Yes, I am ironing my husbands shirts. Just taking a break between shirt number 3 and shirt number 4 to reflect on the fact that I have never ironed my husband's anything before. (Since I discovered an industrial-strength steamer a few years back, I have not ironed for myself either.)
It's such an engrained visual to anyone who grew up watching Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best, My 3 Sons, etc... The mom/wife stays home and takes care of the children and home and one of the duties therein is ironing.
Admittedly, there is something relaxing about ironing. And I do like the look of a nice, freshly laundered and pressed shirt. Hmmm.
That's all I guess. It's nice to do things for your mate. And presently I have the time to do things like iron his shirts and so that is what I am doing. I don't feel like a 50's throw back - In fact I'm not wearing a dress, pearls or even an apron.
Just call me little old Frau Harbaugh, feminist, ex-pat and ironer.
25 February 2008
24 February 2008
let's not get too exited ... but ...
After having a 'poor kristen' day mostly due to the lack of prospects in the apartment department, it ended on a surprising upnote. We went to see a place not too far from the Brocki-Land where I had been a few days earlier on my field trip (giant thrift store). It is a somewhat hip, young neighborhood, and though I am not in love with the area per se, I could see us being happy there and it is well-located for our needs.
As has been the case with almost all apartments we've gone to see, there were scads of other prospective renters there, all serious and pushing by one another in order to get a better look at the place. As we checked the place out, I noticed that there were several things on the apartment walls that either directly or indirectly referenced New York City.
Not thinking twice about it, I went up to the woman in charge - whom I expected to be from the rental agency and not to speak much english - and asked if she was the owner. She said yes and then switched from her perfect Swiss German to her perfect English. She said she had lived in NYC for several years. I told her that I had lived there too and we chit chatted about 'the old days' from there. I tried to be respectful of the fact that people were trying to get her ear and ask questions about the place while keeping our dialog going, but didn't feel too guilty as it is clearly every person for her/himself in these situations.
As we left, I told her I would bring by our packet (all the recommended papers for which to rent a place) the next day. We smiled and shook hands and walked the two flights down to the street. There is a local pub just steps from the building and I enticed Mark to join me for a pint as a show of something - good luck - I don't really know, but I thought that raising a glass at what could be our new local watering hole couldn't be anything but good at this point.
Please keep your fingers crossed for us. It would be SO fabulous to know we had a place and to start our lives over here for real!
***********************************
**********************************************
It was a gorgeous day of about 60 degrees here Saturday so we set out for a field trip down the lake. (I have spent the better part of the last hour trying to find a map of Zurich and more specifically the lake to show you where we are and where we went, but to no avail - will keep trying...)
We took the train down the West side of the lake, which was just gorgeous - people with their dogs and children in tow walking along the countryside, past villas, near the lake - really beautiful. We arrived about an hour later in the old city of Rapperswil.
We walked along the tree-lined path below the ancient church, which is more like a castle. The Alps were 'out' that day - what a sight. There are many quaint shops and restaurants along the cobblestone streets and we took our time meandering. We made a stop in the Bang and Olufsen store just to see how much it might set us back were we to purchase one of their amazing sound systems. (Needless to say, it will not happen any time soon...) We stopped in art galleries and antique stores browsing and checking in with one another regarding styles and tastes. (We're running about 80% on the same page, which I think is good ... better if he'll just realize that what I say goes ...)
As much as is made around here of how much people speak/understand English, I still don't hear v. many people speaking it as I walk around. So when we heard a few men and a little boy speaking English outside a train store, I found myself wanting to speak to them. The little boy's name is Charlie and we talked about Thomas the Train and named some of Thomas' friends then agreed that the trains at this store were different, mostly because they did not have faces. How sweet.
We had wanted to see a few movies this weekend, especially as the Oscars are tonight and I do like to be able to see a good number of the films that are in the running for awards, but we didn't end up making it to see any. We also tried to see a few at home on itunes - they have a new movie rental option which has worked once for us and 3 other times has failed and crashed the computer. Of course this happened after we paid the $3.99 for each ... We'll see how good Apple's customer service is.
