Oh-oh

Had a fall-out tonight with a friend. Over a stupid thing. Like, well you said this, and I said that...and therefore...you know, stupid. Drunken? A bit. But that shouldn't stop you from being reasonable. Guess this time it did.

Ah well, you can't be friends with everybody I guess. And the true friends stay. Even if you're misbehaving sometimes. Which does happen with me :)

So thank you true friends. I know you'll always be there for me.

What happened?

Last week I got my summer clothes out, my sandals, and was sunbathing in bikini. Now we're back to friggin almost-as-cold-as-the-winter weather. And here was I looking forward to see smiling people lightly dressed, and lots and lots of outdoor cafes.

There is something not right this year. Spring/summer is delayed everywhere. Is there a conspiracy going on? Am seriously thinking of moving south...

Beef Tatar

Went to a fancy place this evening with a friend. She recommended that we had beef tatar on toast. Fine with me. I like it. She told me that they were kinda famous for it. That and their blinis.

So we ordered, got it, nicely served with some onion rings, eggs (cooked! I'm used to a raw one on top), cucumber etc. We took one bite, looked at each other. Took another bite, and then we both went like "No, I'm not eating this". Very, very salty.

If you pay CHF 28 for a friggin toast, you expect it to be perfect, right? So we sent it back. Turns out that the sous-chef had been making it (first time I think). We got served a new plate with less salty beef, but I still think they should've offered us something extra. They didn't.

Don't think I'll be going back there.

PS. Better stick to the tacky places. At least you know what you get for the price you pay :)

Study

Haven't had much feedback on my flat-ass study, and gotta admit I've been kinda slacking on it lately. The studying that is. Think the conclusion was that yes, it's a good thought, but there seem to be enough exceptions in order not to get a conclusive result.

My thoughts are still: I like a good ass :)...i.e. not a flat one.

Tiger

In my usual place there is a strange woman (not me, ok :) !). She's there all the time, but she doesn't do any harm (well in a way she does, when she insists on singing...I'm tone-deaf ok, and so is she). Anyway, last week she brought a tiger (not a real one, but half a meter long, guess she won it at a lottery or something). Kinda funny at the time. People noticed, invited it to dance, that kind of thing.

Was a bit less funny today when she was there again. And so was the tiger. For most people the joke was as they say in German "around the corner", meaning it was gone. It wasn't funny any more. Just sad. Especially since the manager told me that they put a condom on his tail (tail in German is "schwanz", which can mean both tail and the "little tail hanging (?) in front of a man", i.e. dick). That's when it gets to be not so funny any more, but tacky.

And believe me, tacky is the name of the game in this place :)

Respect

No, I'm not Ali G. But I do like respect. This evening going home, the African guy asked where I live (I know what you're thinking, but it wasn't like that). My place is on the way to his place. He just wanted to make sure that I wasn't uncomfortable with him knowing where I live. I am not.

He's a good guy, and I can spot them on a mile's distance. So we shared a taxi. He dropped me off, and continued. We have now also exchanged mobile numbers, and I do look forward to see him again. Mind you, in a friend-type-of-way. Just so that you know.

Convinced

OK, so if I wasn't convinced before about going out when you really don't think you should, I am now. This is what happened:

Went down to my usual place for a drink. Quite empty. Turns out it was some kind of football on the telly. How uninteresting.

Anyway, after a while two guys come in. One "in a good mood" = had a few. He addresses me in Swiss German, and my standard reply is: "I only understand high German" (well, to be honest with you, it is only my standard reply since about 3 weeks, used to be "I only speak English"). He then proceeds to talk to me with big lip movements, and in something that resembled high German. I responded "I am not dumb, just a foreigner", to which the other people around the table smiled at.

So he said: "Can I ask you a question?". Of course he could. He said: "Are you sad?" (may have something to do with that I didn't want to dance with him). I said no. I also asked if I could ask him a question. Yes. I said: "Are you drunk"?. He said no. Guess one of us lied :)

Had a good time. Eventually I decided to leave, in order to catch the last bus. Got out, then ran into Mr Africa (remember solitary confinement for 3 years?), who I hadn't seen for weeks. Had a beer with him. Such a nice guy.

So again, in Zürich you always run into people, some drunk, some interesting, some more than that. What can I say? I love this place.

