Moi my Finn

I know that we were once in love

but that has come to end

But I hope that now forevermore

you'll forever be my friend.

Because I promised once I'd never

forget my love for you.

And I intend to keep my word,

and keep that promise true.

Yes I regret we never kissed

or held like couples do.

but I did not mind that at all

When I could say that I loved you

And yes you are so far away

And no I can't change that,

but I hope you'll remember me

your American and his hat.

And one more promise I will make

I will see you again someday

For you were oh so nice to me

I could never let you away.

Rakastan sinua, or rakastain sinua nyt, ystäväni. Although I will admit, if my Finn were to know I put all of this out there, she probably wouldn't like it, although Susanna Koivisto of "Behind My Eyes" (an excellent blog, by the way) has said more about her than I ever or will. = D

What Americans can learn from UEFA Euro 2012

The Rush of Competition

As I tune in with millions of other football/soccer fans for today's semi-final between Germany and Italy, I am amazed at the spirit of patriotism eminating from the Fans. As much apathy as Americans have for football compared to the American sports, such as Baseball and American football, there is a certian spirit created by the national battles of 90 minutes length. The German team traveled perhaps 900 miles to the tournament, the Italian squad perhaps 1,100.  The New York Yankees will travel three times as far when they come to play Oakland later this summer. So what makes Euro so special? The language wars, the clash of culture!

Over that 1100 miles, the italians would need on their roadtrip:

1. Five or six  Languages
2. Three or Four currencies
3. FIVE passport stamps

The Yankees would need for their 3000 mile trip

1. A lot of Slim-Jims

The point is there are NO substitutes for nations. These tournaments are the chance to prove a countries dominence of another, that Suomi on parempi kuin Norge; That España es superior a Italia; That England is better than Polska. That Deutschland ist besser als Sverige! And the populations of the nations agree! The World series has never seen a street party a mile long. Obama barely got this for his inaguaration

Sorry New York, you might be the biggest snobs this side of France, but thou art not of the same quality of a NATIONAL football team. There is no bigger Honor than playing for your country.

This is what it's all about, and as an American, I am incapable of understanding it, except, of course for when we get knocked out in the round of 16 at FIFA Worldcup.

Oh, and I am sure I'll make a lot of German friends with this one...

Vinci Italia!

Beat that Red Sox.

What exactly is a Muumi?

My American readers will answer:
What are you smoking?

My Finnish reader will gasp (and then answer:)
You've never heard of Muumi?

My other readers may just be curious.

There you go. They live in a valley

My curiousity stems from the Finnish phrase: ’ei ole kaikki muumit laaksossa’ which literally translated means, "Not all the Moomins are in the valley,"  with the equivalence of the phrase "Not firing on all cylinders"; that one is rather stupid. Therefore I assumed that Moomins were some kind of domesticated animal raised in Finland. Obviously you would be an idiot to let them out of your valley and risk ruined profits!  Well... perhaps my moomins are not all in the valley, eh?

A Wonderful Person

Sometimes, someone does something...

...that is truly great. Those people may receive an award, or a medal, or become famous. Then there are people who are simply wonderful all the time, so terrific in fact, that any one act of compassion is not noticed because these people are always so great. I think we ought to recognize them sometimes too. That is why I am creating the first ever "James Roney Memorial ihana:ness medal". Here is the official writeup:

For unequaled politeness, courtesy, and general promotion of happiness to those around her, or through the internet the spread of the aforementioned attributes, Susanna Koivisto is hereby presented with the JAMES RONEY IHANA:NESS MEDAL, in hope that she will continue to be so nice to me, as she has been so far.

Specifically:

1. For being so helpful in the creation of this blog.

2. For helping me through sad times.

3. For being such a wonderful friend to someone she has never met.

4. General ihana:ness.

Presented on this the Twenty-Third June,

 Year of our lord 2012

James Roney

James Roney, award giver-outer

You are saluted!

HATS! (it's the title of the post, after all) Today: campaign hat

Yes, the hat box name has to do with an obsession of mine, namely

HATS! :)

Yes indeed, I collect and love hats, and from time to time will post a post about solely this one thing.

The Campaign hat

• Other names: Baden-Powell Hat; Lemon-Squeezer Hat; Smokey the Bear Hat; Ranger Hat.
• Size: 7 3/8 inches (metric hat sizes I do not know)
• Brim width: 3 inches, or about 9 cm
• Materials: Wool felt, leather.

