Next year it’s going to be 50. Yikes. So from now on, I’m 38 years old until I die, OK?
It’s not that I’m afraid that I’m getting older. It’s what others see when you’re 50. You’re too old for a lot of things. Some see you as a failure because you don’t have a life they have. You know a job, a family, and those things.
But I don’t care. I just dodged a bullet. Not everyone wants a life like everyone else. You don’t need to ask anyone for permission, and you save money, too.
Birthdays haven’t been important for years, and they get less important. I have no one to celebrate it with, either. I never liked parties anyway. And I hate alcohol and people who drink too much. I don’t care about presents either. I have too much stuff anyway.
I already got a present.
FINLAND IS THE ICE HOCKEY WORLD CHAMPIONS 2026!
Socalm down, it’s my birthday. It’s just one step closer to death, as I put it.
I never went to concerts when I was a teenager in the 1990s, but I’ve been to some as an adult. I don’t have a favorite concert because they’re so different from each other. Different music genres. The concerts have been in Finland. I can’t afford to go abroad.
The first concert I was ever in was in 2017, when I saw Robbie Williams in Finland. I’ve been to several concerts since then.
I’ve seen Robbie Williams, twice. Toto, twice. Duran Duran, twice. Bryan Adams, twice.
Once with Kylie Minogue and Pet Shop Boys. And the Finnish rock band, The Rasmus.
Last year I was at 5 concerts, but only 2 this year. Those were Finnish artists, and they were on a cruise ship.
If I had to choose one concert I’ve loved the best, then it must be Duran Duran. They are my favorite band. In both concerts in Finland, I was close to the stage. The first one was in 2022. It was outside, and the weather was rainy and chilly. But it didn’t matter because it had been a long wait, 40 years since they were here. The concert was on my birthday (June 2), so it was even better.
The 2nd was last year (2025). It was one day after my birthday. That one was inside. It was a bit unfortunate for me because I slipped in my hotel room and had to go to the emergency room. I thought I would miss the concert because I had to wait for so long to get treated. I managed to get to the concert, but I only saw half of it. I was so uncomfortable that I couldn’t fully concentrate on the show. I was in the pit, so I could move around. I forgot my discomfort for a while because their music and presence are a good cure.
All the concerts I’ve been to have been great. But the best ones are the ones where you can see the band or artist as close as possible. Not too close because you see best a little further away.
Sometimes the sound is so loud that you hardly hear what song is being played. But you go for the atmosphere and seeing your favorite in real life. You fold experiences into your memory, and you remember them for a long time. If not in your mind, at least in the photos you take.
I prefer concerts to festivals. I’ve never been to a festival because there is always some band or artist I can’t stand. I would rather spend money on music I like than on something I don’t. So long live concerts.
I don’t belong to a book club. Never have. But I have been using Grammarly for 9 years. There’s a voyage of learning English. In Finland, we start to learn English in the 3rd or 4th grade. It depends on which school you go to or which year. It was in 1987 or 1988 when I learned English for the first time. I was at least 10 years old, so it’s a long time. I even got a diploma for my improved English. I’ve learned a lot since then.
In Finland, we have English-language subtitles for movies and TV shows, so we learn from them. English has almost become my 3rd language, besides Finnish and Swedish. I listen to English music and read English books. I don’t belong to a book club, but I do belong to a Grammarly club.
I’ve used the Pro version, but I had to cancel it for a while. But now I have it again. The Pro version gives so much more. It checks the spelling and grammar. It’s a good way to learn English. Grammarly is not only useful when writing this blog, but it also works on mobile (Android, iPhone, iPad), Windows, and Firefox. It’s really useful, and it has helped me a lot.
I didn’t realise I’d already been using Grammarly for 9 years. I could almost put it in my resume 🙂 I know more about English than I did 10 years ago. If I hadn’t learned English, this blog would not exist. Not other writing in English, for that matter. I only wish I could learn other languages as easily as this. Those lessons don’t stick in my head as well as English does. And I thought I was good at learning languages, but I guess it’s only English. So far, I’ve managed fine. My dad didn’t speak any language other than Finnish, so my mother and I were guides when we were abroad.
