Harbaugh Hurlyburly

HHB moves to www.kristenvermilyea.com

2009-01-19T15:40:00.003+01:00

Well, after talking about it for what seems like years, I've finally made the final move to having all my cyber 'stuff' in one (convenient? - if you can spell my name - may not be any easier than Harbaugh Hurlyburly, but hey ... it's branding, right?) locale ... www.kristenvermilyea.com.

Not only will you find my blog there, but film and television clips, a few songs, some photos and great stuff from guest bloggers as well as other random people/thoughts/stuff ...

As it will likely be another year before the site is what/where/why/how I'd like it, please bear in mind that it (like me and us all - awww) is a work in progress and one which I am vowing to make a priority as the twilight of my 30's is upon me and I'd like to start of my 20's (yes, in Switzerland you get younger, not older! Hooray!Sigh - if only ...) with at least one project actually finished and not just floundering in/on my 'to-do' list (currently there are 322 items on said list. I'm not kidding ... No wonder it's such a chore to face each new day ...)

For those of you who would like to see the site that started it all, (I insist it stays up as it's so pretty and pink and so well done - site building and design is v. different now, but when this was designed by Shawn Gross almost 10 years ago (?! can that be true?) it was truly cutting-edge.) check out www.kristenvermilyea.us

I am a bit sad to leave Harbaugh Hurlyburly as I still love the name despite it being not at all easy to remember, spell or make sense of ... still ...

Thank you for reading HHB this past year (and a bit). I've loved your comments and ideas - I hope you'll come over to the new site and continue to be amused/educated (ha.) and warned.

3 things i saw today and one observation

2009-01-08T15:13:00.003+01:00

While riding the bus home from my 4th day of German class today, (going well, thanks - had 1st test today. got a 29/30 ... so lame - I forgot the word for country .. it's land ... sooo lame ... but I think I had one of the top scores in class so that's pretty cool...) I saw a polar bear riding a bike.

We kept catching up to him and then stopping at a busstop or stop light and he would pedal away. It was great. His feet (paws) were all white and matted down with mud from the wet road and when we managed to pull ahead of him, I saw that the head was not just a hat made to look like a head it was a full head with snout and all - I don't know how he (I guess I don't know for sure even if it was a he - but it would have been a v. large, tall she ...) was able to see and not crash into the bus, but he was v. steady on the bike. Everyone, from young to old snickered and giggled as we kept playing cat and mouse with him. Unfortunately, I don't think there were many kids on the bus - how they would have loved to see him!

I just want to know what he was doing in that suit and why ... and how and where to get one -

As we rode past the athletic fields by the University, I saw a bunch of little kids (under 7) on little plastic sleds laughing hysterically as they 'rode' down the 'hill'. The thing that made this sight so great was that the 'hill' was all of about a 1 degree grade. One would not likely even notice it if you were to walk down this decline, but it was enough for these kids - who I'm v. sure know that there are killer hills only about a 10 minute walk away - to have a blast on this v. cold day. Good stuff.

Lastly, when I stopped at the Migros - one of the 2 major grocery stores in ZH (the other being Coop) - to get a few things for dinner this evening, I was v. rudely encroached upon by a v.old and feisty woman. She could not seem to wait the 3 seconds it was taking me to pick out 4 clementines so literally elbowed her way infront of me and when I met her eye, she gave me a look which seemed to say, "What...? I'm not sure how long I've got anymore and I'm sorry, but
I need some clementines... do you see that guy behind me? My husband? Well he's likely got less time than me and if I don't get the clementines fast, he may wander out into the street or forget who I am, okay? Someday you'll understand and you'll push past younger produce-pickers too. Really." Our eyes only met for a few seconds but she really did seem to say all that.

I kept running into her and her shuffling husband in random aisles - they apparently shop like me - with no plan, pattern or logic - wandering from aisle 1 to 4 to 2 to 7 and back to the produce aisle again to see all the pretty colors together .... (oh and the fresh bread is baked in wafting-distance from the produce too - I'm not sure if this motivates her but it does me - if I can't eat it, I will always still try to smell it ...).

I wish I had my camera to show what she looked like. Thin, thin, thin. skinny stick legs donning too-short black pants with fishnet stockings sagging around her bony ankles and bunion-covered feet stuffed into 3 inch high block heeled pumps.

She wasn't wearing a fur coat as so many people (men and women) here wear, but a shiny, puffy, red coat that matched her red nails. She leaned on the cart while taking what I call tiny little 'Bette Midler' steps (I'm happy to show anyone who needs a demonstration...). All the while, her tall, surely formerly striking husband in his overcoat shuffled about 10 steps behind her, watching and obediently waiting.

Her hair was not white but blonde blonde blonde with barely any visible roots. Her make up was in place but barely - like it was starting to creep out of place and wander around her face - her red lips over-ran the natural lip-line and her pink cheeks had fallen from the apples to the sunken hollow beneath, but she was strangely beautiful.

I love that so many older people here really get 'dressed'. I used to dress up everyday. So much so that when I was in jr. high and high school, people always thought I was either older than I was or, in the case of college - a professor. Ha. I used to take such pride and got up early to create a new hair 'do', match my shoes to my purse, my hose, iron everything, etc... I still make an attempt but certainly not all the time and when I do it still seems no where near as polished as I used to be on a daily basis. I think I was the last kid to own jeans. I refused to wear pants for years. Odd kid.

But living here has inspired a new-found desire to rediscover this old me. I have yet to make more than a half-assed effort, but I'm thinking about it. I'll be sure to post photos if/when I ever really pull myself together...

Elf means 11

2009-01-05T17:36:00.003+01:00

Made it through my first day of German class. Shockingly, I was late (sooo not my fault - Mark was supposed to wake me up at 7:30 but decided to let me sleep until 8...). So we didn't get a 'first day of school' photo as I had envisioned, maybe a 2nd or 3rd or end of the 1st week of school photo ... we'll see (depends on if am looking good or not).

After getting lost and being so close to where I was supposed to be, I found the buliding and ran up to the office hoping they would give me the room number and I would only then be about 7 minutes late ... well, one woman looked at my paperwork and then entered a bunch of info into the computer and started shaking her head and speaking 'not English'. I kindly emplored, "if you'll just tell me the room number, I can come back and we can discuss other details at the break..." (smiling charmingly, of course). She ignored me and went to get another woman and this other woman informed me that the class was full and that I had not taken the test.

Test? What test? Mark registered me online and he can read German and said nothing about a test. When was I to take this test? And what about James? Did he need to take the test? He signed up for the class days after me - only 2 days ago. (James is James Moffatt, the great guy who originally hired Mark at Zuirch and has since left his position there and has the month of January off. He spoke excitedly about how we could drink wine and ski and go on little adventures while our spouses - both of whom speak German fluently - worked. Well, we spent Christmas day and a few fabulous days after with James and Lorna and I mentioned that I was planning on registering for the German class at Migros and Lorna jumped on that train, suggesting that it would be a great time for James to take a class as well. Though I'm sure he'd deny it, I felt him glare at me just then and I think he watered down my drinks for the rest of the night. So James heeded the 'boss' advice (his name for her, not mine) and signed up and was there early for the first day like a regular suck up.)

By the time the 3rd woman got involved I looked at the clock and it was now 9:25. I was ready to cry or blow a gasket and figured that I would go get some coffee and find out when the break was for the class and talk to James then and he'd be a peach and help me figure something out.

Just when I was about to give up all hope, the 4th woman, who was listening all along, said that James came 1/2 hour early and there was one space left so they didn't give him the test and let him in. (He, like me had already registered online but apparently this is just something to make you feel as though you are signing up - you still need to register in person ahead of time?!@%$) She took my paperwork and said we'd go up to the class and see if there were any spaces left and if so, then I could hopefully stay. (Again - when we registered online - there was plently of room ....)

I felt like a military kid whose parent had just been transferred to a new base and who was being led by the hand into this class full of strange, mean kids who would throw spit balls and whisper and to a teacher who would never forgive her not starting at the beginning of the year (day). I stood there with everyone gawking at me (including James) while my chaperone spoke in German at lighting speed with the teacher about me.

After what seemed like 10 minutes, the woman smiled and pushed me into the classroom while shutting the door behind her. I apologized (in German - I learned this early as I am often doing things for which I need to apologize) and went and sat in an empty seat next to James while the teacher, Sylvia said something about sitting next to my boyfriend. I protested briefly while James left me hanging in the wind but I didn't want to get into the whole 'James-is-my-husband's-ex-boss-who-has-January-off-because-he-doesn't-start-his-new-job-until-February-and-he-thought-he'd-take-the-class-with-me-instead-of-skiing ....'

After that beginning, I figured I could handle what came next so I put on my 'focus-hat' (it only works for about 20 minutes at a time,but without the hat, I'm only good for about 3 mins., tops) and listened to the German-only intruction and followed along in the workbook with the pretty pictures and spoke to Bruno and James who were my 'sprechen' partners (everyone else only got one - I have 2!).

I learned to say things like, 'my name is..', 'I am from...' 'what is your name...?' and how to count to 20 and a trick for going above 20 (the Germans say 2 and 20 and so on... of course they do.)

We had a proper break for 1/2 hour about 1/2 way through the class and James and I went to a little cafe near Hooters and had a coffee and a little cake. (So much for starting the healthy eating today...) Maybe I'll have learned enough German after my month of intensive classes to apply at Hooters. It sure would make me feel good to finally be a contributing part of the family. And think of all the great writing/charater material I would get! Hmm ....maybe...

Our teacher, Sylvia got a little warmer after our break and I decided that I didn't hate her, which is good as I really want to like this class and not be a quitter.

I won't say that the time flew, but it didn't drag either and in my book that is a v. good thing.

I think my favorite part of the class was learning that elf means eleven. I am v. proud of myself for not making one of my assinine jokes when she said and wrote 'elf'. It made me giggle on the inside and that was enough for today. It is funny, right? A little? Please? Is this thing on? Is anyone out there?

So now I have one hour of homework and did most of it on the tram home after buying 2 new wine glasses (I broke yet another good one this weekend ... shocking, I know) and a baby doll for my neice Kaitlyn's 1st birthday in a few weeks. (Note to self - you are ahead of the game buying it so early -birthday is the 31st - don't screw it up as always by not mailing for a few weeks ...)

I need a German/English dictionary to finish the rest of my vocab homework and will likely use the computer as all we seem to have here is the 'Jiffy German Phrasebook' which is not really working so far. (Lucky James and his electronic dictionary ...)

I will go back to school tomorrow and perhaps I'll even wake up early and put on a pretty frock and make Mark take a pix of me so you can all see how cute I am going to school and all. We'll see.

I'll just make sure I set my own alarm and try to go to bed before elf.

3 days into the new year and already breaking resolutions...

2009-01-03T22:28:00.002+01:00

I had promised myself that I would write/blog daily in the new year. Nothing like beginning the year with broken promises to oneself...

So many things I've wanted to blog about - people/trips/Zurich adventures and just the fabulous oddities of my life ... somehow, the more that time passes, it just seems like it's not 'news' anymore. But maybe that's just the wrong attitude.

Tomorrow I will pull myself up by the proverbial bootstraps and get down to business.

Stay tuned.

hbd to 2 of my v. fav. ppl.

2008-12-09T23:01:00.006+01:00

today is Jeanne Hoffman's birthday. I won't betray her age, but suffice it to say that she is almost as old as I, which means that she will not be in her 20's for much longer. She is a nurse practicioner - with lots of letters after her name - in SF and I am v. proud of her and still amazed that anyone with such a creative, liberal arts background could sail though (easy for me to say) all those yukky science classes in nursing school ... well done, my dear friend - Happy Birthday, beautiful!

Gale Giacobbe's birthday was the 6th. I won't betray her age either, but will say that she is older than I, so now you know she is in her early 30's. Gale started teaching yoga a few months ago after practing for many years and I am so proud and happy for her. She tries to make me do yoga when I visit her in Charlestown, but usually I have more fun drinkning wine, watching her and saying, "wow ... how long did it take you to learn how to do that one?" I'll be celebrating a belated birthday with Gale on Saturday night in Boston (on my way yo meet Mark in NYC for a week!) with 2 of my other v.v.v.v. best girlfriends, Juli and Maureen - and maybe Kristine and Heather too -(no pix of them - I'll post on their birthdays .... you'll just have to wait. As my mama always said, 'always leave 'em wanting more ...' - yes, I realize the context was likely different then, but hey, if the shoe fits ...)

long distance move

2008-12-09T22:30:00.008+01:00

Last weekend we helped our fabulous friends, Shannon and Dave move. They have a fabulous baby boy named Niko who sometimes likes to dress up like Elivs.

He is such a trooper what with all the hiking, traveling, dressing up, partying, moving, etc... really. great. kid. And he really digs me.

His dad, Dave and Mark carried most of the big/heavy stuff the looooonnnggg way from the top of the street where they were living in an apartment building that is scheduled to be demolished this Spring, to just below the top of the street where they now live in a fabulous house with only one set of neighbors who also happen to be their fabulous, San Francisco-throwback-hippie- type landlords.

There is a good sized yard where there were chickens until, sadly, the fox got them a few weeks before the move. Perhaps again in the future. They have a fabulous wood stove that has the cutest little warming drawer for the bread Shannon will be baking. And light! Lots of windows and lots of light!

Mark, ever the Eagle Scout, made a fabulous fire that we enjoyed for most of the evening while we drank v. difficult-to-open Prosecco, (thankfully no one lost an eye, though the men did complain of sore palms and biceps - note to self: buy them one of those sissy flappy-wing-type openers so this does not happen again when I am v. thirsty...) and lots of red wine along with a fabulous 'thrown together' meal of wheat pasta with black olives and sundried tomatoes, fresh parmesan cheese and olive oil. (This is after hours of snacking on cheese, nuts and dried fruits).

I had to laugh and ran and got the camera as Dave and Mark carried Niko's fully made and ready-to-nap-in crib from point A to point B. I don't think anyone counted the steps from point A to point B, but I'd venture to guess that is less than 50.

The only thing cuter than the boys and the crib was what I failed to get a photo of or even witness personally (as I was not there to help then): Shannon, with Niko strapped to her front, loaded down with bags and boxes, trying not to smash the baby going from point A to point B. I think Niko will appreciate his new digs even more as he helped move.

Here's to lots more fabulous times by the fire at Niko's place.

p.s. I know I said (wrote) fabulous 8 (9) times.

drum roll please ...

2008-12-04T19:57:00.005+01:00

The film I (not alone, I assure you ...) produced and starred in, Straight Forward was picked up for distribution by Echelon Studios and the trailer can now be seen at several sites including YouTube.com, Spike.com and IMDB.com, MySpace, BullitFilm and photobucket.

Please go to one or all sites and watch and vote/rate/comment if you would ... the more traffic we get, the more interest from other sales outlets and the faster we will be able to pay the people who worked on the film for free and the few brave souls that invested (thank you mom and thank you dad!)

I'll be sure to let everyone know when they can add it to their Netflix cue!

Thank you for your support!

A v. Zurich Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T15:57:00.012+01:00

We had the most fabulous Thanksgiving here in Zurich. Upstairs neighbors and friends, Sarah and Lukas co-hosted an 'upstairs/downstairs' party with us on Thursday night.

Our friends (below) Shannon and Dave and baby Niko (sleeping) and James (right) sans his fabulous bride, Lorna - who was working - were our guests and Sarah and Lukas had Gregory (a dance teacher) and Suzie (singer/teacher) from the school where Sarah teaches as well as Elizabeth (conductor/singer/music teacher) and a lovely guy from PEI who works at the University with Lukas. (There goes that memory again ... )

It didn't take long for the men to all realize they have a common love/thread/vocation/job/knowledge - science and math .... (I stayed far away) They are all now planning on having a boys night out and we women are thrilled as they all work too much and need it. Gregory stayed with the women during this time as he is well-versed in musical theatre and we needed someone to sing the male parts of all the songs we kept thinking of ...

