Pants

I went to a dinner the other day, and realized just before leaving that I had only one pair of pants that fit me these days. And those were the pants that I wore when riding. Ok, so the lower part of the legs are covered in chaps, and the upper part is only getting in contact with the saddle, but still.

Luckily the hostess didn't comment on any possible stink, not that she would being polite and all. At least not to my face :).

But to avoid this in future I went shopping for new pants today, and got frustrated yet again. Low waist, super-low waist and one sort that had high waist. As I'd like to avoid the grandma look, I was finding only one with normal waist but they were ugly. Also 60 francs. Eventually I ended up buying a pair of black jeans, looking just like my old ones for 20 francs. I mean, I don't understand why the 60 francs pair would be better than a 20 francs pair, since they're all made in Asia anyway. Not that I'd like to contribute to child labour, but I have to trust H&M to be honest...well honest-ish I guess.

So a new pair of jeans it is, and the only good thing with the low waist is that my still somewhat wobbly stomach is "hanging out", so that I won't forget that I still have some kg's to go.

Veggie stuff

Ok, I may have to stop putting down vegetarian food, 'cause tonight I had another delish meal, purely consisting of veggie stuff.

First a creamy pumpkin soup, perfect to dip fresh bread into, and a salad with halloumi which was new to me. A goat/sheep cheese from Cyprus, that you fry or grill. Salty but tasty.

Yes, I might consider to stop dissing vegetarians, but on the other hand, maybe not. I gotta have something to focus my displeasure on :).

Lasagne - Sydney opera style

Had a friend over tonight, and we were cooking together. Cooking together for us meant today that we were shopping, he was paying and I was cooking. Or so he thought. Ha!

But I was in the lead, together with my computer. Looking up a lasagne recipe, and I thought we were home. And we would've been had I not been so hungry in the end, that I told him to put the lasagne sheets on top and shove it in the oven.

In guess I should have taken another second to think about it. Pasta needs some glue, something wet on top to keep it together.

But I tell you what. After we scraped those hard bits off, it tasted absolutely delish. Plus we learned something. And that ain't too bad.

I got a compliment!

I cannot believe I waited this long before I started with horseback riding again. Why? I really don't know, and I've been a slow starter, having only had lessons like every two, three weeks or so. And every time I had butterflies in my stomach. But not after today. I feel invincible.

Last time was the first time I felt that I was back in the saddle (I know, sorry, but the quote fits), so today I had the feeling that something is about to go wrong. Surely this cannot last.

But it did! Not only did I fend off a nervous fit from the horse, but twice! He was hearing something from outside that I didn't and galloped off without being told to, and I reacted just as I should. Sitting back, holding the reins and being calm as a cucumber. Well, not quite, but nearly.

This riding thing gives me so much energy, and I'm happy to say that today was the first time I lasted half an hour without having a drop of water. Before I always had to stop, asking the teacher to give me my bottle, 'cause I had absolutely no saliva left in my mouth. I'm getting fitter while having fun.

I have had quite a few comments from friends lately, who don't believe I'm me anymore. I have changed so much. And I can understand. I mean, I rather stay home cleaning on a Friday night than going out, and I'm doing sports every day. If you would have told me that only five years ago, I would have laughed you in the face. And given you the finger.

But there you go. People change, and so do I.

Oh, the compliment? I finished my riding lesson, and the next student came over to take the horse, and said to me "das hast du gut gemacht, du hattest alles im Griff". Hmpf! Meaning, you did good and you managed the horse well. I, as usual, had a hard time taking a compliment, and felt like an idiot after. Why couldn't I just say thank you? Perhaps because I am so not used to getting them...

Kid 5

It is strange to think that a kid would be close to me, and a child that isn't even related. But she is. And today she turned 5. I knew that she would have a kid party in the afternoon, so I stayed miles away, but in the evening I knocked on the door, presenting her with painting material. She's very good with that.

And as it turned out some other neighbours were there too, and it turned into a party. We were chatting, having discussions about everything and nothing, all while the kid in question were painting away.

A good excuse for a party I'll say.

Bloody business

Since I started my new and somewhat healthier regime in January this year I had some digestive problems. My Swiss friend would phrase it like I have problems with depositing my waste, I would like always be frank and say I have a shitting problem.

Or had. It took about six months to sort it out and for my body to get used to my new and healthier diet, but in that time I developed some sort of haemorrhoid, a little thingie just inside that makes "depositing waste" painful.

Since I'm not the type to run to my doctor for any little ailment, I've treated myself with baby oil. Which hasn't worked. So today I went to the pharmacy, thinking a little stronger medication was needed. But you know, standing there with people around, you feel a bit embarrassed. So I zoned out the people around, first asking for some other medication for my home pharmacy, and then wispering "I need a creme for haemorroids", at which the assistant just nodded and brought me without so much as a flick.

I really don't know why that should feel embarrassing, since I read up on google that 50% of the population have it one time or another in their life. But it does.

Then I heard from my "stalker" that he works in the medication business, and I immediately thought that I should ask him if he can provide me with some free meds. How's that for a first date?

A stalker?

I just had the weirdest phone call ever. A guy called just now on my landline. Normally it's always somebody who wants to sell me something calling on that line. Except for a few close friends, everybody uses my mobile phone.

So when the phone rings on a Saturday evening at a quarter past ten, I'm thinking immediately it's an emergency of some kind.

Instead it was a guy, calling me Annika, telling me the weirdest story. At first I thought it was the boyfriend of a good friend of mine, the name suggested it, but it wasn't.

Turns out a couple of weeks ago he had seen me outside my house, and thought I was hot. He claimed he didn't find a parking place quick enough to approach me, so he looked up my name on the mailbox. He then needed some weeks to work up the courage to google me and find my phone number. And then call me. I asked him if he was drunk, and he claimed he wasn't. And I believe him, since he didn't sound like it.

But I have a weird feeling. I mean he was nice enough and all, but in the end he did mention something about "I bet we'd have great sex" and that's when I kinda ended the conversation. In my world that is no start of a good relationship. Not anymore I should add :).

He gave me his phone number, three times, to be sure I got it. But I'm gonna have to marinate on this. And I do feel a bit uneasy that he knows where I live. It gives me a bit of relief though that he asked if I have a jealous man in my life, and I didn't tell him I didn't.

However, I cannot help feeling a little bit flattered. An eleven years younger man thinks I'm hot! Good for my self confidence. Ha, like I need it!

Personal hygiene

Florence Nightingale had a point. Personal hygiene is important. Some years ago, quite a few actually, it was a hype about some Asian bird flu and the company I was working for was installing antiseptic spray thingies everywhere. I especially remember a collegue of mine who loved it, he used to spray as often as he could and when we were in the elevator together it was stinking of alcohol.

Not that I have anything against alcohol, but the stench was overwhelming. Personally I believe in normal hygiene. I learned then to always wash my hands coming home. At first it had to do with my kittens. They are indoor cats and I didn't want to contaminate them with anything from the outside.

Now it's become a habit. First thing I do coming back home is to wash my hands, and believe it or not, I am healthier for it. Before I used to have colds like 2-3 times a year, now I haven't had any since I can remember (and no, not yet Alzheimers, but you get my meaning). I am careful going on trams and buses, trying to not touch any buttons or poles, and if I do, I try to do it using my jacket or an arm from a sweater.

However, I am a firm believer of bacterias and that you cannot avoid everything in life. I think that the more you get exposed, the better for your immune system, but at the same time, avoiding unnecessary colds is a good thing.

And sensible personal hygiene I heartily recommend.

Cooking

I have really learned to like cooking, especially since I have time to do it properly. Today I prepared a duck for a feast tomorrow. 2 kg's of prime bird. I used salt, pepper, olive oil, chili, rosmarin, orange zest and stuffed it with the rest of the orange. Mouth is watering already.

Me eco-friendly?

Lately I've been upping my breakfast/lunch, which btw is always combined, with eating more. Before I was always hungry again after like three hours, so realized it's better to eat the main meal midday, and then something smaller in the late afternoon/evening. Two meals a day is fine for me, with a snack now and then in between.

So since a few days I added a banana yoghurt to my first meal, but when I read on the contents label I realized it was 12% (!!!) sugar and other additives. Not good. So today I bought "bio" yoghurt and wanted to buy real bananas for taste. They were imported from Colombia, so no go. I ended up purchasing frozen raspberries from Serbia. Not optimal, but I'm really trying.

And I'm wondering, do bananas not grow at all in Europe? It surely is warm enough in the southern parts, isn't it?

This living eco-friendly certainly ain't easy.

