Busy bee

It's been a while from the last update here in my blog.. But there is a pretty good reason, or actually several reasons for it. In June I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and I've been busy ever since. Julia Melinda is her name and she's one of the reasons I've been so busy. But not the only reason. We moved to a new appartment during the summer as well and that's a second reason for me being so busy.

Julia is keeping me busy most of the times and those times I get for myself I've been keeping myself busy by sewing. Sewing clothes for Julia mostly. But for my niece and nephew too. All of the projects haven't been finished yet but they aren't far from ready.

Moving with the baby is not the thing you want to do. Trust me, I know it now. Getting a second cat to that mess ain't a good idea. And arranging a namegiving party for the relatives in the middle of it all.. not a good idea either. But we survived it and I think we survived it pretty well. Now slowly, I'm finding time again to do the things I used to do before baby and all. Catching up with things all in all.

So hopefully more updates again in the near future.

Material girl

When I originally came up with the title to this post I was going to write about the things I carry with me wherever I go and how they seem to be all material stuff yet they are very much connected to the things I love to do, sort of my favorite things in life..
I could still write that kind of text but instead I desided to take another perspective to the title. Andthat perspective has to do with my pregnancy and the baby on the way. Well ok, the due date is still over three months away but since I'm already starting to feel the pressure of being a mom and having a child I think this is an important subject to write about. But fear not, this WILL NOT be a pregnancy blog even though this post is about the subject.

The thing with pregnancy is that you are supposed to get loads of things when the baby is on the way. I'm already stressing about car seats, cribs, strollers etc. You name it. I'm not planning to have everything bought as new, I am more than ready to buy used stuff because I realize that they are only used for a very short time and then the child grows out of them. But there are certain things you must consider when buying or selling used stuff. For example car seats for kids. They get old. The standards, legislation, safety requirements etc. change and a baby seat is said to be old in five years. The new seats cost alot. And I mean ALOT. If I would be working it wouldn't be a big deal. But I'm not working. I'm unemployed. And even though I've been glad not to because I've had the possibility to rest whenever I've felt like it, it has been stressful. I've been going through all kind of pages selling used stuff and one thing that has become very clear is that the sellers don't automatically tell how old their seat is. And if you go through tens of used seats, hundreds of used seats.. well, let's just say that asking each and every seller of the age of the seat gets one tired and stressed. I don't think that I ask that much, I'm not obsessed about having blue for boy/pink for girl, all I'm concerned for is the safety of my first (and probably only) child. I need to weigh in my mind what kind of a risk I am willing to take when buying a used seat.

What I'm trying to say is that it would be ten times easier to buy everything new. And I'm saying this because I realize that becoming a mother/father is hard. It is difficult just as it is and I don't need any more difficulties that come for example with stroller that's working poorly because I bought a used one. I don't need backpain that comes from lifting the baby from a crib that doesn't have the possibility to change the height of the bottom of the bed. And I say this because I'm realizing that I'm not that young anymore. So I try my best to make things easier with the material stuff. But then there is also the other part of being material. Buying useless things. I don't want that and I don't need that. I'm giving birth to a baby. And all babies do is cry, shit and eat. They don't need a bunch of toys. Kids in the past have learned to walk without any walking-chairs or things like that. We have plans to make it in our teeny-tiny appartment through the first year with the baby. We don't need that unnecessary stuff to fill this place. We have already more than enough and there's even plenty of stuff I'd like to get rid of. I wish I could make money with those things and then buy the necessary things for the baby.

And a new computer for myself. It's something I find necessary for my own well-being at the moment. It's my escape route from inside these four walls when I feel too tired to actually meet people or go out.

Huffin'n'puffin, feeling like muffin

Week 11

Week 22

The tummy resident keeps growing and so grows the tummy. And all the other parts of body seems to grow as well.. Otherwise moving goes still quite smoothly but getting up from the floor or from the sofa/ beanbagchair is getting a bit troublesome. Luckily I've had only small aches and problems so far and those problems are coming and going, nothing keeps bothering for a longer period. Today, I'm on week 23 (+1) which means I've passed the halfway. Due date is at the end of May so I still have some waiting to do.. but I have a lot to do as well so maybe it's good to have some time to do all the things..

Best gifts of Christmas

Engaged.
And pregnant.

Unfortunate

Unfortunately I had to stop the shampoo bar test I wrote about in my previous post. After three washing my hair was so sticky I couldn't get my hair brush through. So I can't really recommend the shampoo for anyone with long hair. It might work with short hair, maybe, I don't know.

