Mastodon - Sleeping Giant

Jyväskylä City Theatre

After a total crash of my c:ter I've finally managed to get it some what together again. I also purchased a laptop as my secondary c:ter - when the next catastrophe hits at least I'm able to do something with it. Except: I couldn't install my Creative Suite even though I should have enough RAM. Luckily I also have Photoshop CS as a separate purchase and could install that one. Dreamweaver and flash are also already installed and I've tested that the web connections work and all. So... Hopefully I can stop myself from working during the xmas holidays - little bit of workholicing here.

I've had my hands full of jobs. During the last few weeks I've made layouts for Väri07 (colour competition for architects and such) and some layouts for Savi-M (ceramic artist). I've had a meeting with dancers about their website, meetings with Sirkka at the Theatre of Jyväskylä about the content of their site (the site was actually published Dec18; though not quite as I had been planned - there's still some layout fixing to do), a meeting in Jyväskylä Art Museum about their future site and a meeting with Maija and all stuff for her web site is soon collected.
I've also designed a xmas image to screen in the window of The Jyväskylä Art Museum (I'll make that one to the ecard also) and some christmas cards to some museums and some firms.

And here's mine: for those who aren't yet feeling the magic of xmas (...*hmph*...) (change it to the xmas mode by moving your mouse upon image) coloria.net/xmas/06 / and to those who already are in christmas mode http://www.coloria.net/xmas/06

Sunshine Underground - Panic Attack

Last Saturday I had one day off - I can't remember the last time... We left to Espoo to see EMMA museum + exhibition. I didn't really expect a lot - just a day without computer and brain activity. But I the video installations by Shirin Neshat did really make an effect. And the famous Black Square (although not really the most original) by Kazimir Malevitsh was not so bad either... :)

I really shouldn't get any day-offs. The last nail on my coffin was last week when my computer broke down. It was away only for about 24 hours but enough to completely mess my time table. So many projects on their way it's hard to even start... Some Live Herring stuff is still unfinished which takes my time a bit but there are a lot of new projects waiting! More about them later... The main thing is - I really like what I'm doing right now...

Today I've used my time mainly to updates: Alvar Aalto Foundation, The Craft Museum of Finland, Kirsi Neuvonen's and Riiminka sites.

Oh oh oh, I forgot this one too: skullstation.org has opened (a few months ago) with a temporary site. This is quite far about the layout I had planned but since it takes forever to complete anything in my universe, I just decided to put some stuff there already. No so scully though. Just a few irritating backgrounds downloadable for web pages. I drew them about a year ago and some of the elements have already introduced themselves in this site... The skull station will present some skull related stuff in the future but also my line art graphics + stupid downloadables made just for my own therapy... Eh.

Cat Power - Wild Is The Wind

Iron Maiden – Phantom Of The Opera

Today I made the first book cover suggestion that I'm myself totally pleased with. Let's see what happens.

I can't update any sites on Jyväskylä site (Aalto Museum, Craft Museum, Arctic & Fabulous...) because there's one essential gadget down. So, I'll just have to lurk around for a while.

I got some very positive feedback from Papiina today - funny how some little thing can make you so happy. *-*

A little bit of sleep would do wonders right now. I still have a few sites to update and some Live Herring stuff to do and tomorrow I'll have to wake up early (well, relatively early at least). Slave to the system.

Thom Yorke - Analyse

Today's hc-listing:
* Call about sponsorship for Live Herring breakfasts (no go)
* Call about unknown number that has called at morning. It was the transport services: the Osram DOT its have arrived! We'll get some Osram powered light to our Live Herring exhibition!
* Call about silk screen minimum print txt size
* Sent an offer about netsite for one ceramic firm
* Sent an offer about netsite for one artist
* Mailed to Maija about changing the next date date. (+ later some mails the new date and about the possibility to go to InnoForum)
* Another call about sponsorship for Live Herring breakfasts (maybe; calling back in the beginning of next week)
* Sent request for grant payments for Live Herring to Arts Council
* Mailed to Kirsi about next weeks InnoFoorumi meeting - will she drive me if I can go. Whooo, exciting.
* Some heavy mailing about Live Herring + Arctic & Fabulous press releases
* Received those Osram DOT its! Fantastic!
* Mailed to Vakiopaine Bar about Vadelma Club and to Vadelma people about Vakiopaine Bar. And then to Art museum about screening things in Vadelma Club.
* Mailed to my friend how sorry I am since I didn't find time to meet her today even though I had promised earlier. Feeling a bit sad.
* Made a suggestion for a book cover for Opus
* Some additions to Live Herring site: Arctic & Fabulous logo, press release + some downloadables added.
* Some usual updates - to 15 sites...

...

Life?

Billy Talent II - Pins And Needles

Forgot about this. Lakes Woods Artists is an English site about artists in Central Finland by The Arts Council of Central Finland. The artists will be added to the site monthly. More information at the site soon.

---

All my off-work time I have spent with Live Herring. It really takes my time and wear me out a bit but it's soooo nice to see how everything clicks to its place. We have a few sort of major problems but nothing that would ruin the event completely. At least I want to believe so.

I'm having a lot of projects going on right now. Hopefully I'll be able to update this blog a bit more often than what it has been lately. It's nice to just sit down after these hectic times and just scroll down the blog entries - I really don't remember half of the stuff I've made this autumn.

Tilly And The Wall - Sing Songs Along

Arctic & Fabulous now online: www.jyvaskyla.fi/kulttuuri/ngfest. Although it's so largely based on graphic design by Mikael Korpela that I can hardly say it's mine... Well, I copy pasted the words online. *grin*

There's one project that really brings me down. It makes me sad when I notice that I'm hired to be graphic designer but still someone has always something to say... And when the project has too many people saying their opinions... There will be always someone against and some one agreeing and you just can't please everyone. If you start that way there's no stopping.

It's like, I'm not making my graphic design decisions just to tease people, there is reason why there is some air in the designs, around the logo & such. It makes me sick to see my designs rushed into one pile that looks really stupid. And it really doesn't help the readers when all the things are pushed against one another like in an oldfashioned Pravda. Argh.

