New Years Eve

Off shortly to celebrate New Years Eve with friends. I really love my friends. It's nice to know somebody cares, especially when you feel low. Which I don't today but New Years Eve is a day of reflection. How was my year (not too bad, but not too good either). Do I think it'll be better in 2007 (yes, definitely).

What do I want to change in my life? Well, not much such as it is but I want to continue making an effort to stay in touch with my friends and relatives. I hope for good surprises 2007. I hope life will be good for those I care about.

I'd like to keep on living thank you very much. Considering the alternative.

So let's hope 2007 will be full of joy, happiness and new things to learn. Before I get too profound I'm going to sign off. Next year you will find me on a new blog address...one where you can email me too!

http://zurilife.blogspot.com/

Away

So when I was away on my little trip to Texas, flatmate was instructed to do two things. One was to water my plants. The other one was to empty the fridge and bin everything old. Plants are fine, and I guess one out of two isn't bad :)

But flatmate is a really sweet guy. Today I got an aroma candle. Smelling of man. I like that smell.

Just have one question. Why on earth would a 28-year-old guy need so many bottles...and this is only from the bathroom...there is more in his room...anybody?

Toilet

Another Christmas present. Only funny for people who understand German...

Happy New Year!

Thanks to all my readers during this year. Let's hope 2007 will be even better!

Teeth

One of the reasons I didn't take the dancing guy up on his kind offer was that he kept on repeating how nice teeth I have. I guess the red wine and nicotine stains escaped him.

Nevertheless, he was a fantastic dancer and sometimes that's all a girl needs. The fact that he thought I was 25 did help :)...and yes, he wasn't exactly sober!

I think I will never tire of going out dancing/drinking/meeting people as long as I live...at least I hope not!

Back to normal

After having spent a couple of days sleeping in daytime, wide awake at three or six in the morning (check the blog and you will see) I am now more or less back to normal. Whatever normal is.

Had a very interesting evening. First I met with a new friend from the last class I attended. He turned out to be difficult. One of these who said "I'd like to keep in touch with you" and then made no effort whatsoever to do so. Little did he know. So I kinda forced him to through emailing saying when are we meeting? Eventually he caved in (yes, I can be very persuasive when I want to). A bit like my ex-boss said when we met in Dallas...everything was fine as long as I agreed with you...YES! Smart man, he learned...that's probably why we worked so well together :)

So I met up with this guy from the course. And I knew that we would get along fine. I have a great sense for people. Even though he was driving (ok, we have to work on that) he managed to stay in town until 1.30 in the morning. Not bad for a first-timer :)...being out with me (the pro).

Finally I decided it was time to send him on his way (after all, I didn't want to wear him out the first time) I decided I would pop into my usual place for a "one-for-the-road". And met this guy, who was a fantastic dancer. And a fantastic singer. Had lotsa fun, and stayed out later than planned...yeah ok, I hear you, not the first time. But why go home when you have fun? The only "problem" being that the guys who work there protect me...sometimes too much. Anybody try to do something not allowed, they are there like watch dogs. Even though I would allow it :)...what's so bad with touching my ass :) ??

PS. I do appreciate the guarding, and you guys certainly stop me from doing something I would regret. Thanks...ish :)

Big, bold and loud - and friendly

Big: everything's big in Texas. This includes my friends (ok, so not all of them but still), the appliances in the kitchen (incl the glasses and mugs...a pint of coffee in the morning type). The shower was set so high I had to stand on my toes to reach it. The cars, most of them 4-wheel drive's. The highways. The meals! A normal meal in a restaurant can feed at least two people. The space! Texas is large. When flying in to land it took at least half an hour flying over city lights before we reached the airport! I think you can fit a small European country into just the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

My friends house is a perfectly normal-sized house (approx 140 m2), and she claims it's small. I rest my case.

Bold: as an example I saw a road-sign "Drink - Drive - Go to Jail". No subtle messages there.

Loud: ok, the exception to the rule are my friends. They are whisperers. Very big and very quiet. But the rest is loud. Heartily loud though. There is nothing bad meant.

I felt almost at home in Texas I must say. People were friendly and helpful. In gas stations, in shops, in restaurants and the neighbours. Even though they did not expect tips. And I so enjoyed my visit there. Have already checked out flights for the next time :)....yiiii-haaaa!

Presents

I had agreed with my friends in Dallas not to exchange any Christmas presents. Or so I thought. My thinking was that seeing each other is present enough, and carrying things back and forth to Europe was not making a whole lotta sense.

Did they listen? Of course not. So I really felt a bit stupid, since I didn't bring anything (except for the chocolate, which is a must anyway when you come from Switzerland). Got the coolest-looking necklace and bracelet...fitting a cowgirl. See for yourself!


My other friend gave me a lottery ticket, where you could win 14M $. I immediately said we'll share that. It was only until he told me that you have to be a citizen in Texas in order to cash the winnings in, I realized he was pulling my leg. HAHAHA!

Calendar

Before going on with the Dallas story, I'd just like to say thank you to my friendgirl who sent me a calendar for 2007 today. I never had a personalized calendar before with pictures of me and my friends (mostly partying :). All year it will remind me of the great parties of 2006, and hopefully many new ones in 2007!

Thank you, it is great!

Texas men II

Next one up was a "real" cowboy, or so I thought. He passed and I asked if I could take a pic. Yes.


He claimed to be a real cowboy, but said he now worked as a fisherman in Alaska. Had I perhaps seen him on a tv show there? No. He started to flirt heavily with me, claiming "I'm not trying to hit on you" to which I responded you could have fooled me. Don't think he was used to witty women. He proceeded to tell a joke and mid-thru my friend and I said simultaneously "I've heard that one before". Poor thing, I almost felt sorry for him. He was trying so hard :). But I danced with him. And he wasn't a quitter. He went on asking are you married? Does it matter I said. How old are you? How old would you like me to be? But bless him, he thought I was 29 :)

Finally he realized I was taking him for a ride (pun intended)...and took a hike. Which was good since bodyguard and friend showed up. All in all, we had a fun evening.

Texas men

After the spectacle with bull-riding, which lasted all of 15 min (!) it was time to check out the meat-market (so to speak :). For this purpose my friends had taken me shopping earlier in the day, so am now the owner of a cowgirl shirt and new jeans. Btw when shopping I learned that I am short!! I tried on about 200 pair of jean (well it felt like it), and all of them except for the ones I bought were LONG. I guess mainly because you're supposed to have the jeans curl up on top of your cowgirl boots. But since I didn't have those boots I wanted "normal" jeans. Anyway...

When having a drink I was approached by a man coming up to me saying "are you drunk as a skunk?". Which I thought was an unusual first-liner, and thought about replying no, I just joined AA, but in end just said not yet. He then said "would you take my number off me?". Huh? Like I said, sometimes the lingo is weird. But when he turned his back to me, I realized that he had a number pinned to the back of his shirt, so he was one of the bull-riders.

Then he said something and left. My friend told me later that he asked if he could buy me a beer, and I said no. I wish I had understood what he said, since turning down a beer is not really me :)

Bull-riding

No visit to Texas is complete without seeing bull-riding. So next day we did.

http://www.billybobstexas.com/

The largest honky-tonk-place in the world! Normally there would be around 6,000 people, but since we chose to go on the 23rd of Dec, it was much less. Which I very much appreciated, don't think I could've taken on 6,000 Texans :)

Unfortunately this date also meant that it wasn't the top bull-riders performing. In fact, out of the six we saw none of them lasted more than 4 seconds! 8 seconds is considered acceptable. I tried to get pictures but they hardly hit the arena before they fell off. Wimps!


PS. Of course I tried it myself, so am now the proud owner of a pic of me on a bull, with an audience cheering in the background :)

Lunch

The next day it was time to meet another friend. Well, actually somebody who used to be my boss. But that didn't seem to have affected him too badly. He looked great.

He came and collected me, and we took a drive around Dallas.


And I learned that in Dallas you drive. Walking is not an option. Public transportation hardly exists. It's basically a city where people work, not live, even though they are trying to change this fact. Fort Worth on the other hand has a cute little city area, which is far more European and lively.

We went for lunch (this is where I got ID'd :) and again I had a great time. Especially after the two frozen drinks :)...no really, very good lunch and a nice catching up afternoon.

Again I got a ride home, and it turned out that this friend loved dogs. He was really impressed with the Great Dane, who was very friendly as long as his "Mum" introduced the guest. If not, you could expect really loud barks...fortunately we got along fine (the dog and I).