So.. you'll have to try it yourself if you're interested.

Testing testing

I bought myself new shampoo this week when I was looking for some Christmas gifts. I've tried this scrub from Flow cosmetics earlier myself and last year I bought the Vanilla & Orange scrub as a Christmas gift and it was very much liked by the receiver. But as said I bought shampoo this time. The idea was to try if it would help or at least ease the problems I have with my scalp.

I had my first wash yesterday and as the package "warns", the shampoo left a bit sticky feeling to my hair. The sticky feel should however disappear within 1-10 washes so no panic yet, I'll try it again this week. Anyway, I already found some positive things to say about this shampoo. It didn't leave my hair extra-glossy-glossy but more with a natural looking shine. I also like the fact that it is organic and made in Finland. Even though the product is said to be hemp-peat I found it's smell reminding me of tar. Since I like tar shampoos I don't mind the scent.

I'll update you about this testing. Soon. Because I was sort of thinking this might be a nice Christmas gift as well.. if it shows to be good. And since there is plenty of different kind of shampoos one can buy a soap for each and every friend. ;)

Busy bee

So... I've been unemployed for almost two months now. And as always, that's usually when I get busy. That goes this time as well. Not that I have that much scheduled appointments or anything but.. You know, Christmas is coming, filling all those papers about being unemployed, looking for a new job.. I've done a lot of planning for the future, some necessary interior designing, sewing and knitting, coloring Christmas cards, etc.. And of course,  I had that Mötley Crüe's Final tour concert in Helsinki. This Friday I've been asked to show up on a gig to take some live photos that might be used for promotional purposes.. So, no problems with spending my time.

So there you have it: the reason why the blog has been so quiet. I'll try to catch up now on December but I won't give any promises. Now I'll go back to the world of filling unemployment papers and going through photos so I can publish them.

Testailun tuloksia

Tompan #deluxeprimacat #fiksuvaihto lähestyy loppuaan. Suurin osa muonasta on kelvannut erinomaisesti, kuten alla olevassa kuvassa on nähtävissä.

Kuvassa Tomppa syö pateeta, jotka maistuivatkin hyvin, lukuunottamatta Bold Beef -makua. Kuivamuonien suhteen Tomppa ei ole koskaan nirsoillut ja ne maistuivat nytkin. Jopa siinä määrin, että hotkimisen jälkeen tuli oksennus. Liika on liikaa, mutta iltapalalla olikin sitten kamala nälkä. :)

Annospussien osalta olin hieman epäileväinen, kun luin niiden sisältävän riisiä. Riisipitoinen ruoka ei ole ennen oikein tahtunut Tompalle upota, vaan nyt maistui. Varsinkin jos oli tonnikalaa. Kana vaihtoehtona sen sijaan toi saman tuloksen kuin ennenkin: revittynä, suikalemaisena ei kelpaa, pateena kyllä sitten senkin edestä. Annospusseista löytyi myös toinen aines, jota Tomppa vierasti, eli surimi. Ruoka jäi kuppiin javatsa täytettiin kuivamuonalla.

Kaiken kaikkiaan Tompalle jäi kuitenkin hyvä maku Deluxe Prima Cat'in tuotteista ja jos tulee kauppareissulla noita vastaan, niin varmasti ostetaan Tompalle vaihtelua normaaliin ruokavalioon.

Quick, short translation: Our testing/tasting is nearing the end. Most of the foods went down very well and some new favorites were found as well.

Fake it 'til you make it

I recently bought two books written by Austin Kleon, Steal Like an Artist & Show Your Work.
I finished reading the first one last week and felt pretty inspired by it.
The book was easy to read, I read most of it in bus on my way home from work.
And I found some of my biggest sins written on the pages. I am a perfectionist. In my case this means that I don't like to show off unfinished work. I get stuck with details more than I should. I don't want to start something if I feel the time and place aren't right, if I don't feel ready.
But. After reading this book I decided to start doing something every day. Do things with passion. I want to be a photographer and artist, so I'm faking to be one 'til the day I actually become one.
(No funny hats will be harmed in the process.) I'll TAKE more pictures, share my pictures and other projects, even if they're not ready. I'll learn and copy from my idols 'til I find myself, my own voice, my own style. And maybe one day I can jump off this treadmill called (day)job and do the things I love for my living instead.

P.s. You might have noticed I've updated the right sidebar..
If you didn't, take a look.
I updated first the sites that I follow.
And there will be more updates..