This really makes me angry. Better to stop before I'll explode. Glad it's all over.

Beta bad - Broke

I was so frustrated last week that I focused all my energy into my blogs. (Yeah, secondary things rules always in ultimate panic). I moved all my blogs to a new beta version and

I also updated some small thingies to periferiadesign.fi site (designer Simo Heikkilä's site - he has an exhibition in Alvar Aalto Museum right now). Basicly soooo small thing but in reality it took me some hours. I had removed the whole site from my hard drive as I though that I wouldn't be the one to update it anymore. I finally found it from one of my very organized (*sigh*) cd's and then I had to make the whole site definitions again. Which of course would be very easy if you had any idea of where all the passwords and such are. Anyway, the small updates are now online (the actual updating took about 10 minutes).

---
I've been panicking a bit with Live Herring. Deadlines for brochures was some time ago and I'm still missing things. This year the event has been much easier to organize though. It's not the experience of organizing last year's event (well, propably partly) but mostly about these people - like Heini, Mikael and Soile - who have been organizing with me. I'm tired with the project but quite happy at the same time. And things seem to go well...

Klaxons - Magic

*Sigh*. I just found about twenty work related emails in my draft folder - I thought I had sent them but it must be the broken network thing... One of them being the theatre layout/coding project. I just mailed to one inquire about the project that I've forwarded the files and everything is fine. Well, it wasn't.

One other project that is shading my days is the book cover project - still on its way. I have these ideas that I think are great, but I lack the ability to bring them alive like I see them...

I'm not actually this depressed. I sound more down than I really am. I just lack a bit time.

Cramps - Human Fly

My net Elisa connection kills me. Online/offline/online/offline/offline/offline... The situation changed from critical to catastrophical when I was updating Riiminka site and the connection just suddenly went offline. I'm so bored with this... I phoned to Elisa again and maybe something will happen in this week. Crying silent tears here. And in this doomsday athmosphere - what do I receive? The phone bill from Elisa.

Tomorrow we'll have a Live Herring meeting. The whole project has started slowlier than I planned because of the offline thing - how can I find *good* Scandinavian net art to show or even send email when my net line is dead? I'm starting to build up some stress due to that.

---

My brother always sends the strangest links: www.kk.org/streetuse/archives/ 2006/08/ jazz_on_bones_xray_sound_recor_1. php

Magazine - Permafrost

It's getting dark and it's not yet 7pm. And it rains. And less people wear t-shirts than thick jackets. The summer is officially over.

Yesterday it was my first joga session. Today I was wondering what is that strange feeling - related to pain but not really - in my stomach... until I realized that it must be my muscle(?) Uh, I'm really in bad shape.

I had a Creek lunch with Anssi at noon which was really nice after soooo long time. We should meet soon again and discuss about The Online Gallery Henkevä Silakka / Spirited Herring - I've designed a new layout, not ready yet though.

I've done some small projects since I came back home but nothing really big. Actually, I've emailed + phoned a lot. First I mailed to Adobe and asked why I hadn't received my free registration gift as promised. Grrr. Then I phoned to out general manager about some fixing in the wall next to our door. Then I mailed to one critic/reviewer about one Moomin DVD that is practically impossible to find. And then some stuff about Välittämö project - we are ending the project due the lack of our resources.

What I really should do is the dozens of small updates waiting in my email. And I should make some new layouts for Viipuri Library site by the end of the week. Well. I've opened the images + all the other material I have. Almost there.

I'm not really in work-mode but I really should do something. Grrr.

Metallica - Ride The Lightning

I've been a bit tired lately but I hope it's getting easier soon. I've tried to have some free time also but I know I'm still working a bit too hard. It's not the work actually, but all my projects that are pressuring me. I should really give something up. Thinking about it.

Last week I met some people in Jyväskylä City Theatre. I'll make a makeover to the site. All the Jyväskylä City sites will be emblied into a new publishing system, so that will give me some work. Nice. There are also other projects on my to-do-list. A lot of new layouts, that is.

And one fast temporary site: Alvar Aalto Design Seminar 2007 - based largely on the graphic design by Aimo Katajaniemi. So, not any achievement of mine at all. *sigh*
+ The usual updates: Alvar Aalto Foundation + The Craft Museum of Finland + Gallery Becker.

I would sooooo much like to make something mind blowing for a change.

Clash - Magnificent Seven

Days have been so beautiful and warm that everything seems so much easier and lighter than at the beginning of this week. Yesterday I spent some time at the office of The Arts Council of Central Finland (reading dictionary - but that's another story). After just hanging around for a while I left for home but as it felt so good just to be I stopped in Gallery Becker and called Timppa. We went out to eat (in Sohwi). It was pretty much a perfect day.


Today I made an exhibition poster and an invitation to an exhibition for Timppa (+ then the new invitation here). Actually, *we* made. Timppa took largerly part in designing the whole thing - maybe the next ones will be his design from the beginnig to the end. The biggest problem we had was the size of the original photo's of painting. We need A3+ size and their resolution at A4 size is 300dpi. So, for poster purposes there is only about 170dpi availability. Not very good and really makes me a bit anger. But we'll wait and see... The printed stuff will be in our hands next week.

As I'm thinking of starting to print some of Timppa's paintings to posters and postcards, I'll propably will order new photos which are all taken in a proper studios with a right kind of equipment. I'm a bit excited about that plan - to go and do something I really don't have any experience with. Whoooo.

Right now I'm coding Taidemajakka ('Art Light House') project site. I actually just found a few technical solutions to the layout - propably very simple but for me it was like I just invented a wheel. These kind of small thingies give some power to go on...

+ The usual updates: Alvar Aalto Foundation + The Craft Museum of Finland + Gallery Becker.


---
edit (a bit later): We'll propably cancel the Välittämö exhibition we have planned to organize. I haven't been really active in this project and I wasn't planning to exhibit anything but still... I'm not disappointed or anything like that but still there is some kind of void feeling. More about the whole project later.

Stereolab - French Disco

Live Herring bubbling under. Next meeting next week but before that still some calls to make and some questions to be asked... Need some money. All the rich people, please, contact us!
Also, Välittämö exhibition is coming up. I'm ashamed of how lazy I've been with that project but I've been rally tired - this one week offline thingie wasn't helping the situation.

