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.

s-track | X-Ray Spex - Warrior In Woolworths

After one week nearly offline yesterday (checking email, nothing else) I was enthusiastic to continue Coloria updates which I started on October. But destiny had decided otherwise. I had a killing headache, that even a hot bath in a dark bathroom with a few painkillers didn't cure. I had to go back to bed. I woke up without pain at about 6.30pm after which I had a moment of blankness. However, somehow I managed to collect my energyball rolling again and sat before my c:ter planning to start updating. As I sat down I noticed that I had got a lot of emails with *Coloria forum* as their subject. Several people vere sorry about the fact that Coloria forum had been hacked. WTF?


And so it was. Hacked by some Turkish nerd idiot. First I though that it would be an easy - just configuring a bit mySQL. I got the hack-msgs removed but I didn't get to return my admin rights. So I had to get my backup (at this stage I thanked powers-that-be about the fact that I DID take a full backup copy on the beginning of December) and install it. But as these unfair stories often go: something-error-fatal-unknown-&%¤%¤¤##. The whole forum crashed. I did find one older BUcopy from Jan2005 and got it installed. So I didn't have to re-configure the whole forum but all the messages and info from this whole year went missing.


S##t.


Maybe better luck today. I'll get more some cold coffee and continue my backup-project. Transferring all my workfiles to m-stick in case this computer would explode. I wouldn't wonder at all.


Here - better late than never: go and build yourself a snowman.

s-track | Unkle & Ian Brown - Reign

Getting a bit serious here. Went to sleep at about four in the morning. Well, went to bed anyway. Yesterday I continued making Periferia demo and all small Muhi adjustments. But somehow it feels I haven't got very far with them. With Muhi I'm starting to be a bit too anxious to see it finally finished and I feel that my brain is locked most of the time. No new ideas, no creativity. With Periferia, Simo has got a strong vision how the site should be (always better than 'duh, dunno') and I'm half way through making it. But I'm not all too happy with the layout things. It's always harder to realize someone else's ideas and visions while youself know have something totally different in mind. Maybe mostly because there are a lot of these simple looking little things that turn always out to be most difficult ones to make. A lot of time spent in help forums lately...



But anyway: something good also. Demosite for Opus is finished and I just got a message from Elina - they really like it! I enjoy making that one: even if it's simple the look of the site will be somewhat not-so-conventional with a quite wild watercolor splashes. I'll transfer it soon online.



Christmas coming up - I see it every year from the pile of papers and amount of emails I receive. Panicing people all around. I'll have to make some kind of list all the unfinished business there is still lurking. Maybe I could then get something done. One of them being a report of our Live Herring to those who granted us some money. And glad to say: some more progress made with the festival...

s-track | Theatre Of Hate - Conquistador

A few days ago updated a few more images to LiveHerring - flickr.


Layout finishing and setting up demo sites for Periferia Design and Opus publications. Some layout plans for the conservatory of Kuopio and some small thingies for never ending Muhi project.


I've been half sick and all panicking here. There's so much things to be finished and I'm not getting there...
Not a good day, this one.

s-track | Swans - A Screw

One of the characters of this household.


Oops. A hole in time. Live Herring went better than well and spending some time with Jani was fab - but afterwards I was soooo tired I haven't done almost anything for a week. Nearly all packages from the event are still on our doorway waiting to be placed somewhere. This week I'll make all the rest of the paper job and all... Maybe then I can concentrate fully on work... and Coloria and a colour exhibition next year.


Last week I had to go and see dentist for my awful tooth ache - half of my head was in fire. But they didn't find anything serious and now the pain is over. Otherwise last week went by playing Ratchet: Gladiator (played through in under three days!) and now I'm continuing my sessions with Jak&Daxter III which was left unfinished last winter... What a joy!


Today has been a bit c:ppy. About a week ago I gave an interview about net art for Kauppalehti. They asked me already for some art work images (which is good) and now they're asking for a personal photo to that same page (not good). I'd rather let my works to speak for them and I really wouldn't like my face printed on Kauppalehti pages. Even the photosession for Image has troubled me a bit though it'll be about my projects such as Live Herring and Coloria. I've sort of made a decicion that if it's about some project or such I'm working with and some kind of publicity photos are necessary, it's ok. But when it comes to my artsy projects I feel that it's somehow wrong - I'd like my art works speak for themselves and not give any people any extra information which could somehow effect the way people receive the works. It propably would be different if I made some kind of traditional art but because many of my works are based on stories and playing with image montages, I feel that it would be nice to start on point zero. This may sound stupid but I've thought about this a lot.

...
Zzzz. Back to work. Periferia design, Opus and Muhi project (f.ex.) under way.

s-track | The Stranglers - No More Heroes

Today (well, actually yesterday) was so very strange day.
First of all, it was the first day for about month I had some freetime. I'm not exaggerating here. If I've been out, it has been work/project related. Today I had to take one day off and it has been fabulous.


After waking up Timppa and I headed for a photo shoot of Image mag (photographer Hanna-Kaisa Hämäläinen). The small one double page story will introduce shortly some cultural persons in Jyväskylä area. It was fun - and quite different start for a day. But I just can't keep my eyes open when the light flashes. Eyes closed in all photos...
After the session I had to buy some stationary for next week's event (and that's all work today...), we visited other shops too and then went to Memphis to eat.
On the way home I stopped in Vakiopaine to bring there some flyers and chatted a while with people.


