Fought

Sent an sms to a Swiss friend today. He sent back "Thats funny just fought about you:) and than ting ting your sms." Ok, when you live in a foreign country (and language for that matter) you get pretty good in interpreting what they wanna say. So if I cannot get two men to "fought" about me, maybe I have to settle for an sms?

Gross

A tumor weighing more than 50 kg's...poor woman!

Addicted

That was a really addictive site. Tried from: "niederdorf zurich" to "hauptbahnhof zurich" just to test. Think they must have misplaced the central station with Hardbrücke somehow. Ah well, if you have to have longer distances like NY-Paris perhaps a small mistake is allowed :) Funny thing is that google is placing one of their HQ's here in Zürich. Let's hope the employees will find their office with their own map. HAHAHA!

New York - Paris

You gotta try this: 1. go to www.google.co.uk 2. click on "maps," above the search bar... 3. click on "get directions" 4. type "New York" in the first box (the "from" box) 5. type "Paris" in the second box (the "to" box) 6. click on "get directions" Hilarious. And you gotta be a fairly good swimmer :)

Cutlery

Some people seem to think that there is something wrong with my cutlery drawer. Why? I absolutely hate when everything has to lie in perfect order. It's just not me, ok?

Cooler

Was gonna have a friend with me on the boat today, but considering it is only a measly 20° today it'll have to be postponed.

It is funny that I never tire of being on the boat. It is my haven, my sanctuary and mine. Probably the best investment I ever made.

PS. So ok, it's not my boat on the pic :)

Fucking bitch

Was shopping in Coop and on my way out when this big black guy comes in. He kinda blocked the way out, so I looked up and realized he wasn't moving. So I took a detour to get around him and get out. On my way I heard him say "bitch, fucking bitch". Part of me wanted to turn around and ask him "what do mean exactly?", but realized that a guy like that won't listen to reason. Plus the fact that he was twice the size of me :) Some people these days just don't have any manners!

Gawain's witch

http://www.waltm.net/loathlyl.htm You agree?

Beheading

Slipped a little bit yesterday, so that the Easter rabbit now is without the right ear, surprisingly also the left ear and the entire head. Once I start eating chocolate it is hard to stop. I clearly have little character. However, in general diet is still going pretty well. Weight-loss has slowed down (prefer to think of it as a slowing process rather than stopped completely) and I still have 4-5 kg's to go. But it is a long time until June... PS. Having a friend for dinner. Will repeat the "success" and make the curry again. Yum.

Dentist

Been to the dentist today. Well the one who cleans, not repairs. Was told I have good mouth hygiene, and got secretly pleased. A bit like when I went to the dentist as a child and got a gold star in my book for not screaming :) - which was probably due to me being terrified. But my current one is so good so I'm not even nervous these days. It wasn't always better before...

Snazzy

Like today's word on http://owad.de. It's me :) Definition: b) fashionable, cool

Clever?

Still at my age I sometimes get surprised over people's brains. Or lack thereof. You would think that a university-educated person would more easily adopt new things (after all, that is what a university degree is all about, isn't it? The ability to quickly learn). So when I decided to use http://www.doodle.ch/ for the first time I thought that my friends would quickly take to it. How wrong I was. Again :) Well, this is how it went: Person 1: responded at once. More quickly than I actually, before I realized that I have to put in my answer too :) Person 2: claimed she had internet-connection problems (actually probably true), and then put in her answer. Person 3: sent me an email to say he couldn't make any of the three dates suggested. Without going into doodle. Person 4-5 (a couple): still have to answer. Hmmm. You sure you have a univ-degree? Ok, so I think this would be the time to admit that when yesterday I realized my landline phone was not working (battery charged but no connection) I panicked. Thought I'd have to find the receipt, check the guarantee, whatever whatever. Until I talked to my friend today (on the mobile obviously) and he told me to unplug the thing and plug it in again. And then it worked. Why didn't I think of that? It's the first thing you do really when the computer doesn't work, right? May have to re-think this impression I have of myself as being brainy :)

The little things

After the boat ride I parked it and waited to see "Der Böög" (the fake man) burning. It took 14 minutes this year before his head exploded. Last year it was 17 min and the summer was pretty good, so this year it should be spectacular. It kinda appeals to me in a weird way about a mans head exploding :) So went to have a bite to eat. Leftovers from yesterdays picnic was quickly consumed. And saw this man sitting there in the restaurant. His girlfriend (or whatever it was) was in the bathroom. There was a little bit of wine left in her glass and nothing in his. A few drops left in their bottle. He gentlemanly poured into her glass first, and then emptied the bottle in his own glass. Without her being there. He could so easily have taken it all himself, but didn't. I get impressed by small things like this. Boyfriend material, absolutely :) PS. 20 min says it was 12 min and 10 secs for the man to explode. Ok, so I just assumed they started 18.00 exactly. And I just saw the smoke and heard the explosions. Even better. The summer is gonna be fab! http://www.20min.ch/news/zuerich/story/27789087

Clever

Went into town this afternoon. Since it's Sechseläuten the buses go according to a different timetable. It says so in small print on the very bottom of the timetable, but cunningly they don't tell you which particular timetable they do follow.

