CAB's European Adventure

January 27, 2012 - Letting Sleeping Dogs Lie

2012-01-27T10:49:00.001+01:00

Maybe in this instance the word should be "lay" and not lie...

Does this look comfortable to you?

He looks dead but he's not... I held a mirror up to his nose... and what's the deal with sleeping with his tongue sticking out?

He is cute .... and yes this is how he spends the majority of every day.

Happy Friday.

January 26, 2012 – SPAM

2012-01-26T11:51:00.000+01:00

Lately more SPAM has been making it through my filter. Just today I received the following:

From

Mr. James Obaseki RE:Very Urgent You Contact,

Mario Gagne Envisagethis little chica with D size boobs! Fantastic, right?

Jared PleaseProvide Your Accurate Information

The 1^stone implies that I contacted Mr. Obaseki and that they are replying to me. Um, my German may suck but I think I couldbet money that I would never enter a subject line that said “Very Urgent YouContact”

That’s an immediate delete.

And what’s the deal with the second one? That ranks right up there with the emailsthat suggest that I can increase my penis size. Seriously, do people open these things? They must, and worse they must actually clickon something in the email or these types of SPAM would peter out. No pun intended.

The last one is funny because I am sure people would open thatone assuming it was something official. Usually I just delete these things because no one is legitimately goingto ask me to provide this kind of information out of the blue. Meaning, if I’ve had no prior contact withyou, you are most likely SPAM. However,today I was curious so I opened the email.

The email has a pretty Better Business Bureau Logo andtechnically “looks” official. They justwant me to click on the inserted hyperlink and enter a user id/password.

Here’s the thing. I’mnot entirely stupid.

If the sender was from the Better Business Bureau his emailaddress would reflect that. It doesn’t: Thesender is Jared <catia@ylong.it> I’mpretty sure the “.it” means the email address is registered in Italy but toconfirm that, and because I had time, I displayed the header information which givesme the IP address where the email was sent from: Yep Italy.

What do you supposed would happen if I clicked thehyperlink? I can make a guess. I would most likely end up installing somemalicious software on my laptop that if not immediately would eventually causeme massive headaches.

I’m having a tough time imagining me opening and activatingany spam email although a subject line “Dancing Naked Dark Chocolate HersheyNugget” might get me. Heck I wont evenclick on the hyperlinks that Jack Daniel’s sends me when I get notices fromthem updating me on all things Squire related. See this is what taking classes in Information Protection and Securitydo to you. They make you paranoid. Although I don’t think it’s technicallyparanoia if the concern is legitimate.

Happy Thursday.

January 25, 2012 – Planning

2012-01-25T12:36:00.002+01:00

I just realized that there are only 6 more days untilFebruary. Now most people are nit asfond of February as I am, although I could name a few. Why might you ask am I thrilled about a shorton days, dreary, cold weather month? It’sthe month I was born. When I was youngerI would get psyched about the week of my birthday, there’s just something aboutit that thrills me. The getting olderthing; it’s good. When I look back everyyear since I turned 25 has been better than the prior year. Yes there are moments and some long stretchesduring the year that don’t even come close to qualifying as being ok, butoverall: Really good years.

I also have to admit that after I turned 43 the anticipationof my birthday has waned a bit. Theexcitement of the actual day itself has been missing. It’s just sort of felt like another day. This year however, I am taking a page out ofmy brother’s girlfriends’ book. You see,“A” celebrates her birth month. Now Ican’t celebrate the entire month because then my pants really wouldn’t fit, butI certainly can plan a “To Do” list for the month of February, things just forme. Little mini adventures.

That’s my goal for the next couple of days, to put togethera list of things I want to do during the month of February, but I also don’twant it to be too specific that way if I divert a little I don’t have to be disappointed. Maybe I just need a “have a mini adventure”every day kind of goal, with a few specifics thrown in. I think I like it.

January 24, 2012 – Bailey

2012-01-24T12:44:00.003+01:00

There is a chocolate lab puppy down the road. I call him a puppy because he can’t quite be6 months old yet but he’s larger than the beastly boy. I can’t imagine how big he will be when hefinishes filling out. His name isBailey. Bailey wants desperately to playwith Ernie. Ernie “thinks” he wants toplay. That is until Ernie gets nearBailey and Bailey in his puppy exuberance can’t contain himself and jumps atErnie. That makes Ernie cranky and hegets that look on his face that says “What the hell was I thinking?” and thenhe refuses to look at the puppy, turning his face left and right. You can just see the bubble forming over theboy’s head “If I pretend I don’t see him, he’ll go away….” Yea, that’s not happening. So the boy resorts to that low growl. If you are familiar with dogs, you know theone. It says, “Hey I get you are a puppyand I don’t want to hurt you, but get off me.” It makes me think of car rides with my siblings when we were younger andmy Mom had to listen to us “Stop touching me… he’s touching me… make him stoptouching me.”

What’s the puppy doing during all this growling andignoring? Bouncing around like he hasants in his pants saying to himself “He doesn’t mean it. I’m cute… I’m cute, I’m cute. Play with me, play with me, playwithmeplaywithmeplaywithmeplaywithme.”

I can’t even remember the last time I felt all brimming with“play with me” exuberance. Maybe I’mjust old and I’ve decided it’s a Bob Marley kind of day where I play “Waitingin Vain” over and over.

January 23, 2012 – Weekend Update

2012-01-23T11:49:00.002+01:00

The weekend was a well deserved quiet one. The beast and I took a couple of long-ish walksin an attempt to combat the fatness. I’mnot sure how effective the walk is when the boy stops every 3 feet to snifthings and/or to leave behind his own little markings. I know you really didn’t need to know thatlast bit. I did manage to get him to jogthe last ¼ mile home. Which for me is ajog, for him it’s more a fast walk, but since it counts as picking up the paceI’ll place it in the win column.

Sunday L and I went to see the J. Edgar Hoover movie. I didn’t know until the very end that it wasdirected by Clint Eastwood but when I saw the credits I had that “ah-ha” momentwhere I should have known it was a film of his: it was slow damn slow. I like Clint and an actor I really do, but asa director… omg I can feel myself aging at the pace his movies move.

That being said, the movie was pretty interesting and ifeven ½ of what they portrayed was true. OMG J. Edgar Hoover was a nut job, a creepy, sneaky, nut job.

I like Judy Dence as an actress, I liked her character in “TheChronicles of Riccick” and I liked her in the 007 movies, but I have to lookthose up to remind myself of that. WhatI don’t have to look up is when she plays a whack-a-do and let me just say J.Edgar Hoover and his mom had a wickedly strange relationship. Judy portrayed the Mom in a way that justgave me the creeps. So much so that Icouldn’t help but compare it to her role in “Notes on A Scandal”.

To end the weekend I made mushroom risotto for dinner. You thought I was going to say something likechocolate risotto… is there such a thing? Anyway dinner was a success, and since Rissotto calls for white wine Iopened a bottle of Aigle, Chablais. If Ididn’t occasionally cook with wine the bottles would never get opened. Since I opened it I had to try a sip. Lord am I a lightweight. I small glass later and it goes right to myhead, but I must say: I like this wine So now I have ¾ of a bottle of wine I need tocook with… just call me Julia Child.

January 20, 2012 – Friday Lunch Dilemma

2012-01-20T12:34:00.000+01:00

It’s seems as good a title as anything else, I mean it isFriday. I have this weird craving forpasta right now. I couldn’t give you onelogical reason why I’m craving it, but I am. Well ok, it’s lunch time here in Switzerland and my stomach is sayingeat something and other than wanting pasta I’m undecided. I almost went with the old standby of ketchupon bread. Again, I have no idea whyexcept it’s easy and for some reason making a sandwich seems like too much workright now. Oh and boiling water forpasta isn’t??? Hey, did I say I was being logical? No, I didn’t.

I even have “food like substances in the fridge” or Peanutbutter I could have even gone for a PB&J but that’s not going to do it forme. Oh, and it’s not like I have sauceavailable. I mean I do, but it’s frozenand thawing it out would take too long and then there would be leftovers. See, it’s really not that easy. Sure I could open a can of crushed tomatoesthrow them on the noodles but that requires cheese. Yes, I admit it, there are all theserules. It’s hard to follow. Just imagine what it’s like in my ownhead. Seriously, it’s not pretty. OMG it just hit me… RICE I can make rice, itdoesn’t need sauce. Phew, that dilemmais resolved.

Oh and if you were wondering; Underworld: Awakening openstoday with Kate Beckinsale. Keep yourfingers crossed that it is available here too. I really want to see it. Who canresist a woman in leather with guns?

January 19, 2012 – New Milestones and Other Random Thoughts

2012-01-19T13:21:00.002+01:00

Yesterday I was walking the beast when a woman approached meand said “Das ist burgstrasse?” Now thisgives you some idea of what my life has become. I ended up with this ridiculous grin on my face when I heard thequestion. I’m fairly certain the womanhad a brief moment where she thought she might have approached a psycho, but Iwas just so beyond excited that I knew what the heck the woman said to me AND Iknew the answer. “Ya”; look at that my 1^stsuccessful German conversation. Fine, conversation might be an exaggeration but the fact that I knew thename of the street was impressive. I’vehad people stop me in the neighborhood I’ve live in the last 15 years and askedme the name of a street and I’ve had to pretend that I didn’t live therebecause I had no idea.

I’m particularly fond of the cowboy Junkies version of SweetJane. Is it bad that I have beenlistening to the Cowboy Junkies all week? There are over 100 of their songs on my iPod. It takes awhile to get through them

I finished reading Santa Olivia over the weekend I’ll get toa review soon, now I’m reading The Hangman’s Daughter.

Tomorrow, I don’t know what tomorrow holds but I think I amgoing to do something just for me.

Pictures: I want to get back to trying to figure out how touse Adobe Photoshop Elements. It’ssupposed to be easy. Errr… ok itcertainly is easier than German. Yes Iam fixated on the whole German thing but no fear when I encounter somethingmore difficult for me, I’ll stop talking about it.

I have the weird desire to make Risotto this weekend. Weird because it’s only Thursday and I’mthinking about Sunday dinner. Who doesthat?

January 17, 2012 – Arosa Part 2 – Sledging

2012-01-17T12:16:00.000+01:00

Sledging/Sledding

Do you remember going sledding as a child? The thrill of the snow; the excitement of ridingdown the hill; the fun of falling off the sled and landing in the snow; thedread of walking back up the hill dragging your sled? I remember all of those things and wasexcited for the chance to relive some of that over the weekend.