...
Freetime. What a luxury!
...


And the image: my online-friend asked to send him a drawing; only guidelines were the word 'box' and time of 20sec to draw. A bit of engineer style... Imagination?

Back in work: tomorrow.

s-track | Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart

Art


I have to start work-blogging more often again. It sort of helps me to get a grip of what I'm doing. All the things are so messy in my head right now that I really wouldn't be surprised if my brain would exlplode.


Live Herring is going on under heavy pressure. I've made some new really interesting contacts and everything will propably go well - no big worries there. Yesterday I had a good chat with Jani (well, I whined and cursed and Jani coughed in fever - typical project) and it gave me some more power.


Yesterday I had a lunch with Simo and Teija in thai restaurant and we looked through some plans for the web site for Periferia Design. The whole day was just soooo nice even though it was cold (crispy but fresh). After the meeting I didn't get much time to finish up all the works waiting which has made my whole day a bit hectic. Almost crying here.


Funny, how these things, both free projects and work seem to always pile up. I've started to make small notes all around me, writing down the things I should do. It makes things a bit easier when I don't have to keep it all in my head. But still... Last night I updated Playce.org and made some really small updates here and there and today I've made some more updates to f.ex. Gallery Becker, The Craft Museum of Finland and Papiina. I've got a lot of small thingies done today and updated after update + adjustment after adjustment - but more work keeps coming. Which is of course a good thing - but still - if there are a lot of projects that are in the middle of the process, no where near of finish line, and the rest of the work is very robotic no-brain thing, it sometimes feels like I'm not getting anywhere. I can't reach even half way of my today's to do -list. I'm losing my faith here. And the best of all: just when I had brainwashed myself to believe that these all 'this has to be online tomorrow morning' things are really small, I can finish them today, what do I receive? The craft museum site in Russian. With CYRILLIC letters... I go and cry. :)
But really: the Russian page is not todays work - so I go and chill a bit before continuing my undone businesses...

Ulla from Muhi project called and we talked for a while. Some new adjustments to make. But as I visited the project site again, it really looked quite good. But what was really upsetting thing: Ulla hadn't receive my email concerning layouts. I'm starting to develope a small panic here: hopefully all the e-correspondence concerning Live Herring is ok.


Have to stop and update Arctic & Fabulous Film Festival before entering into mindless emptiness.

s-track | N.E.R.D. - Rock Star

playce.org Logo design by Teppo Järvinen.


Oh my /&/%¤###! I woke up at noon, after a good night sleep, ready to work all day non stop until my head explodes. But ha, my MOUSE is invalid. WTF? It doesn't work properly and it's breaking my nerve totally. But I'll have to manage. Soooo frustrated right now.


Some usual updates: Gallery Becker, Alvar Aalto Foundation and The Craft Museum of Finland. Also made few small adjustments to never-ending (grrr) national dresses project. It's quite sad that the project has taken so long time - technically it's getting old before it's published. But later it'll be seemingly easy to convert into f.ex. xhtml + css.


And the work continues...

s-track | Lacuna Coil - Halflife

Where have I been? ...


The basic site for The Alvar Aalto Symposium 2006 is now online. Not so much content yet, though. Based on print graphic design by Jenni Reuter.
What else? All the usual updates. The layouts for Opus publications are also on their way. I actually started updating Coloria again after a few months stop. The changes won't be seen to readers but I've made some changes to more uniform code which will ake it easier to change later on, and fixed a lot of internal link errors. My aim is to change the whole Coloria site to work through styles only (without those tables or popup windows) but as yet I don't have enough time to make so.


But the most challenging thins is still the same: Live Herring has take a lot of my time. I've been in contact with all the artists but there are still some not confirmed - which makes me a bit anxious. We have now a good budget (not big but good enough) to print some brochures and such but the time is getting very short. I have to find a graphic designer and get all the facts down... which will give us about one week+ to print all the printed stuff. [Little panic would be placed here, if you'd like.] I've also have a new contact to make... I have to write all this down so I won't forget.


I've also been a bit fluish - all the projects are sort of hanging there. I'm trying but I'm so over occupied that concentration on one thing is impossible. I have to start making lists again - when you write all the little things down and get to overline the finished ones, you can actually see how much you haave accomplished. Because when you do work like mine, something that really don't exist, it's always reaching back to emptiness after one minute of joy when one project is ready.


But hey - I also had one FREE evening last week: our friend Sari came to eat and spent the evening with us chatting + all. Evening without computer. I'm so glad I had that.

s-track | The Cure - Forever (BBC session)

Riiminka (renewed September 26, 2005).


I'm starting to act like a typical career orientated middle aged woman: last night I woke up to a feeling that something important is left undone. Never before... Then I stayed up awake for ages thinking about how I could have done Live Herring organizing so much better. So, no wonder I'm starting to be worried about myself a bit. I'm a person who can be hectic slash stressed combo during the work day but when it's over I usually manage to forget all about it. I really don't want to live a life where these stupid unfinished projects come to haunt me. Grrrr.


Anyway: last week was sort of hellish because all the project that just managed to reach my email at the same time. The most important with the most fastest deadline was Teija's Playce.org, an international association of architecture education. I added some member articles and projects to the site as well as Soundings for Architecture 4 & 5 reports with images. The project took more time than I had thought: I got the images in separate cd and text to pick from pdf-files which I though to be a easy bitsy work. But *ha*. Images were in CMYK and somehow my Photoshop didn't manage the colours very well and converting to RGB didn't go as well as I had planned. Getting the texts from pdf file wasn't easy because of several layers - I had to check through the whole texts to see if there are double texts (and there were) and to write some things by myself. It was a long fight and I actually missed the deadline - but I managed to finish the pages at about 3am at Saturday night.