We had appetizers at our place downstairs - leek and celeriac soup, cheese, fruits, nuts and bread with Prosecco and wine - then headed upstairs to their place for the main meal at their giant dining room table where we proceeded to stuff ourselves all the traditional American goodness, the we rolled ourselves back downstairs for homemade pumpkin pie and apple tart, coffee, tea and for some, more wine!

Sarah and I had a blast decorating and cooking all day. I was v. thankful that Sarah wanted to use my Grandmother's cherished Currier and Ives dishes as well as the napkins and runners I had made for our wedding. It's great to pull that stuff out and spend a few moments with the great memories they evoke. I made evergreen boughs and bought some fresh Mistletoe, which I don't know that I have ever seen in this pure, beautiful form.

Mark has been dubbed 'supreme turkey carver and gravy maker', a talent I had already witnessed in the states, but one which I was still impressed with this time around and was even more proud as he garnered an audience as he carved.

Sarah ordered 2 6kg organic, fresh turkeys and while that sounded like a good idea at the time, I think next time we may go smaller or fewer ... though they were delicious and it was actually quite fun creating our own new way of stuffing, seasoning and sewing them up.

We had my favorite meal of Thanksgiving sandwiches (soft bread, full-fat mayo, white meat turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and salt and pepper - Mark actually asked as I was making mine if I wanted lettuce!!@#$%^%$ silly boy .... lettuce?) * Friday and the next day (I caught Mark making a sneaky sandwich of ham and cheese ... he pleaded that he needed a turkey break) and we still had a giant pile of meat in the fridge so I found a great recipe for turkey frame soup with wheat pasta and made that yesterday.

*which leads me to the fact that Sarah asked about making a salad for Thanksgiving and while I would never begrudge anyone their salad and I even have been known to love the stuff myself, I have a rule about no salad on Thanksgiving .... I mean where would you put it? Both on the table and on one's plate and even in one's belly for that matter ... Why waste that prime stuffing belly space with healthy lettuce? I guess because we never had it growing up on Thanksgiving it's become a tradition that I now espouse and one which I can't see myself straying from anytime soon ....

Sarah came down and ate said soup with us last night and we also polished off the remnants of the pie and tart. But there was still soup left ... so guess what I just ate for lunch.?! ... yup. But that is IT - I am officially turkey-ed out.

(Suzie (L) Elizabeth (C) and Gregory (R)

i see (more) dead people

2008-10-29T11:55:00.007+01:00

So, for the 1st time EVER, I am not making my Halloween costume this year.

After some discussion, a few not-so-great ideas (middle-aged Barbie and Ken, Jim and Tammy-Faye Bakker, Gilligan and Ginger - again ...) and what I know was (is) my sweet husband's attempt at curtailing, containing and completely stopping (good luck with that ...) my making things and leaving what I like to call 'creative clutter' all over the apartment, we went to a costume shop not too far from our apartment to check out some other options ...

I'm not telling exactly what we ended up with, though I do promise photos after the party ... here are a few pix to sate you in the mean time .. notice Elvis' tie and my swell rubber rain boots!
We had fun playing dress up - (don't fret, neither of us donned anything risque or potentially embarrassing to any of the other shop's customers)

I left the final decision to M., as I was (am?) still a bit uneasy about paying to rent a costume - but know that it made (makes) him less stressed in the end, and that - of course - makes the hausfrau less stressed as well!

As we walked back to the bus stop, we realized it was v. near a new favorite place of ours (though I try to avoid it, as nothing there is on the current 'healthy/cleansing' diet ...). The Pie Shop is adorable and yummy. A true British fix right in Zurich. I took my mom when she was here and Mark and I have gone a few times for their Ploughman's Lunch.

Last night for the first time, they were not sold out of Shepherd's Pie and that made M. v. happy, which - of course - made me happy ... (see, I'm learning how this whole marriage thing works ...) so we got the grosse (large) one - still tiny compared to US standards - darn, I should have taken a photo ... it's about the size of a tiny UNO's personal pizza - like 5" I think - anyway ... we couldn't leave without getting some of their yummy chocolate chip cookies as well. Choc. chip cookies are not easy to find here and these are the flat, chewy, made with Crisco kind of cookies (I think) .. and that purchase actually made my husband SMILE! yes!

Next time I promise to take pix. Needless to say, it was a happy night full of pie, cookies, salad (for me...) the season 2 finale of Mad Men, me finishing knitting my shawl - finally made something for me!) and getting to sleep before midnight ... lovely.

dead celebrity mannequins and more broken glass

2008-10-22T14:58:00.009+02:00

While running errands with my fabulous upstairs neighbor, Sarah for her upcoming show - (she is a modern dancer from Canada who studied in NYC for years and she is performing with a opera singer in a show they've created about strong women characters through music and dance - it's really great) - I came upon a men's clothing store with these familiar-looking mannequins:

It made me sad, as it was just days after Paul Newman died and it was unmistakeably him ... but it wasn't as though the mannequin makers suddenly made this to honor his passing, I mean they must have had this for years ... and what about Luciano Pavarotti? He died in 2007 and here he is, as robust and big-bellied as ever, smiling and ready to sing. Next to Pavarotti was a mannequin that looked like Gerard Depardieu, and he's still alive, so there went my theory that this was a tribute window ... It was really odd. I mean, someone went to a lot of trouble and effort to create these characters and use them in this non-chain men's clothing store. There were no signs or labels or anything ... just Paul, Luciano, Gerard and some guy we could not identify (maybe I'll try to find the store again and take a photo of the other mannequin in hopes that one of my astute readers might be able to identify him ...)

And as for the broken glass, I guess I'll share the photos, though they are far from thrilling ... (on the left - the remnants of a sexy-looking memo and magnetic board for the kitchen - it matched the stainless steel and was not from the BrockiHaus so not really cheap, per se ... and it fell off the small counter it was leaning on after only one day! All I ever got to write on it was, "Welcome home, handsome!" Guess that's better than a grocery list ... on the right was a little IKEA lamp I got for the second guest room when my mom was here. Not really enough to be a reading lamp, but just enough to illuminate your way to and from the loo without the overhead lights on ... because we use my laptop as a tv to watch shows from itunes, etc... I constantly have to unplug my speakers and camera and microphone from my 'office' where I try to work during the day and schlep the power cord and laptop to the guest bedroom where we currently reside until we figure out what kind of bed we'd like in our room that still only serves as a dressing/ironing/dirty laundry room - needless to say - in my haste one day to get the 'media system' set up for us to watch the latest episode of MadMen, I tripped on the cord to the 15CHF lamp and shattered it. Brilliant.)

I keep telling myself to be happy that they were not mirrors ... but really - 3 big (well, one really big, one medium and one small) glass breaks in a matter of a month? Does that add up to a mirror? I hope not. ... All I know is that I am not buying anything breakable anytime soon and if I do, it is being hung correctly immediately ....

Lastly - I am putting the finishing touches on my new website and blog, which will be www.kristenvermilyea.com. This blog will forward to it when it's ready, not to worry ...

6 days, 16 films

2008-10-07T23:36:00.012+02:00

I spent much of last week watching films at the 4th Zurich Film Festival. I was fortunate to receive 'industry accreditation' so I got a pass (which I still had to pay for, though not as much as I would have had I not claimed to have been an actress, writer, producer, former film festival chair, lion tamer, fake tanner, fledgling cartographer and inventor of the Internet.

This is the list of films I watched: (the entire list can be found here) (Also - I'm only making a few comments here but that is really not enough ... if you are interested in hearing more, please send me a note and I'll tell all ... or perhaps I'll make my friend Matthew Newton, over at CinemaGoulash review them all...)

Brides of Allah - Doc - well done, about women who are now in prison for having attempted to be or have been involved with suicide bombing...scary stuff
My Life Inside - Doc - well-presented and heart-breaking story... not only about someone accused of a crime, but the larger story of how much of a fair trial can a poor Mexican get in a rich, white Texas town? - made me want to be a law student and work on the case, kind of..
Blindness - feature - interesting concept, but I would not encourage anyone to run out to the theatres and see it (stars Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo)
Mr. Rakowski - Doc - lots of moving stuff, but can seem a bit as though the son funded this film as therapy to attempt to connect with his distant father and at times feels as though the audience is being manipulated
The Art Star and The Sudanese Twins - Doc - heavy and entertaining on many levels - worth seeing if only to witness the narcissism of the lead character juxtaposed with her apparent desire to help others ... hard to explain - would need to talk about this one ...
Kurtzfilmprogramm Sam Spiegel School (short films from the Sam Spiegel Film School in Israel) - really fabulous series of shorts from Israel.
Boy of Pigs - feature - interesting concept - well-cast, acted and shot. Good script. I think it's worth seeing - many aspects have been done/seen previously, but the combination of story lines works. Met the writer, the producer and director at fest - all 1st timers and it's really a cinderella story of how they made the film ... or at least that's what they are telling us .. I am terribly envious of Gretchen Mol who gets to play a dream part ...
Dunya & Desie - feature - cute girl road trip film - well-done and acted. Based on a popular TV series
Blood Appears (left about 45 mins through) - I didn't get it and didn't really want to
Sweet Mud - feature - autobiographical - about young boy growing up on a Kibbutz in Israel. Many lovely moments and well-worth watching.
Sell Out! - feature - I loved this despite the crazy and oft-times all over the place story line and need for editing ... totally unlike anything you've ever seen - I still have some of the songs in my head and people were quoting from the film around the festival tent - in an 'Office Space' kind of way ...sort of
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired - Doc. - well-done and interesting - learned things I had not known about the director and the case brought against him
A Thousand Oceans- feature - interesting concept about death and after death experiences, but a bit too 'film-school-like' for me. Needed to go farther and be much, much edgier
The Man Who Loved Ynvge - feature - I loved this one too - for many reasons, one of the main ones being the soundtrack - all my favorite 80's tunes - I was rockin' out in the packed theater both times. Great story and v. well acted.
The Hurt Locker - feature - v. good war epic from a new perspective. worth seeing
The Wackness - feature - worth seeing if only for Ben Kingsley's not-typical-for-him-to-play-character ... v. amusing

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

I went to a party one night and met Stephen Nemeth almost as soon as I walked in the door, "This is great ice!" I heard him say to the bartender. I had to agree. Crushed, but not to a mush, to a v. small cube ... perfect. Then we began to talk about how ice in Europe is harder to come by than in the states and that was followed by an inquisition by him of me regarding my 'pedigree'. When I told him I was from NH, he asked, "Do you know Paul Hodes?" Well of course I know Paul. Doesn't everyone? But truly - I had the pleasure of knowing him before he was a 'big shot' politician. We used to have lunch every year or so when I was home from NYC and visiting NH. My film business partners and I even consulted with him on a few film projects - needless to say, it was a v. odd but v. cool coincidence.

Turns out that Mr. Nemeth is a fan of NH. He knows Governor Lynch and Paul and is up on all the latest with the state. He is also v. involved in the Democratic party ... so we talked a little Obama-talk and moved on to the festival, etc...

One of the 'paparazzi' that was at the party snapped this shot of us. Notice Stephen is far better at hiding his drink for photos than I am. (Note to self - put the drink down ...)

So, I met some great people and now have a few more resources and connections both in Zurich and in the 'industry' ... now I just need to learn German, finish writing those scripts, finish recording my voice over demo, loose 20 lbs., revamp my website, start my own film festival, make a documentary, get a better haircut and start getting up before noon ...

Harbaughs do the Alps

2008-09-29T12:30:00.018+02:00

How could we not have done this sooner?! Amazing.

We took a series of trains and trams (not the Zurich kind of trams - the ones that hang from wires and are suspended over giant gorges, etc...) on Saturday and arrived in Murren mid-afternoon.

We skipped the last leg of the train ride and opted to hike the last bit, which took about an hour and a half. It was really glorious - just what you'd expect to see when hiking in the Alps.

And the weather was gorgeous - we couldn't have asked for better.

We checked into our great little hotel with fabulous views, drank some wine on the balcony and marveled at the Eiger and Jungfrau.

Sunday morning after a swell breakfast at the hotel, Mark and I left our traveling companions, Shannon, Dave and baby Niko and headed to the v. top of the Schilthorn, famous for being featured in the James Bond Film 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'

We watched paragliders take off and float and circle above the clouds. We even discussed the fact that we might someday be persuaded to try it (tandem with an experienced sort, of course).

The views are unbelievable. Looking down the mountain I could imagine it covered with (more) snow and told Mark that now would be a good time to note where the rocks were, so that when we come back this winter to ski, we can be prepared ...

After a few 'mouth agape with wonder' hours, we headed back down. (We missed 2 trams and were cranky for about 5 minutes but then I pulled out a little notebook and we wrote down a list of more adventures we want to go on and that kept us quiet for the duration...)

We met back up with Shannon, Dave and Niko at the deck on our hotel for a little lunch before our trip back to Zurich.

We cannot wait to go back and can't believe it took us this long to go. Thank you to Shannon for planning this fabulous trip and for officially and in a big way, introducing us to the Alps!

Oh, and this is my favorite sign of the weekend and one which, to anyone who knows me, could prove extra funny. They actually are warning you, at the top of this steep, steep mountain (an ALP, for god sakes) not to wear stilettos. I love it. (For those who care, I was wearing running sneakers and am getting hiking boots just like Shannon's as soon as we can find them ...)

more broken glass

2008-09-25T06:24:00.011+02:00

I was woken up suddenly last night at 4am by the sound of a giant crash and breaking glass. As I was alone, I got up, wandered sleepy-eyed around the apartment until I came upon this mess in the kitchen...

Funny that I didn't even think for a second that it would have been a window or that I would have been in danger. Ahh, Zurich. I immediately felt for my upstairs neighbors, who must have heard the racket, but were thankful that they did not come downstairs inquiring.

In my quest to make the apartment more homey, I have been on a 'hanging things' kick. I have been wanting to do this since we arrived, as I brought a good amount of things to hang on the walls from the US, but it just has not been a priority and I hadn't wanted to hang things all on my own - meaning that I wanted to consult and consider my husband's feelings and creative input too - such a nice wife, I know.

Also - it was not a priority for him and he was a bit concerned with not making a mess of the plaster walls - which I understand and also understand that he is a planner - but this was taking too long for me and I - the 'run and gunner' had been patiently waiting for months ...

So I hung some stuff while he was away on business - things we had already discussed and agreed to the placement of, etc... I was careful - even using a measuring tape to make sure things were spaced evenly and a level to make sure they were straight ... that is a lot for me! I got the right kind of hooks and made a go of it.

I was v. pleased with my accomplishments and looking forward to showing M when he returned from the UK.

I wasn't concerned about the sturdiness of any of the items - I had even used a stud finder (insert giggle, here) to make sure I the heavier things were secure when hung.

I had hung this fabulous poster I got when I was in the Soviet Union in 1989. When I was home in NH, I spent more $ than I should have on getting framed nicely. Mark and I both love it and love travel and old political posters, but were unsure where it would really 'go' in this apartment. We agreed there was this big, blank wall in the kitchen that would work well, so that is where I hung it. And that is from where it took a dive at 4 am.

I couldn't deal with cleaning it up at that God-forsaken hour so I returned to bed knowing I'd be facing the mess in the morning. As you can imagine, morning came, I walked to the kitchen and found the scene, much to my horror, as I had (of course) forgotten all about it ... great.

But there we two good things about it: (well, one good and one cool). 1. Mark was away and did not need to deal with it at all, which may have made him a bit cranky and 2. This piece of glass got stuck into one of the cabinets by the force of the fall - like a pencil that gets driven through a tree during a tornado ... cool.

broken glass

2008-09-23T14:39:00.008+02:00

I witnessed my first tram accident yesterday. And I was on the tram. It really was no big deal (easy for me to say as I was not in the car or driving the tram...) no one was hurt, but it was still a tiny bit exciting.

Trams have tracks. They cannot veer from them. Cars can go on the tracks but also on the road. A car was cutting in between 2 trams going opposite directions and got clipped by one then the other - the tram I was riding on was the second and our poor driver didn't know what hit him - quite literally ... I felt the brakes slam on and heard that fabulous screeching noise then saw a little silver car pop out on my side of the tram with a broken out back window.