Date

Where was I in my story...ah yeah. After the drama day with Lucky, I had a date in the evening. Not a date-date, which my friends teased me for, but a date with guy I hadn't seen in 10 years but still managed to stay in touch with.

We had agreed to meet up in Cool River Cafe in Las Colinas (http://www.coolrivercafe.com/) and one of my friends gave me a ride there. It felt kinda cool walking in there with my own bodyguard (6ft4 - 195 cm) :)...and there he was. Waiting for me.

He looked about the same, perhaps a bit more distinguished but it felt the same talking to him. He was always good to talk to.

He asked me if I wanted to dine in the fancy restaurant or in the bar area. Considering it was smoking in the bar, guess what I chose? Food was so-so, but it didn't matter. It was great seeing him again.

After dinner I was supposed to call my "bodyguard" for a lift home, but date offered to drive me home. Good thing he did, since bodyguard didn't pick up phone. It later turned out that I had mixed up some digits in his phone number.

Journey back was quite an adventure since he didn't know where we were going, and I certainly didn't. Ended up with us having to stop at a gas station, buying a map, and with the kind help of some real Texan guy managed to locate the tiny street where my friend lives (only three houses on street).

So in the end all well, and I had a really nice evening out!

Villain of the year

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/28/america/NA_GEN_US_Villains_and_Heroes_AP_Poll.php

Voted by the Americans themselves!

ID

Had lunch with a friend over there, and since I was on holiday I thought I'd have a drink first. Hmmm, Margarita sounded nice. There were all sorts of flavours (sorry flavors :) to choose from...one of the perks of visiting the land of plenty :).

So ordered one with banana-strawberry, and guess what...I got ID'd!! They asked me for my ID! At first I was quite puzzled as to why, since I'm not exactly a teenager anymore. And the age for being allowed a drink in Texas is 21. But hey, I was flattered. Immensely :)

Until I was told they are required to ID anybody who looks younger than 40!!

As to why is anybody's guess...surely no 40-year-old looks 21?? I thought it was only in Hollywood they do the facelift thing. But never mind. Now I can say I got ID'd in America :)

Drive-thru and tip

Drive-thru's are big in Texas. You can pretty much drive thru anything. You hungry? Drive thru hamburger places, "the best ribs in town", Asian food, pizza, take your pick. You thirsty? Drive thru Starbucks or at Christmas time, the "home-made eggnog" place. You need money? Drive-thru an ATM.

And everywhere you tip. Get a coffee from Starbucks (even the drive-thru variant) tip 1$. For food, tip more. Not sure, but think that possibly you're excused from tipping at the ATM machine :)...

You even tip the people sitting in the little booth on the highway collecting the charge for driving there.

15% is the usual amount of tip. Apparently the people are so poorly paid, so most of them live on the tip. I've heard horror stories where waiters have gone quite mad, not having received tip because of bad service. So 15% is normal, anything above that is for extraordinarily good service, and less is obviously for bad service.

Even for drinks in a bar you tip. They have a glass on the counter which is big and kinda in your face, so that you won't forget.


PS. When I tip the home delivery pizza people here at home 2 CHF they are very grateful. And that includes them coming to my place, not driving thru theirs!

Food

Went to do some food shopping with my friends over there. And it's like in any new country. You don't recognize a thing. Well, apart from the obvious fruit and veg and stuff. The packaging is different, the brands are new, the lingo is not always understandable. American English is quite different from British English, much more than I realized. I guess the Americans I worked with and met over the years adjust their language to exclude slang when talking to Europeans.

And all the food is "sodium-free", "100% natural", "great flavour" (sorry flavor :), "pure", "premium", "original recipe", "great taste", "quality", "low in carbs" and/or "fat-free". Latter one not entirely visible amongst the population though :)

Luckily my friends are great cooks, so I only got to taste home-cooked meals. And they were great.

Appliances

They have different kitchen appliances in the US. Examples being a bagel-toaster (like a toaster but bigger...like everything in Texas :), a trash-"compresser" (don't really know what it's called but it's a machine that compresses the trash so that you can fit a lot in there...only when it's finally time to take it out it weighs a ton!) and an ice-machine attached to the freezer (see pic).

I kinda like the ice-machine idea. Just press a button and out it comes!

Since my friend has lotsa animals with fur it's almost a daily chore to hoover. Now, there was a shock when they turned the vacuum cleaner on. The noise was worse than the leaf-sucking device here at home. I was told by my friend that "Americans don't think it sucks if it doesn't make a noise". Hmmm, I guess nobody ever accused them of being clever either :)

Lucky

Woke up early the next morning. Body clock a bit out of whack. But was nice, since my friend was off to work, we got to have a couple of early morning hours with lotsa coffee (I had to teach them how to make proper coffee...what Americans refer to as coffee is basically brown water).

So off to work she went, and I had a great morning with a bath in the whirlpool, unpacking, cuddling the animals and settling in in general. About noon I felt nap-time coming on.

When I woke up a couple of hours later a friend called me to agree a time to meet. When on the phone I noticed the little cat (the one you saw on the pic) coming out from behind a plant dragging his leg. Thought he was playing around. I then saw it looked serious, so got off the phone and went to check on him. Oh dear. Bite marks, leg in totally wrong angle. Panic!

Called my friend, told her to get home immediately. Unfortunately she was an hour away, so I had to spend the waiting time trying to comfort the little one. He was miaowing pitifully, but still purred when I petted him. It was horrible to see.

This kitten had only been with the family a couple of months, taken in after having been thrown out of a car!!! (Who would do such a thing?). They named him Lucky.

While waiting the neighbour rang the door, and told me that she saw the kitten being attacked by two dogs. After having spent the afternoon at the vet's we were informed that Lucky had a broken leg (I saw the x-ray, and I'm telling you, it was broken in a 45° angle...these dogs were vicious!), two bite marks on the side, and a big rip on his behind.

My friends decided to give him a chance, and when I left he was still recovering at the vet's. He was such a sweet and playful creature, and I'm sorry I didn't get to see more of him. Fell in love with him at first sight, and I guess he liked me too since he fell asleep on my bed.

I wish Lucky a good recovery and a long life. He should at least have 7 left!

Tacky

Texans don't really do tasteful. Everything's big, bold and loud. More about that later. For now two pictures. The big tree is from outside the neighbours house, and the little red one from my friends house. But have to say though, I find the red one tastefully tacky. And different :)

Arrival

So finally arrived to my friends house. What a relief. Finally there. And I was treated like a princess. Here's your room. Here's the shower. Here's the whirlpool. Here's a glass of wine. Are you hungry?

It was great. The only thing was I could only muster to stay up a few hours. Good thing was that I was arriving in the evening, so it helped with the jetlag. So we had a few hours to catch up, have a glass of wine and feel the joy of seeing each other again.

I was also introduced to the menagerie in the house. When I said everything's big in Texas I meant it. Check this Great Dane out! And the little one trying to pick a fight :)

Duty-free

Before moving on with the story, I just wanted to mention that buying duty-free in Zürich was a bit of a no-go. The only thing allowed was ciggies (phew!), but no beverages (at least I don't think so, didn't try) and get this...no mascara! Was trying to buy one, and was told no.

Again why? I can understand if they want the goods to be sealed, and kept in a closed bag but not buying it at all? People, we're talking mascara. What was I gonna do with it? Especially if in a sealed bag? Poking somebody's eye? I already had a pen, remember?

Somehow I just don't think that all these so called security measures will prevent terrorists from doing whatever they want. But I guess the Americans think otherwise...

Pick-up

Fortunately my friends live fairly close to the airport, only half an hour drive which I learned is nothing in these parts of the world. I guess living about half an hour from the next country (Germany) spoils you a bit.

And they had a huge pick-up truck. Which I learned is very common. Why the Texans would need a 4-wheel drive is beyond me though. It never snows. But as I was about to learn everything's big in Texas. And that nobody has only one car...

Dallas

Finally it was touch-down time in Dallas/Fort Worth, my final destination. I was told that it was a really large airport, but gotta say I saw nothing of it. Only had to walk about 20 meters from the exit of the plane to luggage pick-up. And joy, the exit door was next to luggage belt. Smoking time.

Only, wait a minute. Where are my friends? Yes ok, I did have the address but had no idea where I was in general (which is not that unusual with me having no sense of direction whatsoever - was born without that particular gene). So got my luggage and slowly wandered outside, lit up and looked around. No giants. Hmmm.