My sleeping/awaking rhythm has been messed - again. I've woken up at noon or later and got to bed at 3 or 4 at the morning. Tired as hell. Today I had my alarm clock ringing at 9 but I woke up 10 - so I'm getting to life among normal daytime people again.



+ Yesterday I made usual updates Alvar Aalto Foundation + The Craft Museum of Finland and added some images to Värjärikilta dyers' association home page.



And no, the marionette is not yet finished (thanks for asking - PLEASE don't ask again). I'll keep you posted about that. Will be a long time project I guess.

s-track | Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor

Finnish Colour Association (re-designed September 15, 2005).


I noticed my online portfolios (dig.art of my own projects and work-o-matic of my all projects) are both outdated, so I updated the last projects online. Work-o-matic has been like that for years now - not quite ten but it's getting close. I like the idea of that site, because it's so *me*, and I don't like the idea of changing it.

But maybe I should avoid a bit of those jumping windows... And I'd like to shorten a bit the selection row. I've already left out all small brochure-like projects but now I'm thinking of leaving all current projects online and drop all the old ones out. Maybe list them to some collective site. I should also make a better image viewing system to my dig.art site. I was planning some kind of drag&drop system. That would propably make the usability of the site much more worse than it already is - but who really cares. It's an artsy site... Ehem...

Some small updates. Mostly just sitting and wondering.

s-track | Nada Surf - Popular

Daidalos (released September 7, 2005).


Autumn is here. When I woke up and walked to kitchen to get my morning coffee, the scenery seen from the window... There was no scenery, just fogged emptiness. And no milk for my coffee - not a very good start for a day. But during these last two days I've had mail from my old friends of whom I haven't heard for a while + my brother - which made me very happy.


Hard core updating session here - and over: Riiminka site renewed (products, images, nearly all) in the beginning of the week and before that some other big updates too. Yesterdays session included f.ex. Gallery Becker, Aino-K. Pajari, Alvar Aalto Foundation and The Craft Museum of Finland updates.


Some The Online Gallery Henkevä Silakka / Spirited Herring updates/things made and some deals made for Live Herring Festival. I'm trying to get us a work shop artist to make a collaboral net art work but as the schedule is what it is...


Had some media students here yesterday making documentary (dvd) about artists from Central Finland. I always find it a bit hard to stand (or sit as I did) in front of camera. And they had some technical difficulties which delayed the project a bit. The shooting project was a bit complicated because it happened in our home (my castle, my working area) and we only have a few electric plugs free. When we finally got to shooting part it was hard for me to be without laughing all the time. I might be a bit disorientated.


Well, it's a new day, new challenges...

s-track | The Dirty Backbeats - The Bop

Rakennettu arki (released September 7, 2005).


Last two weeks I've spent in marionette course. That's making a marionette, not playing with one. I'm so proud of myself: my marionette is almost finished but some more fixing needs to be done. Nice to make something concrete for a change.


I've updated the usual stuff during this time but nothing new new. Like layouts or such. Yesterday I updated Habitek webpage (new images) and last weekend I made tech reneval for Kirsi Neuvonen's website: her prints are now displayed in different way. Other pages of the site need sine work too and the graphic design of that site is not yet quite finished.


Some big jobs coming up - I just hope I'll manage somehow. I was just listing the things I still need to finish... Glups.

s-track | Dead Kennedys - California Über Alles

Tee itsellesi tilaa (Make yourself some room, re-released September 7, 2005).


I've been a bit sick last week. I've had a small head ache, but more than that, I'm really tired. On Thursday I didn't woke up before four and even then I did it just to enjoy shower and eat something. Yesterday was a bit better but today I slept until half past twelve again. On Monday I should wake up before eight - I'm going to a marionette course - so I'm a bit worried about that. It feels almost impossible to imagine me up and well before ten. Damn.


Received new Ptah magazine a few days ago. There is a double page introduction to the new web page of Alvar Aalto Foundation site. It looks SOOO good. I'm pretty proud of myself.


There are over 200 work related emails waiting for me to do something. So far I've started the day slowly: updated Papiina while listening Robbie Williams interview on BBC Radio1.

Some more time, please.

s-track | Psychedelic Furs - Sister Europe

Annoying BGimage #3


My working desk is starting to look like a big pile of paper. No table seen. I have to start organizing my work somehow.


I continued finishing Muhi layouts - and got some more to do. I like making Muhi layouts because it's not the usual 'office-looks' everyone wants these days. But after this over year long period of slow making I'm finally starting to hope that it would be over soon... Expecially when it has been a small break during the summer and I've forgotten a lot - it takes a lot of my poor brain activity to understand the tasks completely.


On Saturday I opened the Finnish Colour Association files from my to do list and actually started solving the problems I had half a year ago. I managed to finish the demo site.


I've spent so much money during the last week that we'll propably soon have to pick grass and worms to eat. I'm a bit too careless with money - but sometimes it's just nice to spend some money and enjoy shopping... And eat outside + such.
No worries though. Everything seems to go well somehow.


