6 july a dog on the bus in tampere

This was a dog on the bus in Tampere, as I went to the station. 

Good-bye Tampere! You still got it! 

 

helsinki 30 june-1 july

It is Wednesday 1 July and I am in Tintin the Cafe aka Tintin the Bakery with no Tintin memorabilia or merch anywhere around, that's nice. I'm getting sugary shizzle on my keyboard because I am eating a cinnamon bun - like, with my fingers, and then typing.

A lot of dogs are going past - true.

Last time I gave a conference paper in Finland I was met with bafflement, but yesterday I feel it went really well. The other papers were, you know, fascinating but of course became a mish-mash after a time, to the extent that ultimately I was left making the classic response 'those are all words'. Subsequently by the end of the day I was fucked up with no blood sugar and I was pleased to see that close to our digs in Jätkäsaari there is a vietnamese vegan restaurant. Initially I'm pretty sure google map directed me to a big hole in the ground but then I found it, and it was grouse. I mean the plate of food I had would have satisfied five people, I exaggerate, but satisfied two and maybe three. But it was excellent. I will go back. 

(That stain on the ground was there when I got there btw).

Earlier in the day yesterday I paid a quick trip to Tapiola to find rather disappointingly/worryingly that the old shopping centre, which I always enjoyed, is now boarded up and not looking at all happy. I suspect it might be at its end. 

three dogs from last saturday's record fair

I got four albums. The first Rotary Connection album, Christie Allen's Detour, Areski et Brigite Fontaine's Je ne connais pas cet homme, and the double retrospective/odds n sods of West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band. Feeling pretty good about that overall. 

Update: tbh only the second LP of the WCPAEB record really hits me very hard, side 3 is the best and also the 'straightest' - could be the bones of a lost late 60s Beach Boys record (or related). Side 4 is great too except the final track, which sucks, as the young people say, ass. Only a small number of the tracks are really by WCPAEB but the material is, in the main, surprisingly consistent. Lot of fun, a bit of pain. 

The Areski/Fontaine album is a lot of fun. I have to get back to Christie's LP but it is pretty solid I think.