Day 165: Xmas is coming!

How you know that Xmas is coming? In our back yard one sign are Christmas lights. And in living room - that sign I told already yesterday.

Day 164: Panic!

Xmas is coming and I am busy with creating presents. I have occupied our living room - me and my yarns. There is lot to do since there are only five weeks left to do that all. Panic!

Day 163: Follow your dream!

I have dreams - a lot of dreams. Following them is not always easy but I have manage to do quite well.

Day 162: Me and Marimekko!

I am Marimekko-aholic. These are my Marimekko bags in my city home. I have lot more in Naantali. And one in work place.

Day 161: Always learning!

This is from book which I have been reading a lot. It is one of my favorite in area of testing. Now I finally have some explanation why I am studying all the time - I want to be a good tester. (Maybe I should rethink my current position as method expert and start looking for open vacancies for testers...)

Book is "Lessons Learned in Software Testing" by Cem Kaner, James Bach and Bret Pettichord.

Day 160: Cards, cards, cards!

This evening I wrote 16 postcrossing cards! Sixteen! Ten for my profile soikka and six for soikkis.  Some might think why I have two accounts/profiles. It is so nice to come home from work and find card or two, or if lucky, many cards in floor when opening corridor door. And then - when going back to Naantali, there are others waiting for me. Nowadays we do so that my dear husband scans every card and send them to me so that I can register them without delay.

I really like this hobby. I have learned a lot, like what is Ural Owl in Finnish (viirupöllö) or in Estonian (händkakk). And so much about geography!

Day 159: One sexy bird!

I can't help having this odd mental image when looking this photo. For me it looks like that one sexy bird is getting ready for pole dance.

Day 158: My best friend during this weekend!

Yes - indeed. I have had headache starting from Thursday afternoon. I visited doctor Friday but he couldn't help me. He didn't manage to find anything "wrong with me" and said: if headache continues, take painkillers. And I have done that - this little vial has been my best friend during this weekend.

Day 157: I am busy!

Maybe I should rethink what kind of work I would like to do. Even I love to read a lot about testing,  software development and so on - I love more to create things with my own hands. And just now I have lot going on simultaneously. Even not all of them are in this photo since some of them are in Helsinki.

Day 156: I got it!

As said - I love to watch birds. Watch and photo. Now when we have started "the winter feeding" season I have possibility - on those days when remote working here in Naantali - to photo birds visiting our bird feeders. So far I have only seen blue tits (as in this photo and in yesterday's post) and great tits but looking forward also for other species.

Day 155: Time to exercise!

I had very busy day but during lunch I manage to photo blue tit exercising while another one was eating. I like this photo! Even I know as fact that blue tit is not exercising, I got the mental image - he is exercising. Maybe he is also dieting...

Day 154: Home!

Time to go home. This time by bus. Photo was taken in Kamppi. Bus has not arrived yet but I am anxious - it is Wednesday and I will be remote working rest of the week. And I got the ticket with 2 euros!

Day 153: Open?

Three openers: two for doors - also known as keys -  and one for bottles. I have no idea when I have last time used bottle opener so that is not the key element in this set. But is it giving wrong impression of me: the lady with bottle opener - hmm - she must drink a lot.

Day 152: Wanna-be-something!

My youngest daughter has always said to me that I wanna-be Roland - meaning that I am trying to be as good photographer as Roland. Or I have big dreams but no possibilities to achieve my dream. Or something like that.

Today I visited stand-up night where 7 wanna-be-stand-up-comedians were giving their best at the stage. Not at all bad performance - sometimes I really enjoyed - sometimes I felt sorry and sometime I was abashed: is it okay to laugh for this. But new field of art for me and cultural experience with shock effect. And what else to do on rainy Monday evening...

But the reason why I visited there was this one wanna-be, "business executive Ullgrén" as he was presented. Husband of my colleague and after all - not so bad at all. I really laughed for his story about how similar drag business and IT business is. I don't know whether that really works in English but in Finnish, it was quite good.

Day 151: Could be better!

Me and my husband went for a short walk today. I was hopeful - I might be able to photo some birds since it was quite nice weather. But not so lucky - have to say. All birds were so quick and busy that they didn't have time to stop to be photoed. Except this one blackbird. Only three photos and this is the best of those. Focus is not in the bird so I think this could be better but on the other hand, it is quite nice as it is.

Day 150: Don't wake me up!

Today we visited Helsinki Zoo (Korkeasaari in Finnish).  Last time we did that was many many years ago when we one summer spent three days here in Helsinki with my daughters.

Weather was not best possible but at least it was not raining. I have always thought that wild cats (tigers and lions) are more active when it is not so hot. But bah - this guy was sleeping. "Don't wake me up" - that was the message.

But actually this guy was bluffing us. Immediately after I photoed him he got up and started to stare at me. Or perhaps he was looking me angry "You did wake me up!"

Day 149: Happy Halloween!

My husband had made some shopping while I was working. And this is what we ate with coffee. Happy Halloween! No diet food - not at all.

Day 148: Visitor!

I have a visitor here in Helsinki. Me and my husband we decided to spend yet another weekend here in Helsinki. Last time it was when there was this concert of Vesa-Matti Loiri. Since I don't have TV here he spends his time reading - but actually that is what he is doing even at home. So no big difference are we in Naantali or in Helsinki. Books are everywhere!

Day 147: Past my bedtime?

Well - there are evenings when I do something so intensive that I totally forget to check the time. This evening I was reading my newest work related book "Agile Testing" and then suddenly I realize that it is far past my bedtime.

Day 146: NO!!!!!

I have quite old laptop in my Helsinki home. And yes - it has been little bit unstable lately but this is something I don't like to see on the screen. Not at all!

I can't afford new laptop now. But if this keep happening I don't have options: I have to buy new laptop. I can live without TV but without computer - NO!

Day 145: Like a preacher!

I spend whole day listening James Bach. Course was "Critical Thinking for Software Testers" and yes - lessons learned - I am not as critical thinker as I have thought. This course was worth of every cent paid. I learned a lot and enjoyed every minute. Even I felt myself really stupid from time to time when James was putting some pressure on me and I managed to get speechless. But I think that was the way to do it. Actually it is quite pity that I am no longer working as tester. Should I once again rethink what I want to do when I get older?

Day 144: Sock - really?

I am more and more wondering whether the result will be anything like sock. At this point this is more like a rocket than a sock.