World of more

St. Basil the Great is doing fine, requires more water now, it seems.

I've been reading a book by John Nash called "Enough - Breaking Free from the World of More" (in Finnish: "Riittää jo - irti maailmasta jossa kaikkea on ihan liikaa", Atena). The main idea is that due to the relatively quickly developed culture of humans, our brains have parts in them which are still pretty much from the Stone Age and haven't evolved that much - therefore we are programmed to think that all this food, stuff, success and happiness that we have accumulated can be taken away from us any minute, and we must always get more, more, more, to feel more secure.

Back in the good ol' days when a few hunter-gatherers roamed the woods and fought for life and death, it was important to be the most clever one and have most food stacked in your cave for the bad, rainy days - the survival of the fittest, you know..

Now, we are still stacking our closets and garages and cupboards with stuff we don't need, stuffing ourselves with more food than we actually need to stay alive and well, work our asses off because it's supposed to be somehow cool to always say to people that "I'm soooo busy at work", and aim for Bigger Happiness even though we should be quite content with what we've got now. And, by doing this, we all know what we are doing to the natural resources of this planet.

All of this in order to keep up with the Joneses, with the needs that are instilled into our minds. It's no use blaming The Society or Advertising or the Modern Culture (the famous Them, root of all evil) for this problem - it's just that our brains are programmed to act like this, and marketing people have found out where to strike with most power. You are nothing if you don't own this or that gadget, if you don't care about which shampoo you use, or if, god forbid, you want to drop out of the rat race and don't want more money, more power, more of everything.

The message is very simple: it's way past the Stone Age, dudes, we have enough of everything and consuming more or shopping for more will not make us any happier - and we should somehow de-program our minds to settle for less, be content with what we have. And in this context, the terms 'to settle' and 'to be content with' should not have any negative connotations.

Well, I guess I'm somehow carrying these ideas out in my own little way, now finally implementing into reality what I have been feeling over the past years in my private thoughts - by letting go of my 'safe' job (and just who's job is safe anyway, these days...) I'm also happy to renounce the mentality where nothing is never enough and more-more-more is always required.

It was fun while it lasted, sure, and brought along with it many good experiences, but in the end I'm happy to let go.

* * *

To end this posting with higher note after the Thursday Sermon, here's a May 1st joke for you:

Two cannibals were eating a clown. One said to the other: "I don't know about you but this sure tastes funny to me".

Yeah, I know. It's so last season :)

(Chinese green) tea for two

This week I was visiting my colleagues in another city, and also teaching my successor there - they had organized a farewell party to me yesterday, and oh, the multitude of gifts! First of all, something which I had actually asked for from a Beijing (or should one say Pekinese??) colleague who I knew was visiting Finland - some really, really good Chinese green tea. This "Tieguanyin" brand is a premium variety of Chinese oolong tea. Freely translated supposedly something like "Iron Goddess of Compassion". A total of 500g of this goodie should last quite a while, and make this girl a whole lot more compassionate.



Then, as the Actual Farewell Gift, they gave me Finnish design at it's best - an Aalto vase, and a miniature Marimekko bowl. Both in this Spring's new color, purple. The color actually looks quite pink, depending on the light, so it's right up the alley of my favorite colorway..

Funny how this photograph of the Aalto vase actually looks like a person's ear.... or is it just me?







And here, in a portrait with the Marimekko bowl, is Basil the The Great Mouse Detective, getting stronger by the day..



And hey, what do we have here?! Could it be...... oh yes, she's actually also knitting something!

I know, I know ... this knitting blog hasn't actually been much about knitting recently, sorry about that - but I hope you forgive me for keeping occupied with other, more down-to-earth things recently.
But I feel a small startitis creeping up my spine... and should really also finish this 'Auburn Camp Shirt' from IK Spring '09, knit in Sirdar 'Baby Bamboo'... So there's hope still!



Exactly 24 working days to go. Then it's bye bye steady income, at least for a while.. I'm excited and also a bit horrified. But much more exited :)

Oh, Italy..

..again I've been charmed by the green, hazy days of Spring there. Florence was as beautiful as ever, and also new acquantaince Bologna managed to charm the socks off from me (well, literally, as it was quite warm and sunny).






Here are some occasional photos, some curves and moods..

There was zilch knittingly things going on during this vacation - I didn't bring any yarn with me, and didn't visit any yarn shops (although I saw a couple). Well, one good thing from this break is that my neck and shoulders feel much better - maybe blood circulating there again has something to do with it..

Luckily mr. Basil Rathbone didn't suffer too much from my absence and, therefore, from absence of water. But must wait until releasing him on the loose to the balcony, as the weather is still rather cold - actually looking at some snow now, falling down from the sky outside this window.. Oh Finnish Spring, where art thou?

A room with a view

..will hopefully be found from both Bologna and Florence during Easter time!


Be back soon!

Green thumb

is clearly working (day 7):

Basil Fawlty?

I hope this basil won't be faulty - at least it seems to spring up from the soil like crazy. It's day 3 after the sowing, and already I could see these coming up.....

Yesterday I signed the contract ending my job at end of May. It felt good - of course also a bit scary, but mostly good. When one door closes, many new ones will open - that's just the way it goes. I've already applied for one interesting job in a totally different field, hopefully next week will show if something will come from that..

I'd definitely like and also would need to have more time for extra-curricular activities - I mean more things to make me happy and balanced. Not that I'm not happy&balanced already, but I know that with less pressure from work I could be that even more. Singing in a choir is one of my dreams, after many years of not singing in a choir - it does good for a person to sing in a choir :)

Plans, dreams and likes/dislikes - gradually they are coming together. But most of all, I'd like to live my life less prone to anxiety and accomplishing things out of duty. Duty calls, but one does not always have to answer, right?