Greed

Am watching this consumer tv program again, and this time it's about all the extra charges put on top of ads. Like if you want to escape the winter and travel south, the ad might say "experience exotic Africa, from 500 francs" or the likes. Nothing to say how many tickets are available, or the charges added before the final price is set.

Reminds me when I bought the Dyson. It was a basic price, an admin price (all ok there) and then there was an optional charge of 4 francs for "transportation insurance". I'm not saying 4 francs is a lot, but it made me wonder. Doesn't the company have a responsibility of delivering a shipshape product to me? Do I have to pay if they don't? But of course I caved in and ticked the box. I mean, what if I would be getting a faulty product and I hadn't paid the 4 francs?

Nah, I think they fooled me. And 4 francs times a lot of customers eventually becomes a lot of money. And I don't like the feeling of being fooled.

Ungrateful bastards

I have come across a lot of ungrateful people in my days, and these days I guess that's what to be expected. Nevertheless, I don't like it. That is not the way I was brought up. And I'm not talking about overly excessive thanks. I'm talking about a simple "thank you" through an sms, an email, a phone call or in person "thank you" for something I did or said.

I have a perfect example. Some friends of mine travelled to a foreign country for a wedding. Beforehand they had paid into a bank account (the wedding couple asked for a contribution for their honeymoon...which if I can inflict a comment here...don't go on a honeymoon if you can afford it yourself!). So they went there, spent money on travel, hotel and whatever comes with, only to get a card later on saying "thanks for spending the wedding with us". No thanks to the contribution, no personal touch.

I know exactly how they feel. Been there myself.

I'm a man!

Tonight I was invited for dinner with the neighbours, and I was hoping for a grill (since I don't have one) and I got it. Fabulous. And I ate a whole aubergine! Eggplant my ass, it tasted more like banana, but I like bananas so no complaints there.

Neighbour told me a story about when his company registered him being on maternity leave. His namn is foreign and so was interpreted by HR as being a woman. This makes me wanna start a story on HR in general, and according to my opinion they are not the sharpest knives in the toolbox, but let's leave that for another item.

Anyway, he was registered as being on maternity leave, and his boss vouched for him, being not. And when HR "after a deep investigation" (here I got the vision of him having to drop trou to prove himself), finally got it right, HR caved in. And decided he was probably a man after all.

It's interesting, me having been in the IT business since "forever", it never ceases to amaze me how stupid people can be. IT is a tool, a way to communicate, a method of keeping information, it is NOT a reason to be stupid.

But I'm happy to know he's a man. With a wife and two kids and all.

Butt acne

A couple of weeks ago I got a big acne thing on the inside of my left butt cheek. Very irritating, and I tried to treat it the same way I do with face acne. A good click of soap on it. Didn't help, even though I kept on applying it.

This morning I woke up, and when walking to the bathroom I felt uncomfortable. Turns out there is a big acne thingie on the inside of the right butt cheek, just opposite of the left one. Friggin irritating, since they meet every time I'm taking a step.

Imagine me, walking with legs apart, and trying to look normal. Not a pretty sight.

So now the heavy artillery is coming out. Toothpaste! As I tried to explain to the cats, "I'm smelling mint from my butt, but don't worry. It'll be fine soon".

I hope!

Eggs

I was brought up with the belief of not wasting anything, and even though nowadays I can afford much more than I could being young(er), that view lives with me.

The other day I was making aoili, thus using only egg yolks but not the whites. So was left with two egg whites. What better to do than meringue? Only recipe held four egg whites, so now I'm left with two yolks. Guess I'm having egg yolks for breakfast tomorrow.

The meringue? Still in the oven.

Fun fun fun

Finally friend woke up and sent me the pics from last Sat. I wanna go again! Soon!

Eco and bio and stuff

Am watching a tv program about consumers, and tonight they were talking about apples. Some apples have plastic labels on each apple, and the question was why. Had to do with regulation apparently, bio has to be marked. No mention of what the plastic labels do to the environment.

