Introducing

Remember the blog item about introducing people? Like I do, and not others to me? Anyway, yesterday I was a bit irritated since LB went out in the evening. I asked him when I could expect him back. He said eleven-ish. Fine.

Didn't feel too good (bad cold due to sandals etc) so went to bed early. But since I knew I would wake up when he got home, I kinda waited a bit longer than I normally would. Finally gave up and went to sleep. And sure enough. Woke up when he got home. About 12.30 pm.

No big deal. I was able to go back to sleep. But this evening I asked him why. Turns out he was on his way home when he met a friend of mine. They had only met one time before at a party of mine. But hooked up again. I am so happy to introduce people, and this time it isn't so late :)...so not fishing...or am I?

Meat man

Went shopping today for meat. Have been cooking for some friends this evening. Pork fillet. And I ordered in German (impressive, huh?). And said "I would like pork fillet enough for four people please". The man said: "yes, this'll do it". OK. But I thought it looked like not too much. So again asked: "are you sure?". He said: "is it women or men?". I said men. 3 of them. And me. He looked very impressed (who wouldn't be?) and said: "well, since men tend to eat more than women, perhaps we'll add some". To which I said yes.

Good thing I did, since there was nothing left on the plates...

Guest book

I have one. In fact, I'm on my third. Mind you, it's been about 20 years since I started. Got the first one as a gift from an aunt. At the time I thought it was a bit, well you know, embarrassing. Now I'm older and wiser and realize it was a splendid idea. I can when I want to go back and read something and whoops I'm back in time and remember the evening when it was written. And the people.

The only problem right now is that I have many friends from other countries. And even though I encourage them to write in whatever language they want to, I cannot always read and understand it. They are all very nice and translate it to me. Like tonight. In Macedonian. But you know what? In a couple of years, I won't remember. Sorry to say, but I do not have a memory like an elephant. I have just learned to find my way around Zürich...and I have lived here almost 4 years :)

22 is my lucky number - and here I got it twice :)

VISITS

Total 2,222
Average Per Day 13
Average Visit Length 3:57
Last Hour 1
Today 16
This Week 93

PAGE VIEWS

Total 3,859
Average Per Day 21
Average Per Visit 1.6
Last Hour 2
Today 31
This Week 147

Multi-culti

Like said before, there are 12 people in German class and 12 different nationalities. Four of them will be present at my place on Friday. We end the second class then, and I have invited the "fun" people to my place. Mind you, there are more fun people in the class, but only four who speak English. And boy, do we need a break. Being forced to speak German for four hours every day, it's nice to relax and speak a language you know.

There will be food made by the guy from Equador. There will be complaints from the woman from Venezuela (since my flat is a "smoke-where-and-when-you-want"-area). There will be trashing of Zürich from the French guy, who lived in London, Paris and New York and who thinks that Zürich is nada. I look forward to an interesting afternoon :)

Cold

I have one. Mind you, probably self-inflicted since I have been stubborn enough not to use socks or proper shoes (barefoot in sandals) for a month now. It's supposed to be spring/summer, isn't it?

Had to cave in this morning though. 5 friggin degrees! Plus yes, but still. It's 31st of May! This is just not on.

But "always look on the bright side of life", right? I didn't need to water my plants on the balcony for a week...raining every day. And I actually like doing that. Talking to them "if you don't grow, you don't get any water you bastard" type of thing. I enjoy that. And it's now taken away from me. Friggin weather!

Compliments

Where I come from, this is almost unheard of. Coming to think of it, I think it is in Switzerland too. Which is why it's so appreciated when it happens. Unlike in the latin countries, where it's an every-day occurrence. And means absolutely shite.

It has happened to me. That I got compliments. A number of times actually. But there are two that I still remember vividly. One time in Scandinavia, probably more than 15 years ago. I had just parked the car and was walking towards the parkingmeter, looking in my handbag for change. A man passed on the street, saying "yes, I'll have one please". I looked up startled and said (unintelligently) "what?". He said "I assumed you were looking for a business card and I'd like to have one please, since I like what I see".

As it happens I was on my way to a medical center for a health check-up, and the first thing they did was to take my blood pressure. It was a bit on the high side. But when I explained to the nurse what had happened, she laughed and understood why.

The other one was given to me by my brother. He must've been somewhere around 12-13 years old. We were watching telly and saw some super-model. He said: "I think you're much more pretty than her".

Funny that. Hope lotsa men are reading this item. Lots to learn. And perhaps also we women should be better in giving compliments?

Coop

Example of previous blog item. So perhaps you've heard it before.

Was in Coop some years ago. Fairly new to the country, and the language. Was shopping for meat over the counter. Had a really small vocabulary, so pointed to some pork fillet, saying "eine" (one). Got a really long response in Switschedütsch (Swiss German), to which I smiled and said absolutely nothing. The woman finally got that I didn't understand and said (in Swiss German obviously...which I incidentally understood): "perhaps you have a problem with the Swiss accent?". To which I nodded politely. And wanted to scream "NOOOO, I have a friggin problem with the language!!!".

Headline

As you may have noticed the titles/headlines I put on my blog items do not always exactly match what I write about. I have just discovered that this may not be optimal. Since I have so many items written already, it is starting to be confusing and difficult to remember what I have written about and not. Which is why I sometimes use the "search this blog"-function. Which seldom works for above reasons. But hate to repeat myself. Then again, there may be new readers and people forget (just like I do). I hope.

So, guess I'm gonna continue like before. It's from here on to be known as "Annika's style" :)...say one thing, and mean another would be a different way of putting it. If you're inclined to be sarcastic. Which I often am...

FYI

...or abbreviations in general. FYI = For Your Information. Meaning you don't have to do anything, just read and be informed. But funnily enough this abbreviation is not known by every English-speaking individual. There are others too, where I got completely confused. For example, have you ever heard "I'm OOTO"? Which kinda in English sounds when read like "I'm auto" (I am car). This got me the first time I saw it. Means Out Of The Office.

Bet there are many other examples. Let me know if you have one. Preferrably not in Portuguese :)

Hilton

Got a letter the other day from Hilton. Apparently I have bonus points that have to be used before early July, otherwise they will expire. That would indeed be sad, since I spent 5 months in a Hilton hotel some years ago in order to earn those points, and that was painful. Not because it's Hilton, but 5 months in any hotel is not fun.

I have also spent several months in Sofitel (5 star hotel) in Budapest, and we all know by now (at least if you're up to date with the blog) what I think of Hungarians :) But ok, gotta admit the hotel was good. Free breakfast delivered to your room for example. And lots of it. Full English ditto. Enough food to survive the whole day. Which came in really useful on the weekends.