...And there are some good things to come - like Depeche Mode. Best seats! And half a year time to worry if the band will be cancelling...

s-track | Dogs - Tuned To A Different Station

Yesterday I had planned to update Coloria but I got a head ache from hell. I slept through the whole day. Frozen. Unable to move a muscle. The whole day lost.


The day before that I made some updates to Playce @ Seminar 2005 + Aalto Foundation page. I've got to re-update Playce page today (some small updates) and if I have time, to make some adjustments to Rune's page. Am I going in circle or what?


Today I'm not having a full working day (it's Sunday and all - I have to have a break sometimes) but I promised to write a description of our next fall event for one grant we're applying. In Live Herring that's it. I've written the plan already so it's not so big of a work but anyway. I'm not very good with all the official papers. They give me heartburn. The other thing that is sooo very hard for me is to write bills. (!?) I'd be so much richer (¬_¬) if I just had a one drop of business sense in my blood.


My other thoughts have buzzed around unrealistic projects. I have this new idea for 'freebie poetry'. I've collected words + imagery from all kinds of freebie sites and I'm now making some kind of weird poetry about it. Hopefully I'll have some time to finish that project sometime soon before I'll find out it's too freakin' idea to be made... I have couple other own projects on their way too: one colouring image site and artsy bitsy site about fear of butterflies. And of course there would be things to do with Coloria, if I just...

s-track | Ben Folds - Rockin' The Suburbs

Annoying BGimage #2


Yesterday I made some layouts for Gallery ArtDiana. Started day before yesterday evening, finished layouts today and updated temporary work site (just logo) in www.artdiana.com.


Yesterday I had a real floppy-brain day. I placed the GAD layouts in temporary url for gallery people to check out but when I logged in myself, I couldn't see anything. I tried it all: moved it to another server, changed the file names, dropped down my fire wall ad preferences (or what ever) and nothing. After a few hour serious fight I gave up because other people could see the page with all the images from their c:ters. Then, after a dull empty moment, I got it: the url had /AD/ in it... So. I can't watch any urls which has ad in them but I can still watch all the stupid pop up ads even if my firewall is denying it. These stupid stupid stupid machines. Grrr...


I visited The Arts Council of Central Finland today (to make some copies and some Herring stuff). There I chatted with one bloke from Oriental Jam - he had *big* ideas about band reheasal places and about how to develop situation of local bands here. Sounded interesting... But just a little bit too much info. Dropped.


Yesterdays updates included Rune's page+The Arts Council of Central Finland. Today I've updated Pajari's page, The Arts Council of Central Finland + The Craft Museum of Finland sites.


Uh. Tons of emails still waiting.

s-track | Union Of Knives - Evil Has Never

Annoying BGimage #1


I started my day with heavy correspondence. + Calling around about work things. My phone bill will reach the size of... well, something big. I'm a bit worried.
Starting to feel like summer is over: back to routine, a three hour play with Muhi project layouts.


I haven't been totally isolated. I met some friends when I went to visit Marja Liisa in Craft Museum (some Robbie W exchange going on...). She told me that the public viewing of National Dresses project didn't go as planned. Actually: it didn't go at all. Electrecity dropped. No data flow at all.


Funny (...well, not so much): last Sunday I coded Craft Museum page very late, in hurry, and soooo ready to get to sleep. I was so tired that I nearly cried. And today when I was visiting Marja Liisa I suddenly realized that I hadn't updated the files at all. Stupid me.
Gotta fix that.


Still have some layouts to make.

s-track | Fischerspooner - Never Win

Strange times. Two large two year projects (Sibelius Academy / Muhi and National Dresses) are now near ending. It *is* good thing but on the other hand I'm hating myself for being too lazy with both of them. It's always with these long time projects - when there's only small things left to finish, it's so easy to give up. Somebody called that 'making Leonardos' - yesterday I found out why. On television documentary about Leonardo da Vinci's inventions it was said that Leonardo was not so keen on to finish his projects. He started a lots of new projects and left them - many unfinished - as soon as something more interesting came to way.


Strange day. I started with writing invitations to artists whom I try to lure to come to Live Herring event. My mind is so spaghettized on all word games that no real words came to mind. Somehow I managed to make a quite convincing template for invitations. The project took over five hours - I thought I could have managed with using only twenty minutes or so. I'm so out of this system right now. The next project (that I thought would take only few minutes) was to write an offer about making net pages to one gallery. Somehow it took me a while to update all documents and such - and soon it was already three o'clock. These two things were the 'small ones' I thought I could have got rid off before noon. Well, they are done. That's the main thing.


That was about today. I really managed nothing else. Waste of time.


It really annoys me that I haven't left any empty space in my calendar - it's already booked until the end of September. And it's only August going on for heavens sake! Not big things though, not days filled with meetings from early morning to evening. But small and important meetings which are impossible to change to another date - as I just noticed when I tried to fix myself some time to visit Helsinki + Muhi project at it's final meters. And Jani who'll propably leave me again - for Africa. What kind of exchange is that? Damn.

s-track | Supergrass - St. Petersburg

Irritating backgrounds II.


Right. I have spent last weekend in Iitti in SE-Finland in International Colour Festival. I was lecturing in colour seminar on Friday and was quite nervous before (as being last on the list) but it went quite well. The time table was so busy that I had to shorten a little but it was ok. The following two days the Colour festival took place in the field next to the church of Iitti. It was raining quite heavily at time to time - that was a pity. The grounds were quite beautiful but what happens if you have a field + rain. Some mud. It's a bit shame that I left so fast. I didn't get time to say proper good byes to anyone - I just sort of vanished from the grounds.