Homework

Homework today consisted of writing a letter in German. Oh f...! I spent half an hour on writing something fairly simple (lots of looking up in dictionary-type of thing). Then did the mistake of calling a Swiss friend. Why do I never learn?

Anyway, almost another hour was spent on correcting the grammar, and re-writing the thing to make it sound German (trust me, there is nothing like a direct translation from English that works here!!). Ending up with a different letter altogether. Swiss attention to detail, remember?

In the end I have something that isn't remotely good in contents, but trust me, the friggin grammar is perfect!

And to top it all off, my printer caved in. Out of ink. And I don't even know how the get the thingies out of the printer, much less where to buy new ones. So had to write the f...... letter by hand. I feel like such a loser, and if the teacher don't like it, I'm just gonna drown myself (or hang on, drown my sorrows :)...better idea).

Carnival, festival etc...

It is amazing how clean this place is. There are lots of carnivals, festivals, parties in general going on here, and yet, the next day you cannot see it. Streets are clean again, no trash lying around, no empty bottles/cans, no nothing.

If there is one thing the Swiss are good at, it is cleaning. Do I need to mention that my cleaning man is Swiss :) ??

Semi-funny

A Welsh man buys several sheep, hoping to breed them for wool.

After several weeks, he notices that none of the sheep are getting pregnant, and phones a vet for help. The vet tells him that he should try artificial insemination.

The farmer doesn't have the slightest idea what this means but, not wanting to display his ignorance, only asks the vet how he will know when the sheep are pregnant. The vet tells him that they will stop standing around and instead will lie down and wallow in grass when they are pregnant.

The man hangs up and gives it some thought. He comes to the conclusion that artificial insemination means he has to impregnate the sheep himself.

So, he loads the sheep into his Land Rover, drives them out into the woods has sex with them all, brings them back, and goes to bed.

Next morning, he wakes and looks out at the sheep. Seeing that they are all still standing around, he deduces that the first try didn't take, and loads them in the Land Rover again. He drives them out to the woods, bangs each sheep twice for good measure, brings them back, and goes to bed exhausted. Next morning, he wakes to find the sheep still just standing round.

"Try again" he tells himself, and proceeds to load them up, and drive them out to the woods. He spends all day shagging the sheep and upon returning home, falls listlessly into bed. The next morning, he cannot even raise himself from the bed to look out of the window. He asks his wife to look, and tell him if the sheep are lying in the grass. "No," she says, "they're all in the Land Rover, and one of them is beeping the horn."

The worst joke ever

Heard it today. "How do you know god is not a woman? If she was, semen would taste like chocolate.". How lame is that?

I normally wouldn't post bad jokes on my blog, but this one is an example of what's not funny. Read and learn people :)

Boat

You know the feeling when you do not know whether you should go out / stay out or not. Well, I was kinda weary tonight. My friend had to leave. I wanted to stay in the sun (well, can you blame me? After 6 friggin months of no sun whatsoever). Anyway, I decided to stay in town. Having a beer. Watching people. Enjoy. So I did.

Before I knew it, it was time to get inside. Started raining. Met up with an acquaintance and we started to talk. Turns out he's a boat man. Which is extremely convenient. I have a boat, but don't know how to drive the thing.

So now I have a tel No and an email address. For a nice guy who wants to help.

PS. He has a sailing boat in a different lake. And is apparently very skilled in boating...what can I say? It sometimes pays off to stay out and speak to people.

Sächseläuten

Or whatever it is called here. I have seen about 5 different spellings of it. Probably because the Swiss do not have their own language, and therefore not their own spelling. Anyway, this is a piccie from this evening that my friend took.

We were there. It took 11 minutes for the thingie to burn and explode (when the head goes, it's over). Under 10 min means it's going to be a great summer. Last time (2 years ago) I saw it, it took 19 min and it was a shitty summer. I have great hopes for this one...

Smell

Our bodies "smell" or have an aroma by nature. Some people see it fit to use lots of perfume, after shave or the likes. Personally I think it kills the natural attraction. Something to do with endorphins or pheromones.

Can you think of something worse than being next to somebody who "stinks" of something unnatural? New sweat is more sexy than that! (As supposed to old sweat, which is disgusting).

Guess I'm a "natural", like things what they are. No artificial stuff for me, thanks.

Age difference

I love the fact that I have friends of all ages...ranging from 20 something to 80 something.