As I was offline I managed to develope some kind of overflow with my work - now the situation is finally - slowly - normalizing. There are still some unfinished businesses but I think I'm copeing with them now. Nothing new online though. But soon it will be: last week I finished making the coding of the Taidemajakka ('Art Light House') project site. Content's still missing but at least the groundwork is done. The site should be published on September 2 - I'll get the contents propably tomorrow or on Friday.

I was just making my to-do-list and I noticed that there are too many projects 'almost there'. Like The Arts Council of Central Finland site, which is still missing "panic button" I was planning to put at the front page. When it comes to the other contents still missing - I'm waiting for the material...

Hope of The States - Left

Offline and helpless. I haven't been able to use internet fully since Wednesday last week. I'm starting to be a bit desperate here. Even though I can make most of my work offline, there are a lot of small thingies I have to get to net for - and of course the actual update thing. Right now I'm waiting on phone on online error/help line (whatever) for somebody to shout to. Grrr. *sigh*

Last week I finished a lot of layouts. But somehow my work enthusiasm dropped to zero when I got offline. Ideas are really somewhere else and somehow my concentration is too.

I have made a deal to make one new layout and there are a few more that I'll maybe make in some point. This sort of scares me right now since I'm afraid my creativity doesn't really take me to finish line.

I'll get enourmous phone bill. I'll make a personal bankcrupt. (My personal phone record: 25 minutes and holding...)

Spinal Tap - Stonehenge

I've been getting good feedback about Coloria site. It's so shame that this year has been most devastating with that site: I've done so little updates and even less new stories... It's really starting to annoy me. So I made me a Coloria blog. It was so nice to make something completely different with layout! Unfortunately for non Finnish-speakers, it's only in Finnish. But there are/will be some colour related links and some of them, like in my entry today (about old American colour films) are quite intriguing.

I've actually worked a lot with layouts. Currently I'm making a new layout for The Craft Museum of Finland and first layouts for sculptor Anne Alho. I've finished making layouts for Taidemajakka project but there's some fixing still left to do.

I also was asked to make some sketches for one book layout and I have made some with Photoshop (yes, I have InDesign). Today I opened them to continue my work and noticed that all fonts are missing!? But only for these projects. I can use any font I want in any other project I'm doing. What the h***? Well, I simply haven't got time to worry about this now. I'll send the layouts forward today and wish the best. One thing I have learned this far: I really lack a lot of information about this kind of work and right now I'm having my creativity somewhere hiding.

Need sleep.

+Some regular updates (Alvar Aalto Foundation + Gallery Becker + Papiina + The Craft Museum of Finland)

Justice Vs Simian - We Are Your Friends

Added some images to Timppa's web page today and also made some adjustments with his guestbook.

Some regular updates (Alvar Aalto Foundation+Gallery Becker) and a total brain damage: I left to Alvar Aalto Museum today to return some cd's and to take a pile of some artsy newspapers there - and I totally forgot to took the both newspapers and cds with me. Typical.


Oh, I've forgot about this: renewed look of The creative industries development project has been online for some time now. I totally forgot about that.

The Cramps - Faster Pussycat Kill

A week ago we took a very mentally heavy (in a good way) trip to see some light houses (some images available). It was total holiday time but at the same time... I've been totally in another world since then.

I have some images in my mind to complete into digital artsy thingy I had planned to make out of the trip but right now I'm avoiding Photoshop. For some reason. I'm sort of afraid that I'd spoil the whole imagenary of my mind: there's really no way that I could make better effects / collages that the true world in the islands was. Even though the photos are not so good *I* still remember what it was.

Now I should try to recover and get back to my normal work. Usual updates and some layout designing is waiting. And I try not to think about Live Herring or Gallery Spirited Herring since my brain is starting to be in a melting point.


The *very* renewed The Arts Council of Central Finland site has been online for a few weeks now. Still something to do but you'll get the point. :)

soi | Sound Team - Fastest Man Alive

Still here! It's been so sunny... And PS2 is so fun after all this time. I got JakX for my birthday and started playing it today - but I'm really not that good with driving. I should try it later when I'm more speed oriented than now. I'm so totally frustrated with R&C2 too: I've started from cratch (played actually RC1 through by myself, without almost any help which is non-heard thing). I'm stuck with one flying mission. I've never been that good with those tasks that demand some reaction abilities. I'm just like - wall coming, wall ahead, I'm crushing, BOOOM! Hmph.

It's actually second day of midsummer fest but I'm working. My mission is to clear my inbox of all the work related mail - by doing it all. That way I can finally spend some time with Coloria. Maybe.

New site for The Arts Council of Central Finland almost finished. Soon...

soi | Rapture - House of Jealous Lovers

Our house is so messy right now it even starts to bother me - even though I'm not so hyper neurotic about putting things in their right place. We are beginning to recover after yesterdays catastrophe: our cd shelves went down and hundreds of cd's dropped down. It's propably not so bad as you might think: most of the cds stayed put in their cases and even though many cd cases were broken I don't think that there were so many cd's that went to unusable mode... Well, Marilyn Manson took it quite bad: all cases broken. Blah.

My evil brother introduced me the Spider solitaire (bravo, WiinXP - now I'm hooked and can't get to work). Not that old classics like PP Hammer, James Pond and Woody's World would take less time... Or Ratchet and Clank - I restarted from the very first game, from the very first level...

Quite busy on the work front. I'm re-making the site of The Arts Council of Central Finland. Actually it has been finished for a few months now but since another site connected to that one is not finished... I'm planning to publish it this week anyway. The extra site will be finished then later.

Some very ordinary updates: Gallery Becker, Alvar Aalto Foundation, The Arts Council of Central Finland and The Craft Museum of Finland.

Muse - Supermassive Black Hole

Does it make it better? Buying a new computer? Well, it all worked well two weeks. And yesterday I finally got a fatal error flashing on my monitor. The report tells that's it's unrecovable hardware problem, propably something to do with RAM, system board, CPU or power supply. I suspect the latter one - there's a new power plug symbol on the right corner that I've never seen before. I really don't want people with a combo told-you-so-slash-that-sucks look on their face standing beside me when I fight this &¤%¤%%¤W#.

