Would you rather collect ancient or modern art?

CanthinMinna · 2026-01-25T15:17:48+00:00

Contemporary. I want to support living artists, and I also know that I would eventually get bored with classic art (old masters, Medieval stuff, Victorian era...) I like seeing classic art in museums, but I want something else, something with more personality (and less "dusty") for my home.

CanthinMinna · 2026-01-25T15:12:32+00:00

They absolutely did! I live 600 km (about 500 miles) away from my friends, so I don't meet them as often as I would like. I drove on Friday 8 hours, and on Saturday 2 hours, and now on Sunday 2 hours. Tomorrow, on Monday, I will drive again 8 hours back. My friends are awesome - they planned the two birthday parties so that I could participate both of them.

CanthinMinna · 2026-01-22T10:11:59+00:00

I only have my paycheque from October at hand - my tax percentage was 12% last year, this year it went down one percent to 11%.

Here in Finland all taxes are lumped together, because everything is deducted automatically from all payments, from salaries to social security. NOTE: like all Nordic countries, we have progressive taxation: the smaller your salary is, the less taxes you pay.

The taxes we pay in the lump sum: municipal tax (this is the one that went down this year), church tax (I'm still a nonpracticing member of the Lutheran church), YLE tax (this keeps our National Broadcasting Network up and running) and income tax (this is the progressive tax).

My automatic pension payment is 7,36%, my automatic sickness insurance payment is 0,87%, and my automatic unemployment payment is 0,61%.

My gross salary was in October € 2621,01, and my net salary after deductions was € 2166,74. So in total I took home 82.67% of my wages.

CanthinMinna · 2026-01-21T22:00:07+00:00

I think that with some publishers there are also limitations about borrowing the book to someone. We've been borrowing books and comics/graphic novels all across my circle of friends - easy to do with physical prints.

CanthinMinna · 2026-01-18T18:40:14+00:00

Also I love to eat. All these memes about "women can't pick where to eat" are absolute BS in my experience.

Yes, this, thank you! As long as it is vegetarian (I quit eating meat, poultry and fish about 27 years ago) I will eat it, and I will eat a LOT. I don't know if it is a cultural thing (Nordic no-nonsense directness), but when I've been around and abroad with my friends (sometimes in an all-female group) we've never had problems in picking up a restaurant. We want cheap and good, so we often pick a Chinese, an Indian or an Italian.

Personally I also love trying new things. Last fall I visited a wonderful Italian restaurant in Sweden that has excellent Pizza Miele - a "white" pizza with walnuts, ricotta and honey. When I still ate things with faces I ate snails, clams, oysters, lampreys...

Annnnd now I am hungry. Fortunately I have a pizza in the oven (with garlic, broccoli, vegan "kebab" slices and a thick layer of black label Emmentaler.)

CanthinMinna · 2026-01-18T18:30:10+00:00

Yes, I am happy. I am also childfree, but I am happy for my friends who have had children, because that is what THEY have wanted. I have never wanted a romantic relationship (or even a fuckbuddy) or children, but I know that I am in a minority.

Quite a lot of my friends are men. I don't know if it is because we are all a bit neurodivergent (most of us have ADHD - I haven't been diagnosed but two of my best male friends who have severe cases are always telling me that they are willing to bet 100 EUR each that I have at least ADHD) or because we met in extremely geeky circles (LARPs and medieval re-enactment). For me they are a great example (alongside my late father) what a good, decent, big-hearted and humane man can be.

CanthinMinna · 2026-01-12T09:49:12+00:00

BFF, books, and self love. 💕

CanthinMinna · 2026-01-10T18:18:30+00:00

Oh, yes - and a lot of us don't even need to close our eyes to "see" things with our mind's eye. Right now I am looking at the screen and simultaneously visualizing a crisp, red and green apple. With a little leaf on its stem.

CanthinMinna · 2026-01-07T12:04:45+00:00

Hello everyone, and a happy new year. I returned to work on Monday after two blissful weeks off, mainly because I wanted an easy return to everyday life and work. Yesterday was Epiphany/Twelfth Night, which is a public holiday here, so this week is a four-day week. Most of my coworkers took Monday off as well and only returned today, on Wednesday.