Yesterday we drove to Helsinki to show Timppa's paintings to one gallerist. The gallery is situated in very good spot but anyway - money would solve a lot of problems. Timppa will have his first exhibition in Helsinki propably in next spring - more about that when it will be the time.


Tomorrow I'll have a meeting in Craft Museum about our colour exhibition. I should've had a meeting today with Ulla but I cancelled it because I haven't got anything finished. I'm so lame. Spineless.


I've tried to make all those little updates that my email ate while I was away. Everytime I leave the c:ter for a small time there are dozens of sweet little messages waiting for me. I'm not complaining about work. But I just hope I could have some kind of systemized mind to organize all the stuff. I wish to get my table cleaned even for once.


Small updates: Gallery Becker, Aino-K. Pajari, Alvar Aalto Foundation and The Craft Museum of Finland. And more to come.

s-track | Stateless - Bloodstream

[Written yesterday but since thunder came and I won't take another chance to blow up this &%¤# machine... I plugged out for evening. Feeling odd and empty withuot a cable connecting me to the world.]


OH MY GOD! I just realized that there is not time enough! Full time full size panic!
Updating Alvar Aalto Foundation took all day...


Tomorrow I'm meeting Ulla about our colour exhibition next summer. We should get to show our ideas etc in the museum the week after the next one. I've made some small digi-images of the museum layout but I'm still almost at the same point where I stood one month ago. BUT I've got some new ideas - have to call to Mikko first and ask if they are possible.


On Wednesday I'll be meeting teachers from JAO to discuss about my herring projects and if there could be some use for students. And vice versa. I was planning to make good layouts of how-when-who-where I had in mind... There are some nasty smutty drawings in several small post-it's. Not very convincing.


Next week I'm leaving to Iitti to celebrate International Colour Festival - as one of the seminar speakers. My subject is colours on web - but I just heard last week that they ARE NOT online. That's not a major problem (well, maybe a little: I can't introduce all those i.net sites I've found to be helpful). I have everything in html mode But as usual: my cd isn't burning! Crap. Installation day tomorrow. If it still won't work after one day fight, I'll go and draw pictures.


And yet to come: National dress project should be ready in two weeks...
Oh god.

s-track | Louis Furey - Hustler's Tango

Official no-money-let's-get-some-panic day.


I've done A LOT of small things but getting nothing finished. Or so it seems. New ideas are invading my head right now when I *don't* have any time nor skills to fulfill them. Where did the whole July go?


Yesterday I spent the whole day trying to inform all mailing lists and art info pages about our Live Herring. Today I've posted info about the new exhibition in Spirited Herring.


Updated f.ex. ArsLab3 + The Craft Museum of Finland. Send a working demo for Alvar Aalto Symposium 2006 (very clean and empty that one). Continued making Teija's 'Rakennettu arki' architecture learning project but some essential pieces are still missing. That project will be wild one...


Real life is too harsh now with nothing essential happening (work work tears). I lead so booooooring life right now, no one can even imagine. I'm starting to slip into dream world while making boring small updates with no mind needed - living in my fantasies as a Caribbean pirate queen (piratess?) Maybe this is because of my skull page (in plans).

---

¬_¬

---
Ok. Need some sleep now.

s-track | ...Trail Of The Dead - To Russia My Homeland

[Irritating background images #1]

The usual story: the sun is shining outside and I'm not shining inside.
There have been several small updates and several small ones and a few ones still waiting. I'm starting to feel that there is no sense in what I am doing. I have to make myself a list of what I'll have to finish and in which order so that everyone could be satisfied.


People are starting to return from their summer holidays. I know this by looking my mail box. I so was planning to cath up my doings during July but the time just flipped through my fingers. To slimy to catch. Damn.

Spirited Herring exhibition should change soon but as it is: I haven't even got to select the poster yet. So I'm a bit worried about that. I've so pleased with the invitation work to Spirited Herring (by Mika) this time but otherwise I'm bit down. I've managed the whole project really badly. Well, not badly but worse than I had planned. I realize now that I have too many projects in my mind and too much to handle. Maybe I learn *this time*.


I try not to complain too much. I've had my share of this summer ok - yesterday we had a extraordinary beautiful day at shopping malls... And on our way back I collected a large amount of tansies for dyeing purposes.

s-track | Chemical Brothers - The Boxer

I've been lazy - and now I'm panicking with all projects. The worst of these are The Online Gallery Henkevä Silakka / Spirited Herring and Live Herring. But I'm getting there...


I was so releaved today when I received the invited art work from Mika who did great job in very short time - I invited him a bit late. I'm soooo happy right now about that - I can hardly wait a new exhibition to open.


Now I'm taking my words back: I actually haven't been lazy, I've just concentrated on wrong things. Like making unique colouring pictures. Last week I started drawing something while watching telly and though 'well, this could be nice to color'. And I made some more pictures. But instead of colouring them myself I took them to Gallery Becker yesterday. Go, fetch, buy.


Actually my soundtract now is Leya which is playing live on Gideon Coe on BBC6. Beaaaauuuutiful.

...I really should start my working day now...

s-track | Louis XIV: God Killed The Queen

I feel sooooo miserable right now. This day just sucks.


