Hanging out on the beach with the Mythbusters

Mia Meri

After Los Angeles we headed out to San Francisco and were expecting a rather dull ride, but as you can see from the title, it was nothing of the sort.

Btw, I'm writing this on route 299 towards Eureka, CA, and we just passed a speed zone sign full of dents and holes as if someone had shot it with a shotgun. We've also seen one pickup truck with similar marks a few days ago. @.@

A small ice cream parlour we found from Arroyo Grande, CA, where I ate avocado ice cream. I would never have believed it, but it was delicious! (http://www.docburnsteins.com/)

Scenic route 101 from Los Angeles to San Francisco

Since we had decided to take it slow and to stop at anything interesting, the trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco took us three days. We also chose to ride the coastal freeway 101 with its scenic routes. The road was narrow and climbed the sides of mountains next to the Pacific ocean. The ride reminded me of the old classic Disney animation where Goofy and Donald Duck (and maybe Mickey Mouse) rode a similar road with an RV attached to it. The road is spectacular, but demanding as you need to have full concentration at all times with high speeds and narrow curves, narrow lanes all through, and oncoming trucks. There aren't many places to refuel so be sure to fill your tank before embarking on the trip. Restaurants are sparse and overpriced, and the toilets... well, it's better we not mention them.

Along the mountain road there isn't much to see in terms of attractions but the roadtrip itself is worth it all.

We learned just before Monterey Bay, CA, that it's not a good idea to go to the beach and lose your car keys. Luckily it wasn't us but two Korean girls we found in distress by the side of the road. We'd stopped there for a quick snack and after we cleaned the back seat from our wide collection of all sorts of snacks, we picked them up and gave them a ride to Monterey where their friends were living. They asked us to drop them off at any hotel, which we did but felt worried afterwards if they'd found their friends. To our great relief we ran into them the next day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and they told us another friend of theirs had driven their spare keys to them all the way from LA and everything was well with them now. What great news! :)

Taken somewhere along or very close to Highway 101 between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The sun is setting down and its last beams are lighting the valley below.

Highway 101. On the left and somewhere far below is the Pacific ocean. On the right, the American continent. In front: a cloud trying to climb up the mountain wall.

Ventura Beach and Mythbusters

Our very first event after leaving LA was an unplanned stop at Ventura Beach. We were both peckish and needed a break from driving so when we saw a sign for tacos we just had to make a stop. On our way to the parking hall I noticed something going on at the beach and dragged Joonas to the site. There was some huge fish covered with a white tarp and a television crew and a huge crowd. Having no idea what we were seeing I asked one nice mom what was going on. She could only say it was some show for Discovery airing a few weeks later for a Shark Week on the channel. Then I noticed some person carrying a Mythbusters sign and looked at the people in front of the white mass and recognized Kari with her red hair and green shirt, then Tory and finally Grant.

It turned out they had built a huge motorized shark and tested if it could crush a sailboat with its jaws. We missed if this was some real life shark living now or some ancient species which used to live in the past before humans. But huge it was, dubbed "Sharkzilla" for a reason! We stayed there on the beach for a couple of hours watching them film and at one point moved behind the set and worked as extras, yelling whenever we were told to. They took quite many takes on us and it was surprising how embarrassed Kari, Tory, and Grant seemed in front of a cheering crowd.

When they started to prepare the shark for the showdown we took off for delicious fish burritos at the nearby pier. We could follow the preparations from the pier and when we returned to the scene they were just starting to crush things. Removing the shark's inflatable head, they revealed the shark's jaws (no idea if it was real or a copy) and were placing various objects in its jaws and testing how much pressure they could hold. Unfortunately we had to leave the set just when they were about to put the sailboat between its jaws because the sun was setting fast and we still had two hours to drive to get to our motel.

If you want to try to spot us from TV we were right behind and between two kids sitting on their father's shoulders.
*****

What's all this commotion? Something white and big and it looks like there is a huge fish underneath, and people are gathering around, and there's a film group.

It's the Mythbusters! *screams* Now standing behind the shark - it looks better in TV.

The shark has been revealed! It's HUGE! Kari is excited and so are we! SHARK! This is also about when my camera broke. From now on all of my photos are focused by hand. I suspect some sand has gotten in the objective.

Wow that's a huge shark. And its jaws are motorized so it can open and close its mouth and wave its head.

When we left to eat we saw there were ads like this all over the pier. Sharkzilla! :D

Thank you, Beach House Tacos. Without your tempting sign we would have missed the Mythbusters. And the fish tortillas were yummy, too.

The scene from the pier.

After dinner we got back just when they started to shoot the good stuff - the breaking stuff apart part! They had removed the head from the shark revealing its jaws. Kari standing in the middle in green shirt. On her right side Grant and on her left some person we didn't recognize but he seemed to be some kind of a shark expert. Left from him and behind that black screen is Tory.

Spoiler: Yes, it can crush them like a piece of straw. Quelle surprise!

Elephant seals

The next day we rode along 101 by the coast looking for elephant seals. They are located near the Piedras Blancas Light Station. Even though no exact address is given, if you follow the coast and the road you are bound to find them. There are clear signs by the road.

The viewing point for the elephant seals is kept by the Friends of the Elephant Seals organization and there was a very kind volunteer present to answer any questions the public might have about these charming creatures. The view point is a part of the coastline with a sandy beach where the elephant seals come regularly to get rid of their winter coat, to mate and to give birth to cubs. At the time we were there, in early June, they were shedding the winter coats and just sunbathing and quarreling about the best spots to lie down.

The elephant seals are extremely charming fellows! They have a long, wide trunk which they seem to have no control over. The elephant seals seem to be more designed for water and their movement on the beach seemed slow and laborious but as soon as they got into an argument they shot like a bullet after each other. There was a warning sign stating the elephant seals could move much faster than it appeared and a stern warning NOT to cross the reeling separating the beach from the walkway, but there are always those who have to test it themselves and end up in the hospital. Unless I'd seen them quarrel I would have never thought they could do anything fast. Most of the times the animals just lied there on the beach, their trunks burried deep in the sand and looking back at us humans. Sometimes they'd move further up the beach holding their heads high before growing tired and letting their head down and plowing the sand with their trunks for a few extra pushes forward, then dropping there to snort sand out from their trunks. I mean, what style! If lived there I'd be sure to volunteer to work with these animals.

If you can't travel to see them live, the second best option is to use the live web cameras provided by the Friends of Elephant Seals, which can be found here: http://www.elephantseal.org/livecam.htm (they show recording during nighttime).
*****

Elephant seals lying on the beach. These four seals were closer to the viewing point, but if you look carefully you can see more lying closer to the water and further away.

What a life! They just lie on the beach, sunbathe and sometimes throw sand on themselves.

Look at that cutie on the right. I could recognize her from the web camera later. It kept looking back at us humans. What a charmer! Joonas, if it follows me home can I keep it? (Finding out later on how their smaller cousins smell like, that would be a "no". -Joonas)

Chipmunks or some type of squirrels lived near the elephant seals, knowing people would feed them despite the signs telling them not to do so. Also present were one very brave crow and a group of pelicans or "pelikaanijengi" as we called them.