Swiss VII

Yesterday I got a confirmation that my application to become a Swiss citizen is now in motion. A full A4 with information that they will now check with my "Wohngemeinde", which is the area I live in, and if in my favour it'll go on to the canton and eventually on to the governmental body who deals with us foreigners.

Not to forget, it's also gonna cost me. No surprise there. But also a reminder not to send any more documents to the Zürich city people, from now on I've been passed over to the next level. No problem with me, the less papers the better.

But it reminded me about the last questionnaire I sent in. It asked me about my marital status, like if I'm married, divorced, widowed or similar. It said "Ledig (noch nicht verheiratet)" which I find hysterically funny. It means "single (not yet married)". Like being married is a goal that everybody strives for. Haha, if that is a criteria I shall never become Swiss. But if I do, I shall exercise my right to vote, 'cause at least I, as a woman, will have one :).

Back in the saddle

I am continuing my strive to get fitter (and smaller), but sometimes I get demoralized. Yesterday I was doing one full hour on the spin bike, 21 km and 700 calories according to the display...and another half hour in the evening, 9 km and 300 calories. 0 grams lost this morning. And I didn't stuff myself full with food at all, rather the opposite.

However, after having a riding lesson this afternoon I feel invigorated again. Especially since I had the feeling that I'm back in the saddle again so to speak, meaning I feel it went as good as it went when I stopped so many years ago. I felt in control, and started to really enjoy riding again.

Not that I didn't before, but it feels so much better to have a sense of achievement, like it's going forward, I'm getting better.

Still, I'm not up to the fitness level I need to be. Ten minutes of trotting and I'm panting like a dog, almost with my tongue hanging out. Condensation on my specs, that's how much I'm sweating.

But considering I've only taken five or six lessons so far, I'm hopeful for the future. Beach 2015, I'm gonna be a cougar!

I'm a nobody

I am so extremely happy I am not famous, or even known to the public. I read a lot of news, as well as blogs.

I'm thinking about Obama, who now has a struggle with the republicans, meaning he will not be able to get anything through in his last two years as president. Everybody loses, it becomes a standstill, which in my opinion is worse than going forward.

I'm also thinking about a famous blogger who recently posted an item about her swimming with dolphins, and immediately got anti-comments about how bad that is. Not that I approve of swimming with dolphins not being free, but still. Not being able to do anything without being scrutinized must be horrible.

I mean, all of us are making mistakes now and then, it's human and unavoidable, politicians as well as all other famous or infamous people, and with the press today they are not getting away with anything.

One might argue that if they choose to be public, they must accept the criticism, but I think sometimes it's gone overboard. Imagine the stress these people must feel. I'm not surprised it's a turnover amongst politicians worse than in big corporations, and that's quite bad, I know from experience.

Just saying. I am so happy being an unknown, a nobody, a person behind the scenes. And grateful that I can blog without being judged. Well, except for the occasional sarcastic comment from friends of course :).

Dressage

So after some harsh advice from friends, one in particular, I did decide to go for the riding lessons every Friday evening starting January, going on to June. Six months, every week, I still don't know if it was a good choice, but I'm sure I'll be superfit come summer.

It was funny last time I was there, I got the gear I bought, and told the teacher I had a dream that she told me the helmet was too big and she got angry. She just laughed and said "you put the chaps on the wrong legs". Ah. Nothing like feeling like a fool.

But taking lessons with four people means you do not get to ride the same horse every time. And with every horse you have to learn how they react to you. I was foolishly asking if I could get Diamante every time, but no go. "Everybody wants Diamante". Ok. So I guess the other horses are more difficult.

This is definitely a challenge, but I'm up for it. On Thursday is the next lesson. And I pushed forward my goal to jump, since I feel I have a bit more to go before I'm ready. But I'll be there. Again.

Spar?

There is a chain of food shops here in Switzerland called Spar, meaning save. And I guess they have cheaper prices than other stores. But today I was a bit disappointed.

I was on my way home being hungry, and needed to shop for food, I was planning to cook but needed an energy boost immediately. Saw this package of two sandwiches, prices 2.40 and with a sticker saying 50%. Neat.

But when I got to the cashier I turned out that 2.40 was half the price already. I'm not entirely sure it's legal to have a price tag saying 2.40 and another saying 50%, meaning the discount is already taken off.

But ok, I bought it, I'm not gonna sue them :), after all I'm not American, but still. It bugs me. And I think I'll stick to Coop and Migros in the future.

Customer cards

Normally I'm against all these so called "customer cards", which means you have to be a member of their company, but I have to admit I have changed a bit due to greed I guess. It started when I bought my fabulous (and extremely expensive bed), learning that I could get an 8% discount if I registered as a customer and got a card. Did it, and since then I had some gifts and also some quite attractive offers.

Thinking about it, I as well have Coop and Migros cards, which from Migros gives me about 5 francs vouchers every two months, and in Coop you can sometimes pay with points instead of cash. This appeals to me.

When I bought my sofa from Ikea some years ago I also registered with an Ikea family card. This to me is not my M.O. since traditional families is not my thing, but the discount did made me do it. Since then I was invited to the launch of the new catalogue (which I didn't get at the time), but I got some delicious chocolate cake, and that was enough for me.

A few months ago Ikea asked for people who wanted to live more green, and at the spur of the moment I applied, but my application was kinda weird. I am already living as green as possible (within my limits) and so said that maybe somebody else could learn more from the experience than I. Anyway, today I got an email back saying that unfortunately I wasn't chosen, (28 people out of 700+ were) but I have some gifts they would like me to have as a thank you for applying.

This time they also told me what it was, and even though I'm not overwhelmed, I appreciate their willingness to thank me for applying. And that "KOPPLA Mehrfachsteckdose" I can certainly use.

Money money money

In my life I have always saved money. I grew up in a family, not poor, not rich, we had everything we needed but there was no luxury. I learned at a very young age to save if I wanted something. And I thank my parents for that lesson, 'cause that's why I can live the life I do now.

In my youth there were few if any credit cards, so my motto has always been "save first, spend later". Unlike today I understand, where people overspend left, right and center.

So I had to laugh today. Since about eight? years I have changed to a conservative bank. I have had many banks in many countries in my life, where the advisors have been dead wrong and cost me a lot of money. I have also had a family member giving me advice what shares, funds and whatsit to buy, but since some years I have taken over responsibility for my own finances completely. Which I probably should've done earlier.

Had a meeting with my bank today. It wasn't because I requested it, it was because they called me and my new "advisor" wanted to meet with me. Ok, fine with me, I could waste an hour if that's what they wanted.

I have no secrets when it comes to my finances, so were completely open. But here comes the laughing bit. No, I don't want any financial advice, 'cause every time I trust somebody else it turns out to be a bad idea. Every time I trust my instinct, it has always given a better return. And no, I don't need to hear your background and about your career, done it, been there and so forth. And I really question why there were two of you? The bank I have chosen to care for my money should not waste their time on a small time investor like me.

The problem is, I cannot think of another bank which would be better, and if I have to spend/waste an hour a year telling them about my investment strategy, I think I can live with that.

PS. They gave me a whole folder with papers about my finances (like I can't see that on internet banking whenever I want) to be stored and hopefully forgotten about. And another tree died.

Non-EU

I have lived in two countries that have chosen not to join EU. Of course, I have lived long enough to remember the time when there was no EU, and every time you travelled it was duty-free heaven. Cheap booze and cheap tobacco, what could be better than that? Plus I remember the time when you could order a seat in the back of the plane, a smoking seat. Those were the times!

Personally I like the idea of EU, having a union makes fighting against each other more difficult, and a world without wars would be utopia. Will never happen, but the forming of EU is a start, just like the federation of the American states.

However, I do like the duty-free bit. And I had forgotten I'm sorry to say, since I used to travel myself a lot and had a never-ending supply of stuff, that when I came to Switzerland a pack of ciggies cost around 5 francs, and now it's up to 8. Almost to the limit where I cringe every time I have to pay. So to my delight I realized I have neighbours who travel! I dunno what took me so long. Maybe because I'm used to rely on me and myself only.

The last couple of weeks I had packs from Tenerife for 3.50 a pack, and from oh-I-dunno-where-he-was for 5.20 a pack. Maybe not so good in my strive to reduce, but heckuvalot better for my purse. Money over health?

More blood

So finally the blood donating people woke up, and realized that I volunteered to donate three times a year instead of two, so tomorrow I'm off again.

Every time you have to answer an extensive form with questions (I'm surrounded by forms these days), but they are not personalized. Which I think would be very easy to do nowadays. Like the question if I was born outside of Europe, which I now have answered 22 times. I'm toying with the idea of ticking the yes box once to see what they say.