I propably should make some backups...

Nothing new here (well, first SLY for PS2 - I've been searching that one for ages and finally found - but on work front, nothing). Ordinary updates, no new creations.

Uriah Heep - Gypsy

I had totally forgotten: Live Herring 2006 site is now open! The site is really empty still but I'm planning to insert all kinds of small line drawings to the site.

Yesterday I had a killer head ache and I did only the crucial updates (updated new prices to Kirsi Neuvonen's website). Today we had a Välittämö meeting. After the meeting I did some Välittämö stuff and after that spent several hours getting my Norton fierwall + virus preventing thingies fixed. Grrr.

Alas, my inbox is no longer empty...

Automatic - Monster

Absolutely odd feeling. My inbox is empty. Of course there are a few dozens of small updates and bigger changes on my work list written in all kinds of notes etc. but still: I don't remember when I got my inbox emptied last time (if you don't count the time a few months ago when my whole account emptied). Some comfort in this work'a'landia.

Well, actually there are few a bit bigger projects going on. Kirsi changes all her print prices - there's some job for a couple of days. Papiina will update their pages in Swedish and in German during June. The Arts Council of Central Finland site is under renovation but will change at the same time as their artist introduction in English will open. Soon that is. Right now I'm renowating Luova toimiala site because the old one is total mess (viva la wysiwyg Front Page)... But some projects have been easier than I thought. Actually the Craft museum cyrillic site wasn't so bad after all. Only a few pages. Demo is now made.

I've had some problems with RealPlayer - again. The last machine sometimes freezed totally when I tried to listen BBC6 and now it started with this machine too. Actually, now I have so much memory & stuff that it doesn't really matter but the idea of the program not working properly eats me alive. So I changed to Win Media player. SOOO much better quality of sound but not really easy to use. If I stop the damn player and try again, it requires a PASSWORD as the connection changes or something. I can't get the clip working properly but I have to start by going to BBC6 site, then choosing the Win MP option, then from the following page the standalone option... And with RP I can open the BBC site on RP browser but I haven't yet figured out how to open any sites (other that Windows Media things) on the browser (or is it even a browser?) And I still have to find out if there's a chance to rewind these streaming sessions... Blah.

Lots of small updates: Alvar Aalto Foundation, Kirsi Neuvonen's website, European Cultural Foundation / Finland, Riiminka, The Craft Museum of Finland, Värjärikilta and Gallery Becker.

Keane - Is It Any Wonder?

I have a new c:ter. I gave Timppa the old one - he can now make some work thingies at his studio. Although he doesn't have any monitor yet... I didn't buy only this machine but also some software: Adobe Illustrator, InDesign and Flash. I can't really use any of them. Some designing schoolish days ahead. Well, if the summer is like the weather today it's not hard to convince myself to stay inside. Freeeeezing here.

The Väristyksiä exhibition opening was last Wednesday on The Craft Museum of Finland and lots of people. We had so delicate exhibition opening food... popcorn. Both salted and sugary (red, yellow, brown and green...) Maybe not exactly what some people came to expect. But the exhibition itself is meant to be funny and different from the usual ones.

I didn't feel myself tired at all while making the exhibition but the very next day I woke up at about six at evening just to eat something, then headed back to sleep until the Eurovision song contest semifinal, and then back to sleep. It wasn't even hard to sleep the next night even though I had slept through the whole day. But the next day I was already feeling soooo much better and I got my energy levels somewhat back. There was an interview for Keskisuomalainen newspaper (there was a story of the exhibition already in Thursday on that same newspaper) and we (Ulla, Tiina and I) posed for a few photos too.

And then I got my new c:ter home. So small and sweet it is, with a blue light shining at the front panel. And silent. I can't sleep at night because I'm so used to the steady sound of the machine. Feels like I'm put offline of the world. But I'll get used to it...

Yesterday the holidays continued. I made a few adjustments. Anssi came to help me with VPN thingie and we made it work. I found all my old settings and configurations for Photoshop and Dreamweaver. And the rest of the evening: Eurovision Song Contest! After 30 years of viewing only a few points at Finnish Eurovision chart it was finally nice to be on lead! Lordi won! It still feels sort of unreal.

Updates (so far, more to come): Riiminka, The Craft Museum of Finland and The Arts Council of Central Finland.

Lazyboy / Roddy Frame - Western Skies

There were so many ggggrrrreeeeat things last week that I don't even know where to start. So I won't.

I've got Gear Works game now - good entertainment for intermissions. Must enjoy while it lasts: my hard drive is most propably broken and I'm planning to take my machine to be fixed and upgraded a bit on Wednesday morning. After that there is a press event of the Colourings exhibition and later the opening of the exhibition. Then propably a small break - what can you do without the machine? Jeeeeezzzz...

soi | U2 - Ground Beneath Her Feet

I'm a machine! Total!

Small site of European Cultural Foundation / Finland (img) has been online since last Tuesday but published officially this week.

Riiminka's summer collection for adults is online.

Jyväskylä Art Museum new front page was actually published a while ago. The idea of the site is that it's very easy to change colours of that site. I've made about twenty different colour schemes for the site. Though it's funny, because the change took place only on the front page. That's because there are some changes coming for the net site anyway but the front page just had to be renewed.

Updates for: Gallery Becker, Alvar Aalto Foundation and The Craft Museum of Finland + Many small adjustments for f.ex. Muhi project.

Still I managed to spend some time outside. It was so sunny and warm that I just couldn't stay in. SO I walked around while listening to some music and enjoyed the green new leaves and the scents of spring. This is absolutely the best time! I decided to buy some ice cream - there was only a few ones left on our local shop... I got a few.

Tomorrow is the day that I've been waiting for. The building of the exhibition will begin. I have to charge my camera battery for this project.

...And now, some quality time with ice cream!

