What I have been thinking about

I've been shamefully neglecting my blogging lately. It's not like I would've been exceptionally busy, just standard busy I think, but there have been a few reasons I haven't posted anything for a while. First of all, I haven't felt like I have anything to say. I've had a few things I've thought about quite a bit recently, but somehow I haven't felt like blogging about them. Secondly, my "therapeutic" writing has lately been silly fanfic-stuff - and that is a whole different world which will never see the daylight of a wider public. So, what this has resulted in is a lazily updated blog. Sorry about that.

To compensate, a post about all sorts of random things I've been pondering about since my last post.

About owning a car

Or to be more precise, not owning one. Getting to and from work is a combination of getting rides from coworkers who happen to have similar schedules and catching buses, that have even remotely reasonable schedules. The trip to Nousiainen, which takes me 20 minutes by car (one way), takes me at absolute worst almost an hour and a half.

Today, once again, as I was standing at the bus stop in Nousiainen, waiting for the bus which was some 7 minutes late, I amused myself by watching the cars that drove by. There were quite a few of my students, one driving a fancy Alfa Romeo, one driving a shabby Fiat, one very tall guy cramped in a tiny little car of some sort (perhaps an old VW Polo) and two students in a sporty car of some other sort. Most of them waved at me when they drove by. A nice gesture - an old teacher lady like myself always likes it when young and handsome men smile and wave from cars that drive by... Hah.

No, but seriously, I'm so itching to get a car. And while I can't have this before I win some serious lottery money, I would settle for something more compact, too. Just as long as it is an automatic, airconditioned, 4-wheel drive more compact something. With proper stereos and wheels and loads of chrome... Oh wait, what was my budget again? Doesn't exist? Ahem. Well. Anyway, I'm just saying I want wheels!

About the joys of having to be in the bus with other people

Oh, and today I wanted wheels more than in a while. The bus I took home picked up about half a dozen junior high school kids from Masku and among them was the rudest, most obnoxious little brat ever. He was clearly seriously lacking in braincells. He stomped in, rudely threw his ticket at the driver ("So it's ripped, I don't give a f***, it's your effin' problem, not mine, bitch..." etc.) and went to the back of the bus, followed by his giggling (almost equally obnoxious) court. He then began to (loudly) bitch about how he had been treated in the morning by the busdriver (not the same guy driving this particular bus) and without exaggerating one bit, at least every other of his words was a swearword.

My god, it was disgusting. I grinded my teeth - I didn't want to get involved, because I have my share of obnoxious junior high kids at work and I don't want to be educating someone else's students on my free time, but the driver just pulled over and shared a few thoughts with the kid. One of them being a suggestion the kid could take a hike right away. I warmly (but silently) seconded that thought, but unfortunately the kid chose to remain in the bus (and continued bitching only a little less loudly). A couple of bus stops later, when he and a couple of his friends were going to get off, one girl hissed at him to shut it up. But alas, to no effect. As his last words the incredibly stupid idiot of a git yelled to the driver something along the lines of "Thanks, fu**er for the f****ng ride, f****ng queer whore!" Can you imagine? I was just furious.

What is it with kids today? I mean a kid like that has to have some problems at home or something, but still. It just doesn't fit in my head that some thirteen-year-old little snotnose thinks that it's somehow cool to act like a brainless moron and be rude to adults. Does not compute. Makes me mad. Grr.

About applying for a proper job

I've been anxious about my job situation, too. This part time job I've had this past academic year is going to be a full time teaching job next year. Which would suit me better than fine, because well, a full time job would bring in about double the money (and god knows I could use it). If only things were so simple. They're not.

So, I was asked by both principals if I would be interested in continuing at both the schools next fall, with the remarkably welcome addition of some 10 courses of stuff to teach to the courses I currently have. Barely able to remain still and behave respectably as a sudden urge to hop around happily like a hyper-active bunny almost overcame me, I managed to simply reply "Of course I am interested!", smiling like a cracked pumpkin. Both of the principals were very pleased to hear I would be available, but as it is, their word isn't final in this matter. In other words, "my job" is now open for anyone to apply for and I'm having angst attacks about not getting it.

Why? Well. It all comes down to that one little book I have to write first. And with my current plans of working on it all summer, I'll graduate at the earliest in late September, early October. And if there is a person with the same qualifications I have (qualified to teach both history and Finnish), but with the small extra of being a MA when I'm only BA till October, I'm out of the game, no questions asked. Granted, I do have the weirdest combination of subjects I can teach (history and Finnish used to be a lot more common combination), but it still doesn't guarantee there isn't someone that will run over me in the race for the job. Agh.

Today I took my application directly to the person who will be handling it and now I have to sit on my bum and wait for a couple of weeks. Much nervousness will be experienced before the "results are in". Hngh. I'll keep you posted, though.

About what I'm going to do with the money if I get the job described above

Ah. First of all, if I get the job, I will go and buy a laptop in August. :)

Then I will begin saving up so that I can travel. No later than in the summer of 2007 I will leave this country for at least some time. Be it to Malta, London or a tour of Wales and Scotland, I don't care. I'm going. I'm so going. Whoever wants to come along, better start saving up, too. :)

Although I'm afraid all my plans can go miserably wrong in a million ways (the first of them being not getting the full time job), but I don't care. I want to plan a wonderful trip nevertheless. A girl has got to dream.

About Harry Potter and his chums

Yes, I've been thinking about Potter a lot lately. I've been rereading the whole lot (at the moment I'm in the middle of The Order of the Phoenix, on my way to finally read the Finnish translation of The Half-Blood Prince) and I'm enjoying myself more than on the previous readings. It's only the second time I read some of the books (in English, that is) and I'd forgotten quite a lot of details and even some major plotpoints, which one tends to forget if one only watches the movies and doesn't freshen up the reading experience in the middle.

In any case, in addition to reading (and writing) about the world of young Mr Potter, I've also been knitting (!) according to Potter-verse. My scarf is now about 160 cm long and I've still got some way to go. I haven't knitted in well over ten years before this, but I suppose when all sorts of madnesses hit me, I'm ready to do quite surprising things. Like knitting a (movie) GoF -styled scarf. My only regret is that I probably won't finish it before spring properly begins (even though it's very kindly delaying its progress for me), so I won't be able to use it before next fall... In any case, being over-the-top fannish is sometimes so liberating. :)

And on Wednesday - time for the Goblet of Fire DVD! Whee! I'm so buying it asap and I will watch all the scenes with Viktor Krum in them that same evening! *lol* Watch, rewatch and rewatch... Including all the possible extras... Ah, it's good to be a nutter. :)

Well, I suppose it's always good to stop writing, when one's true nature becomes too obvious. In order to try to preserve at least some of my credibility somewhere, I will shut up now. Hopefully to be back a little sooner than after a month.