Everyone came pouring out of the trams to get a look. Many people just kept walking down the hill as though they had seen this kind of thing a million times. I didn't know whether to stay on the tram and wait or to walk - but since it was not raining and I felt like a nice walk, I got out.

I met up with the rest of the former tram passengers at the next stop down the hill and we didn't have to wait for long. Our old tram driver was only a delayed a few moments and picked us all up again. I got back into my former seat and got a little smirk from the teen-aged kid sitting opposite me. He'd obviously experienced this kind of thing before ...

I guess there were no police reports to fill out - or at least none for our driver. I did notice as I looked back up the hill that the other driver and tram were still at the scene of the accident and the kids in the car that had been hit were all just lurking around as well. (I did manage to snap a few shots as I walked down the hill and got a few snarls from the kids who were in the car and not feeling too good about themselves and certainly did not appreciate an obnoxious American taking photos of their misfortune on her cell phone. But I was subtle - I made it look like I was dialing a number - the sound the phone makes when taking a photo gave me away though ... got to figure out how to turn that off ...)

Now I have something else to be paranoid about when driving in Zurich - not only the hidden speed trap boxes but now the trams that jump out and smash you ... yikes ...

i have a ne-ew bi-ike, i have a ne-ew bi-ike

2008-09-17T13:50:00.007+02:00

Yes, this is my new (to me) bike. And yes, it is in my living room. (Don't tell Mark - I'll move it to the basement before he comes home on Friday, promise ... it's just really hea-vy ...)

I found it on one of the ex-pat sites I frequent called the English Forum. I have been looking for a bike for months now, as Mark and I were unable to bring ours to Zurich because our shed in Concord was frozen shut when the movers came ... total bummer too, as I just just had my bike tuned up and it was perfect for me - and a pretty shade of green too! -

Anyway, I've been looking at second hand bikes as new ones over here - like pretty much everything - are v. expensive. Turns out second hand bikes ain't cheap either ... but I was on a mission and scoured the sites I've found that occasionally have used items for sale and viola! I found one ... but I had to act quickly.

I had to take a bus then a tram to go see the bike and in the end, Mark was able to meet me there which made me feel better - though any price negotiation was pretty much out as he was looking swanky and 'money' in his fab suit, tie and new overcoat, (not to mention his v. handsome new haircut I convinced him to get in Bellagio last week).

We checked the bike out, I rode it, in one gear, for about 20 feet and proclaimed that it was great. (I know ... such a tough customer). We had not brought the entire amount of cash with us, which was fine as I gave them a deposit and said I'd come back this a.m. to pick it up, pay the balance and ride it home.

Fast forward to this morning. Mark is leaves for the UK for a few days, and I get up and don my 'biking' duds (yoga pants, sneakers, t-shirt and thin Patagonia pullover), put my wallet, a rain hat, the book I am currently reading and an apple in my backpack and head back to the other side of town to pick up my new, red bike!

I arrived at the apartment complex and was met with a veritable daycare of toddlers running around in front of the door where I needed to press the buzzer to let the husband of Elen know I was there to claim my bike.

It's cold here right now, about 10 Celsius (don't ask my what that is exactly in Fahrenheit, but I assure you, it's too cold for kids to be running around in no coat) so I got to see lots of red and runny noses while I waited for the dude to answer the door.

We found out last night that he had just arrived from Ukraine about a month ago and was studying German at home while his wife was in school. He brought the bike up from the basement, placing it in front of me with a toothy grin. I pulled out my wallet, gave him the cash owed, waved and began to walk my bike towards the forest, where I had planned to ride all the way to our apartment.

I hopped on the bike about 100 yards past the apartment complex, downshifted (do you say that in bike speak?) and the whole mechanism on the back wheel dropped to a different location and the chain would no longer move. At all. "Great," I uttered. But still remained calm, despite the pit in my stomach I had regarding this new situation.

Now anyone who knows me knows that I am not keen on confrontation and don't like knocking on stranger's doors, or buzzing their buzzers, I don't like bothering people and frankly, much of the time, I don't like talking to people. I am the classic introverted extrovert. Go figure that one out ... (and be sure to call when you figure out what it means...)

So given the above, I was v. proud of myself for 1/2 dragging 1/2 carrying my newly acquired bike back to Mr. Ukraine to show him what had happened. Mind you, he speaks no German. I speak no German. He speaks no English. I speak no Ukrainian. Already my anxiety was rising, but I tried to think of how my mother would handle it and I felt better (my mother can talk to anyone, even in languages she does not know - she is not afraid of confrontation, or anyone or anything ... my mother is pretty much amazing - so I tried to channel her).

I buzzed again and he came down the stairs smiling. I tried to (loudly and slowly, as we all know makes those who do not understand our language understand) speak and point and draw pictures in the air about what had happened. I can say 'one' in many languages so I tried that, as that is the gear I went into when it all fell apart - literally.

Somehow we managed to communicate and he went upstairs to get some little Allen wrench-like tools which kind of helped. I was relieved that he was so helpful and not laughing at me saying in his language, "sucker" and slamming the door in my face.

He fiddled. I held the bike steady and we both, hmmm'd and ummmm'd and exchanged looks when something obviously worked (or made it worse).

Suddenly my new friend asked, "you talk Spanish?" I said, "Si" and before I could say, "un poco or un poquito", he started sounding like that little Mexican mouse-guy on Bugs Bunny, explaining the situation as he saw it and so happy that we could now communicate. I was pleased when I remembered, from my high school Spanish class that "mas despacio, por favor" means,' more slowly, please'. And I said that to him, though it did not help. I followed and got every 10th word or so and was now really missing our previous, guttural and charade-like communication method.

Eventually, we got it to a place where I was confident the bike would make it and we exchanged our "Adios" and I was (wobbily) off.

My adventure home was not too terribly exciting save for the fact that I rode about 1 mile and walked my new bike up giant hills for about 2.5 miles. Awesome. A great workout to be sure. And going down the hill toward our place at the v. end of the ride was heavenly. (I think I may not be breaking correctly - I feel like I should be downshifting somehow .. maybe? Any advice is welcome)

Now I just need to find a bike for Mark...

2 fun(ny) things I found in Zurich

2008-09-16T12:09:00.009+02:00

Yesterday I met my friend, Shannon and her new son, Niko for a walk around her neighborhood, which is pretty much across the v. top of the lake from us. Well, sort of.

Shannon is a hoot and totally relaxed, cool mom - we had a blast with Niko, who was born on July 22nd (I hope that's right?...) He's a v. hip kid already and was ready to get strapped on to mom's front for our little walk up to the forest and the farm.

I was v. eager to check out this farm - and it did not disappoint. There are little lockers - a la Greyhound bus terminal - only see through, where they have different bunches of apples of varying types and amounts that you pop money into and the door opens and viola! - fresh Zurich farm apples that you'll feel someone left just for you. (I told Shannon, who does not know just how zany I am - yet - that what would really be cool would be to go up there at night and liberate all the apples and replace them with like doll heads or yarn or chopsticks* or even trays of lasagna ... I could tell by her trouble-making grin that she would be on board if I ever decided to go through with mission "replace-the-apples-in-the-bus/airport-lockers-with-various-and-sundry-wacky-stuff-by-cover-of-night"). Right on.

Almost cooler than the lockers was the giant vat of apple juice that came out via a tap-like device. It took me back to those autumn days in NH at college (UNH) when I used to fill up other people's plastic red cups with cheap keg beer from the Ice House. (Oh, I did not drink in college - until I was 21 - no, really - I didn't ... I was (am) a v. good girl.)

The stuff that comes out of the giant vat is the most fabulous tasting stuff. Not like apple juice really at all - I can only have about one sip of typical apple juice but this stuff ... wow - I can see why Shannon said she was able to substitute this and a few other like drinks for beer while she was pregnant ... It's not quite as 'hard' as cider either - the thing I can most equate it to is Cider Jack, alcoholic cider - but not quite as bitey ... Anyway - this is all pretty useless unless you live here or will be visiting me in the next few weeks as you really do need to taste it.

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

*Speaking of chopsticks - I just wanted to share this lovely photo I took at BrockiLand. They are actually selling chopsticks - not used, I don't think, but certainly not new out of a sealed box - I mean these are the same chopsticks that you keep in your kitchen junk drawer for years along with random menus, toothpicks, mints, elastic bands, game pieces, twine, business cards of unknown or not remembered people, samples of products you got in the mail and just can't throw away because they were free and your favorite fortunes from those Chinese dinners.

Who buys these? (Let's hope only a kindergarten teacher for craft projects...) I'm planning a trip back this week and will check to see if they are still there. Now I wish I'd hooked up some sort of 'nannycam' to see who bought them - drat. Next time.

another movie recommendation

2008-09-11T23:06:00.002+02:00

Go see / rent /buy this movie!

Young@Heart is one of the best documentaries I've seen in a while and just what the doctor ordered for 2 women who are fast approaching 'a certain age' and feeling old and still asking, "What shall I be when I grow up?".

I took my new friend, Karen to see this last night for her birthday and we both laughed out loud throughout the entire film, sometimes singing along with the fabulous seniors and even being shhhsed by a patron behind us.

Do yourself a favor and make seeing this a priority. I would even suggest purchasing the DVD - I know that this is one film I would watch over and over again.

Here is a teaser of one of their videos (not in the movie) ... fantastic!

no more vacations, please!

2008-09-10T11:46:00.004+02:00

I jest, of course ... but truly, we've been on the go for what seems like months now and I am v. happy to be 'home'.

In the v. near future - as soon as I do about 12 loads of laundry, unpack, return extra pillows, suitcases, etc.. to the storage in the basement and figure out why Mark's Barbour coat is moldy ... grr ..., go through the mail, return emails, call my mom, vacuum, sign up for German lessons next week, make 2 doctor appointments, pay bills, file old bills, put the guest room back in order, diagnose my ipod problems, iron my husbands shirts, pick up his suits from the laundry, return curtain rods to Ikea, take the new chandeliers we got in Bellagio to the lighting place to get cleaned up and then installed - all without a car - look for a job, hang paintings, mirrors, etc.. on the wall, take old clothes and books to the Brockihaus, go grocery shopping, figure out what to do for M's birthday and our 3rd anniversary!, have a phone date with Juli, finish redesigning this blog, upload and edit photos from the trips, loose 20 lbs, get a bike, sell our house in NH, invite the neighbors over for cocktails and take a shower - I will write all about our time with Mark's fabulous parents, Diane and Steve and our time with them in Zurich, Basel, Germany, Austria, Lichtenstein and Italy. Promise.

I'm off to start on the list ... I remain, the v.v.v. appreciative, spoiled Swiss girl.

reasons to love SF

2008-09-03T08:42:00.015+02:00

I visited two of my v. favorite people in San Francisco while I was in the states: Jeanne and Iris Hoffman.

Jeanne is a friend from Camden, Maine and Iris is her mom. They live together in SF now where Jeanne is a nurse practitioner and Iris is a nanny. As usual, I had a fabulous time staying with them and catching up.

Jeanne and I played tennis (she won) and while she was at work one day, even hired her tennis coach to give me a private lesson (he won) - Thank you, Jeanne!

After my lesson, I decided to walk through Golden Gate Park, as I had several hours before meeting Jeanne for dinner.
I was amused by this sign, though I know the reasons for having it are far from amusing. But still, not something I've ever come across before.

I also took a ride on the merry-go-round (carousel) by myself. I used to always go on the carousel in Central Park whenever I walked or ran by. I know I got some strange looks from kids and parents as I was neither, but I always love(d) it and had never checked this one out. Not bad.

I asked the kid next to me (red jacket, below) to take my photo and this is what he said to me: "Um, no. Um... I'm here with my teacher and, umm ... well, if my parents were here..." Okay, kid. I appreciate your heeding your parents' warning about strangers and all, but it's not like I offered you candy or asked you to get into my van or anything ... but truly, it was a bit odd and I really wanted a pix of me on the ostrich, but I do think it's kind of cute that a kid today would worry about such a thing. Good job mom and dad! (Though I guess I do look kind of scary here ....)

I also hit the famed Amoeba Music on my way back to the apartment. It's a pretty amazing place and if you haven't ever been there - I highly suggest it. I purchased a few used CDs (New Order, Billy Bragg, The Specials and an old Everything But the Girl for posterity). I was tempted to buy a poster or 12 also - the ones they have of the Grateful Dead are amazing and I know more than a few people who would have been v. happy if I had been a good friend and snagged one for them ... sorry ... maybe next time, guys.

Though it was a quick trip to this, one of the few cities in which I feel I could really live and love it, it was terrific and I can't wait to visit my sister in crime, Roxy (Jeanne) and my future agent/manager/nanny (Iris) again soon.

Mark's (almost) debut on the LA stage

2008-08-19T20:30:00.007+02:00

While we were in LA, Mark's good friends arranged for us to go and see a 'show'. Mark was in on what the evening's entertainment was to be, while I was left in the dark (I agreed to be surprised...).

After dinner and cocktails at Brian and Anthony's fabulous house, we all piled into Brian's Saturn hybrid SUV (?) and headed in some direction. The tension was mounting and I was ready to know what was going on.

As we drove past The Dragonfly slowly, I brilliantly deduced that this was to be our destination. After finding a good parking spot, we ambled back to the Dragonfly where, above the door, was a banner saying "Point Break Live!". I must admit that even this information did not tip me off ...

Once inside, Brian handed me a ticket stub and a small see-through packet. It was a rain poncho.
I guess the guys were not kidding when they were giving me hints: "wear something you don't mind getting wet/dirty"(I assumed we were going to see the comedian Gallagher ... you know - watermelon, mallet, etc...?)

Brian went to get us all some beer and Mark and I went to find Kyle, who had gone in ahead of us on a mission to secure good seats. He did just that. Second row on stage right. Mark and I began to walk down the row of seats away from the aisle, but Kyle insisted that Mark needed to be at the end of the row. This sentiment was echoed by both Brian and Anthony as they came back bearing beer for all. Mark and I exchanged "uh oh" looks a la' Luci and Desi and sat where we told.

The action began almost immediately when a dude with a bad wig (supposed to be Gary Busey, I think?) asked for all the potential 'Johnny Utah' s to come up on stage and audition. Now it was all sinking in ... those guys had planned this - oh poor Mark - does he even want to do this? I wouldn't ... no way .. but he was a trooper and got up on stage with about 8 other guys while we hooted and hollered for him.

...(Now I was beginning to wonder ... was this it? the reason they insisted he sit on the aisle? or did they also somehow plant him to get the role? I mean I knew they were 3 of the most powerful men in all of Hollywood, but just how far did their influence reach? hmmm... I decided to wait and see)...

Mark was fabulous. He did as he was asked with a smile and finesse. I could see he had much of the audience swooning, but was he what they were looking for? Was he too smart to play Keanu Reeves playing Johnny Utah? I feared he might be.

It was obvious that several of the men auditioning (why were there no women?) seemed to be dressed for the part and/or 'acting' just as they saw Keanu do in the film, which may or may not have been an advantage (a question 'real' actors struggle with in auditions too - so I'm told).

In the end, Mark did not win the role. If it were cast solely on who had the best butt, he would have won. Ditto on charm, good looks, sharp dressing and blushing ability. But this is Hollywood, my friends, and that large man in the middle with a drink in his hand and a booming voice outshone our boy... this time.

I don't think Mark was disappointed one bit. As a matter of fact, he looked quite relieved as he once again returned to the end of our aisle amid our hooting and hollering. I was v. proud of him. That is not an easy thing to do at all. Let me reiterate here - I would not do that. (I hope this discourages any rogue surprise planners ...)

I was v. glad that the boys had not set him up for any more than this and I think M. feels the same. I also think he was a little flattered that they wanted him to be the star and had confidence that he could do it. Awww. Friends. So cute.

The show began and we all laughed a lot, but none more than Kyle who was the only one in the group who had previously seen the show. It was a riot looking over at him in his green rain poncho cracking up. Brian was stealthy at getting the beer while the show was going on and I for one, never ran out - a talent to be sure . (Thank you Brian!)