We actually went down two different sledge runs. First let me explain that a sledge is prettymuch like the old wooden sleds we used as children, except that they only wayyou can steer the thing is to plant your feet in the snow and drag one footmore than the other to turn. Oh and itis absolutely necessary that you be able to turn these things.

The 1^st L had done the prior year on a workretreat…. In the DARK. I emphasize thatbecause we went down the run in broad daylight at the 1^st turn Imisjudged and took a header into the snow bank. After that I managed to stay upright on this trail and I even recognizedthe sign that warned riders to slow down. Which pretty much means jam your feet into the snow and pray.

I’m still dumbfounded that L and her company made this ridein the dark. I couldn’t complete it in broaddaylight.

The second run was further up the mountain, we took the skilight to the middle station and got off. Here’s what you need to imagine; the sledge run starts at the same pointas some of the ski runs. In fact, youcross one of the ski runs to get to the entrance of the sledge run. This one was pretty cool it starts off with adecent incline and your going a fun rate of speed, feet in the snow controllingturns and speed. The you take a sharpright hand turn and wham…. OMG THERE IS A STEEP DOWNHILL. I didn’t really have too much time to thinkabout potential injuries since the only word flying through my head was: “shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshit”

Somehow I didn’t recall the terror associated with hurtlingdown the side of a mountain on a wooden sled that’s not equipped with anysafety devices, no airbags, nothing. Ohand sure after I came to a stop and two smallish children flew past me gigglinglike they were having the time of their lives I was thinking. Come on how dangerous could this reallybe? So of course I rode down the tail asecond time. I mean, I knew what toexpect this time, I had already been through it. I had better control the second time around,that is until I hit that steep section and quite frankly it was an exactreplica if the 1^st time around. Sheer terror, expletives and this time I took L’s advice and in additionto dragging my feet on the ground trying to gain some control and slow myselfdown I dragged one hand in the snow as well. Let me just say, the dragging the hand thing, not very effective, infact the only thing it seems to do is freeze your mitten to the point that yourhand goes numb.

Would I do this again? Yes definitely, but it might take me another year to build up thecourage (or to forget the terror) to hurtle down another alp.

Sunrise Ski Lift

Sunday morning we also go up early to take the 1^stlift up to the very top of the mountain to see the sunrise. It was beautiful. We were joined by one or two other people whotook the ride to see the sunrise but otherwise everyone else could beclassified as ski nuts who wanted to get up the mountain in time for the very 1^strun of the day. Crazy people.

This is one of the ski runs at the very top of the mountain but I didn't see anyone go down this one, they were going down the otherside that was marked with a red tag. I'm guessing "black = scary"

On our hike Saturday down from the middle station we spottedthis sign: I have no idea what itmeans. Is it a warning that there arelow flying handle bar mustache’s in the area?

January 16, 2012 – Weekend Update Part 1 – Arosa

2012-01-16T13:20:00.001+01:00

L and I spent a snow weekend in Arosa, Switzerland. I’d say that we spent a ski weekend there butneither of us ski.

We arrived on Saturday late morning after taking a pleasant2 hour train ride. The train was packedwith people in their ski gear, boots and all. They hope the train, go to the mountains, hop off, hop on a ski lift andthey are off. It’s actually kind ofamazing.

Anyway, we arrived Saturday and quickly threw our snow pantson over our jeans. Hey we might not ski,but we like to stay warm and there ‘s snow… everywhere with lots of non-skiing opportunities to takeadvantage.

L and I in after we arrived.

The view of the mountain from town

Just some random guy who let me take his picture; I mean howcould I not take his picture? Hejust got off the mountain and was snowboarding as some green fuzzy animal.

Saturday we took the lift to the middle station and walkedone of the trails back down the mountain. What’s really cool about this place is they have ski/snowboard trails,sledding (sledging) trails, and hiking trails all over the mountain and many ofthem start in the same general vicinity.

While we were hiking I was taking a bunch of pictures of theski slopes primarility because all I could think was “Damn my brother wouldlove it here, he needs to see these ski slopes.” I haven’t seen my brother ski since I was 13but I know that he loves skiing and I know that he’s been skiing for years so Iassume that he’s a very good skier. Plusthere are no trees on these slopes, unlike at home where the slopes run betweenthe trees.

So Big Brother, these pics are for you.

I don't think you can see it clearly but that small black dot in the middle of the picture is somebody skiing off the trail

Teeny tiny people walking one of the hiking trails but look at all the ski tracks from people just going down the side of the mountain.

I'm pretty sure they don't require that you wear a dress to ski, although after seeing the guy dressed as a fuzzy animal I might be wrong...

Tomorrow I'll share our sunrise ski lift and sledging adventure. Let's just say explatives were used liberally.

Copyright © C.A. Bailey 2010 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

January 13, 2012 – Overwhelmed

2012-01-13T12:37:00.002+01:00

I’m going to make this a good day for myself. I am. In between making it a good day for myself I might randomly break outinto tears but hey, it’s Friday and I’m blaming PMS, stress, and generalemotional instability for my outlook today. Well that and a Plumber, the Postman, and the stupid freaking Germanlanguage.

I get it, I’m in Switzerland and the written language isGerman and I suck with languages and I’m still trying to learn to speak thedamn thing but even if I get to that point I have no hope that I will be ableto read it. Who came up with thislanguage anyway?

The plumber was actually easy, he came by because thedownstairs neighbor has a leak coming in from somewhere, into someplace for thelast 3 years. I say someplace because Ihaven’t a clue where the water is coming into but it can’t be coming INTO theiractual apartment because who the heck would put up with that crap for 3years. So I’m making the leap of faiththat they are getting water from our balcony onto their balcony, and in an evilsort of way I think “well we’re getting your damn cigar smoke IN our apartmentfrom YOUR balcony so we aren’t even close to calling it fair”. That’s neither here nor there, the plumberwalked on the balcony looked over the edge and said, we’ll have to lift some ofthese flat stones to identify the problem because “something MUST be brokenunder here… somewhere.” This is where Iget to pipe up and point out that we don’t own the apartment, we’re justtenants and that they should talk with the landlord. We will be happy to cooperate as much aspossible with the landlord permission. Goodbye Plumber Man. Not sobad. Really.

Shortly after plumber man leaves the main doorbell rings andit’s the postman. I have to sign for aletter. Ok I admit that as soon as Ihave to sign for an “official” looking I start to panic that I did somethingwrong and I’ve inadvertently gotten L and myself into trouble. Seriously, it’s not a tough leap to make,what the heck I’m in a foreign country and if you do something to annoy someone(anyone) they call the police or your landlord versus talking to youpersonally. When you stop to think aboutit, it’s kind of like the reality TV show Survivor where you are just trying tofly under the radar and avoid being noticed. Well like that show but without the starvation, lack of shelter andrunning water. Fine it’s nothing likethe damn annoying show.

So the letter is two freaking pages which means I spent 30mins typing the 1^st page into google translate to figure out whatthe heck I just signed for.

Well we have a 120 Euro fine for not having a proper tollpass in Austria and it has to be wired to some bank somewhere in the next 4weeks. This sounds like that crazy spamemail, “wire $1000 to bank x and we’ll give you $1,000,000 except I know this isn’ta scam. What sucks is we were in Austriain September and I know that we stopped to buy the Vignette stickers in severalcountries, and nobody stopped us on the highway so how the heck do they know ifwe did or didn’t have the Vignette? Ohand of course I don’t even know if we still have the damn tickets for thatbecause it was back in SEPTEMBER and even if we find them who the heck am Isupposed to contact?

CAB: DearAustria, we already paid the toll can we discuss this rationally?

Austria: SureCAB but all discussions will be conducted in German. Learn the language.

CAB: Stabme in the eye with a sharp stick please

Have I mentioned I’ve had a pounding headache for two days;today I really hate Switzerland; and I need a hug?

It’s Friday. I’mgoing to make this a good day for myself or at the very least I am going tosurvive it. Tomorrow, L and I are goingto Arosa and we’re going to have a fun weekend playing in the snow.

January 12, 2012 - Easily Distracted

2012-01-12T12:28:00.003+01:00

I’m not sure if this week is dragging along or if I am beingdragged by the week. Ooohhh… brownies… This post is being interrupted for the suddenonslaught of brownie desire

**** Update ****
See this is what happens when you have PMS. The competition between the headache and cramps can only be defeated by a third party. Typically Advil, but when inspiration strikes I say go for it and bring out the big guns. Chocolate Chip Cookie/Brownies. And the crowd roars... "yea!!!"

Thanks Mom for the Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownie Mix and a Big Thankyou to Liz and Andria who gave me the "Brownies, Blondies, and Bars from New York's Legendary Fat Witch Bakery" cookbook. I will be working my way through those recipes.

Copyright © C.A. Bailey 2010 - 2012, All Rights Reserved.

January 11, 2012 – The Vet

2012-01-11T13:01:00.000+01:00

Today the boy had to go in for his “annual exam”. We say that in hushed tones around thehouse. Like anyone, he’s not particularlyfond of going to the Doctor, plus he’s been feeling a little sensitive abouthis weight lately. He’d put on someweight before we arrived in Switzerland and well, you know how that goes. We’re getting older, it’s not as easy to dropthose couple of extra pounds. Lastsummer we went on a diet and that was helping. I don’t think he’d actually lost any weight but he was maintaining his weightand the new diet plan didn’t make him feel deprived.

Well one thing led to another, the holidays rolled around (that’s code for the pet store no longercarries the boys diet food and my inability to communicate with the clerk hadme leaving with regular food) and it looks like the boy has put on someweight. Trust me, I’ve been sensitive tothe boy and haven’t pointed it out, but our neighbor was a little less tactfulthis morning and greeted the boy with “He’s put on weight!!”

Seriously, how do you undo that kind of emotional damagejust before we’re heading to the dreaded Vet? I may have implied that the 5 minute walk down the hill to the Vet’soffice was sure to drop a pound or two. I think he believed me.

The good news is that the Vet made no comments about theboys weight, in fact he didn’t even make him get on the scale. Although, as wewere leaving there was a cat in a crate (prison) crying and I’m pretty certainshe hissed under her breath “there goes fatty” because there would be no otherreason for the boy to make a beeline for the crate. Oh sure a cat in a crate could be construedas a fun toy for a dog, but not “my dog” he’s a good boy and would never evertaught, chase, try to maim a cat.