Ok, I will. <3 (An image from the Friends of the Elephant Seal prochure.)

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey Bay Aquarium is the largest aquarium on the west coast US and highly appraised. The building itself is a bit confusing since it's an old sardine cannery, but once you find yourself to the first site you'll be ok. The place is huge and the fish tanks are unbelievably colourful, rich in life and well thought out. In the latest tanks they have also given thought to the appearance of the exhibitions and those look just amazing. There is for example one round room where a group of small fishes (sardines?) swim around you in a never ending circle. And in another tank you see herrings (or something alike) swim across the window against a clear blue background. It's all very impressive allowing the visitor to really see the animals move without any disturbance.

The aquarium has, of course, a vast collection of fish in different tanks for viewing but they also have tanks where you can touch the animals. The tanks had low water and mostly just sea stars, slugs, and sea plants but also a few crabs and shellfish. I was so horrified about the animals in the tanks, especially the crab since it reminded me of a spider, which I'm afraid of. The shellfish were attached onto a rock really hard and if you tried to move one, you ended up moving the whole rock and the rest of the shellfish. There were a few huge shellfish, though, which were placed inside a separate container in the tank, because they all are hemophiliac, meaning they will bleed to death if cut, so just as a precausion they were kept separate from everyone else. They had huge shells and they had little protruding tentacle like things coming out of their sides, which they used to feel their surroundings. When you put your finger next to it, all the closeby tentacles started to reach for you as it was trying to figure out if it liked you or not. Given some seaweed leaves it pulled them immediately inside its shell and started eating them. The star fish were surprisingly hard even though they seem to comform to the shape of their surroundings completely. Their skin felt rock-hard with a little velvety "fur" here and there. There was one seaslug, a yellow and orange thing which felt totally different, though. It was soft yet tense at the same time. Like a roll of raw dough still in need of kneading. The animals didn't really seem to care about us humans petting them gently, but I did feel a bit sorry for the two crabs there. When I finally found the courage to touch one, it kneeled a bit to get away from my touch. And when I gave its friend a gentle push I noticed the crabs were incredibly light compared to their size. So fascinating.

The Aquarium also had penguins. During the feeding the penguins ate, pooped and the staff members told us about taking care of the penguins. The audience was given a chance to ask questions about the animals. There were also sea otters, who for some reason were not fit to be returned to the wild and thus were given residence at the aquarium. Some of the sea otters also participated in foster mom programs helping wild otter babies survive. There were five or four sea otters and they all had to be taught a few basic tricks like coming when called, allowing caretakers to touch them and staying out of the staff room. Since each sea otter had to eat a lot each day (was it a fifth of their own weight) the feedings were used to train them while telling the audience about these animals. The sea otters were so pretty with their fur looking silver-like in the sun. Cute animals and much larger than I expected.

The aquarium wasn't just a place to see animals. The aquarium does also lot of work to educate people and the nearby businesses about nature and its preservation. Many of the restaurants on the pier advertised if their menu was approved by the Monterey Bay Aquarium as being safe for nature. They also educated people to choose nature friendly food and make sure their cars, for example, are in shape as not to pollute sea, for example by leaking oil. Also the aquarium had wild animals (local birds and those sea otters, for example) to be released once they got healthy enough. When I learned how much work the aquarium does to educate people I felt the entry fee of $30 was worth it, as part of it was used for the good of nature.
****

WOW! Giant octopus!

Joonas making the first touch, gently poking a starfish.

That's a fish and it lives inside a bottle in one of the tanks. Amazing!

There were two major exhibitions there, one about jellies and another about seahorses. The most amazing part of the place was how the exhibition was presented. Just look at this. It really wasn't this dark, but it was really cool and easy to look at the jellies when they swam against a blue background. Isn't it amazing!

The jelly above told a joke so bad all the ther jellies just keeled over and died.

I almost wet myself when the arm suddenly appeared to one of the tanks. The fed the jellies by spraying food directly to them. I suppose these are not dangerous then.

More jellies.

It looks like this photo is upside down but it isn't. Even more jellies.

The only seahorse photo that looks good. They were so small I found it hard to focus on them by hand. But isn't it amazing? There were many more animals there, but because I couldn't use flash and had to focus manually none of the other photos came out good enough to publish. But we saw giant seaturtles, hammerhead sharks, tuna fishes, stingrays and many other amazing animals and plants.

This picture is taken from the Monterey pier. Notice there are seals lying on top of the buoys. Also in the photo a man who just "sailed" there standing on a surfing board and apparently rowed his way.

Bigfoot Discovery Museum

In the middle of nowhere, inland from Santa Cruz, in a (very) small town called Felton there is a small Bigfoot Discovery Museum. In case you don't know, Bigfoot or Sasquatch is a human-like creature said to live on the west coast redwood forests of USA and Canada. There is no solid evidence of their existence except for a few videos, photographs and footprints, and stories from people who say have run into the bigfoot.

To be honest, I originally thought of this museum as a bit of a joke - something weird enough to visit but not to be taken seriously. Bigfoots are like UFOs/ETs. Some say they have met them but the evidence is scarce and disputed and I suppose the majority of people think those people are at least a bit crazy. I'm in that majority.

Well, the thing is, after visiting the museum I'm not so sure about it anymore. Ok, there were two videos, which have not been proven to be fakes, and maybe they are, maybe they aren't. I don't know since I haven't studied the subject. There were also plaster casts of bigfoot footprints and all sorts of studies about the bigfoots and theories of what they could be (apes? Neanderthals? Something else?) and a small collection of pop culture references to the bigfoot. None of those things matter to me. What really made me think was the fact that the museum keeper seemed like a normal, sane, quite intelligent man.

There was a woman with her son inside when we came in and we heard the museum keeper tell them about how he had met the big foot in his youth. I didn't hear this very well, but I think it was when he was still a young boy, camping with his family. When they were cooking food he suddenly noticed a hairy man looking at him in the woods. When he told his parents they got scared it was some hobo, but the museum keeper was sure the hairy man was no human, but a bigfoot, on account of its size and naked, hairy appearance. First he kept the whole thing a secret and told about it to no-one, since he was afraid of people's reaction. Then when he finally did tell about the meeting openly and opened his museum he got calls from all over the region from people who claimed they'd seen the bigfoot. Even he was surprised at how "reliable" the people were who claimed to have seen the bigfoot. Some were park rangers and other people who worked in the forest. He had a local map on the wall where he pinned all the sightings and then went there to investigate for possible signs like pieces of hair or footprints. The map had many pins on it and on the other wall there was another map with bigfoot sightings from a larger area. It seems the large redwood forests are the most common places for bigfoot sightings. (We promise to keep our eyes open when we drive there.)

The museum keeper also told us about one person who had befriended a bigfoot. One night he had heard weird noises from under his home and in the morning he found some items which he thought were left there by a bigfoot. When he discussed it with his friends they came up with an idea he should leave in turn something for the bigfoot and so the exchange of gifts began. The museum keeper told us the native Americans have also stories of exchanging objects with big hairy men.