Or if I spent any time between 1980 and 1996 anywhere in the Great Britain (guess it has to do with mad cow). Or if I had growth hormones before 1986. 22 times people I have answered that.

But there is one question that always makes me laugh, and I believe it's my German that is not up to scratch. It asks if I've been in a risk situation with "Sexuelle Kontakte unter Männern seit 1977". To me it reads like have I been under a man since 1977? Yes I have I can reveal. But I'm pretty sure that's not what the question is about. Or is it :) ?

Sport: cleaning

Lately I have been doing my own cleaning. I know, it sounds weird, but one of the things I always thought was worth it, was to buy cleaning help. I hated to clean. Washing, ironing, cooking, all the stuff that needs to be done, was never an issue for me, but cleaning was. It felt like a chore.

But no longer! I have discovered that cleaning is a sport. You move, you sweat, it's not something you particularly look forward to, but you feel so much better afterwards. And I know it's been done properly, when I've done it myself.

It's amazing it took me this many years to find that out.

Swiss VI

So I sent in all the gazillions of papers and forms, asked of me by ze Swiss authorities, in order to process my application for citizenship.

Today I got a letter, confirming that they have received my request, and that they are happy that I have decided to apply. Ha! Pretty sure that's not the case.

I was asked to fill in yet another form, one that I hadn't seen before, and which was attached to the letter. Simply confirming stuff that I already had given them. Yes, I'm single, no I still don't have any kids since last week, and my parents had no Swiss citizenship.

I was informed that if I didn't return this form within 3 months, they would not consider my application. Like I would spend several hundred francs on ordering all the necessary forms, and they hey, I think I decide not to apply after all?

But I am even more determined now to play their game. Throw as many forms at me as you can, I'll deal with them all.

The meaning of life

Had some friends over for dinner tonight, raclette yeah, it's autumn and time for cheese again. Fab. And it got a bit late, since we got into a discussion about the reason why we are here on earth. And it turned out to be different for all three of us. Not having anything to do with 42.

One of us had love as a first, being in a relationship and getting to be appreciated as a person was first on her list, me on the other hand had self worth, standing up for yourself, trying to be the best person you can be, and surprisingly enough the third one of us meant that buying only the best things would make you happy. In his case it was a Korean rice-cooker. He's a man and I rest my case.

That smoking thing

I know I'm sticking my neck out here, not really being devoted to stop smoking, but I am making baby steps towards a healthier life.

Let's not be fooled here, I loooove smoking, I love my cigarettes, I love the feeling they are giving me, but I am not stupid. I realize they are essentially bad for me. However, I do also believe that it's not as bad as it's made out to be, since a lot of smokers get to be 80, 90 or even older.

That said, I believe that smoking less than I currently do would be a good thing. I have started to change my behaviour a little bit, like when I'm sitting in front of my computer, moving the cig pack away so that I have to stand up in order to reach it. And when I go food shopping almost every day, I leave the ciggies back home.

It was funny, I met with a friend the other day, and he had gone to psycho therapy, in order to learn to change his behaviour, and he had been told the exact same thing. Change your behaviour with little things. I call it common sense, some people need therapy.

Ah well, I make no promises, other than that I will try. And that's not a bad thing.

Mixed feelings about becoming super fit

I went to have a riding lesson again today, and I felt really professional wearing the gear I got some weeks ago. And I have to admit, that having real riding boots made a difference. Before my feet were all over the place in the straps, but now I sat very firm and got a better balance.

And I'm glad to say my tail bone gave me no problems, not even when galloping.

But now I have to think hard. I was planning on having lessons in a group of four, but the only one still available is on Fridays at 19.30. Normally I do something completely different then (you guess!).

Every week from January to June on Friday evening. I am tempted, and of course it would be good for me, breaking some habits and do something more healthy.

I also appreciate the teacher, even if she's very upfront and into "telling the truth". There is absolutely no smooth-talking there. It's "we have to build up your fitness level continuing with the private lessons this year" (hey, I've been training all of this year, but agreed, riding is something else and even though my leg strength is getting better and better with the spin bike thingie, I still sweat like a pig after just half an hour). I keep on referring to my age, using it as a defense tool, but she's having none of that. "One in the class of four is 65, so quit whining". Ok, she didn't say it exactly like that, but to me it sounded just like that.

However, in the classes next year there is another teacher, so maybe she's nicer :) ? Don't think so.

It's a humbling experience not being the best in your field (haha, I sound like I always was).

Right now I'm leaning towards signing up, even though those group lessons are 50 minutes long, and not 30 minutes like now. Oh dear!

Natural beauty

I saw a talkshow some time ago, where somebody claimed that people spend 3.5 years of their time taking care of their body, like showering, clipping nails, shaving and the likes. That sounds a lot to me. I haven't calculated how much per day that would be, but I'm sure it doesn't apply to myself.

I'm the type of person who doesn't like to shower, much less take a bath, which is why I chose not to have a bathtub. I do it as quickly as possible, dry myself off, apply body lotion, deodorant and mascara, and am out of the bathroom in 10 minutes. I'm not particularly fond of massage, but I do clip my nails when neccessary.

I believe it's called natural beauty ;).

Administration in Zürich

If I would guess where administrators would be top in the world, I would say Switzerland. I mean, they absolutely adore paper forms, official stamps and whatever paperwork makes normal people miserable. But I would be wrong.

Let's look at a few examples. When I applied as a volunteer worker for Pfarrer Sieber, they were enthusiastic at first, but then I never heard back. When I applied to be a volunteer for the city of Zürich, I had to send two emails in order to get an answer. When I wanted to take riding lessons, I equally had to send severals mails before I got heard.

After I gave blood last time early May, I sent them a mail saying that I can stretch to give three times a year, instead of only two, and got confirmation that they would update their system. Now, five and a half months later I haven't heard beep.

And these are all organizations who one way or another get my money. I really don't understand.

Tropical Zürich

We've been having a fantastic autumn here in Zürich, maybe to make up for the rainy June, but really. It's been like over 20° and sunny almost every day.

However, when I today checked out the weather for the coming week I saw something surprising: a tropical rainstorm called Gonzalo is expected mid next week. A tropical rainstorm in Zürich? That global warming thingie is really heating up, so to speak.

This will be exciting!

Life from above

In my bedroom I have wardrobes. This is no revelation, but since I have in-door cats I constantly think of ways to entertain them. And as most people know, cats love to look at life from above.

Today a friend of mine brought a gift. Which is funny, since I only mentioned it to him a few days ago, but he's an animal-lover so had spent time to create a ladder.

My cats have as of yet not seen the new addition, but I guess tonight will be a night of discovery. What won't I do for my furry ones?

Getting there

This weight-loss thingie is a whole science. It's not only eat healthy and less, and do sports, but other aspects come into the equation after some time. Like I learned the last few days. I ate more than normal a few days ago, and lost 500 grams! Fantastic. But I realized that saga wouldn't last long.

So I've learned that changing your training is also important, like if you do the same sports in the morning every day, then change to do it in the middle of the day or in the evening instead. Or change what you're doing, 'cause the body adjusts and after a while you see no result even if you're moving every day.

What a bummer! I would've been happy continuing with the spin bike half an hour every morning (watching an episode of Biggest loser, feeling very thin, 'cause they are really obese), but now I've gotta change!

So far I've got a spin bike, some light weights, and a stepper. Plus my own body weight. I have to come up with new ways of training. Unfortunately youtube only provides you with very boring zumba classes. Otherwise that would be something that appeals to me.

But apart from an anorexic period way back, I haven't weighed this little since I was in my teens! Pat on back. And truly, I don't need to lose anymore, but it's become a challenge now. Especially since I have spent so much blog space talking about it :).

Goodbye and RIP

So I went to my second funeral here in Switzerland today. It wasn't as much a funeral, it was a ceremony by the grave where the urn was lowered into the ground. People gathered, the priest was talking, there were flowers and it wasn't too sad. Maybe because I kept the distance a bit, since I wasn't near family, and that I have a bit of a problem with death. Well, who doesn't? But I have especially bad memories from death, funerals and saying goodbye.

We declined going to the church and the dinner afterwards, felt it was too much, since I'm an atheist, and that god thingie doesn't do it for me, but it felt good to have been there. We left a card, and my friend spoke to the brother, and so we made our presence known. Which was good, since nobody else knew who we were.

There were many people there. She lived alone like me, had four cats, and a quite active social life. And she was appreciated. A friend of hers held a speech by the grave, talking about a bird with a broken wing, who managed to get away from a cat, flying up to sit on top of a tree, saving her life for a little while, and enjoying, but at the same time knowing the cat would still get her eventually.

