Dobermann

Friend of mine insists her dog is adorable, but look at the size of that mouth!

The blind leading the blind

This evening I had the pleasure of watching a marketing man and a gay guy trying to connect to internet. You would think it's an impossible task, but heureka! they succeeded. Eventually. So now I'm blogging from CG's wireless. And so far so good, it seems to work.

Sächselüti

CG and I went to check on the boat today. Had completely forgotten that it's Sächseläuten tomorrow and in good tradition ze Swiss decided to start already today with some sort of parade. The city was packed and the trams didn't go along Limmatquai or Bahnhofstrasse. We managed to get there though, and no shitting birds this time. Next weekend it might be time to clean it out, and start using it for the season. Cannot wait! http://www.swisskalender.ch/eventinfo.cfm?key=185849&kat=5

In the closet

M and CG in my second living room. Together. It's hard to believe. Especially since it's without me. Perhaps this requires a bit of an explanation. CG and M (former flatmate) met at my place for dinner last Tuesday. They then decided to go to a concert together today. Some unknown woman was singing, and frankly I knew I was gonna be too excited about kitchens (!) to concentrate on a concert. Anyway. They seem to have bonded, and according to the latest phone call just now they are on their way to MY place. The place that M has previously stated his dislike for. I will so choose not to take it personally :). But in my heart I always knew M was a closet fan. And yes, they did want me to join but with me in pyjama and with newly painted toenails, I chose not to. Mind you, they might show up later demanding drinks.

Aprire

For some unknown reason my dvd-player (the second latest I have that works again mysteriously, even without the English-German dictionary supporting it on the one side) has decided to cross Röstigraben (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%B6stigraben). It now shows the menu in French (CG, are you responsible for this?). But hey. Who cares if it says "aprire" or "öffnen". I can kinda understand what it means when the cd/dvd thingie opens. Just blonde you know, not (necessarily) stupid :)

A gentleman in disguise?

Did I mention CG is very nice? Yes, I know, but only three or eight times. Today he opened the car door to let me in, he lit my ciggie several times and similar things like letting me leave through the door first. That type of things. I don't know whether to feel flattered or like I'm an old woman who needs special consideration. Perhaps he's just raised by decent parents, and I'm not used to feeling taken care of. Maybe the explanation is that easy. My choice is to interprete it that way. And I can certainly get used to it ;)

Bounce rate

Have registered with something called Google Analytics a few days ago. This application will tell me who my visitors are. All two of them :). When checking the report today I got information about number of visitors (duuuh, I knew that already), pageviews, average time on site, new visits etc. Also got told about the bounce rate. Had absolutely no idea what that was, so wikipedia'd it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bounce_Rate Mine is 87% and this is what wikipedia says: "It is really hard to get a bounce rate under 20%, anything over 35% is cause for concern, 50% (above) is worrying." It's indeed a good thing I don't do this for money :)

Me and my toyboy

Not as you might think, but when we arrived today in the kitchen store in Germany the salesman approached by saying "Is this the family...and then my surname?". I didn't get it at the time. CG told me later. Salesman might have been a bit surprised when I took all the decisions. Or maybe not...

CG and his balls

CG told me today about the time when he was sitting at the side of a swimming pool with his feet in the water talking to a swimming woman. About 20 minutes later she was leaving with the words "oh, by the way, one of your balls is hanging out of your swimwear". Haha. I am finding out more and more about him. Like I told him, everybody has secrets. But not all of them are willing to have them exposed on my blog. Didn't I tell you he is nice?

Disco kitchen IV

Then came all the difficult side discussions. Like what handles do I want. Like I knew! Well, in the end I opted for no handles at all. One of the reasons being the bar counter I chose to have on top of the working space on the kitchen half-island (one end is connected to the wall). Handles would be in the way, so there is going to be a little space between drawers so that you can get your hand in and just drag the drawer out. With matching stainless steel edges. Just like the American style fridge/freezer I have chosen. With an automatic ice-maker. How cool is that? Stainless steel of course. The rest of the kitchen will be shiny white. Had to be. Black-white combination is a killer with the contrast. Sink will be modern, quite deep and square with a tap you can loosen and use as a mini-shower to clean. It'll be a thingy to provide dishwasher liquid. And with a half-sink on the side. Obviously the stove will be 1,20 m and with ceramic (?) flat top. Top class. Only the best for me! Can you tell I'm excited?