Patti Smith - Dancing Barefoot

I'm quite pissed about one project. Well, there are actually couple of them but this one... I just made some corrections and propably there will be more coming soon. This is one of those corrections after corrections and changes after changes. I feel expecially bored with this project since it has had so many changes that it doesn't look like my design anymore. I won't publish this one on my portfolio even though it's a big one. Right now I just feel that making changes upon changes is just fools job. The funny thing is that the choices that are wanted right now are quite near of what I suggested in the beginning. I quite feel that I don't get any respect - and I really don't require much. Maybe it's because it's not understood how much *just one little change* can take time.

But what's *not bugging me* is the Colourings exhibition for Craft Museum of Finland. The exhibition will open in 18th of May and the building of the exhibition will start next Tuesday. I've been so happy writing + planning that exhibition - I get to work with colours and actually it's my work! I don't have to fight with my guilty conscience while spending time with the project. I've got tons of new ideas for Coloria also, and lot's of new contacts and all. :)

Small updates: Alvar Aalto Foundation, The Craft Museum of Finland, The Arts Council of Central Finland and Värjärikilta. Added new images to Kirsi Neuvonen's website.

Gosh. I so need to make some new beautiful project - not so ordinary. Something...

Gnarls Barkley - The Last Time

Papiina's make over has been online for a few weeks now. Yesterday I made a few corrections but that's it for now. The viewers won't propably notice anyhing because the changes have been mostly in coding: from html to css. Plus there are now product 'info cards' of every product.

Välittämö + Välittämö gallery has been officially from Tuesday - the same day that there was the exhibition opening of the whole project in 00130Gallery (Korkeavuorenkatu 27, Helsinki). The Välittämö project connects art with business and with exchange/bartering. Maybe artworks can be sold not only with money but also by changing them with services and goods. Sort of: give a artist free lunch for a month/year (or another selected time) and get art work. The Välittämö Project was a "critic's pick of the week" on yesterday's NYT / Helsingin Sanomat.

I should continue to clear my table of the work thingies so that I could fully concentrate on Väristyksiä colour exhibition that should open in short two weeks time. I'm so totally freaked about that one right now... I know the exhibition itself will be really fantastic but somehow it still frightens a bit when you know it's the main exhibition of the Craft Museum of Finland this year.

Shins - Your Algebra

On weekend I worked like maniac, then on Monday I had a morning meeting with Välittämö project (after three hours of sleep), then from mid-day till evening Craft Museum exhibition meeting and after I came home I worked with the same exhibition until about four on morning. On Tuesday I started by making some notes for our Craft Museum exhibition, then lecturing about colour (to a very nice group!) and then finally working with Välittämö project the rest of the evening.

I'm constantly feeling guilt about how little I've given to the projects going on but at the same time I realize that there are fysiological limits in this world. I've slept about 3-4 hours a night for a couple of weeks right now and on Wednesday I collapsed totally. Not blackouts or anything but I just couldn't get myself up. It was the first day for a long time that I didn't have to go anywhere and so, my brain just went to tilt mode. One day total rest did good. I can *think* again (well, sort of...)

Yesterday I worked the whole day with Papiina site which is now totally renewed. Mostly the renevation is in code (to css) but there are also new product information pages that didn't exist before. That's a nice thing - one site that has been bothering me a bit since I know it's much used...

So glad it's Easter - people won't send me more work during it. I'm able to finish my T-D-List and continue with Craft Museum colour exhibition texts...

Lacuna Coil - Enjoy The Silence

From the lowest lows to new hights? Last Wednesday I lost all my email. Last nail to my coffin. But the very next day it was sort of nice to open my email and see... no work at all. At the beginning of the week I was so tired already about the thought of the amount of jobs that was waiting for me. Emptying your email account - easy way to get rid of all the work!

The rest of the week however was still very amebaish low-life. I've been feeling a bit low and haven't really been out (except for short walks) since last Wednesday. I felt I was working all the time but really complished nothing. Maybe it's because many of my ongoing projects are very complicated and long time things and even if you finish one part of the project it won't be seen for a while.

Yesterday I found myself a really nice coat from flea market. Except I should lose some weight for it to fit me perfectly (Have I now joined the army of frustrated women who buy themselves too small clothes living in some kind of dreamworld...?) Actually I went to the flea market to find some porcelain to the exhibition installation (only few weeks to opening). Anyway, somehow it was really relaxing to wander and look all the old stuff (and have a few words with a friend whom I haven't seen for ages) that also my workstuff started progressing. I spent the whole day with Jyväskylä Art Museum front page: I made the requested changes and about 20 colour schemes for future use. Plus wrote a bunch of answers + instructions. It's a bit funny to make make-over to the front page only when all the other pages of the site are still using the old layout - but hopefully it will work somehow.

Right now I'm really drawn into ugly interfaces/layouts. I should finish new Live Herring 2006 layout soon but right now I'm a bit unsure... It's starting to be a bit too ugly... I'll have to get my work done so I could think about that.

The Charlatans - Blackened Blue Eyes

I feel the whole two weeks have been total mess and I've under-achieved everything I've done. Plus the fact that I'm late with my work AND own personal pojects. Right now I feel that this much stuff to do is freezing me to this one position and one thought full of panic, without any sensible way to make this l-t-d a bit shorter.
Updating Värjärikilta's web page took a big part of my non-sunny Sunday but somehow it was really relaxing. I made a makeover to picture gallery and it was sooooo relaxing to watch sunny summer photos... I also got the pre registration for dye-week next summer and I DID register myself already.

Uh, next summer... Wish I was there already. The next big deadline is our Välittämö exhibition after Easter, then just under one month until our big colour exhibition opening in Craft museum and after that another colour exhibition in art museum. And trying to make some sensible plans for Live Herring. Plus the ordinary work of course.

Well, nothing good comes easy. It isn't a project if some tears aren't shed and it's not spring time if you can relax and sleep. Who needs dreams anyway? When you're tired enough you don't actually need to sleep to receive some wild psychedelic ones.

¬_¬ Starting to scare myself a bit. Maybe it's time to finish working for today and try to think about something else for a while.

But some work though: Last night I coded some templates for the Jyväskylä Art Museum - and had some very sugary colour selections... Hopefully there's some use them some time - bored to see all official web pages. Not published yet though.

