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 :)
Friday 27 June 2008
Tuesday 24 June 2008
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.
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.
Thursday 19 June 2008
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..
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..
Friday 13 June 2008
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?
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?
Thursday 12 June 2008
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...
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...
Monday 9 June 2008
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 :)
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 :)
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