It's funny how when I could have watched the Oscars the last few years at home in front of my own television, I didn't. Well, truthfully I think I watched a few moments but was more interested in watching Jon Stewart than the giving of awards and musical performances and long-winded speeches and stiff introductions ... Now, when for some reason I would really like to watch the show, I cannot, both because it would be on starting at 2am and because we don't have cable. Oh well. I will check out Cinema Goulash tomorrow when I awaken to get all the gory details. Keep your fingers crossed that Hal Holbrook wins for Best Supporting Actor - not likely, but he really deserves it - an amazing performance in Into the Wild.
We're watching Out of Africa in German. I love and know that film so well that it was/is actually interesting hearing it in another language. (Even though I think German is so not a romantic language to listen to) This film is one of the reasons I have always adored Robert Redford and admired Meryl Streep. Watch it again if you haven't in a while. Devastating and amazing. Who wouldn't want RR to wash her hair?
As has been the case with almost all apartments we've gone to see, there were scads of other prospective renters there, all serious and pushing by one another in order to get a better look at the place. As we checked the place out, I noticed that there were several things on the apartment walls that either directly or indirectly referenced New York City.
Not thinking twice about it, I went up to the woman in charge - whom I expected to be from the rental agency and not to speak much english - and asked if she was the owner. She said yes and then switched from her perfect Swiss German to her perfect English. She said she had lived in NYC for several years. I told her that I had lived there too and we chit chatted about 'the old days' from there. I tried to be respectful of the fact that people were trying to get her ear and ask questions about the place while keeping our dialog going, but didn't feel too guilty as it is clearly every person for her/himself in these situations.
As we left, I told her I would bring by our packet (all the recommended papers for which to rent a place) the next day. We smiled and shook hands and walked the two flights down to the street. There is a local pub just steps from the building and I enticed Mark to join me for a pint as a show of something - good luck - I don't really know, but I thought that raising a glass at what could be our new local watering hole couldn't be anything but good at this point.
Please keep your fingers crossed for us. It would be SO fabulous to know we had a place and to start our lives over here for real!
***********************************
**********************************************It was a gorgeous day of about 60 degrees here Saturday so we set out for a field trip down the lake. (I have spent the better part of the last hour trying to find a map of Zurich and more specifically the lake to show you where we are and where we went, but to no avail - will keep trying...)
We took the train down the West side of the lake, which was just gorgeous - people with their dogs and children in tow walking along the countryside, past villas, near the lake - really beautiful. We arrived about an hour later in the old city of Rapperswil.
We walked along the tree-lined path below the ancient church, which is more like a castle. The Alps were 'out' that day - what a sight. There are many quaint shops and restaurants along the cobblestone streets and we took our time meandering. We made a stop in the Bang and Olufsen store just to see how much it might set us back were we to purchase one of their amazing sound systems. (Needless to say, it will not happen any time soon...) We stopped in art galleries and antique stores browsing and checking in with one another regarding styles and tastes. (We're running about 80% on the same page, which I think is good ... better if he'll just realize that what I say goes ...)
As much as is made around here of how much people speak/understand English, I still don't hear v. many people speaking it as I walk around. So when we heard a few men and a little boy speaking English outside a train store, I found myself wanting to speak to them. The little boy's name is Charlie and we talked about Thomas the Train and named some of Thomas' friends then agreed that the trains at this store were different, mostly because they did not have faces. How sweet.
We had wanted to see a few movies this weekend, especially as the Oscars are tonight and I do like to be able to see a good number of the films that are in the running for awards, but we didn't end up making it to see any. We also tried to see a few at home on itunes - they have a new movie rental option which has worked once for us and 3 other times has failed and crashed the computer. Of course this happened after we paid the $3.99 for each ... We'll see how good Apple's customer service is.