Top fan

Ok, gotta admit I had a fan chosen in a catalogue which was more in a designed style and with glass. That one got totally trashed by the adviser, who told me that it needs a bit of sturdiness and size in order to actually do its job. Ok fine, I have no problem admitting when I'm wrong (ok, little problem but wise enough to know when to "adjust" my opinion :).

So this style is what it's gonna be. Including a function of "sucking-out-the-rest-of-the-smoke" with a 15 minute timer.

Disco kitchen III

Click on pic to enlarge in order to get a feeling for the disco! I am so happy with my choice, even though I know it's not to everybodys liking. Or perhaps because of that :). I cannot stop smiling!

Disco kitchen II

Is this cool or is this cool? I first saw a granite kitchen which I kinda liked, but when I saw this I fell in love. I felt happy. CG thought that maybe it would get old after a while, but I simply couldn't resist. A bit of 80's disco lamps, a bit of black, and a fair bit of a modern feeling.

Of course it won't look the same in my kitchen since it's a different layout but you get the feeling. And the bar counter is a must. I will have a working space that is 4,25 m long with a bar stretching over 3 m. I am so excited I don't know how I can wait over a year to have this!

Disco kitchen I

Wow! This is my feeling after a 3-hour meeting with a kitchen adviser. I had no idea I knew so little about kitchens. After all, I spent a fair amount of time there. Why go to Germany you ask to look at kitchens, well that was the place the architect recommended. And it was really cool. A huge place with gazillions of kitchens, bathrooms and all sorts of stuff. I had to decide the working space, the cupboards, the handles, the sink, the stove, the storage space, the trash place, the fan, the size and length and the rest I cannot remember. My mind is swirling. But gotta admit. I haven't had this much fun since I can remember (since they hanged Saddam?). Really greatful to CG that he joined. Very helpful and nice with a second opinion. Albeit we didn't have the exact same taste (and I won, because it's my kitchen :), but extremely good to have somebody to discuss choices with. These days everything can be customized, which means my new kitchen will be unique. Me so likey!

Breakfast

Breakfast in Germany consisted of waffles with sweets. Not the healthiest but all they served in the cafe we found.

And how does it go with my diet you ask? Hmmm...

Deutschland

So we were in Germany today, just as a daytrip. It was a nice drive a little over an hour to get there, and with the electronic woman accompanying us. However, today she was a little grumpy and not always correct in her directions. I think the words "stupid woman" and "she probably has PMS" was uttered more than once.

As an example the street where I live starts at number 220 according to her. Trust me, it doesn't. I live on the bit that she doesn't believe exists.

The men in uniform at the border just waved us through. Big, huge disappointment. I wouldn't mind being felt up by one of them!

The land of pee and home of the unshaved

CG and I were in Germany today (more on that later), and driving back over the border back into Switzerland he uttered these surprising words. Ever since the act of racism with ze Swiss slashing his car tyres he's been feeling a little unwelcome I think. CG's version of the Star-spangled banners the land of the free and home of the brave. Funny. PS. Especially funny from a man who enjoys peeing in public swimming pools...

Male flaws

Haha. Am finding out more about CG every day. And he really is a very nice guy, but there is no denying he's still a man. It must be genetics. Otherwise, why is it that only a man doesn't know how to close cupboard doors? Every time I come into the kitchen I start with closing all the doors that he opened. Ok, so it's a good way of keeping track what he eats and does in the kitchen :), but why is that? My ex was exactly the same. My ex was also ignorant when I placed the trashbag in front of the door, so that he would have to move it to get out. He did and didn't even realize that he did it, it was natural for him. Same with CG. I placed a washbucket in the hallway so that he wouldn't miss it. But of course he just stepped over it without realizing there was a task to be done. I tell ya. Men! Can't live with them, can't shoot'm.

The things you can do with a tie

This includes swinging it around your head, standing on a chair, singing along to the band. But what I didn't expect was that he'd rub the tie between his legs. Mind you, he did it to the rhythm of the music. But gotta admit, it wasn't pretty. Seriously thinking I have to find another place...

Slim

I am green with jealousy! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/10/nfat110.xml

Panini

Contrary to what you might believe I'm not talking about Italian bread, but some stickers with pics of football players in the upcoming World Championshit. This has become a competition amongst grown-up (!!) men to collect, and is advertised all over the place. I did that too once. When I was 8.

