I come from a place (Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas) with a population of 4 million people and currently reside in a neighborhood (Southern California) of roughly 11-13 million, depending on whom you ask or if they'll even answer. The country of Finland has 5 million people and it seems like I'm meeting every other one of them these days.
I met the Consulate General a while ago through my friend Eric Knudson, himself a Norwegian-American. We reconnected with him recently when he invited us to two different events. The first was a music showcase for one of Finland's hottest bands, Poets of the Fall. We were among the lucky few to attend their U.S. debut right there in the CG's living room (on his gear).
(Dinner) Party Like Rock Stars
The band is really in town for MuseExpo, the United Nations of Music and Media, going on this week in West Hollywood. This was just a warmup gig at a dinner party for Finns living in L.A. and people like us who somehow keep getting invited. Even without the full sound I heard on their MySpace page, they still rocked the place (it was a living room, after all).
The band is really in town for MuseExpo, the United Nations of Music and Media, going on this week in West Hollywood. This was just a warmup gig at a dinner party for Finns living in L.A. and people like us who somehow keep getting invited. Even without the full sound I heard on their MySpace page, they still rocked the place (it was a living room, after all).
In fact, I liked them so much I stayed up past my bed time to catch their midnight showcase at the House of Blues the following night. I was so sure they would want to party on the Sunset Strip after the show that I napped earlier (what kind of guide would I be passing out on them?). But they were getting on a redeye to New York right then and connecting to Helsinki first thing in the morning. At least they got to travel like rock stars (all night long).
The second event was a reception for the Deputy Consulate General, who is transferring back to Finland this summer. Even though it was out in Santa Monica, it was still a great time as always. Both the CG and Deputy CG are guitar players, so there was lots of jamming going on.
Finns on a (Higher) Plane
Aside from the music and media connections, I'm also meeting Finns through my profile page on a Buddhist social network. I've been told that the SGI has members in 190 countries around the world, but it hasn't sunk in until I joined this site just 3 short months ago.
Aside from the music and media connections, I'm also meeting Finns through my profile page on a Buddhist social network. I've been told that the SGI has members in 190 countries around the world, but it hasn't sunk in until I joined this site just 3 short months ago.
I joined early and it's been fun to watch the site grow as it spreads across the planet. When someone in Finland joined, it was a matter of days before every other Buddhist up there was a member. Now I have friends who are actually in Finland. All that's left is for me to go there and meet them.
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