It's funny how when I could have watched the Oscars the last few years at home in front of my own television, I didn't. Well, truthfully I think I watched a few moments but was more interested in watching Jon Stewart than the giving of awards and musical performances and long-winded speeches and stiff introductions ... Now, when for some reason I would really like to watch the show, I cannot, both because it would be on starting at 2am and because we don't have cable. Oh well. I will check out Cinema Goulash tomorrow when I awaken to get all the gory details. Keep your fingers crossed that Hal Holbrook wins for Best Supporting Actor - not likely, but he really deserves it - an amazing performance in Into the Wild.
We're watching Out of Africa in German. I love and know that film so well that it was/is actually interesting hearing it in another language. (Even though I think German is so not a romantic language to listen to) This film is one of the reasons I have always adored Robert Redford and admired Meryl Streep. Watch it again if you haven't in a while. Devastating and amazing. Who wouldn't want RR to wash her hair?
21 February 2008
so wrong it's right
Check out this blog. I don't think I'll be the only one who finds it amuzing. I started with this film festival entry and couldn't stop reading .... the comments from people are equally amusing -people get so riled up... is this wrong? Am I a bad person? Likely yes on both asks.
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/2008/01/18/3-film-festivals/
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/2008/01/18/3-film-festivals/
19 February 2008
films, field trips and faux pas
5 days in Zurich and I'm faring well so far. This is a photo I took in our bathroom just before I headed out on my 1st solo adventure. (Other than to the mall/grocery/Starbucks...)While browsing on some of the ex-pat sites/blogs I have happened upon some great info. One such bit had to do with places where one could find furniture and home goods that was not either IKEA nor a crazily expensive boutique. As anyone who knows me well can imagine, when I heard that it was like a GoodWill/Salvation Army with lots of art, I had to check it out.
I looked at the still unpacked suitcases and piles I have already created (sorry M. I can't seem to help myself ... don't they say something about brilliant, creative minds thriving in clutter-filled surroundings? Yeah - that's it...) and I decided it all could wait. I was going on a fiel
d trip.I was v. proud of myself as I did not know where this place was, other than the address I found on their site. The tram/bus that would get me there was no where near our apt. or area, but I was bound and determined to find my way. Needless to say, I did. And this is what I found...
Imagine an underground parking lot filled with walls of paintings and other art, chairs, furniture, clothes, electronics, pottery, china, lighting, books and so much more. It was pretty cool. And good that I had about an hour there before Mark arrived, as he can only stand about 10 minutes (tops) in such places. I can't wait to go back on a rainy day with time to browse through the racks and racks of paintings. There was a fairly good selection of books in English and I grabbed an armful which spanned from my chin to as long as my shorter-than-average arms would go. Some good ones too: Vanity Fair, Persuasion, an Evelyn Waugh, a book on how to be a good butler - always important to know - and a handful of others, all for about $18. This may not sound like the deal of the century, but here it is. The only place that sells books in English new in Zurich is known for being incredibly expensive and limited in its selection. This is another oft-visited topic in the threads on the ex-pat sites - where to find affordable books in English.
I half joked about starting a quaint English bookstore when I got here upon initially hearing that the above was true. Maybe it's not such a crazy idea afterall.
We've watched several films since I arrived - both at the theater and at home. I had received Away From Her from the SAG Awards before I left and we watched that over the weekend. Julie Christie is really fabulous and looks amazing. Worth seeing for sure. I'd be v. interested in hearing others' reviews (esp. my film friends - you know who you are...)
We went to the theatre - at $18 a pop! - on Saturday night to see There Will Be Blood. I had been dying to see Daniel Day Lewis' performance. Good film. I don't think it is Best Film. He was amazing as usual, but I do think that his character was somewhat similar to the one he played in Gangs of NY. It's crazy, but they always have an intermission during films here. If you have to use the loo or are a smoker, I suppose its a welcome break, but for me, it was just a jerk out of the reality that had been created on screen. (And they didn't even break between scenes - right in the middle of one....)