This has been a sort of manic depressive July so far. Some absolutely fantastic days with sun shining and ice creaming and all. And then the days of universe killing our machines (the latest one being our dear Spirit of St. Louis phone - propably hit by lightning yesterday). And then these gloomy days when nothing seems to be right.
This day started nicely: with rain dropping down to window pale. I like to push my head deeper into pillow and listen to the sound of rain. It's still warm and all the balcony door and all the windows were open and light wind blew over. Enjoyable morning. But after I got up, everything sort of started to go wrong. I've been up for about three hours now and I feel like I've done a twelwe hour day already.

Whining, whining. *sob sob*


Yesterday morning started by installing windows repair disc - which itself wasn't a big job. I actually managed to finish some layouts for Aalto Symposium 2006 which has been there half ready waiting to be forwarded. Hopefully they will do. Even though I'm not really satisfied with myself. Configuring this damn machine (even Photoshop, my dearest friend, refused to start properly) always pushes me to the edge and even though I remained sane yesterday, it really didn't need much to knock me over.


I really need to close this damn machine right now and go to get some fresh air. Maybe walking around could help a bit.

s-track | Louis XIV: God Killed The Queen

Where did time go?


I've forgot to pay my VAT and my bills because the time has suddenly just passed me. The two last weeks have been totally bbbbeeeeautiful summer days - and total waste of time. I've had nothing finished and my working is so spineless it's even embarrassing me. If I had a time to have some holidays this lazyness wouldn't be any harm but as I'm in a hurry with a couple of messy projects... I+Sun=no good.
I've done some fixings to Sibelius Academy project but nothing big yet. I'm avoiding it a bit. I really like that project and with knowing my ameba condition... Nothing good would happen. Right now I'm actually fixing the first page - which I have done a lot within the last month - but I'm not yet satisfied so I haven't made it to the net so far.


I *should* make some informing about Live Herring, update the regulars and finish my coloring images project. More of that latter one later.


Heart burns. Eaten too many strawberries with ice cream.

s-track | Ordinary Boys: Boys Will Be Boys

I planned this week to be a very intensive week with work + Coloria... But universum has its own laws. Yesterday we got a new fridge/freezer which took the whole day to install (+ clean etc). Today I turned on the washing machine only to see it break down in front of me. The smell was awful and I thought the fumes were dangerous so I called the fire department to ask what to do. So, three charismatic firemen came to visit and noted that there was nothing to do - buy a new machine. But the fumes were no dangerous so here I am.


Anyway, Ulla was here after the evil-machine incident and we planned the 2006 colour exhibition a bit further. A few days ago I started to make some kind of visual script for the exhibition with Photoshop. Today I continued by drawing my ideas - it's so hard to hold pencil these days. At least the way I'd like to. How come the straight lines I try to draw are nothing but.


Now I'm about to update Aalto Foundation site.



Woaaaah.


Cheer me up someone.

s-track | We Are Scientists: Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt

Want one? Get one: 1024x768, 1152x864, 1280x1024.

The work and fun project I wrote about earlier has quite not yet realized. I've worked, yes, but I've had less fun than usually. Wednesday evening was fun though - we drove to small town of Jämsänkoski (Rune, Timppa, Naoji and I) to a Pöllölä gallery for exhibition opening. After the opening we went to see the dam/falls/what ever (...I think we went there accidentally while trying to find a way out of the town but I'm not sure - fine place anyway). And after taking tons of pictures we left for Jämsä. It was a true summer trip: we ate ice cream on the market cafe/beer terrace where everyone else were enjoying their beers... And then we continued the trip. There was this strange ghostly kind of wooden house and we left our car next to it. We headed to the river and walked to see a environmental art piece by Pertti Karjalainen (The Herb Garden of the Pharmacist) whre there are several herbs planted and pickable. We took some coriander and mint before leaving to see another environmental art project near by river. After a while we left home - enjoyed sun shine and rain and double rainbow...


Anyway, not any work project finished on Wednesday or yesterday (spent the whole day with The Craft Museum of Finland updates) - no time to Coloria. Today I realized that there are still 25 emails (read: updates / wishes) to fulfil so... Maybe tomorrow.
Argh- the sun is shining outside. It's hot and THERE IS NO MORE ICE CREAM ON OUR FREEZER. But on Monday we'll have a new freezer with more space. I'll dedicate one shell to ice cream only.


With these thoughts... *opening my DreamWeaver*

soundtrack | Salad: Drink The Elixir

Back to work. Timppa left for Jämsänkoski to put up an exhibition with five other artists from Central Finland. I would have liked to leave with him to help but since yesterday was some sort of thunder head day and I practically slept through the whole day... That's it.


I just made a decicion to divide my work days during weeks to work and fun (read: work and Coloria). Coloria has been linked to YleX radio station pages which has brought me A LOT of new visitors and comments about Coloria. And I'm feeling a bit down about it since I really have wrote only few sentences to the site since the beginning of the year. Last week I received a book by Arturo Péres-Reverte from the Finnish translation for thanks (for a little help with one colour related thing).
I've sort of taken the easy step closer to Coloria. On Midsummer fest I had a lo-fi fest: I went to my parents and left the work totally. I took my portable computer wth me and studied their books and some articles and wrote bases for colour stories. And I had some wool with me which I dyed with madder, Dermocybe mushrooms and nettle with boletus mushrooms ...Could it get more lame? I'm ruining my reputation as rock chick.

Still one more foot note: I still find it nicer to listen to radio (hard core BBC6 fan) while working but I have to say The buther and The Butterfly by Queenadreena... Gives me some extra kick I need in mornings.