Although I had never seen the movie, I think I was able to follow the 'plot'. Regardless, much hillarity ensued, water was splashed and dumped on the audience, though we stayed relatively dry and I could tell the actors and audience were having a blast.

When it was over, we hung out on the great roof deck for a bit before heading to Blockbuster - yes, that's right - someone decided it was a good idea to now sit through the movie version ... I watched for all of 5 minutes until I could no longer bear Keanu's voice and Swayzee's mullet - perhaps another time.
All in all, a fine night in the city of Angels. Ain't nothin' like being out on the town with 4 hot men. Word.

a unique welcome back to Zurich

2008-08-18T11:17:00.013+02:00

After a rip-roaring time in LA and SF, I arrived back in Zurich on Saturday and promptly fell into a deep sleep as soon as we got back to the apartment. I had been traveling for about 20 hours and hadn't sleep a wink.

Being the ever so supportive husband that he is, Mark joined me for the nap. We awoke about 6 hours later, scrounged in the refrigerator for some snacks and decided we were ready for another nap.

Just as I was about to climb into bed I spied the largest spider I have ever seen (save for the huge ones in my mother's barn) close up, on the inside of the curtain v. near my side of the bed. Not wanting to alarm my husband - who is not afraid of much, but does not love spiders - I calmly called his attention to the beast and offered to 'take care of it'.

He cautioned me not to be too hasty as this may be some sort of jumping or flying spider that could get really pissed off and somehow attack us if we did not succeed in killing it on the first attempt. (I think he was confusing this behavior with a wasp or bee, but kept my mouth shut).

He left the room and came back with one of his size 12 flip flops in hand and proceeded to stand at a safe distance and watch the non-moving arachnid. Reminding him of the time he put an end to a snake that was freaking me out in our yard and how much I appreciated that and how I would like to return the favor, I gently pried his fingers from the shoe and killed the sucker.

I disposed of the body, rinsed the shoe off and washed my hands thoroughly. When I returned to the bedroom, the window was closed though it was quite warm. Good move, M. - better to be a little hot than eaten by a giant spider.

Tragedy averted.
Welcome home
and a fine how-do-you-do.

(note: objects in photos appear MUCH smaller than than truly are/were)

it's time for another diversion

2008-08-12T18:26:00.006+02:00

I realize that it's been quite some time since I have offered/provided a little distraction for your day and am here to remedy that:

submit your own or just go and browse, it'll easily kill some time...

"Don't tase me, ___!"

2008-08-11T22:06:00.003+02:00

Thank you to Will Shortz, editor of the NY Times crossword puzzle for helping me get my husband more interested in solving the puzzles with me.

With clues such as "Don't tase me, ___!" (Bro) - from today's puzzle - I think we may have scored a few 'fun' points with my v. smart, clever partner ... in the mean time, I'll likely get him the t-shirt and continue to search for more ways to reel him into my geekdom ...

left coast

2008-08-08T23:31:00.006+02:00

I left the east coast yesterday after several weeks of fabulous fun with my mom at the farm, cleaning and organizing the barn, getting caught up on reality tv, visiting friends, playing cards, going through old college papers and becoming a Godmother to my beautiful neice, Kaitlyn.

I had not seen Mark in nearly 6 weeks and was v. excited to reconnect with him while he was on business in LA. Being the fabulous 'surprise-r' that he is, he booked a great hotel in Santa Monica, right down the street from one of his best friends and kept it a secret from me. I arrived yesterday afternoon and was greeted at the airport by Rhonda, a limo driver who took me to the gorgeous Fairmont Miramar Hotel right on the beach.

She was the second interesting person who I had met within an hour of arriving in LA. The first was a guy named Erik I sat next to on the plane who was coming to town for a voice over convention. He gave me some great info and I'm looking forward to reconnecting with him when I get back to Zurich and start setting up my home studio.

Rhonda was on a chatty roll when I got into the car and continued the entire way to the hotel. She is an actor and sometimes limo driver because the insurance she gets through the limo company pays for 4 rounds of IFV (in vitro fertilization) and she and her husband have been trying to have a baby for a few years now. She had lots of advice for me on the subject and, urged that I freeze my eggs just in case - she wishes she had when she was younger...(she's now 45)

When she asked me where I was coming from and heard me say, NH, she said she had been to Nashua and Exeter. Then she added, "ooh - is the Flume in NH or Maine?" I told her NH, and she informed me that she tells everyone who she drives and that talks about New England to check out the Flume - she said it was one of the coolest things she had ever seen. (I'll have to let my friends at the state know the source of the likely increase in traffic at this tourist spot..)

Rhonda dropped me off and I checked in was shown to our v. own little bungalow. Really, really great. No sooner had I started unpacking and jumped in the shower than came a knock at the door. I ignored it, assuming it was room service. Then the phone rang. In the bathroom. I reached out of the shower to pick it up and it was Mark. He was outside the door, without a key and had to jump onto a conference call immediately. Bummer.

I let him in, gave him a quick kiss, returned to the shower and finished rinsing off, threw on a robe and sat on the bed reading the paper for the next almost hour trying not to distract him. Not easy!

We had a great dinner at a downtown sushi place - only $58 for 3 of us with lots of sushi, beer and green tea ice cream! What a bargain. We were almost an hour late, as we decided to follow the navigation system in the Prius that M. had rented instead of the directions Kyle had given us...Ooops. But it was a good people/architecture watching adventure.

Mark had to go to the office in Northridge today so I took a walk to explore the neighborhood. I wanted to hit a drug store so I asked a guy on the street, who (shockingly... ha) turned out to be an actor/writer. He steered me in the right direction and walked with me for about 5 blocks. He has written a play that is being produced right now at a little theatre called The Miles Memorial Playhouse. He asked if I was an actor. It was weird, especially as I had already told him I was only visiting LA from Switzerland. So I told him I was v. famous in NH and left it at that. Ha.

Now I'm back in the bungalow waiting for my handsome husband to get back so we can go down to the Pier and hit the beach.

groupie up close

2008-07-23T02:15:00.009+02:00

Last week I saw an amazing concert at Tupelo Hall - The English Beat, The Fixx and The Alarm.

The tickets went on sale while I was in Italy and not 'wired' so when I got back to Zurich and got the email about the show, I panicked, hoping that there would still be tickets ... there was only one left and I immediately grabbed it.

I had never been to a concert solo before and was somewhat apprehensive about it as the date of the concert drew near, but when the day arrived, I felt confident and v. excited.

I stopped and picked up some Newcastle on the way to Londonderry, pulled into the Tupelo and had great parking karma as I skillfully parallel parked into a spot v. close to the entrance and in a great place to exit quickly later. I freshened up my makeup, grabbed the six pack and headed in.

The place was already packed as I walked in and picked up my ticket. The audience was going wild and singing along with Mike Peters of The Alarm as he stood on a chair in the middle of the audience singing The Stand.

I found my seat, - between a married couple video taping the show and a group of guys singing every word of the song out loud - fell into the vibe and sang at the top of my lungs as well.

What a great venue for bands like these. It was evident that they were loving it too - I think it probably feels like the days when they were just starting out and playing in small clubs. Though we are all about 20 years older than when these bands were 'big', you'd never know it from the way both the musicians and the crowd danced, sang and even got airborne a few times.

Not having planned well enough to bring a bottle opener, I turned behind me to ask one of the guys drinking bottled beer behind me. I expected to have someone use an opener, but one guy took the bottle and tried to open it with a lighter and failed - in front of his buddies no less - then the guy directly behind me took off his flip flop and effortless popped the cap with the bottom - brilliant - my kind of shoes - (must remember to get some of these for a few people who remain nameless...)

The Fixx was up next. Also a great show - they played all their big 80's hits: One Thing Leads to Another, Red Skies, Secret Separation, Saved by Zero and Stand or Fall. Lead singer Cy Curnin didn't disappoint with his signature 'vogue-ing' and dramatic stage presence, though their set was a bit more more subdued and chill than that of The Alarm (and the English Beat, who finished the evening out).

I was getting v. excited about The Beat being up next and spent the brief intermission chatting with some v. cool women at the merchandise (swag) booth. One of the women was from LA and traveling on the tour bus with the bands as a summer job. Sweet! She was so cute - and totally unaffected by the 'fame' she was surrounded by - she told me she was really into 60's music (thus her total shag doo) - like Herman's Hermits and The Monkees. She is in love with Peter Tork! How hilarious.

I purchased a black tee with the Special Beat Service logo just as the fire alarm began to go off. The Beat continued playing initially, but once everyone started exiting for real, they stopped and went outside too. As I was kind of 'with' the women who were 'with' the band, I exited with them and we all congregated by the stage door.

While we were waiting to be able to go back in, I was introduced to Dave Wakeling the lead singer of The Beat and Wayne Lothian, who plays bass. They were v. cool - I told Dave that I wanted them to play for my 40th b-day and that, while I would love to fly them all to Zurich, we would have to make arrangements to do the concert in LA. (Where they are now based) He smiled and nodded his head as he asked for a pen and paper. I scrambled and found both, gave them to him and he scribbled his email address and said, "Just drop me a line - we'd love to play at your party." (somehow I also recall him alluding to the fact that there was no way I would soon be 40 ... and calling me 'love' - in the way that only Brits can - but perhaps that was a conversation I had with myself as I drove home alone later ...)

Just before we were allowed to reenter the building, Wayne introduced me to his girlfriend, a super-cool woman from just outside of New Paltz, NY. We immediately clicked as women often do and delved into a many-branched discussion of music, age, motherhood, LA, relationships and beer. Damned if I can't remember her name, though. I hate that.

The Beat set, though too short, was amazing and the crowd was on its feet the entire time. I was even invited to the front to dance by a group of people I had also met outside and had seats v. close to the stage. They found out I was flying solo and they (apparently) found me amusing so I took them up on their offer and sang all the words out loud back to Dave and Wayne and the rest of the band like a true groupie.

After the show was over, the people who were in the first 3 rows and had paid $100 for their tickets got to have a 'meet and greet' with the bands. I was hanging out with Wayne's girlfriend (I almost had her name for a second there) and she introduced me to Rhythm, another member of the band and also v. cool.

I told them I should be going, but they invited me to hang out and Wayne then joined us and we had a beer. We hung out on the side lines watching the fans ask for autographs and photos with Dave and Cy and Mike and tried to make Dave crack up as though we were all 12. It was a blast.

I finally bid them all adieu and we promised to email ...

I confess (then) I confess (now)I have now reached a new level of groupie-dom. Cool.

back in the 'yes...and' groove

2008-07-17T17:43:00.005+02:00

Tuesday night I had the pleasure of performing with my old improv troupe, Stranger Than Fiction at the Players Ring in Portsmouth. I surprised the gang at rehearsal on Sunday afternoon and was then generously invited to join the fun for this week's performance.

It was a blast and confirmed just how much I missed performing, improv and these great guys. We had a great crowd - including the 'famed' Maureen, her beau, Jeff and daughter Caitlin, my beautiful Goddaughter.

This group is truly amazing and I am honored to be a part, even if from afar. Here is a clip of a game we played at a show a few years ago: pan right/ pan left

Also - be sure to check out the web series, GRAVITYLAND - you may recognize someone in episodes 5, 7 & 9 ... and watch the entire thing!

I'm looking forward to playing with the troupe again before I leave - and if you are in the area, be sure to check them out every Tuesday at 8pm at the Players Ring in Portsmouth.

back flips and black and blues

2008-07-15T21:10:00.007+02:00

Saturday night, after many cocktails and little food, Maureen and I decided to begin a diving 'contest'.

There is a kick-ass diving board at my mom's pool which inspired us to be v. daring and crazy. I had forgotten that she once was a diver and she had forgotten the same about me. (I use the term v. lightly in reference to me).

We both pulled out our signature dives which were met with mad applause from my mother. Maureen then stepped up onto the board and did a back flip. I was immediately seized with envy and anxiety as I used to be able to do this fairly basic move, but had shelved it along with all other dives which I had categorized as 'risky' after I hit my head on the board about 20+ years ago.

Given my liquid courage, I was easily convinced by pal Maureen that I could indeed pull off this move so I stepped atop the board and got into position. I may have been a bit too confident because while I made it most of the way around, I didn't straighten my legs in time and so slapped my shins against the water.

Not wanting to quit in shame and feeling no pain, I dragged my ass out of the pool, receiving lots of encouragement from both Mom and Reen and got back on the 'horse' again.

While I cannot say exactly how many times I got back onto said horse, it's safe to say that I attempted this flip at least 10 times before once again retiring, citing exhaustion and a case of the munchies.

Fast forward to the next morning when I met mom and Maureen in the kitchen and they immediately called attention to my lower legs. Apparently, in my attempts at back flips, I had broken many, if not all of the blood vessels on the front of my legs and they were bruised blue and purple. Not pretty. (I took a photo, but it was such a sad representation of the true thing that I decided it was best to leave it to the imagination...)

** Those of you who know me know that I both bruise easily and am v. klutzy so this is not an unusual outcome, though I do believe the cause is a first **

Here is a photo of the instigator (Maureen) and I a few years ago:

time does fly

2008-07-12T16:00:00.003+02:00

my apologies to those of you that have informed me that you actually look forward to these entries and are frustrated that you keep logging on and seeing that the Celtics won again ...

I am now in NH and since my last entry, was in Italy, NYC, Vermont, Maine and Boston - all of which were fabulous. I plan on touching upon some of these experiences in future entries soon but in the mean time, here is a brief summary: watched the Euro soccer cup in Zurich on the street while drinking huge cans of Carlsburg beer in the rain, headed to lovely Lake Como where we looked for George Clooney to console him after his recent break up, went to little villa in Tuscany and bought fabulous fuchsia suede wedge slingbacks in Greve and Juli bought a matching pair in red, Mark and Jeff split a 72oz piece of meat, we all ate much cheese and lots of wine, went to vineyards, met old, dear friend, Peter Sherwood and beau David for cocktails at the Savoy hotel in Florence, stayed on the ground while Juli, Jeff and Mark ascended the Duomo, dickered with a street vendor and got a great deal on a leather weekend bag for M. and fabulous green leather purse for me, saw David - both the inside and outside statues - amazing - we decided his hands were a titch too large for his frame, ate amazing gelato, headed to Cinque Terre, drove crazy-skinny switchback roads, floated with the greatest of ease in the Ligurian Sea, ate amazing seafood - one night all sardines and anchovies, hiked between the 5 towns and marveled at the gorgeous scenery and the stupidity of people along the way (a stroller?), played cards and drank beer after the beach, met a newly married, heavily pierced young couple from Minnesota and gave them marriage advice (I know), got stuck at the border trying to get 30Euros back from the tax incentive, ate cheese fondue back in ZH, swam in Lake ZH, said goodbye to J and J, regrouped, did a little laundry and headed to the US myself the v. next day (who planned this itinerary?) picked up by Sandra, Heath, Atticus and Eames in Burlington, biked on the rec path, ate fabulous food made by fabulous cook, Sandra, played deck hockey with A and E, drove to Maine playing the Skittles game, went to Dad's house on the beach, met a bunch of fabulous new people, went to Reny's and tried on matching dresses with Sandra, took the kids on a ride in the dinghy, saw dolphins, rescued an escaped princess flip flop floating out to sea, hiked Mt. Battie, sailed in the 4th of July race, made a great lasagna, got to drive Lee's (dad's awesome gf) brand new, kick-ass Volvo hard top convertible, had lunch with my 8 month pregnant, dear friend Heather Forcillo, whom I have known since we were 15 in Camden, met her kids and saw her new house, got to hang out with brother Keir, ate lobster and steamers, talked to Mark in Zurich and felt guilty that he was working so hard while I was playing, sent him a card, had lunch with my 'other' parents, the Furmans, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary in a few weeks, had a diving contest with dad and Lee's son, Adam at Lee's house in Searsport, watched a little reality TV, went to Reny's again, watched a kick-ass fireworks display from my favorite spot on the rocks on 4th of July, made and drank sangria, made a jigsaw puzzle with new fabulous friend, Sarah (Adam's wife) taught OG (Dad) and Lee how to play Left, Right, Center, drove Sarah and the kids to Logan airport, surprised friend Gale at work at Putnam in Boston, had dinner at Warren Tavern in Charlestown and finally made it to NH yesterday and got to see my marvelous mama, who had all sorts of surprises waiting for me and my childhood room all decorated and perfect ... what a lucky girl I am!