It really doesn't matter what the stories are, or if the evidence is worthwhile. Having driven in the redwood forests, seeing how huge and vast areas they are - and that's just what I've seen from our car window - I suppose there could live a few bigfoot in secret. It's just like with the UFOs. Do you remember that Griffith Observatory wall photo of the space and its millions of suns and galaxies? I would be an idiot to say there was no extraterrestial life there somewhere (it's a whole another question if I believe they are exactly like the UFO witnesses tell they are) and just like that, it's really not my place to tell a man who claims he has seen a bigfoot that he's lying. I really have no proof to say the opposite and the forests are so vast.

In any case, I hope him all the best of luck in his cause of finding more about the bigfoot. As for the nerds and geeks out there, would I recommend this place for them? If you want to know about the bigfoot or want to tell him about your meeting with them, go ahead. As for others, the place was really small and for a museum it had a very limited collection for casual visitors. The place is more of a bigfoot research center than a museum. So hence only...
***, but I hope you visit the place anyway and leave him a donation.

Outside of the Bigfoot Discovery Museum.

Bigfoot spotted!

Mia looking at alleged bigfoot footprints.

Here's the map of the larger area with reported bigfoot sightings. (click to see larger image) The highway 101 we've been following runs right next to coastline and through the redwood forests where the bigfoot live.

That's all for today. On Sunday I'll tell you about San Francisco.

Hyvää juhannusta!
-Mia & Joonas

***
Previous parts of the diary: 17.6.2012: Los Angeles
About the trip in Finnish can be found here.

***
edit: not the Atlantic but the Pacific ocean. *fail*

Nörttitytöt ampumaradalla

Nina Niskanen, Mia Meri & Henna Teitto

Mia ja Henna keskittyvät

Eräänä toukokuisena lauantaina kerääntyi tiettyyn Helsingin Albertinkadulla sijaitsevaan rakennukseen normaalia erikoisemman näköistä porukkaa. He olivat saapuneet sinne kokeilemaan käsiaseilla ammuskelua Helsinki Shooting Clubin henkilökunnan ohjauksella. Kyseessä oli yksityistilaisuus, johon osallistuvat saivat valita oman budjettinsa ja mukavuustasonsa mukaan asevalikoimasta kolme eri luokkaa; .22 kaliiberin aseet, 9mm aseet ja koko asevalikoima, johon kuului mm. Desert Eagle ja .500 kaliiberin Smith & Wesson revolveri.

Kolme nörttityttöä vaihtelevilla aseenkäyttökokemuksilla jakaa siis nyt mietteitään tuosta toukokuisesta päivästä.


Nina Niskanen


Aseenkäyttökokemus: Rajoittuu täysin vesipistooleihin ja First Person Shooter - peleihin.


Tämä koko tapahtuma taisi saada alkunsa siitä, että mä tajusin joku päivä etten ole koskaan ampunu oikeella aseella. Tämähän ei tietenkään Helsinkiläisessä toimistossa istuvalle ohjelmoijalle välttämättä olisi suurikaan ongelma, jos en harrastaisi kirjoittamista. Ja koska en koskaan oppinut kirjoittamaan sitä romantiikkaa, on ihan todennäköistä, että hahmoni joskus tarvitsevat aseita. Utelias kun olen, ryhdyin sitten selvittämään miten sitä pääsisi kokeilemaan. Sopivasti googlettamalla "ampuminen Helsinki" löytyikin ensimmäisten joukossa HSC:n ensikertalaisille tarkoitettu esittelykierros. Ja koska joukossa on voimaa ja kaveripiiriin kuuluu ihanan erikoisia persoonallisuuksia lähdin ensimmäisenä kyselemään oliko muita kiinnostuneita. Ja niitähän löytyi. 


Ampuminen oli mulle, ja puheista päätellen myös monille muille joukostamme, kaiken kaikkiaan monin tavoin yllättävä kokemus. Noir-kirjoja teininä ahmineena odotukset aseiden potkimisen suhteen oli väännetty aivan liian pitkälle kaakkoon. Aasiin verrattavissa aseista olivat korkeintaan jokaiselle Clint-fanille tuttu Magnum .44 sekä jytymmät Desert Eagle ja Smith & Wesson .500 revolveri. 

Nina kuuntelee korvasuojista huolimatta

Meteliä niissä kylläkin riitti kaikissa. Paljon enemmän kuin osasin odottaa. Yllättävintä oli, että jostain syystä kavereiden aseet kuulostivat kova-äänisemmiltä. Tämä huolimatta siitä, että niitä ammuttiin kauempana omista korvista kuin omaa asetta. Ampumisen aiheuttama lämpötilanmuutos piippuun tuli myös yllätyksenä. Ampumamme viisi ammusta/kierros eivät juurikaan vaikuttaneet piipun lämpötilaan, joka suureksi riemukseni tuhoaa täysin uskottavuuden muuten ihan viihdyttävän Shoot 'em Upin inhokkikohtaukselta (ei sillä, että ko elokuva olisi muutenkaan kovin realistinen). 


Ammuin lähes koko asevalikoimalla, ottaen jokaisella kierroksella eri aseen. Tuli kokeiltua kaikenlaista 9mm pistooleista tuohon aiemmin mainittuun .44 Magnumiin. Mukana oli myös pieni noir-leffoista tuttu tyttörevolveri. Omiin suosikkeihin jäi pysyvästi Jericho 941 pistooli, joka jostain syystä sopi omaan käteeni  parhaiten ja sen huomasi selkeästi myös maalitaulusta. Tyttörevolveri oli todella ikävä ampua, koska siitä oli jopa minun pienellä kädelläni vaikeaa saada kunnollisen tuntuista otetta. 


Kaikkein eniten yllätti kuitenkin oma reaktioni aseisiin. Ampuminen tuntui jännityksestä huolimatta jotenkin häiritsevän luonnolliselta. Olin jatkuvasti kyllä tietoinen, että nyt on sitten itsellä ja jotakuinkin kaikilla ympärilläni kädessä esineet, joiden väärinkäyttö johtaa vakaviin vammoihin ja jopa kuolemaan. Havaitsin kuitenkin pelkääväni ainoastaan suurempia revolvereita (.44 Magnum ja .500 S&W).  Ja niistäkin ainoastaan jälkimmäinen sai vakavissaan harkitsemaan perääntymistä. Tiedä sitten mitä se kertoo minusta.


Viimeiseksi täytyy vielä kehua HSC:n ohjaajia. Jo ensimmäisestä yhteydenotosta miehet olivat ystävällisiä, asiantuntevia ja kaikin tavoin ammattimaisia. Paikan päällä sama käytös jatkui ja he onnistuivatkin taitavasti vähentämään jännittyneimpienkin osallistujien hermostumista. Kuin huomaamatta he myös jatkuvasti varmistivat, että vahinkoja tai väärinkäytöksiä ei aseiden kanssa tapahtuisi. Loppujen lopuksi molemmat ohjaajat osoittautuivat sangen mukaviksi ihmisiksi... joilla on ilmeisesti ase jatkuvasti kannossa. 


