The Friday Five for 12 January 2024: Transportation
Posted on
Jan 12, 2024

The Friday Five for 12 January 2024: Transportation

Got my hair cut today ✨ Yay! ✨ I went to the hair dressing school where students under the watchful eye of the teacher offer hair cuts, coloring etc. for a minimal price. I’ve had my hair colored once and cut twice or three times and the results have always been good! It’s good alternative when the regular prices are too much, but it does take a lot more time so can’t be in a hurry.

Answers to today’s questions at thefridayfive.

1. What is your current main mode of transportation? e.g. car, bike, subway, walking, etc.

Busses are my main way to get where I need to go.

It’s actually been public transport, namely local busses, for most of my life starting with school. I also walk some, but now with the chronic illnesses, less than I used to and not willingly.

When I was a student in library school and lived in the Helsiki metropolitan area, I also used local metropolitan area busses along with metro train (underground train) and commuter train (overground train servicing Helsinki metropolitan area cities), but also long distance trains to my home city of Turku.

2. Are you satisfied with your current main mode of transportation (answer to question 1)? Why?

I am, for the most part! My home city has a good public transport (busses) system and you don’t necessarily need a car, depending on your circumstances and where exactly you live. I can get by bus everywher I need to go, including friends’ and family’s places. I do wish the ticket price were lower, and they wouldn’t increase every year but that because I’m poor so everything feels expensive to me.

I’m also kind of nervous about the upcoming, planned changes for the bus system they’re planning for I think, 2025. What it looks like is that the bus routes designated “central lines” stay good and mine is one of these, but the secondary routes, designated “feed lines” seem to get worse both in run times and accessibility such as routes, locations and number of stops. A lot of reviews say the same, so we’ll see what happens with the plans.

I did have my Mom’s car for something like 17 years, but even then I always judged where and when I was going and whether the car or a bus was the most handy way that time. But now I haven’t had a car for about 7 years and although it was very handy for getting around to random libraries or big shops inconveniently located by bus or picking up packages, I actually only rarely miss having a car – usually when I need to transport something awkward sized home. There is also the fact that due to being so tired all the time, the last few years I had the car I didn’t always dare to drive – I feared I’d get into an accident and kill someone because I was too tired and my reaction time was too slow or I wouldn’t notice something. So in my case, not driving is also a safety concern even though I haven’t been forbidden to drive by the docters.

3. Do you think you’ll change your means of transit soon? e.g. buy a car, get rid of your car, walk more etc.? If so, why?

Busses will continue to be main main mode of transport, but I’d like to walk more. I’ve occasionally thought about bying a bike – I used to bike everywhere when I was a kid and like an idiot, stopped that when I went to library school and never restarted again. I always liked biking more than walking.

4. If time, distance and money were not factors, how do you prefer to get from point A to point B?

I’m good with busses. But I admit, if truly money wasn’t an issue at all, I’d also have a car just for the convenience.

5. What was your worst transit experience?

I can’t think of a truly bad transit experience… mostly just if I’m on the move during a rush hour, the busses can be so full lugging shopping bags can be inconvenient, or waiting for the bus in a hard rain etc. Mostly personally for me, it’s the rush hour smells and noise because they can trigger a migraine attack or if I’m already in the middle of one, make it worse. But this is a me problem.

Question of the Day – 2024 Edition: January
Posted on
Jan 10, 2024

Question of the Day – 2024 Edition: January

This year spiffikins at Dreamwidth put together daily questions for the year 😀 

1. What’s the Coolest Thing You’ve Ever Seen in Nature?

There’s quite a few cool things in nature and I can’t say which is the coolest above all others… but snowflakes are right up there among the very coolest!

2. Could You Stop Shopping for an Entire Year?

I assume this means non-essentials and that things like bras and skin care (makes my skin better but no doctor’s orders to use these products) are counted as essential?

If so, then I think yes I could. I don’t buy a lot of stuff in addition to essentials, due not having money and due to not really being into shopping and never have been. I only buy most things (clothes, electronics etc.) when I need new ones because they’re breaking, worn through, or are getting old enough that my programs don’t run well anymore. The only things I buy for the fun of it are fountains pens and fountain pen inks, fountain pen friendly notebooks and stickers. I only buy stickers when I’m running out so about once a year if that, but I could stop buying fountain pens and related stuff for a year, if I wanted to. Especially as currently I’m quite happy with the fountain pens I have and don’t feel a huge need for a new one! It’s ink which might be more difficult – I love trying out new inks! And I have enough fountain pen friendly notebooks to last me a few years (unless I start to journal or writing stories a lot more than up until now) so I wouldn’t need a new notebook either for a year. So, yes I could stop shopping these sorts of things for a year.