So got into town with the aim of going to the boat. Knew that Limmatquai was closed off so cleverly thought I go to Paradeplatz. No go. None of the trams went that way. So had to walk ALL the way. Decided for the route along the river. And imagine my surprise when I ran into three camels! Live ones, in the middle of Zürich city. I tell you, this city is cool. And unpredictable to say the least.

Somewhat delayed I did reach the boat. And had a fantastic trip on the lake. With my friend in underwear a la Brazil :)

Sechseläuten

So tomorrow is the unpronounceable holiday again in Zürich. I tried my best (not very good I admit) German today saying this "Sechseläuten". Only to be told, "ah you mean Sachzilüte?". Yeah whatever. Meaning they will burn this man tomorrow. Ok so it's not a real man, it's made of something with explosives inside. And when they go off it's all over. And the time to take to burn it up is a measurement of how good the summer will be. Apparently. Amazing if somebody really believes it. Last year if I remember correctly it took 19 min, and the summer was fairly good. More importantly. Tomorrow is a half a workday and then party-party-party. I LOVE this city :)

Perfect gentlemen

On the boat today the guys were perfect gentlemen. I asked them to turn around when I took my bikini top on and they did. They didn't even peek (I know because I checked :). This in my book is a major plus. Meaning they are reliable. You ask them to do something, and they actually do it. Big plus when it comes to men :)

White

Stayed in the boat for about an hour after they left. The weather was fantastic, and I wanted to enjoy every ray. Then I realized that a visit to a bathroom would indeed be a good idea. 5 hours of drinking wine and no toilet in the immediate vicinity was clearly not a good idea. So closed up the boat, and took a walk to my hang-out place. Since I know people there, they all greet me. Me? "I have no time, see you after the toilet visit". And then another acquaintance insisted that I stay for some wine. White. Who am I to say no? Clearly I have no character...

Green

Kinda funny. We took the boat out. One of the guys (the Am-Italian...more American than Italian if you ask me :) was standing up. Asked him to have a seat...to be polite and accommodating, but also to give me a clear view to navigate. Anyway. "I prefer standing" he said. Didn't realize until quite a bit later that he had a seasickness-gene. Haha! But he was fine in the end. Even drove the boat for a while.

Pink

So spent the afternoon in the boat on the lake. With the two new acquaintances. Was very nice. They brought a French picnic. Bread, various types of sausages and cheese. And wine. What else can you ask for? Only, now I'm pink as in lobster-colour. Well, sunscreen is for wussies right?

The brother

So for the first time I met the brother of my friend. Who gave me the song and dance of how he got kicked out of his house, that he was jobless and in general a guy to feel sorry for. Good thing I'm clever and didn't buy his horseshit. Turned out he runs his own company. Doesn't work when he doesn't want to. Travels all the time (yeah ok, he's a pilot so makes sense), drives a Porsche and knows all the top hotels in the world. That type of guy. Just too bad he wasn't attractive, I might have gone for him :)...

Intimate

Well, the beginning of the evening was very nice. This is a very open household. You walk in, and you're immediately at home. Everybody is welcome (even I!). And I hadn't seen these friends in quite a long time, so indeed very nice. It's a three-generation household so always lotsa people. It went like this: "Hi, good to see you". Hug. These people are hugging people, not the kiss-kiss-kiss. Great. "How are you?" genuinely caring that type of thing. And of course I asked how he was after the operation, at which time he almost took his t-shirt off "wanna see my scar?". Hmmm, not really. I mean, it's not like he has a sixpack exactly. We're talking something in the neighbourhood of 100 kg of solid man here. But it wasn't an option. I had to see his scar. And the other one too. Great. Well, I guess hiding things amongst friends is not good. Even though I could have actually lived without this one :)

Stones

So I was leaving tonight. Trainride back to city-lights (this is really THE suburb). My friend told me he wanted to give me a little something. And brought his gallstones. Yuk! "I will be insulted if you don't take one!". All I could think of was, are they washed :) ? Of course it was a joke in case you didn't get it.

Summer

Today was as warm as any summer day. Brilliant. Was out in the suburbs having dinner with friends. This is the gallbladder friend (the one who had it removed). He's an excellent chef. His spareribs I can almost kill for. And fortunately for me (and lotsa other people - he cooked 10 kg's of them!) this was on the menu today. After dinner I was in the kitchen, nibbling on strawberries he was cutting when I told him I need to go for an after-dinner ciggie. His brother was joining me. He told me to watch out for my lungs. I mean it was like he was begging for the reply. "Well, at least I have all my organs left"...

After

So now it's very pretty on my balcony. Had a friend over to help, but he cunningly put me to work too so now I have to clean nails. Always regarded dirty work as a mans work. Or any work for that matter :). Check out the grapevine.