Bad sperm

According to 20 minutes yesterday young Swiss men have bad sperm, and particularly bad in Zürich. Why? No idea. Why it would be worse in a clean city like Zürich where people have one of the highest standards of living in the world is hard to guess. And this was in comparison to other countries. Well, for me it is good enough. Was just struggling to get on a bus with 3 (!) strollers, kids screaming and mothers who didn't give a flying fuck about the rest of us poor passengers. Bad sperm is a good thing!

CERN

Very interesting: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2005/feb/03/sciencenews.science. My friend had been there for an open-day for the public. They expected 10,000 visitors. 75,000 came. Crowded to say the least. http://public.web.cern.ch/Public/Welcome.html I guess it's like a big science fair, but for real. Quite intriguing.

With a little help from your friends

or not...

Warm wine

This is what happens when you have a new flatmate (CG) who enjoys the odd glass of wine. Unfortunately he hasn't learned that when you empty a bottle you have to make sure there is at least another one in the fridge. Meaning today when we needed a refill there was only lukewarm wine. Yikes. So, ever the perfect hostess I asked my guests if they wanted some ice in the glass. Yes they did. Went to the kitchen to get some ice, which I distributed into the glasses. Friend visiting: "I hope you washed your hands". Me: "No, I actually scratched myself between my legs before I got the ice from the freezer". As you can imagine the conversation went all downhill after that...

Ice bucket

Ok, so they didn't serve the greatest wine, but at least they provided me with an ice bucket worthy a queen. See that Aussie girl?

Pickwick pub in Zug

http://www.triplebypass.ch/

They may have had the odd heart operation but trust me, these guys know what to do with an instrument...

The endless salad

Was in Zug tonight. Great band playing. The fact that I happen to know them makes me a bit subjective but trust me. They rock. And they have a salad for 16 CHF that is impossible to finish. We were two people and we didn't succeed.

Polizei

Gosh, they were cute! Both policemen. I definitely need to get me a man in uniform.

And they told us that the car was number twelwe having its tyres cut in the area. All with number plates from the same country. Definitely an act of racism.

Although I feel really sorry for CG, it certainly was the highlight of my day!

Racism and men in uniform

Having a bit of a drama here this Sunday. Turns out somebody has slashed all four of CG's tyres. Since his car was the only one on that street that got demolished, I figure it's an act of racism since he has foreign number plates. These villains should get hung by the balls over an open fire. And now the police is on their way. Must hurry to get dressed up!

Brunchtime

Had a really nice brunch today with two friends, one man, one woman. However, the conversation left a little to be desired at times. When I asked them why they are not together (roughly same age, both single etc) the conversation went like this: She: "Well, he's too nice for me. I need a nice asshole". Him: "But I have a nice asshole". Apart from that, it was a nice afternoon. We also checked out my to-be-apartment. The trees are gone now. It has started!

Music lover

Turns out flatmate loves music.

And trust me, it looks better than it sounds...

Mr Schweiz

My guess would be that all of Switzerlands gay men are now sitting in front of the telly. And so do I. I wonder if that says more about me than them :) In my defense I'm doing it because it just so happened. But I can't deny it could be worse. Much, much worse in fact. Ah, better have another glass of wine and get ready to hit town. Yesterday I faded unfortunately and was in bed before midnight. Shame on me! PS. CG is home too, and I'm finding out more and more. This is good for my blog, lots of ideas...

Threesome

So, I'm slowly getting to know flatmate. When he said yesterday that he would be late home I didn't realize that meant the afternoon. The day after. Turned out he had spent the night with two girls. Unknown until last night apparently. Yet he's claiming nothing happened. Yeah, right! So either I have a liar on my hands, or somebody with no initiative. I don't know what is worse...

Present

Got a present today when shopping, a sweet little plant. It was Migros who said thank you for being a faithful customer. Nice.

The lights I bought on impulse. Gosh, I really am getting Swissified!

Certificate

Unfortunately I never got around to take the test for getting a boat license. Not enough lessons, not enough time. But when I changed from one insurance company to another they asked me why the boat certificate held the name of the previous owner. Eh? Because I ignored it, and thought it wouldn't matter would be the answer. So they helped me. This is unheard of in Switzerland. I sent the old certificate in, filled in a form and voila. Today it arrived. A boat certificate in my name. Wow. And I now understand the insurance agents uncertainty because when I asked him if it was the blue thingy he needed he didn't know. Turns out the license I got is brown. Tell me somebody what the reason would be to change colour? As soon as you get used to something it has to change. Probably because change is supposedly good. But is change always good? Only if it is for the better if you ask me. And blue is certainly better than brown...