Makes me wonder, remembering a comment earlier about bio being organic or whatsit. Aren't all apples growing on trees? How can it be more "bio"? Yes, I can understand if you spray apple trees with some chemical to make them grow bigger or stay good longer, but still?

Nah, I'm not convinced about this bio shit. And besides, with all the chemicals in the world today, why try to avoid it? I embrace it, and I'm sick a lot less than my friends. Chew on that, people!

Coy - moi?

Friend brought a dessert wine today, and when she saw I liked it she asked "would you like me to bring another bottle?", I looked at her coyly and said "if you insist". No need to let her know that I never say no to vino.

This is the same person I met a few years ago at the bottle bank, while I was getting rid of the last weeks trash. Clink-clank-clink-clank and so forth. She doesn't drink, or at least hardly ever. I felt embarassed. For a long time after I was looking over my shoulder while bringing empty bottles.

At least tomorrow she cannot complain. She was there, and if I meet her then, I shall remind her. In case she has forgotten after several glasses on wine!

Birthday dinner

Threw a dinner tonight for four beloved friends. It's a deal since a few years that I cook on her birthday, and she cooks on mine. This time I invited some more friends, since I sincerely believe in the more the merrier.

As a starter I served three different kinds of homemade bread, and an aoili. Never did an aoili before, and it was really stinking of garlic, but judging by the speed it went I think they liked it.

Then we had a dish with cod fillet, dill, tomatoes, a sauce made of mascarpone and caviar, and the idea was to put shrimp on top until I learned that one of the guests don't like it. So served it on the side. This guy is really difficult with food. But hey, we're all allowed to have a weakness or two. Served with rice and peas.

And the non-drinker had pink champagne (thanks E, your bottle is now a goner!), white wine and dessert wine. I feel good about that, showing somebody who is inexperienced with alco that a small amount can also be fun. And a dessert of course.

Yes, it was fun. And perfectly acceptable to leave already at 23.00 on a Wednesday.

Spain

I have a friend who has retired. But he still likes to travel. So tomorrow he's taking the wife with him, leaving the country and going to Spain for a month. Good choice. Better climate, the best food in the world if you ask me and golf. Golf leaves me cold, but the rest I buy.

But the funny thing is, he was starting to pack a week ago. Washing clothes, planning and worrying whether the apartment they rented had a washing machine or not.

This from a guy I used to travel with, at a time where we packed in the morning just as much as we needed for the days we were away. At least I did. I still remember 9/11 when the company I worked for forbid travel, and I had to go out and buy a shirt. Had only packed for one night.

But I'm sure he'll relax once there. Spain is not an under-developed country. You can still buy all the things you need there.

And I'm certain he'll have a lot of use of the garlic press he's bringing. Despite that he cannot cook.

Back to the 1800's part II

So the other week the water disappeared for half a day, and tomorrow the electricity will be gone for two hours. At least ewz had the decency of telling us beforehand.

Well, we got the info but the why is still a question. Why are they cutting off electricity? Probably something to do with the fact that most of my street is dug up. New pipes, this glassfiber thing or whatsit.

Let this be the last time I have to live in the dark.

Out

I don't go out that often anymore, but I did on Saturday. Wow, I had forgotten how fun it could be! Mental note, must go out more often.

It helped that it was Fasnacht and a lot of Guggenmusik in the city. And it was fun and surprising to meet an old flirt. I was even dancing!

Pics are missing, at least until friend can figure out how to transfer the pics he took to his computer. Even I, with old-fashioned equipment, know how to do that :).

Audit

My auditor was visiting today. Yes, I know, normally I'd go visit her, but we know each other since years and it's nice when she comes around having a coffee and cookies and a chat. And of course to pick up the papers she's auditing.

Anyway, had to laugh when she said "Annika, I woke up last night and thought about your pension". Haha, even I don't do that. Turns out there is some stuff I haven't paid that I should, and she worries about it. Ain't that sweet? So I promised I'd think about paying that, whatever it was.