+ Some basic updates: Gallery Becker, Alvar Aalto Foundation, The Craft Museum of Finland.

Dresden Dolls - Sing

Riiminka's summer collection 2006 is now online...

Renewing Papiina and Jyväskylä Art Museum sites, making graphs for Muhi etc.
+ Some basic updates: Gallery Becker, Alvar Aalto Foundation, The Craft Museum of Finland. Normal actions. Nothing explodingly new. (I know, that's not propably a word but I'm not *so* limited.)

A few days ago I gave a short interview for Värillä zine via email. About natural colours & such. Nothing big but since then I've had to force myself to continue working and not rushing to update Coloria.
I'm panicking a bit with all my projects (work and other). Today I should've had a meeting about colour exhibition but I missed it: don't feel very well right now. But anyway, I'm mentally in much better condition. Last week I had a meeting with some people interested in organizing Live Herring which brought me a good, light feeling of relief. A little bit of help is all I need.
And sleep: last Thursday I was dead tired when I came home: I was in sleep before (I think) nine at Thursday evening and woke up Friday evening at seven. Not feeling much better now.

E S G - You're No Good

Weekend without weekend. Again.

I'm *not* so tired of my job (about 42 subjects on my to-do-list, big and small mixed, some I-can-hardly-wait-fantastic, some of them absolutely-pain-in-xxxxx-&%¤%¤) but the fact that this damn c:ter is not well. As it wasn't enough that RealPlayer is eating all the memory alive but there is something serious errors on hard drive. I just can't afford to take it to be fixed because of my long t-d-l that I just have to get shorter before my head explodes. So I'll just have to hope that everything would go smoothly (- just one more month, please....) Now the latest one is this: I can burn cd's and listen audio cds but (sarcastic *ha* here) I can't get my back up files open. F.ex. I have this old front site plan for Sibelius Academy Muhi project which I just can't get open. Today I realized that if I'd started remaking the whole thing instead of using tons of time first to find it and then to find out that I can't open the files... Well, you know. (Place some heavy curse words here.)



Nothing new online but lots of small updates. One bigger one: updated Papiina's new collection - but I'll have a small site make-over going on. Hopefully new site will be online in two weeks time.

Riiminka's spring collection is under work... Have to start with that one. But first I've got to get some sleep. Before it's afternoon again.

Gnarls Barkley - Crazy

Very bony life here... :) On last Friday I bought the most essential things for our household for a long time, f.ex. black rubber gloves with skulls. I started to sketch layout for my skull project. I actually got myself a new domain a few days ago: skullstation.org. But there's nothing there yet.

I also continued to plan my colouring site a bit more. This project has been frozen since August - I'd need to go and get me some photocopies. I've promised myself a million times that I'll take care of that but somehow... Now I publicly promise that I'll take the photocopies next week and continue with the project.
Basic updates + some fixing: The Craft Museum of Finland + Alvar Aalto Symposium 2006.

My work orientation is missing a bit. I'll have to make myself some kind of list again. Getting rid of email (eh, by making all the jobs listed there) is one thing but kind of never ending because my email box is like that golden pot in that one fairy-tale: when you get some from it, it just doesn't get empty. So, writing things-to-do-list with a thick black pen to a paper and then overlining after the job is done is most rewarding. Looks a bit like playlists on gigs. ¬_¬

I continue living in my dreams.

PJ Harvey - This Is Love

Varpu and Kimmo at their home. [Image has been photoshopped a bit.]

Back from Helsinki. Depeche Mode gig was great. We stood right in front of the stage ramp and when the gig started I lost it completely. Even though I didn't remember all the words, I just sang along fine. Except when Gahan came to stand at the edge of the ramp (like 2 meters from us) and looked straight to audience near him, listening (and watching) us singing. Pressure. There were a few moments like that when I didn't remember the words at all but I just had to play along and open my mouth and hope it would look real. Hopefully he didn't notice one member of the audience faking (¬_¬ ...like it really mattered...). But the ending of the show with Dave Gahan and Martin Gore standing at the end of the ramp holding each other was absolutely gorgeous.
One complain though: confetti was missing. Big gigs should always end with tons of confetti raining down. Grrrr.

--

Anyway, it was awsome time in Helsinki anyway meeting friends I haven't seen for a while. Jani I had seen last November (...LiveHerring), my brother Kimmo last xmas but Evis about four years ago!

It would've been nice to stay longer but it was nice to return home too. I was so totally physically damaged after three hours of standing and hardcore jumping in Monday that it still feels a bit so shopping around Helsinki wasn't very enjoyable anymore...

And about my work: haven't done any today. Maybe tomorrow.

Mystery Jets - Alas Agnes

What a poor day. Small thingies, not able to concentrate to any important things. Feel a bit tired and lacking interest. My voice has craked a bit - I almost regred that I've answered phone today since I must have sounded non-enertical there's-no-fun-anywhere kind of loser. I haven't even dressed yet - what's the use anyway, it's soon night again. *Sigh*

Normal updating sessions: Gallery Becker, Alvar Aalto Foundation, The Craft Museum of Finland. Searched for an answer to one Periferia Design problem but did not find it (actually: I know the task is impossible but I just had to try my luck). Some small Muhi adjustments, have to continue tomorrow.

A new layout for Building Preservation of Alvar Aalto Foundation (just in Finnish) is under way.

A lot of small things with Coloria. Started updating images but there's no time for full renewing... Not yet anyway. Even though I have a pretty good idea of complete makeover... Right now planning the ultimate Coloria makeover is the only thing that makes some fuzz in me.

Inhaling a strong boiling mushroom air here. I had some old dyes frozen outside and one old dress inside - so I combined them all. There's not much dye left in dyebaths and the dress is made of cotton - so I doubt there will be no colour changes in my dress. But I have a good, thick smell though. Better than glue anyway... (*sarcasm*)

Theoretical Girl - It's All Too Much

Pikku Huopalahden Kustannusosakeyhtiö Opus [120206]

I've made some offers and created a bunch of layouts to company offers. Needed to do something already, to test if I'm up to it.

I've designed a few different front page layouts for Jyväskylä Art Museum too. Hopefully some of them will be accepted. They're not very final though, just some sort of impressions, so there is still a lot of work.