Wasn't really worried though, these are good friends. And I was half an hour early. So when they turned up 10 min later, all flustered and full of excuses (your flight was scheduled to be late, the terminal wasn't displayed) I was totally cool and collected. Possibly because I just had two ciggies :)

And gosh, was it good to see them! That's the only disadvantage of having friends all over the world. You don't get to see them as often as you would like. On the other hand, there is always a place to stay when you travel :)

IAD-DFW

After a few hours of smoking, walking around for a bit, locating the terminal and getting there I got on the next flight.

Funny that, that flying domestic in America provided more space and leg-room than international. Probably thanks to the fat American people. Of which I had one next to me. Again I was in a window seat (not very customer-friendly on United Airlines). She was young, and really overweight. And started the flight by opening her food-bag stuffed with fattening fast-food...

Since I thought they would feed us on the flight I hadn't stocked up on food in the airport. How wrong I was. They didn't even sell anything to eat. I was starving! And looked with envy on my neighbours food. Finally I asked the flight attendant if they served something, at which time fat girl offered me some chips. Thanks.

Thankfully it was only a 3,5 hour flight, and I was starting to feel excited about meeting my giant friends, who were waiting for me at the airport!

Washington

So finally after 8 hours I got off the plane at Washington Dulles airport. Just off I noticed the smoking lounge (well, not really a "lounge" as they call it, more like a gas chamber, taking 28 people according to the sign...imagine more than that continuously smoking all the time...it's almost like you don't have to lit up yourself, just inhale). Unfortunately I was on the wrong side of the glass wall. Think of that, only 5 cm from a smoking room after more than 8 hours without a ciggie! FRUSTRATION!!!

Had to walk the corridors to the passport control and VISA check. Two (!!) fingerprints, both index fingers AND a retina scan. These guys are not the trusting types I tell you. I asked him if he needed my boarding card too. He didn't understand. So repeated. He still didn't get it. When I explained, he said oh, you mean boarding PASS (pronounced päääs). So ok, forgot I was in the States. It's not like I speak American English on a daily basis.

Then I had to go and find my bag off the luggage belt, drag it 20 meters to a drop-off (why? I guess it's because they don't trust themselves of having tagged all the bags properly) and proceed to another security check. Off with shoes again, transparent bag separately, and you know what? They confiscated my lighters! All three of them! Why? It sure beats me. I mean if I had something in it that would cause a fire or a blast, couldn't they just ask me to light it? Ah ok, I could of course be a suicide bomber. Yeah, right! Seriously, the Americans are a bit weird.

Finally, FINALLY I was off the hook. Smoking "lounge", here I come. Of course I had to ask a fellow traveller for a light...

ZRH-IAD

Isn't it weird that an airport is the only place where it feels absolutely natural to have a hamburger at 9.15 in the morning? And good thing I did. United didn't really think that feeding people was part of the ticket price. Ok, we got a small lunch (well, I actually sweet-talked the staff into giving me two) and a small sandwich before landing.

The thing is that eating is about the only thing you can do on a plane, besides drinking (5$ with anything with alcohol in it!), reading and watching movies. Sleeping is really not my thing on a plane. Too uncomfortable. Especially with a German woman next to me, having a thing with looking out the window often. Invading my space. Ouch.

So did the VISA waiver program forms. The ones where you have to answer lotsa questions like "do you do drugs?" (does alcohol and nicotine count?), "have you ever been convicted of a crime?" (not recently :), "have you ever been refused entry to the US before?" and that type of thing. After all the privacy-invading questions (yes I know, for my own security - but didn't stop the guys from flying into the twin towers did it?) on the bottom line it says: Welcome to the US. Gee, thanks.

PS. Ever heard of the theories of why the windows on the plane must be open at the time of taxi, take-off and landing? And why you are to lean forward in the case of emergency? Some say it is if something happens and the plane crashes they need to be able to count the heads through the windows. And the leaning forward is to protect your teeth, so that you break your neck nice and clean and keep your dental records in order for identification later. Just FYI :)

Check-in

So last Wednesday after 4 hours of sleep I got up, showered, had a coffee and packed. Flatmate was nice enough to help me carry bag down the stairs. Took my big luggage bag since I had so much chocolate, but it wasn't exactly heavy, just bulky.

Got to the airport to do the check-in, which was rather painful. I haven't been in the US after 9/11 and couldn't believe all the questions that were asked.

I can live with the usual ones like "did you pack your bag yourself?", but this time they really went far. To the question "have you packed any electronical devices?" I felt like answering no, I left my dildo at home but one look at the serious (and indeed very Swiss) guy I opted for only mobile phone and camera. Then he asked "when did you buy them?"...??? What did he expect me to answer? Oh, I bought them from a guy in a hurry just outside the terminal?

He also asked if I brought any gifts? To which I quite honestly answered yes, chocolate. But he meant if I had any gifts in my luggage that I didn't know what they were. No. "Do you carry anything that can be used as a weapon?". Yes, I have a hairbrush and a pen, which I was planning on sticking in somebody's eye. Really.

Then of course I had to go through security. Off with shoes and jacket. Lipstick and handcreme had to go in a separate transparent bag. Why? Beats me.

When boarding the plane they checked passport again and asked me if I left the hand luggage out of my sight during my time in the airport. Again, felt like answering yes, I left it with a suspicious-looking guy when I was in the bathroom, but somehow felt that they wouldn't appreciate the joke so said no.

Finally on the plane I was lucky to get two seats to myself. They put me in a window seat which I hate (I really tried to have them changed it, but to no avail) and hurray, "boarding completed" without having somebody next to me. Only to see the flight attendant reseating a passenger next to me. She didn't bother to ask me how I felt. So got this overweight German woman next to me. For 8 hours! Yay, the glamour of travel...



My lipsticks and handcreme.

Jetlag

OK, so impossible to go back to sleep. It is indeed weird to wake up at three in the morning feeling hungry. Then eat, read a bit and try to go back to sleep and then, six in the morning, feel like a glass of wine would be nice.

So came home yesterday morning at around 8. Finally! It was a very long flight home. Yes I know, the same distance as going there, but it felt like an endless trip. My bum was flat from all the sitting, my legs were restless, I couldn't sleep properly (well who can in economy class? - am seriously thinking of investing in business next time I must fly), they didn't feed me enough. Couldn't even get drunk since drinks cost 5$ each. 5$ for a beer? I don't think so. And the wine they offered was crap (Cab Sauv or Chardonnay).

I have never really been a good traveller. I'd like to get from A to B instantly (beam me up Scotty). Perhaps that's why I like Europe so much? Just a hop away from the next country, very convenient indeed.

Anyway, my intention was to take you through my holiday in chronological order, but knowing me, it won't happen. But will give it a whirl.

PS. Am drinking coffee in case you wondered :)

Back in the...

ah ok, Switzerland. Still jetlagged and a bit confused as to what time it is. Hmmm, almost 4 in the morning. But I was hungry, and why not eat when you are?

So here I am, letting you know that blogging will be resumed shortly. With lotsa memories from the US of A. Watch out!

Sexy Santa

Merry Christmas...

Should would could

I really should go to bed.

I would go to bed, if I didn't have to...

I could go to bed. Anytime now actually.

Archimedes

I am indeed a cheapo. Normally when I go on local transportation I use a daycard or buy a monthly card, but today when I was going shopping (chocolate, remember?) I had an Eureka moment. So bought a ticket for the airport zone valid 24 hours. Which I used for going shopping, going to friend for dinner, going into town and will use tomorrow for the airport. And all of this for only 6 CHF. Is Switzerland great or what?

PS. Wasn't it Archimedes who had the Eureka moment in the bathtub? You know when he discovered that the same mass of water "disappeared" as the size of body in the tub? Ok, I'm sure a more scientific person will explain this to me with better words. Aussie? U there?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimedes

Just like I said

Home now. Had dinner with a friend this evening. It wasn't supposed to be late but when you get going, you know how it is. Good food, good talk, good wine and so on.

It was funny because I brought a small Christmas gift. Nothing fancy, but something I knew he could use. In what was the worst wrapping you could've done. Or rather, I did. I simply took wrapping paper left from some other gift. In fact, it looked a bit like the Christmas tree :) But as I was trying to tell myself, it's the thought that counts. So I hope he appreciated it...at least he was laughing :)

And then I had to go into town of course. Met with a friendgirl. Some music, some more wine, some interesting conversation, even met some new people.

Which all made me think about why I'm leaving all this. I know, it's only for a week but still. And I know why. Because I really really want to see my friends again (who I haven't seen for 1,5 years...coming to think of it I'm meeting more friends, one I haven't seen in what? 5 years? and another one I definitely haven't seen in 10 years!), and I know I will love the feeling of coming back to Z.

I'm just over the feeling of travelling for travelling sake. That's not me anymore. The only thing that can get me out of Zürich these days are my friends. And hurray for them! Guys in D, tomorrow we'll meet!