The campaign hat, or ranger hat

This is simply the hat that I never could get. The quest for a campaign hat created my hat collection, when I bought hats that were not campaign hats when I could not find the C.H. I love it, for I truely live up to my nickname, seriffi, when I wear this hat. Now, Do you have any idea how fast you were going son?

Have a hat you think I should amend to the collection? tell me about it!

The Piano

The piano has, I believe, 88 keys, of which 36 are black, and the remaining 52 are white. I ought to know because I have a piano and am capable of counting. So far as I know, the piano makes music by depressing a key which in turn levers a mallet into striking a wire at a particular tension, length and thickness to produce a note. Strike the correct keys in the correct squence with proper timing, and viola, Music! I am sure some members of my audience can (I almost said "can also") play this instrument, and I am certain they are rather good at it.

I took my first lesson last week, and discovered how hard it is. Not that I did not already know, or at least suspect. I will provide an example:

Music has what are known as scales, and a basic piano exercise is to play a scale from one key (called C) to the next key to the right also labled C (8 keys, if memory serves) And then back down. And I am incapable of this. I just cannot do it. I can eventually, yes, but I cannotdo it timely or well. It is, I assume, so easy for a lot of people. I bet a lot of people get it right off the bat. I do not.

I will not quit this or anything else, but I think with years of practice, I may, just may be able to go "C--D-E-F-G-A-B-C/C-B-A-G-F-E-D-C"

When that happens, I hope my instructor can play the hallelujah chorus.

(Self-mockery, though it may present the image of a hopeless individual, is, I find, a very useful tool at putting life in perspective.)

Do you have anything you find very difficult but intend to stick with? Please share below! : )

Getting Used to Disappointment

As I said in post numero uno, I hold myself and all I do to high expectations. Which means, sadly, I am often disappointed.
I have, I will admit, lost my inspiration for this blog. You probably would too; no one has read the bolg for a week. And no one has commented for two. Even my role model, Susanna, has lost interest, which is perhaps the most disappointing thing of all.
Unfortunately, a blog's purpose, so far as I have figured out, is to be a medium through which the author can render his ideas and present them for judgement by a panel of review; his readership. Since I have joked about my chronicly low leadership from the getgo, and it seems even that has dwindled, I am now at a crossroads, which will serve as a second readership poll:

Should I give this up? Is a one month expriment enough?
A. Yes, if you are not having fun anymore, you do not have to try it
(except I still find this fun)
B. Look kid, it's great that you have a blog, but you NEED to write about...
(Please tell me)
C. That you put your thoughts to "paper" is more than enough.
D. Something else
(like what?)

Some changes are in order. The title will be reverting to English, and a few other things will change too.
Here we go.

(I can't get a hit to same my life, and someone gets six comments for how they used their jacket as a pair of pants. Oh the injustice! But do not worry, dear readers, I laugh at all of this.)

An interesting hobby

I admit it, I have a problem: I save everything. Seriously, it is really hard to get me to throw away anything.  I keep wacky things, like train timetables and bus schedules and pieces of paper that I filled out in my first year of school. Behind my closet door there is a pile of travel brochures, photographs, baseball scoresheets and other random junk that accumulates.

but I have a rule:

When the pile falls over, it's clearing time: The pile is placed in the center of my room, and the bottom drawer of my roll-top desk is pulled out. Items that are placed on the drawer are safe until the next thinning. All other items go in the wastebasket, but every item is examined before it meets its end. It is amazing what you can find out about yourself from two years of your garbage.

Take for example the most recent clearing, today's.  I discovered:

1. I used to have a crush on a girl that I wrote and never sent a love letter to. (now I have no idea who she is) = thrown away
2. I have a Swedish newspaper. I do not speak any Swedish. I did not know what "pris 20 kronor del A" meant, until I figured it out. So I really accidentaly stole a Swedish newspaper. I am not proud of that. = Keep.  I could not steal something and then casually toss it, it serves as a reminder now.
3. I used to be really good at drawing boats! = keep
4. I did a lot of homework two years ago = do you have to ask?
5. I seem to like montana golf brochures. = thrown away
6. I am good at scorekeeping baseball. = sheets thrown away, after rereading
7. My handwriting 8 years ago is awful. = All examples thrown away
8. My name was once in a newspaper clipping. Misspelled. Whatever. = Keep, it is the only time that ever happened
9. I went to LA once on a plane and saved the boarding pass = keep (good for pranks later)
10. I have an Aku Ankka comic book, in Finnish. Remember the Swedish paper? The "I cannot read it" still applies. But I did not steal it! = Keep, it was a gift from a dear friend of mine.
11. Look! My passport! How in the he--?  = KEEP