Now, if that means that I can’t buy candy, chocolate and Frezza cold coffees which aren’t necessary for survival… that’s a whole other ball game! I could reduce the amount I buy, but I couldn’t stop entirely there. And it’d be hard for me mentally to do it. Continue reading Question of the Day – 2024 Edition: January

The Friday Five, a Bit Late
Posted on
Jan 6, 2024

The Friday Five, a Bit Late

The first friday five questions of the year at Dreamwidth.

1. In what ways do you expect/hope this year to be better than last year?

I don’t really hope/expect 2024 to be better per se, but for the first time in 15 years I feel like this year my health problems might stay stable and at the level they are now. All the other years for the last 15 years I’ve either known the health stuff is going get worse, or have had a doomed feeling. But now I feel like I’ve reached a stable state and while setbacks and/or new health problems are always possible what with the Crohn’s Disease and anemia and all, I don’t feel like I’m automatically doomed to get worse.

I’ll happily settle this if it does turn out to be a boring year health problems wise!

2. In what ways do you expect/hope this year to be worse than last year?

Personally: financially and bureautically. There are several law changes in the pipeline by the new far-right wing government that will make my living situation worse.

Politically: the far-right wing government is making changes in employment, housing, social and wellfare laws that mean bad things for the unemployed, low wage earners, the sick, the kids, education, health care and more. Basically everyone who is not among the richest 10% are going to suffer in one way or another, and the lower your income, the more you suffer. The right-wing government are attacking on several fronts, and many of their new proposed laws actually are in contradiction of their stated government programme goals. It’s being said that the government is effecting a paradigm shift in how Finland views many things, even human rights.

The employee Unions and many research etc. organizations are warning of the effects of the new laws and trying to resist the law changes. It’s looking like the country might be heading into the general strike for the first time since 1956.

3. What year would you travel back to if you could?

I’m not sure. Part of me would like to go back to my childhood when everything was carefree – but I’d really actually hate having to go through school again.

On the other hand, I think it’d be best if I went back to 2008 – I could try and get my migraines sorted out so that they don’t go chronic and daily. And also to get a breast reduction done then before the onset of Type 2 Diabetes – because I’ve noticed my wounds don’t heal that well anymore so I don’t think I’ll have it done anymore because of that.

On third hand, if I went back to 1994 May onwards I’d get to be with my Mom’s Beagle pup! She counted be as part of her pack and I loved her like crazy.

4. What was your worst year?

2008. That is a divider for me – there is before 2008, and there is after 2008. It isn’t actually the worst but it’s the watershead of my life. Before 2008 I was healthy with a future, and after I’m not and don’t.

The actual fucking worst are the years when I didn’t know what the fuck was going on with my bowels and whether I could hope for normal bowel function again some day while suffering from horrible daily headaches and migraine attacks 3 times a week – but that time frame went on for so many years and I can’t pin point just one year.

5. What was your best year?

1994-1995. I finished library school, the future was wide open in front of me, full of hope and my Mom got a Beagle puppy who loved me as much as I her. Definitely maybe the best time of my life.

Jo’s Daily Questions – December 2023
Posted on
Dec 30, 2023

Jo’s Daily Questions – December 2023

Jo’s Daily Questions 2023 – https://jo.dreamwidth.org/2802730.html

1 – Cookie Cutter Day: Do you own any cookie cutters? Any unusual ones? Tell us about them.

I own Christmas ones… Star, moon, heart, man, woman and flower cutters I think. One of each. I haven’t baked Christmas cookies in like 20 years, so it’s been a while since the last time I even looked at them.

2 – Play Basketball Day: Have you ever played basketball?

In school when forced to.

3 – Make a Gift Day: Do make gifts for anybody? How about cards?

Not as an adult. The last couple of years I’ve thought about making birthday and/or Christmas cards with watercolors but haven’t gotten around to it.

4 – Wear Brown Shoes Day: Do you own any brown shoes?

One pair that I never use. All my shoes are black at the moment except for the crocs which are hot pink. Continue reading Jo’s Daily Questions – December 2023

The Friday Five for December 29, 2023
Posted on
Dec 30, 2023

The Friday Five for December 29, 2023

Answers to yesterday’s questions over at thefridayfive@LJ

1. What are you hoping for in 2024?

I’m hoping it won’t be as horrible as I fear it will be, thanks to the far-right government’s cold and inhuman politics.

2. What was your low point of 2023?

My life’s pretty even, and the only thing that stands out for this question for me is the “empty the bowels” procedure I had to do in preparation for colononoscopy in late November.

3. And your high point of 2023?

The times I got to spend time with my Mom. Especially the times I didn’t get a migrane attack after.

4. Do you make New Year’s resolutions or are they just a waste of time?

I don’t think about them at all.

5. Do you have any traditions for celebrating New Year’s Eve?

Not really. I just hunker down and hope I don’t have already have migraine attack when the fireworks start, and that the fireworks won’t trigger one. It’s the noise that can trigger it.