Proximity

Just like size matters proximity does. My cousin who normally calls me once a year on my birthday called today. And no, it's not my birthday. This because he just landed in Geneva, off to ski in Chamonix over the weekend. Nice. But you know, telephones work all over the world... And why did he think that all Swiss people were short? Are they shorter in the French-speaking part of Switzerland? My cousin is not fantastically tall himself, so why? Truth be told, I haven't actually been to Geneva. But on the other hand, I only lived here for 5+ years. Plenty of time yet. Only, somebody give me a reason to visit Geneva? What is nice there? Why should I spend some of my valuable time going all the way over there?

CG

Hehe, new flatmate is going a bit bananas over his nickname CG. He doesn't know what it means. Told him I would need a few glasses of wine in order to reveal it. He offered me one glass. He offered me another glass. But no, I'm not that cheap. And this is a great blackmail item to use. I'm gonna make the most of it. And most funny of all he wikipediad it. It showed everything from Garbage Collection to Gran Canaria and even Gambia International Airlines. Not sure how they got that last one to fit GC, but there you go. Mind you, had he wikipediad CG, he would have gotten another list of possible answers. It's an enigma.

CG and his vibrator

I am getting to know new flatmate. About one hour every evening. I leave in the morning, he sleeps. I come home in the evening, he's away. The routine we have established includes him coming home around 11pm and we have a talk before going to bed. This has now happened three nights in a row, so it's safe to say it's become a habit. Then I go to bed with my book, and he goes to get ready for bed. This includes a vibrating sound from the bathroom. At first this was a bit puzzling until I realized he has an electronic toothbrush. Phew, what a relief! But why does the vibrating sound go on for 5 minutes? How dirty can his teeth be? There are surely things still to be discovered about this new man in my household...

Mentor

An acquaintance of mine is planning a housewarming party, and of course he turns to the pro for advice. I made a list for him what to buy and promised to help organize. We have been waiting a long time for this party. First I told him to have the party before the renovation (it's obvious why, isn't it?), but this piece of useful insight he ignored. Therefore his flat is now newly painted and with new carpets (what possessed him to put carpets in?...he should've asked me about this too!). Anyway. Today he asked me whether it would be rude to ask people to bring their own slippers to his party due to the new carpets. Hahahahaha. Yes, it would indeed be a strange thing to ask I told him. However, as a compromize I could agree to take off my shoes since I usually do that at home anyway. Whether the others would agree I'm not so sure about. What a weird thing to ask!

Reversing age

I have discovered that I am reversing in age. This is very convenient since I'll be hmmm... 29 again next birthday. How else can one explain a large pimple on the cheek?

And I discovered an interesting fact about my ancestors that one of my older relatives told me. Out of 9 children 8 died of heart problems, whereas the 1 left didn't. He was the alcoholic in the family. Very encouraging. I always believed alcohol was preserving. Why else would they keep organs in ethanol?

Fiji II

Although I could live without these animals...

Fiji I

Not that I've been there, but Aussie girl has. These pics are honestly stolen from where she posted them.

The swing looks great, and like the R&R I am currently in dire need of...

Stats

Was just looking at the number of items I have blogged this year. This is definitely a downspiralling curve. No good. And no good excuse, other than that I appear to have a life! But I will have to start sharing better. So that all my 10 readers won't be disappointed :) Hang in there folks!

Pulling a sex and the city

Was out for a short time this evening. Had dinner first with a friend where we cought up on things, was a while since we saw each other. We covered subjects like "we likey my new sweater (the orange one)?". Him going "yes maybe". And some other stuff too in case you wonder. We're not that shallow. Haha. Then I had a drink in a my usual place where one of the women pulled a Sex and the city. In the real series Samantha pours a drink over Richards head, the sushi-eating bastard. In my world the woman knocked over her glass, accidentally pouring a glass of wine over a guys crotch. Ah well, you can't have it all.

Plague or cholera

I cannot decide which one is worst, screaming children or smelly people. Always thought it was those children who showed they had lung capacity, and parents who didn't care. On a flight that is. Otherwise I don't care. Can always put telly on mute. But yesterday on the flight to Barcelona I was placed in a aisle seat, with two goodlooking guys next to me. You would think that would be like hitting the jackpot, but alas no. The windowseat smelled like he had slept on the street for the last two weeks. And being Spanish he was having a vivid body language, and every time he moved his hands the smell hit me like a train (one of those see the end of tunnel being a good thing, but unfortunately it was a train coming at ya). Middle seat guy was bad but not that. I tell ya. I was leaning towards the aisle the whole flight, it was horrible. The things I put up with. Next time I will tell them. But how? How do you tell a stranger that he smells like something coming up of my shower drain? I thought I was a bitch, but obviously not enough of one. Have to work on it.