Lihanrakastaja

Poikkeuksellisesti postaus suomeksi. Ilmoitin tässä taannoin Tompan #deluxeprimacat 'in #fiksuvaihto 'on ehdokkaaksi. Saatiinkin viesti, että Tomppa on valittu mukaan 300 kissan joukkoon. Eilen hain tuon paketin, jota Tomppakin kuvassa kiinnostuneena tutkii. Eli testingiä ja tastingiä tiedossa. Laitoin heti paketin avattuani Tompalle kuivamuonaa vanhojen joukkoon. Tomppa ei ole kuivamuonan suhteen niin ronkeli, käytännössä kaikki kelpaa. Ja niin kelpasi myös tuo Tasty turkey light. Valitsin sen heti alkuun, kun Tompalla on aavistuksen verran ylimääräistä painoa omalle rodulleen. Ei mitenkään mahdottoman paljoa, mutta vähän kuitenkin.

Märkäruoan suhteen Tomppa on valikoivampi. Paloja meillä ei kelpuuteta lainkaan, pitää olla moussea tai pateeta. Latzia ostetaan perusruoaksi omien ruokien ohessa ja toisinaan haetaan Mustista ja mirristä Tompan ehdotonta herkkua Brit caren Seabream'iä (merilahna). Eilen iltapalalla tarjosin Tompalle vanhan ruoan kylkiäisenä tuota Prima Catin Tasty tuna with classy chicken'iä. Ja hyvin maistui. Tonnikala tekee toki aina kauppansa muutenkin, joten sillä oli turvallista aloittaa. Katsotaan myöhemmin kelpaako myös kana tästä sarjasta, kun sitä Tomppa syö tavallisesti hiukan pitkin hampain.

Short translation.. I announced our cat to #deluxeprimacat testing/tasting group and Major Tom was selected. I picked up the package yesterday from postal office and naturally we tested some of the food right away. No problems so far.

Summertime

So, the first leg of my summer vacation is behind and I'm back at work. Waking up early in the mornings seems awfully difficult. The weather and the vacation was partly a disappointment. I guess I had a bit too high expectations.. Since me and my spouse had vacation the same time, I was expecting our relationship to be somewhat a priority to my spouse as well during the vacation. But he was more in the sleeping/going out -mode. We sorted things out though and the end part of vacation was very relaxing. I did take a day-trip to the island of Vepsä. I also went to a couple of gigs, took photos and relaxed in the chair of my hair stylist. (I'm back to being a redhead again.) I also sewed quite a lot and read two books, ate breakfast on the balcony and so on. But I still sort of hope we would've done more out of the usual things together or taken (half) a day to go someplace not-so-obvious.

Next week I'll take one day off of work again and take off to Sweden. My sister's son is being named and I'm going there with my father to celebrate the little fellow. In the end of August I'll have the second part of my vacation. In a way I sort of would've wanted to take the vacation all at once but then again I think it's a good idea to break the autumn a bit, to shorter work periods. Maybe that way the work doesn't get that overpowering. Hopefully that way I can avoid burnout.. Because that was what I noticed during my vacation: I have been (and still am a bit) tired both physically and emotionally. And it was also a part of the disappointment.. I guess I felt a bit left alone by my spouse and especially just when I needed a hug and him telling me that he'll be there for me, he'll take care of everything so that I can take a break and just breathe. Even now I feel a bit teary-eyed because of the tiredness. And why I'm so tired? Well, let's just put it this way: if I would get a significant amount of money right now, I would quit in a heartbeat, buy myself a hiding place and stay there for a long time, just taking photos, painting and drawing, sitting on the porch drinking my morning coffee, reading and writing, taking long, slow walks through the forest or by the sea.. anything but work.

Luckily, there still is plenty of vacation AND summer left, so I can do at least some of those things.

Places

"..It's not about races
Just places
Faces.." (Michael Jackson: Black or White)

I believe we all have those special places where we feel right at home, where we find our own inner peace and inspiration. I have several places like that. Market hall in Turku has one of those places. Sininen Juna (=blue train) is a cafe inside the market hall. It has seats and plenty of the other furniture and decoration taken from old trains. It is a perfect place to sit and write or just observe people walking by while having a piece of cake and a cup of coffee. 

A couple of parks in the city are that kind of places to me as well. The park around Turku Castle is that kind of place. The trees are old and remind me of the Ents in The Lord of the Rings. Those big trees always wake the inner child in me, I can picture myself climbing those branches and maybe stay up there taking a nap.. 