Mia Meri

Asevalikoiman revolverit ja muut erikoisaseet

Aseenkäyttökokemus: Vaihto-oppilasvuotenani Alaskassa 1993-94 aloin harrastaa pienoiskiväärillä kilpa-ampumista kouluni "iltapäiväkerhossa". Voitin osavaltion mestaruuden, mikä on uskomatonta, koska en ollut koskaan aiemmin koskenutkaan aseeseen. Suomeen palattuani harjoittelin hetken aikaa, mutta harjoituksiin meni kuusi tuntia matkoineen, joten lopetin. Olen halunnut jatkaa ampumaharrastusta siitä lähtien. Käsiaseella en ollut koskaan ampunut.


Kun Nina kyseli Facebookissa ampumisesta kiinnostuneiden perään, olin heti haukkana mukana, sillä olen kaivannut ampumista siitä lähtien kun lopetin sen 1990-luvun puolivälissä. Minulle pienoiskiväärillä ampuminen oli aina lähes meditatiivinen kokemus jossa kaikki elämän murheet ja stressit unohtuivat pariksi tunniksi. Ehkä teinivuosien angsteissa rauhoittumistauko teki hyvää, sillä rakastan edelleen ruudin ja aseöljyn tuoksua.


Tosiaan, tarkkusammunnassa ei sovi hoppuilla vaan se vaatii täydellistä keskittymistä ja rahoittumista. Oma rituaalini meni siten, että puin ensimmäiseksi nahkatakkini ylleni (nahkatakki tukee ja auttaa pitämään asennon), kävin hakemassa hiuslenkin kaapistani toiselta puolelta koulua, palasin ruokasaliin, missä ampumaratamme sijaitsi, laitoin suojalasit ja kuulosuojaimet paikoilleen. Sen jälkeen nostin aseen paikoilleen ja pujotin käteni asetta tukevan lenkin ympärille. Ranteeni poksuvat nykyään, koska pingotin aseen hihnan niin tiukasti ranteeseeni, mutta se oli tarpeen, jotta ase pysyy varmasti paikoillaan. Otettuani ampuma-asennon nostin aseen hartiaani vasten, latasin siihen luodin ja nojasin poskeni aseen puiseen perään. Tässä vaiheessa aseöljyn tuoksu tunkee nenään pyöreänä, hieman makeana ja rauhoittavana. Tähdätessä koko maailma kutistuu mustaksi pisteeksi maalitaulussa ja kaikki muu katoaa. Kun tähtäys on valmis on aika poistaa viimeisetkin häiriöt. Pidätä hengitystä. Laske sydämenlyönnit. Ammu. Laukaus pitää onnistua sijoittamaan sydämenlyöntien väliin, sillä ase heilahtaa aina sydämen lyödessä. Hengitystä voi pidättää enintään kolmen tai neljän sydämenlyönnin ajan, sillä sen jälkeen sydän alkaa lyödä nopeampaa ja keho täristä eikä ampuminen enää onnistu ennen kuin keho on rauhoittunut. Parasta irtautumista maailmasta, siis.

Asevalikoiman ysimilliset

En oikein tiennyt mitä odotin käsiaseella ampumiselta, mutta huomasin jännittäväni tilannetta ihan villisti. Tavallaan pelkäsin kuinka pahasti aseen rekyyli tuntuisi kun se ei enää ohjautuisi hartiaan vaan suoraan käsiin. Lisäksi mahdollisuus päästä ampumaan pitkästä aikaan jännitti kauheasti.


Ensimmäinen positiivinen yllätys oli se, miten mukavia Helsinki Shooting Clubin kouluttajat olivat. Olin pelännyt körmyjä, asehulluja punaniskoja, mutta molemmat kouluttajat olivat rentoja, täyspäisiä ja harvinaisen luotettavan oloisia. Aseiden kanssa toimiessa turvallisuus on ensisijaisen tärkeää, sillä aseilla saa ihmisiä hengiltä yrittämättäkin. Olen itsekin ampunut kerran vahingossa tajuamatta mitä oikeastaan tapahtui, mutta onneksi ammuin vain lattiaan, olin harjoituksissa ja ase tietysti kohti maalitauluja. Olin juuri nostamassa sitä tähdätäkseni kun ase yhtäkkiä laukesi. Siksi olin hyvin tyytyväinen siihen, että asekoulutuksessamme kiinnitettiin erityisesti huolta turvallisuuteen ja kouluttajat olivat koko ajan haukkana vahtimassa miten pidimme aseita ja mihin niiden piiput osoittivat vaikka ne olivat (oletettavasti) tyhjiä. Olo pätevien kouluttajien keskellä oli hyvin turvallinen.


Mitä itse ampumiseen tuli, niin siinä kaikki odotukseni menivät ihan pieleen. Kyllähän se pienoiskiväärikin potkii, mutta saman kaliiperin käsiase - jep, se potkii. Varsinkin kun ammuin yhtään isommilla aseilla aloin ihan oikeasti pelätä, että ase lipeää otteestani ja etteivät voimani riitä sen pitämiseen. Aivan lopuksi, kun ammuimme vielä Desert Eaglellä ja .500 Smith & Wessonilla, toinen kouluttajista tuli onneksi avuksi pitämään asetta, sillä ne olisivat kyllä lentäneet kaaressa.

Toinen yllätys oli se, että pelästyin aseen rekyyliä ja toisten aseiden ääniä niin pahasti. Pienimmillä aseilla sain pidettyä hermoni kasassa, mutta jo asteen suuremmilla aseilla jouduin pitämään taukoa, että sain käsieni tärinän haltuun. Lisäksi sain stressihien pintaan sellaista vauhtia, että turvalasini menivät jo parista luodista ihan huuruun, joten jouduin "ripustamaan" ne ilmaan kuulosuojainten sangan avulla, jotta ilmanvaihto lasieni sisällä pelasi. Ja jännä ilmiö oli sekin, että kun naapurissa ammuttiin isoilla kaliipereilla, säpsähdin aina kyseisten aseiden ääntä kun luulin sen tulevan omasta aseestani, jolla olin ampumassa. Välillä tunsin kasvoillani jopa pienen paineaallon naapurin aseen lauetessa.

Vaikka olin selvästi ihan jännän lähteillä ampuessa ja adrenaliinia veressä oli pienen armeijan tarpeisiin, aion ehdottomasti jatkaa ampumista, sillä se ei varmasti jännitä enää yhtä paljon seuraavalla kerralla kun tietää mitä tuleman pitää. Voin myös kertoa, että zombie-apokalypsin tullessa minut kannattaa jättää katolle sniputtamaan, koska käsiaseella olin ihan susihuono yhtä kilpa-asetta lukuunottamata. Laitan sen kyllä täysin jännityksen piikkiin. Ja lopuksi pakko mainostaa, että täällä USA:ssa Joonas, joka muuten oli loistava ampuja ja ensikertalainen, ja minä olemme menossa ampumaradalle ja toivottavasti pääsen demoamaan pienoiskivääritaitojani siellä.