My reputation

Think my reputation went up a notch today. Was bored in a meeting and decided to pester an acquaintance with some whispering conversation. Me: "did you hear I got a new flatmate?" Him: "no. Woman or man?" Me: "man of course. He moved in yesterday". Him: (thinking. He knew I was in Barcelona yesterday, so he looked like he was thinking 'so she went out after she got home late, picked up a guy, any guy really, and made him move in with her'.) Haha. Let'm guess...

Flash visit

No, I'm not flashing but I'm making a quick visit to Barcelona tomorrow. In and out in a day. Just time to have me some of that delicious food and perhaps a glass of wine. Or two.

CG is arriving

So I just met my new flatmate. No time to think it over, he's moving in tomorrow. Fortunately I hadn't filled up the guest room after the last one, so he can just move straight in. This'll be fun I'm sure, he seems nice. And he comes recommended from Tina. And he has no problem with me blogging about him, although he said "no naked pics". Exactly why he would say that I don't know, can't remember ever having posted one. Perhaps it's time :)??

Why Women should Rule the World

This book I will buy. http://www.harrywalker.com/speakers_template.cfm?spea_id=168

Tablegrill timeout

So, had a really nice tablegrill evening. Again. This time with a lovely couple. Nice, uncomplicated people who you can have good conversations with. And as it turns out, I have to have another tablegrill tomorrow finishing the leftovers. On Tuesday it's time to go on a diet. Last time I did half a try, it didn't work out. So tomorrow it's raclette, Häagen-Dazs and other delicacies for the last time for at least a couple of months. Oh joy. And don't forget to change to summertime tonight!

Zzz

I am sooo behind on my sleeping account. This has probably something to do with my inability to say no to party (read parties). Scarlett and I say tomorrow is another day. Only when I finally get to bed it is tomorrow already. But what the heck. I'm having fun!

Tap water

This is a lesson in how countries like Switzerland, Germany and Austria are the same but yet not. They would all resent it, but never mind. When out last night we shared a table with a weird American (not an oxymoron!) who for some reason was very interested to learn what the words tap water would be in German. Since we were a quite diverse group we learned the following: Austrian: leitungswasser. German: trinkwasser. Swiss: hahnewasser. No wonder I have trouble learning this friggin so called German language!

Trashing big time

And of course we trashed men. That's what you do at a girls dinner, right? Like big man, small something. Small man, big something.

Diversity

All 3 girls condoned to have their pic posted. And I can assure you, they are not as boring as they look :)

Tablegrill weekend

Now when spring finally seems to have arrived, I am having two tablegrill dinners planned. Tonight it'll be Hallau-girl, a new chick who wants to step into my shoes, and Dobermann-woman. I expect us to throw lots of shit on men in general, and for sure a few in particular, and have lotsa fun. Tomorrow the leftovers will be served to one of my favourite men (it has something to do with putz :) plus the latino. After that, I'm putting the grill away for at least 6 months. On Sunday it's summertime!

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Would you believe that this is the 14 decimal guy?

Men are like tiles

Surprisingly enough this story was told by a guy! Men are like tiles, if you lay them out properly to begin with you can walk on them a whole lifetime. Me likey.

Especially after having spent 2+ hours with the architect today. I really didn't realize that I would have to do all the work! Fuckin' hell. Talk about having to do decisions. I have to make a lot within the next 2 months. And why would I know where I need to have electrical outlets?

And btw, did you know that the tourist trap Zeughauskeller serves 0.5 meter of sausage?

Dickwasher

Was in a meeting today with a kiwi. Well, I didn't know he was and it always bugs me when I don't know for sure where people come from. I had a feeling he was from N Zeeland because of his accent was wasn't sure. Got confirmed during the break when I asked. Then our British friend told us when kiwis say ten it sounds like tin. And proceeded to tell us about this guy who spent a summer in kiwi-land working as a "dickwasher" on a yacht. Of course we had to translate the joke to ze Swiss, but I thought it was hilarious!