Today's been sooooo slooooow. I'm not very excited about anything. Just sitting here, making small updates, avoiding big, boring jobs. Maybe I just need more sleep. It takes me two cups of coffee just to make one blog entry.

The Sparks - Perfume

Kuopion Konservatorio [080206]

Last week was so strange. There was a lot of talk about new projects and also about some older ones that have been off the table for ages. One of these projects has haunted me a bit since I've been a bit unsure (should I or shouldn't I things). I haven't been able to reach the contact person of that project for some time now and mentally I had already given up the project. On Friday I found that the contact person had a very serious illness and is now passed away. We never met actually, just talked on phone and emailed but still - feels a bit hollow.

A lot of projects are on the finishing line - and many of these have been quie difficult to make. The project for Kuopion konservatorio (The Kuopio Conservatory) was a nice and quite easy one. I made just the layout for the page. First layout I made was this dark/brownish thirties style site which I liked very much myself - but this chosen one is more clean and up to date. I just made the layout and Petteri did the coding.

...More coming. Soon.

s-track | Hot Chip - Over And Over

Last Sunday I watched Finnish movie award gala from telly and saw Jarkko getting himself a Jussi statue from the best cinematography. Few tears of happiness. We've actually not seen for a looooong time - last time we saw was nine years ago (gosh!): we spent a day Korkeasaari Zoo in Helsinki watching empty cages. NINE YEARS?! There are so many times I've decided to contact but somehow... O_o


Anyway: work'a'holica mood.
Final adjustments for Periferia site going on.
Final layouts for Kuopio Conservatory site going on - I sent the final images (I hope) to Petteri last night.
I've made some stupid mistakes with Muhi project... Oh, gosh. Have to fix them + some more buttonizing awaiting. Jeez.
New site for Art Council still on layout stage and artist directory for Art Council not even there.
Several small updates all and around.

ZZZZzzzzz....

s-track | Panic! At The Disco - There's A Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Baby, You Just Haven't Thought Of It Yet

Healthy break in blogging. Eh.
Today I received an Iiris prize from Finnish Colour Association. Gives me some more faith in Coloria. Maybe the rocky days I've had for two weeks end here. Swinging uphill from now on?


Despite of the universal kicks in my head also working has been rewarding too: a few weeks ago I showed my new layout plans for the Art Council of Central Finland - and they decided to go with the wild one, my favourite! Finally I can do something different! ...That is, if I can. I'm not quite sure yet if the layout can be realized at all... Hopefully... I won't show the layout though, in case the final result is something completely different, no one can make nasty comments about my abilities to make these sites.


Last week we had a few hour meeting in Craft Museum about the colour exhibition next summer... Jeez. Is this fear that I'm feeling? This is really starting to realize. As are other projects too: Live Herring. We should really get planning for Live Herring 06 going. But I feel I'm too tired to plan anything. However, I feel some kind of oblication, now that I've started the whole thing. But day before yesterday I started the project by sending few grant applications (with my salty tears of tiredness upon them).

s-track | The Gossip - Standing in the Way of Control

I decided to continue my heavy nerded work list after getting so nice feedback... *grin* And this is how it goes:


* Fixing the Artek exhibition name to Alvar Aalto Foundation and account number for Alvar Aalto Symposium / Less and more


* Query about mailing lists for The Craft Museum of Finland


* Suomalaiset kansallispuvut is finally online but not yet quite finished. Some basic general info still missing but nothing really important though. Today I added the 'help' section and made some small adjustments. The biggest problem with these kind of long projects is that the technique of this site is a bit old and difficult. If I started to make this page right now the outcome would be very different. Now there's no time nor money to make the changes for more accessible site. But the main thing is that the information is there.


* Asked **** for a offer for Becker for one project - still very very secret... Well, just in planning stage only.


* Received information that Finding Neverland dvd I ordered a week ago is now waiting for me in Videodivari... (Not quite work thing but effects to my working ethics - gotta get me some money...)


* DreamWeaver gives me error notes. I close it and open again - no problem. Until it hits again after a while. WTF?


* Made few digital images just for myself - learning some new Photoshop properties at the same time.


- zzzzz-
The falling of DW gives me a proper reason to avoid work for the rest of the evening. Quite a boring day - nothing new to show. Maybe soon.

s-track | Starsailor - This Time

Still not there: amount of unread mails too huge for this small mind to understand. But: have to start reading one by one in fifo. I know there are people waiting furious. I planned to start the week with energy boost (plan included cleaning the flat while having breaks from work) but my killing headache took care of that nothing boost like never happened. I slept through the whole yesterday.


Yesterday evening I found out that I've got a (small) grant for Coloria. I'm sooo glad about that one! *Rich rich rich* Heeh, I can finally get some images to Coloria and all... Such a fantastic thing: now I can concentrate on developing Coloria with a good conscience since I have to spend all that money. No more cold sweat running down my spine when spending quality time with that site. [Got a bit away with this. Sorry.]


Today: Alvar Aalto Foundation making basic updates + Alvar Aalto Symposium / Less and more: Googled for a solution for a printing problem: IE printed the lecturer page fine but Firefox printed only the first page. Solved the problem by changing position from absolute to relative; but this solution creates a horizontal scrollbar in IE. After thinking a while, added 'overflow-x: hidden;' - it removed the scroll. Works in Opera too - but it decides to print the left frame too. Fool. Is there any way to stick only in this active frame? Propably but this will do me for now.

Oh, and there was some graphic fixing for Muhi project... Never ending that one.


Just noticed that images are missing. Disk error it says - but I have to continue. Praying here. Making fast copies of some of the most precious projects.

s-track | Ben Lee - Gamble Everything For Love

I just finished the most booooooring update session ever: basic updates for Alvar Aalto Foundation and The Craft Museum of Finland. No use for brain and no music available. And long session. On Sunday. (What a freak I am.)
However: my email dropped offline on Thursday night and I just got it work again.