Anyway, I decided it would be a good idea to put those points to use so arranged with a friend to meet in Milan for a weekend. It happens to be a male friend. But only a friend. So when I booked I asked for a twinbed room (because we don't want him to get any ideas, do we?...as I said to the booking lady...she nearly choked :). But the joke broke the ice, and since I still had some points to use she sent me a couple of vouchers for the remaining points to be used in some 3 star hotel within a year. So there you go, a joke is always good.

Talk

Apparently I talk in my sleep sometimes. I have heard it before (well, not literally since I was sleeping, wasn't I?) but you know. Last night, LB heard me say "What? WHAT?" in kinda angry tone. What can I say? I was dreaming, all right :).

Guess you're living out the frustrations of the day in your sleep. And I guess I have a lot of frustrations to live out :)...

Oops

OK, so I haven't blogged in what? Another 36 hours. And my stats go down again. That we cannot have. So here is one for you.

Perception. You know the impression other people have of you. Rather than what you do. In these times perception is if not everything, so a friggin lot. What you do. Yes, important to a certain extent but less than the impression.

I really do not agree by heart, but I realize that this is the way the world works. What people think of you is today more important than what you do. Or say. Or is it only today? Perhaps it was the same yesterday and 100 years ago too, only in those days the word perception wasn't "invented".

Were things really better "in the old times"? Well, I guess there is no answer, depends what you wanna discuss, but one thing I know for sure. It was more honest. Or was it?

Timing

Lots of reasons my ex and I broke up, but sense of humour wasn't one of them. A few days ago he was delivering chili plants, remember? He said he would be there after work. I made an ass out of u and me and assumed that meant 17.30-ish. At six o'clock I sms'd him to ask, "when are you coming"? The answer? "In 19.3523 min". HAHAHAHAHA!

To be cont'd

Apparently the bird story is...was quickly visiting the boat yesterday. And guess what? Another f...ing egg, a new nest and a pidgeon!!! This is just not on. Threw everything into Limmat (the river) and stacked up another couple of cushions in order to prevent it from happening again. But am not sure. Pidgeon brains are like mens ditto. Close to non-existent. Ah gosh, am I looking forward to comments here ;)

Friendgirl

Ah gosh, shouldn't laugh about it, being one of them who tries to learn a language. But sometimes it gets really funny, doesn't it? Try really hard, and then figure out what the person tried to say.

But thinking about it...maybe I'm the one being a fool here? A friend who's a girl, rather than a girlfriend (implying an intimate relationship). Coming to think of it, not a bad epithet.

A bit like why we import words from foreign languages. Sometimes they just make sense!

Awkward

Few things are as awkward as having to explain a joke. Then it is like the Germans/Swiss say "the joke is around the corner". Indeed.

Brought the Euro-English piece to the German teacher. I was kinda under the impression that he had a sense of humour. Hmm.

Well, he laughed and asked me, "that is supposed to be Dutch, right"? And I went..."hmm, no, not really, it's German". How do you explain something to somebody who doesn't understand? A joke. Awkward is the name of the game.

Body care

Not my favourite pastime I tell you, but just gave my legs a defurring treatment. Much needed, I might add. Very soon it'll be summer (well, one can still hope, right?). Obviously nothing to do with that LB is on his way :)...

Back in town

Guess who's coming back to town? And no, it's not Santa Claus. But LB. He's been out and about for a number of reasons for quite some time now, but is on his way here as we speak.

And yes, since you ask, he will be staying here for a while...

Another blog

Been thinking about starting another blog. With another host. And in another language. Got kinda put-off though, since they required you to choose a category. These are the categories to choose from:
Alcohol, dieting, books, debate, economy, family, film, football, other sports, golf, home improvement, health&beauty, art, famous, kitchen, food&drink, media, mobile (?), fashion, motor, music, news, amusement, poker, politics, travel, smoking, film, sex&love, shopping, stress, garden, training&exercise, tv.

What the f... am I supposed to choose? If I considered a blog like the one here? What are you meant to do? Only blog about one category at a time? F...ing controlling environment if you ask me. And typical of the country where its hosted!

If I was forced to fit into a category (god forbid!) it'd probably be something like "Life itself" or "Who the f... cares?".

ER

Sorry for not having blogged in a few days. Bought the dvd-pack of ER 6th season, and got stuck in front of the telly. I know, it's an old series but having moved much, I haven't followed it. Just too bad that Clooney has left. Not so much to look at anymore. Mind you, that "Croatian" guy is pretty tasty :)

Plus I caught up on some good sleep yesterday. So feel ready to go out and party again today.

Just watered the pretty plants on my balcony, which was probably totally unnecessary since rain is kinda hanging in the air...when is summer arriving?

Da Vinci code

Can't believe I haven't blogged about this before. Me being an atheist and all. I think the hype over the movie is overrated, always is, but then again, when Hollywood gets its teeth into something it always is, right? I read the book. And the other three. They are kinda alike, a bit like John Grisham. You've read one, you've read'm all.

And to think that the Vatican got so upset over this, they appointed a person to respond to the "threat". Pathetic. They should have taken the opportunity to ride the wave. The interest in that bloke Jesus. Talk about not being able to take a chance when it hits you in the face...

Swiss news

Just listened to some Swiss news on telly. Now, I am told that they always speak high German on the news. Right? Wrong. Yes, the news program itself was ok, and I could follow most of it. But the weather report? Forget it. Swiss German, that's what it was people. So much for the Swiss claiming to be able to speak high German!

Bet they will be happy when Euroenglish is implemented :)

Quantas

After every Qantas Airlines flight, pilots complete a gripe sheet which conveys to the mechanics problems encountered with the aircraft during the flight that need repair or correction. The form used is a piece of paper on which the pilot completes the top part listing the problem, which the mechanics read and then respond in writing on the lower half of the form what remedial action was taken, so the pilot on the next flight of that plane can review the form before taking off.

Never let it be said that ground crews and engineers lack a sense of humor.

Here are some actual logged maintenance complaints and responses with P = the problem logged by the pilot, S = the solution and action taken by engineers.

Qantas, by the way, is the only major airline that has never had an accident.

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement. S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough. S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit. S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield. S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent. S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear. S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud. S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick. S: That's what they're there for.

P: IFF inoperative. S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield. S: Suspect you're right.

P: Number 3 engine missing. S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny. S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right and be serious.

P: Target radar hums. S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit. S: Cat installed.

Euroenglish

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the EU rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, Her Majesty's Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5 year phase-in plan that would be known as "EuroEnglish": --

In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c".. Sertainly, this will make the sivil sevants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favor of the "k". This should klear up konfusion and keyboards kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year, when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with the "f". This will make words like "fotograf" 20% shorter.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkorage the removal of double letters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of the silent "e"'s in the language is disgraceful, and they should go away.

By the 4th yar, peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v". During ze fifz year, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaning "ou" and similar changes vud of kors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters.

After zis fifz yer, ve vil hav a reli sensibl riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubls or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech ozer.

ZE DREM VIL FINALI KUM TRU!!