The smell

It might sound funny, but fuckin' hell. Came home and the shower smelled like something you pick out of a drain. Literally. So used the pump, kinda hesitant but "I'm-a-woman-and-I-can-fix-it-myself". Hmm. Had to go out, breathe, then come in again and remove the unspeakable thingies on the floor of the shower. Then again. And again. And you get the drift.

This my dear woman friends is why you need a man in your life. In case you didn't know...

Warning: old lady

This is a serious warning that I'm getting old. Thinking that going out one hour between nine and ten is "an evening out". Shoot me. I feel like I'm already walking around with one of these wheelies that old ladies use for shopping. And thinking it's a good idea!

I need a serious shot of something. And I need to stop showering my feet in chicken fat!

Room to rent in Zurich

I heard there is this football thing going on in Zürich this summer. I wonder if that would perhaps be an opportunity to charge at least an arm for my guest room? No English hooligans welcome obviously, but the Scottish are fun football fans. Hmm, think I will put an ad out there.

A bit lost

Feels a bit weird to start the week on a Tuesday. Not that I'm complaining. Preferrably the week should start on a Friday! But it means I missed my going-out-Tuesday-just-because-it's-almost-the-middle-of-the-week thing. Which in turn means I have to do something about it today. But then tomorrow there is another thing going on in the evening, on Friday it's tablegrill for the girls and Saturday tablegrill for the boys. Yes, I'm spreading them out rather than sharing my men with the girls. That is too dangerous! After all, I'm not 20 anymore... But when have I been somebody to turn down a going-out evening, just because there is another one coming up tomorrow?

Shower in chicken fat

Have a wee problem with the drainage in my shower. When I flush something down in the kitchen (sink, washing machine or dishwasher) the water pops up in the shower. Last night I flushed some chicken fat down there, and guess what? This morning the floor of the shower was filled with orange, oily stuff. Yikes! But I showered anyway, and I must say my feet felt smooth having been covered in the orange fat! And coming home this evening, I discovered that the water doesn't go down at all anymore. It has come to a complete stop. And Putz-peter doesn't come until Saturday. It's a good thing I have a bath tub. And a bad thing that my personal plumber has gone on strike!

Depressed

Gosh I'm getting depressed by this snowing. All winter we had no winter, and all of a sudden in the end of March it starts snowing. This is so not what I expected. It is summertime next weekend for gods sake. Having a day off on a Monday is however a brilliant idea. Wish that would happen every week. Might have to celebrate with a small party...as supposed to the big one I had on Saturday ;)

Tischgrill

Second time table grill. Does this look eastery enough? I couldn't be arsed to wait in the queue to buy yellow tulips, so yellow IKEA napkins will have to do...

Think I will perhaps wear my orange sweater to match :)

Hopp Schwiiz

Remember wine-Patrick? I miss him. He was loads better than the current guys who just phone me up to sell me wine, rather than stopping by having me actually taste it first. Anyway, last time they called I was in a hurry and agreed to buy whatever they had on sale. Turned out to be some wine connected to that football-thing that will happen in the summer.

Normally I stay far away from Sauv blanc but tonight'll be an exception. With the tablegrill.

Salad

I am so not interested in buying bio-food, since I'm under the impression that it is overpriced and no guarantee for environmentally friendly growing/upbringing. Mind you, when I left for holiday I also left some iceberg-salad in the fridge, knowing that the ex would look after my flat and he always checks out my fridge first thing he does. It cannot be that he thinks I eat badly (hello, just look at me!), but he takes a keen interest in food. Anyway. When I got back 8 days later it was still in the fridge, looking just as crisp as it did when I left it there. All in all, it ended up being about 2 weeks, and it was still fresh. That cannot be healthy! Didn't stop me from eating it though...

Orange sweater

I'm not sure what possessed me to impulsively buy an orange sweater while food-shopping (yes, Migros have clothes too). Orange is so not my colour. It must've been the Easter-feeling or something. Didn't even try it on in the shop, but it does fit. Will I wear it? Think I was trying to break a pattern, me being fond of pink, blue, purple, black&white and maybe yellow. Absolutely not green, brown, red, grey or indeed orange. Ah well, only time can tell. BTW, my quilt is done! I so look forward when it'll make its way into Zürich from Chicago.

