Irish coffee(s)

Had a friend over this afternoon to help me with my plants. She's an expert, and goes berserk with a pair of scissors, leaving my plants looking like they've been mutilated. However, after a while they seem to recover and blossom even more. So I guess she knows what she's doing.

And we had Irish coffees! It used to be my favourite dessert, in the times I was still going out for dinner, and I haven't had one in years.

So got a whisky bottle out, probably been with me the last ten years, mixed it with brown sugar, added coffee and whipped cream in real Irish coffe glasses! Yes, I got them as a present sometime in the bronze age and they are as good as new. With long spoons, doubling as straws.

Absolutely delish, so we had two each. I always want to challenge her coming here, since she's very clean-living and only smokes when she meets me. And it's funny to watch her get a bit tipsy.

I am invited!

Today I got an invitation that made me really happy. It was from the old peoples home where I volunteer. They have a 30 year jubilee this year, and we, the volunteers and the workers there are invited to join the celebration.

First when I saw the program I thought it was a choice. Either a ferry ride on the lake, a showing of the Masoalahalle in Zürich zoo or a dinner, before realizing it was all three. Wow!

It reminded me of when I, early in my career, was working for a medical state-run clinic, and we got exactly nothing. Not for Christmas, not for New Years, not for Easter, never anything. Not even sweets to go with coffee. Ever.

After that 4,5-year stint with the clinic, I left for the capital and joined an American commercial firm. Two months after I started working there we had a so called kick-off. Four days in the north with everything for free. Travel, skiing lessons, hotel, food, drink and fun. I couldn't believe it! Where did all the money to pay for this come from I wondered. But because I worked in finance I soon after figured it out. But imagine my delight, young, inexperienced and all this served to me. For free! I couldn't believe my luck.

And now I have almost the same feeling. Mind you, I know it's not that big of a thing, but to me, it's grand. It shows me that they appreciate my volunteering, and of course, that in Zürich there is still a lot of money.

Love

I know some of you might think that my life circles around my cats, and you'd probably be right, but I cannot help thinking this pic is too cute. It's like love. Looking at each other with affection.

But if you knew my cats, you'd know that they are actually watching each other, ready to make a move, pick a fight whenever.

Still, they love the new cat tree and they do love each other, even though they fight sometimes. Just like people.

Chili

Tonight I was getting a craving for meatballs. You know, they way you do sometimes. I have been very restrictive with my diet lately, but decided that if it took me four months to get rid of the excess kilo's, I will stay on the weight another four months, and then do another go.

Anyway, realized I had half a kg of ground meat in my freezer (currently slowly defrosting), onions and a chili plant (the one I bought in Aldi). Decided to try it out, figuring it was probably one of those mild weak-ass plants they just call chilis to make it sell.

Hell no! Tried a tiny piece and it still burns on my tongue! Fabulous. Chili is my absolute favourite spice.

Speed

I went to pick up my beloved boat today, and I'm pleased to say that I can now (almost) waterski! Wow, was it a big difference in speed after getting rid of all those mussels.

Less impressive it was when I was picking the boat up. There was nobody around, and I didn't want to feel like a wuss asking for help, so I jumped bravely into the boat with the attitude of "I can do this myself, I don't need any help".

It was parked in the harbour area, and really, it was just turning it a bit and then gently cruise away. Only they had tied it. Not in the two places I noticed and untied, but in a third place in the front, so when I did the first try, I didn't get very far since the front was still attached to the bridge.

Then I don't know what happened, but I ended up going forth, then back, then forth, then just avoiding backing into another boat, then forward again slightly denting a sign at the bridge and then finally, I was out on free water. Far away from that professional parking I did just a few days ago.

I could really use a few more sessions with a teacher. Or maybe just have a moral support with me in the boat, that seems to calm me down every time.

But as in all good movies, all is well that ends well. Haha, well, funny me! An unintentional joke. Like the time I was trying to sell blow-jobs. Not in the way you think though.

Gmail sucks

Some years ago I was forced to open a new email account, and I chose gmail supported by google, since I thought that was a platform that would be reliable. I was wrong.

Today I tried to log on to my own gmail account, and I admit, I haven't visited it for maybe 4-5 months, but still. It should be there.

First I was asked to provide another email account, then a number of questions (f... you google, you only wanna know lots about me to use for other purposes. Admit it, you have an ulterior motive). Like which month and date did I visit my account last time (excuse me for not having a paper calendar keeping track of that!), and what name did my first cat have (exactly! I've given you that information before, so you knew what to ask).