More Schoggi

So went to buy more chocolate for my friends...you think this'll be enough?

Contradiction

Since I am a woman I reserve the right to say one thing and do another. I tend to do this when it comes to packing luggage. Am supposed to do it today, but know myself enough so it won't happen. At least not today. And I'm supposed to go to bed early tonight and not party.

This is what will happen: I will go out tonight. I will have a few drinks. I will be wide awake when coming home, and go blogging. Then tomorrow (f...ing early!) I will get up. Swear at myself for not packing today. Then pack (and since I've done this a few thousand times before I will do it in 5-10 min), have a shower, a few coffees, feel like shit and go to the airport.

It's a good thing I know myself :)

PS. Learn from previous mistakes? Naaahhh.

Hand luggage

I've never understood why it's such a big deal with this discussion about what you can take on the plane. As I understand it you can take almost everything, if you check the bag in. I intend to only take the necessary in my small handbag on the actual flight. You know, passport, tickets, money, credit cards, lipstick, pen, hairbrush that type of things you usually find in women's handbags. Plus maybe a bottle of water, they never give you enough on the plane.

They still serve food and booze on the long-hauls, don't they? I mean, I don't wanna be without food and drinks for 10 hours thank you very much. But in these days of savings, you can never be sure.

Looked it up on the net. This is what is says:
"We serve complimentary meals on most international flights between the US, South America, Europe, the South Pacific and Asia. Shortly after takeoff, customers will enjoy a beverage service with cocktail snacks, complimentary soft drinks and premium liquors, beer and wine. Alcoholic beverages are complimentary on trans and intra pacific flights and available for sale on other international flights. The main meal will consist of salad, appetizer, a choice of hot entrees and dessert. On longer flights we also offer a light pre-arrival meal."

What worries me is the pacific sentence. Surely Switzerland to US doesn't cross the pacific? That would indeed be weird. That means I have to pay for my food??

People

Saw a movie the other day and heard this saying:

"There are two types of people in the world, and you're not one of them". HAHAHA!

Condom-news

BBC News, Delhi

There is a "lack of awareness" over condom sizes

A survey of more than 1,000 men in India has concluded that condoms made according to international sizes are too large for a majority of Indian men.
The study found that more than half of the men measured had penises that were shorter than international standards for condoms.
It has led to a call for condoms of mixed sizes to be made more widely available in India.
The two-year study was carried out by the Indian Council of Medical Research.
Over 1,200 volunteers from the length and breadth of the country had their penises measured precisely, down to the last millimetre.
The scientists even checked their sample was representative of India as a whole in terms of class, religion and urban and rural dwellers.

It's not size, it's what you do with it that matters

Sunil MehraThe conclusion of all this scientific endeavour is that about 60% of Indian men have penises which are between three and five centimetres shorter than international standards used in condom manufacture.
Doctor Chander Puri, a specialist in reproductive health at the Indian Council of Medical Research, told the BBC there was an obvious need in India for custom-made condoms, as most of those currently on sale are too large.
The issue is serious because about one in every five times a condom is used in India it either falls off or tears, an extremely high failure rate.
And the country already has the highest number of HIV infections of any nation.
'Not a problem'
Mr Puri said that since Indians would be embarrassed about going to a chemist to ask for smaller condoms there should be vending machines dispensing different sizes all around the country.
"Smaller condoms are on sale in India. But there is a lack of awareness that different sizes are available. There is anxiety talking about the issue. And normally one feels shy to go to a chemist's shop and ask for a smaller size condom."
But Indian men need not be concerned about measuring up internationally according to Sunil Mehra, the former editor of the Indian version of the men's magazine Maxim.
"It's not size, it's what you do with it that matters," he said.
"From our population, the evidence is Indians are doing pretty well."
"With apologies to the poet Alexander Pope, you could say, for inches and centimetres, let fools contend."

Delivery

In 6 hours the wine that we ordered will be delivered. Wonder if flatmate remembers he agreed to answer the door?

Best go to bed...not that I need my beauty sleep you understand :)

Compliment?

Got what I think was a compliment today. Was told I looked "different", but since he had an appreciative look on his face it kinda interpreted it like in a good way.

But since I am like I am, I told him I washed my hair :)

Left-overs

From the wine-tasting session...the 2nd one :)

Nesting

Met a friendgirl the other day. Her boyfriend had developed a nesting instinct. They had been looking at a 8,5-room house...8,5!!! That's big. But because it was out in the woods it was still kinda affordable.

Only, she didn't sound at all excited to move from a ok suburb flat outside Zürich but still within reasonable distance of the city to the real countryside. Even if it involved a 8,5-room house...and trust me, I can relate to that!

Mae West

Today when the ex was storming out of my flat I got to think about quotes. Like the one "I never hated a guy enough to give back the jewellery". I thought it was Mae West who said that, but I could be wrong. But I googled her and she was a cool broad. Here are some of her quotes:

He who hesitates is a damned fool.

His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.

I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it.

Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution yet.

Too much of a good thing is wonderful.

You're never too old to become younger.

Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before.

21

A 25 year-old acquaintance I met this evening told me she met this guy. They met, danced, drank and had fun and surprisingly enough they ended up in bed together. Only nothing happened.

After this night there were a few sms-conversations and I asked how she was feeling about him. Her answer was "what am I gonna do with a 21 year-old?".

Hmmm, I can think of a few things ;)

Christmas tree

Went to the attic to get the old Christmas tree today (plastic, of course!). Flatmate helped. Realized none of us are homely, decorating people. Tree looks like two kids decorated it. Lights mainly on the backside. Glitter a bit all over the place. Not a pretty sight.

And I was just trying to make it "Christmassy"...

Ah well, I'm off on Wednesday and flatmate has been told he has free hands :)

Sexbomb

Flatmate was browsing the net today, and found this blog meeting for expats in Basel. The little I saw I don't think I wanna take part in. The abbreviation for the meeting was gonna be SeXBOMB...cannot remember but it was something like Swhatever...expat...blogging...etc. And very American.

Unless sexbomb is not abbreviation but an epithet, I think I'll pass :)

Fights

Today was a day full of fights. Fortunately I didn't participate but I got involved.

First one was with cooking friend from yesterday, also known as the ex. Yesterday we talked about him coming over to share the leftovers for dinner. At noon I sms'd him to say three o'clock kwak-kwak? Two hours later there was no answer, and I was hungry so I ate. Of course in the middle of dinner he answered saying three o'clock was ok.

When he arrived I told him he would be angry. And yes, was I right or was I right? When he heard that I already ate he stormed in, got his cooking utensils and stuff, and stormed out again. Only to ring the door again and ask for the money (we agreed in advance to share the cost for the dinner). Fine, so he got his money. And I couldn't be bothered to be upset. Seen his behaviour too many times before.

In the evening I was meeting up with a friendgirl. 5 min before I was leaving, she sms'd to say "I had a fight. I don’t come". Ah gee, thanks. No explanation who the fight was with, no sorry. But ok, by then I was used to it :)

So went on my own to town. And whaddayaknow...lots of acquaintances showed up. Had a good time. And spent some time thinking about what to blog about...reflection. Good thing.

But later, friendgirl decided to show up anyway. She really wears her heart on her sleeve. Which is why she ends up being hurt. And it just so happens I know a little bit about this...I do it too much too.

PS. Mental note to oneself, must stop caring!

Too little - too much

This is indeed a dilemma. I follow the blog world pretty close, and have found that the ones visited most are the ones who blog ALL THE TIME! On the other hand, when I speak to the friends who read MY blog I always get the feedback that they don't have time, I write too much, and therefore they follow it once in a while.

Guess I have to decide which one I'm gonna be. The one to write the blog only for friends, or go more public...HAHAHA! There's a wish for next year :)

PS. Some wise person said that writing is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration! Sorry, off now for a shower :)

Schoggi

Thought I had bought enough chocolate to bring to friends in the US. But when I did the inventory today it doesn't look like it's enough...ah gosh, I need to go shopping!

7 Sünden

Song about the seven sins (are there only seven?)

http://lyrics.songtext.name/DJ%20%D6tzi/7-Suenden-79535.html

Merry Christmas

Duck

Today a friend of mine and flatmate will cook an early Christmas dinner. Duck is on the menu. I'm hungry already, but have been warned that it'll take 3 hours to prepare. I can't wait!

Taxi

So like said I had an outing with my friendgirl. We had a really good time with some good music and dancing. I then walked her to the train, waved her off and went to find a taxi.