My good deed

While at the boat I noticed a neighbouring boat with a wish to leave the bridge. The anchoring in the front was lose and the boat on its way into Limmat, mind you, still two clips on the sides but not enough to keep the boat in its place in rough weather. So called the Wasserschutzpolizei, and explained the situation. In German! Gosh I'm good. They thanked me and said they were going to have a look. That's my good deed for today. Enough is enough.

I killed two babies

I cannot fucking believe it. After all my precautions the foiij*krj#kje??hyl§ing pigeons had still gotten in the boat and built a nest and laid two eggs. And guess where they are now? Swimming with the fish like in the Godfather. Would rather have had the parents doing the same, but they were out. Saw when I was leaving that they were trying to get in again, and couldn't. Ha!! So now I have to look forward to a weekend in April, cleaning out tons of birdshit. Lucky me.

Ich liebe dick

Ok, so it wasn't me who said it. It was a British guy trying his best German :) and despite my determination not to laugh about somebody who tries to speak another language I really had to. And especially funny coming from a straight guy!

Old peoples conversation

You know how older people are with technical devices. They all have mobile phones these days but don't know much about how they work, so one day my friend got a phone call (well, not really but his phone rang) from his Mum, overhearing the following conversation: Mum: "S, sit up for gods sake!". Dad: (mumbling) "Leave me alone!". Mum: "Sit up! You're always like this when you've been down the pub with your friends". Dad: (mumbling) "Just leave me alone!". Mum: "And you know you shouldn't eat brussel sprouts, you're always farting!". Dad: (mumbling) "Stop bugging me". I guess it's one way of sharing your daily life with your kids...

Poor Pete!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36998705@N00/128517029/

What came first?

Happy Easter!

Houston - we have contact

Finally I got contacted by the architect today. I am so excited! Meeting planned for Thursday next week. He asked me to bring all my ideas (which I spent a boring flight on jotting down on an A4 - must remember to put in computer in categories!), catalogues etc. Have you any idea of how much it is to think about? But this is fun. It's all gonna be about me and my taste, me and my ideas for design, me me me! Brilliant!

My dream man

Triggered by the friend who's looking for a woman made me think of what my dream man would be like. Something like this: 1. Sense of humor. Without humor I cannot live. 2. Same interests. I cannot be with somebody who is interested in uninteresting things like sport. If it doesn't interfere with dinners and conversations fine, but if it takes over I don't think so. 3. Kind to my friends. Experience has it that boyfriends who cannot accept and like my friends are not welcome in my life. At least not as boyfriends. 4. Attractive to me. A given. 5. Creative. I like to be surprised, overwhelmed, intrigued. Like coming home on a Monday evening and find the whole apartment lit up with candles, dinner made, and classic music on the cd player. Just an example. 6. Temperament. Since I happen to have one, I need somebody calm. Somebody who can tell me things are not so bad, it's not life-threatening, and certainly no need to shout. Who can just hug me and tell me things are going to be fine. I can go on forever here, but since nobody's perfect (what a nice cliche!) I will stop right here. And if I don't find him, I will be fine anyway (I will survive - me and Gloria Gaynor). To be perfectly honest, I'm not looking. I am kinda happy as I am. Don't think I'm the partner person in the long run. Having only managed 2 years. Mind you, I managed a lot of 2-years :)...which weren't bad. But I digress. So let's agree...let's be happy. Just the way we are!

Appliances

Who knew there were so many new facilities in the fridge market? Like "3-way shelf and sliding shelves" (in case you have to store items (read bottles) that are taller than the shelf), "deep balconies" with storage space for frozen items like pizza and anything that comes in a box, "fast bottle chill: party mode" which you can guess what it's for and would suit me hand in glove, "surround cool" which apparently is an "innovative temperature control system that chills newly stored items much faster than a conventional fridge by blowing chilled air through vents in the back wall into the compartment". I'm yawning now, too much information. But the "ice maker and water dispenser" plus the "can holders" kinda woke me up again. As well the fridge having a "vacation mode". I can relate to that. Then of course there is the "side-by-side" fridge and freezer, the "fridge freezer", the "top freezer" and not to forget the "upright freezer". And the custom control for both temperature and humidity. And yadi-yadi-yada. Think the easiest thing would be to actually go to a shop and have a look-feel. I'm just not a catalogue person. Any more of "capacity storage with adaptable whats-it" and "full electronic controls with LCD display" or "internal water filter with change indicator" I will go to sleep...zzzzzz.

