Busy Relaxin'
16.2.07
10.2.07
Tulis jo kesä...
... eihän tätä pakkasta kestä enää. Iho kutisee ja hilseilee, ja alkaa jo paikoitellen muodostaa suomuja, vaikka kuinka rasvaan ja yritän vältellä suihkussa käymistä. Ja sitten vielä kuiva ilma yskittää, ja silmät vuotaa ulkona ja nenä myös sisällä. Pari päivää oli hartiatkin niin jumissa, että koko ajan särki päätä. Joten olen sitten viime aikoina enimmäkseen kuluttanut (vähäisen) vapaa-ajan katselemalla telkkaria punaiseen huopaan kääriytyneenä tai kuuntelemalla Tuomoa peiton alla. [Tähän voi sitten lisätä muutaman ylistävän lauseen, en vaan keksi mitään tarpeeksi ylistävää... Paitsi pitää sanoa, että on aivan käsittämättömän tyylikäs levy, myös niinkun fyysisenä esineenä, miten se cd:n alapuolikin voi olla musta?] Tänään toivottavasti saan hankittua sohvan, niin että voin jatkaa tätä talvihorrosta miellyttävämmissä olosuhteissa.
Näin uuden vuoden kunniaksi (kylmyys kai hidastaa?) oon taas kokeillut kaikkea uutta, kuten ryhtynyt kunnialliseksi kansalaiseksi tekemällä tv-ilmoituksen, ostanut pesupähkinöitä ja ladannut tietokoneelle OpenOfficen. Ja testasinkin niitä pesupähkinöitä, kai ne ihan hyvin toimii, pyykit vaikutti siis puhtailta. OpenOfficeen en vielä ole oikein jaksanut perehtyä, vähän hankalalta tuntuu, mutta mitäpä ihminen ei tekisi päästäkseen ostamasta Microsoftilta mitään, kun ei ne kerran antaneet enää edes Wordiä koneen/käyttiksen mukana. Eikä tuo veljeltä saatu 2000-versio ehkä ole niitä parhaimpia.
Sain vihdoin myös päivitettyä joskus aiemmin mainitun tutkimussuunnitelman nettiin, joten nyt siihen kehtaa taas linkittää.
Näin uuden vuoden kunniaksi (kylmyys kai hidastaa?) oon taas kokeillut kaikkea uutta, kuten ryhtynyt kunnialliseksi kansalaiseksi tekemällä tv-ilmoituksen, ostanut pesupähkinöitä ja ladannut tietokoneelle OpenOfficen. Ja testasinkin niitä pesupähkinöitä, kai ne ihan hyvin toimii, pyykit vaikutti siis puhtailta. OpenOfficeen en vielä ole oikein jaksanut perehtyä, vähän hankalalta tuntuu, mutta mitäpä ihminen ei tekisi päästäkseen ostamasta Microsoftilta mitään, kun ei ne kerran antaneet enää edes Wordiä koneen/käyttiksen mukana. Eikä tuo veljeltä saatu 2000-versio ehkä ole niitä parhaimpia.
Sain vihdoin myös päivitettyä joskus aiemmin mainitun tutkimussuunnitelman nettiin, joten nyt siihen kehtaa taas linkittää.
2.2.07
Äh
Blogger ei tänään anna näköjään kommentoida omaa blogia (ehkä ei toistenkaan, en ole tullut kokeilleeksi). Testataan onnistuuko tämä postaus edes.
Mutta päivän uutinen oli se, että mulla olisi 33 lomapäivää, jotka pitäisi pitää ennen virkamääräyksen loppua eli 30.4. Heh heh... Olisihan se loma tietysti ihan kiva, jos olisi aikaa sellaista pitää (ja rahaa lähteä jonnekin pois).
Mutta päivän uutinen oli se, että mulla olisi 33 lomapäivää, jotka pitäisi pitää ennen virkamääräyksen loppua eli 30.4. Heh heh... Olisihan se loma tietysti ihan kiva, jos olisi aikaa sellaista pitää (ja rahaa lähteä jonnekin pois).
30.1.07
Looking back
Sorry to keep you waiting... in case someone was actually waiting for my news. Well, anyway, here's something about the four weeks in Dakar...
Dakar was crazier than ever, firstly because of two of the main roads leading into the city being improved (which is nice and all, but do you really have to do the two at the same time?) and because of Tabaski falling on the 31st December. Tabaski being the biggest Muslim holiday of the year, meaning that everything cost more than usual and all roadsides were filled with sheep.
