Swedish Merkins

« Three big balls on a tower back behind Kiasma and the train station. »

Today I found that someone made a gorgeous blue 'prince' cake using the princess cake recipe and instructions I put together. I'm just so excited over seeing that someone found it useful that I feel like a dork. :)

My Hästens bed porn arrived with the post yesterday. I watched the very nicely filmed and narrated tour through the process of making one of their fine beds, but they kept showing wholesome workers playing with blobs of curly horse hair that were reminiscent of giant rectangular-shaped merkins. I'm not sure if I'm cured of my desire for one of their mattresses though.

We finally got around to trying out the new Valion baari in the Kamppi metro terminal and made the mistake of sharing only one korvapuusti shake as it disappeared a bit too quickly. The sandwiches were also very well done. The shop fueled my desire for a set of Arabia's new KoKo dishes since all of their products are served on white and blue KoKo dishes emblazoned with the 'kukkamaito' design.

And the odd book find of the month is...The Helsinki Chronicles of Dr. Louise C. Love And Mr. P.. Looking for more information about the book revealed that the author is a retired surgeon living in Southern California who, for some reason, wrote this book and dedicated it to an animal shelter and Finland. I'm not sure I get the connection but maybe $22 to charity wouldn't be such a bad expense.

Seal Beach, Calif., June 17,2005 The Seal Beach Animal Care Center (SBACC) is proud and honored to host a signing launching the publication of Arthur Axelrad's long awaited book, The Helsinki Chronicles of Dr. Louise C. Love and Mr. P., Six Adventures in Finland's Capital, written under his nom de Mac, Arthur M. Alexander.

Enriched by over ninety photographs, with a frontispiece by SBACC's Nancy Eugenio, and extensive notes by Olen Sukkela Poika and appendixes, the book is a set of six mystery adventures taking place in Helsinki, each giving the reader a mini-tour of this beautiful Nordic capital. Although Dr. Love is the ostensible detective, the real brains belong to her four-legged companion Mr. P. Mr. Axelrad has spent the last four years on this project and the book is intended as a gift to Finland, with royalties dedicated to the Finlandia Foundation"

Finally, the daily moment of zen for expats in need of reasons not to go home; Americans are Dumb, 3 reasons each and every day. Depressing reading.