Henna Teitto


Aseenkäyttökokemus: Pikkuveljen impukalla leikkiminen ja tuttavien muovikuula-aseiden ihastelu.

Vammoittakaan ei selvitty

Jo useamman vuoden ajan olen ollut kateellinen miesten polttareista. Lähinnä siitä, että niissä tehdään usein jotain siistiä, kuten mennään ampumaan. Kateuteni lisäksi olen potenut huonoa omatuntoa joka ainoan kerran, kun silmäni osuvat How To Survive Zombie Apocalypse-kirjaan. Olen hävettävän huonosti valmistautunut zombien hyökkäyksen varalta. Minulla ei ole hakkua eikä sorkkarautaa, enkä osaa edes käsitellä asetta!


Kunnes eräänä päivänä pari kuukautta sitten juttelin Ninan kanssa Twitterissä ja paljastin haluni oppia zombien ampumisen jalon taidon. Nina kertoi suunnitteilla olevasta "opintoretkestä" ampumaradalle ja kysyi, haluaisinko tulla mukaan. Voi pojat halusinko! Innosta pomppien ilmoittauduin mukaan.


Ratapäivänä intoni oli selkeästi muuttunut jännitykseksi. En ollut koskaan ampunut ilmakivääriä kummemmalla aseella. HSC:n pojat aloittivat perehdyttämällä meitä siihen, miten aseita tulee käsitellä ja miten radalla toimitaan. Perehdytystä seuratessa jännittämisen lisäksi alkoi jopa hieman pelottaa. Onko liian myöhäistä perua?!


Perehdytyksen aikana radat oli valmisteltu meitä varten. Ensimmäinen kierros meni hieman paniikinomaisesti räiskiessä. Jaoin radan toisen osallistujan kanssa. Meidän taulumme oli asetettu päällekkäin ja minua ohjestettiin ampumaan alempaan tauluun. Tuo ohjeistus tosin meni minulta hieman ohi korvatulppien ja kuulosuojaimien ansiosta ja aloitin ensimmäisen kierrokseni ampumalla ylempään tauluun! Kun olin ampunut viimeisen luodin, laskenut aseen alas ja hengähtänyt, tajusin että nyt meni ihan vikaan. Pahoittelut siitä! Sen jälkeen tähtäilin kovasti omaan tauluuni, vaikkei ne osumat ihan sinne tainneet kaikki mennäkään. Tähtääminen oli minulle se vaikein osuus. Käytän silmälaseja hajataiton takia, enkä oikein osannut päättää kumpi silmä toimisi paremmin tähtäyksessä. Parin ei-niin-onnistuneen kierroksen jälkeen toinen ohjaajista neuvoi ottamaan silmälasit pois, jos se helpottaisi asiaa. Joten ammuskelin muutaman kierroksen ilman silmälaseja, mutta ei sillä oikein tuntunut olevan vaikutusta. Kunnes viimeiselle kierrokselle laitoin rillit takaisin päähän ja johan osui paremmin.

Innokasta jonottelua ennen ensimmäistä kierrosta.

Aloitimme .22 kaliiberisilla pistooleilla, joilla ammuimme muutaman kierroksen. Sen jälkeen pääsimme kokeilemaan järeämpiä aseita. Itse halusin vielä enemmän varmuutta, joten jatkoin .22 kaliiberisilla, kunnes sain kerättyä tarpeeksi rohkeutta siirtyä 9millisiin. Ensimmäiset laukaukset 9millisillä aiheuttivat pieniä säikkypomppuja. Vaikkeivat ne nyt niin kamalasti potkaisseet, niin silti kädet heilahtivat niin reippaasti, että en osannut yhtään arvata osuinko tauluun vai en. 9mm aseista ehdin kokeilla vain kolmea. Nimimuistini on surkea, mutta sen osaan sanoa, että yksi niistä oli samanlainen ase, jota nykyinen James Bond käyttää. Sitä oli ihan mukava käyttää, jos nyt niin voi aseesta sanoa. Harmi, että aika tuntui loppuvan kesken! Olisin mielelläni kokeillut muitakin 9mm paukuttimia. Rohkeuteni ei taitaisi riittää jykevämpiin aseisiin kuitenkaan. Vaikka olivathan ne aika siistin näköisiä.


Kaikenkaikkiaan kokemus oli positiivinen, jännityksestä ja pelosta huolimatta. Ensikosketus käsiaseisiin ei jättänyt mitään kammoa. Itseasiassa kiinnostaisi mennä uudestaan. Mitään mestariampujaa minusta ei todellakaan tullut. Mutta ehkä harjoituksen kanssa tähtäyskin paranisi. Zombie apocalypsen varalta pitänee kuitenkin investoida siihen hakkuun, varmuuden vuoksi.

Nörttityttö roolipelaa

Minna Heimola

Tässä artikkelissa käsittelen yksinomaan pöytäroolipelaamista, eli pöydän ääressä tapahtumaa pelaamista, johon usein (joskaan eivät aina) kuuluvat hahmolomakkeet, nopat ja pelimaailmaailmaa ja/tai pelin sääntöjä esittelevät kirjat, mutta jossa ei pukeuduta hahmon vaatteisiin kuten liveroolipeleissä. Yksi pelaajista on pelinjohtaja, joka kuvailee pelimaailmaa ja viime kädessä ratkaisee, mitä pelissä tapahtuu; muut pelaavat kukin omaa hahmoaan.

Roolipelaamisesta on netti pullollaan erilaisia esittelyjä ja kuvauksia, niin roolipelaamisesta yleensä kuin yksittäisistä peleistä. Yleiskuvaus siitä, mitä roolipelaaminen on, löytyy esimerkiksi Alter Ego ry:n sivuilta. Pelejä, pelinjohtajia ja pelaajia on monenlaisia; pelit voivat sijoittua fantasiamaailmaan, menneisyyteen tai tulevaisuuteen. Tässä jutussa keskityn kuitenkin omiin kokemuksiini, ja painopiste on nimenomaan teemassa nörttityttö roolipelaa - miten ehkä sukupuoleni on näkynyt suunnittelemissani peleissä ja niiden teemoissa. Puhun ensisijaisesti nimenomaan pelinjohtajana, sillä viime vuosina olen huomattavasti enemmän vetänyt pelejä kuin pelannut niissä. Tarkoitukseni ei ole stereotypisoida muita naisia, vaan puhun jatkossa lähinnä itsestäni, vähäisemmässä määrin peleissäni olleista (nais)pelaajista.