Jokes like this...

are sent by men (am I right or am I right?) but are semi-funny anyway. Especially since they work the other way around too. Why do men think women drink??

She told me we couldn't afford beer anymore and I'd have to quit drinking. Then I caught her spending $65.00 on make-up and I asked how come I had to give up stuff and not her.

She said she needed the make-up to look pretty for me.

I told her that was what the beer was for.

I don't think she's coming back.

Paul - Heather

I don't believe what I read in the papers most of the time, but the settlement issue in this separation case raises some indignation on my part. Forget Paul and Heather, I'm sure they will work it out. But why is it that as soon as you marry somebody you are immediately entitled to their money?

Imagine somebody who has worked hard all her/his life. Then they marry somebody, and before you know it, they are divorcing. Usually within one-two years. What has the other person done, other than signing a marriage certificate, that makes them entitled to the money? Isn't everybody responsible for their own lives?

OK, fair enough when the woman stays home for a year or so to take care of a kid, but after that? Surely you are in charge of your own life?

I know things don't work that way in reality, but I think they should. Disagree, anyone?

Learning

For me when learning a new language it is only one thing that counts. Vocabulary, vocabulary, vocabulary (just as when buying property, when it's location, location, location that is important). If you don't have the vocabulary you cannot speak. Forget the grammatics to start with. That'll come automatically later, when you have started to have conversations in a foreign language. Then you will hear what sounds right, instead of learning the grammatics.

Besides, in German there are too many exceptions to each rule, so it's impossible to learn it anyway. If you have to stop and think before saying something, there won't be much said, will it?

PS. Even though ze German/Swiss are stickler for rules, they do accept that you get it wrong once in a while :)

Montenegro

Topic for todays discussion in German class was a free Montenegro. You know, one of them tiny new countries, that together with Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Slovenia came out of former Yugoslavia.

I asked the two women from Montenegro and Croatia whether the war was worth it, and how they felt about being free. Not surprising their opinion was no. It was a war started by the politicians, who never asked the people what they wanted. Of course they appreciate being free, but they regarded themselves as free also before the war.

The only result apart from having the men in your family fighting an (unnecessary?) war and the related problems, all they have now is confusion. The administration doesn't work. The new countries are all independent, and therefore do not work together. Bit of a bl...y mess they said.

Politicians, why do we need them?

Ze Swiss

Ze German speaking people, or the Swiss in particular, are very cautious. Unless something has been proven to work, they won't have it. This goes for products, services and people. If they don't know it, they won't have it.

Switzerland will never be a test market. On the other hand (there are always a plus and a minus, right?), they are reliable when they buy into something. Again, products, services and people.

Like Swiss army knives, clocks and chocolate. Products. That's what the Swiss are known for. Services I'm not so sure. My experience is not great in this area...but if you're polite and have luck, yes you may get service. Any service. Not always good. People then? Yes, if you're outgoing and persistent, you may get some Swiss friends. But they are extremely difficult, and funnily enough proud to be so.

I am of a different breed. The more, the merrier kind of person. What is wrong with introducing people from different circles? Why is it that nobody does that to me?

Answer: they don't have any friends (don't believe it), they are afraid (why?), they just don't think about doing so (most probably).

Ah gosh, it's getting late. I'm probably just fishing here :)

Hip place

Well, semi-hip. Went to a sushi-place this evening. One of these where they have the food parading in front of you. Mind you, this was a bit more than that. Each person had a screen in front of her/him, where you could not only see the menu, but also order drinks, as well as chatting with the other customers. Which very soon got boring, since you ended up chatting with your friend next to you. FYI I was Mae (with the picture of a cow...hmmm...not sure I liked that).

Technology? Yes, am a fan, but sometimes it just doesn't work, does it? Especially when we were "checking out". You still had to ask for the bill, then queue to pay it. If you wanna do technology, why don't go all the way?

Rats

Don't like'm. Period. Last time I saw one was when I was waiting for the bus. Unfortunately the bus stop is next to the river. But that time it was a mouse. And there was me standing on the bench. Hate'm, what can I say? Guess I'm a wimp.

Tonight an African friend of mine walked me to the bus. And this time it was really a rat running in front of my feet. A fat, big one, with long tail. Had a few I must admit, so said: "probably doesn't scare you, you eat those, don't you?". He said no. Ouch. Put my foot in again. After a while though he goes: "this one's too small, not enough meat". Hmm...:)

Lost

Today in German class we all got a little note. On this note we were to write a problem, like 'I lost my keys' or 'I got my purse stolen'. The idea was to ask the fellow students about their advice what to do (and to converse in German of course :).

Then we got to pick a note, and guess what mine said? 'I lost my husband'!! Very funny indeed, since I never had one nor plan to have one in the future. So for me this wasn't really a problem. Questions asked to me were "what did he look like?" (me: cannot remember), "would you like him back?" (me: no). Well, it rendered lots of laughs and a chance to practice German...

Wheeling and dealing

Very seldom you are given something for free. My experience is that you always have to give something to get something. Not exactly news but still.

Today I was given chili plants for my balcony, against serving Norwegian salmon. Not a bad deal, is it? Especially since it also included spider removal...

Game

The relationship between man and woman. Sometimes a game. Personally I do not like it, I prefer honesty and openness. But am sometimes "forced" to watch the play between the sexes. Seems like the more you are "unavailable", the more interesting you become. Not much news there I admit, but am still not agreeing.

What are the ingredients then? Sexes of course, languages, cultures, willingness to play, stupidity (at times), experience (or lack thereof), and so on.

Perhaps I've become a bit blasé...guess it has to do with age :)

Islam means peace

This is surprising since the muslims seem to be the ones who fight. Got this info from somebody reading the previous blog item. I am not too familiar with religions (again, see previous blog), but isn't Usama bin Laden, George Bush those type of people claiming to be religious? Get my point?

Mostly these type of people seem to hide behind religion. In order to shoot those they don't like. In the name of religion of course.

So again, why bother with religion? Just being a nice person will do it for me!

Religion

Not my cuppa tea if I may say so. And since it's my blog, I can :). However, think it must be fantastic to be able to rely on something "higher" than yourself. To blame everything that goes wrong on people, and give the credit to some "god" for good things that occur. Personally like said, think it's a loada crap. But good luck to those who do believe. Must be nice to have something to hang on to when things go pear-shaped.

And I must admire a friend of mine who is religious. Muslim to be exact. Doesn't drink alco and stays well sorta faithful to the wife. One slip doesn't count, does it :)? A good guy. Which I'm sure most muslims are. Unlike the picture we get from tv, where they all seem to fight some holy war I yet have to understand...

Finland

I cannot friggin believe it. Finland won the Eurovision song contest. Not because it's Finland, but the outfit? Hello people! Here was I thinking monsters were for kids. I give them that though. They were different. If only they could sing.

