North_Ranger
Staff member
You know the drill. Ask me anything and I'll answer truthfully and candidly.
Ask Me Anything: Live from Finland, North_Ranger
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North_Ranger
Staff member
Not that much, really. Granted, I don't know all the latest shows and don't understand what's the thing with Kanye West, but mostly I can relate.
Plus, I love weirding out you Yanks with my exotic stories
Huh, I just realized you may live in the same area as some family I have over there.
Are Åbo and Turku the same place?
North_Ranger
Staff member
Yes, I do. I used to identify with Rhys-Jones as well until he lost weight and his beard, that damn traitor.
Yes, you have my ax. Catch!
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Officially, yes. But if you live there, you know those are two different places.
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Yes, I would. And depending on what you like to do on holidays...
... if you like outdoorsy stuff, skiing and such: go to Lapland during the winter.
... if you like arts and architecture, go to Helsinki and Turku during the summer.
... if you like sailing, go to the Turku and Åland archipelago during the summer.
... if you like to try your hand at swimming in frozen lakes, go anywhere in Finland during the winter.
... if you like the Moomin Trolls, go to the Moomin World in Naantali during the summer.
O
Occasional Poster
Do you have any real hostility towards Sweden/Swedes or are you just being entertaining?
Officially, yes. But if you live there, you know those are two different places.[/QUOTE]What's the difference? Is it like a really small town that shares the same postal code with a somewhat larger one?
North_Ranger
Staff member
Depends on where you are, and when. Many of the dishes are seasonal.
Personal favourite, though... smoked lake herring with potatoes and butter.
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It's a kind of a friendly rivalry, to be honest. Though some of the Swedish-speaking Finns tend to be really snooty...
---------- Post added 09-18-2009 at 12:01 AM ---------- Previous post was 09-17-2009 at 11:58 PM ----------
Officially, yes. But if you live there, you know those are two different places.[/QUOTE]What's the difference? Is it like a really small town that shares the same postal code with a somewhat larger one?[/QUOTE]
More of a joking folklore kinda thing, really. The ferry crossing the River Aura is said to travel from Turku to Åbo, for instance. And generally speaking people talk about "this side of the river" (where the old city was) and "that side of the river". Turku is the city's Finnish name; Åbo is its Swedish name.
Ah that makes sense. I wouldn't be surprised if I found myself there for a visit in the foreseeable future.
A
Andromache
so whats with preemptively trying to change/end a thread's direction with the sauna tactic when a lock would have the same effect?
North_Ranger
Staff member
It's my schtick.
A
Andromache
North_Ranger
Staff member
It's my schtick.[/QUOTE]
Could you clarify this?[/QUOTE]
Yes. Plenty of hot air in some flame war/political threads. Too much to be wasted like that, so I thought I might have a sauna in it.
S
Silvanesti
awesome. 
and a question:
Hey dude, if i come by your area, would you let me crash on your couch? (I would love to travel, and from what you've said, your neck of the woods sounds fucking awesome)
and a question:
Hey dude, if i come by your area, would you let me crash on your couch? (I would love to travel, and from what you've said, your neck of the woods sounds fucking awesome)
North_Ranger
Staff member
Yes, I would. But only if you can handle me snoring (I've been told I do so) from half the apartment away.awesome.
and a question:
Hey dude, if i come by your area, would you let me crash on your couch? (I would love to travel, and from what you've said, your neck of the woods sounds fucking awesome)
S
Silvanesti
Its a deal! We shall (maybe, god help me i really want to travel) someday have awesome adventures :falldown:
Would you be offended that I thought of you today while watching a movie set in Norway?
Q
Qonas
What is the Finnish sports scene like? Obviously the NFL is king over here, with college football and baseball and hockey all grabbing attention too. What's it like there?
North_Ranger
Staff member
Ireland.
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One.
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Not as much as I would be if it had been a Swedish film
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Finnish national hockey league is the big thing during the winter season, as are Formula One (does it count as a sport if you sit your ass in a car?), rally and track games. Soccer and pesäpallo (Finnish variety of baseball, developed first as a means of training soldiers following WWI) get some following as well.
But mainly, it's hockey and F1.
North_Ranger
Staff member
Me personally: No.
Finland: Yes. Twice.
Finland before independence: Damn Swedes and their buffer zone...
North_Ranger
Staff member
Yes, I did. The Soviet foreign minister Molotov claimed that the Soviet bombers were only dropping bread baskets to Finland "for the starving Finns", so the soldiers decided to create a cocktail to match.
Yes, I did. And don't you goddamn forget it.
Because they are a tool of oppression. Also, have you ever tried taking a sauna in pants? Not very pleasant.
North_Ranger
Staff member
No. Finland does not lie on volcanic soil, hence no hot springs.
A shower usually precedes a sauna, and on waterfront properties (especially summer homes and rentable camp areas) there is usually the possibility of taking a dip in the lake when you come out of sauna - and then go back in. Taking a dip in the wintertime is good for the circulation, as is rolling around naked in snow.
North_Ranger
Staff member
First off... thank you.
I've studied English since third grade.
We get a lot of American TV shows and movies, almost all subtitled instead of dubbed ('cept for children's movies)
Most of my reading material has been in English since I started web surfing in '97.
And I major in English at the university... where most of our professors and about 90% of the courses within that discipline are in English.
In other words, it's the old adage: practice, practice, practice.
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http://halforums.wikidot.com/sauna-thread
Also, I just love weirding out the Americans
Say, have I told you about our unisex saunas...?- Status