A beautiful analogy for somebody who truly loved animals. She will be missed.

In a better place?

I had lunch with the Zürich "Krebsliga" (cancer fund) today. I have developed a good relationship with them, and try to support them best I can. Next year I will walk with them, something I learned today, every year two breast cancer women arrange a walk, supported by the "Krebsliga", all dressed in pink. As it so happens I have a sporty outfit in pink.

We also had a serious talk, as always when we meet. We share a common history, having lost both our parents too early, and I told him about an acquaintance/friend of mine who has cancer for the second time and it has spread. Last time I talked to her two weeks ago she was at home unable to get out of bed, but didn't want me to visit.

Which was fine, I understand when you want to be alone. I know that she had cancer that has spread, and that she didn't want treatment anymore. She said to me last time we met "Annika, you don't know how it is, I've been sick for ten years, and I don't want any more treatment". And she was right, I don't know.

Today, when telling the story to my friend in the "Krebsliga" he informed me that they provide free adjustable beds to terminally ill people, and I got a leaflet. I thought, maybe this is something a dying person can use?

So when visited tonight by a friend, who also knows this person, we called her and left a message. When we didn't get an answer, we decided to write a card to say we were thinking about her and the likes. At the same time I googled her name and address and got directed to a site for Stadt Zürich. Ok, I thought, she probably worked there before.

Turned out to be an official site for funerals. She is dead. I spoke to her two weeks ago. It feels wrong. She was a good person. Trustworthy, kind and a cat-lover. She had four. I wonder what will happen to them now.

So tomorrow we are going to the funeral. It feels like the least I can do, even if we were not close friends, she was a person I respected. And she was only 55 years old.

My tail bone - a national disaster?

I was out walking today for five hours! Ok, we did not walk the whole time, it did include a fabulous lunch with fish soup at the Viadukt area in Zürich (can recommend), and a few stops having some wine but still. It was a long day in the sun, fabulous weather and not even the whiny kid could get my mood down.

So we had a stroll at the Limmat, talking about this and that, and just enjoying. When we sat down I remarked that I still have some problems, but it's getting much better. My friend responded "oh yeah, I forgot about that". To which I didn't say anything, but afterwards thought: wouldn't it be really strange if a friend of mine went around thinking about my tail bone?

Just a thought :).

Presents

I have really good friends. Today I got my second birthday present, and that even before my birthday is here. But I love it. They give me things that I want and was planning on getting anyway. This time it was books. A friend of mine visited my home country, and got me some literature in my mother tongue. Very much appreciated.

I think also my neighbours, who's flat I'm looking after whenever they go on holiday, have gotten it. Last time it was like "well, what can we bring you back from Tenerife?". Oh gosh, please not another souvenir. I've been to Tenerife several times myself and really do not want anything from there. But dutyfree cigarettes...yes please.

Anything that can be consumed is appreciated. The rest I can get myself. Except for the riding boots of course, I will very much enjoy them.

Bubo bubo et vespa vulgaris

Every weekday I'm watching this quiz show, and I just love it when people you don't expect pull a rabbit out of their hat. Not literally of course, but today there was a question about what an Eurasian eagle-owl is called in latin, and the guy answered, like it was nothing, "bubo bubo".

If I were on the show, which btw will never happen, I'm much more comfortable screaming out the answer in front of my computer screen, but if I were, I wish the question would be "what is a wasp called in latin?". I would know the answer in my sleep. Vespa vulgaris. I don't remember where I learned it, and why, but I did.

The queen of useless knowledge? I dunno know, but I do know lots of stuff. And most of it is of no use to me. Wish I knew next weeks euromillion numbers instead. That would really be impressive!

Date Sunday

Had another date today. He seemed to be a nice person, and we took a stroll through town, talking easily and finding out things about each other.

My thoughts were that we may be good friends, and that he was fairly open and easy to talk to, but when we parted he said he needed to think about where to go next. Huh? What's to think about I thought, but fair enough. I have no stress in getting to know somebody more, who isn't interested. But I had to laugh about that he didn't even ask if I was interested, just took it for granted. Men!

Riding gear

Went shopping for riding gear today. I needed a helmet (as well as a healed tail bone), so that I don't have to borrow a dirty, god-knows-what-with-possibly-lice-in-it helmet I previously used. Had one when I was young(er), which unfortunately I threw away.

I also needed riding boots, or at least "chaps". That's what I learned they are called. These are thingies you use on your legs, if you don't have proper long boots, in order to prevent the leather straps to turn your inner legs to blue. Which happened to me all three times I took riding lessons so far.

Good thing I had a friend with me today. For two reasons actually. First, I didn't wanna splash out too much money on a helmet, since I don't plan on being professional, and so went for the 59 francs one. It fit, and felt great. But when I asked my friend if I looked good in it, he responded that nobody ever looks good in a helmet. Fair point.

Then we came to the cashier, and it turned out to be 119 francs. Twice the price. Not ok. My friend stepped in, and told them that if they advertise 59 francs, 59 francs it is. After some discussions, and "I have to call the manager" they offered me 20% off. I wasn't sure, but my friend told me to take it. After all, it was a great fit and he thought it would be safer than buying a cheaper one. Fair enough, even though I would've been happier with 59 francs. However, I melted a bit when I got free plastic bag. One of those that lasts a long time, and that had very pretty pictures of all kinds of animals on it. I know, I'm a cheap date.

Then I bought some "chaps", which to my great delight only fitted in small! And even they were not tight! When have I ever bought something in small since I was like 13? These days I seem to be happy for the smallest (haha) things.

And then the second reason I was happy my friend was with me. I was trying on some boots which would fit with the "chaps", but wasn't sure. I was thinking I could get something cheaper in a shoe store, and I don't need to look all that when taking riding lessons. He then said "stop now. I'm buying you these as an early birthday present!". I nearly kissed him then and there. But being me, of course I didn't.

In the evening we had dinner at my place and I was parading around in my new gear!

Picture memory

Some weeks ago I placed an order for wine to be delivered. I do that a couple of times a year, and then I'm stocked up and have enough both for my own consumption and for friends. Easy and convenient.

Today I got a letter from the supplier, giving me a voucher for 15 francs. Great I thought, and put it in the pile for future use.

But something stuck in my mind, when I see something in writing it tends to stay with me. And a few hours later I realized what it was. There was an end date to the voucher. Picked up the letter again and got it confirmed. Only valid for two weeks.

So now I placed an order again, no way I was gonna let 15 francs pass me by, good thing I cleaned out my basement so there is space enough!

Every life is worth saving

Or is it? I don't have any experience with war, other than what I've read or heard in history lessons or through the media, but I'm pretty sure that 99.9% of the population would agree with me that the world would've been better if Hitler, Pol Pot, Mugabe, Idi Amin, Kim Jong-Il and the likes hadn't been born.

How many Bill Gates's, Richard Branson's, Stephen Hawking's, Nelson Mandela's (my personal fav's), Mother Teresa's and Desmond Tutu's have been killed through wars?

Nobody knows of course, since a life taken cannot be judged by those still living.

Sometimes when I walk through a graveyard, I see stones with names and the age they were when they died, and my mind goes to why. Especially if they were young when they passed. Who would they have been if they had still lived?

Here in Switzerland there is a political party called SVP, who hates everything foreign and everybody who wasn't born here is not welcome. Personally, I wanna ship them all to North Korea, which I believe is a regime that would suit them like hand in glove.

Now I just have to send in my application for Swiss citizenship, then I'll take SVP on :).

But what I wanted to say with this blog item was to ask if there is any proof anywhere that wars do work? Do they accomplish anything in the end? Ok, so Saddam and what's-his-name in Afghanistan were killed by America, but did it get better? Did the world benefit from World War I and II?

My belief is that it didn't. And that Israeli and Palestinian thing that's been going on forever, is it making life better for the people there? Absolutely not.

Religion and power hunger, that's the problem if you ask me. And food for thought, very few women are involved in these fights.

Over and out from an atheist.

The plank

Read about the plank and tried it yesterday. It is said that a normalfit person could do one minute, and to my surprise so could I. Also read that the record is four and a half hours. Why anybody would do that is beyond me.

And for the other record, it's not me on the pic. Yet :).

Posture

You know, it may not have been such a bad thing to hurt my tail bone, 'cause it forces me to sit up straight, I kinda sit with my butt hanging out a bit, not that it's much hanging out anymore :), and my back looking like I have a straightjacket or similar.

A posture like a stateswoman. Yes, that's me these days. Who would've thought?

