simulation

while buying some pre-mixed cocktails in M&S and waiting for the assistant to come approve my alcoholic purchases, it dawned on me definitively that im never going to be asked for ID to proof age again. not that ive been expecting it for years (or a decade+), but then it happened every 2 years or so...until a while ago. now i think its safe to say that it wont. and of course, i dont remember the last time exactly, as u never know its going to be the last. maybe around 2023? i think im officially an adult now? maybe as menopause has a definition of 365 days without a period, adulthood should also have something similar; "2 years since you were last asked for an ID when buying age restricted items"? then you'd be knighted an "adult".  

i found this coin while sorting my wallet, its 50 pence. what a well worded statement, diversity built britain. so true and important to acknowledge.   

the local elections are nearing, and we got this letter from Labour. im not appreciating the ”greens and lib dems can’t win here” message, even if its traditionally been true. its always like that until it isnt, right? but with the election system being the way it is, it is risky to ”scatter” votes, i certainly dont want conservatives to take lead here. well, im going to have to figure out what to do. im also not in love with greens nor lib dems but have started having serious doubt about labour. locally theyve been decent perhaps but i always focus on the issues… 

on my way from helsinki to london a while ago security found this porridge-yogurt-thing in my bag which was classified as a liquid. fair enough, but i was surprised they offered i eat it there instead of just binning it. theres a table and chairs right in front of the security desks so i just sat there and had my snack in peace. after which i was allowed to continue. 

a tunnel to the metro in helsinki. quiet late in the evening. to be fair, always quiet, way oversized for helsinki needs. 

i typically eat vegetarian/pescatarian but on my birthday dinner in Cella (with Arttu, Otto, Elina and Eufemia) i wanted comfort food so meatballs and mash it was. that restaurant is like time traveling to the 80s, i like to go there once a year or so. i also had another birthday dinner on the actual day at Wino, which is a nice wine restaurant (with miss R, Amanda, Ipa & Jepa). 

i used my flight simulator birthday gift voucher yesterday. The A320 simulator was near Gatwick airport, and while used by pilots in training during the week, its open to paying customers on the week. anyway the instructor, a pilot himself, seemed surprised of a lone woman coming in. nice guy, and i dont know if he was kissing my butt but he said i was a natural at directing the plane with the stick. i personally felt like it was challenging, i have zero ”joystick” type experience, but i guess i did get a hang of it quickly. i really enjoyed the experience and learned a lot. for most if the buttons and other things though, its impossible to take all the info in in such a short time. we did a couple of take offs and several landings, with one ’full flight’ from gatwick to heathrow. steering the plane on the runway after landing is surprisingly hard, i ended up way off the middle of the runway a couple times. but thats better than running into a firetruck. anyway, loved it, and if it wasnt so pricey i would do more of it. picture of the simulator below. 

earlier this week it was nice and sunny… then suddenly there was a hailstor. rare to see hailstones this big.

earrings i found in a charity shop in finland, made of pennies, the defunct currency. 

while in finland i started listening to the podcast Rest Is Politics, by Alistair Cambpell and Rory Stewart. its interesting, not toooo deep but also not super light, and i appreciate the occasional civil disagreement. it hits the right balance for me. altho AI pointed out that while it presents itself as left vs right, its actually pretty much centrist liberalism, and very ”establishment” okay, so, fine, maybe not super original nor ideologically challenging but i like it, so. 

we probably have another foster cat coming tomorrow, Norbert. he has been at another foster’s for a few months now while hes been going through various treatments… poor guy really has had it rough and has only one tooth left due to extensive but necessary dentist work.