(Christmas trip 2009, Part 7)
Schedules are a bitch to keep. When I started writing this blog, my plan was “every other day, no exceptions”. Less than 10 posts into it and I’m failing that goal miserably. Decided to go to Tampere again this weekend (this time to see friends’ new apartment) and spent both Saturday and Sunday there. It’s not that the post wasn’t ready before midnight last night, but it, like every other post I write, needed some serious editing love before I could even think about publishing. Getting from the draft into a proper readable whole takes more time than the draft itself.
Everything comes to an end.
27th December, 2009. I’m sitting in the hotel-room somewhere in the grayness of Jyväskylä, looking at the remains of a faithful pair of jeans. They’ve served me well for the past years. They’ve been there for the good and the bad. For the depressive winter and the manic summer. A moment earlier I had been at the hotel restaurant, getting ready to enjoy yet another happy moment wearing them – an extremely filling breakfast. But everything comes to an end. The mistake I made was to force a slight split to get past a tactically placed houseplant with my tray of food. I’m quite sure that the couples in the nearest tables heard the sound of fabric ripping as well. The end didn’t come with a whimper.
When disaster like this strikes, you end up with a choice, a fork in the road. A fork, with two possible options in front of you. Either you do the fast retreat or the slow retreat. Getting away from the situation fast means less people will have a shot at noticing how you’re showing your bright white underwear, but you’ll draw more attention to yourself with all the rushing movement. Slow version has the probabilities reversed. More people, less attention. I took it slow and nonchalantly waltz out. Happy that I didn’t choose to wear the Snoopy boxers today.
So, here I am.
I’m quite sure that someone noticed what happened. More than just someone I guess. Dark gray and white contrast way too well. But the question “Did someone notice?” turns into “Do I really care?” as the world turns. Ends are just new beginnings, I bid the pants farewell after moping for way too long about it and move on. When I return to the breakfast table I get a couple of smiles from the people who probably know, but these things happen, so they don’t dwell on it.
I manage to get my delicious breakfast in the end and then return to my room.
Before I have to check out of the hotel, I have time to be amazed at the number of people I know from Jyväskylä. Social networking and announcing your travel routes causes me being treated with a number of “Are you kidding, what are you doing here” messages, but sadly, as many “Damn, I have to go to work today, why do you leave so early” ones. But it’s nice to know that in case I ever come back, I probably won’t have to spend a millisecond alone in this town.
I head out (read: I have to check out), walk around the town a bit (still freezing), toss my suitcase to the train station lockers (it’s heavy and not really practical in all the snow), and then I get suckered into my favorite pastime – shopping. In the past year I’ve probably spent more money on clothes than I have in the previous five years or so. It’s a small miracle that I manage to avoid buying any new ones from the local shopping center. I am tempted, I admit. The closest thing to a completely useless item I almost buy this afternoon is the first book of Twilight Saga. There is a part of me that wants to get it and just read through it because it’s probably quite good.
The two items that do find their way into my shopping bag are an Audrey Hepburn wall calendar and a bottle of Acqua Di Gio. It’s not a huge secret that Audrey represents the ideal fantasy girl for me. A wonderful balance of the tomboyish and elegantly feminine. I have such a huge crush on her. And I had been missing a calendar for 2010. Simple, practical, just what I was needing, and pleases my aesthetics.
The Armani fragrance is a bit longer story. I’m usually the type to favor of stronger, musky ones like YSL’s M7, but lately I’ve been wearing them out of habit rather than thinking about it. And as the whole trip here has been about breaking habits (starting with the “I will stay home and be a hermit for Christmas”), I feel like I should be clearing out the mold in other ways as well.
“Hi. I need a new fragrance for me.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“I don’t know,” I smile as I realize how many times I’ve admitted that not having a clue in the past days, “Maybe you can help me?”
“What do you usually use?”
“I’d like to get something different from that. Can you tell me something about the different products and what your opinions on them are?”
I seem to have found the local person to bother with my questions.
After the shopping spree I need a break, and head to the nearest McDonald’s. Here I buy myself a diet coke and connect to the WLAN. I talk with some few friends with my mind firmly set to the future already. Talking about the following week, organizing schedules, getting back to work. All that.
I’m admitting to myself that everything has to come to an end. Even this trip.
“Where are you at?” a message pops up.
It’s Ry, one of those people who live in Jyväskylä.
“At the Kauppakatu McDonald’s. Just resting my brain for a moment, then maybe a museum or something. Dunno. Kinda bored already.”
“When does your train leave?”
“In three hours. Depends on how late they’re running today.”
“Cool. This is a perfect excuse for us all to go to Harald! Hope you haven’t eaten at McDonald’s yet?”
“Like I’d actually eat here. Just here for the quality WLAN.”
“Great. We’ll see you in 20 minutes.”
Okay. Everything ends when it actually does end. Not a few hours before.