Mystery III

So finally the mystery is solved. Turned out to be somebody who lives at the same street, but had placed the order under the wrong street number.

The supplier called me, they had located the guy who happened to be on holiday, so said they would pick up the boxes on Friday. Fine with me.

But today they called again, this time on my landline and it took me a while to understand how they got my home number, until, me being a bit of an idiot early in the morning, I realized that I'm in the phone book on my address (slapping myself once again!). Anyway, this time they once again excused themselves, and told me that they didn't have any delivery to Zürich on Friday, so would it be ok to come on Wednesday in a week?

Compliant as I am (!) I agreed, and when she told me there should be a bottle of wine for me as a thank you, I gracefully accepted.

Who said that age doesn't make you a better person?

aka Bridget Jones

I'm feeling like Bridget Jones these days. I am weighing in every morning, and even though I don't put it in a diary, I remember what I weighed the day before. Just as well, since she used to put in units of alcohol in her diary, and that wouldn't read well on my blog :).

Anyway, two days ago I hit the magic number. The number I've been striving for, and which is 5 kg's more than I weighed when I was like 16 or 17. Back then I was superfit.

And I think the reason I struggled the last few months is probably because I've been building muscles, replacing the fat and everybody knows muscles weigh more than fat. At least that's what I've been telling myself.

But now I want more. I want to be the person I was when I was in my teens. Not mentally of course, and I have no wish to be that young anymore, but physically it would be nice.

However, I realize it's gonna be a battle, 'cause I don't wanna give up my life completely. I still wanna enjoy food and sweets. And of course my beloved wine. But I do sports more, so let's see where I end up. I have given myself to the end of the year.

PS. A friend of mine went on holiday for two weeks, enjoyed it, had loads of good food in France, and drinks, came back and had gained 200 grams. Sometimes I really hate men! Personally, I think he shits like an elephant!

Mystery II

So the mystery with the boxes delivered to our house is not yet solved. I sent an email to the website I found with the names, and got an answer back saying they had no outstanding deliveries, signed by a person with another name. When I answered stating the names, asking if I had the right email address, I got a really rude reply, so gave up trying that road.

Today I emailed the supplier, who answered that they were very grateful (finally a nice person!) and would come back to me when they had located the person who placed the order.

Mind you, I could've just kept the 48 kg (!) delivery for myself, but I'm just not that kind of person.

Postergirl

I was working again today in my coffee bar, and was happy to see a new sign put up. It corresponds very much more with who I'm associating myself with, than just serving coffee and cookies.

What I didn't know was that they took a pic of me for the poster!

Championship in memory

I had no idea there was a world championchip in memory. These guys (and I say guys, since I saw few women around...maybe they are busy with more important stuff?) are amazing. They can remember the order of cards in a deck, and they memorize gazillions of numbers in a row.

It seems to be a small "sport" with no money in it, but if you ask me, these guys should be hugely rewarded, as supposed to the men who kick a ball around and are paid astronomical amounts. Can you tell that football doesn't interest me?

Seriously, these guys are clever and I'm sure every google and facebook company out there, are already offering employment. If not, they should be.

Atheist god 1-0

Today my door rang unexpectedly and when I asked who it was, I got a rant in Switzedütch, so I told them I'll come downstairs to talk to them in person.

They, an elderly man and a woman, started out by stating that a lot of people are now unhappy with the possible change of government. So I told them that I unfortunately cannot vote, thinking that would put them off. Added that everybody in this house is a foreigner, so they wouldn't get any ideas about harassing somebody else, even if it isn't true.

Then out comes the broschure about god. Oh dear. Not sure what the government has to do with a god, but I assured them that the beautiful country we live in wasn't created by some imaginary god, but by nature itself. And that I'm an atheist, and no thanks, you can keep your leaflet.

They were nice about it though, thanked me for a nice chat, and off they went. I actually don't think they were Jehovas, seeing the name of their printed paper, maybe Salvation Army or something?

It made me think, some of these organizations have people going around trying to convert people. What are their success rate? My guess is 0.

Mystery I

A few days ago there was a delivery to our house. I saw the boxes at the entrance coming back home, and didn't think twice about it. All of us order stuff from the internet now and then.

But when it was there a day later I looked at the labels, and didn't recognize the names. But just at the same time we had new tenants moving in, and even though their first names didn't match, I thought maybe it belonged to them anyway. And when asking the owner of the flat, he thought so too.

Now the boxes have been there for like three days, and so I googled and found a couple with those names, living in Zürich but in a completely other area.

Discussed it with my neighbour today, and we are lost. We cannot understand why somebody would place an order to our address.

Anyway, I first rang the possible owners of the boxes and didn't get an answer. Now an email is out there, but I didn't reveal what the contents were, I want them to identify it first, before giving it to them.

But how weird is that? I mean, it's a computerized name tag, the supplier name is on the boxes, why order it to an address where you don't live?

I can reveal as much, that if we don't find the owners of these boxes, there shall be a party in this house :).

I wanna sink my teeth into something

Today I went to have my teeth cleaned. I use the same clinic since about ten years, and the dental hygienist is fabulous. No pain, ok, it's not pleasant, but she does the work, is always gentle, praises me for having good mouth hygiene, and now I have white teeth again. Well, white might be a bit of an exaggeration, but still, very much improved.

However, since I was there last time (for that awful root canal) the owner has sold the practice, he was retiring, and now it's a new owner. I remember seeing some cliche written on the door.

Before there was always somebody greeting you in the reception, no I was met by nobody. And my hygienist asked if I had filled in the form. "What form" I asked, since I've been a client for like ten years. Turns out new clinic has another system, another everything, and from what I understood the new leadership wasn't all that. So I made sure that she'd let me know if she moves. 'Cause then I'm gonna move with her.

Anyway, when leaving I got the form, and it had all kinds of question regarding my full medical history. Excuse me? You do my teeth, I pay you and the rest is none of your business. Besides, I have already given you permission to get my data from the previous owner.

Nah, these chains are not all that. But as long as my hygienist is still there, I'm gonna be a customer. And I would appreciate a personal greeting next time, rather than hearing the personnel chatting about personal things next door.

Sad boat

I was closing up my boat for the season today. Even though people were sitting outdoors, enjoying dinner tonight, it has become a wee bit too cold for cruising the lake.

One problem I had previous years was that water was always forming a small pool on the right (left when looking at pic) side, so today I put a chair under the cover to prevent it. Will it work? I dunno.

Swiss accuracy

I had a hose installed, going from my shower to the balcony, which I described in a previous blog item. So instead of paying 4,000 francs which the architect asked when building the house, I ended up paying less than 100 francs.

To my help in assembling this hose I had my previous landlord. He bought everything, he put it all together and made it work. He was driving around, getting all the equipment, and put in the hours.

He was very accurate, and presented me with the bills, which I paid. Of course. But there was one piece that wasn't fitting, so he took it back.

Yesterday I found an envelope in my mail-box, containing all the receipts and two francs in cash. That's what he got back from returning the piece that didn't work.

I don't wanna know how much it cost to drive to the shop, returning the piece, but as it actually was only 1.95, I sent him a text saying I owe him 5 rappen, and I would like to return it promptly.

You gotta love ze Swiss. Very accurate, very precise and just adorable.

Pergola man

Had another date tonight. We were supposed to meet under the pergola at Bürkliplatz, which is the place in Zürich where the ferries are anchoring. I was there on time, walked around, saw a guy who I thought was the one, walked up to him to ask "are you H?". He wasn't.

A pergola I understand is a secluded place with a roof over, we used to have one in the garden when I lived abroad. I wasn't sure where that was, so called him. He had given me his number. He was there he said, under the pergola, so walked around again and couldn't shake the feeling that the guy I had asked was the one (sitting there with his phone). So I asked again "are you sure you're not H?". He still wasn't.

Eventually I phoned again (quite irritated) and he was on the other side, claiming that the real Bürkliplatz was where he was. If he would've said the old dancing place I would've known.

Anyway, he was quite ok. Perhaps not my type exactly, but ok to spend an evening with. I was quite clear though, that any horizontal surfing would not be happening.

And even though he had a sense of humour, it wasn't my kind of humour. And I frown upon having hands on my thigh when not invited.

Nevertheless, even though not all of the people I meet are gonna be lifetime friends, they all have interesting stories and I like being out there. I believe it's called living the life.

In the jungle

Yesterday was a full day. I was invited first to a cruise on the lake, where I learned that Eritrea has nine different languages. Not sure it's a valuable knowledge for me, but still, interesting.