It ended up with "you have not given enough information" so I couldn't access the account. Well, google, gmail, whoever you are. You can keep it! You hear! I am no longer a customer of yours.

Bambi not on a plate

There are a lot of animals in my hood. Not only cats and dogs, but rabbits, deer, horses and goats.

This wee one was cute, and even if I do love Bambi on a plate, I actually prefer them living.

70 liters of mussels

Last Friday I cruised over to the shipyard. It is time to do the inspection again, which the authorities demand every three years. And before you do, you have to prove that the engine is checked upon. Why? Your guess is as good as mine. And never ever forget to have them stamp the documents! Last time I could prove with an invoice that I had the work done, but the authorities wouldn't accept it. In Switzerland, if you don't have ze stamp, it's not valid.

Anyway, the people at the shipyard are very nice and helpful, and we decided that it was time again to scrape some mussels off the bottom as well as check on the engine.

And I was told that they had never seen as many mussels on a boat that size ever. 70 liters of them, hanging off the bottom of my boat (you little fuckers, find a new home!). And I'm thinking, first of all they're gonna charge me an arm and a leg for removing them, second, are they selling them at a profit to restaurants? Should I demand them to prove it and give them to me?

But on second thought, maybe not. I'm not that fond of mussels anyway, and what would I do with 70 liters of them?

On the plus side, I managed to park very gently and professionally at their bridge (am always a bit nervous when I have to park somewhere I'm not used to), and to my delight they had clips to tie it to the bridge. These friggin knots I still haven't learned. And the boat is gonna go a lot faster! Yeah ok, it's not yet time to hook up the waterskis behind, but still.

On the minus side, it's gonna rain tomorrow when I'm gonna pick it up. A bit like life really, sometimes up, sometimes down.

But I'm happy. And very proud of being a boat owner.

Focus

I admit, I lack a bit of focus in my life for the moment. Earlier in my life it's been mostly having my eye on the career, always looking for the next big project, and I'm not ashamed to admit it, the next salary raise. I like money. Not so much for having it, but the freedom it buys me.

Then it was the project of building my house. I say it like it's my house, but only 22% of it is. Nevertheless, it was a humungous project. Apparently. It took 15 months to build the Zürich opera house, but 20 months to build "my" 4-apartment building. Some things were better before.

It was a challenge. I had never bought a apartment before that wasn't built. I had to choose everything from floors to walls to bathroom tiles to kitchen and appliances and on it went to handles on the built-in wardrobes. I learned what the standard height of toilets are, and lots of things I had no idea was important. And all of this I had to do long before the house was built. Imagination (and the sad computer-images that the architect provided) made it to what it is today.

And I am happy. Apart from one little detail, I am extremely proud of my choices. My home is my castle these days.

But. I lack a focus on where I'm going from here. I need something to strive for. Lately I've been into this losing weight business, and maybe that was a good thing for a while. I think I lost about 10 kg's in four months (Jan-Apr), and then have maintained it for another three. A friend told me the other day that if I want to lose more, I should go on, and it would be like starting again.

Should that really be my next goal? It sounds a bit...well little. Shouldn't I reach for something bigger?

The thing is, I have been sitting on my ass (mind you, being happy doing so) for some years now. But I keep on thinking, what's next? What should I be focusing on?

I have no clud. Ideas, anyone?

Looking for...the plastic bit

I nailed it! Finally, after making pizzas a number of times, I really got it. And it was only because I had parmesan and mozzarella in my fridge and they were about to surpass the expiration date.

So I bought some bacon and fresh mushroom on the way home, my fav ingredients.

Yesterday evening i made the dough, and let it rest in the fridge overnight. This was indeed a good idea, since the crust turned out to be, well crustier.

Fresh cocktail tomatoes, bacon strips, chili flakes and oregano, sliced fresh mushroom, and all covered in mozzarella and parmesan. Yum! Possibly the best pizza I've ever had (pat on back!). I know, it may be a bit too much cheese for some, but I love it. Ok, it may be even better if I had a real stone-grill, but short of that, it was really delish.

The only draw-back was the piece of plastic I found! Where the heck did that come from? A 5 mm piece of some plastic. I cannot figure out from where it emanated. Everything was fresh and self-made. Could it have come from the bacon-pack?

PS. First I thought it was a bit of a tooth, so unlike some other people who would immediately call a newspaper with less scruples (coming to think of it, that would be almost all of them, wouldn't it?) to report it, I sighed with relief when I saw it was just plastic.