Today I am helping my mom vacuum the pool and get ready for the arrival of my best friend, Maureen. This is the Maureen that has been tracking my whereabouts like a kid on Christmas eve tracks Santa and the reindeer. She left a message at my mother's house a few days ago saying, "I know she's here - I can feel it. It's like having a pint of Ben and Jerry's in the freezer and not being able to eat it." I love being compared to ice cream. Really. I do. I'll have to remember to ask her what flavor I'd be.

I promise not to let so much time elapse before my next post
I promise not to let so much time elapse before my next post
I promise not to let so much time elapse before my next post

Celtics commentary from the 'Rebound Reverend'

2008-06-13T22:18:00.009+02:00

Here we are in Switzerland with Juli and Jeff visiting, talking about how they have been watching the Boston Celtics and that they are in the finals and playing the LA Lakers ... I personally am not a basketball fan. Never have been. I appreciate the sport and talent it takes to play, but am frankly bored by it for the most part ...

The last time I remember watching the Celtics play and being interested was when I was v. young and the Celts were v. good. Larry Bird, Kevin McHale (I called him Frankenstein - what shoulders!), Robert Parrish, Danny Ainge were playing and the shorts were short and the socks were high and striped.

We talked about last night's game and that was really that as a.) we have no TV. b.) the Celtics do not play on Swiss TV anyway and c.) we were having a little dinner party so when I woke up this morning, Juli had been on the computer to check out the results and told me the news which I now convey with a fabulously written play-by-play by Juli's dad, the Reverend Dick Parker of Newburyport, Massachusetts:

"Last nite's Celtics game ought to bring headlines all over Europe as well as here (try to buy any "western" newspaper that's inEnglish; it's quite a story)! Celtics, stunned & shocked by being behind to Lakers by 24 points for mostof the 1st 2 periods & some of the 3rd, got angry!!! At halftime, Pierce went to Doc Rivers & said, "I want to guard Kobe. I want him bad!" (Ray Allen had been guarding Kobe, & had done pretty well. Kobe had not shot well during 1st half, & Pierce personally wanted to make sure he didn't score in second half either!) Celtics then went "small" using Eddie House & James Posey & PJ Brown the rest of the way instead of Rondo (not playing well), Perkins (injured left shoulder in 1st quarter), & Sam Cassell (a selfish older player who can't play defense any more). Posey & House hit several off-balance three-pointers, Ray Allen played all 48 minutes (19 points & 9 rebounds), & Pierce (20) & KJ (16) most of the game as well!!! Pierce totally smothered Kobe!!! Total Celtics TIGHT defense in second half was like nothing I've ever seen before!!! Most of Celtics nation went to bed at halftime, figuring it was all over! Most of Celtics nation therefore missed the greatest comeback in the historyof the NBA Finals!!! Karen & I refused to give up & give in! Celts win,97-91!!! The whole world (literally) is saying this morning that last nite's game was the best-ever NBA Finals Series game ever played!!! Celts now lead series, 3-1. No team has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals!!! But so much for the 9:00 p.m. EDT starting time - that sucks royally!!! Next game is in LA, Father's Day (Sunday) night, at 9 p.m.. with most fathers having to get up early Monday to go to work, no doubt bleary-eyed as hell! Wake up, Commissioner David Stern!!", Reverend Richard Parker, Newburyport, MA

I love this guy. He needs his own blog. (Dick, email me and we'll make it happen!)

Arrivederci! We leave for Italy tomorrow - no phones, no computers - much wine, much fun.

i'm dying for a Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee right now

2008-06-04T14:31:00.005+02:00

Just wanted to let that be known.

One week until my best friend, Dr. Juli Parker and her fabulous husband, Jeff arrive here in Zurich. I'm v. excited but don't think it has fully hit me yet, as I have been focused on organizing things for a yard sale that was pretty much a bust (time spent - 20 hours), rehearsing and performing in a staged reading at the Zurich Comedy Club (time spent - 15 hours) and preparing for a photo shoot for a 2009 calendar which will be used as a fundraiser for the English Forum, an ex-pat site (time spent - 30 hours) ...

The yard sale was a bust because there were only about 20 people who came through the sale, where about 10 of us had schlepped many of our things and set up tables and waited patiently for the rush that never came ... v.v.v. frustrating, as I, having no car, dragged 4 huge, heavy bags and myself on 2 busses and one tram to get there and did not stop sweating until it was just about time to pack up and go home. I did meet a few cool women (it was hosted by the American Women's Club of Zurich), one of whom agreed that if we were stuck inside not selling anything for hours on a Saturday, we should at least be drinking ... I gave her some money and sent her out to get us some booze. So at least we had that for the last several hours.

And, as I tried not to have happen, I did end up 'shopping' at other people's tables ... there were such great deals! In the end, I did come out ahead - barely, even with the 20 CHF entry fee, supporting the bake sale (cupcakes for M., apple tart and coffee for me), purchasing things (a necklace for 3 CHf! An antique seltzer bottle - I collect them - for 5 CHF and free kids books for when people with kids - you know who you are - come and visit) so other than having to repack and re-drag 4 bag-fulls home again, it was fun! (My hero-husband came and met me to help carry and commisserate with the somewhat wasted day and my frustration at the lack of marketing...)

The play reading was great - I'm really enjoying working with and being a part of this group. Tomorrow I will go with a v. cool woman, Karen, originally from NY, to the English Speaking Theatre Festival about an hour away and help behind the scenes with our group's entry to the fest.

The reading on Monday night was a 'debutantes' evening, as it was cast with almost all new comers and those who had never read or been on stage before. I played Meg, the bride in the only role that was not double-cast. I was v. proud of all these brave souls, especially as many do not have english as their native tongue and did a smash-up job.

The only real gaffe of the evening was mine - and I am glad that it happened at this point in my life, not sooner, as I don't know that I could have handled the embarassment and aftershock when I was younger ... Because my husband in the play has cheated on me and I have found out the night before the wedding, I am v. emotional and crying/weepy during much of the second act. At an expecially emotional point, the character of my mother sees this and offers me her hanky and holds it up to my nose saying, 'blow'....

Now, I don't know that I really need to go on here, but I will - just a bit. You see, though the cast had a few 'rehearsals' in bits, we never were all together and much of the time was spent helping with pronunciation, etc... not with physical 'bits' ... so when my mother told me to blow - I (Kristen) had gotten weepy in the character and was also suffering a bit of allergies - I made a noise to pretend to blow and was perhaps a bit too forceful, for as she took away the hankie, I was still blowing bubbles, as it were ....

I can't remember the last time I broke character on stage and it is something I pride myself in not doing, but when this happened and I immediately put my script up to my face and saw that the audience, who were v. close to the action was in hysterics, I too lost it and ad libbed - in character - about my allergies and side stepped over to the box of tissues that was on the desk (thank goodness).

From that point on in the play, I had a tissue in my palm just in case. I am still shocked that I did not loose it again, as it was v.v.v. funny and there were giggling twitters throughout the audience like aftershocks as we went along. And god knows, if I had been in the audience, it would have taken everything I had not to keep laughing ....

When I go to the next reading on Monday night, I expect a barrage of tissues to be handed to me and/or rolls of toilet paper, etc... I see it as an initiation of sorts into the group and really - what are you going to do?!! I am proud of myself for not being more mortified and embarassed and for laughing at the situation and myself (which is something I do often...)

The photo shoot is something I'm not sure I am handling as well. I saw a few of the photos this morning over email and must say - and this is not me being hyper-critical and ridiculous - that I look pretty lousy in them. I guess my mirror at the apt is a good 'skinny' mirror and I felt that I looked better in my white ski pants, white zip up shirt and white fuzzy, faux fur hat than I really did.

There are no excuses. I just wish I was more happy about the results. I am pleading with the photographer to use one that is more goofy, typical Kristen and that is less embarassing than using one that looks like I am trying to be all sexy and sassy and falls miserably short of that mission ...

Ahh, life's lessons. I'm not sure what this one was - perhaps the same one I keep failing - being comfortable and confident in one's own skin. I know I am no longer 20 and that I was never thin and never tall so when I look at a photo and see someone who is almost 40, short, curvy and not as photogenic as she used to be, it's still hard. Especially when you want to go back in time and not agree to pose for a calendar that will be available for some/many/who knows? to see .... But there is a reason and maybe it's just that. Maybe some young girl who is also not tall, thin and gorgeous will see the calendar and feel more confident in her own skin. I know that would have helped me when I was younger.

It's a good thing that Juli will be here in a week - she is the main reason I'm not (even more) hung up on all these body image and self issues ... she runs the Women's Center at UMass. Dartmouth and teaches women's studies and just got her Ph.D! An amazing woman and an amazing friend - and she actually thinks that I will be going topless with her on the beaches in Italy in a few weeks! Well... maybe I'll just surprise everyone and myself and do it.

Okay - that felt like a therapy session ... Forget the coffee, I need a drink.

80% there - take a look:

2008-06-01T17:02:00.014+02:00

Here are some photos of our apartment in Zurich. While we are v. close to being where we want/need to be with it, we still have one room (ours) which has no bed and virtually no furniture and is waiting for both inspiration and appropriate funds... There are no photos of this room or of the second guest room/Kristen's craft room yet ... coming soon!

news flash!

2008-05-22T20:11:00.007+02:00

Swimsuit shopping is no less mortifying or depressing here than in the states. (Duh.)

I'm a smart woman. I know that I have the same body I left the US with in February... (admittedly minus a few lbs...) So why is it that I was actually looking forward to shopping for a suit for our upcoming trip to Italy here in Zurich? Did I think the general beautiful-ness of the people here would some how rub off on me? Did I think that a $325 suit would hold the key to a beautiful bod?

I honestly don't know what I was thinking. But I do recognize it as similar to a life-long 'dimentia' I have 'suffered' for as long as I can remember - it goes something like this: many mornings when I awaken I somehow think/dream/believe/hope that I will have been transformed into a supermodel/ideal woman/someone else with long, skinny arms, a waist, clavicles-that-can-hold-water, and a more reasonable/workable/practical-sized-bust. I finally smartened up about 10 years ago and took the full length mirror out of my bedroom as it was was not helping in this matter ...

But I'm starting to make peace with all this body and age 'stuff'. I am. Kind of. I'm trying. Really. What choice does one have? I'm looking 40 in the eye and I can still turn a head from time to time. Other than the arthritis, herniated discs and headaches, I feel pretty good and when I actually take the time to put myself together I can even look good. Why just the other day, someone called me 'Norma Jean'. Now that compliment could last me several weeks... Of course, my pseudo-confidence is much more likely that I realize I could be the mother of most of the 'chippies' on the street and that takes some of the pressure off ...

Speaking of chips ... Have you ever tried to make nachos at home just for yourself? A one person serving? (I just made some for myself because the overly generous people who came over last weekend left a 800lb bag of chips, limes and 12 different kinds of salsa - what was I to do? They called out to me) It's not easy, is it? Because you really can't make just a little bit. You need to spread the chips all over the cookie sheet and then add the meat, beans, cheese, peppers, onions, more cheese, what have you ... and it just doesn't look right unless that whole damn tray/sheet is full.

Now you know in your rational mind that there is no way you can eat all this food. And it's not a matter (this time) of your eyes being bigger than your stomach. It just needs to be this way. You'll save the left overs. You may save them, but you also know that they will never taste as good as they did the first time and that nachos, unlike mom's goulash or lasagna, do not get better when the tastes have time to 'marry'. Face it, the chips get soggy, the cheese does not re-melt as well as it melted and you may as well have just thrown the whole tray away after you stuffed yourself the first time.

I don't know why you may have saved the rest of the nachos. Perhaps you have one of those Pampered Chef stoneware trays that are supposed to make things crispy not soggy when reheated. Maybe your husband is out of town and he loves nachos and you know he'll pretty much eat anything or maybe you are just like me. A frugal/thrifty yankee. (a Red Sox-loving yankee) I was reared a yankee by yankees whose people were yankees that begat yankees and so on ... it goes back a looooong way, ladies and gentlemen. I just can't seem to shake it sometimes.

From saving left overs until they have become a petri dish experiment in the refrigerator to balkng at the insane amout some people will pay for a bathing suit to missing Marshall's like you wouldn't believe - I'm a New Hampshire farm girl through and through and chances are, I'll be wearing my 3 year old, black and white polka dotted swimsuit in Italy this year. And I'll be looking damn good. (for an old broad...)

quiz day

2008-05-20T10:45:00.007+02:00

While I attempt to put the final touches on the apt. so that I can take some photos to post/send, please amuse yourself with these fun activites:
fun,
fun,
and more fun! See Iron Man. Great fun. Robert Downey, Jr. is perfect in the lead. Great early summer popcorn movie.

a groupie from afar

2008-05-15T18:15:00.006+02:00

The English Beat, one of the best bands ever is playing tonight at Tupelo Hall in Londonderry, NH and I am not there.

While this may not seem like a big deal to anyone else - especially as I have seen the band at this very venue 3 times in the past 2 years - it is a big deal to me and it is only dawning on me now that I will actually not be at tonight's (or tomorrow night's) show.

I have been in denial about this for months now. I actually thought that I would be able to finagle a way to fly from Zurich to NH just to see them. I had all sorts of clever ideas. I can't even go into them now - I'm just too sad.

Please, someone - anyone - go see the shows! Tupelo Hall is a small, intimate, fabulous (BYOB!)venue and you can dance right in front of Dave Wakeling as he sings "Twist and Shout" and "Mirror in the Bathroom". Amazing. Truly.

This is like some sort of delayed high school crush. I'm a groupie from afar of an 80's ska band and they don't even know I exsist. Sigh.

My only consolation in all this is that I have already created a new fantasy regarding The Beat that keeps me going on particularly low days: It is a well-known fact that I will be 40 in less than a year. While there are many things that an old broad such as myself might wish for in honor of such an occassion, what I want, more than anything is to have Dave Wakeling and The English Beat play at my party.

No big deal, right? (I could have asked for an Ausin Healy like my dad got for his 40th. But I'm not that high-maintenance...)

So Mr. Wakeling, wouldn't you like to come to Switzerland next spring, say March 15th? Please? ...

a gift for the gal/guy who has everything ...

2008-05-12T11:50:00.002+02:00

Now go tell the person next to you a joke and press here. (Bill P. this is for you. Sorry I couldn't make it portable - perhaps Matt can arrange that...)

May Day, May Day ... our first riot

2008-05-10T19:01:00.007+02:00

Last week we had a holiday. Well, much of the world did. It's called International Worker's Day and according to Wikipedia: May Day commonly sees organized street demonstrations by millions of working people and their labour unions throughout most of the countries of the world though rarely in the US and Canada. Communist and anarchist organizations and their affiliated unions universally conduct street marches on this day.

What fun! I had read about the rioting in previous years on an ex-pat forum I frequent but truthfully didn't think much of it, as many people said that any 'action' seemed to be focused on the more seedy areas of town. (Zurich's seedy area is what one might call 'hip' in any other city.)

As is always the case when many different people weigh in on an issue, the on-line forum contained varying degrees of panic, warnings and dismissal regarding May Day. I was amused to read that some people were staying home with windows shut, shades drawn and doors locked while others, writing enthusiastically of rubber bullets, tear gas and giant water cannons, were hoping to find the action and perhaps even become involved in the day's activities.

From what I've gathered, those that historically start the riots are not even from Zurich. They're thugs from surrounding areas who come into town to cause a fracas and get everyone all riled up. One woman said that in certain areas, you are encouraged to leave beer on your doorstep as a peace offering to discourage them from taking and/or breaking your things. What the heck kind of riot tactic is that? Sounds more like Halloween trick or treat to me...