After that we had a private showing of the Masoala-Halle in Zürich zoo. I've been there before but never learned as much as yesterday. We saw a chameleon, you know this tiny insect/whatever that can change colour, but not as I thought 'cause they wanna blend in and avoid predators, but because of their mood. How cool is that? It'd be mind-blowing to think if people could do the same ;).

We saw bats and lemurs, flying and climbing the top of the hall (and it's large!), bamboo trees that in the Masoala hall grows up to 20 centimeters a day (I wonder what they do when they reach the top), and in Madagascar where they come from can grow more than a meter a day!!!

We were informed of the travellers tree, where those in need got water.

We learned that they have a cacao tree (which must be my favourite tree ever), from which they manufactured actual pralines and sold for 200 francs a piece in order to raise money to save the rain forest. All of them sold out, but on the other hand it was only 32 pieces and some guy spent 100 hours doing them.

We saw a tiny little red bird, which I think had something to do with picking bugs out from something, not sure, I lost the guide a bit there.

We looked in wonder at the huge banana trees, and went bananas when we didn't see any :).

The most interesting bit was when we were allowed off-track, where the public normally cannot access, and went trekking in the jungle. I was quietly humming "in the jungle, the mighty jungle..." while crossing stone tracks and tiny, hanging bridges entirely made of rope and wood. A beautiful waterfall. Unfortunately the pic quality is a bit blurry, probably from me shaking a bit.

The day ended with an interesting dinner, where I was sitting across from a biker, who showed me pics of him and the Hells Angels "manager" in Amsterdam. Surprising. He told me he was part of another biker group, and when I asked him what they do in their club besides riding motorcycles, he shrugged his (quiet fat) shoulders and remarked "oh you know, trafficking, drugs and prostitution and such". Then he smiled really sweetly and I realized he was having me on. Which I do believe, 'cause he's not the type, knowing what he does for a living.

Then I got a ride home with somebody who turns out to run her own cleaning company. Very valuable contact, since my cleaning help is no longer available.

All in all, a very interesting day.

Sore tail

You know I hurt my tailbone at the last riding lesson, and unfortunately it's still hurting. I was talking to a friend and he told me that he suffered the same injury many years ago. I asked him how long it took to heal, and he answered four years.

Four years! Turns out he meant one week, but there is a certain sense of humour I less appreciate.

But now it's been five days and it's gotten a little better, but I still cannot sit properly on a chair. I bet it looks a bit funny with me sitting with half the bum hanging out, but I don't care. Pain is so not my thing.

Biggest loser is back!

After enjoying fifteen seasons of the US version of biggest loser on youtube, I thought I was gonna have to wait another year for the next season, but whaddayaknow, the next season is already there. I guess there is always somebody who's willing to share quicker than anybody else. Good for me.

What is not so good is that my weight loss the first four months this year was on track, then four months maintaining it, and now I planned for the last four months of the year to lose another 3-5 kg's. Not going to plan. One day (after I was out drinking with the date) I lost 800 grams. Great, fantastic, I should do this more often. A few days later I gained 500 grams. One day I was gaining 400 grams even after doing sports morning and evening. Then another day I lost 400 grams doing nothing special. And last time I was riding I lost exactly 0 grams.

I think the body get used to the exercise, and that you have to shock it in order to lose more weight. Not that I'm overweight anymore, but I wanna stretch it and lose more. I know, I'm never gonna look like a greyhound and have no aspirations thereto, but maybe a slim dachshund?

Bottom rub

A funny thing today with the riding was that I realized I had spectators. Well not like a whole audience, but a few people, and at first I thought "oh fuck", 'cause when you're not an expert you think they are better than you. But then I relaxed and thought "what does it matter?". And forgot about it.

After I jumped off Diamante I felt my bottom, 'cause my tailbone hurt, and I was kinda rubbing it. That was before I realized a guy was having a lesson just after me, and he was standing there waiting to take over. Oh dear.

So not a good thing. Not that we had a date or anything, but rubbing ones bottom is surely not gonna give a great first impression.

Shark tank

I just love youtube. Now I've found the next series to which I'm already addicted. Shark tank. Five Americans, pc with three white guys, one black and one woman, all selfmade millionaires or even billionaires. They are investors and candidates come in, present their business ideas and some get funding, some not.

And it goes to show that it's not only the product that's interesting, it's how you present it and how well you have prepared.

Just like in other aspects of life.

Wind in my hair

Went riding again today on Diamante. He's a great horse, and fits me perfectly. And even though it went much better today than last time, there were some mistakes made. And it was always my fault. Guess I have to realize that I'm not 17 anymore, and even if my fitness level has gone up from 0 to I-dunno-know maybe 7 on a 10 scale, there is still some work to be done. Especially with regards to leg strength.

For you who are not familiar with horse riding, the legs are the steering mechanism with a horse. You push, move and give the horse the indication what he or she needs to do with the help of your legs.

Galloping today went really well, only I was told to sit back. I tend to lean forward 'cause that makes the horse go faster, which is fun I think, but did as I was instructed and unfortunately hurt my tailbone. But I guess standing up on buses and sitting on my bar stool at home with the bum hanging out isn't that bad.

And no, no wind in my hair but sweating down to the hair roots. Last time I lost half a kg by riding, it'll be exciting to see what the scale says tomorrow.

A new friend?

Had another date yesterday, who turned out to be a nice surprise. He was polite, interesting to talk to and good fun. As I thought of him as harmless, I decided to invite him home for a coffee (him) and wine (me) before he had to drive home.

That's the difference between meeting people online and irl. Irl you have the opportunity to assess and get the feel about them in a much better way, and I'd like to think I'm good at that.

So maybe I have gotten myself a new friend.

And yes, he agreed to have the pic posted here, although I haven't given him the blog yet :).

Bio eco what's the difference?

I put the question out there some time ago about living more green, and the only answer I got was quit smoking and become a vegetarian. Very disappointing, since I'm not willing to completely give up my lifestyle, however I am open to change within limits.

And today I was thinking about it again. I don't eat a lot of mayonnaise, but I use it occasionally in my cooking, and so needed to stock up. Surprisingly enough in Coop they didn't have any mayo at all containing eggs from free roaming chicken, even though one of the tubes said "bio".

Last time I bought it in Migros and they did have one with the free living chicken. But I dunno. Is that really better? And is eco better than bio?

Ecological to me sounds healthy and produced without any E-numbers or substitutes added. But bio? Biological? What does that mean really?

And when something bio states that the ingredients come from Europe, not specifically Switzerland, isn't that a bad thing? Shouldn't everything be produced locally?

I may have to start making my own mayo, but then comes the problem of what to do with the eggwhites. Meringue?

It ain't easy to try to do the right thing.

Neighbour day

I really like my neighbours. There are some I know better of course, but all of them are nice people as far as I know.

Today I ran into one of them outside the house and she asked whether I would come with her for a short walk. Sure, nice to catch up. However, she was going to fetch a kid in school, and I didn't realize how loud it actually is in a stone hallway with oh-I-dunno-know, like 50 kids running around having screeching voices. Good thing I already have tinnitus.

Then of course we had to wait while kid had to show us how she could climb. Fascinating. Not.

But still, a nice caring neighbour.

Later in the afternoon I was going food-shopping, and noticed that one of the other neighbours door was wide open. I know she also has a small child, so didn't think twice about it, figuring she was on the way out organizing the kid or something.

But when I came back some time after, the door was still open so I was gently calling her, thinking they were asleep and had forgotten the door (why you would do that is beyond me but still). After ringing the door and going into the hallway checking there were no unconscious people or criminals in there, I realized she had left without closing the door.

And right I was. Left a msg on her voice mail, and sure enough. She called me back and told me she had forgotten to close the door, admitting to also losing her brain by giving birth. Just as I thought.

Conclusion? People without kids are more clever ;).

This dating business

I have now been registered to this friendship/dating site for more than a year, and I do admit to not being very active.

The first guy I met, which is now about a year ago, I connected with immediately, and we are still friends and meet up around once a week for walks and dinners. We have become good friends, and that was exactly what I was looking for.

Then I had some exchanges on emails with a couple of guys, but didn't get the vibes and chose not to meet up with them. And as a friend and I was discussing the other day, if their interests show they are into astrology, why waste time?

I'm not the kinda person who wants to "get to know" somebody through emails and telephone calls, I want to meet them directly and then I'll know.

So today I had a blind date. Was taking a stroll into town, and when I left it was sunny and nice. After about five minutes it started to rain cats and dogs, and by the time I was at the meeting point I was drenched. Didn't bring an umbrella.

Even though I was on time, he wasn't. He had waited until it stopped raining and then arrived some five minutes later. With an umbrella. Hmmm, first negative impression.

