GREETINGS FROM FINLAND

Greetings from our trip to Finland!! What??? No, the other one in Minnesota!

FEEL SUPERIOR!

It truly is an uplifting feeling to look out on Lake Superior that, as Jenna and her guidebook did not tire to emphasize, would, if poured out over the continent, cover ALL of North AND South America a foot deep with water! To call Lake Superior "big" is hence "a colossal understatement". ;-)

BEAUTY ALL AROUND

According to Marko, Jay Cooke State Park is a blend of Koli and Ruuna. (Lieksa people will understand ...) So in some ways it was not only wonderful scenery but also a trip to Marko's home.

FREUNDSCHAFT, COMRADES!

Every birthday needs a trip. Every club needs an outing. So we, the members of the FinAmericAustrian Freundschaftsclub, set out to discover new lands and spread the ideas of friendship and socialism. Route 61 (yes, the one in Bob Dylan's song) lead us past great monuments to our final destination Jay Cooke Park (by Duluth) where we pitched our tents (and got some fire wood and made a fire).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARKO! part 1

The new computer skin was only one part of the birthday gift. Another very enjoyable one, sponsored by Armin and Angela (thank you!!), was a dinner at Wolfgang Puck's 20.21. Great food with table overlooking the city during sunset - niiiiice!

BAKING

is a great opportunity to learn about cultural (?) differences. While the American recipe uses exact measures (like 1 3/4 cups), clear directions ("stir 50 times") and basically anything you want to bake comes in pre-measured mixes (including even pieces of carrots for carrot cake!), the Finish recipe demands the baker to use their own judgment ("add flour until dough is toughening") and make everything from scratch. Be that as it may, the results are equally good. YUMMY!

EASY LIKE SUNDAY MORNING

What might an American couple do on a random Sunday in spring? Maybe a home improvement project (like restoring a coffee table and making a garden sign), some grocery shopping to fill up the trunk of their car and the emptiness of their fridge, household chores (cleaning and taking out the garbage), and the laundry of course. I guess in some ways we have become American. However, washing the car, barbecuing and baking cookies will have to wait for the next Sunday.

CLASS OF 2010

It's done! Hanna's first class at the U of M. With a potluck party the TAs Paul, Adam and Hanna released the class of 2010's novice teachers into their careers. (Jason was out of town but still present...) Good luck and thank you for an exciting semester!

MUSICAL REVELATIONS

especially when totally unexpected, make life so much better. We kind of had an inkling that Jónsi from Sigur Rós would provide an amazing, breathtaking, superfantastic show (especially the videoclips - wow! Too much for our camera ...), but We Are The Willows was a really unexpected discovery that happened just because we happened to stumble into The Nomad (great bar!) after V-Day. Awesome! (And a comfort after Simon and Garfunkel postponed their Minneapolis gig, for which we already had tickets, to July when we are not here!!)




This one shows so nicely why Jónsi is so loveable - and a genius:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xvYmwdm-Xk
Jónsi's album:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziQXB3LuNyA&feature=channel
We Are The Willows:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYSAAHhuxa8

EVERY WIFE'S DREAM

If you came home totally beat from a hard day's work (on a Saturday!) what would be behind your door if you could choose? My dream would be my beloved husband, dressed up as a waiter, serving a warm meal and delicious cocktails. Something like this: