Blue eyes and sunshine

Well, new blog posts are likely to be even more scarce in the future, as the handy internet connection we've been using at home, courtesy of some unknown neighbour, isn't working anymore. It suddenly disappeared a few weeks ago, and now I have to go to the Uni or (as now) to Mike's office to get on the Net. Cumbersome, but our finances won't allow an Interet connection for some time yet.

Mike has started his work as a lawyer and, as a direct result, is stressed, tired and almost depressed. He is still working at Coop for two more months, and that's our only source of income at the time - and our expenses now include rent for Mike's office. Which is about the same amount as the rent for our appartment. I've got a job interview in one week, but it's for an internship that wouldn't even pay for my part of the rent. However, it's the best offer I've had since I came here, and only my second interview so far in four months. So I'm ready to give it my best effort, and at least pretend like becoming a "documentalist" (=nice word for librarian) is what I've always wanted.

So, our financial situation at the moment is more than dark. The weather, however, has done it's best to keep us in a good mood. It's been unusually warm and pleasantly sunny the past few weeks - so warm that you could sit outside in a T-shirt, or even (like Mike today on our balkony) topless. That's unusual for mid-October, even here.. And I'm not complaining. Although in the past week, I've been staying at home as much as possible. That has nothing to do with the weather. Four days ago I collided with Mike, and in the meeting of his forehead and my cheekbone, his forehead won. I've been looking like an information poster about domestic violence all week - swollen and blue. I didn't want to start any rumours, so I stayed indoors.

This blog post sounds very negative, but it's not - every day brings joy as well as trouble. Mike is growing radishes on the balkony, and treats them like pets - talks to them, worries about them, even pets them when he thinks nobody is looking.. And looks so sweet while he's doing it :) I've been knitting a lot, and I love it and love the things I do. If I could just find a job, there wouldn't be much to complain about.

Yes yes, I'm still alive..

So, I've been neglecting my blogging duties lately. Don't say I didn't warn you, though. It's been a hectic couple of weeks, and I haven't had much time.

The wedding has been and gone. It was stressful and beautiful at the same time, but in the end, it's the beauty that will be remembered. My sister and her husband know what they want, and they don't settle for anything but the best, so the results of all their planning were magnificent. I haven't seen or spoken to my sister since, as they went away on their honeymoon the following day, but they sent a card from Colmar and seemed to be having a very nice time.

Closer to home, we've also had some changes. Mike passed his exams (as I always told him he would :) ), so he's in the process of setting up his own law office. He is renting a room from a bigger agency, in an office suite that will hopefully one day be filled with other "freelance" lawyers. But so far, he's got the place to himself. We've been scrounging for stuff to put in it - he's got a big desk and two bookshelves that were left behind by someone who was hoping to do the same as him, but didn't pass the exams. They are ugly as hell, but after a good scrubbing they are, at least, clean. In addition, he'll get an old wooden office chair from his parents, and yesterday we boght a small round table and some chairs to put in a corner, for client meetings. I got him a table lamp at a flea market, and yesterday we found a beautiful old hanging lamp, also at a flea market, which has replaced a lamp we already had in our hall, and the old one will be hung in the office.

I tried to find a picture of a lamp similar to the one we bought - this is as close as I got. Ours isn't that delicate and shiny, though. But you get the idea. It looks very nice with the tile floor.

One more thing..

.. you can now leave comments, even if you don't have a blogger or google account. Of course, comments would make me very happy :)

Life on the road

Tomorrow we go to Finland for my sister's wedding. That means it's the second time I'm going to Finland this week. Last Friday was my sister's bachelorette party, and her fiancé/soon-to-be-husband paid for my tickets to and from Helsinki. In business class. So, I got a little taste of the high life, cruising through the airport without having to bother with pesky details like standing in line at the check-in, and relaxing in the lounge before boarding, drinking free coffee and eating free chocolate. And, of course, on board the meal was a big step up from economy fare, not only because it was served on porcelain and glass, but also because it could be washed down with champagne. It was a lot of fun, of course, but it was also very tiring to fly back and forth on consecutive days.