This blog item is for a friend of the family who turns 70 today. That's a very respectable age, and yet she still looks young. Good bod, good mind. A person who is still interested in life and people. And who should probably live in a more open-minded country.

So hurray x 4 and wish you a fantastic day! Look forward to see you in June!

Interesting

Just noticed that my first blog item about Look now got posted. Funny to see how you write kind of the same, but a little bit different. Just an observation. And I still think that if the blog tells you the posting failed, it should friggin fail and not post an hour later.

Would be so much easier if it worked all the time...

Rant about the Swiss

And I do it so well, don't I? Thing is, I love it here, but of course the Swiss are not perfect (just as no nationality is, least of all mine). The thing that struck me today was that the Swiss are soooo behind when it comes to trends, fashion, things that are in for the moment.

Perhaps that's why I like it so much. Artificial, not for me. Trends, not for me either. Fashion, certainly not for me.

The downside is that it takes a lot of time and effort to make friends here. But when you do, they stay on. Loyalty is big here. And that I like.

Religion

Not for me. But I know this guy who's apparently religious. Wouldn't say it's a show-stopper, but still a bit strange. When you do not share beliefs, can you still get along?

Think the answer is yes, but guess you have to agree to avoid the subject.

Personally I do not understand how you can believe in something that doesn't exist. I know, (hopefully) I am now getting lots of comments about air (yes it exists, but you cannot see it). And how can I be so sure that it doesn't exist?

Just am, OK? It's a shitty world, and if there were to be a god, she/he wouldn't let it. Simple as that.

To top it all off, I think that most people like the thought of having something bigger than themselves. Because most of the time we feel pretty small, and it helps to put hope/blame/wishes to somebody else.

Am I right or am I right?

Look

OK, so I will try to re-create my blog item about first impressions. What do you look at when you first meet a person? Butt, eyes, legs, breasts (women only, at least most of the times!), hands or what?

Difficult, isn't it? I think I look at the whole picture, or the most prominent features of the person. When you get to know somebody, it doesn't matter so much more, but of course first impression is important.

Especially now in the springtime (which finally has arrived). Lots of flesh shown...mmm ;)

Test

So again there are trouble posting...and I just read that google is doing fine on the stock market. Apparently there are not enough buyers using blogspot :(...because this isn't friggin working.

Look

What do you look at when you see someone from the opposite (or same) sex? Eyes, butt, breasts (women only, or at least most of the time :), legs, hands, hair or what?

Difficult isn't it? I think I look at the whole picture. Or the features that are good in that person. Of course it matters less when you get to know them, but first impression? Yeah, sure we look. All of us.

And especially now when spring has finally arrived...lots of flesh out there. Oh yeah :)

Sunday

So today's Sunday, and a day to go out. Tomorrow off, so why not? Three Monday's in a row off. First last Monday (Easter Monday), then tomorrow (Sechseläuten) and then the week after too (May 1). Excellent month, April.

Should be compulsory to have all Mondays off. Or at least have two Fridays every week :)

Belfast

Was in Belfast some time ago. These guys don't take prisoners:



Scary, isn't it?

Quirky

Apparently this is how quirky I am:

Your Quirk Factor: 43%

You're a pretty quirky person, but you're just normal enough to hide it. Congratulations - you've fooled other people into thinking you're just like them!

How Quirky Are You?

Absent friend

Tonight we'll be drinking a toast for an absent friend. Am meeting up with the class mates from the previous course I did for a drink or three. Well, not all of them since people seem to not be able to make a commitment for this little party. There will be 4 of us for sure, and 3-4 maybes.

Ah well, considering the people I know are coming, I'm sure it'll feel like a much bigger group :)...look forward!

Men in uniform

What is it with us women (well, me for one) when we see a man in uniform? I cannot help it, but my legs go all wobbly. Have a friend who is well aware of this "weakness" of mine, and he plays with me.

Today I got an email "I'll show up in combat uniform". Hmm. I know he's playing, and so am I to a certain extent...but still ;)...a man in uniform...oh yeah ;)

Piss - CHF 60

Earlier I was talking about piss off to telemarketers. Today I came across a character who took that literally. And believe me, I don't know the guy. Here is how it went:

Guy comes in (I was in my fav place), acts a bit drunken (not unusual in this place), places a note on the table for all to see. One look didn't reveal much, thought it was a parking ticket or something.

