soundtrack | David Bowie: Ashes to Ashes

I've been horrified about the Asian earthquake. Thailand and Sri Lanka are so popular holiday places right now that almost everyone knows someone who has been - or still is - somewhere down there. I'm afraid that the curious people watching the lists and images of missing people will block the net so I've tried to keep out of the way, but still I haven't been able to avoid a few images of the missing children and unidentidied persons. How awful it must feel to wait information from the other side of the world not able to do anything. And it must be really strange for those who have returned without any damage or without missing family members. I mean, a tropical paradise turning into chaos a few days ago must be feeling like a surrealistic dream when you are wiping the snow out from your street back home.


It would have been a sort of strange, dark Xmas time this year even without the earthquake. Of course it felt good to sleep (and that I did, about 12-14/24) and to eat, and it was warm and cozy with my parents and all... but never trust your brother if he's something like mine. I asked him to bring us something nice and harmless to watch; something that won't liquidate your brains but it's still fun to watch. And what does he do? On the night before the EQ we watched Grave of the Fireflies, an anime from Studio Ghibli. I'm sort of glad that I watched it even though it was nothing like I had in mind. (I guess it's one of the best movies ever and I recommed it to everyone but don't watch it when you're a bit down. It won't make you more glad.) The dying theme of Xmas continued next morning when the news from Asia started to flow and like that wasn't enough I still managed to watch a documentary about a demolition of Pompeii.


After this happy happy Xmas weekend I've been trying to have a few days to myself and my own projects but so far I've gotten nearly fifty work related emails. It's hard to NOT work when you know they are there awaiting and the longer you wait... I'm sort of telling myself that a couple of days make no difference but still I *know* that the AOTTD (amount of things to do - I learned this yesterday from spam mail) will grow fast to the point where it'll be hard to handle. So... I guess I'll have to make some work things already today.


During this time I've been trying to finish my one spam related artsy project. I already missed one deadline (well, it would be today and it's impossible to finish right now) and I'm afraid that I miss the deadline of one New York alternative gallery, which was interested about my installation, too. Have I mentioned about this? If not, it really doesn't matter now but shortly: I'm making my first installation ever. It's not complicated but still it requires a lot of background work to be done and here I am, stuck in the word-ville not able to finish the thing in time. I should have had more time in the beginning of the project. Anyway, it's no use to whine now. I'll finish the project, if not now then later and it'll find it's place somewhere.

By the way, the net art interview was published in tutka.org a few weeks ago (in Finnish of course).

soundtrack | Metallica: One

Thursday again.
Mad week again.
And Metalliga again?
Seeing some kind of pattern here?

The last weekend was dedicated sleeping and working (f.ex. Sibelius Academy project) - first time in many weeks I stayed in.

On MonTueWed I stayed in Jao evaluating media students. Watching as they work, that is. I tried to be on time everytime but somehow I managed to be late every day. I don't fit to this system.

On Thu I visited Aalto Museum (had some coffee there) and Timppa's parents (Xmas food). My brother and I bought a wide screen tv for our parents and it was delivered today to us; I used about three gift paper sets to wrap it and the whole package looks a bit disturbed. But if somebody says something I'll blame drunken elves for that. I also set up our nice plastic xmas tree and ordered a nice snowy weather outside.

Today we'll go see my parents - for undefined time - after I first will have my good night sleep. Ah, Sleep, thy I miss...
So, I'll be offline for a couple of days. -ZZZZZZ ZZZZ ZZZZZZ ZZZZZ ZZZZ ZZZ zzzzzz zzzzzzzzzz zzzzzz zzz zzz zz zz..............

soundtrack | Metallica: The Unforgiven

Mad week. It's already Thursday? What? My strange sleeping habits have propably made some holes in the time-space continuum. Mentally I'm still living Tuesday, the day straight from hell... Wednesday was a bit better. The most nicest surprise of this week came yesterday with mail: paycheck. I had totally sort of forgotten that I'll get paid for teaching.

I've done a lot of work with new Alvar Aalto F layout. Layout idea is not exactly mine (the visual realization is) - but it's a bit hard to adjust to another way of thinking; even though the concept of the site is not mine and it's already thought of, I had to make my own proposition too, just to make things clear in my head. But too many cooks... Maybe it's the best if I stay out of the way and just do what I'm asked to: layout, graphics and coding. The main problem with this project has been *time* - I've actually managed to do three weeks work in one week... and about four times. The latest deadline was for Wednesday and of course I had this brain blowing head ache on Tuesday - I was hardly able to move. So I slept through that day and tried to get rid of the pain - but in vain. I just had to start make the layouts at midnight - and got finished at sevenish in the morning.

Needless to say that I missed the small christmas gingerbread-coffee-moment in Craft Museum where I was invited to... And also missed exhibition opening in Gallery Harmonia. The rest of the day I just wondered in home like Ozzy O. But actually I got few smaller things out of the way: writing reviews for my students and contract outlines for The Online Gallery Henkevä Silakka / Spirited Herring project.