Anyway that’s a rather long winded way of saying the vet wasa success, the boy can avoid him for another year.

The boy resting after his difficult morning

"I'm trying to sleep why are you bugging me?"

January 10 – Book Reviews – Sort of

2012-01-10T12:01:00.002+01:00

There are two books that I have been struggling to read forthe last 6 months or so:

Annabel by KathleenWinter

Transition by Chaz Bono

Annabel by Kathleen Winter

Early in the spring I started reading Annabel by KathleenWinter. I got to the 1/2 way point andthought my brain was going to melt. There’s nothing wrong with the writing but it’s slow and there isnothing about the characters that intrigue me. As a result, I put this book down assuming I would get back to it atsome point. Well now I admit that’s notgoing to happen.

Transition by Chaz Bono

The other book is Chaz Bono’s “Transitions” I really thoughtthis would be interesting. I was wrong. Again I got about ½ through and we’re only toChaz being 14 years old and I want to stab myself in the eye with a sharpstick. Maybe it’s gets better later on,but I’m never going to know.

I don’t hate these books but I sure as heck don’t like them. Actually if my choice really was stab myself in the eye with a sharp stick or finish these books I could probably finish them. Maybe..

January 10, 2012 – Random

2012-01-10T11:56:00.001+01:00

Did you see the headlines on Yahoo this morning? “ExtinctGalapagos Tortoise Reappears.” Ok so maybe my understanding of the word “Extinct’is flawed.

1 . ex·tinct/ikˈstiNG(k)t/

Adjective:

1. (of a species, family, or other larger group) Having no living members.

2. No longer in existence.

Nope, that’s my understanding of the word. So then either someone screwed up big timedeclaring the tortoise “extinct” or similar to Dr. Who it can travel the timespace continuum and project itself into the future (now) to revive itself. Alright that seems absurd even to me, I’mrunning with some scientist out there is in trouble.

We’re back to rain today. I’ll admit that I will take the rain over snow, only because it’swarmer. Having said that I also thinkthat if it were snowing instead I might actually get out and exercise. Then again, I could be lying to myself, Icommitted myself to rejoining the gym because the weather has sucked but Ihaven’t managed to do that yet either. The silver lining…. I haven’t wasted any money yet.

I’m making stew for dinner tonight. It’s easy and it’s not chicken

Tomorrow… I go to the gym. Oh wait... that's a lie. Tomorrow the beast and I go to the Vet for his shots. Maybe after that I will go to the gym

January 9, 2012 - Book Review - Hell's Highway by Gerri Hill

2012-01-09T11:55:00.000+01:00

Hell’s Highway byGerri Hill

Published by www.bellabooks.com
Romance/Mystery

Product Description:

“FBI Agents Cameron Ross and Andrea Sullivan found theunexpected when they met amongst the warm red rocks and cliffs of Sedona—eachother. That commitment, along with their ingenuity, courage and resolve, willbe tested along the most barren of stretches in California’s Mojave Desert.

Someone is using the bleak highways to dump women’s bodies.But in a landscape where an inviting road can curve into a sand-choked mirage,and a true oasis can be invisible under a white-hot sun, clues can blow away inthe wind.

In this sequel to Devil’s Rock, Gerri Hill pits tworemarkable women against the harsh and bitter desert and an implacable killer.”

Review: 5 out of 5 stars

I didn’t think it was possible but I liked this book evenmore than the first, “Devil’s Rock”. AgentCameron Ross feels more real in this story. The character has smoothed out a bit. That’s not to say that the character is not edgy and interesting, butmore along the lines that her personality is more well rounded. My guess is that is a direct reflection ofthe relationship between the two characters Cameron Ross and Andrea Sullivan. As the reader I was completely absorbed intheir search for the serial killer and what would happen next.

I can only hope that this turns into a full blown series.

January 9, 2012 - The View

2012-01-09T11:25:00.001+01:00

It's seems that the rain has decided to give us a break this morning. I've got my fingers crossed that it lasts the rest of the week because I have missed the big bright ball of fire in the sky.

The view from the balcony this morning:

January 8, 2012 – Book Review – White Cat by Holly Black

2012-01-08T15:51:00.001+01:00

White Cat (CurseWorkers, Book 1) by Holly Black
Young Adult
Paranormal/Fantasy

Book Description fromAmazon.com

“Cassel comes from a family of curse workers—people who havethe power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, all by theslightest touch of their hands. Since curse work is illegal, they’re allcriminals. But not Cassel. He hasn’t got the magic touch, so he’s anoutsider—the straight kid in a crooked family—as long as you ignore one smalldetail: He killed his best friend, Lila. Now he is sleepwalking, propelled intothe night by terrifying dreams about a white cat. He also notices that his brothersare keeping secrets from him. As Cassel begins to suspect he’s part of one hugecon game, he must unravel his past and his memories. To find out the truth,Cassel will have to out con the conmen.”

Review: 3.5 Stars out of 5

This book is technically written for the YA audience but Ithink anyone who enjoys paranormal/fantasy storylines will also enjoy thisone. The story is told from Cassel’spoint of view and the plot twists get more complex as you get deeper into thestory. It’s well written andengaging. This is the 1^st inthe series of Curse Worker stories. WillI read the next one? I’ll say yes,although I plan on reading some other things beforehand.

January 8, 2012 – Book Review – Mending Defects by Lynn Galli

2012-01-08T15:28:00.001+01:00

Mending Defects byLynn Galli
Romance
e-book

Product DescriptionFrom Amazon.com

“Life in a small town can be tricky. Laid-back Glory Eibenlearned long ago that keeping personal information and opinions to herself goesa long way toward staying hassle free in her chosen home town. Much adored bythe residents, she’s maintained the life she’s always wanted with good friends,close family, and a successful career. For someone with a rare congenital heartdefect, this life is more than she could have hoped for.

Leaving behind big city excitement, a demanding position,and a failed relationship, Lena Coleridge thinks this small ski town may beexactly what she needs to come back from her wit’s end. She didn’t think thatjob politics or social landmines would exist in such a small town. Keeping toherself won’t be an option with these nosy locals. It doesn’t help that shelives next door to one of the more popular residents who seems too easy goingand nice to be true. Friendship is inevitable, but as she gets to know Glory,friendship isn’t the only thing on her mind. After her last relationship, Lenadoesn’t want anything to do with another complication, and dating her neighborcould definitely get complicated.”

Review: 4 out of 5Stars

Once again Lynn Galli does not disappoint with her writing. Even the supporting characters areinteresting, but what really hooked me were the porch front conversationsbetween Glory and Lena. Glory has Lenapegged from the beginning on so many levels. She understands what makes this woman tick, and it bugs Lena that she isso easily read by Glory. The fantasticthing is that the reverse is true as well and the reader gets to watch thecrazy making unfold into friendship and then much more.

The only semi-negative thing I can say about this book isthat I read it much too quickly (6 hours). I think that was in part because I couldn’t put the book down withoutknowing what happened next. At the sametime I wish it was longer so that I could have continued to read. I’ll just have to wait for her next one.

January 7, 2012 –Book Review – L.A. Metro by RJ Nolan

2012-01-07T17:27:00.002+01:00

L.A. Metro by RJ Nolan
Publisher: http://l-book.com

Product Description from Amazon.com
“Lesbian Fiction -Romance - Dr. Kimberly Donovan's life is in shambles. After her medical ethicsare questioned, first her family, then her closeted lover, the Chief of the ER,betray her. Determined to make a fresh start, she flees to California and LAMetropolitan Hospital.

Dr. Jess McKenna, LA Metro's Chief of the ER, gives newmeaning to the phrase emotionally guarded, but she has her reasons.

When Kim and Jess meet, the attraction is immediate.Emotions Jess has tried to repress for years surface. But her interest in Kimalso stirs dark memories.

They settle for friendship, determined not to repeat pastmistakes, but secretly they both wish things could be different. Will thedemons from Jess's past destroy their future before it can even get started? Orwill LA Metro be a place to not only heal the sick, but to mend wounded hearts?”

Review: 4 out of 5 Stars

Fiction/Romance

We meet Dr. Kimberly Donovan as she starts her first dayworking at LA Metro in the Pysch department. Dr. Jess McKenna is the head of the ER at LA Metro. To say that these women have trust issues isan understatement but it’s also what makes this story a fun read. They don’t fall immediately into the headover heels romance that so often happens. They earn each others’ respect and friendship first. It’s a slow progression and the reader getsto see what the characters are thinking and feeling as the move towardsfriendship and beyond. The characterdevelopment is interesting and worth watching as the story unfolds.

January 7, 2012 – Book Review – The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan

2012-01-07T17:01:00.000+01:00

The Last Werewolf byGlen Duncan
Fiction/Thriller/Supernatural

Product Descriptionfrom Amazon.com

“Then she opened hermouth to scream—and recognised me. It was what I’d been waiting for. She froze.She looked into my eyes. She said, “It’s you.”

Meet Jake. A bit on the elderly side (he turns 201 inMarch), but you’d never suspect it. Nonstop sex and exercise will do that foryou—and a diet with lots of animal protein. Jake is a werewolf, and after theunfortunate and violent death of his one contemporary, he is now the last ofhis species. Although he is physically healthy, Jake is deeply distraught andlonely.

Jake’s depression has carried him to the point where he isactually contemplating suicide—even if it means terminating a legend thousands ofyears old. It would seem to be easy enough for him to end everything. But forvery different reasons there are two dangerous groups pursuing him who willstop at nothing to keep him alive.

Here is a powerful, definitive new version of the werewolflegend—mesmerising and incredibly sexy. In Jake, Glen Duncan has given us awerewolf for the twenty-first century—a man whose deeds can only be describedas monstrous but who is in some magical way deeply human.

One of the most original, audacious, and terrifying novelsin years.”

Review: 3 out of 5stars

The story is told from Jake Marlow’s perspective as hewrites in his diary. He’s just found outthat he is the last of his kind and after being alive for 200 years, he can’tsee much sense in continuing to live. Unfortunatelythere are at least two groups who want to keep him alive for their own purposes,and will do anything to make that happen.

The book is well written, and although the story is at timesis graphic in both the sex scenes and the killing, it is a werewolf and that’swhat they do. Kill, Eat, and Have Sex(although that is not the term used). Asthe reader you like Jake Marlow, and his dry sarcastic wit. You want him to come out on top.

This is a werewolves for adults story.