Further investigation showed CHF 60 to be paid. What for? Turns out the guy peed in public. On a street in Zürich.

Charming? Not. And he came from Graubünden (remember the place where you shoot first and ask questions later?). Lotsa mountains there. Perhaps they are used to pee in nature? Not much nature in Zürich though...maybe the asphalt should have given him a hint?

T-shirt

Was out a quickie tonight. Just to see some people, get some ideas. And boy, did I get them. Here is one:

Saw a t-shirt on a young guy: Software (arrow up), hardware (arrow down) on his chest. Gotta say, this is a hit with women (well, with me anyway). Not that I was interested in the guy himself (too young), but the message...whoa...

Funny and interesting at the same time. What more can you ask for?

Bonus

An added bonus when you have friends all over the world is that you can visit. Next on the agenda is a trip to Como in northern Italy in May. It is very convenient to get there from Zürich. You hop on the train, park your butt in the restaurant, order a cheese plate and a bottle of wine, and before you know it you're in Como.

Ah well, it's something like 4 hours, but the view is fantastic. Cruising through the Alpes, sipping a Chianti while nibbling cheese. Not a bad idea, huh?

Balcony

Talked my ex (the one with the green fingers) into coming to help me fix my balcony. At least to get the old stuff from last year out. Still a tad too cold to plant new things.

He talked me into making dinner. So who's winning here? Guess I am, have to eat anyway.

Spring is coming slowly but surely. Next Monday is holiday here, when the Swiss put fire to a man (not a real one, ok?) and then measure the time it takes to burn down. This is apparently an indication on how good the summer will be.

However, for most people it is just another reason to party :)...hurray!

Polite

Here everybody has to be so friggin polite all the time. A bit like in England really. A lot of pleases and thank you's (well, the German equivalents obviously) going on all the time.

Even when you want to tell somebody off, you should do it politely (like the friggin telemarketing people who always seem to call when I sleep or am busy elsewhere). Asked my German teacher today what piss off is in German. He couldn't tell me but gave me something like "please don't call me again". See what I mean?

Where I come from we seldom bother with these words, they kind of do not fit into my mother tongue. But think of the time we save! Guess that's why I'm considered to be rather direct :)

Lobster

This is the look I had yesterday after spending 3 hours in the sun on the bridge at Limmat (the river that flows through Zürich). In bikini! It was approx. 18-19°C but warm enough in the sun. Great!

The only little thing was that it seems that the bikini has shrunk since last year, not that the men around me seemed to mind ;)

Learning

Learning a new language is 90% motivation, 5% skill and 5% transpiration and swearing over stupid foreign grammatics.

Despite having none of the above, apart from the latter, I am actually enjoying the German class. Who knows? I might even end up speaking it one day?

Railway

The Swiss railway system has 253 million passengers per year. That is a lot considering that there are only 7,5 million inhabitants in this country. 95% of the trains arrive less than 5 min late. World record? Or perhaps Japan can compete?

On top of this come all the local buses, boats and trams. A lot of travelling going on here...

German

Remember the blog item about speaking German in bed? Well, actually my friends here in Switzerland think that's the funniest thing they ever heard. Everywhere I go now I hear: "achtung, ich komme`" and everybody laughs.

I didn't think it was that funny, but guess it doesn't take much for the Swiss... (and it's like an oxymoron...the German-speaking people with a sense of humour)...hahaha.

Matchmaking

I'm fairly good at this. One ended up in a relationship for 5 years. Two are still together after 5 years. Three are married and have kids. Four have just met but are apparently in love.

My reward? So far nothing. Makes me think, why do I do this? No clue.

And got myself a new project. A woman who meets the wrong men. Again, why do I bother? Guess I just care. So, shoot me but I cannot stop. Relationships, are there more interesting things in life? I don't think so.

Problem solved

You know the caller who phoned from the UK? Well, problem solved today. It wasn't a "scary caller", but a friend who got a new mobile number. So problem solved. Nice. I don't have to worry.

But another funny thing happened today. Somebody rang my door (intercom) and I asked who are you? He said something in German about music. I was like "hmmm" who are you again? Didn't let him in. Saw the guy leaving, nobody I knew. Weird.