Got a woman taxi driver. So naturally I asked her how it was to drive a taxi at night. I mean, I wouldn't do it. Scary stuff. Drunk people. Mostly men I would think. You know.

So said: "so nothing bad ever happened to you?". Her reply was: "not until now". And I couldn't stop laughing. Turned out that she wasn't that fluent in English, so she didn't understand why I was laughing so much. I tried to explain to her how it sounded, but when you have to explain a joke it's not funny anymore right?

Anyway she was nice so gave her a hefty tip. I for one know what it is like not to be fluent in a language :)

Wine-tasting

I know, I know, I know, I did blog about this before but wine-tasting guy showed up again. Actually, we kinda prompted him to...imagine that :)? And I have learned tonight that flatmate cannot take more than two glasses of wine before getting "forgetful" (read drunk :).

Anyway, we were having a really nice evening, and then my friendgirl and I went out to explore Zürich by night. Why I know flatmate was drunk? Two reasons. The table was full of about 14 glasses when coming home (from the wine-tasting) and the food was left on the table.

But the real give-away was that the dvd was playing a movie. In German. Flatmate doesn't speak German...

HAHAHAHA!

PS. Wine-tasting guy actually has a name. Patrick. And he was writing very nicely in my guestbook...

Apero

So now we had an apero (Swiss "language" for nibbles and drinks), and we're on the way out. Flatmate showed up and joined for a while. These were the topics discussed:

Religion (christianity, romans, atheism (yes, that's me in case you wondered :), buddhism etc etc blablabla)

Cheese (flatmate was doing a Borat...what is zis? And what is zis?)

Gays (I know, why? On the other hand, why not?)

Films and music

Childhood (why do we end up looking like our parents?)

Sex (and the city)

and the evening is still young...who knows where this'll end :)??

Weekend

The weekend is here. Started nicely with a visit from two friends. One is from Norway, and I've known her for almost 10 years (f... time's flying!). The other one is a new acquaintance from January this year. And I accidently introduced them to each other. And wham! Love at first sight.

Not the first couple I've managed to introduce. Another one is going on year 7 right now. And I'm still waiting for my commission...

Should start a new career in the managing dating-business (like I'M so good at it myself :)...and be rich. Along with writing Hollywood-movies of course :)

Limmat vs Liffey

Was out a bit tonight. Met this couple from Dublin. Actually, was hanging at my table when I heard this accent, so had to initiate a conversion. As you do. Or possibly as I do.

Anyway, in Ireland protection like condoms was forbidden until quite recently, and when it came up in discussion it turned out they'd been together for 14 years. 14 f...ing years!!! That's a long time people. And no kids.

They were also of the opinion that email was an invention of the devil. "What's wrong with phone calls?". Nothing I guess, but sms and emails are good complements. Right? I didn't even bring up my blog...think they would've choked.

Nevertheless, they were nice people. And they liked the fact that I had been in Dublin, seeing the statue of Molly Malone :)

http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/irhismys/mollylyrics.htm

PS. For you "uneducated" :) out there Limmat is the river in Zürich, and Liffey is the one in Dublin.

Age

Just spent 1 hour and 5 min on the phone to a friend of the family. He's 94. Clear as cristal. Funny to talk to.

A great person, making lotsa jokes. So I asked him how his kids are (one is 66 and the other one 71 :)...he said fine. His girlfriend however is a bit wobbly, and she's only 76 :)

Told him I have the same age difference with my ex...

Asked him if he stopped driving a car yet (he knows my views on this subject) and he said no. "I went shopping today". Ok, so there is no changing this guy.

I'm glad to have such good people around me, people who are happy to hear from me, people who like to talk to me. And I love the fact that they are all different, agewise, colourwise, experiencewise, languagewise and whateverwise...

PS. Even Swisswise...

Aguilera

Apparently a person called Christina Aguilera is playing in Zürich tonight. Goes to show how little updated I am with music. I'm just a sucker for live music (any kind really).

But a friendgirl of mine will be at the concert, and I made her promise to send me an update about the performance...so maybe to be cont'd?

Meatloaf

Did a really great meatloaf yesterday. Flatmate can certify, or maybe he was just polite :)??

Recipe:
1 kg ground meat (minced), half beef half pork
onions cut into very small pieces or preferably grated
salt, white pepper, lemon pepper
2 eggs

Mix all. Form a meatloaf in a form. Add whole onions and potatoes cut in half on the sides. Add salt on potatoes. I also used some olive oil on the bottom of the form.

Bake in oven for approx 1 hour 200°. Depending on quality of meat you may have to scoop away some juice if it "leaks".

Yum!

Hollywood

Think I'm gonna start writing movies for Hollywood. Just watched one on the Italian channel. The script was extremely predictable. Good guys vs bad guys. Dad had bad relationship with daughter, but when they finally started making up, Dad dies rescuing daughter. Good guys win.

Only, some of the talk was in native American language, with subtitles in Italian. Much good that did me!!

But as said script so predictable, so this must be easy to do. I hear that they pay good too :)

Logistics

Got the delivery notes for the wine today, one for my flatmate and one for my order. Interestingly enough they will deliver mine 7.15 in the morning, and flatmates 7.30. Or perhaps the other way around.

So they first gonna come with one order 7.15, then go down and wait in the car and come back 7.30 :)? Think perhaps they set up the schedule in order to squeeze in a coffee break :)

Team

It struck me this evening when I was listening to my favourite band. A band is a team. Ok, so no revelation there. But it's actually a miniature world. In this particular band there are five members. These are my thoughts:

A: the band leader. The boss. The one who decides and who's been around forever. Seen it, done it, didn't buy the t-shirt-type of guy. Smiles because he's done it for 20 years, and because he somehow likes what he does. Plays guitar.

B: the young one. This particular one sings like Pavarotti, only different music. He loves the life, and doesn't think about the future. Always joking, and adds a little something extra to make customers come back. Also childish. Sings.

C. the babe-attracter. Very young, gorgeous and doesn't really know how to play on it just yet. But every woman there sees it. Keyboard player, so in the background. I really don't wanna be his wife, and according to rumors he has one.

D. the drummer. The brain in the team. The thinker. Not the one to walk around the room when there's a brake talking to people, but is there as stability. Has thoughts about the future of the band.

E. the happy-go-round player. Not the one in the spotlight, but always nice. The one who will never cause a fight. Plays base as a job, not a lifestyle.

So go back to think of the team you're in. And there is always one. Which role do you play?

Slovakia

Had a discussion with a guy from Slovakia the other evening. I had lost his mobile number (well to be honest I didn't lose it, I deleted it :) so asked whether he had email. No he said, in Slovakia we still use telegrams, while making circular movements with his hand like he was using a mechanical wheel.

I like people with a sense of humour and self irony.

Fluffies

I love my new fluffy slippers bought at the Christmas market. Best buy this month, and only 15 CHF!

Every time I come home I get out of my boots, and slip them on. A homely feeling. And they are blue as the sky (at least how a sky should look like, not the grey we see just now), which gives me a summery feeling.

Only a few weeks now until the days start getting longer again!

PS. Flatmate is casting his greedy eyes on my slippers. I'll need to hide them over Christmas :)

Giants

When going to the US of A over Christmas I will be met by two giants at the airport. They are about 188 and 195 cm tall! I'm gonna feel like a teeny-tiny slim European, since they are not exactly lightweights either.

I look forward to this feeling :)

Lingerie

This is one of these really big earth-quaking questions in life: Who do you buy sexy lingerie for? When you buy it for yourself I mean.

One friendgirl says it gives her a strong and self-confident feeling to walk around in.

Others refuse to buy anything in that area, claiming it's not comfortable and/or not necessary.

I'm thinking that you do it in order to feel sexy. But if you do it for yourself, doesn't that mean that you want sex too? But then with yourself? It's confusing, isn't it?

Possibly it's good to wear once in a while, to make you feel attractive. Which probably changes your posture and attitude, so that you appear more sexy to those you want to impress.

Girls thoughts on this issue would be appreciated! And boys too for that matter :)

Drug addict

I'm starting to look like a drug addict. Donated blood again, and they use these really thick needles which both hurt and leave a little hole in the skin.

But the people are awfully nice. Today I got a Santa Claus and a heart...both of chocolate :)

Lunch

Had lunch today in the city center. Have a friend who works in one of them fancy-schmancy buildings in the middle of the city. Building is actually 500 years old, and very charming, yet modern inside.

It's one of the private banking slash consultancy type of businesses, where you need gazillions of money to be a client. But I got to see the offices for free :)...good to have friends!

Warm glass

In my usual place they always make me feel welcome. They also like to play stupid jokes. Like today.