I have discovered that itunes has movie rentals and since we have only 5 channels on the TV and only one (CNN Europe) is in English, I decided we might need to try this online rental thing out. After a few aborted and crashed attempts, we were able to watch Mr. Brooks and Live Free and (or?)Die Hard. I think I purchased a cable to connect my laptop to the computer so the next one we can watch on the tv, but the first 2 - after waiting about an hour to load -we watched in bed on the little screen. Cute - yes. Comfortable - for about 10 minutes. Practical - no.
Still no luck in the apt. dept. saw one this afternoon and will see another one tonight. I will feel SO much better when we have that settled. (And when the house in NH sells too.) This is the outside of the place we are in now. The neighborhood is great and the place is growing on me. It's fabulous to be able to walk to work with M. in the a.m. to go to the gym and to be so close to so much but still in a fairly quiet neighborhood.
We went to the American Comedy Theatre on Monday night where they were having a reading of A.R. Gurney's Love Letters. It was fantastic - the reading and the group. V. friendly and happy to have some 'fresh blood' potentially in the group. I am v. excited about the possibility of being involved with this English-based theater group and plan on going every week to the readings, helping backstage during their upcoming production and finding out more about their improv group! I needed that. A little taste of home I guess. Kind of. Well, not really, but being in a room of people who all spoke English was great.
I have downloaded a few podcasts onto my ipod which are basic German and new lessons daily. I find myself thinking in Spanish and even French so maybe that is good? I am going to start immersion German in a week or so.
I talked to my mom today. She is recovering well from her hip replacement. She is amazing. Now 3 parts bionic. Wow. She got her passport in the mail, which is v. exciting. Her v. 1st one! Now get over here, Ellen (and Diane, and Sandy, and Coletti and Pam)!
I think I'm gonna like it here. So far, so good. Now if we can just get in some skiing before the snow is all gone...
15 February 2008
home is where your 7 suitcases are waiting to be unpacked
I'm sitting at Starbucks. Yup. Perhaps not ideal, but I knew how to get here from the apartment and knew they had free internet connection.(what they don't have is American electrical outlets so this may be shortlived....) Adam behind the counter - from Egypt - was v. kind and even taught me a little German and said I could come in and practice speaking anytime. The music is great and I'm catching little bits of conversations as well. I won't even tell you how much my non-fat latte with a pump of mocha was ....
I have decided that the best way for me to get on Swiss time when I arrive from the US is just to sleep until I'm on their schedule. This meant going to sleep when we arrived yesterday at noon-ish, (poor M. had to go straight to work) waking up at 6, having a little bite for dinner and then bed again at 9pm. We both awoke at 1am, chatted, did a crossword puzzle together and were asleep again by 2am. Mark got up at 8:30, I dozed and then went back to full-on sleeping after he left until about 3pm. Now I feel great!
I'm sure that the fact that I am still fighting the ole' Bronchitis helps with the sleeping... my only word of caution to anyone who might undertake such a bout of mini-Rumplestilskin-like-ness .... beware the dreams that will fall upon you! I seem to forget about this until I sleep too much or off-schedule - it never fails and the dreams and characters stay with me for days... Things and people from the past that may remain unsettled/unsettling will likely appear and visit in the most odd and confusing ways. My brow is still furrowed as I type. I think this might call for a long journal entry to attempt to exorcise these little demons...
I took some photos today and will take more over the weekend and promise to have a plethora for all to check out early next week.
Low battery. Must sign off. Guten Abend.
I have decided that the best way for me to get on Swiss time when I arrive from the US is just to sleep until I'm on their schedule. This meant going to sleep when we arrived yesterday at noon-ish, (poor M. had to go straight to work) waking up at 6, having a little bite for dinner and then bed again at 9pm. We both awoke at 1am, chatted, did a crossword puzzle together and were asleep again by 2am. Mark got up at 8:30, I dozed and then went back to full-on sleeping after he left until about 3pm. Now I feel great!