And tomorrow, we fly again. Economy, of course.

I feel like Carrie Bradshaw. Almost.

Last week I started to look for a pair of shoes for my sisters wedding next week. Usually I hardly even need to look - adorable shoes seem to be jumping up in every corner. But of course, when I've decided to splurge on a new pair, there are none to be found.

After having gone in and out in every shoe shop Bern has to offer (and it's quite many, actually), I resorted to more desperate measures. A trip to a fashion outlet, about 40 minutes away by train. Mike finished his oral exams yesterday, so he came with me to offer moral support.

The outlet is called Fashion Fish, and is located in a small town near Olten. I've seen it several times, going by on the way to or from Zürich. And now I got to go there myself.

And was the trip worth it? Yes. Oh yes. If my financial situation would be a little bit better - not even a lot, just a little - I probably would have shopped enough clothes for the whole autumn. The prices were bargains, and the brands ranged from relative unknowns to semi-precious. There was a sale, so clothes, shoes and bags could be found 70% off.

And I found a pair of shoes at 70% off. Navyboot, sort of a dark brushed silver, with a low (5cm), slim heel. Originally priced at 289Fr (180€), I paid 86Fr (54€). I'd say it was worth it, even if you add the 29Fr the train ticket cost me. And, I got to spend a whole afternoon with my favourite man, which, of course, was priceless.

(Mike wasn't harmed by the extended shopping trip - he actually enjoyed most of it).

This and That and All the Rest

Last Saturday we went to the Historical Museum. They are having an exhibition about Charles the Bold, and as sort of a finale they've invited a company of British knights. So we went to watch the joustings. Which was quite interesting, although the whole thing lasted about 45 minutes (most of which was other forms of Medieval entertainment) and cost rather more than it should have. But entrance to the museum was included in the price, and there was a Medieval fair as well, so it was really worth it anyway. But the thing that had tempted Mike the most, the food, was terrible. Bland and tasteless slop (boiled meat and onions in a slimy sauce), which I guess could be called authentic, but at a price that shocked us - after having paid 18Fr (about 12€) we had expected something better. The fried sausages, for 8Fr, were much, much better - but then, it's hard to go wrong with fried sausages.

Today, I'm visiting my aunt in Biberist for the second time this week. Mike is writing his second exam today, which isn't a coincidence. I knew I had to get away from home to keep from sitting around worrying the whole day. So, I'm using the time to try to fix up a dress for my sisters wedding, with the able help of my aunt. So far, it's looking good.

Another Brick in the Wall

Last Friday, I tried to sign up for unemployment, but I still haven't received my health insurance card, so I'll have to go back in a week or so and try again. I've also signed up with a number of short term employment agencies, in hopes of earning some money while I hunt for a real job. People seem somewhat taken aback when I present them with my university degree - they find it hard to believe that I'd actually be willing to mop floors or work an assembly line. But at the same time, they don't have anything else to offer me. I'm not even qualified for the job usually reserved for the lowest of the low - call centers. They all want people who speak Swiss German. But luckily, that doesn't bother me - I'd have to be really desperate to want to work in a call center.

Meanwhile, it is now only one week left before Mikes exams start. It is going to be a couple of trying weeks, I'm afraid. He is already so tired and stressed out, I have a feeling it won't take long until he starts having trouble sleeping. And that would be bad news for his performance on the exams. And the worst part for me is that there isn't really much I can do to help.

Jobhunting season

Well, it's been a while. We're both pretty much illness-free, although Mike still needs a check-up. He's starting to feel quite stressed about his exams next month, so we haven't really done much lately - he is either working or studying all the time.