The pile, about halfway done (which is about when I stop)

That's only the start! But mostly, the papers are boring and easily fall into the toss catagory. It seems so odd that at one point something was worth keeping, but then it was no longer so. Oh well.

So I pose it to you my dear readers, do you have a funny nuance such as my pile? Perhaps some strange habit or obsession?
Comment, I would love to hear about it.

heippa

School...it's just:

-.. --- -. .!!!!

(DONE)

School, that is; we are out for the SUMMER!!!!

I made the very large Morse code in a historical reference to a telegraph message sent in 1869 celebrating the completion of the USA transcontinental railroad.

&

MATT CAIN with a PERFECT GAME! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? 

The world around us.

Hello my awesome readers!
(ahem, two readers)
Alright alright! Hello my awesome Suski (and Sophia)!

A long long time ago I wrote my Inkeri some stories about nature and weather, and she really enjoyed them, and later told me that they caused her to appreciate the intricacies of the world we live in. I do not know; maybe she was just being nice, but in any event, here you go :)

    There is nothing more serene than walking to school on a cold cloudy day, with the crunch of the leaves consoling your deepest thoughts. You walk past the lake as the sun emerges from behind the hill, and suddenly your breath is visible, and the hot chocolate in your thermos is what keeps you warm. The walk to school is made quicker by the sudden arrival of a light mist. The drops fall so slowly that they catch in your eyes. By the time you arrive, a pouring rain has begun. It lets up throughout the day, but you are inside, so it doesn't matter. P.E. class is in the Gym, and the tin roof echos every drop. The rain brings warmth to the air, however, as it is never snowing. At the end of the day, the walk home is an accelerated jog, and you are sopping by the end. You are alone at home now, and sprint to and from the woodpile to build a fire. After lighting it, you go outside and get wet some more. Then you come in, throw off you jacket and shoes, and run into the living room to feel the warmth of the fire you created. After a warm hot chocolate, you fall asleep on the sofa, with your feet up. You awaken to the smell of a sizzling steak and those playful spices that your mother is so good at blending. Your hot chocolate cup is full again, and you drink from it a little more. Your father is in the chair opposite you, and is calmly reading the newspaper. You get up, walk to the window, and stand for thirty minutes just watching the drops fall. And then it becomes that mist again, and then all is calm. It has been raining all day, but now God has decided it has been enough. It is five o'clock now, and reasonably dark. You go out for a walk like you did in the morning. The San Francisco fog has rolled in, and now you can only see 10 meters in any direction. If it is Christmas time, the lights will peep through, and you are comforted. Your mother yells down the street. It is time to eat dinner, and your hot chocolate is ready for the fourth time.

I hope you liked that, it is out of season, yes, but I think fall and winter are more beautiful than the spring and summerwhich the northern world rapidly approaches. More of these stories will come soon.

So your probably wondering, What's with this guy and Finland?

Well, it is a long story. But a picture is worth a thousand words:

From left to right is Loviisa Louma, Marjukka Julantala, and Inkeri Seppälä

I met these nice young ladies in Sweden, at the world scout Jamboree in the summer of 2011, and we became very good friends, or as good of friends as you can be when you live 8000km away. I live about 10 hours behind them in time as well.
Anyway, these are they. I will give you more detail in a moment:



Hän on Inkeri ^

Inkeri is a girl who used to be my girlfriend. During our six-month long distance relationship, I became very intrigued by what Finland had to offer, and via the internet met more Finnish people. Their names are kinda funny for an American mouth: Heini, Suski, Juho, Katja, but they are all very nice too. Of course, Inkeri propably would not like me telling the world I love her... Oh well.

Anyway, I love Finland almost as much as America. Here are 25 reasons to love Finland!