Dozens of emails dropping on my mailbox. Jeeeez. Which means: I had an easy weekend and now it will be horrible beginning of the week. I just have to start reading one mail at one time... Tomorrow.

s-track | Turin Brakes - Mind Over Money

Heeh - I just found my first sketch for one cartoon project made about five years ago and then forgotten - about nerdie bunny-kind-of-thing who googles different kind of things - on the very weirdo side of the world. Maybe I'll make some drawing practices... I have tons of these plans...


I received Kauppalehti today but haven't yet had time to read it. I just went to see if the story is online (it's not) and I just saw the strangest ad for a long time... Go see the homepage of Kauppalehti and view the right column. It's about getting your company the right place to function. There is a slight word game but not really a strong one...


I visited The Arts Council of Central Finland and presented my plans for The Online Gallery Henkevä Silakka / Spirited Herring. I was so totally tired when I came home, I just had to take a nap. Just woke up - time to start working I guess.


Yesterday I talked a bit with Kris-Tiina about Väripaletti ('Colour Palette') project. There is one small colour seminar in Iitti in the beginning of February. I kind of would like to go. Hopefully I have some free time (and some money for travelling) then.

s-track | Franz Ferdinand - Darts Of Pleasure

On Wednesday evening I started wondering where DOES my time go on a usual working day? Since I seem never to finish anything. So, on Thursday I made some notes.


* Opened TypeTool; realized I propably won't figure it out on my on; googled for help; found this marvelous tutorial by Typephases Design; decided to give a go; draw some numbers and voilá... Opened photoshop and used my new font...
* Downloaded new Opera version to my desktop to wait. Hasn't updated for ages and I usually drive FireFox while online but webdesigner should have it all. Still not installed though.
* Continued transferring Kirsi's website: creating another directory for old site + copying some most important files there; changing the url in her blog template
* Sent mail to some artists to get some exhibition dates - starting a collective exhibition calendar here
* Some email answering and wondering if it's already time to make some coffee
* Blogging + talking at phone (at the same time - boy, am I talented or what!)
* Made some coffee + checked mail (real world mail)
* Updated Gallery Becker + Jyväskylä Art Society web pages: added Petäjäniemi's exhibition, moved 2005 exhibitions to archive; set up a new exhibition calendar; googled about a text wrapping problem with definition lists+FireFox and when not finding a solution found another way; mailed gallery about some new info needed; mailed bloggers about changes in blog project
* Mailed quite ugly email to some people concerning one project that has been on the working line about three or four years not moving anywhere - it's really not my fault 'cause I can't do anything without this other person who I've tried to push into this project for ages. And I'm getting all the flaming. Let's see if my mail will set the first semi war of the year. I might regret this tomorrow. Or this evening.
* Talked with Timppa about his exhibition in Helsinki - which is now cancelled. The gallery has to be closed because some unexpected and serious health problems of the gallery keeper. This was about 10 secs after I had renewed the last exhibition info from their net page and wondered about the next one.
* I got Kirsi's message about her new domain. Now it's cancelled. ***WTF***? Called her: yes, the domain has been accepted already in October but now, the same day as I have finished trasferring files to a new domain, Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority has cancelled it. Really. They should learn how to communicate so these kind of messy things could be avoided. Have to transfer the files back. Thank G I didn't remove files from old server yet. I only have to replace the automaticly transferring pages with the old ones.
* Had to make a blog entry to my artsy blog - not really artsy thing but involving a lot of artists.


--
That's it. (Well, I DID go to toilet a few times and I actually drank the coffee I made)

s-track | Cathy Davey - Come Over

Heeh... My first tryout for my own font. I've had this TypeTool program for ages but I've never had time to learn how to make a font. Well, this fonttype of mine actually has only 10 characters (so far), numbers from 0 to 9 and actually spacing/kerning/whatever and all the information bits are still a bit messed. But it's a nice start though. I have tons of scetches in my old note books and some of them are actually really good - I would buy.

Maybe I'll soon get started my own freebies page with all kinds of downloadable graphic stuff.

Maybe, after the must-work...

s-track | We Start Fires - Hot Metal

Still tired and a bit low but managing. To my refreshment I updated my blog with a self image from last year. Had to get off that awful greyish thing. Maybe I really should renew this template every now and then.


Today I started moving print maker Kirsi Neuvonen's site to new url: from kirsineuvonen.net to kirsineuvonen.fi. The project took most of the day. There are still propably some files that won't not yet work but I'm hoping to get the site checked throughly this week.


Teija has mailed me a lot of material for Periferia net site. I should propably continue with that one tomorrow... I'm a bit anxious to see the site finished and online. It's so not my style. But it's good to do something complete out of your range, isn't it.


I *should* really be working but somehow I ended up updating some Coloria... I've got a lot of 'coloured songs' which I have now updated.

s-track | Goldfrapp - Lovely Head

Woke up at about hald past eleven - soooo tired.


About x-mas presents: can you tell the mental age by looking at one's presents? Narnia book, Sly3 PS2 game, Nightmare before X-mas bag (small one), joypad for c:ter... And popcorn machine. At the image Hello Kitty slippers from my brother (to be mentioned: I *was going to* buy him pink Hello Kitty t-shirt but ended up buying black Pennsylvania Psycho Ward t-shirt and black balaclava (commando cap) instead).


Today:
First made some adjustments for Sibelius Academy project and some other small thingies but it feels like swimming in tar pool. There are so many things on my to-do-list that I really don't know where to start. So I just end up doing nothing with any sense. It doesn't help that I've been a bit down for a few days. Don't know why. Unknown angst.


Hopefully tomorrow will be a bit better - with work things and everything else.

s-track | Coco Rosie - Beautiful Boys

FINALLY! I spent a few hours with Coloria updating some colour names in different languages and finished correcting the base code for dye plants.


Also, Juhani Petäjäniemi is a artist in this months Shades exhibition in The Online Gallery Henkevä Silakka / Spirited Herring. There are no other artists in that exhibition so far - so I might just exhibit some old work of mine...


Working year started today by the usuals: Gallery Becker, Alvar Aalto Foundation, The Craft Museum of Finland...


I've have loads of projects unfinished and waiting - and after OVER one week absence from work, I'm a bit worried that all my projects won't make it in time... Must continue tomorrow.