But think this is a first for Finland. Winning the ESC. So good luck to them.

And had a good evening watching it with a friend. But according to him, the votes should have gone to my country :)

PS. The sarcastic comments from the guy on BBC Prime made the evening!

Eurovision song contest

I must be getting old! Am actually planning to stay in tonight, and since it is nothing to watch on telly, I'll be forced to see the Eurovision song contest...aaaarrrrggggghhh!

Am I a saddo, or what?

Carpets

I have carpets in two of the rooms. Not by choice I can assure you, but I rent and didn't have a saying in the matter.

Carpets are quite disgusting when you think about what's hiding in them. Whole eco-systems I'm sure.

Anyway, today an industrial vacuumcleaner was used to get out whatever was in there. And it was a lot...really really disgusting! And it was only two years ago they were cleaned with carpet-wash. And in between vacuumed of course.

Much cleaner and nicer with laminate for example! Or parquet. Or whatever else than carpets.

Cat fight

I'm in the middle of it. Very interesting to watch from a distance (which I agree is a bit of an oxymoron). Person 1 being a woman, who's "in love" with person 2 (a man). Think that the woman is more interested in the man than the other way around. Now into the equation comes person 3 (another woman). The man is interested in her. She is not in him (well, not too much anyway. Attracted maybe, but not overly so).

Like said, very interesting to watch from a distance. No way I wanna get into this mess :)...especially since it has already involved hitting with umbrellas, nasty stares, impolite conversations...etc. etc.

But as they say, in love and war...(just happy I'm in neither one!).

China

Very weird today. Got four phone calls, but nobody on the line. It was a sound though, as from a train or something. Number beginning with +86, and when I looked it up it is China! I know there are 1,3 billion people in China, but I know nobody there. V. weird.

Blondie strikes back

A guy gets on a plane and finds himself seated next to a cute blonde.

He immediately turns to her and makes his move."You know," he says, "I've heard that flights will go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger. So let's talk.

"The blonde, who had just opened her book, closes it slowly and says to the guy, "What would you like to discuss?""Oh, I don't know,"says the guy. "How about nuclear power?"

"OK," says the blonde. "That could be an interesting topic. But let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff -- grass. Yet the deer excretes little pellets, the cow turns out a flat patty, and the horse produces muffins of dried poop. Why do you suppose that is?"

The guy is dumbfounded. Finally he replies, "I haven't the slightest idea."

So tell me," says the blonde, "How is it that you feel qualified to
discuss nuclear power when you don't know shit?"

Interesting??

Funny that, nothing is as interesting as other peoples disasters. And I don't mean disasters like "my whole family died" or "I was abused as a child" or "I can't afford to buy Christmas presents for my kid" kind-of-disasters. I mean small stuff. Really.

These are the things you can talk about. A lot. Relationship stuff. Kids. Life in general. Interesting. And the more you get to know people, the more you learn/share/experience. The only downside is, the more you share, the more you expose yourself. To be hurt. But isn't that life itself?

Ah gosh, getting profound here. Stop me. Someone!

Talk-show

Today we did role-play in German class. The topic was "Gentleman". Somebody has written a book about how gentlemen are "in" again. Like opening the door for women, paying the bill without making a fuss of it, always be attentive to the womans needs, that type of thing. I like the always be attentive thing, but not only for men, for all. Also, respect is a given. Forget the door-opening, forget the hanging-up-the-coat, forget the old-fashioned "gentleman".

Personally, I'd like a man who is equal, who shows respect (just like I do in return), who listens, who is "normal".

Funnily enough in the role-play I got to play the part of the emancipated woman...against the author of the book, an 73-year-old professor who thought that "women are like flowers", and a social worker who thought that everybody is equal. Think I played my part with some emphasis :)

Top and bottom

The things I didn't know. Did you know that there are more top men than bottom men in the gay world? I didn't. I'll let you figure out for yourself what that means...it took me some time but I now know.

Interesting topic for a woman I tell you. Especially interesting when you talk to a gay man who has experience of both sexes. Which is something I cannot even imagine. Well, I guess I can imagine but it repulses me. Women! As much as I like them as friends...but I'd like to keep it at that, thanks :)

Barcelona - Arsenal 2-1

For me this is probably the most uninteresting piece of information you can have. But I understand that many people do not share my opinion. And I must say, since I prefer Spain to England (who wouldn't??) I agree with the outcome :)

Funny words

If you're not native English-speaking, this is a great blog to use in order to learn new words:

http://beesknees.blogsource.com/

But you may need to use:
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/

PS. It's also a rather funny blog about somebody down-under...

17th of May

That's today. At least here in Zürich it still is. That's an ordinary day for most of us, but not for the Norwegians. This is their "holy" day, their national day, the day when they parade on the streets, drink champagne in the morning, and party their asses off in the evening. In Norway.

Luckily enough I had one visiting today. A Norwegian. We had fresh salmon brought from Norway, eggs, ham, cheese, bread, vegetables and yes, champagne. Everything you need for a great brunch. So spent the afternoon munching, crunching, lunching with a Norwegian. Great fun!

Supermegacool

Surprisingly enough this is me! Had an sms-conversation with somebody who responded "Cool", to which I in return answered "didn't you know already I'm megacool?" (mind you, I did it in German...impressive, huh?). Next sms showed "supermegacool". That's me people.

And I don't think it has nothing to do with me having a boat :)...

2006

No, this is not a year. This is the number of visitors to my blog! Hurray!

VISITS

Total 2,006
Average Per Day 14
Average Visit Length 4:30
Last Hour 0
Today 14
This Week 98

PAGE VIEWS

Total 3,477
Average Per Day 20
Average Per Visit 1.4
Last Hour 0
Today 33
This Week 142

Suckers

There is a woman who frequents the same place as I do. She is different from most other people, but not in a good way. I believe she's on drugs. But she still looks kinda good. At least if you do not look too closely. She has this thing about men. She likes them (in that way she's not too different from other women), but she likes them only when they pay for her drinks.

I have seen her being "friendly" (extremely friendly) with a guy, who was drunk enough to pay for her drinks, leave with him. Then come back, and do the same thing with another guy. The same evening. Hurray for her. At least she gets the drinks paid for :)

And I guess just about here my feminist side kicks in. Who in their right mind would like to depend on a man?

Ich meine was du weiss...

No clue but the contents is this guy, who tonight got his words mixed up. He was meant to say "I know what you mean" and ended up saying "I mean what you know". In German. The funny thing was that I picked up on it. It is not easy to joke in a foreign language. If you're English or American you wouldn't understand, because you would never even contemplate speaking another language...(oh, oh, challenging...but prove me wrong!). But trust me. It's difficult.

When you've reached the state that you can either pick up on a joke, or even better, make one, you've come a long way in speaking a foreign language.

