Sphere time!
Espoo: 23/07/08
Oh wow. Where to begin.
It's almost 8am, and we JUST got home.
Okay, well yet again I woke up super early. 6am. Took a shower, had some breakfast, studied some finnish, went to the park for awhile, and ultimately ended up forcing myself back to sleep around 9am. I hate it.
When I woke again, it was time to leave to meet Anssi! Super cool guy it seems, upon first impression, as expected. We shred some at the park again, got some more tricks on camera...I'm totally being boring and brief here, but all I can remember is what happened last night. ...and this morning I guess?
The bar:
I don't even know what the bar was called, but it was like $1.30 for a beer. How can you go wrong? Felix and his girl came out, he actually surprised me when he walked up behind me and said, "Kevin!" It was cool that he was personable like that. Later, I surprised both him and his girlfriend when I answered a question he asked to Anssi: "Perjantai." His head kinda whirled around to me, and he said, "What did you say?!" His girl (name?) told me that the little finnish I knew was still very impressive, which was definitely nice to hear, and helped my confidence with the language a bit too.
Tuomas was trying his best to get laid, and trying for my sake too, but honestly I was never really into it all night. I've got someone else in mind at the moment. He introduced me to some girls he was chatting up, saying I was Canadian...but when she asked, "Where are you from again?"
"Western Canada, in a city called Edmonton."
"Okay, so the United States?"
...yeah, I was done with her. Anssi explained that she had really insulted me, and then she became all apologetic, but I was more than happy to let Lauri take the reins anyway. Lauri later told me that the girl was really stupid, and mentioned 2 or 3 times that she had dropped out of school, and was proud of it. Champion of life! Anyway:
Eventually I was able to get the finns to the dance floor. I guess it wasn't really a natural course of action for them, but it made for some super fun times! Some random chick heard I was Canadian, and took it upon herself to show me some, quote, "traditional finnish dance moves." However, the moves turned out to be "definitely just drunk finnish girl moves".
Ed: Big shout out to Samu, he got the DJ to play two electronic tracks for me, Sandstorm and Put your Hands up for Detroit. I know they're really really pop-electronic tracks, but what else are they going to play in a bar like that? I had fun anyway.
We (Samu, Lauri, Anssi and I. Tuomas had already found a friend and had caught a cab home with her) finally left the bar around 3, and we all wondered how we were actually getting back to Tuomas' place. Some drunk girl heard us, and spoke with Anssi briefly about train times. She kept walking, and as Anssi, Samu and I figured it all out, I turned to see Lauri walking away with this girl. Lauri was WRECKED, by the way. To be fair, Samu was too, but Lauri was absolutely DONE. I yelled his name, twice.
His response: "I'll call you guys in the morning."
He was going home with this girl. They'd not spoken for FORTY FIVE SECONDS, and he had made the decision to go home with her. I should also note that this girl was arguably the least attractive finnish girl I have seen. She was a sphere.
I ran over, tore him away from her, and the funny thing is that neither of them really put up a fight. They were both completely indifferent. Anyway, I told him when I woke up that he fucking OWED me one. He agreed.
Eventually, we all ended up sitting on the street speaking to some locals for a bit: Maija and Sara (sp?). They were absolute cockteases, and nothing came of the full hour talking to them dsepite Lauri giving Maija his UNDIVIDED attention. I seem to recall him licking her arm? Both girls were delighted that I was Canadian, so hopefully that serves as some favourable foreshadowing for the rest of my trip.
...although Maija kept referring to me as "The Australian"...?
Okay, train home at 6:30am...I'm going to sleep. Lucky for us, the girl Tuomas brought home actually bailed from the taxi halfway to his place. She had a friend emergency or something, so sucks for him, but at least the door was open and I have somewhere to sleep.
Fuck I'm tired. Tomorrow is going to be rough.
Ed: Lauri should upload the video of him telling me to do the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner. Right away. Yeah yeah.
Audio, then footbag.
I should clarify there's a few posts on the previous page too...I'm just going to hammer away at this journal while I still have the motivation to.
Espoo: 24/07/08
The day wasn't as rough as I thought it might be, probably for the fact that no one was up until at least 2 pm (myself: 4pm). We spent a lot of the day replaying the previous night for Lauri. I guess he didn't remember much at all. Maybe that's a good thing.
So yeah, up at 4pm, and the guys made me a breakfast (dinner?) of grilled goodness! They did manage to set the grill on fire, but aside from that it was super tasty. I was actually much less hungover than Samu and Lauri. I saw Lauri with a beer in hand, and he claimed he was simply "getting even". ...but then he went on to drink 11 more. The man is a tank.
Also, he hit whirring swirl after 6 beers. And then after 9. And then after 12. What a champion.
I refilmed Anssi's move, and got this freaking WEIRD trick from Tuomas on tape. He calls it "kyttyrä", and it's probably the most confusing trick I have seen in a long time. It's like, symp swirling blender, but both the dexes are done simultaneously, and he hits it far. Crazy. Even in slowmo, I couldn't really grasp what it was he was doing. Hopefully he can hit in better light tomorrow or in Prague!
I played a bit again, but it's been really tough on my hip. Fuck, this needs to heal. I'm so sick of it. I'm really glad this camera is with me, it's keeping me sane. And it's also an excellent opportunity to "not mind filming".
Espoo: 24/07/08
The day wasn't as rough as I thought it might be, probably for the fact that no one was up until at least 2 pm (myself: 4pm). We spent a lot of the day replaying the previous night for Lauri. I guess he didn't remember much at all. Maybe that's a good thing.