Small world

Was out tonight (told ya, Friday the 13th so what, that's a phobia I do not have). Met these two guys. They joined "my" table and I thought they were American tourists. Just goes to show how much people knowledge I have... Turned out one of them is a countryman of mine, and the other one is half Italian half American. And they both work for the same company as my brother. Very small world indeed. And oh fuck, I think I overdid it. They invited me to go to Alsace tomorrow, but I'm busy and cannot make it. Have to do the planting and then go to the suburbs for dinner. But casually mentioned that I'm free on Sunday. So are they. So I suggested a boat-ride. Suggested that they bring a picnic-bag. Don't think they expected me to provide the boat. So now we're meeting for a boat-ride on Sunday. Think it'll be kinda cool...

Now I know

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1260401,00.html I knew there was a reason, just had to find it :) PS. It is NOT me on the pic...

31 eggs

Told you about the egg-hunting over Easter here. Heard this story today. This year's egg-hunt involved 30 eggs (you know the boiled painted types) being planted everywhere in the garden. Imagine the horror when they found 31! Mainly because you're supposed to eat these eggs. I wouldn't want to be the one eating a one year old egg...

Entomophobia and arachnophobia

This is what I have. An (irrational?) fear of insects, particularly spiders. Which is why I could never live in Australia. Love the country, but ouch. Lotsa scary things. Last night I was reading in bed. And when everything else is dark in the flat, only my reading light on, guess what? These friggin thingies like to join. Even though they were not invited. Last night I heard this HUGE buzz and saw something similar to the one previously posted on the blog with pic. I turned my head so quickly I had to take a painkiller later. Still hurts to turn head. Fortunately is was a slow bastard. So I smashed it with my book. Lotsa gooey and blood splattered around, but I was kinda happy to clean it. It is now very dead and still on my bedroom floor. I cannot bring myself to pick it up. Will have to invite a man to my bedroom soon :) Any excuse, right?

Before

So these are pics from before planting on the balcony. Flowers are there, but not in the place they should be. Hopefully they will be by tomorrow.

Frappuccino

Guess what? I got a free frappuccino the other day. Was waiting innocently for the tram, and out come two young girls from Starbucks offering free drinks. Wow! I LOVE anything free. So even though I'm trying to do my diet (not going very well for the moment I must admit) I had to have one. A frappuccino with chocolate. Mmm. PS. British saying: "nothing is like a free meal". American saying: "nothing is for free in life". Annikas saying: "take what you can and then get away as fast as you can" :)

Graduation

Had lunch with a Swiss let's call him an acquaintance today. Very nice. Outdoor lunch. Good talk and so forth. And apparently I have now graduated to a kiss-kiss-kiss-situation. This I tell you is a great step forward with ze Swiss. It's almost like we are friends now. I have often wondered why ze Swiss have so few friends outside the family, but since all of them are shy by nature it's like the blind leading the blind when it comes to making friends here. Whereas I am like a bull in a china shop in comparison. On the other hand I tend to get hurt more, but think I've gotten more thick-skinned with age. Anyway, most of my Swiss friends took a lot of effort. Me calling and emailing like 10 times before they finally caved in and started to even initiate communication. Good thing I'm not a quitter :)

Paraskavedekatriaphobia

Paraskavedekatriaphobia = fear of Friday the 13th. It's today! But I have no fear. Weather forecast says 24°C this afternoon, and I'm having lunch with a friend I haven't seen in a while. And it's Friday. Going out this evening. What can possibly go wrong?

Sunshine

Today it's been really great weather. Well over 20°C and sunshine. Lotsa people around the lake, all hanging out and enjoying the late afternoon. I even had short trousers today, exposing my sheet-white legs. But gotta start somewhere, right? Only dietwise this weather is not so good. Had a Caesar salad for lunch, yummy, and NEARLY had an ice-cream. Only the Häagen-Dazs cafe has closed. Darn. But good for diet.

Lush

Been in a very strange shop today called Lush. They sell handmade soaps and lotions and stuff. I'm not much of a shopper, and in this shop I had to read about each product to actually understand what it was for. And of course after having my hands massaged I had to buy something. Ended up with something that looks like a soap, but when you rub your skin with it, it gives off a lotion. Tried it in the shop so now my right arm smells lemon and my left chocolate. Yum! http://www.lush.com/

German boat

A ship calls the German sea rescue team: "Mayday, mayday, we are sinking. We are sinking". The German man makes an effort to answer in his best English: "-Yes, German coastguard heer, wat ar yo sinking abot?" HAHAHAHAHA!

Headache

Reason I'm blogging at this time of the hour is my head. Or rather the muscle strain on my neck. Very very painful. Cannot lie down. Been taking painkillers all day. Cannot move my head without moving my whole body. Had weird thoughts about brain tumors and stuff, but think is only a strain. At least I hope so. Now waiting for painkiller to kick in, so that I can go to sleep.