Last week I had my first job interview, which went kind of OK considering that I had completely the wrong education for the job. They were looking for someone with some serious sales experience, but I made a good enough impression that the woman interviewing me agreed to keep my application and get in touch if none of the other candidates worked out. It would only be a half-time job, with really bad pay, but it would at least help me get a foot in the door of the Swiss job market.

And I have a long list of places that I'll be sending spontaneous applications to - but the chance that anyone will read it and go "Oh, exactly what we need" isn't really that good :(

I'll keep you updated...

I'll be back...

I want to apologize to all my, apparently, four readers - I've been a bit unavailable lately. Managed to fall ill (not mono, though, something quite different) and haven't had much energy to get into town to the library. Right now we are at Mike's parents' house for dinner, so I probably shouldn't hide in the basement for too long. But I'll be back. Soon. I promise.

Kissing Disease

Isn't it just typical? It's summer, warm and sunny.. What a time to catch a virus :P Mike has got mononucleosis, which means that I'll probably get it too, unless I've already got it and just haven't had any symptoms. He was really tired and depressed, and when his throat clogged up so bad he couldn't sleep at night I told him to go see a doctor, immediately. Last night he slept through most of the night, which was a relief - we were both getting a bit cranky from the lack of sleep (if he can't sleep it means I can't sleep - even when I went to another room I could hear him wheezing painfully). So, on top of everything else, we are now forbidden to kiss, just in (the very unlikely) case I haven't caught the virus yet. It would be great to have a thermometer - one of the first symptoms is a fever, according to the ever reliable Wikipedia.

So the excitement about the upcoming wedding on Saturday is now hampered by the fact that Mike is probably going to be weak and tired from the mono, and we both have to explain why we are keeping a respectful distance from all the customary cheek-to-cheek-kisses. Not that they should be contagious, but better safe than sorry. What scares me most is that mononucleosis seems to be quite a serious disease, it can last for weeks, and there isn't really anything you can do, except treat the symptoms. I'm just glad I got Mike to go to a doctor so early - he'd probably have waited until next week. It probably showed his weakened state that I got him to agree so quickly :)

Getting what you ask for...

Remember how I used to complain about the weather? More specifically about COLD weather? Well, somebody must have heard me, as the las few days can only be described as "hot". There is a heat wave thing going on in Switzerland right now, with temperatures steadily at over 30° in the day, and never under 20° in the night. Sweaty, indeed, but much, much better than before.

Yesterday I bought something that I was longing for very much, but didn't think I'd be able to afford for a long time - a DVD-player. At a bargain - 55Fr (that's hardly more than 30€...), so now we can watch movies without having to squint at the tiny screen of my laptop. I've already tested it - of course - and it's working fine. It even looks nice, all thin and black. I really got lucky - I had trouble finding the store, so it took me a while to get there, and when I got there they only had one left. While I was waiting for them to pack it up (it had been on show in a glass case) someone else came and asked for that very same player.. So 15 minutes later and I would probably have been too late.

It would be very nice to know if anyone reads what I've written, even though I'd probably keep writing in either case. So please, if you read this, please take a few seconds to "vote" on the "poll" at the bottom left of the page.

And now for the daily weather update...

It's warm! And sunny ! Finally! We had lunch on the balkony this afternoon - we'd been planning to for some time, but the weather didn't allow it until now. And it looks like it'll hold this time, the prognosis is promising temperatures of 20-30° for the week to come. I guess it's time to dig out the swimwear...

I still haven't found any gainful employment. So I do household things, like cleaning, washing, cooking - I've even baked bread. Twice. I'm feeling like a 50s housewife, but I'm not yet (ha ha) desperate. I guess I'm still in that early phase of infatuation with the apartment, which means that I actually *like* cleaning it. Cooking hasn't become quite a chore yet, even though I've been cooking at least one meal a day for weeks now. That will most certainly change once I get a job.