-Ikons

No, I haven't gotten completely bananas, but -ikons are a regular feature here in Switzerland. And I know, they cannot even spell it properly. These are the -ikons I come across on a regular basis:

Wiedikon
Oerlikon
Opfikon
Bubikon
Effretikon
Pfäffikon
Bubikon
Zollikon
Uetikon
Ringlikon
Wetzikon
Uerikon
Zufikon
Zumikon
Rüschlikon

and if you're not confused enough there is also Dietikon and Dietlikon! And this is only in the neighbourhood of Zürich! Imagine the rest...

Interesting?

annika --
[noun]:

A person with a sixth sense for detecting the presence of goblins.

Hmm, interesting. Check yourself on: http://www.quizgalaxy.com/quiz.php?id=83

Happy Easter!

Stealing

Just read another blog. There is a funny item there that I'd like to share (I know the blog owner won't mind?). Here it is:

"astronomers using the merlin network of UK radio telescopes have identified a stream of alcohol gas that stretches for 463 million km.
it is in the constellation of cassiopeia, in a region where hot, young stars are forming.
i bet if we went there to visit, some germans would have put their towels down the night before."

Some people might think I have it in for ze Germans, but that's not true. They are people too. Aren't they :) ??

Repeat performance

Had a brilliant evening out yesterday again with old guy/new guy. The date didn't last 25 h, but that was only because I had to get up early for the German class (I'm telling you, there are about 100 things I'd rather do in the morning. Sleeping being one of them :).

Anyway, we had a really nice dinner in a place I haven't been before and then a delicious glass of wine in a "weinstube" (wine cellar type of place). After, we went dancing. Met some other friends, hooked up with them and ended up solving the worlds problems until fairly late. Sound familiar? Of course, but it was great.

These are the things that put a smile on my lips.

Lover boy - story cont'd

So happy to hear from Lover boy again. He had a tragic event in his family, and disappeared off the face of the earth for some time now. Was worried.

Today he rang, he'll be back in town on Saturday so I'll see him again. Actually, he'll be staying with me for a few days until he gets his act together and finds a flat. I'm happy to help out when I can.

And it'll be good to see him again...and in case you wonder, yes he is told about old guy/new guy ;)

Application

You know when you apply for something, like a club, a job, a competition or whatever and you get a response something like "we were very happy to see that you take an interest in our club, company, competition or whatever, but we regret to inform you..."...and then they go on to give you their website. But please do visit www...whatever.com.

S'cuse me. You fuck me over once, do you expect to lie down and be fucked over again? Not me, I tell you.

PS. Excuse my language, I was upset.

Radiation

Apparently I radiate positiveness. This is not necessarily how I'm feeling, so I'm thinking that I must be a very good actress. Perhaps I should go "Hollywood"??

At least there will be more money there than in my business. Or in any other business for that matter. All you have to do is to look good, and to be able to express feelings. How hard could that be? Ah, perhaps the goodlooking part would be a problem :) ?

Eating

Everybody who is anybody in the healthy world tells you that it is extremely important to eat regularly. Bollocks. Why? I eat when I am hungry. And when I'm not, I do not eat. Simple, isn't it?

Some days I cannot stop eating. Other days I am simply not hungry. What does this do to my body? I don't know. I just know that I want to eat when I'm hungry, and when I'm not, I do not eat. To me it sounds plain and simple. To you?

Not tonight Josephine

Got an sms with this message. Ignored it, since I am apparently uneducated and didn't get the joke. This refers to what Napoleon said to J. How was I supposed to know? Besides, not sure it's a joke (or maybe N had a headache :)

Fault

I am an expert in finding faults in people. OK, if you push me I have to admit in men. Like the one I'm dating now. Spoke to him this afternoon. Turns out he is already planning what he is going to do on Friday evening. I am not like that. I hardly know what I will be doing tomorrow (apart from the friggin German course i.e.)

Is this a show-stopper? A deal-breaker? No, I don't think just yet. And I am meeting him tomorrow, so let's keep this space open, shall we :) ??

Strange

It appears that not only I, but also a friend of mine is a freak magnet. This is her story:

"Sunday in the Jazz-Café. A man was putting two chairs together in a very laborious way at the table where I was sitting. He used one chair for himself, the other one for his jacket.