Väkivalta ja sen seuraukset

Pinkki noppa sivustolta
http://4iphonewallpapers.com/  

Kun pelissä on naisia, niin keskitytään enemmän ihmissuhteiden pelaamiseen kuin taistelemiseen. Tämä stereotypia pitää paikkaansa ainakin omissa peleissäni, vaikka tietysti on vaikea sanoa, mikä merkitys on sukupuolella ja mikä henkilökohtaisilla preferensseillä. Toki peleissäni, genrestä riippuen, on myös taisteluita, ja noppiakin yleensä heitetään. Silti taistelumanööverien yksityiskohtaiset kuvailut ovat minusta yleensä aika tylsiä, enkä niihin yleensä kulutakaan merkittäviä määriä aikaa tai luovuutta. Sääntöjärjestelmien yksityiskohtien kahlaaminenkaan ei ole minulle koskaan ollut roolipeleissä pääasiassa, ja mieluummin vain heitän noppaa ja siitä päättelen seuraukset sumealla logiikalla kuin käytän kesken pelisession puoli tuntia sääntökirjaa lukien.

Peleissäni taisteluissa ovat tärkeintä niiden seuraukset: tärkeämpää kuin se, kuinka paljon kukin sai pisteissä mitattua vauriota, on se, mitä väkivallasta seuraa. Haavoittuiko joku pelaajahahmoista, ja miten se vaikuttaa hänen toimintaansa jatkossa? Kuoliko taistelussa joku, ja mitä seurauksia - henkisiä, sosiaalisia, juridisia - sillä on? Joutuiko joku mukaan taisteluun vasten parempaa tietoaan, vakaumustaan, tai toisen hahmon tekemisten seurauksena, ja mitä siitä seuraa?

Tapoja ja komediaa

Pelini eivät ole kuitenkaan mitään pelkkää synkkyyttä moraalisten ongelmien parissa, pikemminkin päinvastoin. Historialliset ja vaihtoehtohistorialliset pelini ovat usein genreltään paljolti tapakomediaa: erilaisten kulttuurien kohtaaminen johtaa herkullisiin ja huvittaviin väärinkäsityksiin ja absurdeihin selkkauksiin. Edellä mainitut väkivallan seurauksetkin voivat poikia absurdia huumoria, kuten juuri viimeisimmässä pelissäni. Yksi pelaajahahmoista, brittiläisen imperiumin tiedustelupalvelun upseeri, oli junaryöstöyrityksen yhteydessä saanut ampumahaavan hartiaansa, ja toinen hahmo, porukan lääkäri, oli määrännyt hänet tiiviiseen vuodelepoon. Haavoittunut sankari oli kuitenkin luonteeltaan helposti tylsistyvä ja lisäksi kova naistenmies, joten hän salaa karkasi heti, kun muiden silmä vältti, läheiseen baariin olutta juomaan ja naisseuraa iskemään. Muut pelaajahahmot sitten perään huolissaan siitä, ettei haavoittunut kaveri joudu vaikeuksiin tai puolikuntoisena tappeluun, tai muuten paljastu (hahmot halusivat pitää matalaa profiilia, sillä kaksoisagentit olivat heidän jäljillään).

Muutenkin olen ottanut peleihini sekä tiedostaen että tiedostamatta vaikutteita romanttisen komedian genrestä ihmissuhdesotkuineen, väärinkäsityksineen ja tungettelevine sukulaisineen. Näin roolipelaamista voikin pitää erittäin tyttömäisenä harrastuksena, siinä missä romanttisen komedian genren elokuviakin :)

Sukupuolet ja seksuaalisuudet

Macho Women with Guns - yleensä
peleissämme näkyy kuitenkin enemmän
ns. tavallisia naisia :) Kuvan lähde
http://images.geeknative.com

Pelieni pelaajissa on usein ollut naisia puolet, tai jopa kaikki, kuten parhaillaan pyörivässä agenttiseikkailupelissäni. Näin on itsestäänselvää, että myös hahmoista monet ovat naisia, ja peleissä on hyvinkin erilaisia naishahmoja. Kun pelaajat ovat itsekin joko naisia tai aikuisia naisten kanssa säännöllisesti pelaavia miehiä, naishahmot ovat yleensä realistisia tai ainakin pelimaailmaan nähden kohtuullisen uskottavia; minibikineihin pukeutuvia miestennielijä-amatsoneja ei juuri näy. (Sitten on kyllä erikseen peli nimeltä Macho Women with Guns, jos haluaa päästä revittelemään noilla stereotyypeillä...)

Useimmille tuntemilleni roolipelaaville naisille on myös kohtuullisen luontevaa pelata mieshahmoa, jos pelimaailma sitä vaatii, tai muuten vain vaihtelun vuoksi. Pöytäpelaaminen tarjoaa aina mahdollisuuksia kokeilla monenlaisia hahmoja, kun pelaajan ulkoinen olemus tms. ei aseta rajoja samalla tavoin kuin liveroolipeleissä. Kun ihmissuhteet ovat peleissäni usein keskeinen teema, ja siihen liittyvät myös romanttiset ja eroottiset suhteet, niin säännöllisesti pelaajat pelaavat myös hahmoja, joiden seksuaalinen suuntautuminen on heidän omastaan poikkeava. Seksuaaliseen tai sukupuoliseen vähemmistöön kuuluvan hahmon pelaaminen pelimaailmassa, jossa suhtautuminen poikkeavuuksiin on meidän maailmaamme huomattavasti jyrkempi, voi olla avartavaa ja tuoda peliin mielenkiintoista lisämaustetta, kun hahmoryhmä yrittää suhtautua poikkeavaan toveriinsa, jonka taipumukset mahdollisesti johtavat tämän vaikeuksiin. Näin kävi muun muassa taannoisessa pelissäni, jossa yksi hahmoista oli biseksuaali hermafrodiitti; muiden hahmojen mielestä tämä oli aivan ok, mutta syrjäisemmillä ja takapajuisemmilla seuduilla muut hahmot joutuivat jatkuvasti suojelemaan tätä ennakkoluuloisempien paikallisten vihalta.

Loppusanat

Tässä kirjoituksessani olen tietoisesti käsitellyt pelejäni hyvin yleisellä tasolla. Niitä, jotka harrastavat roolipelejä, saattaa kuitenkin kiinnostaa, mitä pelejä me sitten pelaamme. Itse pidän eniten peleistä, joissa nykypäivään tai historiaan on mausteeksi lisätty yliluonnollisia elementtejä tai joku muu twisti; suosikkipelejäni ovatkin Cthulhu, World of Darkness -pelit (etenkin Werewolf, Mage ja Changeling) sekä erilaiset omat kyhäelmät, kuten parhaillaan käynnissä oleva steampunk-teknologioilla maustettu viktoriaaniseen aikaan sijoittuva peli, jossa pelaajat pelaavat agentteja. Scifi-pelejä pelaan vain harvoin, mutta poikkeus vahvistaa säännön: yksi suosikkejani on GURPS Vorkosigan. Paitsi että se perustuu kirjoihin, joita rakastan (niistä ehkä joskus toiste tässä blogissa), niin siinä on pääelementtinä juuri erilaisten kulttuurien kohtaaminen, joka tarjoaa erittäin hedelmällisiä mahdollisuuksia herkullisiin väärinkäsityksiin ja sekaannuksiin. Nämä ovat pelaamisen suola. 

