Wednesday, January 14
Herttoniemi, 15:55
This morning Naa and Irma had early starts with arrival times they could not miss. Naa had an exam and Irma had a seminar. I stayed in bed until they left, by arrangement, so as not to crowd the kitchen and toilet. They left at 7:30 and I got up.
Sunshine was out and I waited for him to come back to prevent him staying out in freezing weather until night. By the time he came in for breakfast I had had an email exchange with Tomas and started reading ahead for tomorrow’s all-day workshop. I left for work about 9:15.
When I got to Arabia I decided to walk from the tram to the mall to get some salad ingredients for lunch. The road was like an ice rink. Just as I got to the mall a little old lady stopped me and asked me if I would walk her to the tram stop. I took her shopping, she held my hand, and off we went. Fifteen minutes later I re-entered the mall.
I had been having trouble finding a way of focusing the Social Gaming class that begins in two weeks, because it will now contain the technology students who have been slipped somehow under my wing. As soon as I arrived Jutta, with her new short hair, gave me just the idea I needed. Not only will it tie into some other courses rather neatly, it will also involve doing some experimental research for a Helsinki start-up that seems to be succeeding rapidly. Aspects of it should fit everyone enrolled in the course.
At midday I had a long tutorial session with one of the Innovation groups who were concerned that their idea would not work. I made a few suggestions, told them were to focus their efforts and told them it was a fine idea; which it was.
At 15:00 I had a thesis tutorial in which a student and I rethought his idea and turned it into a genuinely useful piece of proper empirical research with a clear client and wider implications. And it will involve using the underutilised eye-tracking equipment that Arcada possesses.
Now I am at Herttoniemi. I have just got out of the metro and I have to walk one hundred metres to Mari’s apartment for a quick Pixelache board meeting. We need to approve Petri’s contract and Mari is on mother leave with her one year old daughter. John and Ville will also be there, and Mikko will attempt to join us on Skype.
An hour later I will be at home with Sunshine, who will be happy to have some company. I will do some cleaning and then spend a long time playing with him.