Personally I am more interested in all the cash I'll get back from the authorities, having overpaid taxes. Carpe diem is more my view.

Angel

Hahahaha, got an sms this morning sent to "my angel". Needless to say it wasn't for me, but now I know how a friend of mine is communicating with his many girlfriends.

He will never hear the end of this.

Back to the 1800's

Neighbour is having some work done, I think it's the same we had, installation of glass fiber pipes. However, their workers messed up and broke the water pipe, resulting in neighbour having a flood and we in the neighbouring houses practically no water. Just a little trickle from the tap. And this of course before I had showered.

So to cheer myself up I went shopping. A brand new scale! It is meant to be used for baking and cooking, but since it goes up to 5 kg's I thought I'd weigh the cats. Now comes the challenge of them standing still on a tiny area. Ha, I know who's gonna win this!

Crazy plant

I dunno what's going on with my mega-plants. They were re-planted some half year ago, new soil, new pots and everything and I was expecting them to have a bit of trouble adjusting to the new environment. But today, when inspecting it I realized there are flowers! In February! While it's still snow outside! It's gone bananas.

I think it's the smoke they like.

Spooks

Have borrowed a lot of seasons of the English series Spooks, and although it's exciting and you never know who you can trust or not, there is one thing that irritates me. Every time you get to know one of the main characters, he or she gets either killed, retires, has to go into a witness-protection-program or just disappears due to the "cannot-cope-syndrom".

It's a pity, 'cause otherwise there are good stories and plots that make you think about how much you do not know and what goes on up there in the political stratosphere.

I, however, am happy to stay where I am and live a normal life. Probably a good thing, since I'm a pretty bad liar.

Bio shit

I was baking bread again today. Another type, which needed an ingredient I hadn't used before, well at least not here in Switzerland. And since I didn't know the name (forgot to google), I searched the Coop shelves with a comb. Found it. But only one with a bio stamp. I hate bio.

First of all I don't exactly know what it means. Second, it sounds like hocus pocus, and is twice the price of anything else. Third, how can you know it's more healthy than "normal" products, I mean, where is the proof? And fourth, Bro's wife favours it.

So I wasn't happy buying it, but the bread turned out all right. I think I will spend the rest of my life searching for the same product without the word "bio" stamped on it. If I wasn't so busy!

Less is more

Was watching a program on how to run a cafe. Made me think of all the hotels I've visited in my lifetime. There are plenty. But I tell you what, gimme a small family-run hotel or B&B over a big hotel chain any day.

Of course it has to be clean, hold a semi-comfortable bed (no bed other than my own is fully comfortable) and serve coffee in the morning.

I know, the big chains have a breakfast you'll die for being hungover, but not at the time they serve it. Brunch for me is from 1pm and forward, and when you travel that's a luxury you don't have.

I especially remember a small personal hotel in Valby, just outside Copenhagen, where I was staying almost every week for nearly half a year. It was a place where they knew my name the second time I checked in. They had 14 bedrooms, and the breakfast was fresh and just enough. They knew my favourite room, and had no problems with me bringing the rest of the wine with me to my room after having dined there.

Also, I remember a B&B outside Cape Town. I think it was in Franschhoek (if you can be arsed to search on the blog, I'm sure you'll find it). There we got up late, came out to the terrace and were promptly asked by the manager what we'd like for breakfast. They did everything, and we just had to ask. Fabulous.

Yes, I like the personal approach, rather than the "I'm-trained-to-be-friendly-to-guests". So in this case, less is more.

Partytime elsewhere

Went to a birthday party on Saturday. You know I love to host parties, but once in a while it's nice not having to be responsible and to just enjoy. It was a lot of fun.

However, it was a little bit disturbing to see the notice on a board at the entrance, talking about weaponry.

But since I'm here blogging about it, it turned out to be fine.

We got well-fed with lots of sorts of spaghetti, and a great dessert table.

I also met some youngsters, one who should really be a model. A young guy with a sixpack. Unfortunately I didn't get a pic of that.

And a semi-young couple who wanted to get a room.