Afterparty

This is what I like to see. Friends who have enjoyed themselves, drinking (plates in dishwasher). Fabulous.

I should make a career in hosting parties, that's what I'm good at and enjoy so much!

Beethovens 5

Love it when I can surprise people. Tonights guests didn't think I could go beyond rock'n'roll which is my trademark, so when being pushed I pulled out Beethovens 5 and gained a few points. What can I say? I'm resourceful.

Afternoon date

Spur of the moment kinda thing. Sms in the morning "are you in Z this afternoon?". Yes, where else would I be?

So ended up having a really nice day together watching the fab view of the Alps, catching up and yes, sharing a glass of wine or two.

This is a guy I've known since my first year in Switzerland but unfortunately we do not get together that often. Reasons spells jealous girlfriend. Too bad. And good that she doesn't read the blog ;)

Summertime

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WWtGpEqpV4 Despite having had summertime for many many moons I still haven't learned which way the clock goes. I think it's forward...

The expert in raising children

Yes, here you find the expert on how to treat children. Like I was saying when the couple with a baby left this afternoon "too bad you have to leave already with the screaming child". But they know me so they just laughed. Then I was giving advice to a 16-year-old girl. Get a good education, then get a good job, make lots of money and never ever in your life be dependant on a man. Also remember never to trust a man. I said this seriously, and she looked at me like she believed it. Good so. May she be successful.

Not 20 anymore

Gotta admit that I'm not 20 anymore (and neither is my cousin by the looks of it!). On Thursday we stayed up until 4 in the morning, and got up again at 6.45. Must admit I didn't feel totally rested, but didn't look myself in the mirror (luckily). Then again last night I hosted a dinner, and today there was a party in the neighbourhood. Fortunately it started already at 4 in the afternoon and is now finished. On the other hand it's Saturday so cannot stay home long...Zürich city here I come!

Aktion

I dunno why but few things make me as happy as the word "Aktion" in Swiss German. It means sale. And my friends know me, so this morning I had an sms stating "Denner (big drink shop) has 20% off on all wine today". Happy days. The feeling that I have now saved 10 (!) francs made my day.

Worse than a t-shirt!

Oh dear, how can I politely tell him that this is an outfit I will never be seen in? Oh wait, he is only visiting every 7 years. Pheww!

PS. It is medium size ;)

Family

You gotta love'm. Even if you don't there is no way to get rid of them, but luckily I have a lotta fun with'm. Until almost 4 in the morning...

Rent-a-german

This t-shirt acoming business made me remember my rent-a-german-gift some years ago and what would be better than wearing it tonight?

Am I medium?

My cousin (who is on his way together with other parts of the family) called today and asked if I was medium. My first thought was that he turned weird and wanted to get in contact with his dead father or something. Then I realized he was asking for my size. Oh gad, he probably is going to bring some horrendous t-shirt with a message!

Sunny Zürich

Today it was around 20°C (68°F) and sunny in Zürich. Towards the end of the afternoon there was a fabulous view over the Alps. When I think of all the things that happened in my life to take me here I feel really grateful. There is no better place to be in the whole wide world! And before you point out that I haven't been to the whole wide world, I can assure you that I have ruled out places like Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, North Korea and Angola without missing a beat. I am privileged and happy in Zürich!

All 56 kg's of man

Had a friend over for dinner tonight. He's skinny to say the least, but the funniest was when a woman friend of mine joined in and realized that he weighs less than she. The look on her face was unbeatable. "You weigh only 56 kg's?", and I could see her mind going "oh fuck, I weigh more than that". HAHAHAHAHAHA. Funny thing is that she's rather skinny herself, but perhaps her rather sizable arse makes up for the weight...

Wine guy

And then my wine guy stopped by with a small present, two wine glasses that are supposedly unbreakable. Excellent.

And of course he had to twist my arm to taste some wines he just happened to bring. Sometimes I miss my old wine delivery guy who made it a habit of stopping by after his shift each Friday evening with lotsa left-overs...

Not even hole in one

Went to the tooth hygienist today for the first time in two years! Luckily I didn't have any holes at all, and now I have a white (well white-ish, after all I'm not American!) shiny smile.