I always drink a glass (or three) of wine and with that I require ice water. And they know, so I never have to ask. It comes automatically. But today when I asked for a refill, the guy got me the glass and then stayed. As usual I filled it up with ice (yes, I get a glass of ice cubes too...they know me) and then lifted it to have a drink. HOT!

He got it straight out of the dish-washer, and thought it was funny...and I guess it was :)...sometimes you have to work with small measures!

Usual place

Gosh, I've been busy this week. Even though I cancelled the trip to Bern (which wasn't a big deal, since it just involved going with a friend to pick up a "home-training-device"=a friggin bicycle...you know the type where you just keep on cycling and don't get anywhere), it was a busy day.

Dinner in the afternoon with a friend (leftover tacos from Friday) and then I HAD to go to my usual place. The band expected me. The staff did. All of them missed me. Or my money :)

But it was fun. As usual. A few glasses of wine. Some good music. A chat or two. Not bad for a Sunday :)

Guten Abig

After more than four years in this country (Switzerland in case you're a new reader) I today had a warm feeling when hearing "Guten Abig". Guten Abend in high German means good evening. Guten Abig is Swiss German for the same, and most of the time I make fun of "ziz language" but today it felt homely. I don't know why.

Perhaps I'm finally feeling really at home here? I remember the same feeling when I was living in Holland, and I used to fly a lot for business. When getting on a KLM flight, greeted in Dutch, I felt like I was coming home.

Oh dear, am I finally feeling at home in Zürich?

Lost contact

I have a new acquaintance who says "the mouse is broken and i cannot use the other computer". And she didn't save my email address, nor my mobile number! Hmmm. And since she knows my first name AND my last name, AND I'm in the phone book...how difficult can it be?

Is this an acquaintance worth keeping? But on the other hand, she used my blog to take contact again. Guess I will give her another chance :)

Anybody who likes my blog is welcome in my world...

Before

Sometimes I'm just before my time (compare previous blog items if you can be arsed...they are way back). On Friday when the wine-tasting guy arrived he was making a bit of a song-and-dance about his company (ok, 5 min) and then pulled out the first bottle. I kinda thought it looked familiar so I said hang on, went to the balcony and pulled the same bottle out. From the dinner a few weeks ago, when a friend brought white wine and we ended up drinking only red. That made him kinda quiet, but as you know (if you've read the blog) he recovered quickly.

Then when we tasted a really good white wine (Chenin Blanc...PAARL...2006) we countered with the Hungarian Pinot Grigio 2005. And made him taste it. He reluctantly agreed that it wasn't bad. For the price :)...his wine cost about 20 CHF per bottle. "Our" wine from Denner cost exactly 3,85 CHF per bottle.

You get what you pay for? Yes, sometimes...but it's ever so nice to get a personal delivery :)

Teeny-tiny

Was hanging up the wash from the flatmate. I know, it's a fine line between being flatmates and being too intimate, but he left the wash in the machine so I thought I'd to him a favour and hang it up. Besides, some of my wash was in the machine too.

It reminds me of a charter-trip I did about 20 years ago. I shared an apartment with a Polish 60-something woman. I arrived late in the evening when she was already asleep and when I woke up the next day, she had unpacked my luggage and neatly folded my underpants and tops in the drawer. We had not even met! I guess that's when I got a bit mellow with intimacy. Since I realized she meant well. Hope flatmate will feel the same :)

And to be honest, it wasn't big clothes...guy is tiny. The smallest underpants I've seen since my brother was little :)...according to himself it's 60 kg's of man. Heck, I'm heavier than that!

Ok, so I won't be eating that chocolate today then...

Open

Flatmate is an open kinda guy. This means he does not know how to close doors. Every time he's been in the kitchen all cupboard doors are open. Not to mention the windows. Got up this morning and it was FREEZING in the living room. Both windows open. It is December, hello?

But it can also be good with openness. He said I could use his computer anytime (he set me up on a website with free phone calls...http://viopdiscount.com/... and said that I was welcome to use his pc anytime. No password required because "my system is as open as my heart" :)...how very sweet.

Now, we just gonna have to work on closing doors :)

PS. Ex-boyfriend was the same. Is it a man thing not to close doors?

Space

And off they went...

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/space/12/09/space.shuttle/index.html

Great poster

Bremgarten today

And best of all, my purchases today. Look at how fluffy and cute the slippers are. And I couldn't resist the gloves...fantastic colour :)

Early

One of my friends who was participating in the wine-tasting session today told me he couldn't stay late. Had to get up early in the morning. I asked why since we are going to the Christmas market in Bremgarten tomorrow and that is early enough. We're meeting at 1 o'clock.

And he said "no, I'm having a 10 o'clock appointment tomorrow". So I naturally asked why. He said: "I'm having my back waxed". What?

Ok, I'm pretty open but having a Saturday morning appointment for waxing your back kinda gets to me. The questions like what? why? how?. But then again, who am I to judge? I probably have flaws too...just cannot think of any just now:)

Smell

Flatmate asked me if I would try one of his "perfumes"...or whatever it's called for men. He sprayed it on my arm. And gooooahhhh! Even after a long time it's like a horse kick in your stomach. It stinks!

He said he has tried it with friends before, and nobody liked it. No wonder :)...so the search continues he said. Indeed :)

Was just trying to wash it off...it still stinks! Don't know why, but horse-piss springs to mind.

And this after an evening with excellent wine-tasting!

Degustation

Weird word. Just learned it. Means tasting. So just had the wine-tasting session at my place. Was supposed to last half an hour. Ha!

Was funny when the wine-tasting guy arrived. He said to bring glasses and something to spit it out in. Are you insane? You expect me to taste wine and then spit it out?

Ok, so we did the tasting. The salesguy slowly learned that pouring just a cl into the glass wasn't gonna do it for us so he got more generous with time.

And since he only had one client after us we told him to come back after he finished business. So he did. Bringing along all the half-drunk bottles. Great! And funnily enough he ended up staying until midnight, at which time most of the bottles were either finished or still in my place.

But we did ending up buying some stuff (very expensive I might add!) wine from him. The good thing is they gonna deliver it to my place. Along with the bill I suspect :)

Rocket science

This one really is, but nobody can be arsed anymore to care...big thing back in the 60's when they did it the first time. Now it's just another piece of news. Or? Well, I cannot be bothered to stay up. But good luck to them!

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts116/launch/launch-vlcc.html

Busy bee

That's me. Tomorrow (well, technically today but let's not be petty) I will host a wine-tasting session. My friend "won" it, I don't know exactly what he won but it included a wine-tasting session somehow. To be held at my place. Again, not sure exactly how this happened but it did, and I'm not the person to say no.

So tomorrow I'll have to cook dinner (have already figured out what I'll cook...tacos...easy to prepare beforehand and social to eat). My friend is kinda particular with timing. Meaning he has to have dinner no later than 18.00. Yes, maybe he can stretch it to 18.30, but that's it. I don't know why. And since he's the one to invite the wine-tasting-guy at 18.30 I'm not sure what to do with dinner. Should I serve it while we taste the wine? During? Before? After?

I'm very confused. But I kinda think that after the wine-tasting-session we won't care :)

And the busy bee will continue so that on Saturday I'll go to the Christmas market in Bremgarten and on Sunday I'll do a trip to Bern. I longingly remember the days when I was a free bird :)

Waste

Yesterday we had a nice bottle of wine brought by the flatmate with dinner. But greedy as I am I felt I needed another glass after the bottle was finished (three people on one bottle of wine...like a piss in the Nile...you get the meaning). But since I ran out of red wine (what can I say? I have lotsa parties...and my friends like wine) I only had the gifts given to me on my birthday. At midnight it seemed like a really good idea to try one of them out.

I really shouldn't have. Ok, I'm an atheist but I would still call it "nectar of god". It was so friggin good that I felt like an eejit opening the bottle so late in the evening and with two people who didn't know good wine from a hole in the wall.

So whoever of you fantastic friends out there who gave me this wine. THANK YOU! I just wish I was a better friend to appreciate you...or rather your gift :)

PS. Having a glass just now, thinking of my marvellous friend (whoever you might be :)

PS 2. Wine is Peter Lehmann Barossa Australia called Clancy's...2003 vintage, a mix between Shiraz, Cab Sauv and Merlot. Yummmmm....

Rappi cont'd

More pics...

Rappi

So today I did the Rapperswil sightseeing tour with the native. And indeed it was a nice one. Not the tour with 1389 this happened and 1612 this did, but a nice mixture between history and my friends history. Like this is the house I grew up in (nice to say hello to your Mum), this is where I went to school and so forth. Much nicer. And so much easier to relate to.

