Mr. Pakarinen is off to the IIHF World Championship 2010 tournament in Cologne, Germany so I wanted to give you a heads-up about the fact that there will be hockey stuff here as well. Hope you enjoy it, even if you're not a big hockey fan. He usually keeps it pretty light, so let's hope he'll write mostly about things that are non-game related, because, really, those who care can just log on IIHF.com and see all his stuff and because - this is just my opinion - that stuff is so much more interesting.

Just a reminder, you can follow him on Twitter as well. (His latest tweet is also posted here, you'll see it in the left sidebar).

– Webmaster

OK, I can see now that several of Master Risto's wunderful texts have been snatched to other sites, so, this is what I'll do. I'll take that old RSS feed, and snap it into two pieces over my knee. Here's the Feedburner feed that - according to my long experience of googling stuff - should help.

You'll still get the texts to your client, but the rascals at the fake sites won't.

Thanks, amigos.

- Webmaster

Webmaster has been fired, for incompetence. His trick didn't work. Still, grab the feed here.

Now that hockey season is about to start (or has started), it's time to remind you of the different parts of the RistoPakarinen.com jungle.

For hockey, go to Puckarinen.

For fake news clippings, see Risto Twist-o.

And for every day musings, writing exercises, observations and personal notes, stay right here at Home.

The same applies for my many Twitter accounts:
@puckarinen for hockey
@ristotwisto for fake (and funny!) news
@finnjewel for the real Risto.

Thanks!

Webmaster.

You may have noticed that it's been a few days since Mr. Pakarinen updated this page, and let's be honest here - as we always are here at RPlog - his last real update here was almost two weeks ago. I see he's been posting some old columns here. Oh well.

But, in all fairness - and we're nothing if not fair around here - he hasn't been slacking off, no, no, sir. In fact, I just put in the last details on a new page Mr. Pakarinen has been working on the last few weeks. That's right, a new page.

It's got nothing to do with hockey, although, hockey may also come up in his work. What it is, is a collection of "news clippings" he's "found". That means he makes them up and thinks he's being funny.

"It's a little different kind of writing," says Mr. Pakarinen.

Is it different or "different"? I'm not saying I like all of his pieces, but I have laughed at some of them. Especially the one about the ... well, see for your self.

The Risto Twist-o at www.ristopakarinen.com/home/twisto/

Get a free lifetime subscription, while you're there. I know I did.

Hi guys, it's the webmaster. Risto asked me to post the following message.

Dear reader,

For years now, I have been busy blogging here at www.ristopakarinen.com, about different kinds of topics. Things that make me laugh, make me cry, make me go hmmm, and things that make me me.

Now, after several emails from you - and you know who you are, I hope so, anyway - pointing out that not everybody loves hockey I think I finally understand what you mean.

A reader from Italy put it this way:

"I love your blog. It's like that convenient store you always run to late at night when everything else is closed. The one friend that's going to surprise you with exotic illegally imported cans of olives that have writing in a language you've never heard of. That one neighborhood store that's also the post office, Ticketmaster pickup, and a bingo parlor."

That's when I realized something had gone awry with my blog.

And I'm nothing if not sensitive to my readers' wishes. Without you, there's no blog. Without a blog, there's no me. Without me, I'm nothing. I'd be like a one hand clapping in an empty hockey arena, or a slap shot into an empty net on an empty pond in eastern Finland. (Nobody lives there, you see).

So, I have decided to split my blogging between hockey and unhockey. I'll keep on blogging here at ristopakarinen.com/home, because home is where my blog is, but I will also launch a new blog at ristopakarinen.com/hockey because that's where the hockey writing will be.

The Puckarinen site is all about hockey. I'll post news, thoughts, my stories that have been published elsewhere, occasional podcasts, my Twitters, and other hockey musings.

Two sites for the price of one is a deal very few media outlets are willing to give you in these economic times. I hope you'll be twice as happy -- even, or maybe, especially, if you only visit one of them regularly.

See you here and there,
R

There you have it. Bookmark both pages.

-- webmaster

In two weeks, I'll be in Quebec City, getting ready for the World Championships, and I'll turn this blog into a World Championship blog for about three weeks.