So yeah, up at 4pm, and the guys made me a breakfast (dinner?) of grilled goodness! They did manage to set the grill on fire, but aside from that it was super tasty. I was actually much less hungover than Samu and Lauri. I saw Lauri with a beer in hand, and he claimed he was simply "getting even". ...but then he went on to drink 11 more. The man is a tank.
Also, he hit whirring swirl after 6 beers. And then after 9. And then after 12. What a champion.
I refilmed Anssi's move, and got this freaking WEIRD trick from Tuomas on tape. He calls it "kyttyrä", and it's probably the most confusing trick I have seen in a long time. It's like, symp swirling blender, but both the dexes are done simultaneously, and he hits it far. Crazy. Even in slowmo, I couldn't really grasp what it was he was doing. Hopefully he can hit in better light tomorrow or in Prague!
I played a bit again, but it's been really tough on my hip. Fuck, this needs to heal. I'm so sick of it. I'm really glad this camera is with me, it's keeping me sane. And it's also an excellent opportunity to "not mind filming".
- Kevin R.
F = G*((m1*m2)/r^2)
Know thy enemy.
F = G*((m1*m2)/r^2)
Know thy enemy.
Turku: 25/07/08
Whenever the Espoo guys want to refer to anything in pop culture, they tend to cite/quote South Park.
I have heard, "Have you seen the episode?" probably 7 or 8 times so far this trip. Kind of hilarious.
Anyway, the train ride from Espoo to Turku was totally painless. Food on the train was super expensive, so I'll have to remember that for future train travel. It was also the first time I wore my backpack with the Canadian flag in public (except for the airport)...I heard the word "kanadalainen" maybe 4 times just whilst going to Anssi's place. Neat.
The park we played at had some kind of music festival going on, so that meant phat baets all day long! ...Except no finnish footbaggers enjoy any KIND of phat beat, so I was the only guy dancing. They made fun of me a lot for "Embarrassing myself like that."
I don't really think of myself as an outgoing guy, but apparently I am *very much so* by Finnish standards. Lauri called me a lot more social than any of the guys here, saying that sometimes they don't even talk at sessions. I've been more attuned to it since tehn, and it's so true. One lunch, we were all waiting for our kebab to be ready, and everyone just sat in silence, totally naturally. Weird?
On the topic of kebab, Anssi LIVES on this stuff. He talked all about the different kebab places around town, how this one's the best because etc. How that one is spicier. How this one is more expensive. How that one gives larger portions. etc. He is the leading expert on kebab in Turku. Also, they only serve food ON fries, never on the side. McDonald's is probably the exception.
I played a truly epic game of Pass the Pigs as well: a game to 500 points with Anssi, Tuomas, Samu, Jonas, Kim, Lauri and I. It was absolutely sick. Jonas rolled some amazing rounds and never kept his points. 97? 108? And then FINALLY he sealed 130! The whole game lasted more than two hours, and I don't think I was ever bored. Lauri rolled TWO oinkers, and at one point, rolled 4 double razorbacks in 5 rolls total. Ridiculous. I think we eventually got to bed around 4am...good times.
I saw Jeremy Mirken as well! Surprising to hear my name in a North American tongue. He's obviously a huge part of why my speech has improved so much, and was excellent to see him again.
Whenever the Espoo guys want to refer to anything in pop culture, they tend to cite/quote South Park.
I have heard, "Have you seen the episode?" probably 7 or 8 times so far this trip. Kind of hilarious.
Anyway, the train ride from Espoo to Turku was totally painless. Food on the train was super expensive, so I'll have to remember that for future train travel. It was also the first time I wore my backpack with the Canadian flag in public (except for the airport)...I heard the word "kanadalainen" maybe 4 times just whilst going to Anssi's place. Neat.
The park we played at had some kind of music festival going on, so that meant phat baets all day long! ...Except no finnish footbaggers enjoy any KIND of phat beat, so I was the only guy dancing. They made fun of me a lot for "Embarrassing myself like that."
I don't really think of myself as an outgoing guy, but apparently I am *very much so* by Finnish standards. Lauri called me a lot more social than any of the guys here, saying that sometimes they don't even talk at sessions. I've been more attuned to it since tehn, and it's so true. One lunch, we were all waiting for our kebab to be ready, and everyone just sat in silence, totally naturally. Weird?
On the topic of kebab, Anssi LIVES on this stuff. He talked all about the different kebab places around town, how this one's the best because etc. How that one is spicier. How this one is more expensive. How that one gives larger portions. etc. He is the leading expert on kebab in Turku. Also, they only serve food ON fries, never on the side. McDonald's is probably the exception.
I played a truly epic game of Pass the Pigs as well: a game to 500 points with Anssi, Tuomas, Samu, Jonas, Kim, Lauri and I. It was absolutely sick. Jonas rolled some amazing rounds and never kept his points. 97? 108? And then FINALLY he sealed 130! The whole game lasted more than two hours, and I don't think I was ever bored. Lauri rolled TWO oinkers, and at one point, rolled 4 double razorbacks in 5 rolls total. Ridiculous. I think we eventually got to bed around 4am...good times.
I saw Jeremy Mirken as well! Surprising to hear my name in a North American tongue. He's obviously a huge part of why my speech has improved so much, and was excellent to see him again.
Last edited by qphox on 05 Nov 2010 19:25, edited 1 time in total.
- Kevin R.
F = G*((m1*m2)/r^2)
Know thy enemy.
F = G*((m1*m2)/r^2)
Know thy enemy.
Turku: 26/07/08
Got up, kebab again, park.
The net tournament (The Turku Open) was going on today, so I got to see some net pros up close! Some of the games were actually super exciting...some of the spikes were absolutely unreal. Anyway.