So, again, I'm kinda blogging in German. Oh gee :)

Pink/light blue

This is a combination I think would suit a one-year-old. Not three guys playing in a band. Picture light pink shirts, with light blue suits. Not a pretty sight. Makes me think about the 70's.

However, I have to give them a bit of credit. They did play good. So why, oh why, do they not dress accordingly? (Mind you, perhaps the same goes for me??).

Was ever so happy to see that my 2nd fav band (also performing this evening) did change from brown knee-high "lederhosen" (leather pants) to proper attire. So much that I looked at one of them in a different light ;)...but since I'm home blogging, the clever ones will understand that I let it at that.

PS. There is always a next time...

Lustig abend

And right here I abandoned my promise never to blog in German. Mind you, not sure it's proper German. It may be "lustige abend", "lustigen abend", "lustiges abend", and abend with a capital A. Who f... knows? And more importantly, who f... cares??

But since am woman, have the right to change my mind at any time. So did.

So, it was a different evening. Lotsa bands playing in my fav place. And tv was there recording. Funny thing that. I do not have much experience of tv, other than looking at it. Mind you, I was once dancing in the background in a program long, long time ago. Don't think I care for it to be honest. It was friggin hot. The camera lights were uncomfortable. I spent most of the time trying to hide. Who wants to have their life public? Not me.

Until I realized they are gonna show it on tv on a channel nobody has ever heard of. It's (apparently) called U1. Now, I have 46 channels on my telly, and U1 is not one of them. So I guess this was a non-event. Something created but not something that people will eventually care about. Suits me fine :)

Wales

I'd like to welcome my first (?) Welsh reader to the blog. Now, Wales is a part of Great Britain I do not have a great experience of. I know one person from there to be exact (the new reader), but if the "country" is to be judged by this individual I think it's rather crazy. Multitalented with a dirty sense of humour would be another way of describing it.

Challenge?

Zen

4 types of men

Blogged about this before, but since it's a good one and it came up this evening, here goes again: There are four types of men: the breast man, the leg man, the butt man and the "I-take-what-I-can-get-man".

The one I was telling was asking me: "what about men?" and I was like...that's not for me to say, I'm a woman. That's for you to have an opinion on.

And he goes: "Yes, there are women who like muscly men (like the one who got the wine box :), there are women who like tall men, and there are women who like bald men. Yeah, right. Still waiting for the fourth type...

And I must say, it's not very funny...men? They have a lot going for them, but perhaps a sense of humour is not one of the traits :) ??

Boys

And I mean boys, not men. If you would like a differentiation find it elsewhere. Anyway, picture the scenario: a guy has a girlfriend in another country. The girlfriend comes to visit. He takes her to a pub with a big screen telly to watch football. And thinks that she is thrilled about this.

Know what I mean about boys?

When you must you must...

There is somebody out there blogging, using a blog address I wanted. I could have gotten it, since I was here long before him, but guess what? I didn't. And he's kinda funny, so I'm gonna link to him:

http://www.zuriblog.blogspot.com/

He's not blogging as freqently as I am, but there is some funny stuff on there. Enjoy.

FC Züri öle öle

This kinda cryptic sms was sent to me Saturday...very very late. So late I wasn't even awake. For the uninitiated it means football club Zürich...and they probably won. A football game would be a qualified guess.

To which I responded "LC ...."...LC meaning Lustig Club. Which is my favourite German word. Lustig = funny, strange, I don't understand type of thing. Like öle, öle :)

Conversation with bird

"So which part of do NOT nest in my boat did you not get?" Couldn't friggin believe that I had another egg in my boat on Friday. A new nest was being built. Some more shit. Think it were pidgeons, since two of them kept on circling the boat. I gave it to another bird, who's nesting in the next boat. Mind you, not in the boat but on the back of it. Much more considerate if you ask me.

What else could I do? They don't pay rent. I wasn't going cruising on Zürichsee with a birds nest in the boat, was I?

Have now stacked up cushions in the back to see if I can prevent them from trying again. Apparently they are not too brainy...

The world is an ashtray

This was a bit surprising to hear tonight. From a Swiss. I kinda thought about it, and after a while I agreed with the saying. The world is an ashtray. Right? Or not? Food for thought though. Profound, yes.

What did he really mean? Not sure he knew himself, but I interpreted it like the world sucks. Sometimes. And sometimes not. A bit like Forrest Gump with the chocolate: you never know what you gonna get.

Mind you, when the guy said that he made this "joke" when he was 17, I think it wasn't profound, just a short moment of insight.

Like with men in general, sometimes they surprise you :)...but not always the way you want...

Funny email

..."met one of my neighbours this morning. Shes' got a new born baby, ugh. Was funny 'cos she warned me that our master bedrooms back onto each other, and although the walls were quite good she thought she should just mention it for 'the sake of our privacy'. Apparantley they had 'that problem' with the previous neighbours. Hmmm, hope she's not telling me not to bonk loudly!"

Tomorrow

This is gonna be a tough one. German class in the morning. Have a funny feeling I promised to have a few drinks with course mates after class. Then meeting up with a friend after work to take the boat out. Weather is looking good. An evening on the lake. Oh, yeah.

Then later meeting a friend who arrives with the train from Germany. And knowing her, it'll be a big party. But who am I to complain? Never managed to say no to party before, and somehow I don't think tomorrow will be the first :)

Pyjamas

This is a piece of clothing I like very much. Can walk around in it all day. Well, not when I have to leave the flat of course, I'm not a weirdo (pls place your comments here :). Anyway, got an sms this evening about how somebody couldn't go out because she was already in a pyjamas.

Now, to know the whole story you need to understand she is very young, and very (recently) married. Don't know about you, but when the pyjamas comes out, the passion kinda disappears, doesn't it? Open for comments here, but don't you sleep naked when still passionate? That first love? That feeling, when you cannot stop to touch?

Not that I would know what a relationship would turn into long-term, never managed beyond 2 years :)

Invasion

Wherever I look in this town I see people from Eastern Europe, to the point of it being an invasion. Two new students join our German class, and whaddayaknow, Bosnia and White Russia (is there a Black Russia too?). Mind you, if I lived in Eastern Europe I might wanna emigrate too. Oops, forgot I've already left my country :)

Re Eastern Europe I really only have experience from Budapest (see previous blogs, use the search facility!), and that wasn't pretty. Doesn't necessarily mean it's as bad all over Eastern Europe. But being an expert in jumping to conclusions...it probably is.

Otherwise, why are people leaving their home countries? Love obviously (or so I've heard :), poverty, war, political reasons. I left because of work and boredom. My country isn't exactly a bundle of joy. If you think everything is forbidden here (trust me, it isn't) you should visit northern Europe! Except for Denmark. Denmark is cool. Judgmental, me?

Shopping

I am certainly not a fan of shopping. Sometimes it's necessary though. Like today. Was running out of wine, and we can't have that, can we?

