4 posts tagged “winter”

Ok, the 1st of february.

A few days ago we had a helluva snowfall. Followed by equally much rain. It's really, actually february and we've had no winter. Ok, so last "summer" was a rainy bitch of 3 months too, but last winter I remember this time of year giving me a regular -25 C. I remember it well because Sami gave me thermo-pants so that I wouldn't accidentally freeze solid while prancing around in my oh so warm jeans. Didn't help much that I tried to explain that while I didn't have time to practice Ice Swimming, this was my way of doing it while walking to the university.

It's nice not to have to break a lot of bones (knock on wood) because of all the ice hidden under the snow, and it's nice to not have to spend 20 minutes to dig your car out from under all the snow, only to discover that you've accidentally been toiling away, helping the neighbour while your van is the one on the left.

But I miss the snow. The cold is manageable, I've had 24 years worth of practice. Snow lights up the environment and because we don't have any, the dark months seem even darker.

But there's lots of time to write on my master's thesis. I've noticed that I've gotten to a second question-period in my life. The first one being at about 3 years old when Mom&Dad had to answer a lot of "Why do you do that"s. While I'm trying to get a grip on the PhD-students life around here, the interviews raise a lot of questions. For instance, why, if the contract stipulates that you should have 2/3 of your work time at the university dedicated to working on your PhD research, is it made impossible for most of them because they have to teach so much? It was never included in my interviews, but I know that a lot of the doctoral students eventually take some prescription medication to handle the pressure and all the stress of publication, research etc. Why is it so widely accepted that the job is so tought that it's only natural to cave in and start anti-depressants? How can it be "standard procedure" to break down under the workload?

Those, and a lot of other questions concerning other areas of life have started to boggle my mind, and a very few of them have answers. I'd like to fix everything I question, and can't understand why noone else has already fixed it.

Difficult, difficult.

But I'm approximately halfway through! It might not be the thesis of the year, but just passing is good enough for me. I can't wait to work full time (and actually have vacations) !

"Did you see me? I did 45 kg!"

"Yeah honey, I was right behind you, that was really awesome."

"How much did you bench?"

"125"

"...Oh. Well. It's not 45 kg's, but great job I guess!"

"Thanks babe."

So there it is. The target weight of 50 kg is not far away. And I guess Sami is a bundle of testosterone doing ok too. He is however going mad. It seems all the men in my life are pretty much suffering from the same illness . Because here's what happened yesterday. And today for that matter.

"Ok so I'm off to work now. What've you got planned for your great day off?"

"How cold is it?"

"-3. Windy."

"I think I'll go jogging."

The same thing happened today. Except for the "windy" being more accurately described as "Blizzardy". I sense a marathon coming next summer but I think he won't decide for sure until he has jogged enough in the cold, ice and general nastiness. Because there's just no way people would spend this much time jogging on ice and all that other white crap just for shits and giggles.

Men. Go figure.

So, the last few days we've been getting some small, gay swedish amounts of snow, which is already melting away.  But I thought I'd still let you in on a little secret: How to stay in shape using The Finnish Style!

Ok, first of all you need to dress properly. This winter has been pretty much of a joke, but let's all entertain the thought that it would be cold, like it's supposed to. So: undies, socks, long johns, under-shirt, 1-2 pullovers, warm pants (not jeans), wool socks, thick-soled warm shoes, feather jacket, scarf, mittens and a warm cap and you're good to go! Let us now begin our moving around.

All you need to do for the first phase is walk around. Since the snow that fell during last night hasn't been packed to the ground, all it does right now is stop you from seeing the ice beneath. Wobbling around, trying desperately not to fall is the best core-workout you'll ever get! When you feel like you've turned pro at it, go put on some high heels.

By now you've discovered the beauty of dressing weather-appropriately: you're sweating like a pig. Thus getting the benefits of a Sauna while still working out. What a time-saver!

Skiing, skating and such are so obvious forms of movement that we won't go into them that much here, although I will teach you one thing. In the winter, say february-march when it's been -20-30 degrees C for a few months, the ice on almost any lake is hard enough to skate on. If you feel like you've always wanted to try Ice-swimming, which is a great way to avoid those nasty winter colds, here's what you do: a) you could join a team and go ice-swimming with them, with or without the sauna.

If you feel like you'd wanna try but aren't sure you have the guts to do it, well then option b) is for you!

b) go skating on the frozen lakes a little earlier, say, now for instance. You'll be swimming before you have the time to hesitate.

Once you've adapted to your sauna-suit and had your core-training, the next step is to go jogging. The finns are crazy winter-joggers. Sami does it, and I shiver at the very thought of even having to go get the mail.

The next step is biking. Especially if you are or would want to be a student, this is for you. Public transport is way too expensive and you know you've woken up too late to have the time to walk. Since most people who do winter-biking have instantly turned pro at it, you might feel a little self-conscious doing it. Just remember, even bikes need winter-wheels. But just like cars, even bikes slide. Which brings us to the next lesson: flying. By now you've noticed why you have to put on all that fluffy soft clothing. Still, remember: landing on your face is generally frowned upon since it shows you clearly have not mastered your core-training as far "if you have to fall, land softly" goes.

Come spring, with these few simple steps, you'll be in bikini-shape by April!

Which, by the way, is a frickin' cold month.

Lots of snow. Or not lots of, just snow. The newslady claimed we got 20+cm of the white stuff, but I think she's lying. I still don't think it's the kind that sticks (because we haven't had a white christmas in a few years) but it really lights up the environment. It's been coming down for the past 3 days, but it really just barely covers the ground. I was gonna take a picture and show you all the lake our water originates from (yes, we are that rural up here), because it's pretty much frozen. Not frozen solid yet, but growing a little cover of ice. Which is kinda hilarious because we've only had temperatures of -2- (-6). It must not be that deep.
Alas,  had no camera, so I couldn't. Oh poo.

Enough of the nature moment this time, I have to share something really fantastic with y'all. Jasmine tea. The ever-so-lovely Laura brought me some from China, and it's like having liquid memories. They served it with every meal in China, it smells like perfume and also tastes like one. However, it's very addictive. So getting my filthy paws on a baggy was like a tiny little christmas party in a cup. I strongly recommend it to everyone. I have yet to find some that tastes even remotely the same up here in Thousandlakez, but the mission is far from over.

And finally. Because I can hear my jaw popping in and out of place when I chew, I have chosen not to. Don't judge me, it feels extremely disgusting and always ends with tired, hurting jaws and a headache that probably (don't know, never had one) make migraine (correct spelling?) look like the slick city-cousin. While mine would be the ugly one from the country. The one with overalls and only 2 rotting teeth, the one that talks like Britney. This has so far resulted in much less pain and me being a happier bunny, yay! And, of course, hitting an all-time adult low of 58kg. And The Future Husband almost resorting to domestic violence since he is not far from shoving sticks of butter down my throat. I've made an effort this weekend, and it went pretty well: Mama even got herself some Ben&Jerry. Now that it stays below zero even during daytime, it doesn't matter that we don't have a freezer, we just shove it outside and behold: it preserves!