3-some

Ok, I reckon you'd be more interested in this topic than the other ones I already blogged about. Sex with three people. I consider myself to be quite normal. Meaning I could (if pushed) fantasize about it, but would never do it. In reality. A friend of mine did. Actually I had a lover once who did too. Or so he said. Nothing wrong with it, just not for me. And despite my friends request, that's all I have to say on the matter :)

100 years old

Love it when I can correct Swiss people. In German. Had a chat today with a friend, who also was offered a grapevine. He told me excitedly that the vine was 100 years old. I took great pleasure in telling him that no, it isn't necessarily 100 years old, but it can be (with a lot of luck and when there are 3 Fridays in a week type-of-thing). Sometimes I feel so good about ze German language :)

Lama

It is weird the things you see sometimes. Today when we were coming back from flower shopping for the balcony and had to stop for red light I said to my friend "look, there are horses and a lama". And it was. Walking the street. As in asphalt street.

It's kinda weird to see ponies and a lama taking a stroll almost downtown Zürich. Well, it wasn't exactly downtown, it was where my Aussie friendgirl used to live before she decided that Australia is a better place to be.

Anyway, I was thinking about when you ask a person "what did you do today?". Ah well, "I was out walking my lama". Weird, but cool in a way.

Tins

Ok, so I'm still busy but let me share this one with you. Had my best gayfriend visiting today. I know I said that I would marry a gay guy anyday, since they are...neat and friendly and funny. But today I got second thoughts about the whole thing. Know what he did? You know when you open a can/tin/jar whatever it is called you unscrew it on the top, pour out whatever is inside and bin the rest. No go with this guy. He unscrewed the top AND the bottom. Put the top inside the tin itself, put the whole thing on the floor and stamped on it. To make it flat. Ok so I'm tidy, neat and like to keep a good house, but I kinda think this is over the top. But maybe I'm just learning...it's a phase type of thing. But no, perhaps I won't marry a gay guy :)

In between

Very busy today. Have been away the whole day doing "things". Now going out, so restrain yourselves and I'll be back with topics like 3-somes, lamas and metal cans.

Neck

Somehow I have managed to strain a muscle on the right side of my neck. It is very painful, and I cannot move my head at all without getting a stabbing pain. Last night I managed to fall asleep, but woke myself up when I moved. Finally at three last night I gave up and took a painkiller. It is just as bad today. I feel sorry for myself :(

I'm a planet

Apparently. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annika

Vine

Remember the wine guy who disappeared? Well, a new one is back. Today I got a postcard and a phone call. As "a valued customer" (haha) they want to give me a grapevine. He proudly pointed out that those can be 100 years old. Oh dear. That would make me what? 129 :). So on Thursday he will stop by with the vine, and of course at the same time introduce me to some new wines. Wonder if this one is as generous as the other one?

CD

This is cool. Ever since I started blogging (Dec-2005) I have asked for a way to get my blog published. Published in the way of making it stay long. My thoughts were on paper, but now for the first time I have seen one blog-provider that offers you a cd with your blog for a very modest sum. Only I would prefer it on paper in book-form. It's kinda still more "stayable". CD's can get lost, not being read in the future technology but paper will always be there. But it's a start. Yeah right, like somebody is gonna read it :). But I don't really care. In 20 years I want to read what I felt right now. I am probably gonna be really embarrassed, but then again. I found my diary from when I was 13 last year and it was a blast to read. Embarrassing, hell yeah, but funny.

Eggs

Was sms'ing with a Swiss friend today. He is actually Swiss although he spent his youth (many many MANY moons ago :) in another country. That's why I was hesitating about which category to put this item in, but never mind. He is Swiss after all. Told him in a few words (you know sms'ing you cannot tell the entire story) about my day with the egg-hunting. His answer was "glad to hear you have had a good egg hunt, I hope you left the rest of the man intact". This is a married man (since forever) with two daughters and a cat. A female one. And yet he hasn't learned that men have no eggs. For some people (read men) there is just no hope :)

Regressing

I am regressing. Many many years ago I decided that looks were not interesting. About me, my look I mean. If people like/love me they're gonna stay with me anyway (remember my visit to the hairdresser, and then you'll know what I mean :). Ok, I admit I had a thing about 5 years ago when I thought that strings, stay-ups and the likes were about time to try. So did. Not that it did any difference when it came to men, but it made me feel better. For some time. So why is it that I now have spent the last two days in shoes that are comfortable. But not comfortable enough to walk in as much as I have. Blisters hello... When will I learn?

Punishment

After yesterday with all the food and not thinking one second about diet, I today had the punishment. In the morning (yeah ok, it wasn't exactly early) I had one Wasa Fibre with ham. In the afternoon I had the pork steak leftover, 2 slices, with broccoli and peas. That's all. If you don't count the wine :). Shared a Prosecco bottle with my gay friend. And only because he asked if it's good. Had to show him. Only talk is no good right? Action counts... AND I walked all the way into town. AND back. Do I get a price?

Sad

It doesn't hurt to think about how lucky you are sometimes. This evening I ran into somebody who rubbed his stomach. I asked if he had indigestion problems (since I'm an expert on those), and thought I could offer him some medicine. He then told me about stress, family problems and his only brother who died last month from a cerebral bleeding. The only good thing about this is that I am reminded of how lucky I am. After all the stuff that happened to me. And before all that bad stuff happened to me, I was living in an ignorant bliss. Which most people are before bad things happen. Nothing can really prepare you for disasters. You hear other people talk about it, but before it happens to you you cannot really take it in. And that's probably good. Otherwise everybody would live in a constant fear of bad things to happen. But again, it doesn't hurt to be reminded sometimes. I am alive. I live. I have a life. And it could be worse :)

Piles

I have too many piles of paper lying around my home. Today I tried to start with two of them. And I found this postcard with the text "I'm not just some bimbo with big tits, I'm an artist". Great, isn't it? That's probably why I saved it. So two piles gone, plenty to go...