I brought my camera, but only filmed Kim Berg hitting Smoke...Felix was playing, but of course I didn't bring out my camera because he was not wearing long pants. The short shorts would damage his credibility as a hip-hop artist. He said he'd do a trick for the project (in pants lol) but I don't think I'll have a chance to film him anyway. Moiaa! (Mojaa? ...Moijaa?)
I did play a bit, hit some decent stuff considering how careful I was being:
- pixie flail > pixie ducking legover > rpt > pixie dblswitch > pixie dblswitch
- diving legover > weaving legover > ducking legover > rpt > zulu legover > zulu legover
- pixie everything x2
Kebab again..."Kebab ranskalaisilla, mukaan. Kiitos."
Pass the Pigs again! At one point, I had scored 201 to win, until Kim came back in one turn with 60+ points to 203. Sick.
Turku: 27/07/08
Tuomas, Lauri and Samu all left today. I suppose that effectively wraps up the first leg of my trip. Anssi and I are shooting for the next few days, weather permitting, and then it's off through Europe. Hopefully my sunburn calms down by then.
Kim and Joonas also headed back home today...I think I might buy Pass the Pigs and mail it to Kim. They both had such a great time with that game.
I watched a lot of net today again! Mostly Jeremy, as he's the only player that I actually know...although Janne Pesonen recognized me too! Seems he was familiar with some of my video work. I chatted with him for probabvly 30 - 45 minutes while watching Jeremy's match against Timo. Timo? I think that was his name. ... Anyway, at one point, it was match point for Jeremy, they rallied back and forth, and then Jeremy's first kick went into the net. Timo immediately turned around and walked to the back of the court to serve the next point, and of course didn't realise that Jeremy was able to dig his own kick, recovering the shot off the net! It fell in FRONT of Timo, still walking to the back of the court, he assumed that Jeremy had hand-passed the bag, and naturally just picked it up for the next serve. He didn't even know he had lost.
It was kind of painful to watch Jeremy say, "No, no...that was...that was my point."
Some other player made the comment that only Jeremy could win a match like that. Jeremy responded saying that we all should've seen yesterday...he went up for a spike, totally missed, but luckily was able to make a perfect drop shot with an accidental clipper kick. I loved the implication that his freestyle background saved him that game.
Anssi and I biked around Turku a lot today, and I was reminded of how great bicycles are. I haven't even been on a bike in probably 7 years or more, but they're so commonplace here. There's actually bike LANES here, which is so unlike Edmonton, so it makes for a really convenient way to get around. I enjoyed it so much, I'll likely do more biking when I arrive in Vancouver.
We scouted out where we would be shooting tomorrow, and I think the spot we found is going to work out GREAT. It was basically everything we were looking for in a location.
We spent a lot of time figuring out some shooting specifics, and some of this shit is so complicated. I'm actually slightly concerned that SOMETHING isn't going to work out. And of course, I can't check any of the shots until I get home...sooooo...crossing my fingers?
Got up, kebab again, park.
The net tournament (The Turku Open) was going on today, so I got to see some net pros up close! Some of the games were actually super exciting...some of the spikes were absolutely unreal. Anyway.
I brought my camera, but only filmed Kim Berg hitting Smoke...Felix was playing, but of course I didn't bring out my camera because he was not wearing long pants. The short shorts would damage his credibility as a hip-hop artist. He said he'd do a trick for the project (in pants lol) but I don't think I'll have a chance to film him anyway. Moiaa! (Mojaa? ...Moijaa?)
I did play a bit, hit some decent stuff considering how careful I was being:
- pixie flail > pixie ducking legover > rpt > pixie dblswitch > pixie dblswitch
- diving legover > weaving legover > ducking legover > rpt > zulu legover > zulu legover
- pixie everything x2
Kebab again..."Kebab ranskalaisilla, mukaan. Kiitos."
Pass the Pigs again! At one point, I had scored 201 to win, until Kim came back in one turn with 60+ points to 203. Sick.
Turku: 27/07/08
Tuomas, Lauri and Samu all left today. I suppose that effectively wraps up the first leg of my trip. Anssi and I are shooting for the next few days, weather permitting, and then it's off through Europe. Hopefully my sunburn calms down by then.
Kim and Joonas also headed back home today...I think I might buy Pass the Pigs and mail it to Kim. They both had such a great time with that game.
I watched a lot of net today again! Mostly Jeremy, as he's the only player that I actually know...although Janne Pesonen recognized me too! Seems he was familiar with some of my video work. I chatted with him for probabvly 30 - 45 minutes while watching Jeremy's match against Timo. Timo? I think that was his name. ... Anyway, at one point, it was match point for Jeremy, they rallied back and forth, and then Jeremy's first kick went into the net. Timo immediately turned around and walked to the back of the court to serve the next point, and of course didn't realise that Jeremy was able to dig his own kick, recovering the shot off the net! It fell in FRONT of Timo, still walking to the back of the court, he assumed that Jeremy had hand-passed the bag, and naturally just picked it up for the next serve. He didn't even know he had lost.
It was kind of painful to watch Jeremy say, "No, no...that was...that was my point."
Some other player made the comment that only Jeremy could win a match like that. Jeremy responded saying that we all should've seen yesterday...he went up for a spike, totally missed, but luckily was able to make a perfect drop shot with an accidental clipper kick. I loved the implication that his freestyle background saved him that game.
Anssi and I biked around Turku a lot today, and I was reminded of how great bicycles are. I haven't even been on a bike in probably 7 years or more, but they're so commonplace here. There's actually bike LANES here, which is so unlike Edmonton, so it makes for a really convenient way to get around. I enjoyed it so much, I'll likely do more biking when I arrive in Vancouver.
We scouted out where we would be shooting tomorrow, and I think the spot we found is going to work out GREAT. It was basically everything we were looking for in a location.
