Christmas presents no

When you have reached the respectable age than I have, you realize you have everything you need. Unless explicitly stated, I do not want presents anymore. Nor do I want "events", no massage sessions, no tickets to anything, no type of cultural experiences. Seen it, done it, been there and didn't buy the t-shirt.

Unless they are consumables of course, preferrably liquid :).

But seriously, I hate it when I receive something that I do not like, and have to smile and appear to be grateful. Not that I'm not, but it's just gonna be another dust collector. And my cupboards are pretty full already.

I have bought one present this year, and that's for the wee one. A book. Educational, since that baby already has enough toys and clothes for an army of kids.

But liquids, serviettes, candles and the likes, they are welcome for people who cannot help themselves and feel the need to buy something.

Unless you wanna buy me a sofa of course...

Fire!

It's one of those days. Snow, snow, snow outside, cold and unfriendly. Better to stay in and watch a fire.

Just a joke

Did you know that rhinos don't eat gnu? They are gnuten allergic. Hahahaha.

Christmas is acoming

Prep for Christmas, it is December!

Oops, I dunno how a cat snuck in there all of a sudden! I guess she likes the purple.

A wee drink

To recover from the shock I went for a wee drink at my (almost) very own place. Well, at least it should be by now, counting on all the money I invested there!

Always a pleasure, and pretty full for being an afternoon!

It takes all sorts

It is interesting, the people you meet through friends. Today I met up with an Irish man who doesn't drink and hate bars. Seriously? Gosh, does he live in the wrong country!

I mean what do I know about Ireland? It's what most people know I guess, and I love generalizing, so here goes: it's the green island, it's full of bars which have been exported to the rest of the world, and people are out drinking and having fun. It's also what I experienced visiting there.

On top of that I know that Ireland decades ago tried a favourable tax regime for companies, trying to attract business. Which worked to some extent.

That's about it.

I also met a woman who hates cats! Not just dislike them but hate them! It's apparently the purring that puts her off.

Apart from that they were nice, but what is the world coming to?

Freeze cheese

I have a new friend who doesn't know me yet. Last time we met she brought cheese. It is fine with friends who wants to bring things, although not required.

At dinner we didn't finish all of the cheese, and she said that I could keep it. Freeze it, since apparently cheese is good frozen. I don't understand. Cheese stays good in the fridge for weeks, why would I freeze it? And why did she think that I would throw it away? I would never throw away food. At least not good food.

And thanks, just enjoyed the last few slices. It tasted fresh.

Not trustworthy

Every time I get a letter from the police (yes, they send me updates on boat related issues) or the tax authorities, I get worried. Not because I am guilty of a crime, but because I am worried I have done something wrong without meaning to do so. I guess I have a healthy respect for authorities.

Today I got a letter from the tax authorities, which kinda excited me since I know I overpaid taxes last year and expect a substantial amount back. You know, you send your tax return in at the end of March each year, but ze Swiss are slow and I thought, yay I'll get it back this year at least.

But no. Despite the fact that they have all my financial information correctly reported for 2011, they wanted a further confirmation of my lack of income for a period last year.

And as a trigger they attached a sheet telling me what could happen if I do not report correct information. Up to 10,000 francs it could cost me. Nice touch.

So now I have to sign again for something I already reported, send it in and who knows how long I have to wait for the return of the money that is rightfully mine. Mind you, the government gives a much better interest rate than any bank, so I might turn out to be the winner in the end.

Priorities

It's funny how we prioritize in life. I agonized quite a bit before I decided to invest in my fabulous but expensive bed. Haven't regretted it though. My back problems are gone, and I sleep like a baby every night. Worth every penny I would say.

My good friend on the other hand, decided to buy a new car. To the cost of two of my fab beds, and despite that he has two other cars already. Plus the fact that he has some back problems and a 20-year-old bed. What was he thinking?

Role model

My mother was a model, an underwear model. In those days it wasn't a big deal, and you didn't need to weigh like 40 kg's in order to succeed. She just travelled around, showing bras and corsets to men who were buying. I know, it sounds funny but was totally fine back then. I travelled with her.

I remember sleeping in train carriages on the top shelf...there were three on each side in the sleeping quarters on the train. I slept good, not sure my Mum did.

So she modelled, while I was sitting outside in the stairs playing with a doll or similar, and waiting for her to join again. I might have been 3 or 4 years old at the time.

Sometimes I stayed home with my Dad. I remember him being a very bad cook. One time he served meat with a sauce, and the sauce was so thick a spoon would stand up in it. I complained, but he just thought I was picky. My Dad was a proud man, he would never admit to being wrong. Some people say I'm just like him.

It may be true, but I aim to be like my mother. Kind, accepting and always open for new things.

Only she told me about a train ride when I met my first black man. In those days black people were not common. I screamed.

But it wasn't because of the skin colour of this man, it was because I had squeezed my finger. I remember my mother telling me how embarrassing it was and how much she apologized to the man.

So where am I going with this? Not sure. Just a memory that popped up.

No beef

Said to a vegetarian: "I have no beef with you". Haha, I am so funny!