Family settings

Met up with a gay friend today. And as most gay people he likes to know what's going on in other gay people's life. Since we happen to have some mutual friends he asked me if I knew what X was doing today. And I answered, quite truthfully, I think he's visiting your ex-wife. It wasn't until later I realized how weird that actually sounds. But I have a friendgirl whos father is gay. I have another friendgirl whos sister is lesbian. I have friends with plastic Mums and Dads, kids from previous marriages, family constellations that would have been unheard of only 30 years ago. One friendgirl had a kid a long time ago that was adopted, but they are now reunited. And there is absolutely nothing strange with these types of families these days. Who said it was better before?

Rabbit

And look what I got!

Easter

This is the table set for brunch, when everybody was still gathering. Strangely enough few people were on time (what happened to that Swiss timing? As previously mentioned I think it's just a myth).

Fortunately the sun came out later in the afternoon, which makes me look pretty pink in the face today.

Long day

Yesterday I left early in the morning and came home late. It was a great day. I was invited to spend it with a friendgirl and her big family. She has four siblings (all very different!), two parents (quite normal) and some of the siblings have their own families so all in all we were like twenty or so. It's nice for me who doesn't have any family here in Z to be able to "adopt" another one once in a while.

When I landed in her village (yes, I know it's regarded a city...but it's tiny) I was met by the boyfriend. I was then required to bike (!) to the garden. Haven't done that in about 10 years, but discovered it was like sex. Nothing you really forget :).

We then had a big brunch in a garden and my diet went straight out the window (if there had been any). Took a walk. Came back for more food.

During the walk her Mum made a piece of art as shown on the pic. I wonder if she's a Libra?

View

This is the view from my friends window. Gorgeous, isn't it?

Oxygen overdose

Have been away the entire day since early morning and just got home. I've gotten an oxygen overdose (not used to so much fresh air in one day) and have pink cheeks due to sun exposure, so gotta go to bed before I fall asleep. Update tomorrow. PS. Diet is really out of whack now!

Bus

Friggin bus yesterday. I was standing at the ticket machine trying to get that darn machine to accept my coins. In the meantime the bus arrived. And LEFT! While I was still at the machine. Had a sudden urge to kill that bus driver I tell you. Since it was 15 min until the next bus, and it'd take me 20 min to walk home I walked. Through the forest and everything in the night. I almost wanted to meet some rapist since I was so angry I would've friggin slapped him or something. Almost home I ran into a crowd of something like 500 people at about 23.30. V. weird. So I asked what was going on. The guy looked at me like I was strange and said "Easter". Realized they were all coming out of that church (I think Greek-Orthodox or something). So people do actually go to church. New to me.

Flexible

Another "interesting" discussion tonight. I met this guy who I knew from before. He glued himself onto me and talked. And talked and talked and talked. Getting tired just thinking about it. But good, he talked so much that it made me go home early :). But he was kinda funny. He watched this girl dancing. She was pretty and he ogled her. So I suggested he ask her to dance. No, not his type, or so he said. So I joked saying perhaps you're gay? He looked at me, thought about it and said "which day is it?". Ok, that's pretty funny. Only gay on Fridays...

Donkey

Not exactly sure how I can write about this without being regarded as a weirdo. But this is how it went. Remember I was having the most fantastic dinner some time ago? This was with a friend who is closely connected to the place I frequently visit. Today, I was there. Dinner-friend told me that this guy who works there had a question for me. Right. No problem. Question was: "that donkey in Sweden...?". Excuse me? Remember that popular pony I blogged about ages ago, the one in Denmark? I had told dinner-friend about this. Which got spread around and has now turned into a donkey from Sweden. Question was, does it go for both men and women? Oh dear, now I'm the expert and is supposed to know what sex that pony was. I'm tellin' ya. These people need to get a life. When I suggested that they employ a woman next time, the manager said "well, it's difficult to find a woman". At which time I thought yes, that's always the excuse. But then he said "who wants to work with us". How very true. Men who find it interesting with a donkey/pony may have a problem... :)

Chicago

My brother is in Chicago for Easter. This is what he sent me. Apparently he's been in a museum of some kind. I just hope he wanted to get in touch with me, not that he was thinking of me being ancient.

http://fm1.fieldmuseum.org/postcard/ancientamericas-postcard.php?view=47614&exhibit=ancientamericas&secure=c9e0e1e0652ec13

Water

One thing I was thinking about in these days of global warming (and my tacky attempt to joke the other day about having a long shower) is this: if I save water here in Switzerland, will it help the people in countries with little water? Water is not exported is it? Unless it comes in expensive bottles. Tell me how I save energy by not using water here where I am. I'll do it no problem, but I need to understand why. When I grew up we were told that the children in Biafra (Africa) were starving. I never understood why eating everything on my plate (or not) was gonna help them. Now many many years later I raise the same question. Perhaps I'm a slow learner?