January 6, 2012 – One of These Things Is Not Like The Other

2012-01-06T13:45:00.003+01:00

Are you ready to play the Sesame Street Game "One of TheseThings Is Not Like The Other?"

Ypu might be thinking it's the BMW Mini Cooper, but you would be wrong. Here take a closer look:

That is a Lamborghini. Yes, someone actually paid several hundred thousand dollars (or Iassume) to buy an Italian Sports Car and then they painted it what I can onlyrefer to as “Cow Patch Color”.

Who doesthat? Well obviously one of our Swissneighbors does, but it’s not even camouflage. I admit even if it was just one solid color I would be shocked becausewho the heck spends that kind of money on a car? A car for gods sake! If you have that much money that you don’tknow what to do with it except to buy a crazy, possibly cool car (I wouldn’tknow) and then ruin any cool factor with the paint job, please just send acheck to the Poor Woman’s Health and Sustenance Fund care of CAB. Really I can find better ways to spend thatmoney.

Anyway all this thinking about Lamborghini’s got me to go totheir website. I was immediately broughtto a page that said “Warning You are About to Enter The Home of the Bull.” Well ok, I guess that sort of explains thepaint job. If you castrate a bull, is ita cow?

January 4, 2012 – Is the Universe Telling Me Something?

2012-01-04T12:23:00.001+01:00

Look what came in the mail today!

This is exciting because I got mail. Beyond that I’m not entirely sure why I receivedthese. I didn’t ask for them, because;yes obviously they are in German and we know the success that I have had learningthe German language. Don’t get me wrong, I can read German. I just haven’t a clue what the words actuallymean but when I read the words I can hear them in my head and I am positivethat I am pronouncing them perfectly. Then I say the words out loud and reconfirm that, no I don’t have aclue.
Although, from this random page I opened to, there seems tobe a race in Bern for all the Femmes out there. Take that however you want but I think excluding all the other ladiesout there is a little short sighted. I’mjust saying.

Now the cool thing is, I have at my fingertips a list of allthe races in Switzerland that I can try and use them as motivation for getting andstaying in shape. Oh, and if I am goingto go to the trouble of google translating the contents of these magazines youcan bet I’m signing up for something.

January 3, 2012 – Ramblings

2012-01-03T12:46:00.002+01:00

This weekend could best be described as relaxing. I managed to stay awake on New Years’ Eve’sto watch the fireworks display’s from our balcony. Well L watched from the balcony, I watchedfrom a reclined position on our couch. We have big windows and the sky cleared up so that I didn’t have to moveat all to see all the colors. The beastwas happy with that arrangement as he is not a big fan of fireworks. He is, however, a big fan of being a 50 poundlap dog during them. Actually he didvery well as long as I stayed on the couch he was able to sleep on top of me. Literally. I should have taken a picture. Mybad.

So last night I made pizza for dinner. I had planned on making Cajun pizza but Idid. For those of you not in the know,Cajun Pizza = Blackened Pizza. Let’sjust say I left it in the oven a minute or 5 too long. The corners took the brunt of it, the restwas actually pretty tasty. Oh and yescorners. I do not own a round pizza panand if I did, I doubt it would fit in the Swiss Oven. It just occurred to me that compared to the “typical”oven at home this one kind of reminds me of an Easy Bake Oven, less the easypart. Although, why it reminds me ofthat I have no idea, it’s not like I ever owned an easy bake oven. I’m not even sure I knew anyone who hadone.

January 2, 2012 - Book Review – Decoded By Sara Marx

2012-01-02T22:05:00.003+01:00

Decoded by Sara Marx
Thriller/Romance
Published by Bella Books

Summary From BellaBooks Website:

“Shay Cooper was good at her job. As an FBI agent she brokecriminals—until they broke her.

Recovery seems unlikely until her mentor proposes she returnto work at the training academy near her hometown of Chicago. Life in the slowlane definitely appeals, but her contentment lasts only until she meets theacademy’s biggest challenge: Agent Kate Harris.

Kate Harris has made her mistakes and carries her ownsecrets. Her former partner—a brilliant profiler and author of true crimeblockbusters—has disappeared. She’s determined to find him, orders for moretraining be damned. The horror she uncovers collides with Shay’s own nightmarishpast. The only thing they agree on is that they can’t trust anyone, not eveneach other.”

Review: 5 out of 5stars

Let’s be honest I read quite a few books. It’s easier than watching TV in German. That and I enjoy reading. That being said, it’s pretty rare when I (a)laugh out loud while reading a book (b) can hear the characters in my head asthey speak and (c) finish reading a story and the first words out of my mouthare “Wow that was a really good book, a really good book”

Decoded hit allthree with flying colors and to top it off the only time I was able to figureout what might happen next was when the author wanted me to know what was goingto happen. I’m not sure that the bookdescription does this story justice. Ipersonally picked it up because I had read “Before I Died” and liked that oneenough to want to read this one. So letme give you a couple of hints. This is definitelymore of a Mystery/Thriller/Intrigue book than a Romance, although there is justenough romance to give the characters a different dimension without goingoverboard.

Shay Cooper and Kate Harris are FBI agents thrown together becauseKate Harris appears to be in a downward spiral since her FBI partner Williamsdisappeared. Shay is assigned to her ina last ditch effort to save Kate’s career and hopefully to get Shay back intothe game. The story revolves around Shayand Kate’s off the books investigation into William’s disappearance and hispossible connection to a serial killer.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoysIntrigue and Mysteries. It was anexcellent read!

December 30, 2011 – Snow Line

2011-12-30T12:54:00.000+01:00

I got up this morning and noticed that it had snowed in the “higherelevations.” I haven’t aclue how muchhigher they are compared to us. All I amsure of is that they are on the other side of the lake, and I am extremelygrateful to be snowless. Here’s what Ifind kind of cool. (No punintended). I’ve heard weathermen talkabout snow lines in their forecast but I’ve never seen one until today.

It’s like an invisible barrier went up and forced all the snowto fall just behind the houses. Or maybeSwitzerland employs snow boarder patrol people like the US kind of sort of doeson the Mexican border. However, it’s obviousthe snow patrol is much more effective at directing where the snow can go.

December 29, 2011 – Caffeine and Sugar High

2011-12-29T13:22:00.000+01:00

Really is there any better way to bring the month ofDecember to a close? I didn’t think so,although that isn’t really my excuse for the breakfast of champions: PeanutM&M’s (aka Peanut M und M’s) and Iced Tea interspersed with an occasional Coca-Cola.

Like clockwork last night, or should I saythis morning I woke up at 2am and could not fall back asleep. I finally gave up at 3 when I was annoyingmyself. It’s bad when you annoyyourself, what’s next a full blown self-argument? Who would win? So I found myself up at 3am watching LostGirl on internet, all the while knowing I would have to be up by 7am andworking by 8am to upgrade a clients’ production database during their offhours. I finally went back to bed at 4amand of course Murphy joined the party this morning when I woke up and it was8am. Opps. A quick run to the grocery store for food andyes, caffeine, I was at my desk and working by 8:45. Hey it was still 3am at the client site so noharm no foul.

I just finished the upgrade and documenting the process, nowI desperately need some tylonol and a coke, because my official day is just beginning. Oye

I’m going to make this a good day for myself.

December 28, 2011 - Night Terror On a Plane

2011-12-28T14:04:00.001+01:00

All you movie exec’s out there, the title is mine. Sure it sounds like “Snakes On A Plane” butthe plausibility factor of snakes on a plane is so much lower. Then again, I did read about the guy whotried to smuggle 247 rare snakes onto a plane in his luggage. That’s beside the point. So Monday evening we flew out of JFK and madeour way back to Zurich. Just a quickshout out, I like traveling American Airlines, then again we have beenfortunate that we are usually in an exit row or we get upgraded. Those two things go a long way to making anairline nice to fly. That and typicallythe flight crew is very nice. So as Iwas saying; we flew back Monday evening and I even managed to fall asleep acouple of times. The thing is, I rarely fall completely asleepon a plane, which means I’m hovering near the Night Terror stage of sleep. For those of you who care, that would be thedeepest stage of sleep before entering a REM sleep. So there I am apparently sleeping, because Idon’t know I’m the one sleeping, when something brushes my arm. Yes I “know” that this had to be anotherhuman being brushing past me, but my subconscious thinks… well lord only knowswhat it was thinking. The only thing Ican be positive about is “Thank God for” (a) the many years of practice I havehad subconsciously swallowing a scream. Thescream comes out more of a gasp in those instances. I can probably credit my freshman yearcollege roommate for that. I hatedscreaming awake during nightmares and disturbing her so I got in the weirdhabit of sort of screaming. Thanks Connie – it was helpful on the planeand (b) thank god for the fastened seat belts, because yes I did make a leapfor it and yes they really do secure you into place. Sometimes I think the worst part of a nightterror isn’t so much the screaming and the “terror”, well and the occasionally sprinting,but trying the in-between stage of looking like I am awake and thinking I amawake, but still “seeing” whatever freaked me out in the first place and tryingto figure out if what I am seeing is real, because during some of this I amwaiting for my brain to catch up with the rest of me and it’s not easy figuringout if what is real. So last but notleast, thankfully L was sitting next to me because all she had to do was reachout and touch me. That’s generallyenough to anchor me, and let me know that she is real while the rest of mecatches up. Oh and it stops me fromscreaming. I’m sure the other passengerson the plane would be grateful to know that.

Copyright © C.A. Bailey 2010 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

December 22, 2011 – I Can See

2011-12-23T03:44:00.000+01:00

I mentioned the other day that I had an eye exam. Well I picked up my new glasses this afternoon. All I can say is wow, I had no idea how badmy vision had gotten. Sure I realizedthat the letters on the stop signs were blurry until I was closer to them thanI thought I should be. What I hadn’trecognized was that I couldn’t read street signs anymore and that I SHOULD havebeen able to read them. Then tonight Idrove home and holy crap, I can read street signs and everything is crystalclear. So very cool. The seeing part, the glasses are kind of cooltoo.

The only down side, in addition to my distance glasses Ineed “computer” glasses. The distancebetween my face and my computer screen is just far enough that I can’t see itwithout glasses but my distance glasses aren’t the right prescription forreading the computer and I can read without glasses. It sounds more confusing than it is, I’m justpsyched I can see clearly.