Euro2008 is still going on, but for Bern, it might as well be over. The last few matches will be played elsewhere, so the fans have left, and the town is almost eerily quiet in contrast to earlier this week. In general, it was only the actual match days that were really bothersome, with all traffic at a stand-still and people who started drinking in the morning and then just kept going. Other days the hordes of football fans were merely a nuisance but no real problem. Still, I'm feeling slightly relieved that they are gone. Though the town did look nice dressed in orange..

Creating a home

I'm probably not a very good blogger. The wish, or urge, to write appears randomly, sometimes seldom and sometimes more often. As with so many things, the less I have to do the more I write about it.
By now I've been living here little more than a week. The first few days were filled with shopping - extended trips to Ikea and other furniture stores. We haven't really bought that much, a bed, a closet, a metal basket-thingy on wheels for the bathroom. But buying a bed isn't just buying a bed. You have to buy a mattress too, and those inserts to go under it, and then wedecided to play it big and get new pillows as well. Now we still have to get a couple of sheets, we only have one and they do need to be washed every now and then. And I'm thinking new duvets might be a good idea. Not that there is anything wrong with the old ones, but by now we have two guest mattresses, two extra pillows.. But no extra duvets. Mike thinks we can just borrow some from his mother when the need arises. Which I hope it does, soon.
The apartment was a pleasant surprise. From what Mike had told me I was almost expecting a dump, but it's comfortable and roomy, with lots of light thanks to big windows. Sure, the walls have plenty of marks on them, as do the floors. The kitchen cabinets and bathroom fixtures were probably the latest thing in the 80s. But everything has been well kept, so it just looks a bit old-fashioned. And by now the 80s are already on the verge of being retro :) I'm working up the courage to go shopping for paint - I'd like to paint one wall of very room a different colour. I recently bought a book of patterns, and now I'm toying with the idea of creating a couple of murals. I'd love something Art Deco in the bedroom, it would suit the style of the rest of the room perfectly.
As I'm writing, Mike is in the process of installing our last lamp. I've been reminding him for days, and now he finally, grudgingly, agreed to take care of it. Would you believe he would actually rather be doing laundry?

Wednesday

It's wednesday. I've been here 9 days, but it feels like a month already. One thing after another is falling into place, I've got a new simcard for my phone (the old one got lost when I moved), I've started to investigate Internet connections and the apartment looks more and more like a home everyday.

The weather hasn't really been co-operating - I'm in Switzerland, it should be nice and warm and sunny. But mostly it's been raining, actually. Doesn't bother me too much as long as I don't have to go out :) Today it's nice, though, kind of sunny and 20°C. I'm supposed to be running errands, but have been sitting here at the uni for hours.. It's nice to be connected, for once :) I've really got to get that Internet connection...

The football fans have calmed down somewhat already.. I guess you can't party for weeks on end, no matter how much you'd want to...

Living in football hell

I'm sure there are a lot of people who are exited about Euro 2008. In fact, I've seen them. They are pretty much everywhere here in my beautiful new hometown, and they seem to be having a very good time. However, the Italians, the Dutch, the Portugese and the Czechs flooding our streets are on vacation. They are free to enjoy themselves and are in no hurry to get from point A to point B. For those of us trying to go about our daily lives it's quite a different matter.

I'm no football fan under the best of circumstances. I find it quite, well, boring, to be honest. In the interest of household happiness I've learned to live with the fact that my significant other can go crazy over a bunch of men chasing a ball. But even Mike isn't too happy about the frenzy we are living in right now. Probably has something to do with the fact that the entire old town is closed off, there is no way to cross it by any other means than by foot. No trams, no busses, no bikes. It makes the trip to work and to uni much longer and more cumbersome. He doesn't like it when things get in his way.

Still, the whole town is in a buzzing partymood, which can be catching. But when I think about the fact that it's Monday today, and Eur0 2008 started on Saturday, and we still have 3 more weeks before it's over.. Luckily, I can go home, and bury my head under the covers in our newly-bought bed and forget that the world outside even exists :)