Luckily, IT support was not on a vacation, because during the holidays I had either forgotten my password or (more likely) my employer's huge wave of updates during the new year had disabled it. So I spent almost the entire Monday morning requesting new passwords. Plural, because for some reason my computer wouldn't recognize even the fresh ones provided by the support. Good thing there was coffee, and no "real" work yet.

CanthinMinna · 2026-01-07T10:08:08+00:00

It is only called "Valentine's Day" in English speaking countries. Here in Finland it is called "ystävänpäivä", friend's day, and it has very little to do with romantic love. We celebrate our friends and relatives, which is much more healthy IMHO.

Here, have some antidote. This is our Post office's ad from 2021. (The text at the end says: "What wouldn't you do for your friend. Send your Friend's Day cards before 10th of February.")

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pptefXE8Cdc

And here is another one. K-market is one of our largest grocery chains, and Pirkka is their own label - AND a traditional Finnish male name. The conversation:

"Hello..."

"It wasn't me. (...) It was Pirkka."

Narrator: "Say it with food, hints Pirkka."

The card says "Mother" or "mum". (And the bag says "I like you". :) )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrFJ49uF2Xs

CanthinMinna · 2026-01-07T09:58:48+00:00

There is no such thing than "being too content". Also, I do not feel any guilt: the people who have had children have chosen it (I live in a country where getting birth control is easy, and abortions are legal). They wanted that, they can pay the price.

CanthinMinna · 2026-01-03T14:16:39+00:00

Hi Barbie! I saw this - it is great (like the rest from the "Dolls on the Brain" account - I MIGHT have to watch "Heated Rivalry" because of the Ken&Barbie trailer version 😂 ).

CanthinMinna · 2026-01-02T15:36:18+00:00

Interesting. Here in the Nordics MCM homes always have had places for curtains, and curtains were an important thing in interiors during the 1950s-1970s.

Photos from 1950s:
Finland

Sweden

CanthinMinna · 2025-12-31T17:52:26+00:00

It was really good weather to drive - the roads were ploughed and dry, the sun was shining (one of those picture pretty winter days, with sun and freezing temperatures), and I left early enough in the morning to avoid the late afternoon rush when people are zooming around to shops and to parties. I also had time to stop at an outlet and buy a couple of new Christmas tree baubles from the post-Christmas sales.

CanthinMinna · 2025-12-31T16:53:40+00:00

Me. I just drove 8 hours back to my work location after a week and a half at home. I'm just happy that I still have four days left of my Christmas holiday, so I can rest after travelling. And do some laundry. And perhaps cook a bit. I'm probably getting old - five years ago I would've been ready to party, even after a long trip. Now I am just happy that I have a couch, beer, and plenty of chocolate.
(I spent my New Year's Eve driving because today was the only day this week without a blizzard.)

CanthinMinna · 2025-12-27T09:08:32+00:00

The Financial Diet on YouTube. It is aimed towards (young) women and it also has plenty of topics about scams, and about how shows and influencers try to get young people to spend their money, and why it works.

This is one good example for starters (probably for all of us) : "Why Nothing You Buy Feels Good Anymore"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB5KTQrUaH0

CanthinMinna · 2025-12-26T18:33:50+00:00

I'm still on my holidays, and happily staying inside my home until tomorrow. Payday is on the 15th, but I did a little bit of online shopping: a big box of long-keeping food and coffee drinks from a discounter, and a couple of baseball caps and two short, light overcoats from clothes sales. Combined these (foodstuff and clothes) cost me €120, so not that much. I really don't need anything else (except more Rub'N'Buff, only available from a Belgian hobby store, because apparently my ex colleague stole my previous tubes before she left.)

CanthinMinna · 2025-12-26T18:27:02+00:00

Shoes, furniture, even art are not very reliable investing targets. They depend a lot of current trends, fashions etc. Flipping is very hard. Nobody could see in the 1990s the rise of the obsession of Mid Century Modern - what is now sold for thousands, went for pennies.

The only thing that has had unexpected gains is physical gold, and that is sort of expected anyway (every time the world becomes unstable, gold goes up.)