I'm sure that the fact that I am still fighting the ole' Bronchitis helps with the sleeping... my only word of caution to anyone who might undertake such a bout of mini-Rumplestilskin-like-ness .... beware the dreams that will fall upon you! I seem to forget about this until I sleep too much or off-schedule - it never fails and the dreams and characters stay with me for days... Things and people from the past that may remain unsettled/unsettling will likely appear and visit in the most odd and confusing ways. My brow is still furrowed as I type. I think this might call for a long journal entry to attempt to exorcise these little demons...
I took some photos today and will take more over the weekend and promise to have a plethora for all to check out early next week.
Low battery. Must sign off. Guten Abend.
12 February 2008
all packed up and nowhere to go
We almost made it through the day yesterday without having anything we would immediately need being packed up by the movers and placed in the huge shipping container on its way to Zurich. Almost. Not that I really need my inhaler for the Bronchitis I was just beginning to get over. (Strangely, it seems to be back in my lungs full-force this am - a result of not adhering to prescribed inhaler regimen or a bi-product of just knowing that I couldn't have/use it even if I wanted to?....hmmm.)
Yesterday was insane on many levels. I woke up at 5 to go and pick my mom up and take her to the hospital to get her hip replaced. We had a quiet ride - neither of us wanting to speak of my leaving in 48 hours nor what lay ahead for her later that morning.
We got her settled and the drugs began to kick in when Nurse Nahla asked, "Is there anything you want to make sure the doctor knows before the surgery?" Mom answered groggily, "I want my scars to be even." (She had her other hip replaced a few years ago by the same doc.) I added, "She's a swimsuit model." I found it funny, even though each time I used that line - there were many nurses coming in asking the very same questions - I got mostly odd, puzzled looks in return. Mom smiled and rolled her eyes. Oh those Vermilyea broads, always making inappropriate comments/jokes at inappropriate times. Got to love us.
I left the hospital as soon as they wheeled mom to the operating room and headed back to packing central. This whole moving internationally thing is nothing to sneeze at I'm realizing...
Yesterday was insane on many levels. I woke up at 5 to go and pick my mom up and take her to the hospital to get her hip replaced. We had a quiet ride - neither of us wanting to speak of my leaving in 48 hours nor what lay ahead for her later that morning.
We got her settled and the drugs began to kick in when Nurse Nahla asked, "Is there anything you want to make sure the doctor knows before the surgery?" Mom answered groggily, "I want my scars to be even." (She had her other hip replaced a few years ago by the same doc.) I added, "She's a swimsuit model." I found it funny, even though each time I used that line - there were many nurses coming in asking the very same questions - I got mostly odd, puzzled looks in return. Mom smiled and rolled her eyes. Oh those Vermilyea broads, always making inappropriate comments/jokes at inappropriate times. Got to love us.
I left the hospital as soon as they wheeled mom to the operating room and headed back to packing central. This whole moving internationally thing is nothing to sneeze at I'm realizing...
08 February 2008
Bronchitis, baby
It's the final countdown and while I'm supposed to be finishing up here at the house, I have spent the past almost 10 days fighting the flu which has, as I found out upon visiting the Dr. yesterday, turned into Bronchitis. Fantastic.
I'm feeling slightly better today which is good, as I will be heading to Logan in a few hours to pick up Mark! It's been over 5 weeks we've been apart - too long!
My amazing friends, Heather McClintock and Mark Malloy flew me to NC to visit them before I take off for Europe. I felt like I was fighting a slight cold before I headed down last Saturday but I figured it was nothing... (I suppose the fact that my 4 hour trip turned into an over 13 hour affair and ended with lost luggage did not help) but come the following morning, I was bed-ridden and pretty much not the ultimate house guest.