And I know, as you get older you (read I) become more judgmental, but still. I would've thought that giving off a good first impression was important.

He was also surprised that I didn't get the Switzedütch after living here for twelve years, which I thought was a bit much coming from a guy who only speaks German.

Anyway, he turned out to be quite normal and I'm sure a nice guy, but for me he lacked a bit of energy. He wasn't so easy to talk to, and it didn't click immediately.

However, he wants to meet up again and I think I'll give him another chance. Perhaps, as another friend suggested, he was nervous. Not sure it'll be a lifelong friendship though. I think I'm more looking for people who pick me up, rather than pick on things I cannot do.

The plot thickens

Remember those Asian girls who got arrested? Today they seem to be back. I say seem, since I'm not sure how many there are and if they are the same. Anyway, today they brought all the furniture out on the street for cleaning, which is weird. We're talking sofas, chairs, tables, pictures, bed frames, even the massage table. There were two guys, two girls and an older woman who seemed to be the manager. I've never seen her before, but she just walked around doing nothing, so it made me think of a manager.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for cleaning, but doing it on the street? Was there a sanitary problem, is that why they got arrested? Is this something they do every year?

I am so glad I live in my house, rather than that one.

Puzzle

Was visiting a friend this evening, and as usual I was a bit apprehensive considering she's a vegetarian, but gotta admit, the food was delish. I now have an appreciation for sweet potatoes, and those goat cheese baked thingies tasted fantastic.

I love trying new foods, it gives me inspiration to my own cooking.

But the funniest thing was that I brought a puzzle for the kid. Thinking it wasn't gonna be appreciated, since nowadays kids only seem to be impressed by the most technical and advanced toys. However, surprising me and also giving me pleasure, was that the kid seemed to enjoy it.

Even funnier was that the Mum had trouble putting it together. We're talking about a puzzle not suitable for kids under three years old. Haha! Mum may be a doctor but the kid (two and a half) is quickly catching up!

I hate shopping

You know how it is, you go shopping for something specific, and can't find a thing.

Today I needed sportswear, I know, a bit unlike me, but since I nowadays do sports every day and only have one top and one pair of old shorts and I just wash like once a week, it was time to make an investment.

H&M, where I got my current gear, had only long pants and tops not in my size. Small and medium just doesn't cut it for somebody with a decent shelf. Why do they always have 10 small and 5 medium and no large at all?

I also was looking for some cheapo boots and a helmet for riding. And to my surprise the sports shop in my hood had no helmets at all. How weird is that?

The two shoe shops had nothing under 50 francs, and I just want something really cheap. I mean, I'm not planning on competing in horse riding exactly.

So I came home with cheese and wine. But at least I tried. And as a friend said, "you got your priorities right".

No bugs here

I'm watching this series about exterminators. Seemingly it's become a huge problem lately with mice, rats, bugs, wasps, cockroaches and lice. Jeez, the hair on my arms are standing straight up just thinking about it.

Ok, living on the second floor and with two predators in the house, I'm not too worried about mice and rats. And I don't think a wasps nest would find its way to my flat, but cockroaches and lice? Oh, I dunno know. It probably helps that I don't travel anymore, so no risk of bringing one home in the luggage. And I do keep my apartment clean, but that's not a guarantee I understand.

And I'm sure, if I were to look closely, there are holes and openings under the kitchen, in the bath, and of course through the balcony. Given that my neighbours are more filthy than I, or just travelling more.

I think of all these I fear lice the most. The thought of having creepy-crawlies on my body makes me wanna puke.

Once or twice every summer I wake up having gotten a bite from something. I guess it's a mosquito or a spider, and I hate it. The feeling that something was crawling over me in my sleep (cats, where were you when I needed you?) makes me sick to my stomach.

Not sure why I watch these type of shows, maybe because it makes me feel good 'cause I don't have these problems, but on the other hand, it makes me understand that I can get them too.

I really don't know. I'm an enigma.

One working, two being lazy

The first time I stepped on my new spin bike, I had two spectators watching with very round cautious eyes, like "what the heck is she doing now?". Nice with a little bit of support I thought.

Just being on the bike right now for my evening half hour, I was seeing one of the felines lying in the hangmat, all four paws in the air. Is life fair?

I'm thinking, I'm working my butt off for you (literally), I feed you, I cuddle you, I do everything for you. And what do you do? Sleep and couldn't care less. Hmmm.

Afternoon excitement

I certainly live in an exciting neighbourhood. Just now two Asian girls, living in the house on the opposite side of me, got arrested. They have a "massage" studio, but I thought it was legal to be a prostitute in Switzerland. Maybe I'm wrong.

But it was really exciting. Two big police vans, at least eight police officers, half of them with bullet-proof vests! One of them posted behind the house as to prevent them from fleeing I guess.

But it was all very calm, the girls just came out, hopped into the vans and off they went.

Not sure what two short, tiny girls could've done to the police. Wouldn't it have been enough with just two or three officers?

Wiping, dusting, polishing and cleaning

You know, I've really gotten into this cleaning thing. I started, and while I was at it, I realized there are so many filthy things in a home. Fine, with the weekly or bi-weekly normal cleaning, like removing dust, mopping floors and cleaning the toilets, but there is so much else to do cleaningwise.

So every day I do something I really haven't done before, like wet-cleaning doors including the frames, wiping off the tiles in the bathroom, and I have lots, floor to ceiling. Decalcifying and scrubbing the shower floors. And every knob in the place is getting a good wipe-off :).

In, under, between, over, I'm going over everything with a comb. Before I'm done, this place is gonna be spotless!

And when I'm done, I'm sure it's time to start all over again. Hmmm.

R70

I have a friend who turned 70 today. Omg, how old does that make me? But I cannot help laughing about how we met. He was my boss, and I absolutely hated him the first year. Well, hate is a strong word, but I totally disliked him. He was weak I thought, he was not what I expected from a manager.

But after about a year I realized he did know what he was talking about, and even though he has a demeanour and a completely different approach to what I do, I came to respect him.

He has a way of sweeping problems under the carpet, whereas I want to take the fight. Where he gets along with everybody, I choose my alliances. He has a (very) traditional life with a wife, two kids, a car, two houses, and even used to have a dog. I don't.

And yet we're still friends after all these years.

So today I raise a glass to R. Cheers!

Cleaning

Unfortunately my cleaning lady is seriously ill, and has cancelled several times. Totally understandable, and I have no problem with that, considering what she's going through. But it left me with a problem. I don't wanna dismiss her, since I know she takes pride in helping me out, but I also couldn't let my flat get into one of these full-with-cat-hair, dust everywhere, and god knows what you find on the floor kinda places. That really would put me in the category of crazy cat ladies.

So I took it as a woman. And cleaned myself! I know, it's shocking, but I did it.

Ok, so once in a while I hoover myself, besides it's like doing sport, it's boring and you sweat, but more than that I have done in decades.

But yesterday and today I hoovered, mopped the floors, dusted and cleaned one bathroom (yes, still a bit to go), and I gotta admit, it felt good. Afterwards.

Not sure I'll keep on doing it, but it wasn't as bad as I remembered.

Just so you don't think I'm a total idiot, I have no problem with washing, ironing, keeping the kitchen clean and tidying up. It's just that the cleaning bit has always been something I avoided, and chose to pay somebody else do. Like more than 20 years ago I had a flat of 45 m2, but still had cleaning help. Just couldn't be bothered, and it was nice getting home to a clean flat not spending time on something as tedious as mopping floors.

So let's see. Maybe this'll be my new work-out-session? Only I wouldn't place a bet on it.

Diamond

Getting back into it, and lovin' it. Today's beauty was named Diamante, and although he was Spanish we got along really well.

I'm not a racist but

You know what people say, "I'm not a racist but..." and then comes all the reasons why they really are. "They are not like us", unclear what the "us" is. They are this or that, meaning I don't understand them. And so forth.

Today I had to laugh at myself. Was meeting up with a friend, and was telling her about my struggles with ze Swiss authorities, and how my home country is too efficient in comparison. She was saying, "I know what you mean, I heard the same from my country". What? She's from Romania, and I was wondering what the empirical stats were. Two people? I mean, how many are there really wanting to be citizens of the country of Dracula?

But then I got it. Romania is nowadays a member of EU, and is therefore an entrance into a better world than where many people come from.

I guess I'm a product of my world, where I come from and how I grew up. It doesn't mean I should be ignorant. In my world as long as you are honest, decent and nice you are a good person. But I think if I'd have grown up in a world full of hate, war and dictators I would have another view. And I do believe that hunger beats morals.

