Posted by jukkahoo
Yes, I'm 45 today. Last year has been fairly rough and I'm slowly beginning to realise that my contribution for the Finnish fandom is on the ebb, my day job is taking much more time and effort that I'd prefer, and other interests, while still being very interesting and worthwhile, are probably better left in the hands of others, preferably younger ones.
Therefore I'll start downshifting next year. 2013 will be my last Finncon as a chair and I'll try (hah!) to get rid of couple of other things as well. There's still so much I want to do, but clearly I cannot manage them all. Or perhaps a quiet lull of few years might get them juices flowing again? Who knows? (Yeah, yeah, the Shadow knows…)
But it hasn't been all doom and gloom, no sirree! There has been lot of great, wonderful and lovely things too! Senor Mogens has been tons of fun and Setämies-Martti gets gruffier by each passing year. Work has been getting slightly more interesting with added obligations and tasks. And fandom! Love you guys! There is a good momentum going on and we should keep up with it. 2012 has been a good, if laborious one. 2013 is allowed to be the same, as long as I get to rest a lot more.
The festive beer is Liefmans Glühkriek. Ah,the warm cherry infused beer! That spells seasonal greetings. There's plenty o'spicyness too. Warming, enticing drink. Whole bottle of 0.7 liters is a bit much though for one person. I may have to save something for tomorrow.
Ernest Cline's Ready Player One was one of the most fun books I read this year. Not the best, nor the most interesting, but a lot of fun. For someone like me who grew up in the late 70's and 80's, the book is filled with odd bits of arcana and memories nearly forgotten, as well as pop culturally relevant tidbits and lore. There's a lot that doesn't ring a bell, though. I was never a gamer and my musical influences were British and more punk/New Wave/Electronic. If therfe'd been a bit more Adam & the Ants et al, I could well consider this the Bestest Book ever. Now, it is a very good "lukuromaani" about reality-entertainment, computers, pop culture and games. Points for Monty Python references and excellent translation by J. Pekka Mäkelä, kudos! Surely the right man for the job! ("Don't call me Shirley!")
I didn't intend to watch Last Boyscout (1991) again, but when I was fiddling with my Netflix apps at work, I ended up watching the entire film on a lunch break (what a surprisingly short film!). It is still excellent overthetop-action ride it was when I watched it for the first time in Bio Rex with some friends over twenty years ago. From the moment "life's a bitch" to dancing the jig, I was utterly mesmerized by the visuals of younger Scott, snappy dialogue of Shane Black and the chemistry between Mr. Bruce Willis and Damon Wayans. Sheer unadulterated entertainment. Best. Movie. Ever.
I shall now Let the Happiness In.
Eating Muffins 