We spent a lot of time figuring out some shooting specifics, and some of this shit is so complicated. I'm actually slightly concerned that SOMETHING isn't going to work out. And of course, I can't check any of the shots until I get home...sooooo...crossing my fingers?
- Kevin R.
F = G*((m1*m2)/r^2)
Know thy enemy.
F = G*((m1*m2)/r^2)
Know thy enemy.
Thanks people. I really don't consider my writing skilled, inspired or really interesting in any way, I just write it as I would speak it I guess. 
Turku: 28/07/08
The day started early as expected. Anssi and I ate a quick breakfast, watched some quick footbag vids, and booked it over to the shooting location for 10:30. Puoli yksitoista. Half eleven.
Unfortunately, there were now some cars parked where we had expected it just to be open space. I guess parking space is hard to come by in that area?...but anyway, it was so sunny! This is a GOOD thing...but if it isn't this sunny tomorrow, we may end up making some serious compromises in shooting this film, and I'd REALLY rather not...again, fingers crossed?
Shooting went according to plan for the most part. Anssi was stubborn and took a bit long to hit some of the combos...I was more than happy to just make cuts so it LOOKS like he's hitting the combo, but I guess he was too proud for that. I mean, the combos were bloddy hard, so I don't blame him...but still. I'm just looking to make something that's fun to watch, it doesn't necessarily have to be an entirely accurate representation of his abilities. I was a bit frustrated/bored, clearly, but I'm over it now. ANYWAY, we were shooting for about 6 hours total, and it'll likely be the same tomorrow. Fingers crossed.
I had dinner with Anssi's family tonight, and also Olli's friend Teemu (sp?). I was kind of nervous about being unintentionally impolite in some way due to a cultural difference of some kind, but it was allllll smooooooth sailing. We talked about Finland, Canada, music, politics, etc. for probably 2 hours. I ended up talking quite a lot, as most conversation involved me, and ALSO I eat pretty slowly...so I felt kind of bad for making them wait for me to finish.
I guess Anssi's mother had no idea that I understood/spoke any finnish whatsoever, but it was pretty funny when she found out. She spoke very slowly, pausing to remember each english word (she apologised because she speaks english so rarely), and sometimes she wasn't sure of the word at all. At one point, she turned to her husband and said, "Mikä on keskiviikko?" (eng: what is "wednesday"?) I quickly answered "Wednesday". Her eyes darted back over to me, and the whole table burst out laughing.
Something else funny happened: Teemu made the comment, "There's cake? Is it someone's birthday?...or...why is there cake?"
Anssi's mom replied, "Because it was cheap."
Anyway, it was all super delicious, and Anssi's mother was really nice, but I'm sure that her broken English and all her "fussing" was nothing but painful for Anssi.
Ugh, it looks kind of cloudy. Fingers crossed.
Turku: 28/07/08
The day started early as expected. Anssi and I ate a quick breakfast, watched some quick footbag vids, and booked it over to the shooting location for 10:30. Puoli yksitoista. Half eleven.
Unfortunately, there were now some cars parked where we had expected it just to be open space. I guess parking space is hard to come by in that area?...but anyway, it was so sunny! This is a GOOD thing...but if it isn't this sunny tomorrow, we may end up making some serious compromises in shooting this film, and I'd REALLY rather not...again, fingers crossed?
Shooting went according to plan for the most part. Anssi was stubborn and took a bit long to hit some of the combos...I was more than happy to just make cuts so it LOOKS like he's hitting the combo, but I guess he was too proud for that. I mean, the combos were bloddy hard, so I don't blame him...but still. I'm just looking to make something that's fun to watch, it doesn't necessarily have to be an entirely accurate representation of his abilities. I was a bit frustrated/bored, clearly, but I'm over it now. ANYWAY, we were shooting for about 6 hours total, and it'll likely be the same tomorrow. Fingers crossed.
I had dinner with Anssi's family tonight, and also Olli's friend Teemu (sp?). I was kind of nervous about being unintentionally impolite in some way due to a cultural difference of some kind, but it was allllll smooooooth sailing. We talked about Finland, Canada, music, politics, etc. for probably 2 hours. I ended up talking quite a lot, as most conversation involved me, and ALSO I eat pretty slowly...so I felt kind of bad for making them wait for me to finish.
I guess Anssi's mother had no idea that I understood/spoke any finnish whatsoever, but it was pretty funny when she found out. She spoke very slowly, pausing to remember each english word (she apologised because she speaks english so rarely), and sometimes she wasn't sure of the word at all. At one point, she turned to her husband and said, "Mikä on keskiviikko?" (eng: what is "wednesday"?) I quickly answered "Wednesday". Her eyes darted back over to me, and the whole table burst out laughing.
Something else funny happened: Teemu made the comment, "There's cake? Is it someone's birthday?...or...why is there cake?"
Anssi's mom replied, "Because it was cheap."
Anyway, it was all super delicious, and Anssi's mother was really nice, but I'm sure that her broken English and all her "fussing" was nothing but painful for Anssi.
Ugh, it looks kind of cloudy. Fingers crossed.
- Kevin R.
F = G*((m1*m2)/r^2)
Know thy enemy.
F = G*((m1*m2)/r^2)
Know thy enemy.
Turku: 29/07/08
10 days, Anssi just reminded me. I've already been traveling longer than I was in Orlando last summer. I'm also finding that I'm not excited about returning home. Like, at all.
Today, thankfully, the weather cooperated. Probably because my fingers were crossed. Anssi and I finished shooting today around 3pm, and we actually did some really fun/complex shots! ie: [ED: SORRY. YOU'LL ALL HAVE TO WAIT.]