Idiot!

Once a month there is carton day, i.e. Zürich city people come to pick up carton for free. You place it outside the house and they remove it. Excellent service! So today I placed my empty carton boxes outside the house along the wall as always. Coming home this evening some idiot had parked his car (I know who he is!) blocking the carton and even parking one wheel on top of one of my cartons. What kind of person does this? Now I'm finding out whether he pays for the parking space or not, but nevertheless, what idiot does this?

For a moment I was rich

Went to see my tax return woman today. As we went through my assets I noticed that she had used an incorrect exchange rate, increasing my wealth with a lot of money. For a moment there I felt rich, and then I landed back in reality. Hmmm.

Porsche all over the place

Then I went to a private Porsche museum and saw some really really old cars. All original.

This is also when I realized this guy is a really pedantic type. The cars were covered and immaculately kept. Looked like new.

Or as he phrased it "women and cars are to be handled with love".

Driving school from 1919

This is a picture showing a driving school at Gasometerstrasse near Limmatplatz from 1919! Isn't that mind-blowing?

Chairs in place

Ha! Whaddayasay now? I love'm.

Chairs

After the overwhelming response to my question about the blue chairs, I have decided that being quiet means you all agree, so off I am with my driver for another shopping spree!

Soup

In case you are unfamiliar with Finland, I can inform you that Finnish summer soup is vodka served on a plate with a flowery pattern.

Good influence

As it turns out I have very good influence on my new neighbours, especially two of them. At first when at their place they offered me coffee or fizzy water. Now every time I stop by the wine bottle comes out of the fridge quicker than you can say Hungarian quality wine. They have also understood the importance of celebrating, so today it was decided that they will host an apero (with open end!) on Saturday. Excellent!

Driving miss Daisy

After one of my neighbours heard about me being driven around in a Porsche from 19xx he referred to the movie "Driving miss Daisy". Actually he referred to "Miss Daisy und ihr Chauffeur" which I guess was just to confuse me (successfully). Since I haven't seen this movie I had to google it and found that Miss Daisy is a 72-yearold woman! I have absolutely no idea why he would compare me to an oldie, but rest assured that I will find a way to get back on him!! Mind you, Miss Daisy lived until she was 97...

With a little help from my friends

After putting a request on the whiteboard in the entrance of the building, two of my lovely neighbours came to rescue, equipped with tool boxes.

So now I have my balcony table assembled (except for that I have to rip off that stupid blue plastic which turned out to be rather difficult), and four paintings up on the walls.

Weird requests

Happen to have a little trip planned in a few weeks to my home country. I know, it's not like me but when my aunt turns 80 I just gotta go. When my friends heard about this they requested I bring back: A candle-holder special for the advent time before Christmas (been seen in my window and got jealous) A cd with a song from the Eurovision song contest that cannot be bought here (and yes, he's gay) Crispy cookies that a guy once had on a dessert and when asking the chef was told it was from Ikea And for myself I have to buy books, movies and other small stuff. All I have is one (repeat, one) day to do all this. Arriving early in the morning, and then of course I have a lunch date with an old friend. So I have to drag him around town finding all of this. Then the plan is to celebrate my aunt and do some outings. And yes, I guess mix with my relatives. After all, we do not meet that often. Except for next week. Funny that. After me living in Switzerland for almost 8 years my cousins have decided to finally visit. This means they are flying in late one evening, staying overnight with me and leave very early in the morning to go skiing. Yes, why have relatives in a foreign country if you cannot use it? And then we will meet again for the party in my home country. At which time I will use their hospitality. Just too bad it'll all happen in the same week! Considering there are years when we do not meet.

Bistro table

After finding out that the entrance fee for the garden exhibition was a whopping 33 francs, we decided to first go visit some other shops. Found my table at OBI, which incidentally has exactly the same structure as the other round little table that I already have.

And I think I might go for 4 of these chairs...what do you think?

Piccola Italia

Had another fab dinner tonight at Piccola Italia. Just thought you'd like to know.