So, being the usual cheapo that I am, I went for my white house wine. It comes in a box of six bottles (like most other wines for that matter), and is very cheap - CHF 3.85 a bottle. Anyway, the box was located on the top shelf, and on top of another box. I looked around for help to get it down, only to spot a male shop assistant shorter than myself...not many of those around, with me being 1.65 m above sea level.

The man turned out to be a gentleman though (coming to think of it, not many of those around here either!) and managed to get it down without breaking anything. Hurray for muscly men. Even if they are short :)

American female sense of humour

ROMANCE MATHEMATICS
Smart man + smart woman = romance
Smart man + dumb woman = affair
Dumb man + smart woman = marriage
Dumb man + dumb woman = pregnancy

OFFICE ARITHMETIC
Smart boss + smart employee = profit
Smart boss + dumb employee = production
Dumb boss + smart employee = promotion
Dumb boss + dumb employee = overtime


SHOPPING MATH
A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.
A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need.


GENERAL EQUATIONS &STATISTICS
A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find such a man.


HAPPINESS
To be happy with a man, you must understand him a lot and love him a little.


To be happy with a woman, you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all.


LONGEVITY
Married men live longer than single men do, but married men are a lot more willing to die.


PROPENSITY TO CHANGE
A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.
A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, and she does.


DISCUSSION TECHNIQUE
A woman has the last word in any argument.
Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.


HOW TO STOP PEOPLE FROM BUGGING YOU ABOUT GETTING MARRIED
Old aunts used to come up to me at weddings, poking me in the ribs and cackling, telling me, "You're next." They stopped after I started doing the same thing to them at funerals.

Male sense of humour

HOW TO MAKE A WOMAN HAPPY

TO MAKE A WOMAN HAPPY; A MAN HAS TO BE:

01. a friend
02. a companion
03. a lover
04. a brother
05. a father
06. a master
07. a chef
08. an electrician
09. a carpenter
10. a plumber
11. a mechanic
12. a decorator
13. a stylist
14. a sexologist
15. a gynaecologist
16. a psychologist
17. a pest exterminator
18. a psychiatrist
19. a healer
20. a good listener
21. an organiser
22. a good father
23. very clean
24. sympathetic
25. athletic
26. warm
27. attentive
28. gallant
29. intelligent
30. funny
31. creative
32. tender
33. strong
34. understanding
35. tolerant
36. prudent
37. ambitious
38. capable
39. courageous
40. determined
41. true
42. dependable
43. passionate


WITHOUT FORGETTING TO:
44. give her compliments regularly
45. love shopping
46. be honest
47. be very rich
48. not stress her out
49. not look at other girls


AT THE SAME TIME, YOU MUST ALSO:
50. give her lots of attention,
51. give her lots of time, especially time for herself


IT IS VERY IMPORTANT:
52. Never to forget: * birthdays* anniversaries* arrangements she makes


HOW TO MAKE A MAN HAPPY:
01. Feed him
02. Shag him
03. Leave him in peace

Tired

Too tired for a f...oh sorry, to blog I mean :) Been a hectic day with German class, then homework, then out and about, ending the day with a great barbie. Lamb meat, roasted potatoes, zucchini and mushroom. And would you believe it? We drank Coke. No wine, no beer, no nothing in the alcoholic area. I feel so clean :)

At nine this evening there is a film on the Italian channel. In English I believe it's called Anger Management with Jack Nicholson. Saw it some years ago. Fairly funny if I remember correctly. At least I think that's the movie. Saw it on text-tv and my Italian is not really up to scratch. In a while I shall see.

And the weather is getting better. Tomorrow nice according to Swiss news. Excellent! And soon it's weekend again...

Doctor

The patient shook his doctor's hand in gratitude, saying, "Since we are the best of friends, I would not want to insult you by offering payment. But I would like you to know that I have mentioned you in my will."

"That is very kind of you," said the doctor emotionally, then adds: "Can I see that prescription I just gave you? I would just like to make a little change ..."

08:15

For me this is a time. Apparently it means something else here in Switzerland. Like standard. You get asked a question, like an ordinary one. It's known as an "08.15"-question. Everything that is standard, boring, ordinary, is 08.15. Why? Nobody seems to know. But it is.

So next time I'm asked "Where are you from?", "What's your name?" I'm going to refer to 08.15...somehow I don't think it'll work...

Disease?

Don’t know about you, but the words “akkusativ”, “dativ” and “nominativ” sound like diseases to me. Yet, this is what I spend my time with these days. Very, very sad indeed. I have this kind of learning strategy, that if I speak enough I will eventually hear what sounds right. I don’t necessarily need to know why. Like a computer. Or any other appliance for that matter. I know it works. I don’t wanna know why or how.

Good strategy? F...if I know. Just know it’s my strategy. Which is probably why I will never get a diploma :) But who needs it? As long as you can communicate. And there is no language like body language...

Strange things happen

Never thought I’d see the day when the ex would send me an email. This is a guy who was basically computer illiterate when we met. I set up an email address for him, and had to push him to actually access it once in a while. But of course when you do not access it regularly the only mail you get are “would you like a longer penis?” or “how to make money with money” type of emails.

Anyway, now we split up. And guess what? He sends me an email with a message! Not only forwarding a joke or something. Perhaps I planted a seed...but seeing he’s a Swiss, it took him two years...

PS. He has now on his own set up the most creative email address I’ve ever seen, so was it his brain I was attracted to???

Very scary letter

Got a letter today from the Swiss authorities. This is enough to send a shiver through my spine. Not to mention what I felt when I opened it! I have been taught by my Swiss friends that you do not fool around with the authorities around here.

Anyway, opening the letter revealed a register No to start with. And we’re not talking a three digit number here, we’re talking 0123 45 678.90.123.456 (that’s how long the reg No is). Only that is enough to scare you...thinking how many were there before you? The sender was “Direkte Bundessteuer”, meaning something like direct tax. Now tax is a word that doesn’t have a good ring with me. Or most people for that matter. Imagine my horror when I saw this huge amount on the bottom of the document. I don’t have grey hair yet, but I very nearly developed some today I tell you.

So, what to do? Call my auditor of course. Lovely people. They are used to this kind of thing (and funnily enough seem to enjoy it too!). Turns out that the bottom of the page reveals (in extremely tiny letters) “do not pay”. THANKS! But a thought kinda stuck with me. Maybe they do not mean now, but later?

I also didn’t particularly enjoy the words “please prove within the next few days...” and “thank you for your efforts”, which I interpreted like if you cannot prove it, pay up or the police will be knocking on your door. Hmm, sorry got distracted there, men in uniform :)

Anyway, the auditor finally confirmed that this was the Swiss authorities way of telling you how much you’re were supposed to pay in tax. Not how much you actually did pay. For 2004! People, we’re talking a two year delay in communication here. This gives a whole new meaning to the Swiss being introvert. No wonder they don’t talk. They have to think about it first. For two years :)

So, all is well in Switzerland. Or, let me rephrase that. I will tell you in two years! If it was well today.