So on this day off, May 1st, (Happy Birthday, Andrew Cheney) Mark and I set out on an adventure that began as we went to look at some second-hand furniture at the BrockiHaus near the train station. (He was in and out of there in 10 minutes. I have been known to spend an entire afternoon at this one in particular - remember the free chair?!)

Since we were in the area, I asked him to show me where the apartment was that we had 'gotten' then 'lost'. A few months ago, just before I arrived, when it looked as though it was going to become our home, he had assured me it was on the 'good' end of the red light district... (This is the place near the only Hooters in Switzerland that I mentioned in my last post.)

As we walked along, I immediately recognized why this area might be called 'seedy'. But not necessarily in a bad way - I must admit that seeing some diversity in Zurich was a welcome sight. (it's not at bad as NH, but...)Not only was the crowd much more racially diverse but there was more noise, more trash on the sidewalk and in the street, people just hanging out smoking, fast food restaurants, bars with happy hours, head shops, peep shows, massage parlors ... you get the picture. But it was great. V. much alive, and filled with energy. I wish my mom had experienced this - she commented on the fact that it felt a bit like the people here (even the kids) were on Prozac ...

As we headed away from the strip joints and The Macarena Club, we heard the sound of a bull horn. It got louder as we approached the block where the apartment was. I looked at Mark expecting that he, as the one who had been here for much longer than I and spoke the language, would know what the heck it was. I didn't have to wait for an answer - as we walked up from under a small overpass, there it was - a riot! (Truthfully it was more of a standoff at this point) We had stumbled upon the famed riot!

I was a little apprehensive but had to check it out. We weren't as flagrant in our voyeurism as many others who kept getting closer and closer to the riot gear-clad police, testing them and taking videos and photos, but we still were there watching and waiting. It was a little other worldly, actually. I mean, I've seen machine gun-armed men in airports, rebels in the jungle in Malaysia and militia hiking down the face of a snow-covered mountain in Yugoslavia, but I was just a tourist then - on my way to or from or just passing through for a few days - I live here.

I wanted to know what this was all about and why. I knew the basic jist, but that made little sense to me played out like this and the language barrier made it even more frustrating. Mark could not even understand, as they were communicating in heavily accented Swiss German.

There were several tank-like trucks (photo above) that M. told me were water trucks. (He also told me that it would hurt a lot if we happened to get invoved in the mele ...)

After standing and watching and listening for about 20 minutes, we decided we were bored and I still wanted to see exactly where the apartment we lost was. Turned out it was smack dab across from the small park where the protesters were. Of course.

As we circumvented the 'action' I saw what appeared to be a giant flea market on the far end of said park. As you can imagine, riot or no riot - I wanted in. (And likely people would be making sweet deals if they were fearing for their lives, right?) Somehow M. talked me out of it. I just know there were some awesome buys there - things I really needed. And that stays with you for days when you've missed out on something like that, you know?

I never did get to see the apartment ... so after all that excitement, I convinced M. to go see Once with me. Yes, the v. same movie I had just spent 12 CHF to see just 3 days earlier. (And now it would be 18 CHF each!) I'd never gone to see the same movie in a theatre in the same week before - I really felt compelled to see it again and to watch him watch it.

My biggest challenge was to keep my yap shut when the best parts were coming up and not to hum along with the songs. I succeeded for the most part and was only slightly let down when he was not as blown over by it as I was. He liked it. A lot. But it's hard for something to live up to its reputation when you have me gushing about it. I can be a bit dramatic. ("It is the BEST film I have seen in sooo long! I cried - it was so amazing. You HAVE to see it. You of all people will love and appreciate it sooo much - trust me!")

What a day. About the only thing this May Day did not have was a pole with colored ribbons and cute, little dressed up kids running around it. (Why do they do that again?)

open mic, free stuff and a fab film

2008-04-28T21:50:00.009+02:00

Last night Mark and I, along with my friend Jasmine, in for the weekend from London, went to Miss Brandy's Open Mic at a cool little bar in a funky neighborhood (don't ask me the name - I have no idea ... I'll figure it all out soon...) There were some interesting acts and a few really great ones as well. (http://www.myspace.com/msbrandysopenmic)

We were all v. tired and were about to leave but decided to stay for the last act, hoping it would be better than the previous few ... it was a tiny little peanut of a girl with a guitar that looked way too big for her. Well, don't you know we were glad we stayed. She had a Fiona Apple/Tori Amos/Ani DiFranco thing going on and it was amazing the sounds that came out of that little person. Really great. (I will try to remember to figure out who she is and pass it along!)

Today after dropping Jasmine off at the airport and saying goodbye to M. for a few days (off to Frankfort till Weds. pm), I wandered around the neighborhood we were in last night to check it out during the daytime. V. cool. I think we actually almost had an apartment in the area now that I recall and can put it all together.

Said area is the 'good' end of the red light district, (which is pretty mild, from what I can tell) and v. near the only Hooters in Switzerland, M. was quick to inform me just after he looked at the apt. the first time. My immediate thought was that maybe I could get a job as the not-so-skinny, old, buxom, American chick. I mean, how hard could it be? German-Scherman - I'd be fine with "Greuzi, wings? Ya. Bier. Ya. Hooters. Ya." ... See, no problem.

Anyway - Along my journey I re-found the fabulous Brocki-Haus. The biggest and pinkest of them all. 3 floors of other people's stuff. My dream and my husband's nightmare. But as I mentioned earlier, he is gone for few days and ... not that I would ever try to pull the wool over my partner's eyes. And really, 90% of what I have ever brought home from a yard sale, thrift or antique store he has ended up loving and being thankful that his wife is so thrify and can see treasures in veritable trash.

Why look what I got FOR FREE today .... of course I will be reupholstering the seat, but its solid maple and sturdy and we need dining room chairs ... I also got a nifty Roulette wheel and chips - a whole snazzy set for a mere 7 CHF. Now when people come to visit, not only can I take their money in poker, but in roulette as well!

Instead of staying home and working on some of the many projects I have going, tonight I decided to take advantage of 'cheap' movie night in ZH - ( 12 v. 18 CHF - what a bargain - and I even sneaked in my own bottle of water and a roll for dinner ... there's that frugal, Yankee spirit again...)

I saw Once and loved it. Please go see it or at the very least listen to the music. (http://www.foxsearchlight.com/once/) I have not been this moved in a long time. Shot in only 17 days for 150k. True independent cinema at its best. I laughed, I cried (... it was better than Cats...)

It's been a great 24 hours that began and ended with fabulous music made by passionate, talented people.

my mama was here for 2 weeks

2008-04-19T21:51:00.003+02:00

My mother just left for NH after being in Zurich with us for 2 weeks. While admittedly no one knew what to expect, (no matter how well one gets on with one's mother, 2 weeks is 2 weeks...) it turned out to be a simply marvelous time, most of which she was in our 'employ' working day and night to help us get settled.

We got to calling her Cinderella (and she referring to herself as such as well) as she really spent a huge part of her time cleaning, unpacking, organizing, breaking down boxes, reorganizing the kitchen, decorating, giving advice, being sent to bed with no tv (we have none) and not being fed properly. Such hosts we are.

We spent manymanymany hours assembling Ikea furniture, which entailed and included schleping to Ikea on the bus/tram which was about an hour each way not counting waiting for said bus/tram, fighting our way through the Ikea crowds (the Swiss are not fast shoppers and do not stay to the right when walking...), buying heavier things than we could really carry and having to create carrying 'vehicles' with twine and newspapers and our MacGuyver skills to get these heavy shelves, etc.. home ... on the bus ... in the rain ... in the dark ... with no dinner ...

Mom had her hip replaced just 2 months ago and by the time she left, you'd never know it. She was a little stiff when she first arrived (who wouldn't be after such a long plane trip) but with all the walking we did, she left looking like a champ.

Even my personal trainer, Momo was impressed, enamoured and taken with her. Before she arrived I tried to explain the phrase "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree ..." (he is from Casablanca and speaks English very well, but sometimes misses the idioms and dialects - he speaks 6 languages ... amazing!) so, when mom arrived and she came with me to a training session, Momo met her, spent no more than 2 minutes with her and exclaimed, "I see the apple and the tree!"

We were our usual silly, crazy amusing selves and I found myself apologizing several times to some Swiss people who are, in general, very conservative and reserved. Much to our delight, we were met with comments expressing that we should not change - the Swiss need more people like us around - they need to have more fun! (Not that we would have changed our ways anyway ...)

There is much more to tell and many more adventures I could relay, but I need to get back to attempting to stain our maple bookshelves (after one coat, I am a bit dismayed and considering painting over them...) and I have not been able to locate my cord so I can download the photos from our adventures - next post perhaps.

Thank you, mom for a wonderful visit. Next time, maybe we'll even take you out!

Candy-O

2008-04-02T22:54:00.004+02:00

When you get a speeding ticket in Zurich, there are no police cars and lights and sirens. There is a strobe light that flashes repeatedly from atop a pole and blinds you just enough so that the camera on the pole can see the car, license plate and who is driving.

I was driving a rented vehicle recently and this is just what happened to me. I really would like to see the photo, as I imagine it looked a bit like the cover of the Cars album Candy-O, circa 1979. (But in this version, the woman is much older, much less attractive, made up, sexy, sassy, etc...). **** update **** How embarassing ... a few days after I posted this I had the itch to check out the covers of Cars albums ... turns out that while the Candy-O cover was (is) quite sexy and provocative, it was not the one I pictured while writing this post. It was the self titled Cars album with the woman behind the wheel. My apologies ...****

But still - for a moment I was on a classic album cover. Maybe there's still time ... any bands out there looking for an old broad to sit and knit on their next CD cover? Drop me a line and I'll put you in touch with my agent.

you say hello, i say goodbye...

2008-03-29T19:25:00.004+01:00

I have been here for over 6 weeks and I am still saying "Gruezi" for goodbye instead of hello. It just sounds like one should say it at the end of an exchange as well as at the beginning. Kind of like Aloha.

By the way, for those of you who plan on visiting, what you should say is not as easy as danke shon (thank you) auf wiedersehen (goodbye), either. This is Switzerland, not Germany so Swiss German is the language to speak, which is not a written language, and sounds like a melange of German, Italian, French and ubi-dubi (10 points for all who get this reference...).

Gruezi is Swiss German (pronounced "grewt-zi") and is what most people here say for 'hello'. It is much easier than what is said for goodbye and thank you. (Goodbye is a bastardized version of the French "adieu" - sounds like 'ah-day'). Just when I thought I had it, it changed. It pretty much is a combination/variation of 4-6 things that change(s) given the time of day, the mood of the clerk, your mood, the section of town and the lunar phase (not literally, but may as well be as far as I'm concerned...)

It sometimes seems like the Japanese custom where one person bows then the other bows and it just keeps going. I have asked Mark to translate a few times after particularly lengthly goodbye/thank yous. It goes something like this: thanks / thank you / thank you very much / your welcome / no problem / goodbye / have a nice evening/day/afternoon / thank you for telling me to have a nice evening/day/afternoon / you are welcome / and you are welcome / come again / thank you / goodbye / goodbye / bye / bye ....

Really ... it's overwhelming and exhausting so I have decided to smile and nod wherever I go and no one will know if I am deaf / mute / don't speak the language / don't feel like talking / feel superior and/or hate everyone and am just trying to make it though the day without crying ...

I really need to sign up for those German classes ... soon

the French love George Clooney

2008-03-27T15:27:00.004+01:00

I was about to do some recycling and came upon the pizza box from our last lunch in France... I had forgotten that we discussed this: George Clooney is the guy making the pizza - really.

Anushka tells me that the French are obsessed with him and he is on all sorts of things like this -

Check it out ...

14.5 hours together in a small rental car and still married

2008-03-25T23:06:00.006+01:00

Mark and I decided to visit our friends, Anushka and Fred, in France over the Easter holiday weekend. Mark (and what seemed like the entire country) had both Friday and Monday off so we decided to rent a car and go on this road trip which we calculated should take about 8 hours.

About 2 hours into the trip, we got stuck in horrible gridlock. We did not know whether to attribute it to holiday traffic or an accident, but regardless, it was bad. Less than 10km (about 6 miles) in 4 hours ... Needless to say, it was frustrating. But we were amazingly calm, patient and kind to one another. Wow. I don't know whether to attribute it to my mad ipod DJ-ing skills or the fact that I had the (lucky) foresight to download a few podcasts before we left, (This American Life, Fresh Air, German language lessons, BBC comedy and Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me - yes, I am square) but my darling husband and I laughed through almost all of it.

The driving conditions were pretty awful as we had precipitation of one sort or another the entire way but Mark actually wanted to keep driving through it all so I remained navigator, silly song maker-upper and doler-outer of snacks and Mark held fast at 10 and 2.

France was fabulous. Anushka and Fred live in Laurens, about an hour north/west of the coast at Montpelier. They have terrific little house in a village that looks as though it has not changed in a century. There is a butcher, a baker and tiny grocer in the village and that is about it. Fresh croissants every morning - (this is where I'm sure I found the 10lbs I gained on my honeymoon. I ate chocolate croissants everyday ... no self-control.) fresh chicken and vegetables at night and cheese, wine, bread, fruit and naps during the day. Lovely.

We went antique shopping in Pezenas on Saturday and found a few peices we may purchase for the new apt. (things are cheaper than in Switzerland and you can actually find non-Ikea style items made with real wood!) Now we just need to find a way to get everything to us...

On the way back after shopping and lunch, we stopped at Anushka's tiny masse, the stone house she bought when she first arrived back in France from Portsmouth, NH about 8 years ago. She lived there for 9 months alone, no water, hot or cold, no electricity and no toilet. She says it was the best time of her life. She is amazing. I would be so afraid of the dark and quiet I wouldn't last more than a night.

The rest of our relaxing time was much of the same - sleeping, eating, laughing, drinking, walking, Mark and I practicing our (limited) French and Fred practicing his English and watching their new dog, Altier, a rescued Spanish greyhound, chase Fred as he taunted her with a teddybear. Ahh ... France.

After sleeping in on Sunday, we wished one another a Happy Easter, dunked our croissants in some fabulous coffee and headed out to their 'country house', about 20 minutes away. We had been here when we visited during our honeymoon about 2.5 years ago and it was just as great as we'd remembered. They have 2 horses that live out there and Fred and Nushka have spent just about every weekend for the past year creating new corrals and fencing for them. With no proper pile driver or post hole digger, they surely had their work cut out for them as the soil is not so much that as red clay. Very beautiful and unique looking, but tough to dig into.

They just got approval to expand this stone house and will begin work on it soon. They will rent their place in the village and live out in the country full-time. It's really a great site. Inside there is a fireplace and a loft, just perfect for a weekend getaway and soon, a life-long getaway!

The land around the house is red clay and there is strata everwhere that makes it look like a miniature version of the Grand Canyon. We joked about making a movie with Barbie Dolls and GI Joe's - but it really would be a cool location to film somthing in miniature - the trees are tiny replicas of life-sized trees, the stones could be boulders and the small depth variations, huge canyons and cliffs. If only Anushka and I were more sci-fi types ... (we met on a movie set over 10 years ago and she is working in the documentary realm now)

Determined to break the land speed record for travel between Laurens and Zurich, we got a good night sleep on Sunday, slept in again, ate a hearty brunch and hit the road, this time with me in the driver's seat.

I must admit that I was slightly worried that the mood might be different with me at the helm. Both of us would rather drive than be driven, he often prefers silence to music or talk radio and we have set into place that the driver chooses the 'entertainment', and I know we were both a bit anxious that history would repeat itself...

It did, but only in as much as the weather being terrible and challenging once again. (Snow, rain, ice, rain, snow, sunshine, rain, etc...) Even with 2 pit stops and nasty weather (and a pretty crappy car) we made it home in just over 8 hours - and we were still smiling and laughing. A true test of a partnership - we passed!

workshop week at the American Women's Club of ZH

2008-03-18T18:06:00.008+01:00

Last week I got to go to camp. Sort of. I took classes at the American Women's Club of Zurich (AWCZ) as part of their workshop week, which takes place once a year. It was more fun than I expected and not only did I learn much, I met some people I look forward to getting to know and who knows... maybe even becoming friends ....