Giardina

In my newfound interest in decorating I am tomorrow visiting http://www.giardina.ch/ to get some ideas for furniture for my balcony. Which I'd like to remind you is now squeaky-clean! And I guess we'll make another go at Otto's, where I'd like to look'n'feel at that table I saw in the catalogue. A smaller round table with a container underneath that slides up and down and which can hold ice and bottles/cans. Yes, I think that's right along my line of thinking.

TUC

When shopping for chocolate yesterday I got heckled for not knowing Tuc. Apparently this is common know-how. For me it was just another cracker, but must admit the one with bacon was quite tasty. But it doesn't beat the nougat-tasting cookies. Yummmmiiiieee! Unfortunately none left...

Old acquaintances

Just went thru my phone book and deleted people I haven't been in touch with for a long time. I do this sometimes, but people I do know quite well get to stay until it's been too long a time. Today I found this name from waaaay back and by impulse I sent an sms saying something like "are you still alive?". 5 mins later I got an answer "was just thinking about you, when in the Copenhagen airport". Right! That's extremely likely. Do I need to mention that he's in sales? Yes, I did live in Copenhagen. Some 8 years ago... PS. Then the sms'ing continued and he reminded me about a dinner we had. He came and picked me up on his motorcycle. We drove around the city being extremely cool. Then he cooked for me. I was sick as a dog at the time, lying on the sofa being served. Those were the times. It's funny what a Thursday can bring. Memories from almost 10 years ago. And I do remember that particular evening. And I didn't even sleep with him!

I love my life

These several-hour lunches are getting addictive. Today lamb chops, potato croquettes and "nusslisalat" with eggs and dressing. As apero a rose wine and to lunch a young Barolo from 2005.

Todays guest was an older gentleman, who I have known for quite a long time.

He invited me to go for a ride in his veteran car from the same year I am born. Ok, so not that old but still.

Picture me in a Porsche from 19xx...hair flying, elbow out the window, sun glasses. Gosh, I'm cool!

Clean balcony

Took advantage of the weather today and scrubbed my balcony free from burglar footprints, dead birds and general shit. Cannot wait to get some furniture out there and start enjoying the summer!!!

Out and about

Jeez, what a busy day I had today. First I had to go buy chocolate. I buy it where a friend of mine works to get his discount. Then I had to go and store up on meat, which I buy here. Mostly Swiss meat to very reasonable prices. I got over 7 kg's of meat for about 70 francs. Chops, ribs, lamb-racks, ground meat and more. I was then invited to friends for lunch, so we had food and wine and a nice talk for about 2 hours. Some of it we spent in their garden, since weather today was super. After that I was meeting a friend to go shop for a table for my balcony, but as it turned out she wanted to swing by Ikea, where she needed to "pick up a few things". So I got dragged around 6 floors of furniture, and the few things she needed turned out to be 15 packages weighing 143 kg's. I went away with only a lamp (purple to fit my new colour scheme). By the time we got to the place for balcony tables it was closed. Hmmm. So now I have to make time in my busy calendar to go there again...

Vending machines

Was surprised tonight when having a quick drink in a familiar place. A new vending machine. Something about eliminating bad breath. But then I took a closer look at the offers below...

Hmmm.

Hair

Yesterday I went to get my hair fixed. Darker roots have never made anybody happy, but decided not to colour the whole thing but make highlights. After all, I want the natural look. Why did I bother? Of all the people I met yesterday nobody saw a difference. On the other hand, at dinner on Saturday it was mentioned that my hair was darker. Why can't people give positive remarks when something is looking good, instead of going the negative route? But I suppose I fall into the same trap once in a while. Will try to better myself!

Second hand Prosecco

Sorry, but you had to be there for the joke...

Arme Schwein

When neighbour came to visit this evening she brought greetings from her husband "tell Annika that the arme schwein (doesn't translate but literally means poor pig) won't make it tonight". Fine. It's not like we have nothing to talk about...now 5 hours later we have covered the most important topics. Mind you, there is still more but we focused on the recent stuff. One subject that sticks to mind is that her husband is doing the tax returns each year, all the while she's doing all the rest of the paperwork every month. Yet he gets the credit for being the admin in the family. Then of course she's the one cleaning, cooking, shopping, making the beds, seeing what needs to be done etc etc. Makes me wonder, who's the "Arme Schwein"?