Word association

This is an exercise we did yesterday in German class. You are given a word. This word you must explain to the group. But without using 5 words given to you. So for example the word “single” (which I picked out of a huge pile of words funnily enough). And then you’re not allowed to use the words married, children, on your own, one or alone. The words that sprang to mind for me were: available, free, out of prison and so forth. The teacher (the one without a sense of humour) just didn’t get it. “Out of prison”? “What do you mean”? Or perhaps (benefit of the doubt) it doesn’t translate into German :)?

As I have discovered lately, or to be honest always knew, ze Germans/Swiss are not known for a great sense of humour. Apart from my friends of course :)

Small world

Yesterday I ran into an acquaintance in the morning. When going to German class. Of course he saw me first (I see nobody in the morning!). Turns out he’s attending another German course. In the next class room. So we decided to go for lunch today. And so we did. Indeed. A liquid one, with a salad on the side.

It was great. Good talk. A good moan about the Swiss and life in general. A good few beers too if you must know :)...

PS. Yes, we do love Switzerland but sometimes we must moan about things. Makes us feel better afterwards. And yes, if we loved our home countries more, we would have stayed there, ok?

More German

Started the second class of German today. Three new students were joining, and added another three nationalities to the friggin United Nations we've become :)...France, another little Eastern European country (think Boznia-Hercegovina or Serbia-Montenegro or whatever they are called these days) and Thailand. Changed the dynamic of the group...good, we needed a vitamin injection.

It's actually quite fun now that we started to talk more. I agree it doesn't sound very good yet, but it's a start...

The shipwrecked Irishman

One day an Irishman who had been stranded on a deserted island for over
ten years, saw a speck on the horizon. He thought to himself,
"It's certainly not a ship." And, as the speck got closer and closer, he began to rule out the possibilities of a small boat and even a raft.
Suddenly there emerged from the surf a wet-suited black clad figure.
Putting aside the scuba gear and the top of the wet suit, there stood a drop-dead gorgeous blonde!

The glamorous blonde strode up to the stunned Irishman and said to him, "Tell me, how long has it been since you've had a good cigar?"
"Ten years," replied the amazed Irishman.
With that, she reached over and unzipped a waterproof pocket on the left sleeve of her wet suit and pulled out a package of fresh Cuban cigars.
He takes one, lights it, and takes a long drag. "Faith and begorrah," said the man, "that is so good I'd almost forgotten how great a smoke can be".

"And how long has it been since you've tasted the Powers of good Irish
Whiskey?" asked the blonde.
Trembling, the castaway replied, "Ten years".
Hearing that, the blonde reaches over to her right sleeve, unzips a pocket and removes a flask and hands it to him. He opened the flask and took a long drink. "'Tis nectar of the gods!" stated the Irishman.
''Tis truly fantastic.

At this point the gorgeous blonde started to slowly unzip the long front of her wet suit, right down the middle. She looked at the trembling man and asked, "And how long has it been since you've played
around?"
With tears in his eyes, the Irishman fell to his trembling knees and sobbed, "Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Don't cha be tell'n me that you've got a set of golf clubs in there, too.

Why there are very few Blonde Doctors?

Semi-funny, but the best I could come up with at this time of the hour...and it was a man...

This is the story of a Blonde who took a medical entrance test.
Given below is a portion of the test answers he gave.
Read on.......

Antibody - against everyone
Artery - the study of fine paintings
Bacteria - back door to a cafeteria
Benign - what you be after you be eight
Bowel - letters like a, e, i, o, u
Caesarian Section - a district in Rome
Cardiology - advanced study of Poker playing
Cat Scan - searching for lost kitty
Chronic - neck of a crow
Coma - punctuation mark
Cyst - short form of sister
Diagnosis - person with slanted nose
Dilate - the late British Princess Diana
Dislocation - in this place
Duodenum - couple in blue jeans
Genes - blue denim
Enema - not a friend
False Labor - pretending to work
Impotent - distinguished / well-known
Labor Pain - hurt at work
Lactose - people without feet
Lymph - walk unsteadily
Microbes - small dressing gowns
Obesity - City of Obe
Pacemaker - winner of Nobel Peace Prize
Protein - in favor of teens
Pulse - grain
Red Blood Count - Dracula
Rupture - Ecstasy
Secretion - hiding anything
Subcutaneous - not cute enough
Tablet - small table
Tumor - extra pair / you die
Ultrasound - radical noise
Urine - opposite of you're out
Vein - at what time?

Something to look forward to...

94+

Spoke to the friend of the family today again, the one who turned 94 recently. Still as clear in the head as me (ok, now time to make your joke :). His youngest child just retired. His eldest is 71. Still working away.

Told me he has to take his car for a check-up in a few weeks. If it doesn't get through for the certificate, he's gonna stop driving. Really? How many 94+'s still drive?

Remind me of another old relative, who phoned my Mum up when she was 80 to ask whether my Mum thought that she should still be biking.

Age? What is that? A state of mind if you ask me...

People

People never cease to amaze me. Today I met a 50% Swiss 50% German man. With a body language of an Italian. Outgoing. Talkative. Open. And generous. What is the world coming to when you can no longer rely on stereotypes :) ??

Anyway, lotsa fun. Good talk. And he bought me a drink :)...what did I say before? Nothing like a free drink.

Seriously, he was open to the point of maybe too much information. But there you go. When you meet a Swiss/German who talks more than you, you listen. Whether you like it or not :)

Black

Got feedback from my African friend. The N word is not on, so not to be used ever again on my blog. Fair enough. Didn't sound very good to start with I must admit.

Neither are the Hitler jokes that are often made here in Switzerland. Really. Only we do laugh. Guess it has to do with trying to make some fun of a disaster. Which more often than not just turns out tacky and insensitive.

Think it is humans way of dealing with things we despise. And a good laugh does help. Only, it shouldn't be on behalf of somebody else.

PS. It is allowed to laugh about me on this blog. I put myself out there, and you are allowed to make fun of me...promise...as long as it's funny :)

Pretty

So I've cleaned up on the balcony. Watered the plants. It is so pretty out there. See for yourself...

Real life

Real life is better than any soap opera. Ran into an acquintance this evening. We've met four or five times over the past year. Good guy. And he shared a lot with me when we first met. Guess it's because it's sometimes easier to talk to a stranger, than to somebody close to you. Turns out he's been married for 25 years. Happily I might add. And has a son that's adopted. The son is black. He and his wife are not.

The family lives outside of Z, in a village. Country people are not always accepting as such. So they had to deal with the issue of having an adopted son. One of a different colour at that.

Imagine the commotion it caused when it turned out that the son is gay! Apparently the parents love him to bits, but it took some time for them to understand that he was of a different sexual orientation. They have now, but the "problem" is still that the neighbours do not want to accept it.

