Meanwhile, in Finland..

Being known as a Finn living in the US, sometimes people send me pointers to things Finnish.

Now, this weekend is obviously the Eurovision song contest (you all knew that, right?). And I expect Finland to do as well as it usually does ("Finland, nul point" - it's a national tradition!), and you can spend up to several minutes on youtube transfixed by the glory, or just start from the official home page.

But before that glorious tradition had time to take off, Tim Elliott sent me this gem of Finnish culture seen from the outside: the sauna championships.

What can I say? We have a sauna in our house. Even if we don't use it all that often, it's a Finnish thing.

A Pig Lover's Oath

I honor and love

Every pig that I see

For maybe one day

That pig will love me.

Our friendship with pigs

will always last

It doesn't matter

Whether it's slow or fast.

If we continue to hug

Every pig we can

Our love will grow

As large as this land.

So I promise to help

Every pig in defeat

For if it weren't for pigs

There would be no bacon to eat.

What can I say? Daniela (my middle one) is a real poet. It scans a bit oddly, but I think that falls solidly under the heading of "artistic".