LA baby! \,,,/,

Mia Meri

Two weeks ago I told you about my travel plans to United States west coast with my husband Joonas and here were are. I arrived in US on Thursday June 7 and met Joonas at the airport.

Quick tips on cars and driving in US

For our trip we needed a car and decided to rent it via a travel agency from Finland since it was considerably cheaper than renting one directly from a car rental company in the US. We got our brand new car for six weeks for one thousand Euro from Finland, including all necessary insurances - compared to the over two thousand US Dollars it would have cost us straight from the rental company, plus we still would have needed those insurances.

Also an indispensable help has been the GPS we bought for only 60 € compared to the 500 € it would have cost to rent with the car. Remember to purchase one with lane instructions, since the highways often have multiple lanes and on a high speed highway it's hard to follow all the signs and try to survive the traffic at the same time.

And yes, the traffic is horrible and the roads are bad! Of course it depends on where you drive and when, but it seems none of the highways are lit - something you learn to appreciate once you have to drive in heavy traffic at 100 km/h on way too narrow lanes. Also in Los Angeles it's very common to see cars with dents on them and I don't wonder why. The cars drive at close distance and side by side at high speed, changing lanes randomly and mostly without signaling. It was on our second day we witnessed a car crash in front of us. During daytime, driving is much safer since you can see around and there are huge traffic jams so you are not driving at a heart wrenching speed.

During daytime the traffic in LA is tense, but since there are constant traffic jams the speeds are OK. Still people don't seem to know how to use lights before changing lanes, which makes the experience quite horrible.

Traffic during night in La is utterly terrifying. No lights, high speeds and people still don't know how to operate their cars. But on a more positive note, after you leave the city the rest of the country feels like Sunday driving.

LA downtown during sunset. The sun sets fast. The important signs for drivers are lost somewhere amidst huge advertisements.

Quick tips on motels in US

So far we have booked our hotels just two days in advance but as it's vacation season it's not always easy to find a reasonably priced place to stay. From our experience so far you can get a good place to sleep for c. 60 € per night. And by good I mean no bugs, own toilet, own bed and a parking slot for the car. So far all the motels have filled that criteria and much more. Many offer breakfast (usually just white bread, cereal, coffee, tea, juice and muffins) and many have a small fridge in the room, and free internet. Quite fast we learned to buy some yoghurt, smoothies, and fruit to take to the breakfast room.

Best place to reserve a room is via internet. We have compared prices between Hotels.com, eBookers.com, and other big companies to find the best offers. Before reserving the room it's always good to do some background checking via TripAdvisor.com and check out how people like the place. It's a great way to find hidden jewels and also warning signs like a bad neighbourhood or bugs, which can really ruin your stay. Remember to bring ear plugs! The soundproofing in lower states is not very good since it never gets very cold and thus you can hear traffic through your door. Oh, and remember to write reviews to Trip Advisor after your stay.

Our first motel, Best Western Eagle Rock Inn, was superb and they even offered bacon and sausages for breakfast. Om nom nom! That black car in the back is ours.

Los Angeles

Even though I'm writing this from San Francisco I'm going to tell you only about Los Angeles since it's such a huge city. And remember, we'll be returning here just before going back home and then we're planning on visiting Disneyland, Universal Studios and La Brea Tar Pits.

Museum of Jurassic Technology

I had no idea what to expect from this place. The museum's internet pages left us with more questions than answers and the Wikipedia's explanation of this place being a "metamuseum" didn't help. If you have ever read H.P. Lovecraft or played pen and paper roleplaying games, you must visit this place. And if you haven't, leave all your preconceptions behind and step in. To tell you about the museum would spoil it, but let's just say it this way. If an investigator from any of the Cthulhu mythos stories would make a museum, this would be it. It's filled with objects on the borderline of fact and fiction. And just like in the Call of Cthulhu RPG I rolled sanity dice a couple of times during my visit and at one point felt really sick from the smells, sounds and objects. Thank god, at the end of the exhibition upstairs there is a safe haven where you can relax and recover from the actual museum. A definite must see place!
*****

Photographing inside the museum was forbidden so you have to see it yourself or Google for pictures and be even more puzzled at what you are watching.

Ennis house

I knew Ennis house only from the movie Blade Runner, which I'm a huge fan of, but never mind if you have seen the movie or not, the building is _amazing_! Frank Lloyd Wright designed the house for his friends and there are a few other houses made in the same style, but the Ennis house is considered the best example. For many years the house has stood empty and it was on sale for over a year until some billionaire decided to buy it at half the original asking price. The sales deal included an option that whoever bought the house had to keep it available for audiences for twelve days a year, so in the future the house or at least its premises should be open for access. But today the building is under renovation. When we visited the place the building's exterior showed extensive damage and cracked building blocks, and the garden was growing wild. Still the building was amazing. I gasped when I saw it peeking from behind other buildings and couldn't wait to see it in full. The style is imitating old Mayan style, sometimes called Mayan Revival architecture. Reading about the building's past, we found out the building has been used also in some Buffy episodes as a hiding place for Spike and Drusilla, and in the fake soap opera in Twin Peaks.

Open letter to Ennis house owner: Dear Madam/Sir, I love your house and you are my new idol! Please, when you have finished the renovation, please could you invite me over. I promise to write your name in Hieroglyphics for you as my gratitude for the invitation. Sincerely, Mia. P.S. You can contact me through Nörttitytöt.
*****

Wow! <3

Santa Monica pier

Trying to recover from jetlag we went to the Santa Monica pier, because it's such a laid back place and Joonas had spent some time there on his business trips and wanted to show the place to me. Well, it's a pier. A long one with an amusement park on it. It's huge and filled with all sorts of shacks selling stuff for tourists. There was a man willing to carve your name on a grain of rice. That's quite cool, but where to put it and how to display it? What if you accidently vacuum it or boil it?

As a nerdy field tripper, be sure to check out the arcade. It doesn't have the latest games, but as arcades are getting rarer and rarer, it's worth a look.

Even though the place is worth a visit and the place is very relaxed, on a level of nerdiness and must-see-iness it gets only...
**

After we got back we noticed we didn't take even one photo of the pier itself. Doh! Well, here's the beach. It was a hot but windy day and there were signs saying swimming was forbidden for the day, hence no swimmers evident except people playing with the waves crashing in.

We got all excited but this place is not real. Booo!

Abandoned Zoo & Griffith Park

In 1960s the Los Angeles Zoo moved to its current location, leaving behind its old buildings and animal cages. The internet claimed not many people know of the abandoned zoo's existence, but it's actually located in the most popular Griffith Park - though at the very furthest end of it, so not many people find their way there. Still, there were many groups celebrating birthdays and maybe a wedding in the area next to the largest animal cages, where the lions used to live (or that's what I heard a passer-by saying). Further in the back there were other smaller animal cages and a half collapsed zoo-keeper's house which missed its back wall. It smelled of human excrement and there were some blankets on the floor, where some homeles person must have slept.