And so it begins. Work.

soundtrack | Dover: Die For Rock'n'Roll

Spirited Herring here...
and

Live Herring there...


For your information: No, I'm not dead, just a bit older! Last week was busybusy and then theere were minimal birthday festitives and after that maximal rock festitives. After a long weekend of hectic running around sand fields and bridges over the river at Provinssi-rock working feels like holidays. It was great though - seeing Marilyn Manson and NIN live... The weather was better than good and I found a good festival theme: I started taking pictures of people wearing clothes with skulls. It's a shame I got it so late, I only had about 30-40 pictures. But this will be ongoing theme with me in future fests too - so wear your skulls!


Before we left I managed to finish an awful lot of projects - and still there are many left. But Live Herring is online and so is my new artsy bitsy Uninvited words which is also exhibited at Spirited Herring. And propably in Chicago next month if everything goes well. Today I also filled in the work description for Rhizome ArtBase...


On my birthday (16th) the only festitive thing was a birthday dinner: we ordered all appetizers on the menu except one. Otherwise I worked through the day. ...Well, I had to try: Timppa bought me two PS2 games and I had to try Sonic collection a little. I knew it was a mistake - I almost couldn't stop. After finishing these couple of late project in my hands, I'll play a bit.


So: following are the exhibition space thingy for Mikko in Craft Museum and rest of the site renewal for Kirsi.

soundtrack | Magazine: Shot By Both Sides

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What?! Yesterday night I lost Britain from the world map! Tried to open BBC6 on RealPlayer - and nothing. After a while I thought I lost the contact to the whole world but soon realized that only the British pages were banned. There was no problem in getting to German pages (for some reason the obvious choice for me was to try the homepage of Berlin...) Glad it's back though - most of all BBC6. Right now I'm easing down listening to Phill Jupitus Breakfast show on BBC6. I've said this before but I will say it again: time zones are great! I can wake up at my own time not feeling quilty about not waking up at early morning like rest of the population seems to be doing. When I start my work and open the radio there is breakfast show running. It sort of gives me more hours to day as I can pretend that I have woken up early. I'm actually going to mail this to BBC. Right after I've managed to get through my most important thirty about mail waiting for reading. Actually, I have mentioned BBC6 so many times they should actually send me some stuff for this. T-shirt or something. Today's world as it is: nothing for free.


Anyway, I've done a lot of work. Most recent updates: Gallery Becker, Alvar Aalto Foundation and The Craft Museum of Finland.

soundtrack | System of A Down: BYOB

...god. The beginning of June has been hectic. Most of the time has been spent with Spirited Herring - www.webgalleria.net - now open. Go, register as an artist and submit your Crime associated works! First invited artist is Lea Turto whose interbiew will be translated also to English. So funny - as the Spirited Herring is now a project of The Arts Council of Central Finland I asked them to give me a name of a good translator I could ask to translate the texts to proper English... They actually gave me the name of my old school friend - from about twenty years ago.


I've made some basic updates for Alvar Aalto Foundation and The Craft Museum of Finland but nothing big (if you don't count the Spirited Herring)...

soundtrack | Nine Inch Nails: The Line Begins To Blur

It's unbelivable stupid life I live. On Friday I got tired to get error notes from my c-ter and not be able to run chkdsk for some reason.

And the result? The new hard drive is three times bigger but as the last one was so silent and soft this feels like driving monster car or something. Crunch crunch crunch. And it seems that the problem wasn't actually with the system but with something else. The first thing that happened when I turned the machine on at home was: 'Epson scanner file is missing or corrupted... run chkdsk' - which it still doesn't do when I ask it to. And plus to that: the mouse is acting hectic. It takes about every third click as double click. I tried to update the drivers but Logitech site doesn't find the model and just throws me to some general support page.

GGGGGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! Could I just hate this 1001001001 world any more?


Yesterday we spent the easy-life day visiting my parents: good food, playing cards, not much c-ter. Today the reality is back again: have to try to complete my most important work missions for today and after that installing XP again.


Something finished though: Piitu's small page is now online: http://www.piitunykopp.net.

soundtrack | Wednesday 13: Bad Things

Nerdy life continuum. I stayed in the whole weekend making final changes to Alvar Aalto Foundation site - now published. Exactly 6.30am this morning. I went to bed at about sevenish and a few moments after that Timppa woke up - he's restauring one wall painting by Jaakko Valo with Jaakko Valo for a couple of weeks and they start each morning early. It was actually quite funny: I had my morning alarm at noon and shorly after that I went to kitchen to make some coffee I saw them through the kitchen window heading for University (Ilokivi or Lozzi I suppose) for something to eat. Hmph. Funny? I'm functioning on overdrive. After waking up (and having straight week of only few hours of sleep each night) I've been feeling euforious. I've been laughing to every small thing and - ! - almost made the dishes, cleaning the sink... This can't be right.


But still no end anywhere to be seen: Muhi project and updates are waiting and phone is ringing again. As I've said before: no rest for the wicked.


Feeling very Joy Divisional - a couple of days ago when BBC 6 Music had Ian Curtis memorial day and played Joy Division the whole day I wasn't in the mood. But thank the lord for 'listen again' buttons.

soundtrack | My Chemical Romance: Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge

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Angel's here! Angel's here! The last season just arrived from DVDon!

Nothing else much.


