Things don’t get any easier when you grow older and get wiser. They get expotentially complicated. This is my motto now, let’s see what the next decade brings.
JANUARY
I started the year in Rome. After nice holidays with Johanna, I welcomed my writer Pasi as my guest for one week in Circolo Scandinavo and we worked on a children’s opera proposal for a competition. I also got a stupid food intoxication and spent a lot of time in the toilet reading the autobiography of Ayaan Hirsi Ali. After quite stressful beginning during next weeks I had the great pleasure of making many new Roman friends, thanks to one song I translated years ago. Last fabulous days of Rome I spent with my sister who came from Dublin and my “Greek slave”. I also blogged my January very carefully (in Finnish), but that’s about when I stopped blogging and Facebook took over…
FEBRUARY
The cultural shock was obviously strong after so more than 2 months abroad but to make it a little bit softer we had the pleasure of having our French friend Florence as guest for one week which we mostly spent in Kerimäki. I tried to start participating a songwriters course in Sibelius Academy but soon discovered that it was not good for me. The best news was that I stopped taking Warfarine after my head was scanned for the last time. One artery remains permanently blocked, but Primaspan is enough to keep my blood running.
MARCH
This month didn’t leave many memories, back to my normal multitasking schizophrenic free lance life… In the end of the month I participated the first Tallinn Music Week and that gave some food for the thought but was also somehow disappointing. The best thing in Tallinn was to hook up with Simo, one of the few young friends in my life.
APRIL
Looking at my calendar I really don’t get it: where did that month go? Maybe I was depressed or what? Well, April is always the cruelest month. Jesus suffered, but why must we 
MAY
May was definitely more active month, but nothing significant progress on any field. Also there were some nice and particular singing gigs: our stable’s anniversary and the Friulan night of Dante Alighieri society of Helsinki. Three years of studying Russian finished for time being, no time to take it seriously enough. The last day of the month we quit for winter of Argentina…
JUNE
…and it was so great! Maybe the best and most relaxing holiday ever. We stayed in the previous apartment of my producer and lived just a normal and calm life. We celebrated my birthday in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. I sang 4 new cover versions and we got finally the promo photos taken. We also got the swine flu (hopefully) and survived it enough to return alive! Then after Midsummer, I went with my father to Bologna for the Cinema ritrovato -festival which was also super nice.
JULY
Then the Californians arrived, finally, Johanna’s au pair -family from San Mateo. We accomplished the “Amazing Race Baltic Sea” designed by me: Stockholm-Turku-Helsinki-Tallinn-St.Petersburg-Kerimäki-Helsinki in 2 weeks. Serious tourism!
AUGUST
I escaped to Patmos to visit Black Mike for 2 weeks. I really needed that holiday that because at arrival I was really exhausted and just slept couple of days. Then besides our usual lazy life we finally started writing a couple of songs and the film synopsis…
After my return there was one very dark day: the very same day, 25th August, my dearest living being, our little tiger Vilho died at the age of 17, also just before the freedom of speech died in Finland in the trial of Jussi Halla-aho. Of course, this case will still continue…
SEPTEMBER
Patmos and installing Logic Pro 9 really brought back me to the creative moods. First I finished a song started 7 years ago and then, inspired by Jussi Halla-aho’s blasphemy trial, I wrote a new political song. After a while I noticed that with some effort I can put together a fantastic album where to put all my political songs since 1994… That’s what I did!
OCTOBER
Nice and busy month. I did 3 morning shows on the folk music project radio Tradio, was singing in 2 concerts in the brand new Music Theatre Kapsäkki and also sang in the City Hall for the municipal psycologists! The last day of the month I helped my father to move inside YLE. Now our company has a tiny office, not bad after 13 years of operation!
NOVEMBER
Busy as Novembers usually are. I did video interviews of Kari Tapio and Umberto Marcato for Pomus. Then it was time for live concert recording of the Riisutut Roolit -production and releasing my album just before leaving to Italy. I spent my first week in Italy visiting old friends in Bologna, Pesaro and Pescocostanzo. A great week.
DECEMBER
Roma! Really like coming back home, because I got the second possibility to work as artist-in-residence in Circolo Scandinavo. Active yet quite serene month, but it passed so fast! Very peaceful and enjoyable Christmas time with our goddaughter and her father and the a funny new years eve with the fellow artist inmates! The best thing of course being, that I’m going back for January!
Petri’s Rewards 2009
Thanks to my dear wife again for reminding me of this valuable tradition of ours started two years ago…
Best book
I finished Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s Infidel. Everybody should read it. I don’t remember finishing anything else.
Best song
Was I listening some music this year? Yes. A lot more webradios and Spotify. That’s why there would be so many candidates for this category. I think the best song of the year is my own Salaliittolaulu. By far. It still keeps surprising me and doesn’t tire me but gives me energy.
Best album
Little bit the same here. Besides my own, there are so many good ones I listened. To mention one which I think I will be listening more: Manifesto abusivo by Samuele Bersani.
Best radio
I listened mostly Deezer webradios, Radio Italia, Spotify.
Best film
From the new Brüno, really. From the old, the restored version of Red shoes on the Piazza Maggiore of Bologna.
Best TV show
24 and Amazing race and surprisingly Diili, the Finnish version of Apprentice.
Best live show
Must say two: Yhden tähden revyy and Parasta ennen in Music Theatre Kapsäkki.
Worst moments
Losing our cat Vilho. Returning to Finland. Reading and listening Finnish news media.
Best moments
All the moments spent with my loved ones. Performing and making music.
Worst enemies
Dishonest and mean people.
Best friends
My wife and our animal companions. Period.
Best newcomers in my life
Stefano De Sando. The new Scandinavian housemates in Rome. Luv!
Best comeback in my life
Marco Fatali.
I will miss…
…Vilho like crazy. Fortunately he will always be with me.
Best waste of time
Facebook and Homma-foorumi.
Worst waste of time
People that steal my energy. Following any Finnish news media.
Best meal
Too many…
Best drink
Reserva San Juan in Argentina and almost any grappa in Italy.
Best new item
Finally we got a new TV monitor… The previous was from the Eighties… If software counts: Logic Pro 9.