So for the two first weeks we spent hours and hours in buses, car rapides and taxis... and paid way too much for the taxis, of course. And we didn't always get to our dance lessons on time, but neither did our teachers... In any case we did dance quite a lot, besides the dance lessons in several clubs at night. We even ended up on Senegalese tv, just because we happened to go to see Youssou Ndour in Thiossane on New Year's Eve and ended up standing right in front of the stage, which maybe wasn't such a bad place to be, when the place was so full (despite the tripled prize of the tickets). Well, in Thiossane you could really dance, although these girls next to us kept trying. But on Christmas Eve we did dance in the (very hot) Kily, Thione Seck was playing there as usual, and on other nights to Ceddo and Fallou Dieng in Alizé. And to Mbaye Dieye Faye in the new Papayer, which really wasn't my kind of a place, rather something for skinny young people with too much money. And there are such people in Dakar, more than one would imagine.
So, besides dancing and lying on the floor in our huge (and very empty) living room, we did see some sights and even went to the beach on Ngor island once, although it was a bit too cold for that already. But Gorée was beautiful, and there were lots of well fed cats - not like the poor one who came in to our house several times, looking for food I suppose. I had not been on Gorée since 2000, but as I remembered, it really is a different world compared to Dakar, calm and colourful. Even the souvenir sellers are a lot less aggressive than in town. And there are no cars!
Well, after all the holidays the city was a lot more bearable, except that we had some trouble finding places to eat as most of the less expensive restaurants were closed for the week following Tabaski. Lots of shops at the markets were closed, too, but we managed to spend a lot of money shopping anyway. Obviously all the sheep were gone, and the streets seemed consequently a bit empty.
I didn't do much for my research, except going to some sabar parties. And the dance and drum lessons, of course. But I didn't film anything and didn't do the interviews I had planned, so I quess this was more vacation than work, which was the plan, anyway.
Dakar was crazier than ever, firstly because of two of the main roads leading into the city being improved (which is nice and all, but do you really have to do the two at the same time?) and because of Tabaski falling on the 31st December. Tabaski being the biggest Muslim holiday of the year, meaning that everything cost more than usual and all roadsides were filled with sheep.So for the two first weeks we spent hours and hours in buses, car rapides and taxis... and paid way too much for the taxis, of course. And we didn't always get to our dance lessons on time, but neither did our teachers... In any case we did dance quite a lot, besides the dance lessons in several clubs at night. We even ended up on Senegalese tv, just because we happened to go to see Youssou Ndour in Thiossane on New Year's Eve and ended up standing right in front of the stage, which maybe wasn't such a bad place to be, when the place was so full (despite the tripled prize of the tickets). Well, in Thiossane you could really dance, although these girls next to us kept trying. But on Christmas Eve we did dance in the (very hot) Kily, Thione Seck was playing there as usual, and on other nights to Ceddo and Fallou Dieng in Alizé. And to Mbaye Dieye Faye in the new Papayer, which really wasn't my kind of a place, rather something for skinny young people with too much money. And there are such people in Dakar, more than one would imagine.So, besides dancing and lying on the floor in our huge (and very empty) living room, we did see some sights and even went to the beach on Ngor island once, although it was a bit too cold for that already. But Gorée was beautiful, and there were lots of well fed cats - not like the poor one who came in to our house several times, looking for food I suppose. I had not been on Gorée since 2000, but as I remembered, it really is a different world compared to Dakar, calm and colourful. Even the souvenir sellers are a lot less aggressive than in town. And there are no cars!Well, after all the holidays the city was a lot more bearable, except that we had some trouble finding places to eat as most of the less expensive restaurants were closed for the week following Tabaski. Lots of shops at the markets were closed, too, but we managed to spend a lot of money shopping anyway. Obviously all the sheep were gone, and the streets seemed consequently a bit empty. I didn't do much for my research, except going to some sabar parties. And the dance and drum lessons, of course. But I didn't film anything and didn't do the interviews I had planned, so I quess this was more vacation than work, which was the plan, anyway.
19.1.07
Tiedät olevasi kolmekymppinen, kun...
Dakar-raportti ei vieläkään ota syntyäkseen, mutta ehkä tässä viikonlopun aikana. Sen sijaan olen mm. chattaillyt Skypessä teinivuosien kirjekaverin kanssa, ja pähkäillyt oliko siitä 10 vai 15 vuotta, kun viimeksi oltiin yhteydessä. Omituista. Kuinkahan moni nykyinen bloggaaja on muuten harrastanut kirjeenvaihtoa? Tuli vaan mieleen, tuolla itävaltalaisella kirjekaverillakin kun on nykyisin blogi. Lisäksi luin lehdestä, että yksi toinen vanha tuttu on saanut lapsen, eronnut ja mennyt uusiin naimisiin. Taisi olla ensimmäinen kaveri, jonka häissä olin, silloin joskus miljoona vuotta sitten... Valokuvasta en kyllä olisi tunnistanut, mutta nimi osui silmään. Todella omituista.
15.1.07
Paluu
I'm back in Helsinki, but you'll still have to wait a bit for any news from Senegal. Some photos have already been loaded to Flickr (click the links on the right).