Now what did he look like? I’d say like Crocodile Dundee of Germany in retirement. A hat, the weather-beaten look, three pockets on his belt. One pocket for a knife and the others for his mobile phones. And a very big knife at that, which he obviously needed in order to capture the city crocodiles.

First he started to make the table more cozy for himself, so he put some wax figures on the table. Then he started talking to me. I tried to follow, but as it turned out it was not that easy. Because:
1. He switched from German into pseudo-Spanish or English and then back and forth.
2. He spoke to me as I should know all the names he mentioned or as I was travelling with him to all the places he was speaking about (and apparently had been to).
3. Within one sentence he switched between topics.

Other funny things he did: smoking pipe and cigarettes in parallel, disappearing for some minutes, coming back, sitting down, jumping up again, arranging the things on the table. He was not able to sit still for one second.

Suddenly he fetched a piece of wood and gave it to me. After a while he took it back again and started to carve a pattern, then gave it back to me. Other things he presented to me: a stone with a look of a potato and a plastic rose.

OK, then the band played the last song. Goodbye, have a good time, etc.


Epilogue:
Last Sunday, I met him again. He was with his girlfriend. This time not at the table I was sitting. But he still did the same strange things. This time I got a real rose. Another woman did too and his girlfriend got some more roses.

Don’t ask me where he has hidden them all the time, I suppose in his shirt. (or under his skirt, editors note :)

He then disappeared – this time for longer than he used to. He came back and you won’t believe what he gave to me: a complete Chinese dish set plus chop sticks. Some time later after he disappeared again, he came back with a dog. And so on and so on.

I’d say he is completely “off one’s trolley”, but it got me thinking about what might have happened to him in his life. And I think one reason is that he cannot come over that his children don’t want contact to him anymore. And apparently he feels very very sad about this, especially with his daughter. Last Sunday he said, maybe my daughter will come tonight. Of course she didn’t.

It’s a tragedy. This guy is really friendly, generous, cares about other people, but whatever happened to him, most people will not speak to him due to his strange behaviour."

Like I said, it's a good thing I'm not the only freak magnet around...

Posting problems - again...

Just posted an item, that I can see on "edit items", but not on the blog. Do "we" have a communication problem. Again?

Like said before, google is the if not provider so the co-something. Seems like you cannot trust anybody these days. What happened to quality as supposed to quantity?

A good deed

Actually two. Some time ago I found a plastic bag on the bus, the bag containing a wrapped present and a card (yeah, I peeked). Gave it to the driver, with the info that I found it on the bus. For all I know he might have taken it home, but at least I did my bit.

Today one of the pupils in class was told by one of the teachers that he is not interested enough, he has the "wrong attitude". I do not agree. This time, I happen to be on his side, not on the teachers. So, we went for a drink after class to discuss the situation. Hopefully, he'll feel a bit better now. Told him that if he quits, they will win. Told him to stay above the chemistry (or non-) with this teacher, and that he should be the bigger person.

Will it work? We'll see tomorrow if he shows up.

Super rich

Is a program about the super rich on telly. About their homes and lifestyle. I must say, with the risk of sounding jealous, it is a bit appalling how they live. When you think of all the starving in the world, and how many people lack clean water, they spend gazillions of dollars on property. They have many. And they are all super-big. And most of the time, they renovate, taking something beautiful down just in order to "make it theirs".

After all, you can only live in one house at the time, can't you? And just because they have enough money to support their own family, and most generations coming, they just cannot seem to stop working. Isn't that sad?

Teachers

The teachers on this course are quite disparate, even though both are professionals and skilled to do their job.

The woman of unclear origin, but mostly Swiss, is very very serious and gets a little bit irritated everytime we pupils cannot answer her questions. Which like you can imagine happen more often that it should.

The Swiss man (gay?) is loud, quite un-Swiss in the way that he is fairly extrovert, and leaves room for jokes. He has a lot of patience.

Guess which one we enjoy most?

Kiss-kiss-kiss

Here in Switzerland you kiss 3 times as a way of greeting, at least between woman-woman, woman-man, gayman-gayman. Haven't seen it happen between heteroman-heteroman, other than the latin men.

Met an American the other day. It was his first visit to Switzerland, and I told him about this greeting manoeuvre. He then asked the question about which side you start on. Hmmm, that got me thinking. I would say the right side, but maybe that's because I'm right-handed? I finally told him that he would have to look at the other person and be flexible.