That direction gene

Some things never change. I took a walk today to a suburb near me and took the tram route. I know the way there, have been there many, many times.

The reason was I wanted to visit Aldi, a cheapo I think German store, that a friend has raved about. I was a wee bit disappointed with what they offered, but ended up buying a chili plant. I hope it's hot.

When I came out, I decided to take another route back in the direction I thought was right. And it was. Almost. I ended up walking a tad longer than I had to, but ended up at home. Eventually.

Reminded me of the time my Mum and I were in a department store in a foreign city, exited through the garage and got completely lost. Yes, I have inherited the no-sense-of-direction-gene from her. Thanks so much Mum!

On the other hand, I also inherited a lot of other skills and talent from my Mum, so I think as long as I'm aware of it, I can live with the lost gene.

Saving school III - don't spend

Another episode of that stupid "saving show", featured a woman who was going on a date. First she went to a department store, got a free make-up (from poorly paid young women hoping to sell her some products), and some free hair products.

Then she got home, poured a cheapo white wine into a Moet-Chandon bottle and added fizz from a soda streamer (actually worth a try, not sure my friends would notice!), which she then offered the date.

They took a taxi to the city (100 francs), and since she had pre-ordered the taxi, he felt compelled to pay. They had dinner, and she looked at him with bambi eyes, and he paid again. How the f... is that saving? It's just letting somebody else pay. And I'm pretty sure he wouldn't come back for a second date.

Nah, saving for me is not buying. If I don't need it, I don't buy. It doesn't mean I'm cheap with the stuff I actually need, but you won't see any fluff at my place. Well, except for the odd cat-tree now and then :).

No electricity for a week

I was out walking today with a friend and for some reason we got to talk about lifestyle. Maybe because we were sitting in a restaurant at the top of Zürich, at a perfect summer day, looking out over the city and the lake while sipping a glass of cold white wine.

Anyway, later I was philosophing about how it was when I grew up. And him too for that matter, being older than me. My feeling is that people nowadays are ungrateful and unaware how difficult it was in earlier days.

I'm not saying I had a difficult childhood or that I was abused or anything like that. I'm just saying that we (I) had to try harder back then. Not everything was immediately accessible or within reach with a click on the keyboard. Nor did we have credit cards. Back then it was first working hard, then earn some money, and after that a choice how to spend it. If at all, it could also be saved.

And I was speculating in how people nowadays would survive without electricity. I'm not that old, so I grew up with electricity, but still. It's a mind-blowing idea. Imagine not having electricity for a week.

Getting up in the morning, oh no, computer doesn't work. Then you may want to switch on the coffee machine, oh no, doesn't work. Cook breakfast? Forget it. It's summer and the stuff in your fridge or freezer is gonna go quickly. Stove and microwave are off. Call for a take-out? Yes, if you have charged the battery on your mobile phone. Chances are they cannot deliver, 'cause of no electricity.

Watch telly? Hard without electricity. Shopping? Probably not, since the electronic payments won't work.

I guess there is a reason that every country which had a major electricity break-down for a half a day or so, have a baby-boom nine months later. Or why poor or "developing countries" have such a young population.

It was just a thought, but nevertheless, I think it would be educational for everybody (who doesn't already) to live without electricity for a week. I know I would survive, but would you?

Gourmet

My cats are really spoiled. And not by me, if that's what you thought. When they were little I bought cheapo food for them which they enjoyed (well, except for the first time when I was nervous and got talked into buying a 50-francs bag of dry food, which would according to the salesperson be crucial for the survival of my kittens).

But then one time a friend of mine visited bringing not myrrh, gold and frankincense, but Gourmet. The cat-food brand. They loved it! Every morning they were ever so friendly, stroking around my legs in the kitchen, and miaowing. I melted and kept on buying it. Mind you, it has to be the mousse one, not the other kind.

Lately, getting tired of my cats having more expensive food than me, I have tried several other brands. To bloody no avail. They ignore it. Ok, so they lick off the sauce on top, but leave the rest for the dog that comes visiting now and then. The dog loves it, but then again, dogs eat anything.

Yesterday I decided for the heavy artillery. Normally they would always have dry food, but yesterday I didn't fill the bowl up. I decided that it was the cheapo wet food or nothing.

They sniffed it, and didn't eat at all. This afternoon I folded and went to buy Gourmet again. The mousse stuff.

And again I enjoyed the miaowing around my legs, but felt like a loser. Four round cat eyes are making me mellow. Darn!