I'm trying to be a better person than I was yesterday. I hope it'll be easier than losing weight!

Water hose

When my house was being built, I was asked if I wanted a water outlet on my balcony, which I thought was a very good idea. Until I was told it was gonna be 4,000 francs. 4K! They gotta be kidding. So decided against it.

Then some time ago when cruising on the lake with my friends speedboat I saw that he had a hose for cleaning the boat, and we got to talk about it.

He's very resourceful, as well as helpful and so today, after quite a few visits and him driving around town to buy the parts, it was finally installed.

He came up with the idea of adding a tap to my existing shower, and I bought a hose, one of those that becomes three times as long when filled with water, in total 22.5 meters, which is enough to bring the water from my bathroom to the outer corner of my balcony.

With his work being for free and the parts less than 100 francs, I am totally happy with the result. Now I can not only water my plants but also clean the balcony and the furniture out there without having to carry loads of water all the time.

Only one thing, I wish the hose would have come in purple!

Fat war

I am really p'o:d. Since I started my weightloss journey (as they say on Biggest loser, which btw sounds really stupid), I kinda reached my goal weight. But then I was going up, going down, and I wasn't sure where I would be at the next day.

So I decided that another at least 3, possibly 5 kg would be good to lose. That way I would have a bit of leeway. But the plan didn't work out, despite my efforts.

All of a sudden I was up 2 kg's. That didn't make sense. I was sporting every day, I was careful with what I was eating, and morals did rapidly go down the drain.

This was three days ago.

I had to up my game, so two days ago I did not only do half an hour on the spin bike in the morning, but also half an hour in the evening. Sweating like a pig (I really don't know if pigs sweat, but that's what you say), doing the up-and-down-program, starting out light, then a bit harder, then really hard, then light again and so forth. According to the bike I burned 300 calories and biked around 9 km's every half hour. So in total 600 calories and 18 km's of biking.

Next morning the scale showed exactly the same as the day before. How is that even possible?

But I'm not a quitter, so yesterday I biked half an hour in the morning and did two sessions * half an hour in the evening. In total 900 calories burned and around 27 km's of biking. And I didn't eat anything after three in the afternoon. At all.

Guess what? The scale didn't move one inch this morning. WTF?

I am really pissed off. I try so hard, and nothing works. I bet if I stop working out, I will lose weight. Maybe this sports thing is overrated, which would be fine with me.

Swiss V

In my strive to become a Swiss citizen, I have to prove that I have no beef with the police, and that I'm not a criminal. For this you can go to any post office in the whole of Switzerland, as the king informed me of proudly. So today I did.

Apart from providing my permit, I also had to state the birth names of both my parents. This is surprising, since first of all they're still dead, second, they have never lived in Switzerland, and third, this document with my parents names, will be provided by my home country. Somebody didn't think this through.

And I had to pay another 20 francs of course.

Swiss IV

I believe the biggest hurdle to become a Swiss citizen is the efficiency of my birth country. When I was going head to head with the guy in the Swiss citizenship office, he was adamant when informing me that all EU countries have birth certificates. A certificate that apparently is crucial in the application process.

I refrained from mentioning that Switzerland is not part of EU, and that all cantons have their own rules. Plus that I lived in my home country for many years, and probably know it better than him. Not approriate to mention when I wanna be a citizen I thought.

Was trying to explain to him that I've never seen one, but that we have something similar. Like a paper stating who you are, where you live and where you were born. Not good enough according to the king, it also needs to state who your parents are/were. Not entirely sure why, since mine are no longer, so therefore cannot be questioned, but ok. I have parents, I assure you. Or rather did have.

So through a website I ordered the document available, in English (yes, has to be in German, Italian, French or English or you have to pay yourself for the translation) and it arrived after two working days. For free, no charge. But unfortunately it didn't state the names of my parents.

So I sent a question, again through the website to my home country, asking if they could provide a certificate containing all the requested info. And a day after I got a personal answer, saying sure, we can include your parents, we can provide it in English, we can stamp and sign it. Ha you Swiss!

I bet the stamp and the signature will make ze Swiss squirm with delight! And it is all for free!

Dog

A couple of weeks ago I was dog-walking. A friend had an appointment, where doggie couldn't come along. It was a bit disappointing, since the dog is very attached to her owner, and she was wimpering a lot.

This despite that she is very fond of me, and always run towards me when we meet.

Today I did the same, and it went much better. She whimpered for about 20 seconds when she could still see her owner, and then she happily trotted beside me for an hour or so. Always stopping when there was water in sight.

In the end we went home and met the cats. They are very aware of each other, but keep a respectful distance. I think if it came to it, the cats would win, since the dog has more respect for them than they for her. I was told that doggie has had a couple of bad experiences with cats. Haha, never pick a fight with somebody with sharp claws.

Swiss III

A couple of days ago I ordered yet another paper online and today it arrived in my postbox. For 30 francs I now have a confirmation that I actually live at my address. I really don't get it. I could have confirmed that for free.

I have also been to the "Betreibungsamt" who for 17 francs confirmed that I have no registered debts. It took them about 30 seconds to print out the piece of paper. They must earn a fortune there!

Swiss II

I was reflecting back on the visit to the City hall yesterday, and while the guy was rattling off all the conditions and forms and whatsit to me who tried to be nice and friendly, I was thinking that this is a typical guy acting like a king in his own little kingdom. He has all the cards, and I'm just a minion, a nobody, a non-wanted.

It makes me even more want to fight this, and become equal to him. It's not like I desperately need this passport, oh excuse me, citizenship, it's not like I'm a refugee, but I want to beat this mentality. I want ze Swiss to realize (all of them, not just the clever ones) that foreigners are needed in order to make Switzerland stay alive.

Anyway, I was being nice and when he stated that I needed a piece of paper to say that I'm not a crimimal, I started to ask if that's what is needed from all countries...and here he interrupted me to say "oh yes from all countries in the world"...when I wanted to ask if it was from all countries where I lived. He then put on half a smile (not sure, but think so) and confirmed it was only from Switzerland. For the rest I'm only asked to put my signature on another piece of paper to say I'm criminal-free.

Ze Swiss and their sense of humour. And I was thinking back, yes maybe once I was speeding (when I was still driving), I may have crossed the street despite there being a red man (coming to think of it, why not a woman?), I remember peeing once in public (but I was about 17 so maybe not relevant anymore?).

Nah, this one I nailed. Every day I'm gonna attack another request, so who knows what's to come?

20+ kilos

You know I was thinking. The first four months of this year I was losing kilo's, so that I (almost) ended up where I want to be. The next four months I kept my weight, and was (almost) happy.

Now I'm thinking how far I want to go, and how much I want to give up for getting there. Then I realized that the body actually consists of around 65% water, so in fact, I'm really skinny (obviously minus the water and in my case also the wine).

I was also contemplating that when they on Biggest loser say (with a very serious voice): "you have 65% body fat and you're gonna die soon". How does that add up? 65% body fat and 65% water. Maybe it's because they are 30% overweight :) ?

Connected

1st of September seems to be an important day in my life. Today it coincided with me changing network provider. As you probably know, these things are never easy.

So this morning everything was functioning as normal, I had actually forgotten that this was the day.

Before lunch I lost the connection, or actually didn't, since my computer automatically connects to the neighbours network when mine chooses to have a nap. However, it is not as strong so realized that it was time to unpack the new modem.

Didn't have time to sort out the eight cables and thingies in there, so just left it and decided to deal with it later.

After several tries in the afternoon where the modem started to blink and there was a sorta connection but not the wireless I needed, I decided to put a plea on the whiteboard in our house.

Funnily enough, after about half an hour all of a sudden it was green lights all over the place and I was properly online again! And this after not having an installation guide that made any sort of sense whatsoever. And I had to use one adapter from the old modem in order to get it to function. Ha! It wasn't me being so stupid after all.

Ah well, who needs an IT guru when one can do it oneself (pat on back)?

Swiss I

12 years ago to the day I arrived in Switzerland officially. I'd been here before on a project, but not to live.

So today I went to the City hall to apply for a Swiss passport. And was immediately told that what I first had to apply for was a citizenship. Big, huge difference according to Swiss guy behind the counter. Ok, fair enough, but hardly worth the lecture I was given.

Anyway, it boils down to gazillions of forms to be filled in, or ordered from various authorities, both here and abroad. These have to be sent first to Zürich city, then to the canton and finally to the governmental body handling new Swissies. Each Swiss unit demands payment for those documents of course.

I think we're looking at around 3,000 francs and up to 2 years. Let the battle begin!