Imagine that in the year of 2006! Guess there are still smallminded people around.

Balcony

OK, so balcony is underway. Today it was shopping plants and then surprisingly enough planting them too. OK, it went like my friend was planting and I was "organizing", meaning I ordered the pizza to be delivered. Mind you, only to be eaten when the planting was over and done with.

So now I have yellow flowers, couple of pink ones, a few red, some more yellow + basil and rosmarin. All nicely put in pots and flower boxes (you know the ones that hang from the balcony). "Only" thing I have to do is to clean up. Doesn't that remind you of men cooking? Making a big show of actually doing the deed, and never cleaning up after?

Class

Today was the end of the German class. The first one. The next starts on Monday. So not really a break, but as we needed an excuse to party, this was it.

Spent a nice afternoon with two of the classmates (well, kinda). One of them got really, really drunk. And kept on having discussions, which few people could follow (least of all us there!). Latino men, what can I say? All mouth and no trousers :)

Anyway, it was a lazy afternoon with some good wine, and (at times) spiritual conversation. A nice start to the weekend indeed.

Parrot

Since birdies are the topic tonight, I just want to remind you about "the Norwegian blue", the joke from Monty Python...yes, a long time ago, from the 70's I think but a classic.

The parrot is kinda dead, it's resting, it's deceased, this parrot is no more, he's pining for the fjords, it has gone to see his ancestors, he's off the twig, he's history, he kicked the bucket, he is no longer with us, he is a stiff, he is no longer functioning, not with us anymore, he is an ex-parrot...

Probably one of the best jokes ever...but I'm open to challenges...

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~ebarnes/python/dead-parrot.htm

Countryside

Related topic. To birds. Today in German class we had to differentiate between city life and country life. Make a plus and minus list of both. And however hard I tried (not very :)...I couldn't come up with one positive thing living in the countryside. The stuff that other people said were like: nature (Discovery channel!), silence (who wants it?), not being anomymous (for me this is great!).

Guess I'm 100% city person...and the thing that strucks me is that most people who complain about the city actually do live in it. Why?

Eggs

Took my boat out for the first time this season today. Couldn't believe it. When I opened up the cover and the door, there was bird-shit all over the place...and I mean, all over the f...ing place. Not only that. Some bird had built a friggin nest in it. In my boat. And laid eggs!!!

I spent an hour cleaning bird-shit out of the boat. And the nest. And the eggs (were contemplating cooking them for breakfast tomorrow but decided against it in the end. Too small.) And you wonder why I dislike birdies?

Actually a bird had nested on the next boat, and I spent a long time telling her off. "This is not on"..."you have no business nesting in my boat"...that type of thing. Until I saw that her eggs were different from the ones in my boat. I then had to apologize. And for those of you who know me, that takes a lot of effort :)

Birdie nam-nam

Birds are the name of the game this evening. First topic I have to rant about is the friggin birds who sing outside my window every morning. At 5 am. This is not on. I do like the summer, but hello? I live in the middle of a city. For a reason. Birds were never part of why I signed up for city-life, ok?

I'm somebody who likes the smell of asphalt, the fumes of cars, the busy life in the city. Not friggin birds. As far as I'm concerned, I can see those on Discovery channel, don't need to experience them IRL (internet language for in real life).

Somebody get me a gun...

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A milestone...now waiting for the 2,000 hit!

Other blogs

Of course I don't want to admit that there are other blogs out there. You people should only read mine :)...anyway, today I did post a comment on an American blog. Funnily enough it hasn't been approved yet.

It went over immigrants, and how they should not be granted amnesty. Which is so easy to say when you were born in the "right" country. I am waiting for the person to approve my comment. Then I will copy-paste the conversation. It'll make for interesting reading, I promise.

Venezuela

This is a new country for me. Previously I've known people who know people, but not one directly from there. Now I do. It is a fantastic country in the way that my acquintance comes from there and is proud of it, in other ways it's ruled by a dictator. Not that he's called a dictator, Venezuela claims to be a democracy but in reality is not. From what I'm told.

As usual, I looked it up on CIA world factbook: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ve.html

PS. Funny, when you search for V in the list, the first country that comes up is Vanuatu. Have you ever heard of it? I hadn't. I am now wiser, since it apparently is located between Hawaii and Australia!

Nigger

And here was I thinking that nigger was a forbidden word these days. Until I got a sms from a black guy stating that "I'm a real nigger who is proud to be a nigger". How unexpected! Or maybe you can just say it if you're one too...

If you're black, please comment. I don't wanna be pic (politically incorrect).

Anyway, I think the way he said it, it should be ok. And trust me, he does have a sense of humour :)

Love the lovely people

Quote from Bridget Jones (when she was plastered). Had a good feeling tonight. Went to my fav place. Had my usual quota of wine. Just when I decided to leave, the band started to play really good rock'n'roll. I'm a sucker for that. So decided to have another glass. Just to go-with-the-flow you understand :)

Anyway, the last glass was on the house. I have no doubts it was because I'm a regular and a good customer, but still. Love the service. And as the English say: "there is nothing like a free meal" or in my case, there is nothing like a free drink...

Moles

The whole of Zürich city is in transformation. This means that the whole city looks like the moles have had a field day (pun intended!). There are people digging everywhere, pipes laid down, new asphalt, cranes all around the place.

One can only hope that'll be better after all this effort.

Which is funny, since I thought Zürich was a pretty good place to start with...

Mornings

People who speak in the mornings should be shot! I know it's a bit of a harsh statement, but don't you agree? What's wrong with these people? Must they express feelings/opinions/whatever in the f...ing morning?

Mornings for me are drinking coffee, contemplating that you're still alive, watching a bit of news on the telly (only if you feel up to it), getting the energy to shower, that type of thing.

The only mornings I have experienced with any type of pleasure, are the ones when I still haven't gone to bed...

Record in age difference?

Just read about a 33-year-old man who married a 104-year-old woman. "She gives me inner peace" he claims. Really? She probably sleeps most of the time :)

It's his first marriage apparently, but her 21st!!!

It is not known what happened to her previous 20 men :) Somehow this makes me think of spiders...

Gigfakes

The latest in music according to somebody I know:

http://www.googleidol.com/comps/comp1GrandFinal.htm

and fairly funny I must say.

Demonstrations

Apparently it's been pretty wild in town today. My friend claims he was sitting peacefully on the street drinking a beer, and got shot by the police with a rubber bullet. Rather painful he said, so painful he couldn't drink his beer for a while. Oh my!

Good thing I stayed in today :)

Mayday

In tribute to all those out there demonstrating today, I have been doing absolutely nothing, zilch, nada all day. It feels great!

Think actually this day has passed its best-before date long ago, but like the fact that it's a day off. Opportunistic? Absolutely :)