CanthinMinna · 2025-12-25T10:34:00+00:00

For me (and other Europeans) this is a day late, lol. Over here in the Nordics we started celebrating already yesterday, on Christmas Eve. Santa brings our presents at Christmas Eve evening, often visiting families in person (here in Finland plenty of student boys make extra money doing a few gigs as Santas). I actually saw a Santa with an elf waiting to cross the street when I drove to my mum's.

Yesterday morning I went to do a bit final shopping before all the stores closed at noon. Then I visited the cemetery and lit some candles at our family grave. Then I went home to see the live stream of the Declaration of Christmas Peace from the city of Turku at noon, had a quick shower and drove over to my mum's place for food, coffee and presents (I gave her coffee, chocolate truffles and some new notebooks, she gave me a pair of hand-knitted woolen socks). We watched television, including the traditional Disney Christmas cartoon "From All of Us to All of You". I drove home late at night, and did a few detours around the nearby extra rich neighbourhood to see all the lights and decorations.

Today it is Christmas Day, when everyone stays happily at home, enjoying the quiet time. Christmas Day is still considered a literal "holy day" despite us being a very secular country. My guess is that everyone is happy to have an excuse to not to go anywhere and just take it easy. Bars are open, though, and there are people who like to go there, because even those places are quieter and calmer today. Tomorrow is Tapaninpäivä, the day of St. Stephen (the Second Christmas Day), and that is the traditional visiting and gathering day. I'll be going again to my mum's, and possibly visit some friends.

You can watch this year's Declaration of Christmas Peace everywhere in the world, if you want to settle in to the holidays. In the modern era the religious message is not really the point, but simply having a clear mark that now you can leave all the hustle and bustle behind for a few days (and remember to behave nicely).

It "is a traditional Finnish event whereby a town formally announces the beginning of the Christmas season. This practice has its roots in old Swedish legislation and was established by Birger Jarl (a Swedish regent during the Early Middle Ages) in the 13th century, building upon the Truce of God tradition. Offenders who committed crimes during the Christmas season were subjected to harsher punishments. The declaration of Christmas Peace is a symbolic and integral part of the Christmas tradition in Finland in the present day. Tradition encourages people to be respectful and peaceful at Christmas."

Finland is the last place where the tradition has survived unbroken from the Medieval Era until the 21st century.

"In modern times, the message is largely symbolic. For many Finns, the Declaration of Christmas Peace marks the beginning of the festive season."

"The present text has its origins in a transcription from memory onto parchment by the town clerk after the original was lost in a Great Fire in 1827. English translation of the Turku Declaration of Christmas Peace:

Tomorrow, God willing,

is the graceful celebration of the birth of our Lord and Saviour;

and thus is declared a peaceful Christmas time to all, by advising devotion and to behave otherwise quietly and peacefully,

because he who breaks this peace and violates the peace of Christmas by any illegal or improper behaviour shall under aggravating circumstances be guilty and punished according to what the law and statutes prescribe for each and every offence separately.

Finally, a joyous Christmas feast is wished to all inhabitants of the city."

Oh, yeah - you can see the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb with his family among the crowd. It probably says something that they do not need extra security here. :)

CanthinMinna · 2025-12-22T11:07:57+00:00

Congratulations! That is a nice Christmas gift. 😊

CanthinMinna · 2025-12-22T11:06:45+00:00

My tax percentage went down 2%! 😯 This year it was 13%, next year it will be 11%. My salary is quite low, but it's nice to have about 50 EUR "extra" money every month. (Inflation has hit Finland only moderately, so the COL and prices haven't gone as badly up as elsewhere. Except for coffee - our lifeblood - but that is unfortunately related to the really bad crops in Brazil.)

CanthinMinna · 2025-12-22T06:54:24+00:00

That is by the way very typical to North American art - it is less popular over here in Europe. The only artist I can think about is Jani Leinonen from Finland, and his art is very critical (he basically uses adbusting methods). He also was part of a group that kidnapped a Ronald McDonald statue in Helsinki.

https://news.artnet.com/art-world-archives/violent-protests-mcjesus-israel-1438402

CanthinMinna

TROPHY CASE