Dish rack

Bought a new dish rack the other day. Not exactly news that you write home about, but today I got critized by a neighbour who follows my life thru the blog, and she was upset that there was something she didn't know about. So here it is.

Perhaps she should come visit more often?

Design tips and small world

Spent the evening with some old friends, actually the ones I have known the longest here in Switzerland which is now almost 8 years. Great people. And great food (Moroccan theme this evening). But what caught my eye was the setting...just look at the sea of candles. I will make this happen in my flat. The atmosphere and the coziness, yes I can see another trip to IKEA coming up. And I got a lift back with the other guests where one had once lived in my street! Small world. So we took a little trip down memory lane and I saw the house. Just up the road from my place.

Fab dinner

Had a fab dinner tonight. Think I might've been the moderator for a new couple!

But then he screwed it up...You can dress him up but you cannot take him anywhere...

Fly away

If you have an interest in flying objects, why go on a Züri-tram?

A good day in German

Today I have spoken to four different people on the phone in German without having any problems making myself understood. I am so proud of myself! And I have learned something new. Couple of days ago I received a invoice for tax for 2008 (Yes, ze Swiss are very late in finalizing your tax returns!). This pissed me off since I knew I had overpaid that year. But as it turns out there are two different taxes to be paid (Staats- und Gemeindesteuer and Bundessteuer). The first one is prepaid if you so choose, but the latter one is always paid in arrears. So now I have to pay Bundessteuer first, then I am to receive a repayment for Staats- und Gemeindesteuer. One would think the two could coordinate, no? And how is it possible that it could take a year for them to check your tax return? Ever heard of computers? But as the tax guy said to me on the phone, "we are not that advanced yet" when I told him I wanted to send an email with information about change of bank. Yes, it also turned out they had my old bank account, good thing I checked. Oldfashioned is the word of the day...

Hot dog

Then we tested the fireplace as a grill...

It worked.

Whisky

After dinner I asked my guest tonight if he would like to have a shot of the fine whisky which my brother without further ado opened last week. As it turned out he would. And I served it in a whisky glass.

Imagine my surprise when he was outraged that I poured the drink into a Grants (which is supposedly a cheapo whisky) glass. He made me take a pic of the glass next to the bottle, showing that he by no means were drinking something as simple as Grants.

If people do not have problems to start with, they will create one!

Curiosity killed the cat

In our house the theory is snowman killed the bird. At least this was the answer I got from the neighbours above. Now, if they only would've created the snowman close to the balcony glass...

Construction ongoing

Had some guys over from the kitchen place today. Seems like this is a neverending story. Had a small leak from the kitchen fan which is now supposedly fixed.

And they told me I should dishwash the filters once a month. Oops. So now done for the first time in half a year. And very important not to wash them in water hotter than 50°C. Good thing to know.

Then they told me I needed a special solution to clean the fan. I asked them to demonstrate it. Then playing dumb blonde and had them do the whole fan. Hehe.

Third time unlucky

Look what I found under the snow!

What is wrong with these birds? Don't they have a navigation system built-in?

Lucky for me I have a friend for dinner this evening...guess what he's gonna have to do? Unless he wants it on the menu of course...

Romania has a highway!

For unknown reasons a friend sent me a clip, stating that he was driving on the only highway in Romania. What an exciting life!

Feuerpolizei

Tomorrow the fire police is coming to inspect the house. It's the apartment above and mine, I guess because the two of us have open fireplaces. But they also need access to the basement storage areas, not sure why. So now I'm in possession of three of the four keys in the house. My neighbours seem to think that it's better I get up at the crack of dawn to let them in. Now my only concern is whether I really do have to get up early to get myself ready, or whether I should just let them in wearing my pyjama. But on the off chance it's a hunk in uniform, I may have to make an effort...

International Womens Day

One year ago to the day I was in Dubai. It was depressing to see the women in burkhas, especially on this particular day. These days I do not believe women have to wear burkhas, unless they have chosen to do so themselves. But why would they? And the amount of women covering themselves up in Dubai, it just doesn't make sense. I will never go back.

Male bonding

Was going thru my recent photos and found this from last week.