Whirlpool again

Remember I told you about the company who doesn't sell what's in their name? Anyway, ordered a few catalogues from their website only to be sorely disappointed. A couple of pages of white (how hip is that?) open fridges, showing storage space and BORING data about fridges and washing machines. I don't understand. When I buy a refrigerator I want to see what it looks like. I don't give a damn about functionality, since I expect a fridge to actually keep my food and drinks cold. That's the whole idea. I want to see the design, the color, the fancy-schmancy extras like ice-maker and whatever else fridges have these days (a computer to tell me when I am about to run out of wine?). Actually, coming to think of it, once I saw this really cool wine-fridge with glass door. That could be something for me. So complained. And today I got two thick colored catalogues filled with all sorts of machinery. Or so I think, haven't gone through them yet. Only, they are not sure that all these devices are actually sold in Switzerland. But who cares. If I decide I want it, they will just have to ship it in!

We'll always have Paris

As we said when we left Tenerife...

Wanted: woman

As you might have noticed have had little inspiration for the blog lately (and you guys are not helping!). No comments, because Aussie girl is in Fiji and my most faithful reader who actually comments on a regular basis. So was chatting with a friend today, who's looking for a woman. Tried to interview him to get description and promised to put it here as a wanted-ad. This is his description: " ". A whole lotta nothing. I take it that he doesn't know what he is looking for. Any woman takers out there who wants a guy who doesn't know his own USP?

Zürich is No 1

Front page of Heute today tells me that Zürich enjoys the highest purchase power in the world. As if I didn't know. Once again, Zürich No 1.

Famous Swiss

How many do you recognize? They even had to put Bridget Jones in there to fill up a page! http://www.about.ch/various/famous-swiss.html

Ken Lee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RgL2MKfWTo

What does this remind you of?

This is the beginning of the feuerzangenbowle...say no more.

Feuerzangenbowle

Tonight I'm invited to something called Feuerzangenbowle. It sounds kinda hmmm, how can I put it, not so good. But I like the sound of caramelizing, is it like sweets? Soon I will know. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feuerzangenbowle PS. I didn't really get an answer to my question yesterday. I guess it's hard to compare with something you never had.

Bad idea

Why fat people shouldn't bungeejump.

Strap-on

A conversation today with English girl. Started out we had been to the toilet together, you know the way women do. Mind you, not the same actual toilet. I complained that I had one of these days where I pee a lot for no apparent reason. The body's way of telling me I have too much fluid in me. So, complaining in general about being a woman, but pointing out that I didn't want a sex change. That's when she said thoughtfully "I wonder what it would be like to be a man?". So I suggested she'd try walking around with a strap-on for a day... PS. Having dinner with gay friend this evening. Will ask what it's like and report back.

Tenerife - nightlife

One night we had dinner at a fancy place. So fancy that they had a piano-player. Mind you, it was more machines than player but never mind. My friend had taken salsa classes, and as you know so had I. So we went for it. After I went to the ladies, and was approached by this somewhat older lady. She said "I just want to say you danced fantastically. Stan and I used to do that too before I had my dual hip replacement". Hmmm. Told my friend when back on the dancefloor and gentleman as he is, he suggested we changed partners. Meaning I got to dance with the man with big belly and bad breath, but must admit ever so nice. The couple told us they were 156 years old together. Yes, Tenerife rocks. Sort of...

Tenerife - umbrella drink

Yum! A real pina colada.

Tenerife - the service

Isn't this cute?

Tenerife - rockin'

And a different type of entertainment. This band rocked!

Tenerife - the entertainment

This guy was great! I love opera.

Tenerife - eco

Even the Tenerifians think energy these days...

Tenerife - building site

And the other view.

Tenerife - the view

The nice one.

Tenerife - afternoon delight

Mango and passion fruit...mmmmmm.

Tenerife - the wide blue yonder

Excellent view when contemplating life.

Tenerife - the beach

Nice temperature but not quite enough for me to dip a toe into the ocean.

Tenerife - back in town

Hello losers :)...ya miss me? Been travelling in style (well, not the actual travel obviously) but the accommodation. Check this out:

http://www.dreamplacehotels.com/eng/index.asp?secc=/gtacande/hotel

Best breakfast buffet I've come across in my short life. There were tables left, right and center with freshly baked bread, cheese, ham, sausages, fried, boiled and scrambled eggs, omelettes, marmelades, muesli, fresh fruit and juices. You name it, they had it. I tell ya freshly squeezed strawberry juice in the morning is something else.

Not to mention the strawberry daiquiries I enjoyed in the evenings.