i see (more) dead people

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

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

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

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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

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

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

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

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...