Breaking News...

It's snowing!!




I only took a couple of photos. It started snowing about 2 hours ago. It is now snowing crazy-like, and I think I will be able to take some pretty nice photos tomorrow. yay! snow! It's a novelty for me, so I love it!

Southern Finland -- Part II: Helsinki

This is part 2 of our trip to Southern Finland. These photos were all taken in Helsinki. We spent a Sunday afternoon and a Monday morning in Helsinki. It was rainy and cold, unfortunately. We couldn't use our umbrellas b/c the wind was knocking them around too much. It was quite comical, and we had to put the umbrellas away.

We started the visit Sunday by visiting the rock church:

I don't know why it looks like people are running for their lives in this photo. The church was beautiful and very peaceful.

The church view from the balcony:

This was my favorite part, lighting a prayer candle.




Here are some photos of the hotel room:


wait a minute. I thought this guy was the gardener at Turku castle. How'd he get into my room?



We spent most of Sunday inside the National museum, but I only have a couple of photos from that excursion.

A throne:
A brief moment to pause and pitch some tightly clad royal booty.



I don't know why we only have a couple of photos from the national museum. It was packed with fascinating objects. Maybe the lack of photos reflects how exhausted we were from all the sight seeing. That night we ate some very good Nepalese food and went back to the room. I stayed up too late watching French news and bad reality TV. It was fantastic. The only horrible part was watching a french news reporter interview a man from Iowa (or maybe it was Kansas). The farmer called Obama the 'n' word, and I was shocked! shocked! The farmer said he was a life long democrat, but wouldn't vote for Obama b/c he "can't stand n!@@*rs". WTF?!!



Okay, on to the next day....

Monday wasn't as rainy as Sunday, but the day was still very grey. This means the photos look kind of gloomy, but Helsinki was a very beautiful city. Here are some photos as we walked around visiting churches and just generally ogling the city.





The massive Lutheran church.
I like this photo b/c Patrick's noggin is floating around the bottom.

The above photo is theview from the top of the stairs to the Lutheran Church.
Inside the Lutheran Church.



This photo above is the Orthodox Church. We didn't get to go inside, sadly, but it was an impressive building none the less.

This is the view from the Orthodox church. They could flip off the Lutheran's on their way to mass.

We also walked around the market square of Helsinki where they sell handicrafts. It was pretty nice, and I bought a little wooden block puzzle for my nephew.

So, overall, we had a fantastic trip. Helsinki was wonderful. Turku was unbelievable. I loved the trip and wish we could've stayed longer.

Back from Southern Finland -- Part I. Turku!

Hello all. Patrick and I have returned from an ESO meeting of Finnish Astronomers and Scientists in Turku, Finland. The meeting was held at Tuorla Observatory. It was a 10 minute bus ride from the city center to the observatory, and it was lovely out there. I forgot to take photos until we were waiting for the bus to take us away. Unfortunately, the sunlight was directly in front of me, so the photos aren't that great. But, I think you get the idea.


The entrance to Tuorla Hostel


This photo shows the main house at the Hostel/Observatory.



Another building on the property...



across the street from the Hostel


It was very pretty. The meeting was a good one. The group was small, which meant more interaction with individuals. I even made a contact with a scientist in South Africa who published a paper on similar stuff that I'm doing.


After the meeting, we stuck around to do some sightseeing. We spent Saturday in Turku walking around and visiting Turku castle. Now, I'm going to post a bunch of photos of Turku for your viewing pleasure. Click to embiggen them, as you wish.



This is a beautiful church in the middle of Turku. This driveway/courtyard has a nice slope to it. We watched a man chase down a runaway buggy stuffed with two kids on this driveway. It was pretty funny, but don't worry. No children or fathers were harmed in the making of this photo.



A view of the river.



A beautiful park near the handicraft museum. Sadly the museum was closed. So, we strolled through this park into an open air market and onward to Turku castle instead.



It was a cold day, and this bird is nicely expressing how I felt. I too would refuse to get into that freezing water. screw that!



Patrick and his new toy.



A pretty view outside of Turku Castle.



This is Turku castle inside the walls. Look, I think that is one of the staff. I forget his name.




That's me. Can you hear what I am saying?
"Get off my lawn before I call the cops! You peasant!"


St. George defending the maiden and killing the dragon. I like the shadows cast on the wall.




Virgin and Child. There were so many incredible carvings from the 15th century in Turku castle. amazing.




Arched ceilings...It's how I roll.



Patrick looks comfy.



okay. Maybe he's getting a little too comfortable on the king's privy.



That is all I am posting for now. I have to get some work done today! Stay tuned for Part II -- Helsinki.

A little piece

I have been so busy lately. It's a blessing to have so much activity in my life, but at the same time I feel somewhat breathless. I like being able to stop and look around every now and then.