But we did see the castle...and we passed the monastery (at which point we had the discussion on HOW you can become a monk and live your life without the opposite sex, worship something that doesn't exist (my view), and in general give up everything that is good in life (men...ok I know what you think but still...they are good for some things :)...food, drink, joy, fun etc...and again it's my view). Anyway you get the drift. Sometimes I get carried away.

Pls note Japanese with camera in front (they certainly are everywhere!)



And we did see the deer. The area used to be good for hunting, but nowadays the deer is just there for sentimental reasons. Nevertheless, Bambi was cute. Or as my ex would phrase it: "he would look good on my plate" :)

Correction

Not exactly correction but flatmate would like you to know that he normally doesn't look like Bob. Pic taken at streetparade...so he's wearing a wig. But unfortunately face is the same :)...

Bob

Flatmate insisted that I put a pic of him on this very blog (so mental note to not give him the address didn't work...did you really think it would?)

Humps

Had dinner tonight with flatmate and another friend. Flatmate is from India, so thought that cooking spicy food would be a breeze for him. Apparently not. My friend and I were asked to rate the foods spicyness from 1-10, where 1 was tasting nothing and 10 was fiery like a dragon. I said 7. My friend said 4. Flatmate was surprised. Apparently it was fairly spicy. And I haven't been to India, so I thought we in Europe were "mild" so to speak.

Anyway, after dinner flatmate asked whether I'd like some dates ...

Excuse me, do I look like a camel? I may have the humps...but no thanks :)

Gallbladder

There seems to be no end to friends having organs taken out of them. This evening another friend called. He had food poisoning and it ended up so bad, so that he now has to have the gallbladder taken out.

Again, I asked, what does the gallbladder do exactly? It stores bile and helps to dissolve the fat in your body. So I asked whether he would be huge as a balloon, but his take on it was that he'll be slim since the fat will pass right through the body. Hmmm...not sure about this. If the organ that processes fat is not there anymore, does that not mean that the fat stays?

But he told me from having food poisoning he already lost 14 kilos! Would it be terribly wrong if I asked to have just a small food poisoning?

http://www.markfuscomd.com/gallbladder.htm

Novice

The guy who now lives in my guestroom is a novice. Ok, I know what you're thinking but not. In cooking I mean. Since he has noticed leftovers in my fridge he was asking whether he could participate in the next cooking session in order to learn. How very sweet.

So this evening I'll be cooking spaghetti and meatsauce (I know, not exactly rocket science but still), and he'll be watching. And no, it's not the blind leading the blind. I CAN actually do meatsauce :)

Mental note to oneself: do not give blog-address to flatmate :)

Cancellation

So the Outback trip is cancelled this evening due to illness. Not on my part (I live a very healthy life with lots of cigs, wine and chocolate thank you very much) but on the hostess. So hurray. Get to see the city lights tonight too.

But tomorrow I'll be off to Rapperswil. Another village well outside Zürich. I have a friendgirl who lives there, and I have indeed visited quite a few times but never have we taken time to have a look around. It's always been dinner or party or similar.

Tomorrow it'll be different. I'll get a village tour by an "aborigine"!

http://www.rapperswil.ch/11_English/intro_englisch.html

And then ok, possibly we'll have a small party :)

Men

One of my favourite subjects. Got an email the other day which just about wraps it up on the men issue. It was an acquaintance referring to a particular man, but I think it goes for most men...

A gentleman in the restaurant.
An animal in bed.
A catastrophe for relationship.

But I guess two out of three isn't bad :)

Cailler

Was on my way to a meeting in the city today when I got stopped by one of these market research people. Unfortunately I didn't have time, but I went back afterwards. You see, investing 20 min in answering questions about chocolate would render me a gift worth of 30 CHF! Chocolate of course. Who was I to say no?

It was all silly questions like which wrapping do you like best. Would you buy more in the future than today. Cailler (the brand) vs Lindt and so forth. I cannot believe companies invest in this crap, but yet it is said (by marketing people of course) that it's money well invested.

Anyway, since they ran out of gifts I had to wait while they were getting more. And wait. And wait. Finally they asked me if I would accept two gifts of the red one instead of black. Further inquiry revealed that the black bag included a chocolate spoon and the red one not. A chocolate spoon? What the f... is that? About as useful as a rice cooker or a spaghetti measuring device I suspect. So I gracefully accepted two of the red gifts. Chocolate worth of 60 CHF!!!

For all of you chocolate lovers out there this company is still around this week. Hotel St Gotthard conference center close to HB. Run...

Fuck

Perhaps one of the most interesting and colorful words in the English language today is the word “fuck”. It is the one magical word, which, just by its sound, can describe pain, pleasure, love, and hate.

In language, “fuck” falls into many grammatical categories. It can be used as a verb, both transitive (Mary fucked John) and intransitive (John was fucked by Mary). It can be an action verb (John really gives a fuck), a passive verb (Mary really doesn't give a fuck), an adverb (Mary is fucking interested in John), or as a noun (Mary is a terrific fuck). It can also be used as an adjective (Mary is fucking beautiful) or an interjection (Fuck! I'm late for my date with Mary). It can even be used as a conjunction (John is ugly, fuck, he's also stupid). As you can see, there are very few words with the overall versatility of the word “fuck.”

Aside from its sexual connotations, this incredible word can be used to describe many situations:
1) Surprise -- “What the fuck are you doing here?”
2) Fraud -- “I got fucked by the car dealer.”
3) Resignation -- “Oh, fuck it!”
4) Trouble -- “I guess I'm fucked now.”
5) Aggression -- “FUCK YOU!”
6) Disgust -- “Fuck me.”
7) Confusion -- “What the fuck...?”
8) Difficulty -- “I don't understand this fucking business!”
9) Despair -- “Fucked again....”
10) Pleasure -- “I fucking couldn't be happier.”
11) Displeasure -- “What the fuck is going on here?”
12) Lost -- “Where the fuck are we?”
13) Disbelief -- “UN-FUCKING-BELIEVABLE!”
14) Retaliation -- “Up your fucking ass!”
15) Denial -- “I didn't fucking do it.”
16) Perplexity -- “I know fuck-all about it.”
17) Apathy -- “Who really gives a fuck, anyhow?”
18) Greetings -- “How the fuck are ya?”
19) Suspicion -- “Who the fuck are you?”
20) Panic -- “Let's get the fuck out of here.”
21) Directions -- “Fuck off.”
22) Awe -- “How the fuck did you do that?”

It can be used in an anatomical description -- “He's a fucking asshole.” It can be used to tell time -- “It's five fucking thirty.” It can be used in business -- “How did I wind up with this fucking job?” It can be maternal -- “Motherfucker.” It can be political -- “Fuck Clinton!”

It has also been used by many notable people throughout history:
“What the fuck was that?” -- Mayor of Hiroshima
“Where did all these fucking Indians come from?” -- General Custer
“That's not a real fucking gun, is it?” -- John Lennon
“Who's gonna fucking find out?” -- Richard Nixon
“Why the fuck did that apple hit me?” -- Issac Newton
“Heads are going to fucking roll.” -- Marie Antoinette
“I could have used a fucking map.” -- Ulysses
“Where the fuck is all this water coming from?” -- Captain of the Titanic
“Any fucking idiot could understand that.” -- Albert Einstein
“It DOES SO fucking look like her!” -- Picasso
“Okay, I know... we'll build this BIG fucking wall to keep them out.” -- Emperor of the Ch'in Dynasty
“I can't believe I just fucking said that.” -- Patrick Henry
“Fucking backstabbers!” -- Julius Caesar
“You want what on the fucking ceiling?” -- Michelangelo
“Fellatio is not fucking!” -- Bill Clinton
“Where is that fucking pizza guy?” -- Elvis
“Why? Because its fucking there!” -- Sir Edmund Hilary
“I don't suppose its gonna fucking rain?” -- Joan of Arc
“Scattered fucking showers my ass.” -- Noah
“I need this parade like I need a fucking hole in my head.” -- John F. Kennedy
“What are the fucking chances I'm going to heaven?” -- Adolf Hitler
“Hey, where the fuck are your turbans?” -- Christopher Columbus when he discovered the “Indians”.

Shit for brains

What a woman says:
This place is a mess! C'mon, you and I need to clean up. Your stuff is lying on the floor and you'll have no clothes to wear if we don't do laundry right now!

What a man hears:
Blah, blah, blah, blah, C'MON, blah, blah, YOU AND I, blah, blah, blah, blah, ON THE FLOOR, blah, blah, blah, blah, NO CLOTHES, blah, blah, blah, blah, RIGHT NOW.

