i just got back after a few days in london. a great time was had by all.

it was the first time i saw rain in almost three months - something of a record for an irish man id imagine. as i lay in bed last night i heard the rain falling on the roof and remembered seeing a play in the peacock in dublin a few years back. brian friels “translations” had one scene that was silence except for the rain falling. the audiences perspective was from the inside of a room, with the falling rain could be seen and heard through the window. the nature of a wooden set and an enclosed space gave the acoustics of the rain a magical property - something im always reminded of when i am inside and warm and listening to the rain outside. something that i dont experience too much over the sub zero finnish winter.

i did arrive back to a wet helsinki though today. spring is coming.

pictures of london and the two sigur rós concerts i was at will be online tomorrow evening hopefully.

taken on st. patricks night in saunabar

there is some sort of record/trinkets/vintage clothes shop opening on eerikinkatu (just between corona and forum) here in helsinki in a week or two - some girl working in a shop in kamppi told us last week. its gonna be 400m2 - hopefully its something cool. anyone know anything more?

just got back from mew - they were pretty great. i took my camera with me and took lots of pics, here are some.

my irish bank has gone crazy over the last while with refunds. i got two more over the last few months: a paypath refund of 13,62€ (id never heard of “paypath” before) and a 23€ “gsd refund” (no idea what that is either) just the other day - all that plus another 100€ish in refunds during the past two years. keep them coming!

(oo, i just got a letter from them saying what “gsd” is - its government stamp duty - i got a refund as im not an irish resident! woo!)

the joke went on for a little too long, but the punchline was fantastic and well worth it all. the “conan in finland” episode was on nbc in america last friday and is on subtv here in finland on wednesday (and on lots of bit torrent sites now)

this winter i have been mostly enjoying … larry sanders show, andy richter controls the universe, project runway, australias next top model, justice league cartoons, battlestar galactica, relocation relocation amongst others.

im looking forward to a busy week ahead - i got tickets to the mew concert here tomorrow night (free! woo!), work, competitions, paddys day on friday (hopefully töölöläisiä wont mind the tricolour flying in my window), an sprioc lá on thursday, getting payed and so on….

i like how the finnish flag is inspired by nature.

a little kiddo and her grandmother wait to enter a café.