Category: At the Counter

Quick observations on a wide range of topics.

Triptych: Three Thoughts On the Current Political Climate II – The ones who fulfill all your basic needs

I like my villains visibly bad, because it makes it easier to cast them aside. When they are intelligent and well-spoken and if we have discussed ideas earlier and have established some sort of friendly rapport, it makes it that much more enticing to want to dig deeper beneath the surface to try and determine what (could have) made you that way. And if you changed, what was the inciting incident that made you change.

Beneath the Surface of Sauna, Salmiakki and Santa – intro

Like a celebrity, countries are excellent at putting out an image to the world of how they want to be seen. There’s the brazenly rugged terrain or the soft rolling hills, or the vibrant metropolis. No matter how a country decides to brand itself, there is always an element of truth, wishful thinking, a lie…

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The Po’boy as Metaphor for Finnish Society

But this was no Bono and the Corrs cover of Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra’s Summer Wine, this was essentially Summer Wind, something that maybe sounded similar to the untrained ear, but had no bearing in any way, shape or form on the original. Or as someone close to my heart – who would never utter a bad word against someone unless they absolutely had to – put it, “Jesus no! This is a toast. A toast with meat and some greens.” 

Life Hack Homesickness – Tip 2: Be a Tourist in Your Town

Truth is, I had never played tourist in Paris. The touristy places I visited were places of interest because of a certain exhibition or event, and the touristy places I’d frequented repeatedly were places that kind of just happened to be there and were attractive to me because of people, cafes or some energy that I liked. I always loved Sacré Cœur, but living so close meant that the path there was part of my fitness routine, as in I love walking and being asthmatic, this helped me gauge my fitness level on any given day.