December 21, 2011 – Dessert 1st

2011-12-21T14:37:00.001+01:00

Last night we had dessert 1^st night with thegirls. It’s always fun getting togetherwith everyone. I realized that D, C andI have been having Dessert 1^st in one form or another for close to20 years. There are others who come andgo based on availability but over the last few years it’s been another coupleB&C who routinely join us. There aretwo guarantees during Dessert 1^st night: Dessert (obviously) and lots oflaughter. Last night the laughterstarted before D and I even arrived. Ihad an eye exam and of course since my eyes haven’t been dilated in 10 yearsthe doctor threw the guilt around until I gave up. He promised me that driving at night wouldnot be impaired by having the pupils of my eyes pegged wide open. I believe the doctor may have fibbed just abit although the halo affects I was seeing in all the street and headlights wasinteresting it was also distracting. Itwas also obvious that my need for a new pair of distance glasses was even moreobvious. Just imagine, D and I are inthe little red convertible and I’m doing my best imitation of a little old ladywith her face mashed up against the windshield trying to read the street signslooking for the turn off. After the secondwrong turn/u-turn we lucked out and spotted the correct road. D pointed out that we might have been betteroff letting her drive and risking the possibility of a crash due to a seizure versusmy desperate search for Braille street signs. Oh and any town planners out there, placing the street signs 20 feethigh on a telephone pole only complicates matters. Once we arrived at C & B’s home Iaccidently set off the car alarm. Thankgod they live in the boonies so we didn’t disturb the neighbors.

I will say a very good time was had by all, and it waswonderful to see everyone.

December 20, 2011 – No News Is Good News

2011-12-20T13:48:00.000+01:00

Doctor’s seem to live by the adage that no news is good newsand as a general rule of thumb it works for me. If I go in for my routine exam and the doc runs the routine tests andeverything is normal I’m good with not hearing from you until it’s time for mynext appointment.

Here’s where things get tricky and what I recently discovered(yesterday) does not work for me. If one of those tests comes back with “mildlyabnormal results” finding a letter in the mail that states:

“Your test came back showing some mildlyabnormal changes. When this happens wecheck for X and that test result came back negative. This is a good thing. No treatment is necessary, but we need you toschedule a follow up test.”

I mean seriously, I read the letter. I saw the word mildly and yet the word “mildly”did not make me feel better. Of coursethis is combined with the slight mix of aggravation that I found out via aLETTER in the first place. A letterdated a month ago… sent to my home in Connecticut. When if the Doc or anyone in the office tooka moment to read the chart they would know I temporarily live in SWITZERLANDand that they could CALL me on a local number. Needless to say I was a little perturbed last night when I found theletter, and this morning when I woke up at 4am still thinking about it. In fact it was only after I started this blogthat I started to feel better about the entire thing. It forced me to read the letter a few moretimes and that’s when I realized that the letter really would have been betterworded as follows:

Dear CAB:

We have some Good News and Some Bad News: The Good News: You don’t have X the Bad News:Your test results were a little hinky and want to do a follow up test in 6months to keep an eye on things.

Sincerely

Alrighty then, nowthat I am feeling better and will be calling the doc to schedule a follow up inresponse to said hinky test results. Y’allhave a nice day now. I plan on having anice day as well.

December 18, 2011 – Solstice Run

2011-12-18T23:50:00.001+01:00

I may not always be the 1^st to admit it, but Iwill eventually admit that I was wrong. Today, I got up at 6:00 to meet my friends to do a 4.5/5mile run up EastRock in honor of the Winter Solstice. The Solstice is the 21^st but this was the next best thing forus. I thought this would be a goodidea. I’ve done the run in the past andI figured that when we travel home from Zurich, I invariably wake up at anungodly hour because of jet lag. Thismorning that hour was 4am. Now I didn’tget out of bed at 4am, but I was awake. Anyway, back to the run. I swearI thought this was a good idea and I thought that I would do pretty well,although I suspected that I would not be able to make the entire loop because Ihave not been running consistently.

Well for the record: This was NOT a good idea. No, itwas a bad idea, a very bad idea.

It was freaking cold this morning. I was colder here than it was in Zurich.

The 1^st ½ mile of the run I was doing ok, butthen we started the 2 mile uphill portion. Yes, the uphill to the summit is approximately 2 miles long. This is when things took a decidedly downhillturn. Pun intended.

After ½ a mile on the hill I had to stop and walk. It was that or curl up into the fetalposition and pray for death, but I thought that was a little extreme. I eventually made it to the summit but notquite in time to see the sunrise. I alsohave to admit that in a twisted was I had fun. It was great to see everyone and catch up a little, but next time I’lltake a car and a cup of tea to the summit.

December 16, 2011 – Pre-Trip Jitters

2011-12-16T11:01:00.000+01:00

I admit it, I’m not the most relaxed individual in theworld. Fine, I’m not even the mostrelaxed individual under any circumstances including anesthesia. A few years ago when I had surgery to removeFred from my life I made the nurse hold my hand as they put me under. So on a scale of 1 to 10 with major surgerybeing a 10, getting ready for a flight the next day ranks as a 5 on the stressscale.

In the grand scheme of things you would think this would bea minor event, and once I’m actually on board the plan it becomes justthat. Unfortunately, up until that momentI become a little OCD. I’ve nevercounted how many times I have to check my pocket to make sure my passport isstill there, but I am sure to check at least 5 times between leaving the apartment,riding the elevator to the car and getting into the car. Those passports they can have a mind of theirown and if you give them even a little leeway they will make a break for it andleave your ass behind as if you were nothing. No loyalty what so ever, do they even for a moment consider the lessthan flattering picture that they hold of you for the next 10 years? No, it’s all about them and how quickly theycan raise your blood pressure by disappearing. They really don’t know how lucky they have it. Look at all those wallets on chains. They’ve been totally enslaved.

So what’s on today’s agenda:

Last minute laundry
Charging:

the US cell phone
The Kindle
iPod
iPa

Measuring the dogs’ food for the week. We give the kennel his food to avoid the potentional stress with a change in diet ontop of going to camp.
Packing up the laptop and any other work materials I mayneed. I may be going home but workcontinues.
The final thing I need to do before walking out the door isverify that I have the key to this apartment AND that I have the key to ourhome in CT. It would be less than fun toshow up home and be locked out.

Have a happy weekend all. If things go according to plan, then I will be meeting Frontrunners onNew Haven bright and early Sunday morning and running to the summit of EastRock in honor of the Solstice. One ofthe only days I deliberately try to get up in time to see the sunrise.

December 15, 2011 – Bullets

2011-12-15T13:00:00.000+01:00

I found the pedi-paws grinder for the beastly boys’nails. It was in the couch. Don’t ask, I have no idea how it got there. Thank you DeeAnne

We fly out on Saturday back to the US for the week. L is doing a crazy amount of traveling nextweek. CT, OH, MI, CT and then back toZurich. It makes me tired just thinkingabout it.

The beast is going to camp

I am really psyched to be going home for a few days.

I also made several doctor appointments while I’m home, themost critical. “The Eye Guy.” I think I may have reached the stage of oldwhere I need reading glasses. I can’tread my computer screen without wearing my distance glasses. It would appear that how far I can see isgetting much closer to my face every day.

Maybe I’ll get some colorful frames this time around.

I’m also hoping that the sun makes an extended appearancewhile we are in CT. It has not made muchof an appearance here in Zurich for what feels like weeks.
N
Airplane Reading: The Last Warewolf by Glen Duncan, Decoded by Sara Marx, and Hell's Highway by Gerri Hill. What? It's an 8 hour flight I have to occupy my time somehow

December 13, 2011 – Book Review – Second Nature: A Love Story by Jacquelyn Mitchard

2011-12-13T11:10:00.000+01:00

Second Nature: A Love Story by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Product Descriptionfrom Amazon.com Website:

“New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Mitchard’snovels, with their riveting stories and unforgettable characters, have won thehearts of millions of readers. Now, from the author of The Deep End of theOcean and No Time to Wave Goodbye, comes the fierce and moving tale of onewoman’s fight for her identity and her life when fate holds out a secondchance.

Sicily Coyne was just thirteen when her father was killed ina school fire that left her face disfigured. Twelve years later, a youngsurgeon, Eliza Cappadora, offers hope in the form of a revolutionary newsurgery that may give Sicily back the grace and function she lost. Raised by adynamic, tenacious aunt who taught her to lead a normal life, and engaged to awonderful man who knew her long before the accident, Sicily rejects the offer:She knows who she is, and so do the people who love her. But when a secretsurfaces that shatters Sicily’s carefully constructed world, she calls off thewedding and agrees to the radical procedure in order to begin a new life.

Her beauty restored virtually overnight, Sicily rushestoward life with open arms, seeking new experiences, adventures, and, most ofall, love. But she soon discovers that her new face carries with it risks thatno one could have imagined. Confronting a moral and medical crisis that quicklybecomes a matter of life and death, Sicily is surrounded by experts and lovingfamily, but the choice that will transform her future, for better or worse, isone she must make alone.”

Review/Comments

3.5 stars out of 5

This is the first book that I have read written by JacquelynMitchard. I was in Barnes & Nobeland the cover art caught my attention. Then because I didn’t want to lug a book back to Switzerland Idownloaded the electronic version of the story. Not having read anything of her’s before I did not realize that theCappadora family who play a central role in this story have been key players inother storylines. I only discovered thatafter finishing this story. In hindsightI can say that not being familiar with the family did not have a negative impacton my understanding of the story or its flow.

Regardless of the title, I don’t think that I would classifythis as a love story in the traditional sense; although, it could be construed thatthe story is a journey of self-discovery and love for the main character SicilyCoyne.

In an overly simplistic statement: Sicily is a burn victimwhose face is horribly disfigured as a child who later in life has a facetransplant. Some readers might be turnedoff by either of those two ideas but I have to say that the book handles theconcepts beautifully. Mitchard gives thereader a good understanding of what is going on with Sicily without crossingover the line into horror movie graphic. For me personally the best part of the storyis seeing how Sicily comes into her own as a woman and comes to terms with her ownmotivations.

The only thing I was not thrilled with was the ending, whichseems to be left up to the reader to determine what happens next. Regardless I would recommend this as a goodread.