At one point, some guys came out of the "If..." building we were shooting next to, and (in Anssi's words) asked, "What the fuck were we doing?" I guess they saw us yesterday too...I thought at first that they might ask us to leave, but luckily they were just curious!
Shooting was a ton of work, but honestly a lot of fun too...thought I'm really not looking forward to editing it. Okay, I *am* looking forward to it, because the finished product should be nothing but sick sick sick, but I'm predicting no less than 60 more hours work to get this thing done. FUN.
Anssi and I did a bunch more biking today too! We saw the castle, the harbour, the church, loads of beautiful women...the church was something like 600 years old, and the floor inside was tiled with tombs/graves. Super creepy, but really cool. Also, I considered that Alberta just turned 100. Puts things in perspective a bit.
Stockholm tomorrow.
10 days, Anssi just reminded me. I've already been traveling longer than I was in Orlando last summer. I'm also finding that I'm not excited about returning home. Like, at all.
Today, thankfully, the weather cooperated. Probably because my fingers were crossed. Anssi and I finished shooting today around 3pm, and we actually did some really fun/complex shots! ie: [ED: SORRY. YOU'LL ALL HAVE TO WAIT.]
At one point, some guys came out of the "If..." building we were shooting next to, and (in Anssi's words) asked, "What the fuck were we doing?" I guess they saw us yesterday too...I thought at first that they might ask us to leave, but luckily they were just curious!
Shooting was a ton of work, but honestly a lot of fun too...thought I'm really not looking forward to editing it. Okay, I *am* looking forward to it, because the finished product should be nothing but sick sick sick, but I'm predicting no less than 60 more hours work to get this thing done. FUN.
Anssi and I did a bunch more biking today too! We saw the castle, the harbour, the church, loads of beautiful women...the church was something like 600 years old, and the floor inside was tiled with tombs/graves. Super creepy, but really cool. Also, I considered that Alberta just turned 100. Puts things in perspective a bit.
Stockholm tomorrow.
- Kevin R.
F = G*((m1*m2)/r^2)
Know thy enemy.
F = G*((m1*m2)/r^2)
Know thy enemy.
-
SnowBlindSloth
- Fearless
- Posts: 539
- Joined: 21 Nov 2006 13:48
- Location: Toronto/Vancouver
YOU! ME! In Vancouver!! Footbag shall be inevitable!!
Ok, that sounds really weird...butttt, I am moving to Vancouver for school and as I hear, so are you...so lets git it awn!! I'll pm you with some contact info and details and hopefully we can start a new footbag club...toronto meets Edmonton...Edmonto? Toronton?
Ok, that sounds really weird...butttt, I am moving to Vancouver for school and as I hear, so are you...so lets git it awn!! I'll pm you with some contact info and details and hopefully we can start a new footbag club...toronto meets Edmonton...Edmonto? Toronton?
Alex Venis
Ferry to Stockholm: 30/07/08
Not a whole hell of a lot to report. Spent the day in commute, for the most part. I'm really not minding all the cargo I've been carrying with me so far...the camera bag in front + my backpack actually kind of balance each other out, so it's just my legs doing the work.
We've been trying to get in tough with the Denmark guys...I guess Asmus Helms isn't going to be able to make it out to see us, but at least I'll meet him in Prague. Mads has been out of reach as of yet, so hopefully he calls us before we get into town. I'm not concerned, but Anssi is a bit uneasy. He tends to worry a lot, and I tend to worry not at all...we're a good match!
The ferry was pretty good times for the better part of the trip across the water. "The DJ" was "spinning discohits" all night (said the ferry's pamphlet)...but unfortunately the crowd seemed to favour the hip-hop flavours instead of the faster stuff I enjoy. I did dance a bit, but certainly not enough. Hopefully I can attend some kind of decent electronic show before I head home.
At one point in the club, we heard some girls speak in North American English. At first, I was kind of stoked to maybe speak to them, but when I turned around to see who it was, I saw two very large girls with terrible fashion sense, and they were with two big, beefy, angry-looking black guys. I decided against making contact.
We've almost arrived in Stockholm, and it's actually about 6:15am on the 31st. It'll be a short sleep, then a short stay in town, and then another train down to/through Denmark. It's adventure time!
Algebraic!
Oh, and I almost forgot. Anssi and I played a few rounds of Pass the Pigs...we almost quit, but said, "Meh, okay one more game to 200."
The game lasted almost 2 hours, and there were a total of 7 Oinkers (ed: roll pigs -> pigs end up touching = lose all points) between the two of us. If you ignore all the times we lost our points, he finished the game with something like 650 points, and me with almost 400. Totally ridiculous. He definitely deserved to win.
Not a whole hell of a lot to report. Spent the day in commute, for the most part. I'm really not minding all the cargo I've been carrying with me so far...the camera bag in front + my backpack actually kind of balance each other out, so it's just my legs doing the work.
We've been trying to get in tough with the Denmark guys...I guess Asmus Helms isn't going to be able to make it out to see us, but at least I'll meet him in Prague. Mads has been out of reach as of yet, so hopefully he calls us before we get into town. I'm not concerned, but Anssi is a bit uneasy. He tends to worry a lot, and I tend to worry not at all...we're a good match!
The ferry was pretty good times for the better part of the trip across the water. "The DJ" was "spinning discohits" all night (said the ferry's pamphlet)...but unfortunately the crowd seemed to favour the hip-hop flavours instead of the faster stuff I enjoy. I did dance a bit, but certainly not enough. Hopefully I can attend some kind of decent electronic show before I head home.
At one point in the club, we heard some girls speak in North American English. At first, I was kind of stoked to maybe speak to them, but when I turned around to see who it was, I saw two very large girls with terrible fashion sense, and they were with two big, beefy, angry-looking black guys. I decided against making contact.