The guy in the grey shirt (he entered in suit and tie, but those came off pretty quickly) hitting on the guy in pink...

Ok, so don't kill me guys. I know you're straight, but it's great to see you're getting in touch with your inner homos...;)

When I was asleep

Got a little bit late on Friday eve, but checking the blog (which is my usual way of knowing when I got home) I can see it was before three so not too bad. So went to bed, and woke up around 10 in the morning, only to see decimeters of snow on the ground! How did that happen? Spring is supposed to be here, and there certainly was enough snow for the rest of my lifetime this winter. Plus I got really anxious seeing a bump on the balcony floor under the snow. Another bird was my first thought. Only today did I work up the courage to prick it with a stick to see what it was. Only ice. Pheeew!

Animal protection

Ze Swiss are fantastic people. Today they are voting for the right to lawyers. For animals! They already have special tunnels for frogs and hedgehogs, so that they won't get squashed by traffic on the roads. Not sure how they direct the frogs and hedgehogs, but perhaps there are special animal signs? Hedgehogs to the right, frogs to the left. Or something. You are not allowed to flush aquarium fish down the toilet, it will prolong their suffering. Not entirely certain how they check this. If you want a dog you must attend a course learning how to handle it. Pets like guinea pigs, hamsters and rabbits cannot be alone, so if you want one you must get two. Frogs cannot be transported on top of each other. Mice must have at least 18 centimeters space and must not be alone. Fish cannot be exposed to "unnecessary stress" during transportation. What can I say? Switzerland is a great country! PS. 60% of the population plan to vote yes on this initiative! PPS. Despite the prediction, ze Swiss voted no with a whopping 72%! So much for predictions.

Redecoration

In Switzerland there is a place called the Brockenhaus. They come and get your old stuff for free, stuff that is still in good shape but that you no longer need or want. Like my two wardrobes I had in the guest room. Just took up space, and storage I have elsewhere. As well as an old lamp and a chair I never used. You do not get paid but rid of it for free. So now my guest room looks much less clogged up, and more inviting for visitors. However, I do have a plan to buy a smaller desk for my office activities and place it in front of the windows, overlooking a bit of forest. The search for the perfect furniture for my perfect flat goes on...

Afterparty

Then I went out. As you do. And got acquainted with a person who had a shocking lack of hair. I mean really, why would you keep a string of hair as a ponytail when you don't even have enough to cover your head?

And why on earth would anybody invest in a pair of white lederhosen?

But gotta admit, it was fun. And it was Friday.

Just a little bit nuts

Turned out friends who refused ducks&nuts had a reason. Albeit not a very good one. The guy had once been sick after eating duck, and therefore is under the impression that every duck thereafter is gonna make him sick.

And regarding the chocolate cake I bought for dessert, which turned out to contain some nuts didn't stop them from eating it.

Good thing i didn't worry they were gonna choke and I would've had to call the ambulance...

Menu

Having some friends over for dinner tonight and will serve nusslisalat with eggs and bread crutons, beef filet a la minute and little potatoes in the oven with the special salt I got from my German friend (apparently a salt you cannot get in Switzerland). As a final we'll have chocolate cake. Getting hungry just writing this. Oh, and funny. One of my friends called to ask if I was home. Phoning on my landline. Hehe.

I miss partying

Ok, so doing the responsible thing staying in tonight, but gotta say I miss going out. Good thing it's Friday tomorrow...

Lifestyle

Busy days. Up so early this morning, then having another construction company fixing something else on the balcony (I really have no idea what they did, but it took 3,5 hours as supposed to the 2 they said) and all this trouble because some idiot tried to break in. And tomorrow yet another company has to do something else I'm not interested in. Then it should be done. I hope. Then my new cleaning lady came to work. She was fabulous. In 2 hours the place was spotless, and for less money than the other woman demanded. Fantastic. I'm gonna keep this one! After this I had a date with some people in town, so ended up partying a bit again. I seriously have to start thinking about cutting down on alco and outgoing. I will do so tomorrow...

4 hours sleep

So after having ze foreigners here overnight they promptly stood up after 4 hours of sleep (and plenty of booze) to go skiing. The things people do...

Foreigners in Zürich