December 12, 2011 - Monday Monday

2011-12-12T11:48:00.001+01:00

It might be difficult to contain yourselves once I share thebig news. Are you ready? Today, I went to the COOP in Goldbach. Now, this is not your every day COOP no thisis the Home Depot of COOP’s but not as large. Well and w/o all the helpful people. Although I am sure that if any of the people I encountered spoke Englishthey would be helpful, or of course if I spoke German. Well that’s a whole other can of fish. Ok thatmakes no sense but I’m running with it. Today I went an purchased a brand spanking new vacuum. It’s an exact replica of the one we alreadyown but with both wheels in place and an extending arm that extends and doesn’tneed to be jammed full of matchsticks to keep it from collapsing. I was willing to deal with the randomcollapsing of the arm thingy but after the wheel fell off we decided thatdragging that vacuum around like that might just cause damage to the apartmentversus sucking up the dog hair likes it’s supposed to. Why would I buy the exact same vacuum thatonly managed to survive 18 months on this 3 year voyage? Well I figure we only have about 18 monthsleft, so if this one kicked the bucket in that time frame it would be ok. That and lord knows we don’t want to spend acrazy amount of money on a vacuum that would be totally useless to us in theUS, because returning to the US ispart of the game plan.

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest; does anyone knowwhat the heck I did with the pedipaws things that I use to grind the beastlyboys nails? I’ve misplaced it. It’s not like there are that many places tomisplace the thing. It should be in thecloset, but on the not so rare occasions when I leave it out, it’s either on mydesk or the coffee table. Nada! I’ve even looked in all the drawers and underfurniture. The boy doesn’t mind the thing. He certainly likes it way better than thenail clipper so I can’t blame him for hiding it. Suggestions? Hints? ideas of where I can looknext? The boys’ nails are WAY too long.

Well happy Monday people.

December 9, 2011 – Friday Chocolate & Beer

2011-12-09T08:32:00.001+01:00

Earlier in the week L had to go to Dublin on business, so ofcourse I asked her to bring me back something “Dublin-ish”. Just run with it. What did she bring me? It’s not really that surprising:

Really is there anything better than starting a Friday withChocolate AND Beer? I will admit that Ican’t really taste the Guinness in the chocolate, but I could never be confusedwith a Guinness connoisseur. As a matterof fact, the one time I tasted a Guinness beer I didn’t really enjoy it. On the other hand I could become aconnoisseur of Guinness if they continue to mix it in with chocolate.

This weekend, L and I are going to try and go to one of theChristmas Markets and Sunday we are supposed to run in a “4K Fun Run” forCharity.

Happy Weekend!

December 8, 2011 – Me, Religion and the Catholic Church

2011-12-08T11:39:00.001+01:00

I have these periods where I spend significant portions oftime trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. Sure that sounds a little ridiculousconsidering I’m 46 years old. The thingis, I’m trying to figure out who I want to be next and how do I get there. Whenever I start thinking about this Ialmost always start to think about religion and the role it’s played in mylife. I honestly like religion, allreligions. It doesn’t mean that Ibelieve in all religions but I enjoy learning about other people’s beliefs andI enjoy discussing the commonalities between religions.

These thoughts prompt me to ask myself the same question Ihave asked myself over the last 10 years. Do I want to go back to school for PhD in Religious Studies? If I did, what would I do with it? I could also continue on with my degree inInformation Protection and Security, but do I really want to spend that kind ofeffort in pursuing something I find interesting but I’m not passionate about?

This, in turn, leads to the next issue which continues toevolve: my feelings about the Catholic Church. I stopped attending mass quite some time ago, initially because I didn’tfeel any sense of community or belonging. I felt as if it was my parents’ church. Around the same time I was also coming to terms with my sexuality. The short story is I’m a late bloomer. I spent years dating men, and then not datinganyone, because obviously something was wrong with me. I just didn’t have a clue what that was. Then I met L and it was as if a missing pieceto the puzzle finally settled into place. It’s hard to explain but mentally, everything relaxed and my brain tooka deep breath and exhaled. Here wassomeone who loved me, who I was absolutely capable of loving in return. Prior to the moment when I realized I loved L(even if I couldn’t immediately admit it) I believed I was incapable of lovingsomeone; of feeling that kind of attraction, of feeling that kind of “rightness”.

What’s any of this have to do with my internal religiousdebate? I still feel disconnected fromthe church, because frankly it’s hard to feel connected to a church that placesso little value on women and their role in the church. Now that gets further complicated by the factthat I’m in a same sex relationship and the church hierarchy seems to spend aninordinate amount of time and resources fighting/attempting to overturnmarriage equality. Initially thatemotion manifested itself as disappointment. Not that the efforts are surprising. Now I find that I am angry. I’mangry every time I read anything the church hierarchy and more recentlyArchbishop Dolan says about women in the church or same-sex marriage.

The following is an excerpt from today’s online NY Timesarticle:

“ArchbishopDolan sees the church’s fight against abortion and same-sex marriage as astruggle for “religious liberty” against a government and a culture that areinfringing on the church’s rights. The bishops have expressed increasingexasperation as more states have legalized same-sex marriage, and the JusticeDepartment has refused to go to bat for the Defense of Marriage Act,legislation that established the definition of marriage as between a man and awoman.

Thebishops are struggling to reclaim the role they played in the 1980s and intothe ’90s as a nationally recognized voice on the moral dimension of publicpolicy issues like economic inequality, workers’ rights, immigration andnuclear weapons proliferation. Since then, however, they have reordered theirpriorities, with abortion and homosexuality eclipsing poverty and economicinjustice.”

I’m not going to claim that thechurch is homophobic because they believe that marriage is between a man and awoman. From a religious perspective theybelieve this, ok I can accept that. Frommy perspective Marriage Equality has nothing to do with religion and everythingto do with civil/human rights. In astrictly non-romantic perspective it’s a contract between two parties and sinceour government deems it fit to refer to that civil contract as a “marriage”when it is between a man and a woman from an equality perspective it should bereferred to as a civil “marriage” for same sex couples as well. You can’t have a second class of definitionfor the simple fact that it’s a second class. I’m not asking the church torecognize my marriage within the confines of their religious beliefs. I am asking that they separate theirreligious beliefs from politics. I amasking them to perhaps direct their substantial funds to things that can bettersociety. I don’t know, maybe in thesetough economic times they’d like to help out the homeless, and the hungry withsome of the funds they are directing towards the campaigns to overturn same-sexmarriage in NY or block same-sex marriage in Maine. I’m asking that they focus a little moreattention on opening their doors for people who want to have a structuredrelationship with God but can’t return to their churches because their churchspends an inordinate amount of time telling them that they are less than.

Really, does Bishop Dolan or anyother person out there really believe that I woke up one day and thought “wow,wouldn’t it be fun to be in a homosexual. I think I’ll choose this pathbecause my goodness how easy and fun it will be.” Yes, I could choose to be single, but Ibelieve that if God had intended on me being single and alone; if he had notwanted me to experience the joy of being loved, truly loved; he would not haveintroduced me to L.

So now I guess I have to focuson being less angry with the church hierarchy and more focused on what I wantto do about my own spirituality and relationship with God.

December 7, 2011 - Service Interruption

2011-12-07T13:18:00.001+01:00

We are having a momentary interruption in our routinely scheduled program for a massive headache. That cracking you hear is my head exploding. Thank you

Copyright © C.A. Bailey 2010 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

December 6, 2011 - Book Review – Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

2011-12-06T11:07:00.001+01:00

Book Review – Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

The synopsis on the back of the cover:

“Every life has a soundtrack. All you have to do is listen.

In the aftermath of a series of personal tragedies, Zoethrows herself into her career as a music therapist. When an unexpectedfriendship slowly blossoms into love, she makes plans for a new life, but toher shock and inevitable rage, some people—even those she loves and trustsmost—don’t want that to happen.

Sing You Home is about identity, love, marriage, andparenthood. It’s about people wanting to do the right thing for the greatergood, even as they work to fulfill their own personal desires and dreams. Andit’s about what happens when the outside world brutally calls into question thevery thing closest to our hearts: family.”

Review/Comments

5 stars out of 5

I originally bought this book for L because she enjoys theauthor but what prompted me to buy it was the premise of the story itself andthe fact that a main stream author wrote a story dealing with LGBT issues.

There are three main characters, Zoe, Max, and Vanessa. The story is told from each of theirperspectives but follows the main story of Zoe.

For most of Zoe and Max’s marriage they struggle withinfertility issues and trying to have a child. Following the last miscarriage their marriage falls apart. As Zoe pieces her life back together shefinds love in an unexpected place. Maxon the other hand turns to alcohol and eventually finds religion in the form ofa conservative Christian religious group. The story follows Zoe’s desire to start a family with her new spouse,Vanessa, and the ramifications of that from the point of view of each of themain protagonists.

There are a lot of stories in the news these days involvingsame-sex marriage, the proponents and opponents: the effects on the “traditional”family versus the rights of individuals. Jodi Picoult does a wonderful job of portraying both sides of the debatein a safe, engrossing story. There arecertainly characters in this book that people will not like, depending on yourperspective, but I believe that the way she strikes a chord with the readeralso opens the door for some interesting discussions.

I haven’t gotten a full grasp of all the thoughts that areswirling around in my head as a result of reading this story. I know many of them were already swirlingaround but it’s as if some mental piece of my thoughts have broken loose and Ineed to get a handle on what that means. I’m sure I’ll get to that in the near future.

December 5, 2011 – Weekend Update

2011-12-05T11:43:00.001+01:00

I finally caught up on some much needed sleep this weekend. It was that or I was going to have to make upsome excuse for the dark circles under my eyes. I considered the following:

“I got into a fight with an elderlylady in the grocery store. I thought Iwas saying “Excuse me I need to get past you.” When in fact I said “Entschuldigen Sie mich Ihnen große Kuh” whichapparently means: “Excuse me you big cow” Those Swiss have a mean right hook.

Of course the few people who know me here, would know thatwas a big fat lie, that yes I can say excuse me, but that’s about as far as itgoes. So sleep was the best option.

Saturday evening L and I went to her secretary’s apartmentfor a Raclette party. Raclette is acheese that gets melted and then poured over potatoes or bread. It was just the three of us and we had a verynice time. I may not completely fit inwith the Swiss but at least I have two critical things down: I like cheese, and I like chocolate.

Sunday I went for a short run but primarily it was a quietrelaxing day. I started reading JodiPicoult’s book “Sing You Home”. I’menjoying it, and if all goes as planned I’ll have a review in the next day orso. Let’s see what else? L had to head out last night for a quick tripto Dublin, but she’ll be back this evening and fortunately I slept last nightwith all the windows closed because I had a minor night terror that resulted inme screaming. You’d scream too if youthought a spider that was the size of a dinner plate landed on your face. How does that qualify as minor? I didn’t leap out of bed, I didn’t fall onthe floor, I didn’t try to run anywhere, and I was able to go right back tosleep. See, minor.