Early

I am not a creature of habit. Well, at least not always. It has happened a couple of times that I go out early (like I will today since I have to get up really early tomorrow). The people at my place sometimes bolt when I walk in when not expected. So much that I last time asked "should I leave and come back later?". Ah well, since I'm the customer (with the money) I'm always welcome... :)

6

Imagine having a child. And then times 6. These kids are now turning 10 years old. Think of the (poor/lucky?) guy with 5 sisters :)

30/30

When I was thin (ok -ish) I bought a pair of jeans that I've never worn. Lewis 501's size 30/30. Whatever that means. Tried them on today and yey, I can get into them. If you ignore the somewhat smaller Michelin above the waist, but at least I can zip them up. Well button them up to be exact. This is indeed progress, and gives me the strength to continue this friggin diet. So tomorrow I can take on the chocolate. No problem. And ignore it. I think :)

New friends

I need to make new friends. Was just talking to a friendgirl far away. She told me that she's invited for a cruise in the summer. In an Onassis-style-ship. I don't have friends like that. Nobody I know can even think of affording a yacht. Yes I know I have a boat, but it's 6 m long and has an 8 ps engine...tuff-tuff-tuff. It's not like a ship with 4 passengers and 6 crew. Gosh, am I jealous. Green in the face. And happy for my friend of course :)

Pics

Was browsing through old pics and ran into this one that I'm not sure I posted before. From my place. I rest my case :)

Delay

I have a confession to make. I have sinned. Had both two slices of pizza AND chocolate yesterday. Figured I had to feast a little over Easter. Funny thing is that I feel thin today. But sense that there is a delay in the fat spread. Tomorrow I'll probably feel those extra hg's put on. It'll be very difficult to stay away from chocolate tomorrow, if that's the thing we're doing in the garden...

Grasping

The ideas for what I write about on this blog usually comes to me when I'm out. Considering that, I should always keep a pen and paper with me, right? But last time I did that this woman browsed my butt so I gave up that idea. Anyway. Had this idea about countries. That I should tell you the countries I've been in (not entirely sure why you'd be interested, but since some of you keeps on coming back - ok, mostly you're my friends and I bully you when you haven't read it :) - I thought at the time it'd be a good idea. Here goes (in no particular order): Switzerland, Ireland, Netherlands, France, Italy, Sweden, England incl Northern Ireland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Spain, Norway, Portugal, Ireland, Hungary, Estonia, Denmark, Belgium, Germany, Luxemburg, America, St Martin (ok, so not a country but half of it French, half Dutch), Australia, Cook Islands (part of NZ), New Zealand, the Vatican, Tunisia, Jersey (part of GB or is it UK?), Austria, Finland, San Marino and Greece. So well over 25, closing in on 30. Considering there are about 190 countries (is that right?) in the world I still have a lot to see. But since Zürich once again have been voted the best city in the world I'm kinda happy staying where I am :) PS. Apparently 193, see http://geography.about.com/od/countryinformation/a/capitals.htm

Grüezi

Sometimes ze Swiss are really endearing. Like when you walk and pass somebody on the street they say "Grüezi" for no particular reason than being nice. I like this very much. I come from a society where NOBODY would do that. It would be regarded as peculiar and they'd probably think you were a potential rapist/murderer/mental pick-your-choice. It happened to me today when I was walking to Coop. And it was particularly nice since it was a cop in full uniform. Naked or in plain clothes this guy would not be my type, but in uniform...mmm :) PS. Not sure what a cop would do in my neighbourhood alone, they always come in pair don't they?

Sad news

Have an old friend in Stockholm where I used to live many moons ago. Spoke to her today. We speak about twice a year, update each other on news and every time it feels like yesterday. Today she had bad news. A former neighbour of ours is dead. When I lived there in a 28-apartment-building we used to have barbecues together, go in and out of each others flats and in general knew each other pretty good. We also had a sauna in the basement, and a washing room that was shared. The garden was pretty full in the summer when everybody brought their towels, sunscreen and drinks and settled down to enjoy the weather. Which usually ended up with grilling in the evening, and drinking long into the night. A good life. Well, this particular neighbour had been a little too much on the drink the past 20 years, got fired from his job, his wife divorced him and so forth. And now he has taken his own life. He wasn't even 60. Even though I think it is everybody's right to take their own life, I still find it sad. When he was good, he was really funny. And everybody has something good in them, I'm sure. What is especially sad is that he was alone. It took them a week to find his body. I am not religious so I don't really believe it, but I hope he sits on a cloud, playing cards with his friend and drinking the whisky he loved so much. RIP.

