a little sunshine, even if it's only metaphorical.

Well. The week began fairly roughly, and accelerated into Thursday, but after that, things are looking up. Made my first solo trip to Ikea on Friday and actually FOUND--and was able to carry home!--most of the things I needed. Saturday I met a new friend (yaaaay, Megan!) for coffee in this amazing little high-end bakery in this super fancy old building, and it was just lovely. Spent an hour or so after that wandering the streets of Old Town, which I LOVE. Today I spent the morning unpacking and doing laundry, then went to see 'True Grit' and had dinner with a very international group of Googlers. A fairly bleak and intense movie, but really well cast and well acted. Dinner was at this fun pizza/pasta place next to the theater, and was a good time. Got to make my way home in a decent downpour, but the whole evening was very much worthwhile. Meeting up with Lori for Indian food tomorrow: who knew what a social butterfly I could be.  ;-)

nooooooooooo!

The good news: our stuff got here. The bad news: it came a day early, directly from the airport, rather than through the moving company, who was, theoretically, to bring everything up to the apartment and place it where directed. What actually happened: I got to figure out how to get the metal straps off of two GIANT shipping crates (both roughly 5x5x5 feet) and then unload it all myself, then break down the boxes and stack them against the building wall along with the actual pallets they arrived on. It's not like we could leave those huge boxes, full of our stuff, in the middle of the parking level of our apartment building. (Which, by the way, is not secure at ALL, nor would it have been easy for cars to get around the stupid things.) It took about two hours, and my back is killing me, and the best part was that I gave myself a good knock on the head when unloading stuff from the elevator. Seriously, I put a small dent in my skull. (Don't worry, I'm fine. Just a big bump there now.) Not my favorite day ever. Poor Mike--in Senegal, getting ready to leave for the Gambia--got to listen to me have a complete breakdown over the phone while we tried to figure out what went wrong and what to do next. Then he had to rush back to his hotel room to call the moving company 'cause his phone stopped working from wherever he was. Then he had to call me back, then the moving company, and then me one more time.

In conclusion, I am going to take a LONG hot shower, then drink something bubbly, fix myself some dinner, and go to bed ASAP. And hope I can move in the morning, since it's laundry day and all. The hits just keep coming.

still no shipment.

And frankly, I'm getting a little tired of sitting home alone, waiting for it to clear customs, or whatever the hold-up is now. HOWEVER. I would like to point out that despite our general lack of kitchen accoutrement, I was able to whip up some eggs with gruyere and red peppers, and pan-fried potatoes with garlic, for dinner. YESSSSSSS. If that's not comfort food, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS. Thank goodness for the Swiss and their amazing cheeses and fresh produce. And chocolate. That's for dessert.

it's snowing!

Ok, so it's not snowing heavily, nor is it cold enough for it to stick, but it's my first Zurich snow. Pretty.

Latest developments: only a few items of interest. Went to Ikea (and several other furniture/home places) again over the weekend, and accomplished nothing! We can't seem to agree on a dining room table, especially since all of the ones that we both liked were WAY over our budget. Oh well. We did, however, find some insanely fun chairs. (Nope, didn't buy any of these either.)

The vampire chair. I LOVED THIS ONE.

Way more comfy than you'd expect!

Fun.

Also attended a giant motorcycle expo at this huge convention-center-type place. Mike had a ball and found his next bike, or so he claims.

Ahhhhh, Aprilia.

He also found my perfect scooter, at least, according to him.

Yes. That is leopard print, it is fuzzy to the touch, and it's electric. I will confess that it has a certain appeal.

Our friends Jess and Mike were in town, and we got to spend a little time with them: here's Mike trying to decide which wurst to eat next. (The best wurst dinner ever. Ha, ha...get it?)

Mmmmmmm, wurst. Both so delicious!

Finally, in one of the more hilarious public transportation-related notes of late, we saw this warning on the tram:

That's right. Football fans on Hohlstrasse. Line 31 is running only to Teilstrecken. I can only hope there was hooliganism involved.

second rumination of the day.

I almost typed "ruination" just now. Innnnnteresting.

So I was reflecting just now on how happy Mike seems to be in his new office, having been introduced there this evening. FYI, it is now 8:00 in the PM and he is just getting home. Of course, this led me to think about jobs and the procuring of one, for myself...which is a depressing subject. Precisely because I have few to no skills to offer the fast-paced, large-amounts-of-money-demanding job market here in one of the world's emerging financial capitals. Can it be, you might ask yourself, that someone with a master's degree in education and an undergraduate degree in history--that's right, history, people!--might have a hard time finding some way to be a productive (and money-earning) member of society, in a country where she doesn't speak any of the 4 national languages? (You'd think that out of a total of FOUR national languages, I'd at least stand a chance, but "rudimentary-at-best Italian and about ten words of German" doesn't seem to cut it here.)

It can be, in fact. It is. And it certainly doesn't buoy the spirits to know that actual qualified candidates, armed with higher degrees than my own, and with genuine experience, can't even seem to land jobs that fall under the "need person immediately for this!!" category. What's left, then, you might ask? I have no idea. I don't know where to look, whom to talk to, or even how I might convince a prospective employer that I, with my single language and vast experience in the American administrative field, might be a valuable hire.