Most of the time spended with Muhi project and even more with Aalto Foundation site renewal - which is almost finished. Some polishing and all is set for publishing.


And the usual one: machines break down. I was about to write a bill to ArsLab3 when I found my offer *file corrupted*. I tried to run chkdsk but the c:ter doesn't allow - it only asks if I's like to run chkdsk next time I start this &¤%##/%#/ machine. And when I answer yes, shut this damn (/&%%¤%¤####! down and re-start - nothing happens. I'm doomed. I don't want to play games anymore with this because of the few crucial projects had to be finish first. So I just try to ignore the whole thing. Pretending works always.
Anyway, it tells something about my professionality that I had to contact Jari from ArsLab3 and ask him how much I had to bill...


But I heard from Teija who's back from Italy. We'll hopefully meet next week! Something to be glad about. Which reminds me: I have to check if Tuija is already back from China - a small coffee moment withtravel stories would be good for my mental health.

soundtrack | Queen Adreena: Medicine Jar

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Life is vicious and against me. I've been practically a prisoner at home for over one week. On Friday when I finally got out my back started aching again - I + cold spring air = not good. I've been so mad and frustrated. I've tried to convinve myself that it's almost ok, I have work to do anyway and... Getting tired and paranoid. But I'm so glad: the summer is coming and hopefully warmer air too. I wouldn't like to stand dead stiff and hurting watching Marilyn Manson, NIN and Turbonegro. Or worse: listening the hotel room tap tipping through the whole weekend. Well, there are leaves on the trees already. That's a good sign.


German and Swedish language versions of The Craft Museum of Finland site will open tomorrow. There are propably still some odd typos - but still - FINALLY online. This has been one of the long-time sessions of this spring.


Yesterday I lacked life totally. I woke up after noon, *tried* to accomplish something ...but nothing. I actually then lied on sofa watching telly and wondering if I should play some Jak or Kingdom Hearts but I it was too big project for me (getting up and turn on play station). Instead of having any activity I Ended up staring to the emptiness and letting my mind wander around. I had these odd conspiration-sort-of-things like: Hey - there is only one letter difference between money and Monet. Could this be coincidence? I still can hear my brain snapping.


This can't go on much longer. I have to get me a life.

soundtrack | Sons And Daughters: Dance Me In

Drinking cold coffee and water, watching sun shining outside and having fingers tapping on keyboard. Normal geeky day.


Some Spirited Herring and Live Herring (net art events) done. Small things but they took a lot of time. I should be better organized for these kinds of thing.
Yesterday was actually a total head bangers ball - inside my head. Still: new article layout for Muhi project. Few new images added to Aino-K. Pajari's page and a couple of small updates to Colour Association of Finland.


And the Aalto Foundation... There was zzzzzzz with BBC 6 Music a few days ago and I went for BBC Radio 2 to hunt down for something complete different. I found this nice light music show Friday Night Is Music Night with musical themes and light classic music to go with my non-stop working mood. I was listening Finlandia by Sibelius with tears in my eyes (well, almost) while coding the Alvar Aalto site. Could it get more patriotic (and pathetic) than this?


Yes, the sun is still shining outside. I'm waiting for Timppa to come home and take me out to eat pasta/soup and some ice cream. And maybe some dvd-shopping...

soundtrack | Plastic Berntrand: Ça plane pour moi

ArsLab³ online...



My back ache continued through the weekend. It was quite hard for me to move at all - so when I sat in front of my work desk I practically didn't leave it very often during the weekend. These back ahces seem to be quite productive for my work projects.


I spent the whole weekend coding Aalto Foundation new web page. It was so sunny outside yesterday that I almost thanked Powers That Be (...hmph... living in Joss Whedon's universe I guess) for my back ache - I would't have gone out even if I didn't have this hardcore working session. Today I'm again as movable as I should be and no big hurting areas regocnized - but rain rain rain. Can stay home safely.


[Edit 12 hours later:]
Blogger threw me out twice but better later than never.
Today I have made small updates for other projects (before re-entering to the universum of the Aalto Foundation): small updates to Art + Architecture 2005 and small fixes to ArsLab³. Wrote an evaluation for one JAO student. And of course, the above mentioned ArsLab³ site which I finished coding last morning at five.


No go, no flow day today. Maybe tomorrow'll be a bit better. I promise to press my mental refresh button and not to be this dull...

soundtrack | The Scaramanga Six: Horrible Face

More pinkish, flowery desktop images on their way...

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O_o ... Haven't blogged for ages. Nothing to tell actually. Physically I'm decaying alive: my back has been hurting since Easter + right foot has been hurting for about four months now (no reason known which adds a bit to my restlessness). Yesterday I sort of stretched my back and had to stay in the rest of the day. And propably this whole weekend. I was so pissed off yesterday - I had planned to visit Anssi+Liisa in their new home but instead I played salt statue the whole evening.


Now it's a bit better - I can still sit. So working it is.


Actually, right now I feel I haven't been this busy ever before. Forget all my earlier whinings: this is the most turbo panicish time ever. The mother of all the oppression. I've been coding the new Aalto Foundation site like maniac, remade Muhi project layouts, coded Kirsi's pages and made LOTS of smaller updates. I haven't actually done anything else apart from working and watching reality television.
Now I'm lying: I've also worked with my 'hobby' - The Online Art Gallery Spirited Herring is now closed and waiting to be re-opened in the beginning of June. Jani visited here last week and we gave the project some reality check. Needless to say-