from oulu to tampere (two weeks ago)

A place that's on the map and which I saw on my walk to Oulu station but I don't know what it is. Anteeksi. 

Also on the way to the station, it's either a yurt or an homage to Altona Civic Centre. You tell me. 

I took the unusual step which I thought would on balance probably be disastrous and walked to the station from the Kaarretie apartment, half an hour walk but how long would it take/ how arduous would it be dragging my suitcase with me? It’s got heavy. Well, actually that was entirely fine. There were no problems with that foolish enterprise and I was smart to do it, in fact, though I’ll never know I suspect that it was a smarter, better move than taking a bus, which would have been awkward. The case is getting heavy though (because I keep buying books and magazines. More about that shit later!). 

On getting on the train I am surprised, very, to find that my case won’t fit in the overhead racks. It did on the way up to Oulu but this is a different kind of train. Who could have imagined. Luckily at the moment I have an empty seat next to me but who knows how long that will be the case? No-one, really, well, the person who bought a ticket for that seat somewhere between here and Tampere knows, but they don’t know the whole story. Anyway, I can uncomfortably cram the case in front of me if I have to but hopefully I won’t have to for long. 

OK - a couple of hours later – I dumped it at the end of the carriage. If it gets stolen, I suppose I will exchange one problem for another lol. But I still don’t have anyone sitting next to me. 

I have that shitty condition where I don’t really feel like doing anything sat in a seat, although you’d think this would be the perfect situation to write stuff. Yesterday I saw an LP by a band called Nuoret Marttyyrit and didn’t buy it but thought, I’ll check them out first. They are amazingly good, spotify has shown me. I am obsessed. That’s me, right? By the time you read this, I’ll be onto something else. They don’t seem to exist anymore though maybe they just haven’t put anything out for a long time. 

I’m glad I got these noise cancelling headphones though I was thinking just this morning ‘jesus, I’ve lugged those around the world and not used them at all’ but now I’m using them, initially just so I didn’t have to listen to the child in the seat in front of me sucking on something out of a tube, so gross, but now see previous paragraph. I am listening of music. I have an hour and a half of travelling to go. It’s not unpleasant, I’m not complaining, just a bit restless. 

Later: I felt inclined to have dinner so I went searching for the place that comes up bigger and bolder than everything else on mapsonmyphone, something called HOAX. Well fuck my luck if HOAX isn't actually closed this weekend, no reasons or shits given. 

The other option is a restaurant not unnearby HOAX the name of which I now forget. I fully expect it also to be closed or exploded or something and on the way there I reason perhaps some new chinese food might do the trick. 

But it doesn't come to that and instead I go to the restaurant which is really good and really expensive. They have a copy of this just behind where I'm sitting.