get in at the door, and a mean gig from Pertti Kurikan nimipäivät, this was the most hazardous, backwards and kickassest awards party i've seen in a good while, as the footage below depicts. 

The party was awesome, the aftermath almost as much so: pneumonia and doctor's orders to stay in bed and dope up on some serious meds. Speaking of which; said meds are making me happily delirious and wildly dizzy. Hey, it might not be a vacation in the tropics, but passing out on the floor of the bathroom in a chemically-induced swoon is quite the trip in itself.

  

Christmas Shopping at TOKYO

It's that time of year again. People become hordes of cattle rammed through shopping centres, grannies sharpen their elbows to make up for their small size and delicate build, and you hear 'last christmas' thrice an hour, which is enough to send a mass of people (already at the very end of their tether) straight over the edge, into yuletide massacre mayhem. All in the name of Christmas shopping. Ho ho ho.

 

Luckily, it doesn't all have to be shopping centres (or grannies or carols, for that matter. not that i have anything against either). Which is why last Friday i trammed it through the frosty afternoon to Arabia and TOKYO's Christmas sale, in the hopes of finding presents for my nearest and dearest. 

These necklaces are made using a picture or photo, and you can get them with your own pictures, which is kinda nice. As would be giving one of these to your best friend with that pic of her passed out on the floor next to a puddle of vomit.<3

An advent calendar you can happily hang on your wall. None of that Disney-themed plastic crap with fake chocolate in it for me this year!

 

How can you not love these? A perfect gift for anyone. Especially your Grandma. And her sharp elbows. Nutty Tarts, i'm a big fan of your work. 

After all those christmas parties, going for the brown-paper-bag-over-your-head look might start seeming like a pretty bright idea.

 Lots of cool prints, too. I almost bought one daintily titled "Up Your Butt in 80 Ways".

 And pretty cards, too. Couldn't find the ones with the elf flipping the bird, tho. (a pic of which can be found from last year's post on this topic).

And then i saw this. The tentacled bunny had me enraptured from the get-go. It's like The Mad Hatter and Cthulhu made babies. Tea-drinking, totally looney, world-destroying demi-god, semi-lapine babies. Set me back 35 euros, which is not bad at all. And it goes nicely with the print i bought last year, of two girls having a macabre tea party wearing masks, seen behind the rabbit in the above pic. Similarly to last year, i sort of ended up buying lovely things for myself, and failing at getting presents for others. I guess i can always resort to baking, wrapping and lovingly giving out gingerbread vaginas.

Which is what i might do right now, accompanied by the four hour xmas playlist (!!!) i put together on Spotify last night at two in the morning, and an industrial-size mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows.

Have a rockin' weekend y'all!