Memory as a chicken

This morning I made a fantastic sandwich. It reminded me of my last boyfriend. When I used to travel a lot, he always made me a great sandwich to enjoy on the flight and there was always a note packed with it like "I love you" or something. Yeah, I know, pathetic but nice at the time.

Anyway, fresh baguette, strong mustard, Gruyere cheese and marinated cucumber. Yum!

And then I left it in the fridge. It wasn't quite the same enjoying it this evening I must admit, but there you go. Is it called Alzheimer light?

Married with child

I seem to come across children a lot lately. And there is such a difference in the parents. Recently I met up with a fairly new mother, who had a very easygoing way with her 9-month-old kid. He was there, she was carrying him, but he wasn't the center of attention as so many kids are these days.

He was there, and mostly he was happy, and when he wasn't she just rocked him a bit and he went to sleep. Mind you, I dunno if it has anything to do with him having to eat lightly cooked cauliflower and broccoli (yes, Mum is a vegetarian and I felt for the kid!). Perhaps he fell asleep out of boredom?

And when we were parting she mentioned in passing; "oh, btw I got married last week".

Easygoing is the word of the week.

Onion festival

I ventured out of Zürich today! All the way to Bern! They have a famous onion festival (why I do not know) every year, and I heard so much about it.

Gotta say though, big disappointment. You really had to look for the onions, it seemed more to be just like any carnival/festival to me.

And who wants to pay more than 20 francs for a ring of onions?

And what was all the stuff with throwing confetti around and banging people with hammers in the head? I wished the hammers were real, when a kid threw confetti straight into my face!

So even though it cost me 94 friggin francs for a return ticket to Bern (SBB, I might have to reevaluate all the good things I said about you before!), it was worth it to meet a good friend I hadn't seen in a long time.

Another birthday party

Went to a birthday party yesterday, a grown-up one this time. That didn't stop kids from showing up, but this time it was only two. Two very different ones.

One was polite, quiet and playing on his own. Never bothered anybody.

The other one demanded attention at all times, was crying, no not crying, screaming when something didn't go her way, ate all the time, spilled and put crumbs everywhere.

You know, I don't blame the kids, I very much blame the parents. There should some kinda driving license to have children.

Too bad I don't like'm much, I would've been a great parent. Borders, rules and love, that's all kids need.

The divorce flat

There are four flats in "my" building. And coincidentally two of them are changing tenants at the same time. Tonight two unknown people rang my door, turned out it was a couple moving in tomorrow and they wanted to present themselves. Nice.

We didn't speak for long, since they were of course busy, but I learned that they are moving together for the first time.

I refrained from telling them that everybody who has ever lived in that flat has divorced or separated. We call it the divorce flat.

Let's see how long they will last.

What's for dinner?

Yes, raclette. Which had to be explained to one of the guests. I guess nearly 5 years in Switzerland hadn't exposed him to the heaven of cheese. Well, some people take their time learning. Especially men.

It was a nice evening, and I was thinking about friendship. Friendship is many things, and can last a long time even if you live on different continents. But friendship in the immediate vicinity is nice, since it gives you the chance to talk about daily stuff and current issues.

And even if friends sometimes probe too much into things you don't wanna talk about, it's probably good in the end. Rather get things out of the system than keep it in is my motto.

And when friends leave and you feel good about the evening, that's what you want. I hope they come back soon!

Cat talk

Was out with a few friends tonight having drinks. Half the evening we were talking about our cats, all of us have them. It is fantastic. You can share experiences, talk about the difference between them and be secure in the feeling that nobody will be bored.

The opposite of a cat fight!

Sandwiches

I am one of these alcoholic-likes that binge-drink for weeks, then are dry for months, only with food. If I taste something I like, I can eat it for days.

Right now I'm in a sandwich-stage. Big lovely crusty baguettes with creme cheese, Gruyere, mustard (yes, something I learned here in Switzerland, mustard goes very well with cheese) and cucumber.

The mustard I have wasn't very strong though, and didn't give the right amount of sharpness to my sandwiches, so bought a new one today. Mustard injected with horseradish.

Used about the same amount I usually do, and whooooaaaahhh! Sweat was breaking out, I was gasping for air and running for water.

But scraping off some, I must say, it was delish!

Fudge!

Finally! I have tried and tried and tried to do this "knäck", the fudge-like Christmas delicacy four times now. And whaddayaknow, four times lucky.

Somehow it didn't work before, and I was blaming ze Swiss ingredient, because I did as I remembered it from when I was a kid and used to do it with Mum. I think my memory perhaps was a bit clouded.

Now I know the trick, apart from using a big-bottomed pan, it has to cook at a high temperature, and it has to be taken from the pan, clicked into little forms at the exact time. Which is difficult, 'cause it's sticky, sticks to the spoon, and you have to move quickly.

You can see from the pic that I tried when it wasn't quite done, those are lighter.

Anyway, now it's done and I think it's not called patience, it's called persistence and stubbornness. No way was I gonna admit I couldn't do it!