It's not even that I WANT to be employed that much...my dermatologist, upon hearing that I was leaving the country, asked how I felt about becoming a "lady of leisure", and I loved that! I'm SO good at being unemployed! Sadly, however, unemployment does not provide one with the amazing Swiss pension plan that provides one with guaranteed income into his or her twilight years. Nor does it come with a 401(k), or IRAs, or stocks, or even a salary (gasp!), or any of the other underrated financial benefits that an actual job provides, and THIS is my predicament in the city with the world's 6th highest cost of living. While I know that my dear husband will probably work until the day he dies--he can't stand idle hands--I don't feel quite right about relying on his inability to sit still to provide me with sustenance and a comfortable place to live until I kick the bucket as well.

On the up side, the "Mexican" food last night was far better than it should have been. My fajitas came with actual homemade tortillas and real black beans (they had curry in them, but they were the first bean-like substance I've seen here!!), and Mike's chile con carne was absolutely fantastic. No, really. I mean it. We have no green chile, or Sonic, or actual American-style bacon, but we have chile con carne! A small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

gross.

It's official: I am sick. The good news is, it's FAR too cold and gray to want to go outside, so here I sit, coughing, sniffling, and looking at language schools. If I don't start learning German soon, I'm probably going to stop leaving the house altogether: it's just too exhausting to try to figure out what's going on around me all the time. I feel so terrible when some earnest, pleasant person is speaking to me, and all I can do is ask (poorly) if they speak English. Not to mention the fact that ALL signage here is in German, with just enough of a smattering of English words to remind you that you are, in fact, NOT in on the joke. (Or the conversations. Or the advertising. Or the multitude of letters we've received from the state, the property management company, the bank, etc., etc., etc.) I'm getting my money's worth out of Google Translate, and getting SICK of it at the same time. (Hmm...maybe that's why I feel so cruddy right now...)

not much to report.

Today: went to post office; bought tank top; fed cats; cleaned litter box; had a lovely chat with the landlord, with him speaking (mostly) German and me not saying much of anything. The amazing thing is how much he was able to communicate to me, despite our utter inability to speak the same language. Very interesting. 

Tonight: dinner with Lori at a Mexican restaurant. Just to try it out.  

EPIC.

That's what Karaoke from Hell was. Singing quality fell into two groups: those who were not terrible, and those who were phenomenal. And by phenomenal, I mean OUTSTANDING. The band was fantastic, and a good time was had by all, but it will take a little rehearsal and maybe a week or two for me to get up the guts to get on that stage...just don't want to fall into the "not terrible" category.  ;-)

P.S. - Not feeling much better today, but at least the pharmacist down the street speaks English and was kind enough to recommend some drugs for me. THANK GOODNESS FOR BILINGUAL PEOPLE.

...and now THIS.

The blog is back, people. So here's a brief summation of the last week or thereabouts, and forgive the absence of my usual sparkling wit. Feeling a little under the weather.

- Moved into new apartment
- Opened Swiss bank account
- Got most of our Swiss-residency-registering done (still have biometrics to go...big brother is watching!)
- Got beds and couch set up
- Did approximately 1 million loads of laundry
- Ate tons of good food
- Had first house guests (thanks for your patience with the lack of furniture, Nancy and Eddie!)
- Dined with the Boulder crowd twice
- Had dinner with our friend Jess from San Francisco, who is in town for the week, and her boyfriend Mike will be here later, yaaay!
- Found my first pair of skinny jeans that fit, but DID NOT BUY (not convinced that I'm European just yet)
- Found our local grocery stores and bakery
- Found the local English-speaking pub, huzzah!
- And lots of other not-so-interesting/necessary household-setting-up things.

The good news: this very evening, we are headed to Karaoke from Hell - which is, in fact, karaoke with a LIVE BAND. You heard me. I was so excited I couldn't even think of anything to say when Mike told me about it. The bad news: this morning I WOKE UP WITH FROG VOICE AND A CHEST FULL OF CONGESTION. Naturally. Of course, with a concept as awesome as live-band karaoke, it is definitely not guaranteed that we will get to sing, but I will report back on how this develops. I will, at the very least, head down to the corner pharmacy to see if they have any crazy European drugs that will make me instantly well.

Without further ado, please enjoy this smattering of rather random photos while I go put in another load of laundry in the basement. (It's like college all over again, except with a laundry schedule and rules.)

The view from our balcony

Got a shower curtain, wooo!

Our first major Ikea purchase. The bedrooms are HUGE.

Our sad, lonely couch. Don't worry, buddy...someday you'll have chairs and a rug to keep you company. 

Dusty "Think of the Children" Reid

Hard to believe that this is our new home.

Yup, there's a little wealth here.

P.S. - Today is the first actual chilly day we've had since we got here. It's 41 degrees F and cloudy.

languishing away in the dark ages with no interwebs in teh new apartment. check back later.

day 3.