Tonight, Patrick and I are taking a night train to Turku, Finland. We are attending a meeting of Finnish Astronomers which will be action packed and fun-filled for two days. I am presenting a poster there that I sort of slaved over needlessly. The meeting is packed with so many talk that I doubt anyone will have the time to read my fabulous poster. Too bad b/c it's a gem.

We have decided to stick around southern Finland this weekend to do a little touristing. So, Saturday we will poke around Turku and probably visit a castle. Sunday we take a train to Helsinki to poke around there for a day we may visit a fortress or a rock church or the natural history museum. Monday afternoon we are hopping a train back to Oulu. It should be fun, and I am not taking my laptop so that I can unplug for a bit.

I'll post photos when I return if I'm not immediately sucked back into the vortex of 'work work work faster faster faster'!

2 blogs in 1 day! It's like Christmas!

Okay, I have to post this video. Sarah Silverman is hilarious in this, and the message is a good one. It does get tedious during the last minute with the whole 5 friends pyramid scheme thing, but stick through it for Sarah.

Don't Vote!


My two favorite quotes:

'I haven't done sh*t on drugs beside play play Halo2'
'You can literally register to vote while pooping, if you have a laptop'


Speaking of voting, I voted! I received my absentee ballot in the mail yesterday. I have darkened in the Obama/Biden oval with the supplied pencil. I was very meticulous about not having stray pencil marks on the page or marking outside the oval. I even wrote in a friend for the US house of representatives. The ballot has been sealed, and I just need to mail it back. sweet!

It's been a while

Hello Internet Friends. It has been a while. I have been very busy with work and traveling. I have to say that this time in Finland has been very productive for me. I like my boss, and I think his work style is very good for me. He checks in a lot, which keeps me moving forward in my projects.

Anyway, I traveled to the Netherlands two weeks ago for the annual meeting of 'Dutch People for Antagonizing Americans Named Brooke' meeting. I was a fruitful meeting. Oh, I also saw my mom and my stepdad while I was there. We had a great time biking around, eating yummy food, visiting castles, watching the 7 up series, working puzzles, listening to podcasts, and shopping! I would normally post photos of the castle now, but they are on my laptop and I am at work. :( I will try to do that tonight.

The Saturday after returning from the Netherlands, I took a trip out to an old farmhouse with the Oulu knitting group. Man, that was a fun trip. The farmhouse is now a store:



It is a store with walls and walls of yarn!! yay!!




I bought some shiny silver yarn to make mittens and a hat for myself. It was a great outing. I got to see the country-side. We had coffee and sandwiches while we chatted. I met some really nice people. I have to say that knitters rock!








After our outing, I biked home and stopped every few hundred feet to look and take pictures of the trees. Fall is a beautiful time.







After all that fun, I had to put my nose to the grindstone at work. I'm frantically filling out job applications and fellowships in hopes of getting one. I've been watching the economy collapse with a mixture of fear and awe. I've also been wondering how I am going to carry all my yarn back to the states.

While I was in the Netherlands, my mother bought beautiful wool yarn for me to make a sweater that I like. It is a birthday gift. I've started the sweater (I will post pictures later), and I'm falling in love with it already. But, it is a thick sweater. I'm going to have to dump my books and other clothes to bring this sweater home. But, it will be worth it.

Speaking of birthdays, tomorrow I turn 34! huzah! Patrick and I will probably go out to eat and enjoy the Irish Festival going on downtown. It should be fun.

Well, this blog was a lot longer than I had intended. But, it has been a while.

This can not be natural

I debated about putting this video on my blog because I actually feel pretty bad for this lady. She obviously cares about the environment, but has no clue how rainbows form. I find it funny, and yet I can't really laugh at it.

My reluctance to laugh at her ignorance must come from teaching students about the phases of the moon and the seasons on Earth. Many people have misconceptions about these two concepts. I'm used to hearing some pretty unusual theories and working through those with the student. I won't allow myself to laugh at them just because they misunderstood something.

The same goes for this lady and her evil fluoride induced rainbows. I don't know what she thinks is 'in' a rainbow, but I'd be interested in asking her how she thinks they form.

And, I guess by posting this I have sort of mocked this woman. I'm just a little stunned by it all.

What do you think about it?

"I think I've got some clips you should see"

I barely got to know you

Dear Sun,

I miss you. We were getting along so well, and I thought I was starting to mean something to you. Did those midnight bike rides together mean nothing to you? I tried to give you space and not be too clingy. I was okay when you decided to drop below the horizon at 10pm. But, now you refuse even to look at me. I know you are there, but you are always hiding behind your cloud friends. Why have you turned your back on me? Please come back to me.

Love,
Becky

p.s. I am wearing a sweater today. :(

It's been brought in for repairs

Monday was rainy and gloomy.
Tuesday was drizzly, grey, and gloomy.
Wednesday is grey and cold.