I took Art History - v. difficult to understand the woman who taught it at first - v. thick German Swiss accent. I was late (shocking, I know) and a bit concerned when I first arrived that I'd be sitting through 2 1/2 hours of only listening to her speak. But to my delight, we soon switched to viewing slides of various works of art and discussing "What is art?".

I then limped home and created tremendous blisters doing so, as I had unwisely chosen a cute but never-before-worn pair of shoes. Thank goodness my next class, that afternoon, was to be Spiritual Bellydancing and shoes were not required.

Bellydancing class was v. fun yet somewhat embarrassing at first. The teacher was great - much more into having us feel the music and doing what came naturally than giving specific instructions and techniques. This tactic is good for me I think, but also v. challenging, as anyone who knows me knows that I like direction and to know what is expected of me. I want to know the right way of doing things... (easier to break the rules when one knows what they are.)

The teacher brought in skirts and scarves and jingly hip-waist-y things for us all to wear. Not having much of a waist, the skirt she chose for me was (not surprisingly) a bit snug. It seems she thought I was a bit smaller than I looked and gave the adjustable waist skirts to the larger women in the group.

So there I was with my muffin top shakin it like I was alone in my room at 12 and pretenting to be Olivia Newton John in Grease when I look out the window to see a handful of men outside the neighboring building on a smoke break staring at us - their eyes obviously glued to our large studio window. At this point I shimmied my way to the other end of the room where the table with a pitcher of water and glasses was located, poured myself a glass, drank it and planted myself at that end of the room for (almost) the rest of the class.

In the last exercise she had us blindfold ourselves - so that we were not self conscious - and put on the really rockin' belly dancing music. The best part? She maneuvered us individually around the room so we would not bump into one another or walls/windows/poles, etc.. and guess where I was placed? Yup. Right back in front of the window. When I took the blindfold off, the same idiots were standing there, still smoking, still gawking. So I took a bow, of course.

Took 2 art classes - Mosaics and Charcoal drawing. Both lots of fun. I have done a little work with mosaics before just playing around on my own and found this class atmosphere great.

Lots of chatty women from early 30s to 70s. I sat next to one woman who grew up in Brookline, MA and just moved in September to ZH from Manhattan and another, from San Francisco who had just moved to ZH a few months ago from Park Slope, Brooklyn - v. close to where I had lived in Brooklyn. She is pregnant and almost exactly one year younger than I. Her husband is an environmental scientist. We had a great talk after the class and pretty much decided to be friends. (This sounds silly, I know but our conversation kind of went that way. We both had limited expectations of the week of classes and merely hoped that we would find just one woman we liked enough to perhaps hang out with.)

I had not finished my mirror when the class ended so I needed to take some tiles home with me and go buy some tile cutters and glue. I guess my design was more detailed and the peices smaller than most others in the class - that's why it took longer ... (it was not because I was talking too much ... I know what you're thinking...) Charcoal drawing was fun too. I am by no means an artist, but I love to do artistic things. I'd say I'm more crafy, though I hate that term and the fact that it's so overused and trendy right now ... anyway. This is my 'peice'. Bidding starts at 100 CHF. I take PayPal and cash only.
Moroccan cooking class was yummy. We got to drink wine while cooking, always a good thing and I learned about degerming garlic. I had no idea. Why did no one ever tell me about this before? Apparently the germ in garlic and even onions is the bit that causes some people's bellies (mine) to hurt. I was so thrilled to find this out and am on a mission to see if it holds 100% true. I'll keep you posted.

We made Moroccan Lamb Tagine, Couscous, Eggplant parcels, and Baklava. I was not sure I would like all of it as it was very black olive, nut and coriander heavy - all of which I'm not usually that fond of - but wow - all together and in this menu - amazing. If you come to visit us, this will surely be one of the meals you'll get!

I think I may join the American Women's Club of Zurich after experiencing this week. A good time all around and I met a handful of women I think I might just have to tea in our new place!

the search is over!!

2008-03-15T01:14:00.003+01:00

We have an apartment. We don't have the keys yet, but we have signed on the dotted line and paid the man. What a relief.

This is just inside our front door. Great molding and etched glass, high ceilings and hardwood floors. More photos to follow as we move in and begin to make it ours.

Now I'm off to rest my weary bones and aching neck. It's nearly 2am here and tomorrow I shall be one year older ... Beware the Ides of March! (thank you for all the cards, notes, flowers and packages I've received already - I'm one lucky broad...xx)

look what I found!

2008-03-10T08:34:00.007+01:00

Mark went away to the UK on business for a few days the end of last week so I took the opportunity to check out some new neighborhoods and shops. While trying in vain to find a second-hand shop I'd read about on line, I came upon a little shopping center not too far from our apt. that we'd never been to.

I was meandering around the grocery/garden/home/etc.. store and walked smack into a sporting goods section that was quite large. I saw bikes and cycling gear, skiis and snow boards, tennis racquets and ... as I rounded a corner ... swimsuits!

My heart started beating faster as I walked toward the women's suits and there, smack in front of me was this...

I couldn't believe my luck. Not only was there a bubble cap, as I had been wanting but they had a black one! And a good, affordable pair of swim goggles as well. Unfortunately, the swimsuit selection was somewhat lacking, so for now I will continue to don my polkadot swimdress number, but it will be complimented nicely by my new accoutrement.

Now all I need is some spray paint for the pool-side cameras...

the Lucy-like fiasco ...

2008-03-05T13:18:00.010+01:00

Ah ... swimming. So peaceful, so good for you, so, so ... so I'm pretty much banned from the pool at the gym at Mark's company.

It all started so innocently and with such good intentions. I decided that I would get back into swimming laps in addition to my new-found, almost-daily cardio routines at the gym.

I have been looking for a swimming store in ZH, as I knew I would need a swim cap and goggles and likely a more appropriate suit. (The one I have would go nicely with the above pictured swim caps - black and white polkadot number with a skirt. V. Esther Williams. I love it.)

After striking out at stores, I hit the internet. I have found a subtle 'bubble cap' version with a chin strap that I fancy. Problem is I can only find it in the US and finding places that will ship here is not that easy ... so until I figure that out, I will slick my hair back and try not to be too conspicuous...

I was not successful at this two nights ago at said pool. I walked out to the pool deck area, dropped my towel and started to descend the wide stairway, which is on the long side of the lap pool. (This is where I wish I could insert a diagram - it would be so helpful - I know it's possible, I just can't draw at all and it would prove more confusing than just my verbose description.)

The pool has 3 lanes and on the same side the stairs are on, there is an attached jaccuzzi/whirlpool. It's kind of like an ear, the way it is attached and open to the pool/head.

I decided that I might need to sit in the tub for a few moments before I began my laps. And what's a whirlpool without the whirl? There was a green button flush to the lip of the pool at the connection of the 'lobe' and the 'head' and I pushed it. It was the logical thing to do, I thought. One usually needs to push a button to make the bubbles go, right?

Well, before I could blink, water began pouring out of a giant fawcet about 3' above my head into the pool. This was not what I wanted nor expected to happen. I pushed the button again to make it stop. Makes sense, right? Wrong. Apparently in Switzerland things stop when they are good and ready and you cannot change that.

Another green button pushed and about 20 under water jets located all around the large pool began roaring and making the surface of the water look like a bubbling cauldron. I was nervously laughing as tanned, bald man in his 60's walked by the wall of glass that was opposite me, which everyone heading to either the men's or women's locker room must walk past. Busted, I thought. Damn.

At this point, I noticed a 3rd green button. Thank goodness. This will surely stop everything, no one will ever know what an imbecile I am and I can do my laps as though nothing ever happened. Right. 3rd button was the trifecta. Not only did the jets all around the tub start, they blew so hard it spouted into the air. And that's not all - every other spout, jet, spigot and blow hole went to the next level as if to taunt me. If I wasn't laughing nervously already, this would have been a good time to start.

Two more men saw me right then. I probably looked like a reject from a Busby Berkeley film. I waited until they passed and skulked out of the pool looking for a kill switch. The I saw it: a red button just like the green ones - only red. If green means go then red most certainly means STOP. Perfectly logical conclusion. I looked around to make sure I was still alone and pushed the red button. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Exasperated and now slightly nervous, I grabbed my towel and ran into the ladies locker room.
I stood there a minute not knowing what to do. Really not knowing. I felt like I was 6. Do I go to the front desk and try to explain to them what I had done? Did they speak/understand English? If I did that, did I have to get changed or could I go up in my towel so that I could get back and do my laps once the problem had been fixed? It's not like the front desk at a regular gym. They don't have that there. This is like the front desk security guy in a uniform in the lobby of a large office building. No one would expect or want to see a dripping American in a polkadot swimdress whining about some bubbles in the pool. There was no one else in the locker room or I would (maybe) have tried to ask for help and play up the 'new-to-ZH-stupid American-routine'. I wanted to disappear. Mortified. Embarrassed. Amused. Alone. I was Lucy and desperately needed Ethel.

I decided I should go (hide out?) into the sauna. After about 2 minutes of struggling to breathe in the dry heat, I got out and began pacing and weighing my options again, all the while hearing the pool roaring loudly on the other side of the door. It was still going. I headed back into the sauna to lie down and think. Maybe I would just bake away the humiliation I was feeling. Suddenly, a loud knock.

I sat up with a jolt, tighened my towel around me and poked my head out the door of the sauna. I saw a woman struggling to put on a bra (I have never understood why women hook them in the front at their waist then spin the clasp side to their backs, shimmy them up to the right place and slip their arms through the straps. Isn't it just easier to put it on the right way in the first place?) and then suddenly a man popped his head in from the pool entrance asking, in broken English, if everyone was okay. "Is no one dead?" He said. He looked right at me. My heart was racing.

"The push. The red. Emergency. Some person push emergency. No one dead?" He knew. He was looking right at me, waiting for me to cop to it. And I would have, too if I thought that he would understand. But I knew it would be in vain. He knew that I knew that he knew and vice versa. I just wanted to get out of there. But he wanted to keep asking about the red button. He pointed to the one in the locker room near where I was standing. I looked for help from the 'bra woman' but she was gone. I played dumb and was trying to tell him that I did not push that one as I pointed to the one near me.

Finally he fully opened the door behind him, revealing the pool, now placid with only a single, tanned, bald head bobbing up and down one of the lanes. The guard now said, "The button. The red one. Emergency," while pointing right at the one I did push. I looked puzzled at him as he pointed and then these words came out of my mouth. "Oh, that red button. I don't know, but there was someone out there a little while ago..." I shrugged, forced a little smile and turned away, covering my mouth at what I had just done. He left, closing the door behind him.

What the hell was I thinking? Why did I say that? Why did I have to lie? I felt sick. Why didn't I just say giggling, "Yes. Me press red button. Try to stop big bubbles. So sorry"?

I stripped my suit off, feeling sick, put it in the quik-dry machine and got dressed, quickly and shakily texting Mark, who was in a spinning class and was expecting to meet me afterwards. "i've mbarrased the family but dont worry i'm okay just dont talkk to the guards on the way out i'm going home now".

I grabbed my still-damp suit, shoved it in my bag and left the empty locker room. As I walked down the hall past the wall of glass, I kept my head down, careful to avoid any and all eye contact.

I needed an escape plan, as I had to walk past the security desk on my way out. I knew he would be there, waiting. I would pull my hat down low over my eyes and pretend to be on the phone so that if he tried to talk to me, I could point at the phone and do that rolling of the eyes thing that people do as if to say, 'sorry, I'm on the phone with someone I can't stand, but I cant hang up either - what are you going to do?!' That would work.

Pushing the call button for the elevator it hit me: There are video monitors of the pool behind the secutiy desk. Three views. I noticed them the first day I had to sign in as a visitor when I met Mark for lunch. damndamndamn.

The elevator door opened and I followed my plan. Hat down. No eye contact. Fake phone call. The automatic doors opened to let me out of the building and I was free. But I just couldn't help looking back at the security desk out of the corner of my eye. There he was, looking right at me. He looked down to where the monitors sat, and back to me, then, just as I walked out of his sight, he flashed a huge 'gotcha' smile.

Needless to say, I haven't been back since. Maybe when I get that new swimsuit and cap...

the apt. search continues ...

2008-03-01T14:31:00.003+01:00

We hope to hear from one if not all 3 of the apartments we have seen in the last week that we both like, can afford (relatively) can see ourselves living in and feel we have a good chance at getting (who knows?)

The 1st is a cool 3rd floor walk up in the young, hip area of Schmeide Weidekon. This is the one I previously wrote briefly about where the present tenant used to live in Manhattan and I 'worked' that connection ... hard. We even went back and dropped off our letter of reference which includes statements from Mark's company that we haven't racked up any debt here (yet - and thank goodness they don't check our mail in the US...) that he has a secure job, and is a good boy, etc...

I like this apt. b/c it is still in the city proper, we could walk to downtown -though taking the tram for 5 minutes would be faster - there are stores and bars and people right downstairs and the vibe is edgy and cool. It would be Williamsburg if it were in NYC. Of course I always said I could never live in Williamsburg b/c I was sooo not cool enough, but maybe here ....

Apt. 2 is another we found on line. It caught my eye because it had a huge yard and v. cool layout. It is in an area called Hongg. It took a while to get there by tram and it was just about all uphill. The place is nestled into the side of a hill so that however you chose to get to it, you need to either walk up about 50 steep steps or walk down about 40 shallow and steep steps. Not knowing we had an option, we ended up huffing and puffing our way up the stairs from the street below. From the yard and the huge windows in the place, you have an amazing view of the city. It is just up from the river that feeds into the lake and there are bike paths and all sorts of recreation areas very near by.

I think one of the reasons I liked this place so much is that I really loved how the guy who lives there now decorated/designed it. V. my taste. Antiques with modern peices, lots of tactile, artistic, small objects and adornments. Not too cluttery or busy. Calm and comfortable with an edge. There is a sleeping loft, 2 bathrooms, a small office/guest room, another bedroom and the cutest little kitchen with a mini banquette. But the outdoor space is what makes the house fabulous. There is a yard as big as the house behind it on the hill and on the flat of the hill above the house is another little, tiny 'house'. Kind of like a shed/lean to/open-air porch kind of place. There is a kitchen with running water and a fridge for stocking all the necessities for the types of festivities that could/would occur there. The present owner has a small table with mismatched chairs and a hammock in the space. Against the frame that makes the back wall of the 'room' he has 2 large framed peices of art - it's a really enticing area. I just wanted to jump into the hammock with a cocktail in my hand and look out onto the city while listening to Edith Pfiaf.

The big downer about this place is the distance from the city. It is still in the city proper, but would take Mark about 1/2 hour door to door on the tram or bus to get to work and there is not much of a town or area closeby. The house comes with a garage which we would not need, as we have no car, but I did use the opportunity to remind Mark that living in a place like this would be a great reason (for me) to have a spiffy Vespa ...

The 3rd apartment we just looked at yesterday. Mark found it in the newspaper, so there were no photos like many of the places we have found on-line. I find photos v. helpful, esp. since I can't read all the details which are in German. I think that many of the thousands of people who are looking at apartments are just using the internet and have neglected using the old standby of the daily newspaper as a resource. I say this because when we went to see this place, we were the only ones there and the only ones scheduled to see it - not like the 25-60 people that have been at the other places we've visited. Talk about overwhelming ...

This apartment is in the Zuriberg area of the city. The guy who showed it to us called it 'The Gold Coast', which we had heard before but thought that was reserved for the area closer to the lake on the same side, but I'm sure he knows more than we do in this regard. This is a v. classy area filled with villas and single-family homes that are just to-die-for. A totally different vibe from each of the other places we've recently seen and liked. Tree-lined streets, just up the hill from the University of Zurich and the Hospital. Apparently many doctors and lawyers live here so now all I have to do is pop down the hill, get my MD and we'll fit right in.