Yesterday I got the new concepts for Sibelius Academy project. That should be the main theme of today if everything goes well. Other things I have to finish before the following week ends: two artist pages and layouts for one artist and Colour Foundation page... And then there is this national costume project and two language versions of the Craft Museum pages awaiting... Well, work really doesn't end by doing it.

First I take a little Xmas shopping moment...

soundtrack | Audioslave: Like a Stone

Teaching days behind me and that's it for this year. Still some reviewing things but that's whole another thing. These last two days I've been teaching colour history and reception things - my thing. But I have to say: these have not been my brightest moments...

I've worked a lot with Sibelius Academy project. Right now I'm a bit lost with that one but I'm trying to organize all kinds of 'to do -lists' to help my work. Also worked with Aalto Foundation new layout and some small sites coming up. I have a small rush right now. Mental note: too much teaching is bad.

And interviews about net art: I'm about to answer to Javamuseum short interview and on Tuesday I answered one email-interview which will be published later in tutka.org (online-zine by the students of Diaconia Polytechnic/Turku).

Anyway: another christmas party thing (Jyväskylä Artist Association) accomplished. Maybe I'm allergic to Fridays or something. My right eye's watering, I'm like crying all the time. I noticed the thing on last Friday but I don't think tha tI was crying the whole week, it was just the Friday week back - and it started again this Friday. But this time it didn't stop at all but got worst on Saturday. I practically couldn't do anything yesterday because my eye kept watering so much I really couldn't see. And at the same time the eye is drying and then itching and now it's swallen. Good reason to keep holiday: it's not so bad as yesterday (yes, the eye is still swollen and itchy and red even the tear amount has dropped significally) but still when I try to look at a bright monitor it starts again.

Maybe I'm allergic to work.

soundtrack | Velvet Revolver: Slither

Time? Where does it go? I guess it has something to do with the fact that I've been sleeping a lot. I didn't sleep a lot when I had my three day teaching session on the beginning of last week: after I came back from teaching I worked home until about 3 or 4 o'clock each morning and then woke up at about half past eight each morning. Then on Thursday I could sleep a bit longer but I had a meeting at noon so eventually... First I met with Ulla to discuss about our colour exhibition in The Craft Museum of Finland and after that I had a meeting with Hannele Ollakka who is an internationally awarded textile artist. Then I visited many places and brought some christmas calendar type candy things to my business acquaintances + friends. Every year I cut some kind of cardboard christmas character/elf-heads but this year I was so bored with them that I started cutting two horned little christmas devils... But they ended up being quite cute anyway. Devilish christmas, that is.

The same Thursday I came home and was sooooo tired I almost bursted to cry. I started making some layouts for Alvar Aalto but as the layout they want is so unconventional, I had a lot of problems with realizing it and I had to ask for help. Then I went to sleep for a couple of hours, started working with that one again at midnight and continued until about five o'clock at morning (just to hear next day that nobody had read their email on the morning before the meeting at afternoon...) The next day I woke up at three, took a shower, dressed up, left to get a Angel season 3 dvd pack, came back, spend some time in phone and then it was already six and Matti Reivi's exhibition opening in Gallery Becker. After the exhibition opening we walked to his home to afterparty (and ate good Russian food) and we returned some time after midnight in the freezing weather - but it was nice.

On Saturday we first visited my parents (resting, eating) and then I went to Anna's christmas party/ coming home party. I really was so tired that first I wasn't going to go but considering that Anna has just returned to Finland after being first three months in NY working in UN headquarters and then three months in Washington working in Finnish Embassy - and after christmas she'll leave to Amsterdam for about three weeks... When else could I have a change to meet her? At the party there was also Niina whom I haven't seen for ages - so it really was fun and I totally forgot how tired I was. But at about 11 when everyone else were leaving to downtown I headed home - to get some sleep.

And some sleep I got. Yesterday I woke up at about three and today at about one.
So, I've actually spend a couple of holidays here. Which is always good to mention in my working blog... (Actually, I've made small updates everyday but nothing big. I'm unable to plug off.)

What else?

Webgallery Spirited Herring project is now officially accepted as the Arts Council project. I'll meet Tiina on Tuesday to discuss about all the necessary paperwork.

And there has been some things evolving arounf my 'art' things. I'll write more about then when/if it'll be more accurate but this one I can tell: I spoke with one American on phone last Friday (this phone call I mentioned before) and I actually talked him about a bit bat. I hope the line actually was so *baD* he didn't hear me well enough...

Yesterday I tried to catch up with Spyro (talking about PS2 here) which I didn't finish because of The Racthet & Clank 3. And which I now propably won't finish because it's TOO DIFFICULT. R&C problems were easy compared to this one and it's said everywhere that Spyro is practically a children's game.

I've ashamed me enough now. Time to have a small break. Ashaming will continue later.