I think the sun is broken! I hope it wakes up from its nap soon and scatters the clouds. I miss the color blue. :D

On an aside note, I got a bike that fits me. yay! Now, I won't have to watch out for racking myself in my girlie-bits with a bicycle bar. And the brakes work. yay! I am learning to appreciate the simple things in life.

Tomorrow we plan to head to downtown Oulu to watch the qualifying round for the Air Guitar World Championships. I am pretty excited.

Falling in love with Finland

The weather has been beautiful this weekend. Blue skies with fluffy clouds. Temperatures in the 60s. niiice.

Saturday, Patrick and I rode our bikes to downtown Oulu. We checked out the local library, which has a large selection of novels written in English. I am interested in borrowing a book on 19th-century gothic tales. It sounds like fun. The nights are getting longer and darker here, so I am in the mood for creepy stories.

After visiting the library, we biked to the gardens. We sat down to have a cup of tea and a little snack. Patrick read while I knitted, and we listened to children laughing and playing. It was very nice. We walked around for a bit and admired the gardens, which had some gorgeous roses in a variety of shades.

It was a perfect day. yay!

The air is thick with ümlauts

Patrick and I just watched the Colbert Report for August 14th. On an aside note, August 14 is my MUCH older brother's birthday -- Happy Birthday, Steven!!

Anyway, during the Report, Colbert mentioned Finland as a country of interest.

Check it out:


Finland has been put on notice! We know what your up to.

we know.

The United Nations of Knitting.

Thank God for the interweb -- the evil creature that sucks away my life and gives me a life all at the same time. As I mentioned before, I am a member of Ravelry, which is an awesome community of knitters and crocheters. I did a people search for Oulu, Finland and up popped 2 pages of people. yay!

I picked an avatar I liked (Marika) and e-mailed her asking for locations of good yarn shops with my fingers crossed. She was so friendly and immediately took me under her wing. I am so grateful. I had no idea how I was going to find shops or fellow knitters since I am too shy to approach people in English.

Well, the knitting group here seems large and lively. We had an impromptu gathering yesterday at Sanna's house. I am kicking myself for not taking a photo, but I did forget. We sat in the garden with a beautiful spread of cake, cookies, tea, and coffee. A total of 9 of us ( and two wee ones ) sat in a sunny garden and knitted away. I am in between projects right now, so I didn't really have anything to work on. I fiddled with my yarn a bit while I chatted and admired everyone's skills.

I have to say that I think I will be learning a lot from these ladies. They have mad skills and make BEAUTIFUL socks and mittens and cowls and sweaters. I was, honestly, pretty embarrassed about my knitting level in comparison. I tend to make silly toys and big goofy scarves. But, I look at it as an opportunity to learn from some experienced knitters. And the best part of it all was that I really felt like I clicked with them. They were very chatty and made a big effort to include me into the conversations. I am looking forward to the next meeting.

Downtown Oulu and Qstock

Here are a few photos of the scenery that we see on our bike ride to downtown Oulu. It is a beautiful ride through neighborhoods, over a bridge, and through a park. I love it.

This is the local cloud factory. They also manufactures baby toes and kitten whiskers.



Patrick says these are steps for the fish to swim upstream




These are the statues outside of city hall.




Friday we biked to downtown Oulu for a music festival called Qstock.

We stopped off at a local pub to enjoy a beer and the scenery. The downtown area was jumping. Lots of people were showing up to see the bands.



I have no clue what bands we saw, but we tried to stop by every stage.
We went to the Techno tent (my personal favorite).


We also watched some heavy metal bands.



There were a lot of photo ops that I missed. While the sun was up I wasn't thinking about photos for some reason. Let's see. What did I see of interest? I saw 3 people passed out. One guy was on the beach. One guy was in a chair, and the third man was on some steps. Each time, security came up and woke them. I met an adorable girl with a Finnish-Irish accent who lost her friends.

A couple of things I noticed were 1) people politely stand and listen to the music. There weren't any mosh pits or rough housing even though the music was pretty hard core on some stages. 2) Everyone wore ear plugs, which I found smart. And 3) People near us would get real quiet and listen to us speaking in English. If they were brave enough (read: drunk enough) they'd say something and be friendly. It was a little unsettling though when you can tell the people around you are eavesdropping.

Another thing I failed to photo was the pee-dome (I wouldn't dare!). A plastic dome with 5 or six holes cut out about waist high. Guys would walk up to it and pee while trying not to stare at the person across from them. The port-o-potties for the ladies were light pink and light green. They were soooo clean....no pee on the seat covers. At the end of the night, most of the stalls still had toilet paper. I couldn't believe it. By that time, in the US, at least 1/3 of the stalls would've been pushed over or thrown into the water.

Overall, it was a fun day/night of beer, nice people, and rowdy music. I had a blast and met some really cool people. The bike home was interesting since I was tipsy and my bike is too big for me. But, we made it safe and sound!