We've almost arrived in Stockholm, and it's actually about 6:15am on the 31st. It'll be a short sleep, then a short stay in town, and then another train down to/through Denmark. It's adventure time!
Algebraic!
Oh, and I almost forgot. Anssi and I played a few rounds of Pass the Pigs...we almost quit, but said, "Meh, okay one more game to 200."
The game lasted almost 2 hours, and there were a total of 7 Oinkers (ed: roll pigs -> pigs end up touching = lose all points) between the two of us. If you ignore all the times we lost our points, he finished the game with something like 650 points, and me with almost 400. Totally ridiculous. He definitely deserved to win.
- Kevin R.
F = G*((m1*m2)/r^2)
Know thy enemy.
F = G*((m1*m2)/r^2)
Know thy enemy.
-
Sporatical_Distractions
- registered sacks offender
- Posts: 4529
- Joined: 12 Oct 2004 19:14
- Location: Guy's American Kitchen & Bar
Copenhagen: 01/08/08
This is actually the morning of the 2nd, and I missed a day also...but that's mainly because I've been busy experiencing an excellent city.
I'll start where I left off...or I'll try? I guess?
Stockholm was very nice, but we were only there for a matter of hours. I'm kind of glad that we chose to pass straight through instead of spending a night there, because Copenhagen has been unreal by comparison. We checked out a few of Sweden's sights nearby to the train station: The King's Garden was really beautiful, got a few photos there...the train ride to Copenhagen was kind of rough since I was so low on sleep though. I dropped off almost immediately upon finding my seat, but I would wake up for every single "DING! Next stop: _____ " Overall, I probably scored about 3 hours of sleep over a 5 hour ride.
We had a bit of a difficult time meeting up with Mads at the train station. First, we took the train to the end of the line when we should have gotten off at the main station...then we GOT to the main station, but didn't go to the correct McDonald's to meet him. So finally, he just made things easier and came to US. He arrived riding the strangest bike ever. Basically a cargo bicycle?...one wheel in back, two in front, with a big box for holding whatever: bags, booze, people, etc. Neither Anssi nor I even recognized Mads, we were too busy staring at "the crazy bike this guy had." It was kind of surprising when he said, "Hey guys! Hop in!" but we hopped in!
My feet were so hot buried under all the other stuff in the box, and by the time we met Mads Neuhard they felt like they were a million degrees...but I soon forgot about that when we got out and went for some of the best Italian food ever. It was gnocchi in a pesto cream sauce, and it was absolutely exquisite. Then we went across the street for some italian gelato ice cream (chocolate banana) which was also amazing. I love footbag hospitality, because there's no way I would have ever found this place had it not been for Mads.
We dropped our stuff off at Mads' place (7 floors up) and headed off to some park where some shred/music was happening. There were thousands of people in this park. I honestly couldn't believe how many people there were...and they were all so chill! I guess the park itself stretched for a long, long distance, so it was basically people as far as the eye could see. I played a bit, and my legs felt "not that bad still". Highlight of the session: Sailing Doubleswitch! First try! I even said to Mads, "Okay, last thing before I stop:" !! Anyway, we stayed at the park until probably midnight, and I biked home drunk. That was...new. AND considering that I had such terrible sleep the night before, that would explain why this entry is a bit late.
[Anssi just pronounced "the-ing" as "they-ing". Hah.]
The 1st started, again, with the same gnocchi. I went in with the plan of trying something different, but I just couldn't resist. It was too delicious...and more gelato! I wasn't going to get any, but I buckled under Anssi's peer pressure. This time, we spent the day down by the river instead, and I did a bunch of filming! I played some more too...in-tatw > pande > pix. ducking legover > string > pix dblswitch > pix dblswitch. I had some fun with juggling as well, oh and cigar boxes! I think I might order a set when I get to Vancouver...I was pretty stoked when I did takeouts each side b2b. The whole time there was SWEET, and the Danes are all super cool, for real.
Unfortunately, we were there so long that we were forced to go to McDonald's for some food...and then we played some Street-Disc until 2:30am. Mads and Osaan (sp?) hit a lot of cars...but Mads hates cars anyway.
We also purchased our train tickets today. Originally, we'd intended to leave for Berlin on Friday...but Copenhagen had made an impression on me. I asked Anssi, "Why don't we leave on Sunday instead?"
"Yeah, why not?"
SO, Sunday it is!
HAH! And when we were leaving the station, I pulled really hard on the doors, failed, and immediately pushed instead. I'm pretty sure "PUSH" was written there in big letters, but in Danish....so Anssi laughed, "Fucking tourists."
Oh, and I ran out of money today too. I tried to take out some cash with my Mastercard, but it didn't even occur to me that I might need my PIN. I've literally never used my PIN before, and I've had the card for a few years...so of course I had (have) no idea what it is. Anssi gave me some cash to hold me over, but this was definitely a problem. We brainstormed for solutions for a bit...and then on a whim I decided to try my bank card in the machine. AND IT WORKED. Despite my card not being listed in the ~16 "accepted card types", it friggin' worked. LUCKY.
As a side note: when we'd first arrived at the bank, Anssi tried to open the door, but it wasn't moving at ALL. He looked at the bank's hours in the window, and said, "What the fuck! It *can't* be four yet!"
Me: "Have you tried pushing?"
Anssi: "..." *push*
Soooooooooo good. Fucking tourists.
This is actually the morning of the 2nd, and I missed a day also...but that's mainly because I've been busy experiencing an excellent city.
I'll start where I left off...or I'll try? I guess?