In fact, we were a bit worried we'd have to go through bushes to find the zoo and would end up robbed and stepping on an old used needle somewhere, but the place felt very safe. I wouldn't want to be there after dark since it's so far from anything else. But in day time there were other groups of people there climbing on and in the old cages and taking pictures. And I saw not one needle there, or any litter for that matter, except in that one building.

After it was abandoned the zoo has got new residents. We saw a squirrel, many different kinds of birds, a cute lizard and some critters. Oh and about a million flies which totally fell in love with me. Other than that a nice place to visit. I wish we would have remembered to buy some picnic food since this would have been a great place to eat them. Then again, on our small detour to get some drinks we found a hundred year old, adorable merry-go-round from the park where (some) children and (especially) old ladies rode again and again.
****


What it's all about.

An old animal cage from the inside.

Joonas standing at the doorway of one abandoned animal cage. The cages were really small.

A wedding (?) at the old lion cages.

Lion cage and a man belonging to the wedding troupe.

Joonas walking toward the abandoned zookeeper's building. On his left, the backs of the old lion cages.

"Joonas, you better take that photo [beep] fast!" Mia and about a million flies.

Mia walking in an old animal enclosure. There was a waterfall built in there.

The built-in water wall system.

Current inhabitant of the zoo: a cute lizard.

Griffith Observatory

We went here just for curiosity's sake and for the view over the city, but this turned out to be a true jewel. First, not only the view, but you can also see the Hollywood sign from there. Second, this is the same observatory where James Dean's Rebel Without a Cause was shot, as well as many other films. Third, the place is an absolutely wonderful spot to learn about space, and also to understand how insignificant and miniscule we are in the universe in all aspects.

The background of the place is quite interesting. Millionaire Giffith J. Griffith lived in L.A., acquired a lot of land, and gave it to the city, hence the name Griffith Park. Well, Griffith got a change to look through a telescope one night and he was so bewildered by what he saw, he decided to build an observatory so everyone could see what he saw and be changed like him. The Griffith Observatory was for a long time the most advanced place to study stars and now works as both an observatory and a museum. Its publicly accessible telescope is the most viewed telescope in the world. A few years ago the observatory was closed for renovation and an expansion, and in the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon theatre the man himself went through the history of the place and the huge renovation effort, giving a quick tour around the place. I must give it to Americans, they really know how to make "boring" things entertaining. The video offered many great moments where the whole audience laughed out loud and you just have to love Nimoy! He is a great character! <3

The best part of the observatorium is it allows you to experience the wonders of the space yourself. There are places where you can watch the sun live through lenses to see its flares, and a spot where you can see sunspots. I wish I would have been here when Venus crossed the sun just now. The most mindblowing part of the observatory is in the new area. The back wall is a photograph of the night sky, having millions of stars and galaxies in it. The trick is, that picture covers only the amount of the night sky you can cover with one finger held at arm's length. And to think that our own Milky Way is a relatively small galaxy and just in that region of space there are about a million galaxies visible to us. After seeing this place I would be an idiot to say ours is the only planet with life on it. Guys, we are not alone, we just haven't found the others yet.
*****

The Griffith Observatory.

A statue for James Dean in front of the observatory.Rebel Without a Cause was the movie which made the observatory famous to the large masses.

Joonas and Hollywood/Los Angeles.

Here is a finger. Now count all the small dots you see (the smallest ones are just some reflections from the surface). Each one of those is a galaxy like our Milky Way.

A step back. Hey, Joonas! You stand there...

Can you see Joonas still standing there in the middle? Behind him is the huge photograph (yes, the whole wall) taken from the night sky covering only a part of the sky you can cover with your finger held at arms length.

Haha! We just happened there when they turned it on manually. Cool!

Time Travel Mart

In Los Angeles there is a store called the Time Travel Mart where they sell stuff like mammoth chunks and ray guns. We went there hoping to find some silly items to decorate our home with, but unfortunately left the place empty handed. The idea behind this store is that its profits are used to encourage children to read more and to invoke children's imagination, and to get the money the 826 National organization has founded a few stores around US with varying themes. In LA it's time travel. Unfortunately the idea was not taken far enough and the store was bit disappointing. The only thing I was ready to buy was a King Tutankhamon's sarcophagus which had the most amazing King Tut action figure depicted on the box. Unfortunately the package only held the sarcophagus and not the action figure so I left the place empty handed.
Idea: ***** Execution: **

Whenever you are, we're already there. Time travelers...

Meltdown comics store

Joonas had been telling me about this place ever since his first visit to LA so it was a must visit for us. The Meltdown comics is a huge store which sells both the latest comics and some past issues, and also some comics from local artists and small press. The place has also a table for playing roleplaying games around it and a back room where they have gigs and other events for the local nerds. Definitely a cute place and if I'd live in LA I'd be a regular customer. They have very good selections of all the latest issues of superhero and other comics, a nice selection of old comics and a bit poorer of the collections - or at least on the very old Marvel comics that I was trying to find. Still we left the place with some comics we'd been trying to find with a smaller price tag than in Finland.
****

Meltdown comics from the outside.

Meltdown comics from the inside.

Food

Pink's

Famous hotdogs. When we got there the line was going around the building and it took us about one hour in line to get the hotdogs. I know, sounds really stupid to stand in line for just some hotdogs. Well, I'm not sure if it was worth the wait but the hotdogs were huge! While we were pondering on how much to order we heard a small, slender woman behind us say she was planning on ordering three hotdogs but because of the line she was going to have four. Folks, I don't know where her extra hotdog belly was located because we could hardly stuff two hotdogs ourselves. Try the chili, it's really good.
***

Joonas lining for food.

We thought we ordered just fries but it was a whole meal! *so full*

Umami burger

First day in LA, I'm suffering from jetlag, hungry, and at the mercy of Joonas's infamous navigational skills. Things were not looking good for me and a marital argument was just around the corner. Burning willpower we went searching for Umami burger, which seemed to have top reviews at TripAdvisor.com. We looked and looked but all we could see was some Fred Segal signs everywhere. Finally when we were ready to give up and I had used all my reserves of willpower to stay cool in the summer heat we decided to go in Fred Segal and ask for directions and - alas! - the Umami Burger was located in a shopping mall called Fred Segal and we walked straight in the restaurant. *facepalm* Well, exercise is important and it was a good way to see the city.
Anyway, the burgers were delicious. Their signature "Umami burger" has plenty of shiitake mushrooms - it's quirky, but packed with taste.

Oh, and one more thing. In TripAdvisor I noticed someone complaining about how expensive these burgers were saying they had the price of fine dining. Dear Finnish reader, my burger cost me $12/9 €, fries $3.5/3 €, Mexican Coca-Cola $3/2,5 € and a hand made luxurious piece of cake $4/3 €! Ok, so it was more expensive than McDonalds but about a thousand times better and healthier.
****

Waiting for food with a Mexican Coke. Tasted just like a normal one...

Next time already on Friday and then on Sunday I'll tell you about our drive to San Francisco and the city itself.

Hyvää kesää!
Mia & Joonas