Any thoughts?

25 h date

Probably the longest date I've been on. Lasted from 19.00 on Friday until 20.00 on Saturday. Date included: dinner, jazz club, bar, bar, yet another bar, music, dancing, talking, laughing, hmmm, walk along the lake, cafe, tapas and more.

Indeed a very pleasant time. Have a feeling it won't be the last date with this guy ;)

Survival

Managed to survive the first week in German class. Hurray, only three weeks to go!

Not that it's so bad, but this getting up early-early in the morning thingie is getting to me.

Am meeting up with a Swiss tonight (who actually does speak high German-ish), will give me a chance to practice. Yeah, right :)

Sleeping dictionary

This one's from the movies, I just cannot remember which one. You know, you sleep with somebody in order to learn a language. Only, who wants to speak German in bed??

Imagine "achtung, ich komme", not very romantic, is it? Or, "jawohl, schneller!". Makes you get off sex, I tell you ;)

A book

Don't judge a book by its cover. Was apparent today. Was out having a drink with the business nomads. You get a little paper sticker to show that you are part of the group, and then you just go ahead and talk to somebody with another sticker.

Great idea really. So got talking to this American man and his son who was visiting. A woman joined. Turned out she was from Turkey, but had lived in Switzerland for 6 years. An exquisite little thing beautifully dressed. And of course I jumped to conclusions. You know, she's either a hanger-on to somebody else, or she's into the cosmetics industry or something.

Turns out she's a management consultant. Whaddaya know. And it's not friggin fair, looks AND a brain. She should be shot ;)

No worries

Guess he was into me after all :)...he called and we met up yesterday in town. Drinks and dinner. You know the works. Fortunately it was nice weather yesterday (unlike today, I cannot friggin believe it's snowing again!). He even brought me to my course this morning and fed me coffee at Starbucks! This one might be a keeper :)

UK phone call

At 2.28 on Saturday morning at had a phone call to my landline. I wasn't home, but the number got registered. Now, how do I find out who tried to call me? I googled, and couldn't find a phone book where you can enter the tel number and get a name. Plenty of sites provide you with the search the other way around (put in a name, a street No, whatever and get a tel number), or they require you to pay.

Who would phone me (not a number I know, since I checked my friends) in the middle of the night? Wrong number? Probably. But still...could it have been a phone call I wanted to take? Stupid, huh?

What if

This is something I have thought about a lot lately. What if I would have done this or that, what if I hadn't done what I did. Fairly useless thoughts, but indeed those that occupy my mind now and then.

What if I didn't say or do that back then, I wouldn't be here. What if I had done differently, had I still ended up where and who I am today?

Impossible questions, and no real answers. Why do I spend time on this?

Relevant (or not)

I have noticed when I go back and read my own blog items, that I bring in a lot of irrelevant stuff into the stories. You will have to forgive me. It's not exactly like I'm writing a book here, and have an editor correcting me.

Guess it's just that I pour out what's in my head for the moment. Without a second thought to how it'll look or sound to others. But, isn't that what a blog is for?

Vino

Wine here in Switzerland is really cheap. Good value for your money. Have found (actually a friend did, but I was quick to pick up on it). It's a Pinot Grigio from Hungary - I knew there must be something good coming out of this country! The price is CHF 3,85, which is about EUR 2,30 (or USD 2,70 if you prefer).

It's a bargain. Yes, it does have a screwcork as supposed to a cork-cork, but it is wine that you can easily sip in hot weather (or mind you, you can always turn up the heat indoors :).

Hurray for Switzerland. Everything else is expensive, but the important things in life like vino and ciggies are priced to my liking!

Sex and...

my city. Met this guy last Friday (see previous blog). We spent the whole Saturday together. He was very lovey-dovey, and very much into me. Then nothing. Except for a few sms's.

Now you tell me, is he keeping me on hold to make me more interested? Or is he just not that into me? (quote from Sex & the City for those of you who are "uneducated" :)

Interesting question, since I do get more interested when there is a bit of "resistance". On the other hand, if he waits too long, I will become uninterested. Patience? Not my virtue :)

Flattery will take you...

if not everywhere, so a good bit. Couldn't help being flattered today when this guy in class moved to sit next to me.

You know how it is. You start a new class, and the next day everybody sits on the same place, like pissing in a territory or something.