1. Finns!

2. Finnish language (Suomi)

3. Partio (scouting)

4. Birch trees!

5. Sauna

6. Pesäpallo

7. Muumit (Moomins)

8. Blue cross flag

9. The midnight sun

10. The noon dusk

11. Lapland

12. European monopoly money

13. Safer than the USA

14. Smaller than the USA.

15. Flowpark

16. Freedom

17. Train system

18. Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

19. The letter Ä ä

20. The letter Ö ö

21. "Lentokonesuihkuturbiinimoottoriapumekaanikkoaliupseerioppilas"

22. Väiski

23. Katus, ties, and kuja

24. My friends!

25. Snow!

Did I miss anything? Let me know below!

The first comment!

You are a brand new blogger, we will pretend, and you have launched your fledgling thoughts into cyberspace, you wonder if anyone will care. Then, all the sudden, you get home from school and you see someone has, in fact, commented on your first ever post!
And you are apprehensive! Suppose it is not so nice of a post! Suppose a gruff gentleman has told you that you are only the latest scourge to type up a page!

The butterflies in your stomach are agitated! You are so happy that someone said something and yet you fear what they said!

Slowly, carefully, you attempt to read the comment. Except you can't, because you are so shaky you hit the wrong link. Your computer, as slow as it is, FINALLY gets you where you need to be. You scroll down to the comment.

It's from a friend of yours, but that does not matter at all, SOMEONE is out there and saw what you had to say and was polite enough to tell you they liked it!

And then you are happy for the remainder of the day.

The second post, wherein I learn that this is harder than anticipated

Day two, and although the air of introduction has not yet faded, we begin the actual concept of this blog. I do not know what it is to be either. Oddly enough, since I am yet to gain a reader, there really is no pressing need to develop a purpose or mission yet.

Perhaps it would be best to take my first readership poll!
Here are the questions:

1. What country do you live in?
2. How many languages do you speak? If >1, do not hesitate to list them.
3. How old are you?
4. If you won a vacation to any country, where and why?
5. If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, but were in perfect health today, what would you do?
6. Do you like to hike/camp?
7. How did you discover this humble blog?
8. What is your favorite school subject?
9. What will you do this summer?
10. What should next week's survey be?

and now your writership answers

1. USA all the way!
2. 1: figure it out, with high school spanish on the side
3. 16
4. Finland of course, I have a lot of friends there who I have not seen for some time.
5. Probably go golf at somewhere really famous.
6. Yes, in fact it is one of my passions!
7. I created it
8. English, I love to write
9. No clue
10. You guys decide!

There you have it. Except I lament that there is no "you" yet. I think I will have to amass a larger volume of posts before I gain any readers, but thank you very much to anyone who does care what I have to say. Believe me the quality of content of these posts will be going up, I think tomorrow's discussion will be all about me, a sort of autobiography. Then, on Thursday, barring an unbelieviably extrodinary occurence today, will be a sort of post about language.

Again, thank you for taking your time to read my thoughts. : )

Hyvää päivää

A merry howdy and hello!
And kiitos to Suski Koivisto
for she inspired me to this,
which otherwise I would have missed.

Well, so begins my life as a "blogger" so it would seem, inspired to do so by the fact that everyone I know seems to have and enjoy their blogs. So here we go.

My real last name is Roney, my real first initial is J. I write under Väärä hattupoika for two reasons...

1.  My parents would NEVER allow me to do this, so I am sort of skirting their authority.
2. To my international audience... (you've no idea what it feels like to say that) who is no doubt wondering what "väärä hattupoika" and "seriffitähti" mean.... They signify my very special relationship with Finland and Finns in general... (I could list the hit parade of my "suomalainen ystävät" but that would take forever and have more vowels than a kindergarten spelling lesson.)

So what do those things mean?

väärä hattupoika:   The "wrong hat" boy
seriffitähti:              Sheriff's star


Before we go on... if there are any Finns out there who want to read this...
Anteeksi, mutta en puhu suomea. :(  
tis sad but true. So unfortunately comments in Finnish cannot be replied to, except via google translate, and since the comments would likely be in murre thick enough to blow up google translate, please comment in English.

I think I have very high expectations (I already expect international readership for god's sake, but I am who I am, and I am nothing if not overly proud.)

A post of a more thought provoking variety is in the making "por mañana" but for the moment:
Hello! Moi! Hallo! Bonjour! Hej! Hei! Hola! and of course there are more ways to say that....but the point is:
NO MORO MORO!