Neighbours

It is a good thing to know about your neighbours. I remember, that in many movies, the plot revolved around ordinary people (usually youngsters like myself) getting mixed up in all sorts of drug-dealing gun-slinging blood-gushing plots due to their neighbours whom they thought were ordinary people like themselves but turned out to be nothing of the sort.

I'm telling this, because, until recently, we always took the elevator. We live on the third floor, it's not a big deal, but we were so comfortable and pleased that the elevator worked (considering that it doesn't, back at the dorms in Cluj), that we decided to use. The odd part is, it's soooooooooooo slow, that we would be better off using the stairs. So, one time, I decided to actually do use the stairs. Now, everyone's name is written on the door. So when I walked passed one of my neighbours, and saw the name plate on the door, I froze.

Now, I remember thinking about the names in Frank Herbert's Dune, and it occured to me that Corino sounds Italian, Atreides sounds Greek, but I could never really put my finger on Harkonnen. I never thought it would be of Finnish origin. I know it's not the same, but it is damn similar. I should worry, having to live next to someone bearing the name of a javelin thrower (it's olympic javelin thrower... but it still implies sharp things).

Other people whose surname is/was Härkönen include:
- Anna-Leena Härkönen (b. 1965), Finnish writer
- Arto Härkönen (b. 1959), Finnish javelin thrower
- Esko Härkönen (1930–1992), Finnish member of parliament
- Jorma Härkönen (b. 1956), Finnish runner
- Kari Härkönen (b. 1959), Finnish cross country skier
- Kirsti Härkönen (1972–2003), Finnish human rights activist and saxophonist
- Paavo Härkönen, Finnish composer and artist