Stockholm was very nice, but we were only there for a matter of hours. I'm kind of glad that we chose to pass straight through instead of spending a night there, because Copenhagen has been unreal by comparison. We checked out a few of Sweden's sights nearby to the train station: The King's Garden was really beautiful, got a few photos there...the train ride to Copenhagen was kind of rough since I was so low on sleep though. I dropped off almost immediately upon finding my seat, but I would wake up for every single "DING! Next stop: _____ " Overall, I probably scored about 3 hours of sleep over a 5 hour ride.
We had a bit of a difficult time meeting up with Mads at the train station. First, we took the train to the end of the line when we should have gotten off at the main station...then we GOT to the main station, but didn't go to the correct McDonald's to meet him. So finally, he just made things easier and came to US. He arrived riding the strangest bike ever. Basically a cargo bicycle?...one wheel in back, two in front, with a big box for holding whatever: bags, booze, people, etc. Neither Anssi nor I even recognized Mads, we were too busy staring at "the crazy bike this guy had." It was kind of surprising when he said, "Hey guys! Hop in!" but we hopped in!
My feet were so hot buried under all the other stuff in the box, and by the time we met Mads Neuhard they felt like they were a million degrees...but I soon forgot about that when we got out and went for some of the best Italian food ever. It was gnocchi in a pesto cream sauce, and it was absolutely exquisite. Then we went across the street for some italian gelato ice cream (chocolate banana) which was also amazing. I love footbag hospitality, because there's no way I would have ever found this place had it not been for Mads.
We dropped our stuff off at Mads' place (7 floors up) and headed off to some park where some shred/music was happening. There were thousands of people in this park. I honestly couldn't believe how many people there were...and they were all so chill! I guess the park itself stretched for a long, long distance, so it was basically people as far as the eye could see. I played a bit, and my legs felt "not that bad still". Highlight of the session: Sailing Doubleswitch! First try! I even said to Mads, "Okay, last thing before I stop:" !! Anyway, we stayed at the park until probably midnight, and I biked home drunk. That was...new. AND considering that I had such terrible sleep the night before, that would explain why this entry is a bit late.
[Anssi just pronounced "the-ing" as "they-ing". Hah.]
The 1st started, again, with the same gnocchi. I went in with the plan of trying something different, but I just couldn't resist. It was too delicious...and more gelato! I wasn't going to get any, but I buckled under Anssi's peer pressure. This time, we spent the day down by the river instead, and I did a bunch of filming! I played some more too...in-tatw > pande > pix. ducking legover > string > pix dblswitch > pix dblswitch. I had some fun with juggling as well, oh and cigar boxes! I think I might order a set when I get to Vancouver...I was pretty stoked when I did takeouts each side b2b. The whole time there was SWEET, and the Danes are all super cool, for real.
Unfortunately, we were there so long that we were forced to go to McDonald's for some food...and then we played some Street-Disc until 2:30am. Mads and Osaan (sp?) hit a lot of cars...but Mads hates cars anyway.
We also purchased our train tickets today. Originally, we'd intended to leave for Berlin on Friday...but Copenhagen had made an impression on me. I asked Anssi, "Why don't we leave on Sunday instead?"
"Yeah, why not?"
SO, Sunday it is!
HAH! And when we were leaving the station, I pulled really hard on the doors, failed, and immediately pushed instead. I'm pretty sure "PUSH" was written there in big letters, but in Danish....so Anssi laughed, "Fucking tourists."
Oh, and I ran out of money today too. I tried to take out some cash with my Mastercard, but it didn't even occur to me that I might need my PIN. I've literally never used my PIN before, and I've had the card for a few years...so of course I had (have) no idea what it is. Anssi gave me some cash to hold me over, but this was definitely a problem. We brainstormed for solutions for a bit...and then on a whim I decided to try my bank card in the machine. AND IT WORKED. Despite my card not being listed in the ~16 "accepted card types", it friggin' worked. LUCKY.
As a side note: when we'd first arrived at the bank, Anssi tried to open the door, but it wasn't moving at ALL. He looked at the bank's hours in the window, and said, "What the fuck! It *can't* be four yet!"
Me: "Have you tried pushing?"
Anssi: "..." *push*
Soooooooooo good. Fucking tourists.
- Kevin R.
F = G*((m1*m2)/r^2)
Know thy enemy.
F = G*((m1*m2)/r^2)
Know thy enemy.
I know a few people are curious of what's up with me at the moment:
I moved to Vancouver with the intention of living in a vague friend's 1 bedroom apartment until either (A) we found a 2 bedroom place to move into, or (B) I found my own place to move into.
Option A is obviously the better choice from a financial standpoint, and honestly I was kinda stoked to find a new place regardless of which option I ended up going with. I knew he was a nice guy, I've known him online for about three years...but as it would turn out, he's basically a complete slob. He smokes, and I knew that, but he said he was going to try to quit (or at the very least, smoke outside), however once in awhile I come home and get hit with a wall of residual smoke as I open the door. Not cool.
His being messier than me, okay, whatever, I can deal with it for now, but he's also not particularly considerate. I know it's not the easiest to keep an apartment clean when I've tetris'd in all of my moving boxes like this, but Option A pretty much disappeared when he began using paper cups to avoid doing the dishes.
He's also the kind of person who lets life happen around him, and when it doesn't go his way he likes to blame everyone else. That said, I'm somewhat of a blunt person, so our conversations don't often go very well.
ANYWAY.
I tried craigslist for ages, but apparently it is IMPOSSIBLE to find living arrangements in Vancouver. For real, I would call a number at 2pm regarding a posting made at noon, and it would already be rented out.