So...Ikea was a smashing success, mostly. Found a couch, some beds, and a few odds and ends that we just couldn't live without, and they'll be delivered to our new apartment on Tuesday. (Which is when we get the keys, YAAY!) It was, however, a truly exhausting shopping experience. And we still have to think about wardrobes/dressers, a dining room table and chairs, coffee table(s), an extra chair for the living room, more lighting...fun times. The older I get, the less I like shopping. However, here are some tidbits from yesterday.

Little color-changey night-lightey guys at Ikea

Levo...?

In other news, today was pretty spectacular: went to have breakfast with a few friends of Lori's, then took a fairly lengthy hike up the side of one of the hills surrounding Zurich, culminating in some fantastic apple strudel and a view of the Alps that was nothing less than truly awesome. (Especially considering that today was a 50-degree day in Switzerland, in February, with not a cloud in the sky. Apparently, this is unheard of, and I've decide that if this is what winters are like here, then I'M STAYING.)

Ice waterfall on hike

Ice waterfall

Looking south from Lake Zurich to the Alps

More Alps

Zurich from Felsenegg

Yes. There is a cow's bottom on my jaeger punch.

To top it all off, we had our first official Swiss fondue for dinner. Gruyere, emmentaler, and tilsiter cheese with garlic, seasonings, and Kirschwein (apparently, a cherry cooking wine that's not good for much else...), and accompanied by bread, potatoes, and pickled onions for dipping. YUM. I'm told we'll suffer for this excess through tomorrow, but I suppose, for now, that it was worth it. We'll see.

And now, to make this my lengthiest post yet: I may not have come into this venture with an open enough mind, because for every article I've read or bit of advice I've been given that says that the Swiss are standoffish, we've encountered someone genuinely helpful and/or nice. Also, everyone we've met who is NOT Swiss has been pretty fantastic, as well: yesterday, it was David (from the UK) and Arlene (spelling not correct - but she's from Ireland), today it was Janna and her mother (Munich) and Janna's boyfriend Gareth (Scotland). Just genuinely nice, fun people that will be a pleasure to get to know.

days 1 and 2.

Yesterday: slept in until noon (in my defense, I woke up at 6:00--in the AM, no less!--and couldn't go back to sleep for a couple of hours); signed the lease for our apartment (yaaay!), wandered around our new neighborhood; found a giant electronics store (everything EXCEPT crock pots); more pizza for dinner; and then not much sleep. Bonus: we DID have coffee in a combination coffee-and-underwear store. HOW AWESOME IS THAT??

And now, some photos from our neighborhood...

View from neighborhood

Down our street

Our building

Today: got up around 9:30, cleaned the cat box (not quite my favorite thing to do, but close!), stressed about cats, ate french toast, stressed about cats, and now waiting to go to Ikea for furniture. Keep your fingers crossed that we can find a bed we can both live with. And a couch, and a table, and some linens, and everything else we weren't able to bring with us. Mmmmmm, shopping.

falling asleep standing up.

Not kidding. We just went to switch over my phone and I nodded off STANDING UP, several times, in the middle of the  Swisscom store. Awesome. I'm declaring it official: no matter how many empty seats are around me, I am physically incapable of sleeping on a plane. Which is a truly valuable attribute in someone who aspires to be a world traveler in the near future. Ugh.

By the way: we're here. We all made it--Mike, me, five suitcases, two backpacks, and three cats. Not the most fun day of travel, but it's over and now we've set up camp at Lori's house until our apartment is ready. (I'm fairly certain she had no idea what she was in for...but THANK YOU, LORI! You are too gracious!)

On the bill for tonight: dinner and SLEEP. (Although last time we did this, I somehow made it to midnight the first night, then woke up at 4:45 anyway. My body steadfastly refuses to get over jet lag in anything less than 72 hours.) On the bill for tomorrow: furniture shopping! Mike claims he has the dimensions to the rooms in our new apartment, so we'll see how it all works out in the end. Ikea, here we come. (Probably.)

all my bags are packed, i'm ready to go...

I am not, however, standing here outside your door. You're welcome for that.

Another hard goodbye last night: had dinner with Jensen and CA and Thierry (and JJ and Dayne) out at the Silver homestead. Jensen absolutely, and without reservation, makes the BEST BURGERS EVER. I think Mike might have cried on the way out the door, but I can't be sure: it was so cold that any tears may have frozen solid to his face. (Yup, it's STILL cold in lovely Denver.)

At any rate, all of the stuff we're taking with us is in tubs, ready for the shipping company. We have a total of 5 suitcases and 3 cats ready to hit the road. Who's terrified for the 24 hours ahead? It's me! It's me!

wooooo!

It's official, as of this morning: we have a place to live! It's definitely on the upper end of our price range, but it's got everything we need, including an extra half-bath and guest room (ahem, everyone planning to visit! It's a done deal!). Obviously, I have yet to see the place, but Mike sez it's pretty nice, and it's OURS, which is even better. Photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/springem/OurApartmentInZurich#.

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!