Francois

I finished my first French language novel!!! To celebrate it, I chose Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet theme to the background for that proposal scene required for any good book. That made me smile! The first book wasn't Camus, Proust or even Moliere, French lit is hard enough in Finnish. The book was Persuasion, by Jane Austen. I'm not apologising my choise; it would've been too hard to read totally new book, altough it would have been better not to have known every line by heart... This way I started reading English books, the first one was Anne Brontë's Agnes Grey. The second reason was the small French section of our library. Final was the subject. Damn if I gonna read a stupid book! That's why I started translating 4 years ago, and still going, Virgil's Dido and Aeneis instead of Cicero's some stupid prosal thingy. I rather read difficult but interesting than easy and boring.



I've been ill, annoying almost ill but not quite. This weekend I've been lying in bed, hopefully next week I'm alright. But it hasn't prevented of being nice weekend. Yesterday, was quite fantastic. I had dreamed in the night about 3 boys, in separate dreams of course, what were you thinking?! Knowing that it's not difficult to guess how I spent my day, especially when I had seen, by change, in the morning a programme the Cup, in which a football team gets a new coach, one Emmanuel Leconte.
Le Roi Francois 1er de France dans ma tête tout le jour et la nuit, oui!



And one thing I was thinking in a toilet today, while I was washing my hands, what were you thinking?! It came to my mind that I'm actually quite innocent, in a good way. I remembered how I jumped to my knees and grinned like a mad person, when I read the final chapter of Persuasion and thought, that I don't think my mother would have done the same. Actually, if I had been in love, broken hearted, in love, broken hearted again and again, and finally been living with a guy a few years and now having a baby, like so many at my age, I don't think I would've done that. You may be happy and smiling after a good result, but you would've seen so much that it wouldn't turn your life so much. So even if I'm unexperienced to the desperation I still have that innocence what gives me drive to find my own. I've noticed before, that when I smile, I do it to the max. My sister, usually she just smiles, you can rarely see even her teeth. I often wonder does she think things are funny, is she only pretending? My granmom or somebody once said that when I was little I was always laughing but now I'm only quiet. After that I've tried to find that side back. But anyway, if you like something I don't see the point in playing it down. My sister says she hates public showing of love, like hugging and kissing. I think the world is awful place enough without knowingly supressing happiness.

My days as a classical archeologian

If the four weeks in Rome taught me one thing, it was that I'm never going to be full time researcher of classical archaeology. It's quite forbitten to tell this to people studying it, but it's ruines, ruines and again ruines, sculpture of Venus, and another, and another. After 3rd week my cup was already full, and I bet everyone knew it or sensed it with my huffing and puffing. The last but in no way least was the trip to Campania. Uuu best for the last! Oh not again, ruines. "But they are the great cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum!" "What ever." Our guide wanted to show us the icing of the trip, underground Naples! Oh good, never seen ruines before...


The cannon every (sun)day at Gianicolo at noon

Well, I grand that the wall paintings were quite beautiful, although there were paintings in the houses of Augustus and Livia in Palatinus as well...
Now you see how my head losed the plot. I just had to find something non-ancien activity! One of the best places in Rome was the Galleria Borghese, into which I almost didn't go. Good that I did.


Vesuvius roaring at Herculaneum. The smell of sulfur was true.

It's the case of friends and different friend groups, which do different things and act differently. Well, I cold like to belong to the group of grazy acting, laughing, drinking and behaving badly, but not of course criminanly. But, because people are always more wise than the person herself, othe people decide what group you belong. For me, because of my outer appearance and nature, the group has almost always been the clever quiet group, who speak about school, drink only wine and go to bed by 10pm. It's awful to be made to to what you don't want to do, and to get away from that group you need an accident, or really hard work. For me, I made it on the last week of Italy; thanks to my going to Borghese with the ring leader of the "other group". I even got to show my alcoholism level, when the boys had bought some whisky in the infamous Villa of Mysteries in Pompeii. It was night, we had drunk 4 bottles fo wine and one of very, very good Limoncello (why not, it was free!) and we didn't want to go to bed (like our head of the institute says, you can sleep in Finland). So we went to the swimming pool. We girls paddled in the water while boys smoke and sipped the whiskey. Then they offered one to the other girl (the one that talks), who was horrified and grinned. Then the offer came to me, I was more than happy to apply, and an astonishment! She didn't even grin! Well, why not? It was like water had been mixed into it, not really my cup of tea. Boys commented, well she's been in Scotland... Not actually the reason, I had whiskey there only once. Thanks to our classical philologies!


Wall paintings at Pompeii, the house of some man no doubt...

I might have done a small error of jugement with the water, for I saw Naples and got a cold. There went my farewell dinner and last italian pizza. I wanted to be brave, but perhaps I have to admit, I may have had quite a fever. But if somebody younger tells me to stay home when others go out, the hell I am! Luckily it didn't last long, I was quite alright coming home.


The non-catholic cemetery at dawn. Quite exciting hanging around the graves of artists died of tuberculosis while having a respitory illness...

diverse person indeed

Today I went to library to get some spanish language music for my trip (2 days!). Unfortunately I missed the right row and got Rammstein, missed the heavy section and found Sash! and Scooter. In the end I got 2 spanishish cd's, e. Iglesias, which I'm not a great fan of, too pop, and spanish rap, which is quite boring after a while (it was supposed to be reggaeton, apparently not). I find learning languages easier when with music, and to keep myself from thinking throwing up in the plane.

Despite my attempt, I'm not yet a sexy thin princess in a dress (damn you flu, and stupid Atkinson!). Luckily there´s like 13c, better to keep coat on. I'm updating quite frequently because I'm so exited. Not so good for the essay I'm supposed to write. One thing that's not helping is the job interview I have just before leaving. I have to have my baggage with me! But maybe I won't be too scared about the interview...

Autumn Fever

Yes, unfortunately it's true. Might have known that the moment I read the word autumn break in calendar I get sick. I only wish I'm ok tomorrow, I was supposed to go visit home... When I lived with mother or when she visited me all that was needed was a bottle of our own black currant juice and health returned. I bought last year factory made juice and it was awful! Don't you think it's horrible that when you have a cold you feel sick and every remeby, juice, the, fruits, eucalyptus stuff for throat and nose, they are all so sweet and then you truly feel sick! Few years ago I found heavenly food, Knorr chicken and noodle soup and toast. But they don't sell that in Finland, only that disgusting slimy thing.

Another fever I had a while ago, that is two quite adorable males lost their girlfriends. I mean, am I not allowed to rejoice of their unhappiness? Strangely enough, the other, living here, was quite bright looking when meeting me... I think I would answer differently would he ask again. Although, I have had numberless phone calls recently. The other guy, well he's my cousin so there's nothing strange there. I heard every girl is in love with their cousins. By the way, he looks exactly like Mark Feehily form Westlife. Another cousing looks like Backstreet Boys' Brian. Lord I'm lucky! I've never met his girlfriend but I've seen her picture in Facebook and she's old and quite ugly. Good riddens for bad rubbish! After a week/2 weeks he's now hooked again, with the same girl, what a tragedy!!!

But anyway, if you who sent me a text 3-4 years ago would send one again I still wouldn't answer but if you would come to get me, I would come. I wouldn't have changed my mind but I might be little less scared. I still think I would be perfect for you, don't mess with those adolescent girls. At least now I've been practising, and with French men no less!



An article in the museum studies notice board. Translation of finnish: "I want to become a museum curator".