Happy Monday!

December 2, 2011 – Book Review: A Pirates Heart by Catherine Friend

2011-12-02T10:28:00.001+01:00

A Pirates Heart byCatherine Friend

Romance
Published by: Bold Strokes Books www.boldstrokesbooks.com

Summary from the BoldStrokes Website:

“Four women, a long-lost treasure, and more than one “thiefof hearts” share a destiny beyond time.

To foil a map thief, librarian Emma Boyd searches for apirate's long-lost treasure map. She’s aided in her search by investigatorRandi Marx, who proves to be as frustrating as she is beautiful. The treasuremap Emma and Randi seek belonged to Thomasina Farris, a pirate who disappearedfrom the Caribbean in 1715. Did Captain Tommy steal an entire treasure from aSpanish galleon and escape? Was she convicted of piracy and hanged by her neck?Did she die of a broken heart when she lost the woman she loved?

In her race to find the map, Emma learns that pirates notonly steal treasure, but they also steal hearts. When Emma discovers CaptainTommy’s fate, she must decide her own as well, choosing between romance...orrevenge.”

Review: 4.5 out of 5stars

I’m going to consider myself extremely lucky because I’vebeen on a role of really enjoying the books that I have read lately. This one falls into that category as well.

I don’t consider myself a big “pirate” story girl but thestory is told from two points of view: Thereader gets to experience the story as it unfolds during Tommy Farris’s life(the Pirate Captain), and the reader gets to follow the present daystory/adventure of Emma Boyd as she tracks down Captain Farris’ hidden treasuremap and the person who has been stealing rare maps from libraries. Eventually, the stories intertwine as Emmapieces more of Captain Farris’ life and eventual death together.

Once I would start reading I found it difficult to put thebook down because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. From my perspective, work gives my brain andpatience enough of a daily workout so when I sit down to read a book, I want tobe engaged and entertained. I want torelax and “see” the characters come to life in my imagination. What I don’t want is to feel like have toexert effort to get through the story. (I’m reading three of those books right now. Pick one up, read a bit, go to a differentone. I want to finish them I just can’tstay focused on them for long periods). “A Pirates Heart” was perfect in thisregard.

December 1, 2011 – December… When Did That Happen?

2011-12-01T13:12:00.001+01:00

That’s not a complaint in the least, I just don’t know whereall the time went and in another couple of weeks we’ll be flying home for avisit. It also means that we’ll bestarting the whole darned tax thing over again *shudders*. Let’s not think about that.

So last night at 9:30 our doorbell rings. It’s our downstairs neighbor Meri and her sonAlex. Meri baked a pumpkin pie andbrought it to us. Yes, you read that correctly. She baked a pie and wants us to try it beforeshe bakes another one. You might bewondering how this happened? Well a fewweeks ago she asked me if I knew how to bake a pumpkin pie so I gave her areceipe but then we couldn’t figure out where she would find cannedpumpkin. Sure she could have found anactual pumpkin and gone through the hassel of cooking it etc but that’s WAY toomuch work for a pumpkin pie. In my opinion. So one day I was in town and went into thespeciality grocery store and came across a big can of Libby’s pumpkin. I think I may have mentioned this previously,but that can of pumpkin that would have cost a maybe 2 bucks in the US cost meand arm, leg, and the promise of any 1^st born children. Expensive is an understatement and had Irealized how expensive it was, I wouldn’t have purchased it as the “fun”purchase I intended. Then the quest forfinding ground ginger and nutmeg was on. After much searching Meri found thoseon her own.

Anyway, that can of pumpkin I gave Meri will actually make 2pies, and I had teased Meri that we wanted a piece of the pie… not the entirepie. So last night she showed up, leftthe pie with us and instructions to tell her honest opinion. Being a virgin pumpkin pie gal, I can’tcompare it to anything but I did taste it and it was good. L is more of a pumpkin pie connoisseur andagreed that it was very good, but she has instructed me to find whipped creamso she can top it with that.

My next goal is to give ½ that pie back to Meri – we can’teat an entire pie. Ok we CAN eat anentire pie, but that would be bad so we really can’t.

Just some additional randomness:

November 30, 2011 – Barcelona Part 2

2011-11-30T11:04:00.001+01:00

Did I happen to mention that similar to NYC where there is aStarbucks on every corner, in Barcelona there is a Gelato Vendor every 20feet. I don’t know why it took me solong to realize it, but I’ve decided that the universal language of Europe isGelato. Ok maybe not a language, but itshould be. In the US L and I wereworking on completing the list of 20 burgers you should eat before you die. We’ll have to pick that back up when wereturn. In the meantime we have replacedthat with doing a comparison of both the chocolate and gelato quality of everycity/country we visit. So farSwitzerland is winning the chocolate race with Belgium running a very closesecond. Italy (specifically Venice) iswinning the gelato war, but we’ll continue to do our extremely scientificstudy.

While we were in Barcelona I screwed up my courage and hadpaella. Fine, it didn’t take muchcourage I had the vegetarian version. I’mnot completely insane, I know full well that if I had ordered the seafoodversion that at least one of the fish would have come with the headintact. (a) I don’t want my food lookingat me and (b) have you ever seen a shrimp??? They are hideous looking. Besidesthat I don’t really like crustaceans. Well except for shrimp cocktail but those are definitely headless. On the other hand L is very brave andapparently unphased by having the heads on shrimp… etc so she went for the seafoodversion. I’m happy to report that weboth enjoyed our meals but I did not take a picture of her’s. Trust me, that’s just fine.

What else did we do? We went to a couple of museums and I learned a valuable lesson: justbecause I enjoy some contemporary art does not mean that I will enjoy allcontemporary art. We went to the MAC BA(The Museum of Contemporary Art) and I take full responsibility for thisdecision. They were having a specialexhibit called “Volum!”. Seriously, thatshould have been a clue but I was obviously not paying attention. Imagine walking into the noisiest bar youhave ever been in, then increase the volume about 2 fold, add newsreel and aheadache into the mix. Then call itart. No I didn’t appreciate theinstallation. There must be people outthere that see the value in this type of display, but it was beyond myintellectual tastes.

I will be more careful in my future selections.

Some random pictures we took in the city:

I love this picture

Gelato

I believe this is another Gaudi building. How cool is the dragon roof...

It seems you can rent these little 3 wheeled car like things

November 29, 2011 - Barcelona Part 1

2011-11-29T12:20:00.001+01:00

L and I spent a long weekend exploring Barcelona. Here’s a quick list of the things thatimpressed me about the city:

(1) Thesubway is pretty easy to navigate (especially if L is doing the navigation)

(2) Thecity is very pedestrian friendly. Thesidewalks are large and on many of the “main” streets there is large center walkway.

(3) Thereare a lot of trees and green space. Ithought Chicago had this idea down pat but Barcelona has raised it to newheights.

In keeping with tradition.... a Pic of L and I in Barcelona:

We arrived on Thursday and because it was Thanksgiving L hada “traditional” thanksgiving dinner at the Hard Rock Café. I on the other hand had a traditionalthanksgiving burger. As you may haveguessed L said I got the better deal.

L having Dinner and watching the football game, because shesaid it’s not thanksgiving without football.

While we wandered around Thursday evening I spotted this giant statue/monument of a goat standing on it's hind legs. Why they have a statue of a goat I have no idea.

L insists that it's not a goat, but that was my first reaction when I saw the statue and frankly I had to share. Yes, I am making an appointment to have my eyes tested when we are home in December.

I have no idea who this next statue is but you would be cranky too if your head was jammed under a platter:

Friday we went to see a park that Antonio Gaudi helped to build (I believe that is a true statement) that was orginally built as homes but was later donated to the city. It reminded me of the children's game "Candy Land"

Then we went to the Olympic Stadium and I just liked the shape of the Radio Tower

Saturday we went to see the Sagrada Família, which is the basílica that Gaudí started building in 1889. It's approximately 60% complete and not scheduled for actually completion until 2030. It is HUGE and beautiful. If you go to Barcelona I would highly recommend making a stop to see it. These are just some of the stained glass.

November 28, 2011 – Airplane Etiquette

2011-11-28T10:32:00.001+01:00

Many of you know that we flew to Barcelona on Thursday. Yes, I will be telling you all about it, orat least as much I as I can remember since I am getting older my memory is notso hot. At one point I thought to myself:“this is why I need a netbook, so I can blog about our trips as they occur”, becauseno I did not bring my laptop.”

Anyway, back to airplane etiquette. We flew Swiss Air from Zurich toBarcelona. I enjoy Swiss Air. They are typically on-time, the flight staffis always nice, they give you a decent sandwich on the short 1.5 hour flight,and chocolate. How can you go wrong withan airline that gives you chocolate? That’s right you can’t.

Where you can go wrong, is with other passengers. Now I’m going to generalize here, but I realizethat there are some significant cultural differences between Americans andEuropeans and the frequency in which we bathe. I have no doubt that there are many Europeans out there that think wemay even verge on fanatical with the frequency of our showers/baths. I know that there have been occasions where Ihave even showered twice in the same day. It’s rare but it happens. I like toshower in the morning because (a) it wakes me up and (b) I often wake with aheadache and it helps relieve it. As forthe second shower, typically happens if I have been working in the yard, orhave had a particularly strenuous workout and feel grimy. No one likes to feel grimy. Well at least not “this” someone. Here’s the thing. Regardless of your views on bathing I wouldlike to respectfully suggest that if you know that you will be spending anytime at all in an enclosed space with other human beings, for instance a:plane, train, automobile, heck even an elevator, that you take a shower priorto said activity.

I’m sure the man who was seated next to me on the plane wasvery nice but he was also extremely odorous. At one point I considered jamming the cherry menthol cough drops I wascarrying up my nose in an effort to stop the scent but I thought that might bea bit extreme and possibly ineffective. Instead I popped one in my mouth. If you have ever had a cherry menthol cough drop you know that theyoverwhelm your sinuses. After about 30 minutes, the guy next to me fell asleepand I thought that I had either gotten used to the scent or my sense of smellhad been effectively deadened. I waswrong, because he eventually woke up and moved. It seems obvious now that movement would increase airflow and result ina new bout of noxious fumes. There is asilver lining in all of this: this was a short flight and not one of our tripsback to the US.