The apartment is on the 1st floor, which is not ideal in my eyes, unless you are getting the benefit of some outdoor space/garden in lieu of the balconies that most upper floors in these types of houses have. But this place makes up for that in many ways: Very high ceilings, dining room and living room with beautiful decorative molding on ceilings. Nice large entry way, perfect for the round, pedestal table I've always wanted in an entry way. 3 bedrooms, a tiny little summer porch/room off the master bedroom with lovely mosaic tiled floor. Great privacy screens in the windows. Beautiful hardwood floors throughout. All just been renovated. I could tell that this was M.'s favorite from the moment he walked in. V. civilized, and v. affordable for this neighborhood and the size of the apt.

If we were able to get this apt., it would be much easier to rationalize taking many trips and maybe even entertaining the idea of the aforementioned Vespa for a certain chick I know... but we'll see. How much easier it would be if we were just offered one of the three and our minds would be made up for us, but it rarely goes like that, does it? You are dying for just one yes, any yes, and get all nos, even for the lousiest place for which you've applied and then you find 3 that you really like and there is a chance that we could be offered more than one or even all three ... then what do we do?!!!

The owner, an elderly woman, lives directly above this apartment. This makes me a bit ill-at- ease, as I really like lisening to music at a number higher than 2... But, as I said to M. on the bus ride home, maybe she's deaf. Not that I would wish that on anyone, but the agent said she was old and hearing is something that goes with age, so...

So there we are. Be sure to check back next week and hopefully we will have news and you will feel like you know just where we are from the 'fabulous' descriptions above.

recap::
#1 - 2nd highest in price, about $500 higher than #3 - available April 1 // washer&dryer in apt. // 2 bathrooms // cool neighborhood w/shops nearby // easy commute for M.

#2 - most expensive. $1k more than #3 // available April 1 // washer&dryer in bldg. // 2 bathrooms // huge yard // great view // garage // most interesting/fun space // tough commute for M. // few shops nearby

#3 - cheapest // available immed. // washer&dryer 3 flights up in attic of home, but easy to install and we have the room in the kitchen to have our own // only 1 bathroom, but huge tub and brand new everything // small back terrace - shared // huge, high ceilings // pretty easy commute for M. // not many shops nearby // v. residential

thoughts::
number 1 is the place you want in your 20s/30s and you feel and/or are young and hip :: number 2 is the place to have when you have a slew of friends that will come over every weekend and party and enjoy the yard and space - kids and pets running around ::
number 3 is the place for formal dinner parties with 40-somethings, drinking much wine and rationalizing buying expensive peices of furniture for ::

more thoughts ::
1. Beastie Boys // The Clash // Bjork // Cake // Liz Phair // New Order // Bowie // X // The Ramones
2. Elvis Costello // Billy Bragg // English Beat // Bob Marley // Jeff Buckley // Talking Heads // Johnny Cash
3. This American Life // Dinah Washington // Buena Vista Social Club // Stevie Wonder // Nouvelle Vague

Frau Harbaugh irons.

2008-02-25T15:47:00.003+01:00

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.

let's not get too exited ... but ...

2008-02-24T21:10:00.011+01:00

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?

so wrong it's right

2008-02-21T15:22:00.001+01:00

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/

films, field trips and faux pas

2008-02-19T20:57:00.000+01:00

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 field 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...

home is where your 7 suitcases are waiting to be unpacked

2008-02-15T16:24:00.001+01:00

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.

all packed up and nowhere to go

2008-02-12T17:42:00.000+01:00

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...

Bronchitis, baby

2008-02-08T18:17:00.000+01:00

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.

no more wire hangers ....

2008-01-23T05:20:00.000+01:00

I feel like the worst mother in the world right now. I just gave my dog away. Well, it's really a 'foster' situation, but still feels pretty lousy. And, to be honest, it's not just any foster situation... he is now the lucky, newest member of the Parker-Gonsalves family of Swansea, MA.

George has received more bones, kisses, wrestling sessions on the floor and sweet puppy talk from best friends, Juli and Jeff in the past 48 hours than he ever got at 15 Second Street.

I know there will be more fall-out from this in the ensuing days, but right now I am glad to be staying in Boston for the night with another best friend, Gale and her fab. man, Keith. I had planned on being back home this evening, but maybe this extra night in the neutral-ness of neither here nor there, will help me feel a little less sad when I have no furry puppy with which to snuggle tomorrow eve.

still in limbo

2008-01-19T15:12:00.000+01:00

I received a few emails this week asking how things were going in Zurich. I didn't mean to mislead anyone - I know that I told people that Mark was heading back on January 6th and that I would likely be heading over around the middle of the month - but I also must admit that I have enjoyed flying under the radar and not being so accessible for a change.

Of course my mother knows I'm still here and calls and/or stops by daily to see how she can help/(attempt to) motivate me, etc... She will be calling any moment to discuss the details of the showing of my house she has arranged for today. That will be 2 official showings to two official buyers (versus the those who have looked to rent the place). Please, let these people fall in love with the place and make an offer so I can begin to cross off at least one of the huge items from my to-do list... (some of the others: find an apt. in Zurich / sell Audi / sell furniture / figure out COBRA / figure out how to forward mail / go through every peice of clothing, every book, every scrap of paper and decide whether it's going to Z., needs to be thrown away, recycled, given to Goodwill, going to be stored in my mother's barn, etc ...)

Okay, so now I am exhausted from writing that list yet I feel a very strong urge to go get coffee, turn on some Clash or Beastie Boys and work towards being able to cross something off the damn list before the end of the day. With breaks, of course, as I had some minor surgery on my leg on Thursday and am not really supposed to be on it for long periods of time ... never a dull moment with me, kids. Stick around as it's bound to get more exciting with each day that passes... and if you know anyone with a kick-ass apartment in Zurich ... drop me a line, won't you?

a few of my favorite things

2008-01-16T05:08:00.000+01:00

Check out my former co-worker (office spouse?), present friend Matthew Newton's new blog. Food and film - fantastic! Great stuff, Matt!

what a way to go...

2008-01-15T00:48:00.000+01:00

What Goes Up Must Come Down
2007 Darwin Award Nominee Confirmed True by Darwin

(20 June 2007, South Carolina) A passing cabbie found a 21 year-old couple naked and injured in the road an hour before sunrise. The two people died at the nearest hospital without regaining consciousness. Authorities were at a loss to explain what had happened. There were no witnesses, no trace of clothing, and no wrecked cars or motorcycles. Investigators eventually found a clue high on the roof of a nearby building: two sets of neatly folded clothes. Safe sex takes on a whole new meaning when you are perched on the edge of a pyramid-shaped metal roof. "It appears as if [they] accidentally fell off the roof," Sgt. Florence McCants said.
This is a true Darwin Award trifecta: TWO people die, WHILE in the act of procreation, due to an ASTONISHINGLY poor decision. Bottom line: If you put yourself in a precarious "position" at the edge of a pointy roof, you may well find yourself coming and going at the same time.
Ironically, one of the deceased was named "Tumbleston."(Some reports list the name as "Tubleston.")
Reader Comments:"Not-so-Safe Sex""Falling For Her""There was no sign of foul play, only of foreplay."

still too close to call

2008-01-09T03:59:00.001+01:00

I just voted.

I thought I had made up my mind but waivered a bit as I spoke to my good friend, Juli (just got her PhD., teaches women's studies, runs the Women's Resource Center at a university, etc...) while driving to the polling place and then again when I ran into a few people I knew who were campaigning outside the polls for the 2 people whom I had been compelled to support.

Several people that I respect greatly have been very involved in Obama's campaign and I have enjoyed speaking with them, especially my old boss and friend, Commissioner Van McLeod, who is on Obama's Arts and Culture Committee (this may not be the exact name - forgive me...).

Just before I left to pick up George and vote, I received an email from Juli which contained this link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/opinion/08steinem.html?_r=2&ref=opinion&oref=slogin&oref=slogin - Gloria Steinem has some great points in this oped peice. I would be lying if I said it did not make me think twice about giving her my vote.

In the end, my left hand picked up the pencil provided in the tiny polling booth and filled in the oval next to the name of one of these candidates. I feel good about my choice and great about the fact that we finally seem to have some good, solid choices this time around. (Just in time for me (us) to move out of the country ... )

damn my sausage fingers

2008-01-04T06:30:00.000+01:00

to continue defending my newly-found reality tv interest ...

Well, to put it briefly, it is now 12:32a and I am still watching ANTP (for those of you keeping track, that's 7 hours and counting - pathetic, I know)

Tomorrow I will get things done. Really. I will. As soon as I figure out which shoes to wear to our friend, Elizabeth Bardwell's 40th birthday black-tie soiree tomorrow night.

Mark leaves for Zurich on Sunday night. We so do not have time to get everything done!#@!

all snowed in

2008-01-04T05:37:00.000+01:00

We arrived back in Concord after taking the red eye home from Denver last night to find our driveway completely plowed in from the street and covered in what seemed to be knee-high snow. We were so tired we easily could have been pissed off, annoyed, etc... at the challenging situation but thankfully, we both found it funny and also found some humor in watching George try to navigate his way to his 'spot' in the back yard.

I could barely keep my eyes open and headed straight for bed. Upon waking up about 6 hours later, instead of rallying and beginning to tackle the huge to-do list, I decided to see what was on Oprah. When that failed to hold my interest, I picked up the book I began in Colorado My Lobotomy and finished it.

Still not feeling any sense of motivation, I turned the tv back on and immediately found a marathon of America's Next Top Model, which I had begun watching last night on the plane. I had never before watched this show and must admit that I had given a few people a hard time about watching it in the past. I'm not much of a reality tv watcher, though admittedly I have been known to enjoy Top Chef and HGTV Design Star.

2008-01-02T01:48:00.000+01:00

We're in Colorado with some of Mark's best friends for a new year's mini break. It's been very relaxing - it's a great group of people that went to college at DePaw with Mark. We've spent our time napping, eating, playing cards, drinking, playing darts (I will be spackling the area around our host's dart board where I hit the wall many times...) playing with baby Ben and watching football. Tomorrow we ski.

I'm thrilled that we've actually been able to relax while here, given all that has to be done at home. While we have tried to get a lot done at home since we got back from Switzerland, we haven't crossed much off the 'list'.

We did have a rip-roaring holiday party after which 10 of our closest friends stayed overnight and helped us put a dent in the left overs and bottles of champange the following morning. I got some amazing footage of said guests participating in the midnight sing along "sound of music". I have not laughed that much in a very long time.

We are headed home from Colorado tomorrow night on the red eye and will have a few days to work on getting house/packing/moving/selling/etc... projects done before Mark heads back to Zurich on the 6th. Then the reality of this new year/life will quickly follow.

Zurich and back

2007-12-18T18:20:00.000+01:00

Just returned from Zurich last night. Great trip. Mark picked me up at the airport looking smashing in his "Vegas" suit, holding a giant, red Amaryllis and wearing a huge smile.

As seems to be the case in Zurich for much of November-February, the weather was grey, grey, grey. (must remember to pack light box)

The first day was tough as I spent much of it anxious about whether or not I could really live there. Then I fell asleep. And I slept and slept. I slept so much, when I awoke, I was on Zurich time and my jet lag was gone.

I checked out Mark's office and met his team - all very cool, multi-lingual people. (They all speak at least 3 languages fluently. I wowed them with my "toca la guitarra" and counting to 10 in Spanish AND French).

We met his boss, James, and his wife, Lorna for drinks and dinner and hit some fabulous, fun bars/lounges. They are both Brits so I didn't feel too guilty speaking English. (Of course, they both have their PhDs in math/science-type fields so I still felt quite daft ...)

Mark bought some yummy sausages at the Christmas market.

We went apartment hunting, which successfully eased some of my most pressing anxieties about this aspect of our new life. We saw some v. cool places in which I could really see us living - places I didn't immediately see myself curled up in a ball in front of a television, depressed for weeks at a time as I had feared - fabulous!

The entire trip was going really well and we thought it could only get better since we had decided it to take an apartment that we had seen (brand new reno in old building - 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, heated floors, washer and dryer, roof deck with view of the lake - even an Evita balcony!) and were envisioning where to put which pieces of furniture, talking about who we thought would be our first visitors and how lucky we were to have a cheese shop right downstairs - until we got the call from the broker that the owner had rented it to someone else. Apparently we did not fit the exact mold he was looking to fill ... (another lovely Swiss custom - no rules/laws re: what can be asked of prospective tenants, etc... he wanted to know - kids? pets? were we married? did we have bikes? did we play any instruments? did I have a job?)

Not to be too "The Fox and the Grapes" about it, but we decided that he would have been a lousy landlord anyway. Yeah.

It was a longer flight home (over 8 hours) than on the way over (6.5 hours) but I watched a movie ("Elf"), drank some red wine (free), and had an extra pillow and blanket (score!) so it was bearable. (Knowing that I'd get to see George when I got home and that Mark would be home soon helped too.)

Next step - sell the house. And get back on Eastern Standard Time.

alone vs. lonely

2007-12-02T23:16:00.000+01:00

People keep asking, "Aren't you lonely?" Actually, no, I'm not. I haven't really had a chance to be. Each day since Mark left, I have had either work, or appointments or social engagements that have kept me from being alone.

I've always felt that it's easier to be alone when one knows their 'alone-ness' is finite. I know that my fabulous husband is waiting for me in Zurich and that we will be together again soon. It's the old, 'seeing the light at the end of the tunnel' bit... When I know I only have to wait 6 days to see Mark, I can enjoy the time I have by myself while looking forward to being with him soon - the best of both worlds, really...

I so looked forward to having the house to myself after Mark left. It was great, but the novelty wore out in less than a week. I miss him. George misses him.

But it's a probably best that he's not here right now. The house is in a state of disarray as I have pulled everything out of its place in an attempt to organize, downsize and take stock of what we really are dealing with here. There are piles everywhere. The Goodwill/Salvation Army pile. The Craigslist pile. The in-house 'yardsale' pile (this will shortly become the give away pile). The NH storage pile, the take to Zurich pile.

I can't even begin to box things up because the movers have to pack everything that is going to Zurich because of Customs laws. How inconvenient.

I did sell 2 chairs and a dresser to a friend of Mark's this weekend. That cleared out about 1/89th of what needs to go. But still, thank you, Dan. Thank you for your patronage of Casa Harbaugh - (you sure I can't interest you in an end table or two?)

After a weekend filled with much talk and little action, I decided I needed a break from the insanity and sat down to start a project (see photo). The best use of my time? Not likely. But I couldn't help myself. It's still sitting there, not even 1/2 done, entirely covering what was the only clear table space I had left ... brilliant.

Not to worry - I'll finish it soon - perhaps even tonight. (Right after I shovel the driveway, clear off the cars, fix the broken/frozen wiper, organize the recycling and trash, and attempt to make a meal out of what is left in the cupboards/fridge...)

Just spoke to Mark. He feels terribly that he is not here to help. It would be nice to not have to do all this by myself, but it does help to know I'm not alone.

where to begin

2007-11-30T04:58:00.000+01:00

Presently, procrastination is the bane of my existence. While procrastinating, I'm realizing that chocolate tastes really fantastic with red wine. And Law & Order reruns.

Where to begin?

My husband, the charming, dreamy, smarty-pants Mark left me to live in Zurich, Switzerland almost 2 weeks ago. He didn't really leave me, leave me - he left to begin his new job and to check out the place we will all be calling home within a few months.

I have been left home to take care of a few things: resign from my current position, sell 2 cars, rent/sell our house, take care of George (a Bernese Mountain Dog who misses his father terribly), decide what to take to Switzerland, what to put in my mother's barn, what to give away, what to sell and what to put into a pile and set ablaze... to name a few...

I have spent the past 5 nights wallpapering a very curvy room with many windows in preparation to sell the house. The pattern we chose is beautiful but has a 27" pattern, which meant nothing to me when we bought the paper, but once I began to paper with my mother it soon became apparent that one wastes a LOT of paper while trying to match the pattern ...

I had been enjoying the wallpaper project when it was not rushed and the effort was being made on behalf of the home we were creating, etc... it's less enjoyable now as the clock is ticking down and I won't be the one to enjoy the fruits of our labor -for more than a month or so while I wrap things up here.

I hope that the people who buy our house like this wallpaper and don't rip it down like I did to the paper that was here when we bought the house.