And damn that friend who introduced Gourmet to my cats!

Men in charge?

One thing that surprises me is that so many men are in charge at work, CEO's and bosses having high positions, since in private life they are pretty useless in taking charge and making decisions.

A couple of examples. I'm meeting a friend tomorrow. We meet almost every week and do something together, and guess who's coming up with the suggestions on what to do? Yes, it's not him. Yesterday we emailed, and I asked him if he had a proposal? No answer. So again I had to decide what we're doing. It's not like he's not liking my suggestions, but it would be nice to be surprised once in a while.

And then I got contacted by a guy from that dating site (yes, it happens now and then), and I emailed that I'd meet him if he gave me a date, a location (obviously in Zürich :) and a time and I'd be there. His answer was that I had to state the date, location and time. Sigh.

Aren't there any men out there with creativity, used to taking charge now and then also in private life?

Saving school II - use only what you need

Lately I have been a bit obsessed with cooking sauce. Sauce/gravy/jus, whatever you wanna call it. Yesterday I bought a piece of meat I hadn't cooked before, and when it was done in the pan, I added some cream, some milk, some spices and stock and stirred it vigorously. Good thing, since the meat turned out to be a bit chewy.

Anyway, after a while of stirring and cooking I was thinking about what my friend told me. He usually adds a bit of sherry. Since I'm not an 80-year-old woman I didn't have sherry at home, so I added a bit of that cognac I got like three years ago from a friend who had been to Mexico or wherever he was (sorry just checked, it was Greek Metaxa), and when adding it I switched off the stove. Which meant that the cooking process stopped and the alcohol was not reduced.

A win-win in my world. Why cook off the alcohol? That's what giving it the taste if you ask me. Plus the fact that I saved on electricity. That's how I cook eggs btw, I don't crazy-cook them, I gently boil them and switch off the heat before they're done, 'cause the aftercook anyway.

Just as I don't open the fridge door fully, I just open it a bit, take out what I want, not letting the cool out. So even if I don't want to admit it, I may have gotten this instilled in me by my father. He used to put the heating down in the house, while my mother used to increase it when he didn't pay attention. Good thing I live alone.

And the sauce/gravy/jus tasted just delish! That subtle hint of Metaxa took it to a new level as they say in Masterchef.

Another 10 kg's?

Yesterday when whooshing on the lake, I asked my friend to take a pic of me wearing a bikini. Not that I wanted to send it to a porn site, but I wanted to see what I looked like after losing weight.

Very disappointing. Good legs, good arms but omg the middle bit was a piece of wobbly something.

And no, it's not gonna be posted here.

Now I have to negotiate with myself, is it worth it trying to lose another 10 kg's, or should I just hide the middle bit and be happy with what I have. Think-think-think.

A tree in the house

I am so proud of myself. Midday I got the delivery, the cat-tree in a box. I immediately called a friend, who said he'd have time to come around this afternoon. But I couldn't wait.

And to my big surprise I understood it all!

An hour later it was standing proudly in my living room. Only the cats thought that the carton box was more interesting. Until they realized there were funny things with feathers hanging from the tree.

It's now been half a day, and one of the four feather thingies are gone. When my wee ones play, they really play.

And I have a big new tree in the house. Some might say too much, but hey, they live here too.

I'm in love with Bella

Another fantastic day today together with a friend and Bella. Bella is a beauty, and above all, she's fast! When sliding on top of the waves today I felt like my face was hanging a meter behind me, like G forces the astronauts feel I'm sure. 145 horse powers, as supposed to my very humble 8.

Then dinner with fresh fish from the lake (I think they were swimming still this morning) and a view that (other:) people pay for.

A swim of course, I would guess 22°C in the water.

I just love summer.

Blondie resurrects

It went so-so with my hair-dying attempt yesterday. First of all, I realized it was another brand and that it had a different approach. 30 minutes instead of 20, and no plastic hood to wear. However, I was cautious and only had it in for about 20 minutes.

Which resulted in very little difference from before. It certainly wasn't ash-blonde as promised on the kit.

But as I only used half the bottle, I figured I could save it and use the other half today. All of yesterday it was kinda smelly in my bathroom, and this morning I understood why. The mix of the hair-thing had foamed overnight and was a bit all over the place.

So I took whatever I could lay my hands on, smeared it in once again (this time in dry hair as said on the package, as supposed to yesterday when I failed to read the instructions properly) and let it rest for another 20 minutes.

And voila! Today I am ash-blonde! I feel like I saved 150 francs.