Nevertheless, this guy moved because "he got the sun in his eyes" from the window. Yeah right, it was pissing down with rain yesterday. True story is that when you pair up for exercises his and my German are about the same level. Mind you, not saying it's good :)

Yesterday I was doing exercises with a Turkish woman, and she just didn't get it. The same thing this moving guy had, except for with a Pakistani guy who also didn't get what was what.

Funny that is, because we all had to take a test before the class started. Theoretically we should all be on the same level. Guess people are just still people, but I get bored easily. Wish people would listen up!

Ricola

Is apparently a Swiss invention. When Swiss people see you have Ricola (like tablets for resfreshing your breath) they always remark on this. Why? I don't know. It's not like they have nothing else to be proud about.

But why, oh why, do they package them so they cannot be opened? If my apartment was as sealed as a package of Ricola, I would feel really safe (and probably not be able to breathe).

With a person slightly unpatient, yeah yeah like me, I am actually thinking of switching to some other brand. I've heard Läkerol is good...

Course

So again I'm attending a course with lots of diversity. People come from India, Pakistan, Poland, Equador, Marocco and the likes. Not even one from western Europe (except for me of course).

Seems like a much quieter group than in the last course I attended. Let's see if I can shake'm up a bit :)

Kill three birds with one stone

Did today (well, if you wanna be picky, technically it was yesterday). My aunt had birthday. I knew that both her sons (my cousins) were gonna be there. So with one phone call, I spoke to my aunt and both my cousins.

So, who's the cheapo now :) ?

CHF 1,044

This was the bill for one of the groups today. That is a lot of money. For the Americans it's almost the same in USD, just a little bit less.

One of the waiters showed the bill to me, and I asked how can that be? He showed the spec to me, they had among other things 54 Jägermeister. That is something that will never pass my lips. It is absolutely disgusting. Tastes like medicine. So I guess it has passed my lips at least once. But that is nothing for me. Especially since they have this thing. The drink comes in small bottles. You (apparently) have to uncork it, put the cork on your nose, and then the bottle between your teeth, and just gulp it down. I know, not a pretty sight.

Anyway, the waiter came back really disappointed. The people paid the bill, but gave no tip whatsoever. And I agree. If you can afford to pay CHF 1,044 for a night out, you can surely also afford to reward the waiter.

Cheapos!

The band

Gonna miss them. The band I gave you the link to. They play until tomorrow here in Zürich, but alas I cannot make it tomorrow (the friggin course) so said goodbye to them tonight. These are the guys:

The voice (fat guy who can easily make a career just singing, what a voice!)
The boss (the one who keeps it all together)
The virgin (the 23-year-old who I was told had 3 kids. Not.)
The quiet one (nice guy, and the only one who speaks proper English)
The solo one (the guy who is only temporary and plans a solo career)

Really really like them, and they won't be back until September, so again people, difficult times ahead :)

AC/DC

Picture this: 50 people standing on chairs and tables screaming "highway to hell" off the top of their lungs. This is the place I like. Forget the posh or underground or whatever places, this is me. Guess I'm simple and easy, but so what? It's me, ok?

Had a brill time tonight. Again. How will I survive this friggin course? Making me behave and go to bed early? Your guess is as good as mine :)

Zebra

Did you hear the latest? A baby zebra was born today in Scandinavia. It's one in one million and a half chance what happened. The baby zebra was checkered, and not striped.

Suppose it's like the chance of me winning the euromillion lottery :)

Party-time over?

Ah, the horror. Monday I have to start a German intensive course. Four friggin hours a day for a whole month. What did I do to deserve this?

That's the thing about Switzerland. I love it here, everything, except for the language. What's wrong with English?

And what will this do to my party schedule? Totally screw it up is the answer. People, there are difficult times ahead. And on top of it all, I may end up speaking German!

Old guy - new guy

Yesterday I was in doubt whether to go out or not. But I thought, it's Friday, I'm young and beautiful, so why not? And indeed, it turned out to be a good decision.

Ran into a guy I met about 2 years ago. Back then I had a boyfriend, so didn't do anything about it. We stayed in touch for a bit, but then lost contact. So yesterday, we met up again. By accident. And this time we're both single.

My aunt is very happy about this, since he is my age. She thinks I have been dating too young guys. I don't see the problem here. What has age gotta do with anything?