Witch

Even though I have to get up in the wee hours tomorrow, I have decided to go out tonight. Solely because I found my witch. Which is a brooch in the form of a witch, and with the battery switched on the red eyes blink. Tacky and cool at the same time, and totally suitable for me :)

Gathering

Tomorrow I am invited to celebrate Easter with a friendgirl and her family in a garden. I have no idea what to expect, but look forward. As a foreigner in a country it is difficult to know how the locals celebrate their holidays like Easter, Christmas etc. I remember one year when I was eating goat, which apparently is a custom here. And looking at the weather today, I can only hope it'll be as nice tomorrow. Sunshine, blue sky and above 20°C. This can be really good.

Grey

The other evening I was out with a friendgirl. Was strangely pleased to see that she has a few grey hairs. Which reminded me of a conversation I had with my hairdresser. We were discussing different types of hair, and I said "well, at least I don't have any grey hairs". To which my sometimes too honest hairdresser said "yes, you do. A few". Hmmm. Guess it's a good thing I'm blond, so that it doesn't show...

Foreign object

Woke up the other night with a foreign object in my bed. Unfortunately it wasn't a man. Felt something funny at my feet, and realized it was my glasses. Must've put them on the bed when I got home, and forgot all about it. Fortunately they did not break.

Cold

Am meeting up with a friendgirl this evening. The idea was to meet at my place and then go out. Only now she's suggesting that we meet in town, since she wants to enjoy the nice weather. Not entirely sure why, since it's 12°C outside. Nice weather? Hmmm... Perhaps ze Swiss have decided that now since it's April, it's supposed to be nice?

Italian

Watched an Italian movie this evening. In Italian. It was about the pope of all people, and I kinda got stuck. Of course it was romanticized, but it was still kinda interesting. And the guy playing the pope was cute! It's funny how much Italian I actually understood. I impressed myself :)

Cheating

So cheated a little bit today again. Had four of these tiny Toblerones, white chocolate which I don't even like that much but I just couldn't help myself. It is getting really boring eating no potatoes, rice or pasta. Plus the fact that vegetables are more expensive. So perhaps once in a while I'll eat normal. I don't seem to lose that much anyway. But will I gain if I eat properly once in a while?

Zurich still No 1

http://www.mercerhr.com/knowledgecenter/reportsummary.jhtml/dynamic/idContent/1128060;jsessionid=UCLRLOT5FUENUCTGOUGCIIQKMZ0QUJLW

Which witch

Pink

So after talking to ALL my Swiss friends (that was quick!) I ended up with two maybe's regarding my future Ciao vespa. One friend is still thinking about it (yeah my brother sorta knows, but I have to wait until I see him) and the other had a kinda offer. A white vespa. But to a very reasonable price, so I'm thinking that perhaps I can paint it? Also, it'll be good to paint and make it personal. Less risk of theft, right? Which made me think of the time when I lived in Holland. Utrecht to be exact. And I bought a bike from a guy (out of breath...but I didn't realize) at 4 in the morning. For 15 gilders (I negotiated down from 20 :). Anyway, I learned that in order to be in the circle you have to buy one bike. Then everybody assumes that your bike will be stolen, and then it's ok to steal one back. Only, I managed to keep my bike for the almost 2 years I lived there and then gave it to a friend. Who in turn managed to get it stolen within a matter of about 2 weeks. So I was lucky. My dream is still a pink vespa and a pink helmet. Story to be continued...

Hair

So this evening a band was playing. No surprise, but this band I heard before. And it just so happens that one of them have long hair. Which I really do not like. Long hair on men? Nah, it's just not sexy. Anyway, said hello to him and remarked that he had cut his hair. "Any chance you will cut more?" I asked. His reply? "I'm too busy". Yeah ok, I get your drift. Which was probably "none of your fuckin' business" or "why do you care?". Good question. I don't even like the guy. Probably just my way of always intervene. As a person I'm like acne in your ass :)

Flashback

Was out for a bit this evening. Met this guy who works in Sofitel. Ah gosh, did that render a flashback. 5 friggin months in Sofitel Budapest. Probably the worst time in my life. On par with other bad times in my life, so ok, not the worst time in comparison but workwise, absolutely. Guess that didn't make him any more attractive. Goodbye Christian...(and I was kinda certain his name was Helmut:)...

Fritz

The other evening I met a guy called Fritz. I know, Fritz is in line with Helmut when it comes to sounding German. But in this case it's different. My grandfathers name was Fritz. Unfortunately he died when I was 8 years old so I don't have really vivid memories of him, but what I do remember is that he used to hide chocolate in a drawer in the kitchen. I also remember me visiting and walking straight to that particular drawer. Can you blame me? So for me Fritz is good. Helmut is not. Irrational? Of course.

Zurilife

Am pleased to see on google.com that I still get to be number one on the search. Ok, so it's only 8 hits but still. However, when I try "Life in Zürich" I don't even show. Well, maybe I do but I'm not gonna check 3,650,000 hits :)

Learning

Was just on the phone with my ex. Told him that I’ve taken to walk into town instead of taking the bus, in the interest of losing weight. Good, he said. I bolted. “What? So you think I’m fat?”. “No”, he said, “I just want to support you”. Gosh, has he learned?!?