I also found one place in London that felt immediately like home. Close to the Old Truman Brewery, on Brick Lane. I could have sat there with a coffee in my hand and just watch people passing by. Or maybe with a sketch book. From close by I found also Absolute Vintage, a dream place to find vintage clothes and shoes. There's shelves and shelves and still some more shelves of shoes. I'm not that much of a shoe fanatic myself but I do know a few. ;)

I have to mention also that even though my co-worker said that Hyde Park is nothing special, that it's just a huge plain green area in the city, I kinda liked it. I can easily see myself there wandering around with my camera, sketch book or just sitting on the grass having a picnic. (Unfortunately my visit to London was way too short to enjoy of just spending my time like that.)

I have also a few dream places, places I dream about that I hope I someday can visit or have as my own. Places that feel like home even before you've been there. I dream about a summer cottage. I hope to visit London again, so much was left unseen. Anywhere with beach, sand and sea also seem very inspiring to me. Especially sea breeze has sort of cleansing effect on me. Near the sea I find it easier to breathe and calm down. And even though I love nature in its every form forest for example won't have that exactly same effect on me as sea has.

But that about me. What or where is your inspirational place, where do you feel at peace, at home?

VIP

I got myself a VIP -ticket to Mötley Crüe concert in November 18th in Helsinki.
I'm excited. I can barely breathe.
And I can't stop smiling.

Tori

Went to a concert yesterday with my better half.
That black metal maniac is surprisingly a huge fan of Tori Amos.
So I got him tickets as a birthday present.
The concert was yesterday at Finlandia Hall in Helsinki.
The warm-up act was pretty interesting, Petteri Sariola.
Even I stayed awake during his show.
It reminded me of the street guitarist I saw in London, Warren Cahill.
Then Tori came on stage.
I stopped existing and my spouse started drooling. :D
He was really digging it, he didn't see, hear or feel anything but the artist on stage.
I was more like looking my watch every other minute hoping it would end soon.
The two hour concert felt endless.
But what wouldn't you do for the one you love..
He was happy, so I'm happy.

My inspiration

These days sharing inspirational pictures and quotes in Facebook is almost a must, you can't really hide from it. And since all of us need some inspiration I thought I'll share some of my favorites.

My absolute favorite quote is also tattooed on my arm and it is a line from Alter Bridge song Ties That Bind. It is simply: " The risk is worth the gain." I believe I have shared this one before but to open this shortly it means to me over-coming a fear whether it has something to do with people, things or with doing something. It means to me also that risk of getting to know me is worth the gain, I am worth the gain.

One quote I also like very much and find true in my life is quite famous sentence by equally famous photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. "Camera is my memory" -quote pretty much says it all about my love for photography. I can go back to a certain memory or a feeling just by looking the photos I've taken. And it's not a memory to just me, they are memories to my friends as well.

Inspirational pictures are harder to define. I'm a very visual person and I love pictures, I love observing my surroundings, people around me, I love colors, I love black, I love white. One of my favorite pieces is street art by Eddie Colla (not Banksy as often thought) which combines text with picture.

I also admire pretty much all b&w photos taken by Ross Halfin. Chase Jarvis has absolutely awesome photos as well. And Matthias Hombauer. But if I absolutely MUST pick one picture, at this moment I'd take one of my own photos, it's one I took in London. You can check it here.

Music is of course always inspirational. I have some songs that inspire me every time I hear them. Since there are more than one I'll give you my top 5 list:

Tommy Lee - Good Times
Danko Jones - Code of the Road
Alter Bridge - All Ends Well
Preacher Stone -  Come On In (Absolutely love the bass line in this one!!)
Sandi Thom - I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker

Pictures - new address

I changed the address to my pictures site: lindahellbom.pictures.fi

(Previously lindiz.pictures.fi)

Less is more.. or is it? (London, Part 2)

On Sunday I visited the Buckingham Palace, Millennium Bridge and St Paul' Cathedral. Buckingham Palace seemed nice since it is located next to a couple of parks but oh-the-amount-of-tourists around the palace.. I moved on quite quickly. A quick look on the Houses of Parliament and THE clock. From there I headed to St Paul's Cathedral. It would have been nice to attend to a mass but it was over an hour to the next one so I just drank some coffee in Cafe in the Crypt below the cathedral. There I met an older lady who was talking to her lady friend that she's going to celebrate her daughter's birthday on the following day. I mentioned I have also birthday the same day and ended up hearing a whole history about her children. Since Millennium Bridge was close to the cathedral I took a look at it and few photos as well.

