Daily Slow Chat

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1. Reading through newspaper reports about the 1982 Rally of the 1000 Lakes, i.e. Rally Finland, there was a story about a French driver Jean-Paul Luc, who in the week prior to the rally was caught speeding in Jyväskylä, the city where the rally is hosted at. I already forgot what the exact speeds were, but it was something ridiculous like 130 km/h in a 40 km/h zone.

   It happened late at night, and in an interview to the media Jean-Paul Luc said he had just driven to Jyväskylä from Marseille, where I assume he lived, and was a little too eager to get to his hotel and go to bed. Instead, he was taken to the police station and detained there for the night. In the interview he said it was horrible, and that a foreign visitor would never be treated that way in France. He also said he’d never come to Finland again, although seemed to walk that statement back a little bit later.

   In the following days he was summoned to appear in court where they’d figure out his punishment. And this is the part I found super interesting. The judge thought that Luc’s driving skill, him being a rally driver and all, the good condition of the car he was driving, and the fact it was late at night were all mitigating factors. Imagine arguing in court that you shouldn’t be fined that much because you’re a good driver? Lmao. “Yeah but your honour, I am quite skilled behind the wheel, I am able to handle such speeds”, and then the judge is like “I understand, we’ll bring the fine down a little”. 

   Jean-Paul Luc did end up participating in the rally, but a later article mentioned that his Renault 5 Turbo had found itself in a ditch somewhere in Central-Finland and Luc had to retire from the event. I checked, and 1982 was in fact his last Rally Finland. Although it seems like he retired from the sport after that year anyway, so maybe him not returning to Finland had more to do with his retirement than the night spent at a Finnish jail. 

2. There is a very particular flu virus in the north of Germany that knocks me down every year like during the same months like clockwork. I havent been able to figure out what it is, but I hate it when it happens. Never happened to me when I was living in the south of Germany. One would think that after over 5 years in the North, I would have developed some immunity to it. But no, strikes me down everytime. Total death🫠. Anyway, at least the skies are blue again and we have some sunshine and good weather 😌 .

3. I hate taking the cat to the vet, and by now, the cat hates it as well. I ended up with a badly torn shirt and a scared and pissed cat who also peed in his carrier for good measure. It may be that he’ll need a tooth extraction or two 🥺 I am a bit worried. It is awful that there is no way of telling him this is necessary and nobody’s trying to kill him. Poor animal.

4. I’ve just bought a telescopic back scratcher and suddenly I feel itchy all over my body, fml

5. I learnt that today is the 25th anniversary of Daft Punk’s Discovery. For me it’s part of my 10/10 albums group, it’s just such a masterpiece. Probably the best dance album I’ve heard, probably the best European pop album I’ve heard. If not 1st in both categories, at least 2nd.

   I saw a clip the other day where Thomas Bangalter, one half of Daft Punk, joined Fred Again’s DJ set somewhere playing One More Time and the crowd was going mental. It’s really nice how beloved Daft Punk have become. I really think they’re one of the most influential pop acts ever.

6. My neighbor asked me if I want birch water. It seems like he put a tap into the trunk of a birch tree and extracted the water. He said it’s very healthy but he has way too much. It was in a bucket.

   I politely refused.

   Did you ever hear about something like this? Did I pass up an opportunity of a lifetime? I was a bit sceptical about the cleanliness of a bucket that’s been sitting outside with water in it for god knows how long, besides it didn’t sound very yummy.