Finland made the headlines

Finland made the headlines in the form of a lone gunman, again. This time it was a guy with a couple of firearms related convictions and an assault conviction, in short an aggressive guy who would probably have a gun but not a permit. The last two lone gunman that have made the headlines during the last two years had gun permits, which has strengthened gun laws to the point where it is virtually impossible the get a permit for a handgun.

This guy had a a job, wife and kids but it seems like he never got over his ex girlfriend for whom he had a restraining order placed upon him. He shot and killed four employees(the ex was involved with one of them) at the ex's workplace, which happen to be one of the largest mall in Finland and it was evacuated and searched by heavily armed police officers. In the mean time he had managed to get away and drove to his ex's apartment where he shot and killed her and then he went back to his own apartment where he killed himself.

I have always considered the country where I live in as a very safe one but it also have one of the highest gun-ownership in the world. I don't remember in which order they come but the top three countries are USA, Yemen and Finland. Many legal guns around, many guns to steal and make them illegal...

Welcome to Pandora

How do you review one of the greatest movies of all time if not the greatest in one short blog post? We went to see James Cameron's Avatar in 3-D last night and it was amazing, it was fantastic and yes it's really that good. It's a milestone in science fiction. It's computer-generated imagery taken to the next level. It's a strong environmental message that talks directly to you heart. This is one of those movies that people will refer other movies to in the genre as before and after Avatar. Did I tell you that's it's really that good?

The setting is on a fictional moon called Pandora in the Alpha Centauri system and it was so beautiful that you wanted to weep. I'm not going to spoil the plot, just go see it.

PS. Is suspect James Cameron has been playing World of Warcraft. The Na'vi are blue, tall, have somewhat pointy ears, are connected with and worship nature, have a sacred tree which they live within and like to keep to themselves. Night Elf anyone?

Watch out

I'm doing my first night shift out of four and it's around 4.00. I'm usually not that active this time of the night but I'm sort of experiencing the aftermath of a really cold Thursday. That means that I need to keep an eye or two on things. Anyway this is the time of the night when I have been known to write a bit to honest blog posts. Some scientist claim that being really tired is equivalent of being drunk. I believe them.

I know what I could write about =). But I'm not ;-P. I get to go home and get some sleep in three hours from now.

Christmas Card weather

I've been dreaming of a white Christmas and we're having one. Today we have what I call Christmas card weather . Yesterday and the night before last night we got about 40-50 centimeters of snow, that's about one and a half feet. I've had four morning shift up until now but today is my day off, since I begin the night shift at 22.00 tomorrow, I technically work tomorrow but I still got all day off tomorrow too, before nightfall =).

I was fairly could (-10 - -15 °C, 5 - 14 °F) during my working days so running a distant heating system was relatively busy. However this morning the temperature was and still is now in the afternoon -25 °C (-13 °F). Now I can tell you that my work can be VERY busy when it's this cold, but I'm not there. Drop the temperature another 10 °C (to -35 °C) and it's outright difficult and food is something you have time to eat when you're at home.

But back to the Christmas Card. These weather conditions means that there is no wind and the time of the year means that the sun is just above the horizon in the middle of the day. Just go outside ant take the camera with you and take a picture in any direction before the camera freezes over and you'll have the perfect Christmas Card.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

Yes it's snowing outside and yes the next week will be really cold. Conclusion, we're having a white Christmas. Up until about a week ago the ground where still green and/or muddy. Some years winter comes this late but I don't mind, less snow shuffling =).