Thank goodness (and lucky for me) Heather and Mark are the ultimate care takers and other than being in my own bed, I couldn't have asked for a better place to convalesce. We all watched the Super Bowl from the 'sickbed' as Mark made notes on the commercials for his media class and Heather and I acted like 12 y/olds. Sad loss for the Pats, but I was actually happy that NY won as they really outplayed NE and deserved it.
I'll skip all the gory details, but let's just say that I have not been this ill since I can remember. Thank you, thank you, thank you to H & M for taking such great care of me and feeding me medicine, listening to me moan with my aches and pains, watching whatever I wanted and laughing through it all. So if you're ever in Boone, NC and not feeling so well ...
Just before I headed to NC, my new neice, Kaitlyn Samantha Vermilyea was born. Mom Jodi, dad Seth and big brother Ryan are all doing well. I'm really happy that Mark will get to meet her this weekend before we move and know that he is too.
I just found a George hair on my laptop. v. sad. but okay. He is doing very well. Juli checks in with me all the time and asks, "Did he do this with you?" etc... and tells me cute things he's done (like jumping over the fence - again). He is v. popular with the dogs in their posse and reportedly has several girl (and boy) friends.
Mark and I talked about going to see him before we leave for good, but we decided that it would be too difficult. Selfish? Maybe. I don't know. I do know that he is with people who really love him and take fabulous care of him. So that is pretty great. (Thank you, thank you, thank you, J & J!)
This weekend will be filled with packing, organizing, going through check lists and trying to squeeze in a few goodbyes. My mom is getting her hip replaced on Monday so that is on all of our minds as well.
The movers come Monday and Tuesday and together we'll fly out on Wednesday. We will arrive in Zurich on Valentine's Day. How sweet. I think it will be the perfect beginning to our new life together.
I'm feeling slightly better today which is good, as I will be heading to Logan in a few hours to pick up Mark! It's been over 5 weeks we've been apart - too long!
My amazing friends, Heather McClintock and Mark Malloy flew me to NC to visit them before I take off for Europe. I felt like I was fighting a slight cold before I headed down last Saturday but I figured it was nothing... (I suppose the fact that my 4 hour trip turned into an over 13 hour affair and ended with lost luggage did not help) but come the following morning, I was bed-ridden and pretty much not the ultimate house guest.
Thank goodness (and lucky for me) Heather and Mark are the ultimate care takers and other than being in my own bed, I couldn't have asked for a better place to convalesce. We all watched the Super Bowl from the 'sickbed' as Mark made notes on the commercials for his media class and Heather and I acted like 12 y/olds. Sad loss for the Pats, but I was actually happy that NY won as they really outplayed NE and deserved it.
I'll skip all the gory details, but let's just say that I have not been this ill since I can remember. Thank you, thank you, thank you to H & M for taking such great care of me and feeding me medicine, listening to me moan with my aches and pains, watching whatever I wanted and laughing through it all. So if you're ever in Boone, NC and not feeling so well ...
Just before I headed to NC, my new neice, Kaitlyn Samantha Vermilyea was born. Mom Jodi, dad Seth and big brother Ryan are all doing well. I'm really happy that Mark will get to meet her this weekend before we move and know that he is too.
I just found a George hair on my laptop. v. sad. but okay. He is doing very well. Juli checks in with me all the time and asks, "Did he do this with you?" etc... and tells me cute things he's done (like jumping over the fence - again). He is v. popular with the dogs in their posse and reportedly has several girl (and boy) friends.
Mark and I talked about going to see him before we leave for good, but we decided that it would be too difficult. Selfish? Maybe. I don't know. I do know that he is with people who really love him and take fabulous care of him. So that is pretty great. (Thank you, thank you, thank you, J & J!)
This weekend will be filled with packing, organizing, going through check lists and trying to squeeze in a few goodbyes. My mom is getting her hip replaced on Monday so that is on all of our minds as well.
The movers come Monday and Tuesday and together we'll fly out on Wednesday. We will arrive in Zurich on Valentine's Day. How sweet. I think it will be the perfect beginning to our new life together.
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