Christmas cards

Gosh I'm good. Otherwise I'm an expert in pushing things to do to the future. But from experience I know how fast time goes. So when I had some time on my hands this afternoon I decided to get it over and done with. The Christmas cards. Yes I know, I'm not a fan of actual cards, you know the paper ones but for these people I have to. Older people with no internet access. And I know I'm gonna get from them, so have to return the favour. And they're only five.

I really want to also. It's a nice thing to do. So put on some Christmas music on the cd-player, poured a glass of glühwein (ok, it was white wine since I didn't have any glühwein but I'm great in pretending :) and got going. And I don't only write Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. I write more like a letter. You know...words. Lots of them. Like in my blog :)

Fortunately all my German-speaking friends have access to email, so didn't need to bother with writing German...phew!

Btw had my first meeting today in ze German language. It went fine. I was proud of myself.

And I skipped the traditional Christmas cards and sent the ones from Mouth- and footpainting artists that I support. More beautiful pics and some money for the poor guys without limbs. A small gesture, but better than nothing.

Outback

On Wednesday I'm invited for dinner in a place called Dübendorf. It's supposedly not too far from Zürich city center, but have a sneaking suspicion it's the countryside.

Every time I have to leave asphalt and city lights behind, I get anxious. I need life around me. Voices, sirens, traffic, noise (ok, apart from the leaf-sucking guy, he can go to hell for all I care).

If people are interested in nature, watch Discovery I say. Or make a day-tour if you must. But on the other hand, if everybody would live in the city it would be too crowded I guess :) And they tend to come here anyway for nightlife. Which sometimes lasts until the wee hours of the morning :)...bet the countryside don't have bars open that long!

The show must go on

I wonder who uttered this expression the first time. According to etymonline it was first used in 1941. I wonder if it could've been Groucho Marx. If you ask me one of the wittiest people who ever walked this planet.

Obviously when I was little I didn't understand the greatness of the Marx brothers. Just thought they were silly men running around, one with a big moustache and a cigar. But now when I'm slightly older and a lot wiser :)...I get it. Have read some of their books of the recordings they made way way back, and it's amazing!

A few examples:

"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll make an exception".

"I don't want to join any club that would have me as a member".

"Last night I shot an elephant in my pyjamas. How he got in my pyjamas I don't know".

"How do you feel about women's rights? I like either side of them".

"Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others".

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it".

Klasse

I've come across this word a few times lately. First I thought it meant class like in classy, but have now looked it up. It's more like super, great, fantastic.

Tried to use it, but it doesn't really sound the same as in English...

PS. They day I'm fluent in German, I will stop complaining about the language :) but since that day will never come, I'll keep on blogging about it!

Lawyer

What's the difference between a lawyer and a catfish?

One is a scum-sucking bottom dweller. The other one is a fish.

DVD collection

My collection to date includes 311 movies. What can I do when they almost always dub the stuff into German here? And learning German is not the answer, since I refuse to see a movie where the lips do not synchronize to what's said. And fyi Mel Gibson doesn't speak German.

I have even numbered and categorized the dvd's into Comedy, Thriller, Drama, Action, Classic, Documentary, Horror, Music, Strange and Really bad. Sometimes I can be disturbingly organized :)

Normal

This afternoon I was watching "Normal". A movie about a man who's been married for 25 years and has two children. All of a sudden he comes out, claiming he was born into the wrong body, and he really feels like a woman. And wants to do the sex change thing.

The movie is really about lurve and stuff, and about a serious subject, but it is difficult not to laugh when he goes to work wearing first perfume (he works at a factory with only men) and then earrings. Imagine the reactions!

And the pastor wants to "convert" him, referring to the Bible. It really shows how narrowminded people are.

But of course it has a happy ending. It's a Hollywood production after all :)

New flatmate

So the Indian guy moved in yesterday, and I showed him around the kitchen saying that he was welcome to use whatever he could find there (except for my food obviously). He asked if I had a rice-cooker. Excuse me? Do I look like a person who would own a rice-cooker? I don't even know what one looks like, but suspect it cooks rice.

And I was amazed how much creams, lotions and other bathroom products this guy has. Much more than I have. I haven't checked them, but I suspect there is no anti-wrinkle amongst them :)...seeing he's only 28.

But he seems nice and considerate enough, and he already wants to extend his stay. And who am I to say no to some extra money?

December

I'm not a fan of the autumn or winter, but gotta say that December is a hell of a lot better than November. It's probably mostly in my head, since there is only one day difference between Nov 30 and Dec 1, but still. December for me is candles, gluhwein, cuddling up on the sofa, a bit of holiday over Christmas to look forward to. And then before you know it, it's January and a new year begins.

Then you just have to get through Jan, Feb and Mar before the nice weather comes back. Sometimes I wish I could do like the bears. Just sleep for six months a year. But then again, think of how many parties I would miss :) !!

Admiration

Cecelia Ahern is an Irish woman. On the pics she looks like 17, but she might just be a tad older. She has written three books. And I love them all. She writes in a way that goes straight to your (my) heart. Cannot decide which one of the books I love most.

And she's the daughter of the friggin prime minister of Ireland. Which means that she grew up (well, what do I know, I'm assuming ok?) a rich kid.

So I have this love-hate relationship. She has a background that I could only dream of. And talent. And money. Hmmm. Actually, she deserves admiration. She certainly has mine!

http://www.ceceliaahern.ie/

Nails

One thing that struck me tonight though was that I have four (4) Swiss friendgirls with scary nails. You know the fake kind. The long kind. That not only looks scary but is, especially when they "jokingly" scratch you. Not HAHA exactly. Just very uncomfortable.

Personally I think it is because the Swiss women are insecure. All four of them are perfectly beautiful, nicely dressed and not insane. At least not in a bad way :)

So why do they think they need 5 cm-nails to make them look better? Anyone?

Boring

Thought I'd never say this. But my usual place was boring tonight. I didn't feel like it. My friendgirls didn't. Only the very-very-very drunken people did. Yes I know that should give me a hint. But really.

Normally this place gives me a boost. Something to laugh about. Something to blog about for that matter. But today? Empty (ok the place was not, but I felt). Maybe it's just me not in the mood. Which is indeed a scary thought...

so shape up Annika, there's certainly a party you're missing tonight! Oh dear...

Yeah?

Just called my friendgirl who is supposed to pick me up. And for the umpteenth time I get the answer in a sour voice: "Yeah?". And so many times I have tried to teach her to say in a friendly voice "Hello, nice to hear from you".

When I AGAIN pointed it out she first giggled and then said: "But I'm Swiss".

I rest my case :)...

A vibrating razor

I'm not joking. This is now in my lost-and-found-box. Somebody (I think a guest from the birthday party weekend) left it here. You press a button and the razor vibrates! Why?

And yes I know, I outta be careful :)

Cognac

Wednesday this week I had a cold. It was starting with me sneezing, nose rinning, the usual. Very irritating. So instead of having a beer or a glass of wine as a welcome drink when my guests arrived I had two small glasses of cognac. And voila! the cold went away. At least for that evening. And truth be told, it hasn't been so bad since.

Where would I be without alco? The perfect medicine...

PS. Just blogging away here waiting for my ride.

A quiet German

Today I met the exception to the rule. A German who was very quiet. He almost whispered when talking, kinda making excuses for himself just being. How very unusual. And quite charming I might add. Had a feeling he would crap himself if I'd have said boooh. Certainly not the type to go down to the beach at 4 in the morning and mark a sunchair with a towel.

It's a friend of a friend who's looking for a place to stay.

It was quite funny when he left a voice mail the other day. In German (guy doesn't speak English) referring to a "Frau B", a common friend. I don't know a "Frau B". Since I never adopted the German habit of using the formal Sie I didn't at all understand who he was. Only when I was speaking to another friend did the light go on. Aha, that was the guy that a friendgirl talked about last Friday.

And today when he arrived he thought I was Swiss! I don't know whether to be insulted or not, but since my German (apparently) was as good as the Swiss would speak it...hmmm, coming to think of it it doesn't say much :)...I'm choosing to be flattered.

Anyway, he has some things to consider before he can move to Switzerland, so we'll see whether he will be the next flatmate or not...

Raclette

Tomorrow I'm invited for a raclette dinner. This is a very heavy meal, and excellent for curing hangovers. Hang on, today it's Friday. What a coincidence! I take this as a hint for going out this evening ;)

http://www.raclette-suisse.ch/home.html?l=en

Give us your wallet :)

http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/IKEA