Dreaming in Finnish

Slow day here vacation-wise, because the moms were mostly hobnobbing at the conference and the weather was perfectly dreadful -- cold, raining, gray clouds thick enough to slice. Highlights? A pre-dinner sauna and a dip in the coldest pool on earth. Well, Moose jumped in, because her Teutonic blood can take it. Goose sat delicately on the edge, her toe barely touching the surface of the water.

Just to show the weather hasn't dampened our spirits -- or to prove that our spirits more or less match the Finnish national mood -- we pass along this pants-wetting bit of local video culture featuring the Helsinki Complaints Choir. I have a hunch the Pretty Boys will love it, connoisseurs of camp that they are. Moose is already imagining a Finnish-themed winter solstice party this year that will culminate in a reenactment of this stunning choral performance. Candy Man, you're on keyboards. Prep School Teacher, you'll be directing the choir. qta, you'll handle costumes, catering, obscure film references, and anything else Moose frantically orders you to do at the last minute. The vid is long, so we'll tease you with the song's haunting refrain to make sure you watch the whole thing:

My dreams are boring
Reference numbers are too long
Women are still paid less than men
Bullshitters get on too well in life
The daily paper is too thick
Why always me?
It's not fair!



Touching, isn't it? We think this is the theme song Hillary Clinton's campaign needed. In fact, we think Finland may be just the country for Clinton to lead. Doesn't this chorus of alienated complainers remind you of those armies of Clinton voters who just couldn't catch a break? Don't we all hate our jobs, feel we don't get laid enough, think that all ring tones are irritating, and believe that the ancestors of the Finns could have picked a sunnier place to be? Yes, my friends, the Finns are us. We are the Finns. Alas.

(With thanks to Stan, a Canadian digital humanist with a nose for blog fodder.)

(Closing joke supplied by a Feminist Digital Canadian: What does Finland look like? Ontario after someone had taken a rolling-pin to it. It's like we always tell you, kids: Tell all the truth, but tell it funny.)