My main goal on Sunday was to see the lego exhibition The Art of the Brick at Old Truman Brewery. So I took a bus to Liverpool Street and walked from there. Luckily so because I found the most interesting area around Old Spitalfield Market and Brick Lane. The area seemed to be filled with my kind of people and things to my liking. Hand-made, unique and vintage clothes and shoes everywhere. And live music to my liking. I stumbled along the Brick Lane and saw this musician named Warren Cahill play his guitar on the street. Go check his Youtube videos and Facebook page.
I also saw the exhibition and I'd like to send  thank yous to the young man at the entry checking those tickets. After the exhibition I walked on and ended up to Absolute Vintage and bought myself a pair of shoes.

Monday was my birthday and my feet were killing me. If I had walked in three days over 30 kilometers Monday was the day when I didn't move far from the hotel. I visited The Brunswick and bought some clothes and accessories to myself. I sat in the park and headed back to hotel to read the book I bought from Skoob Books, Ten stories about smoking. Packed my bags and sorted out how and when I need to get to the airport next morning. In the early evening I went around the corner, ate some Spanish meat board at The Queens Head and then back to hotel.

If you wish to see all of the pictures from my trip you will find them from my site here.

Less is more.. or is it? (London, Part 1)

Sooo... My visit to London is already behind. And I think I'm definitely going to visit there again. Vacation away from home was relaxing in every possible way since I didn't have any other schedules during the trip than my tattoo appointment and getting in time to the airport when heading home.
I wandered around in the city basically just looking what's behind the next corner and where to can I point my camera lens next. The weather was perfect. On Friday and Saturday it looked a bit gloomy and there was a hint of rain but rest of the time it was sunny.

The hotel was great. Not sure it was worth the three stars but it was clean and practical. The Tune Hotel in King's Cross was just what I needed, a place to sleep and store my stuff while hanging around the city. There is no real hotel breakfast or anything like that but it didn't matter since there's a Costa coffee across the road and plenty of stores nearby. The location was great, almost all buses (and underground) went by King's Cross and St Pancras station. The price was a bit more than I hoped but then again I had a twin bed in the room and the hotel was quiet and peaceful. I arrived on Thursday evening and just bought some snacks and spent the rest of the evening in the room, planning the next day.

On Friday it was tattoo time. The Family Business Tattoo was just around the corner, 15 minute walk from the hotel. I was early since the tattoo shop opened at 12 o'clock so I walked around the neighborhood and had a coffee or two. The shop was very busy from the moment I arrived but they were polite and the atmosphere was relaxed. My artist Francisco took his time but did the tattoo faster than expected. And I absolutely love it! The price again was a bit more than I hoped but being such a famous and popular place I suppose they've earned every penny. At least Francisco did.

Rest of the day after tattooing I spent walking around and visiting British Museum. Unfortunately I had really bad shoes on me, so the rest of the trip was a bit unpleasant with my feet hurting so bad. British Museum was enormous. I think I spent 1,5 hours there and could've easily spent more.

On Saturday I headed to Hyde Park, Portobello Road market and London Zoo. Of these I enjoyed the most of Hyde Park and London Zoo. Portobello Road market wasn't really my cup of tea. All I bought from there was an umbrella which I then didn't even need and something to bring to a friend of mine. From London Zoo I bought postcards which haven't arrived yet although I sent them about week and a half ago.. :( In London Zoo I took quite a lot pictures. Especially penguins were adorable. Lions were unfortunately on holiday since their area was under construction. London Zoo looked otherwise very nice and well kept but I did feel a bit compassion to the gorillas. I just don't get it that if there are signs all over the place and a zoo keeper there to tell to people to be quiet why on earth can't people keep their mouths shut. The female gorilla was third month pregnant and the male gorilla seemed to be protecting her (or just simply annoyed by the noise of those stupid people) and ran several times to the glass wall. Later on the male went out and seemed a bit calmer but then again there wasn't such noise as inside.
 
Since this text is getting extremely long I'll finish here and tell you about the rest of the trip on part 2.

A funny story

My writing about my trip to London is late.

But in the meanwhile I'll tell you about a flashback I got today on my way to work.

It seems the captain had a great sense of humor.

We travelers we're sitting in the plane.

The stewardess was just about to start giving the safety instructions.

And then.. everything goes dark.

The lights came back right away and the captain asks via the speakers:

"Does anyone have 50 p's for the electricity?"

The hand I have to hold as I grow old

Three years ago today I met a special person and I've been together with that person ever since. And we've lived under the same roof almost two years now.

"Love you today. More than yesterday. Less than tomorrow."