One night I was doing laundry downstairs in my temporary building, and ran into an eccentric, but pleasant older woman who said she was moving out soon. I was kinda stoked, explained my situation, and asked if maybe I could see her space. She said, "Sure, but I warn you it's kind of messy."
I figured that was the kind of thing EVERYONE says, regardless of how messy it might be.
I was DEAD wrong.
This place was possibly the most unlivable environment I have ever witnessed. She had some kind of OCD, collecting countless knick-knacks with NO end in sight. Whole rooms were filled with STUFF, *literally* floor to ceiling. (The kitchen was completely non-functional for this reason). She informed me nonchalantly that the landlord will probably have to do some cleaning because in the 2 years she'd lived there, she'd never vacuumed the carpet. There was a cat lounging atop one of the mounds of junk. After counting 10 roaches on the wall I happened to be facing, I politely got the FUCK out of there.
It was an awful experience. Depressing to know someone lives like that, depressing to have been teased with a possible living space, unsettling to have had the smell entrenched in my nostrils.
Days later, I took to the streets in desperation. I traversed about 40 square blocks, walking up to apartment building doors and buzzing the manager, "I was just walking by your building, and I was curious if you're expecting any vacancies." Everyone said no. Like, everyone. Then, finally, FINALLY, someone said yes.
My future landlord, Pawel, a boisterous Czech fellow let me know that a family of four would be moving out on November 15th. Corner unit, top floor (4th lvl), 850 a month. The only catch is that it's directly above the landlord himself, but I learned later that apparently the family is "a bunch of elephants" and he was delighted to give the space to a single skinny guy like me.
So that's that. After sleeping on a couch for 2 months, I'm finally moving into my own space. I got a serving job with the same company I was working with in Edmonton, and luckily was able to rise quickly to seniority. For the first time in my life, I'm keeping track of all my income and expenses (thanks for the inspiration Byrin), and the future is finally looking pretty good!
Also, the Audio Engineering program I'm taking at the Pacific Audio Visual Institute is going great. I'm putting in a lot of time studying and such, so hopefully I'll be able to turn some heads and land a decent job coming out of graduation.
Sorry if this was all a bit scattered, I'm in an internet cafe and am kind of writing as fast as I can.
Peace out!
I moved to Vancouver with the intention of living in a vague friend's 1 bedroom apartment until either (A) we found a 2 bedroom place to move into, or (B) I found my own place to move into.
Option A is obviously the better choice from a financial standpoint, and honestly I was kinda stoked to find a new place regardless of which option I ended up going with. I knew he was a nice guy, I've known him online for about three years...but as it would turn out, he's basically a complete slob. He smokes, and I knew that, but he said he was going to try to quit (or at the very least, smoke outside), however once in awhile I come home and get hit with a wall of residual smoke as I open the door. Not cool.
His being messier than me, okay, whatever, I can deal with it for now, but he's also not particularly considerate. I know it's not the easiest to keep an apartment clean when I've tetris'd in all of my moving boxes like this, but Option A pretty much disappeared when he began using paper cups to avoid doing the dishes.
He's also the kind of person who lets life happen around him, and when it doesn't go his way he likes to blame everyone else. That said, I'm somewhat of a blunt person, so our conversations don't often go very well.
ANYWAY.
I tried craigslist for ages, but apparently it is IMPOSSIBLE to find living arrangements in Vancouver. For real, I would call a number at 2pm regarding a posting made at noon, and it would already be rented out.
One night I was doing laundry downstairs in my temporary building, and ran into an eccentric, but pleasant older woman who said she was moving out soon. I was kinda stoked, explained my situation, and asked if maybe I could see her space. She said, "Sure, but I warn you it's kind of messy."
I figured that was the kind of thing EVERYONE says, regardless of how messy it might be.
I was DEAD wrong.
This place was possibly the most unlivable environment I have ever witnessed. She had some kind of OCD, collecting countless knick-knacks with NO end in sight. Whole rooms were filled with STUFF, *literally* floor to ceiling. (The kitchen was completely non-functional for this reason). She informed me nonchalantly that the landlord will probably have to do some cleaning because in the 2 years she'd lived there, she'd never vacuumed the carpet. There was a cat lounging atop one of the mounds of junk. After counting 10 roaches on the wall I happened to be facing, I politely got the FUCK out of there.
It was an awful experience. Depressing to know someone lives like that, depressing to have been teased with a possible living space, unsettling to have had the smell entrenched in my nostrils.
Days later, I took to the streets in desperation. I traversed about 40 square blocks, walking up to apartment building doors and buzzing the manager, "I was just walking by your building, and I was curious if you're expecting any vacancies." Everyone said no. Like, everyone. Then, finally, FINALLY, someone said yes.
My future landlord, Pawel, a boisterous Czech fellow let me know that a family of four would be moving out on November 15th. Corner unit, top floor (4th lvl), 850 a month. The only catch is that it's directly above the landlord himself, but I learned later that apparently the family is "a bunch of elephants" and he was delighted to give the space to a single skinny guy like me.
So that's that. After sleeping on a couch for 2 months, I'm finally moving into my own space. I got a serving job with the same company I was working with in Edmonton, and luckily was able to rise quickly to seniority. For the first time in my life, I'm keeping track of all my income and expenses (thanks for the inspiration Byrin), and the future is finally looking pretty good!
Also, the Audio Engineering program I'm taking at the Pacific Audio Visual Institute is going great. I'm putting in a lot of time studying and such, so hopefully I'll be able to turn some heads and land a decent job coming out of graduation.
Sorry if this was all a bit scattered, I'm in an internet cafe and am kind of writing as fast as I can.
Peace out!
- Kevin R.
F = G*((m1*m2)/r^2)
Know thy enemy.
F = G*((m1*m2)/r^2)
Know thy enemy.