Bricks and Tits

I'm not much of a morning person, so when I am jarred out of a restful sleep at the bright and early hour of 7am by jackhammers under my bedroom window it takes some effort to dispel the homicidal urges I suddenly feel for the dude with the power tools. Well, and it doesn't do anything good for a hangover as my research would indicate. Yes, the summer will be filled with the sound of jackhammers, falling plaster thunking against the window ledge and construction guys yelling at each other in colourful Finnish. In my early morning sleepy delerium I'd swear I've heard them shouting in English, too. Like a comet on a 10-15 year orbit, the ulkoseinäremontti [house exterior repair] has returned to our house for the next few months.

Especially in the older buildings downtown, people always ask before renting or buying an apartment when the last ulkoseinäremontti or putkiremontti [plumbing] was done as both tend to create a fair amount of inconvenience and financial outlay for the residents. The putkiremontti question is commonly asked in an almost secretive whisper, "Have they done the plumbing yet?", as though saying it loudly enough for the building to hear would invoke the plumbing demons to come forth. Ulkoseinäremontti involves a scaffold being erected around the building and the entire plaster/cement covering being removed all the way back to the bricks. After all the old cruft has been eradicated, they replace the window ledge coverings, replace the gutters, repair the roof and then replaster the walls. I really had to giggle when I noticed the selection of posterboards for our windows as they are classic. During the non-winter months, there are quite a few buildings shrouded in scaffolding for this kind of work. The end result is often rather beautiful, but you can't help but feel a bit of pity for the inhabitants while the remodelling is underway.

HB barked at the workmen as they sealed the windows with thick opaque plastic before boarding them up. Just as the weather warms up and the sun returns north, they have managed to turn our apartment into a dark and airless crypt. It's not going to be a very pleasant summer for the old gimp since it'll be hot, dusty and close inside with the place sealed up tight. I think he'll be permanently parked on the bathroom tile floor for much of the summer. He particularly favours the spot directly in front of the toilet so that you have to step over him and then pretzel yourself in order to sit down without disturbing him. I signed up for the early morning intensive Suomi 3 class in June since I'm up every day at 7am with the jackhammers, so I may as well go torture myself on my own terms. Either way, I think I'll be needing a lot of Burana caps over the next few months. :)

29 Apr 2004 at 1:34, Helsinki