30.12.06
... and a Happy New Year
Blogger jumittaa ja nettiaika loppuu just kohta. Täällä kaikki hyvin noin muuten.
24.12.06
And we wish you a merry Christmas...
Here in Dakar it's a bit hot today, doesn't feel much like Christmas, but as I've heard there isn't any snow in Finland either. Here there's some sunshine at least. Dakar hasn't changed much in the five months or so that I was away, except that the traffic jams are worse than ever.
The first week here has gone by fast, we've been dancing almost every day, with Pape Moussa from the National Ballet and a girl called Rama. We've been to see Ceddo, once again, and one sabar party. We wanted to see Youssou Ndour yesterday, but heard that he's not playing in Thiossane, because there was a big concert at a stadium, but maybe next weekend. Anyway it was probably best not to go out dancing all night, because I'm having a slight flu, most likely just because of all the dust and pollution here.
If there's anything urgent, I have a number here: +221-4803778. I also check my finnish number for messages every other day or so.
HYVÄÄ JOULUA!
The first week here has gone by fast, we've been dancing almost every day, with Pape Moussa from the National Ballet and a girl called Rama. We've been to see Ceddo, once again, and one sabar party. We wanted to see Youssou Ndour yesterday, but heard that he's not playing in Thiossane, because there was a big concert at a stadium, but maybe next weekend. Anyway it was probably best not to go out dancing all night, because I'm having a slight flu, most likely just because of all the dust and pollution here.
If there's anything urgent, I have a number here: +221-4803778. I also check my finnish number for messages every other day or so.
HYVÄÄ JOULUA!
15.12.06
Big yellow taxi
Well, I'm off to Senegal, once again, in about nine hours. I'm actually trying not to work much this time, so I'm not taking my computer with me, which means that you'll have to wait for photos etc. until I'm back. But maybe I'll write something, I most probably won't be able to keep myself away from internet for four weeks... and I don't think I'll even try. Not working might also be hard, because we'll be taking dance lessons with a friend that's going to Dakar with me, maybe drum lessons, too. It's a bit hard to keep lessons for fun and for work apart... And I'm kind of thinking about doing a few interviews as well.
As some kind of a result of reading (and a few discussions) I've decided to replace my number one guru, the good old Alan P. Merriam with John Blacking, for the simple reason that doing research on "culture in music" as well as "music in culture" seems more interesting than just the latter. As for "music as culture", it doesn't say very much about what research should (or could) be about. But I really better go to bed and get some sleep - before that big yellow taxi is coming to pick me up - and leave the rest of any theoretical ramblings for January.
As some kind of a result of reading (and a few discussions) I've decided to replace my number one guru, the good old Alan P. Merriam with John Blacking, for the simple reason that doing research on "culture in music" as well as "music in culture" seems more interesting than just the latter. As for "music as culture", it doesn't say very much about what research should (or could) be about. But I really better go to bed and get some sleep - before that big yellow taxi is coming to pick me up - and leave the rest of any theoretical ramblings for January.
9.12.06
Lähtö lähenee
Antropologien kanssa on näköjään hyvä jutella. Syntyy kaikenlaisia ajatuksia, sellaisia joita voi kirjoitella muistiin ja tuntea itsensä fiksuksi. Mutta antropologithan onkin nykyisin jotain valtiotieteilijöitä kaikki, täällä Helsingissä ainakin, joten kai niiden täytyykin olla viisaampia kuin humanistien. No joo, yleisesti ottaen on mukava puhua mukavien ihmisten kanssa, ja kiva on myös puhua omasta tutkimuksesta ihmisten kanssa, jotka aihepiiristä jotain tajuavat ja osaavat vielä kysyä relevantteja kysymyksiäkin siitä. Musiikkitieteilijöiden joukosta ei moista ymmärrystä läheskään aina löydy, eikä tanssintutkijoidenkaan. Vaikka kai niissä antropologeissakin on paljon sellaisia tyyppejä, jotka ymmärtävät vain sitä omaa erityisalaansa eivätkä edes yritä ymmärtää mitään muuta, en vaan niitä kaikeksi onneksi tunne.
Vajaa viikko aikaa Senegaliin lähtöön, ja alkaa tietysti olla hieman stressiä kaikesta, mitä pitäisi saada aikaan sitä ennen. Ja miten saa kaiken tarpeellisen mahtumaan matkalaukkuun. Tuntuu taas kerran kovin epätodelliselta.
Vajaa viikko aikaa Senegaliin lähtöön, ja alkaa tietysti olla hieman stressiä kaikesta, mitä pitäisi saada aikaan sitä ennen. Ja miten saa kaiken tarpeellisen mahtumaan matkalaukkuun. Tuntuu taas kerran kovin epätodelliselta.
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