Fast

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/04/03/wtgv103.xml

I once took the train from Rotterdam to Paris (TGV). It was kinda funny since the train was on normal speed in Holland, and once crossing the border it speeded up. Remarkably. It was really cool.

Frohe Ostern

Realized I didn't know what Happy Easter was in German, so looked it up in the dictionary. It sounds to me a little like Far East. Which does not give me a warm fuzzy feeling I must say. Anyway, Easter is Easter and I'm sure they eat eggs there too. Btw, I'm now buying only Swiss eggs (less transportation) + my friend who I give my empty egg cartons to was giving me shite about buying imported eggs. Only did it because it was cheaper, and this from the guy who runs his dishwasher only at night because of the cost...

Stats

Not sure why, but I seem to have the odd visitor from China. Not sure why they would be interested in my life in Zürich, but every visitor is welcome.

Electricity

Ok, so have gotten as far as switching off tv properly at night. Now I wonder about lights. Normally I keep the lights on in the living room in the evening (obviously when I'm home, duuuh!) and in the kitchen, since I keep on going back there every so often. All other lights are off. Now, is it better to switch off the light in the kitchen between visits or is it better to just keep it on? Something tells me that too much on and off uses more power than keeping it on all the time. Or is it always better to switch off? Look forward to the experts answering... PS. Have another stupid question (ok, not stupid questions, just stupid answers) about my pc. Due to logging on problems with my pc (dear 4-year-old piece of antique) I never switch it off. Just close it to force it into sleeping mode. I could of course unplug the battery from the wall, but is it the same if I just unplug the pc and keep the cable in the wall? Surely it doesn't charge the battery if the battery is not connected to the pc? Or?

Joyride

Thinking of offering boat rides in the summer. For a modest sum. Not sure how many would like to have a ride in a private boat, with the possibility to swim. A glass of wine perhaps. But it shouldn't hurt to try, right? I'm thinking if I'm gonna spend time on the lake anyway, why not earn a little money on it?

Easter

Easter is soon coming up. And all I can think of is if I will allow myself some chocolate treats :)...still have those in the fridge (don't think I ever had chocolate at home that long).

So Happy Easter all!

Boots

Just realized the other day that my boots are in dire need of some mending. These boots are the only ones I invest in mending at all. Pretty cool (and bloody expensive!) Italian leather boots. Tomorrow it's a visit to the shoeman for sure.

Pessimist

The only time I'm a pessimist is when it comes to time. I'm ALWAYS early. I just never learned how to be late. And if I am (for reasons I cannot control) I always let people know. Is there a little control freak creature living inside me? Probably. It's a sad thought. I need to work on being late...

Diet update

Thinking about the pics on previous item. My diet is still going fairly well. I'm saying fairly, since I splashed out a couple of times. Last Tuesday for example (but worth every rappen and every hg). Yesterday I did have that chocolate thingie I brought with me. But all in all, it's not too difficult. The difficulty lies in keep on losing weight. I seem to have stopped. Which makes me think that when I start eating normally again, I'll be back to my slightly bigger self in no time. The pic on previous item though makes me think I really REALLY do not want to end up like an Auschwitz victim. Chances are slim (pun intended!) though, since I don't have those particular genes. Something to be grateful for!

C Love

Not much for reading about so called famous people but these pics threw me. From fat to hmmm...what is the word? Unattractive? Ugly to uglier? I lack words.

Error

Have a friendgirl who has trouble differentiating between Tuesday and Thursday. Which can cause a bit of confusion when we set up a day to meet :) I have the same problem with the words kitchen and chicken. Don't know why, just have. Stuff like "I'm going into the chicken" and "I'm gonna cook a kitchen". What words do you have a problem with? PS. Won't even mention my trouble with German here :)...not enough space on the blog...

Global warming

Lotsa talk about global warming and saving energy these days. Was thinking that I'm not so bad. For example I don't have a car, I use public transportation (and occasionally taxi's). I keep most of the heating off in my flat (except for when it's really really cold). I switch off lights when I'm not in the room (unlike some other people I know). When I pour a glass of tap water, I don't let it run for a minute to get it really cold (also unlike some other people). Next time I buy lamps I will buy energysaving dittos. Have initiated negotiations with landlord about a new (and energysaving) fridge. I know that my savings won't help the world, but if everybody did it...it could make a difference! Other tips to help save energy are welcome.

Flowers

Our aunt has birthday today. 1st of April and all. We sent her some flowers.

Pasta

Did you know that Swiss farmers have gotten a record crop of spaghetti?

PS. April fool joke from BBC 1957, which managed to fool a whole lotta people :)

2 movies

Saw two movies today. One on the French channel and one on the Italian. The afternoon movie was Shackleton. Really good one about a guy who tried to reach Antarctica around 1915, and the adventures of him and his men. Good reminder about how greatful we should be for small things. On the other hand I wouldn't dream of visiting Antarctica, unless there were charter trips there. Besides, they have penguins in the Zürich zoo... The other one was the Pledge. What bugged me with this one was that I'm not completely sure who the murderer was. Missed some parts of it (trips to kitchen etc) and in the end all we got to see was a piece of jewellery or similar that the murderer wore. Anybody knows?