So please, if you are someone who only showers once or twicea week, please, please schedule it the day you are going to be on a plane. The other passengers would appreciateit. Yes, your spouse “loves” the way yousmell, but we can’t all be married to you. Oh and if you think skipping the shower and going for the heavy dosageof perform/cologne will suffice. No,really it wont. That just adds a newlayer of overwhelming scent to the mix. Deodorantwill help, but typically only after a shower or at least a quick sink bath. It does nothing to help eliminate a scentthat is already present.

Tomorrow - Barcelona

November 24, 2011 - Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T08:15:00.001+01:00

Oh I bet you think this blog is going to be a list of all the things I am thankful for, nope. I'm bucking the trend. In fact this blog is simply my way of saying Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate the day and to everyone else. Happy Thursday!

L and I are heading out this morning to Barcelona, I've got the camera charged and ready to go. The beast is all set. Carlos is coming to the apartment and will hang out with him for the next few days. It's an excellent opportunity for the beast to brush up on his spanish. I'm sure he'll miss "camp". When you get over laughing at that, I realize I'm kidding myself.

Gotta run, have a great weekend.

Copyright © C.A. Bailey 2010 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

November 23, 2011 – Workout

2011-11-23T13:02:00.001+01:00

Have you ever watched The Biggest Loser? I’m always amazed whenthey contestants have their first workout and inevitably one or more peoplethrow up. I always end up wondering howbad do these people have to feel to actually throw up when working out. Then I wonder, how long have they beenworking out before they actually throw up: is it hour 1 or hour 6 because thatmight make a difference. Well today Icame as close as I care to in understanding just what might make someone throwup while working out. Although, I can’timagine that I was really exerting that much energy. I went for a casual 2.5 mile jog and then Imet Olivia for a workout. After a min ofjumping rope and wanting to cough up I lung I was left to ponder how the heck Iwas able to skip rope as a kid on the playground as if it was no effort atall. Then we moved to a series of lunglike things, squats, different lung thingies, chest press, triceps, and thenshe broke out the flat metal flexible bar that you’re supposed to shake whileraising your arms over your head and back down again. I admit it. It broke me. I said a not sosilent prayer to the heavens that somebody anybody rescue me. Where’s a fire alarm when you need one? Olivia actually heard me and asked me toexplain what I had just said. I told herI made a plea to God to make it stop. She thought I was kidding.

Do you know what’s really sick and twisted about all ofthis? I would do it all over againtomorrow… well maybe the day after… just to prove to myself that I could dobetter next time.

November 22, 2011 – Brrrrr

2011-11-22T11:06:00.001+01:00

It’s probably wrong that I am sitting in my officecontemplating putting on a snow hat. I’malso fairly happy that my laptop is overheating a bit because it’s keeping myhands warmish. It’s not even that coldoutside. What the heck am I going to dowhen winter actually arrive. Yes, I knowI’ll be wearing the snow hat indoors instead of contemplating it.

I can remember a time when I would wander around in Februaryin a denim jacket and shorts because I was warm. Apparently I wasted all of that warmth onyouth.

It's moments like this when I miss a microwave. Sure I mostly used the one at home as a clock, but it came in handy when I was drinking a cup of tea and needed to reheat it. Sometimes it's just nice to hold a hot cup in my hands.

November 21, 2011 – Weekend Update - Art Show

2011-11-21T11:04:00.001+01:00

Sunday L and I went to an Art Show. I thought it was going to be a series ofartists trying to sell their work. Thatmay actually have been the case in a few instances, but there were alsogalleries ore private collectors selling pieces. I finally figured this out when we wanderedby a display of painting that looked like Andy Warhol pieces. I couldn’t imagine why someone wouldreplicate an Andy Warhol and then try to sell it. Really who wants a fake Cambell’s Tomato Soupcan hanging on the wall. Then I spottedthe signature and realized that they were selling actual Andy Warhol pieces.

Then I thought “well hey for a mere 38,000 Euro = 51,000 USDwe could own a Warhol or an extremely nice car or have a decent down payment onI don’t know… a house. Really is a painting of a soup can worth that muchmoney? I can buy a can of Cambell’sTomato Soup and hang it on a wall for way less. Plus it would be in 3D. Ok fine,maybe I just don’t appreciate the finer things in life. I like my soup hot, and with oyster crackers.

November 18, 2011 - Ode To Chocolate

2011-11-18T12:27:00.001+01:00

I believe this is the final piece of evidence that indicatesthat I truly have a problem.

If this just came in a tank top I would be buying it in aheartbeat:

http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/womens/8f6f/

Hello, my name is CAB and I am addicted to “almost” allthings chocolate. The almost caveatcovers:

“White” chocolate which isn’t really chocolate a derivativeof it. Of course calling it “coco butter”doesn’t sound nearly as appetizing as “chocolate”, but hey if you like that,cool, someone has to. Just not me.
“Any chocolate candies that contains liquor” has anyone evereaten a chocolate infused with liquor that actually tasted good?
Along those lines: Any chocolate candies that are filledwith a weird jelly like substance. Whywould someone do that?

I’m not opposed to things being mixed into chocolate. I’m a big fan of nuts, peanut butter, nougat,toffee. OMG Heath Bars are awesome. Hmm, I’ve not seen anything even remotelyHeath Bar-ish in Switzerland. Oh and Iam a huge fan of the Swiss and Belgian Chocolate. What are those chocolate balls with the softchocolate centers called? Wow, that sentencesounds totally inappropriate when I say it out load.

Oh and when you google: Chocolate Addicts this is what comesup:

Why would anyone go to rehab for chocolate?

So many questions so little time…

November 17, 2011 – Bullets

2011-11-17T12:18:00.001+01:00

I went back to the COOP today and yes that is a bottle ofblack label Jack Daniels on the shelf and no there was not a bottle of “greenlabel”. (Someone asked).

Next week we are heading to Barcelona for a few days. We’re taking advantage of the couple of daysoff I get for Thanksgiving. L alreadymade reservations at the Hard Rock Café for Traditional ThanksgivingDinner. I know, the Hard Rock Café andThanksgiving dinner just seems wrong, but L loves Thanksgiving and since wewill be there she found the only place that was offering it. So we shall go. For me personally, Thanksgiving Dinner has tohave lasagna for it to be traditional. Needless to say this should be entertaining and I’m looking forward toit.

Our neighbor gave us a “Crumple Map” of Barcelona. I think this is the coolest thing. Yes I am easily amused.

I have a couple of books I want to read but I am holding offfor the weekend so I can stay focused on work.

Yes work is kicking my butt

I took the time to read the grand jury report on the Penn State Sandusky, for lack of a better word, debacle. There are not words strong enough to describe my feelings on this and the disgusting lack of action by the parties who were informed of the ongoing abuse. Hello... why did no one call the POLICE. Not the campus police/security. The actual police. I know there are all sorts of justifications being thrown around. I also know that I can not imagine what these "witnesses" went through but I would hope that if I had been in their shoes. I'd have at the very least called the police.

November 16, 2011 – Package Store

2011-11-16T13:39:00.001+01:00

In Connecticut the liquor store is also called the packagestore. I have no idea why; possiblybecause they wrap the bottles in brown bags. Or I don’t know maybe in years gone by they used to sell liquor and otheritems and packaged them all together. Ican also tell you that when I was very young we used to refer to it as “ThePackie” again, there is no logical explanation other than we were young andsomehow that sounded cool to us. Ofcourse as an adult, I can roll my eyes at the absurdity of it.

Why am I telling you this? Well I recall when we 1^st moved here wondering where someonecould buy liquor, for example: Vodka. Iknow that I can buy wine in the grocery store. Even the tiny COOP in town has an aisle dedicated to all sorts of wines,but the other eluded me. Obviously, itwas not that important to me, because it’s taken 19 months for me to evenremotely get a clue. The other day I wasin the COOP and I walked upstairs and was struck with a clue by 4.

Yes the giant Gordon’s Gin display was a bit of clue. If it were not for that I doubt I would havenoticed the small selection of bottles on the back wall. I’m not the most observant. Speaking of which, it wasn’t until Irevisited this picture that I also realized I could buy a Lottery ticket hereas well.

Oh and no, in case you were wondering I did not buy anyGin. I’m more of a Jack Daniel’s andcoke kind of gal.

November 15, 2011 – Pet Peeve

2011-11-15T13:16:00.001+01:00

This is not what I had planned on talking about today butthen again, nothing ever goes quite as planned. I like Switzerland. I do. Not so much that I want to live here the restof my life but certainly enough to enjoy the time we are here. However, and this is a big however. I’m beyond upset at the number of people whohave their dogs off leash. Worse theyare off leash and their owners are nowhere to be seen. Fine, some people will say that the Swiss areused to having their dogs off leash and that it’s cultural. Well goodie for them. Do you know what’s not cultural, having afreaking dog come after me snarling and snapping. What’s worse is having a dog come after meand my dog, who IS on leash, and the owner being shocked that their dog isbeing aggressive. Ok I’ll buy thatbridge the 1^st time your damn dog comes after me, I might forgiveyou the second time because you’re too far away from the freaking dog tonotice. What I wont forgive is that yourdamn dog is loose, running around having a grand old time, because you decidedto let it out of your nice fenced in yard to get some exercise. I’m tired of having dogs snapping at me andErnie. What I really want to do is kickone of these dogs teeth in. That’s whatI want to do, but frankly I’m a little afraid of big dogs, and I’m reallyafraid of dogs that come up to me too quickly and snarling.

I’ve altered where I walk with Ernie to avoid some of theseencounters, but I thought that I was ok yesterday late afternoon as I walkedthrough the park. The aggressive dog Ihave only encountered their on the weekends. Ernie and I were almost through the park when I looked down and therewas a dog at my ankle. No kidding. She scared the crap out of me, before Irecognized that she’s the nice one. Offin the distance I could see the other one, so now I’m backing out of the parkbecause I don’t want to turn my back to this other dog. The last thing I need is to have it come upon me while I’m not watching. Where arethe owners? Who the heck knows. Probably in the house having a cup oftea. So last night I was shook up and alittle upset about this… again.

So what happens? Thismorning I take the boy out for his walk. Avoiding the park and heading to the bus stop instead. We’re about ½ there when a small black dogcomes out of its driveway and is suddenly nose to nose with Ernie andsnarling. I swear I have no idea why Idon’t just let go of Ernie’s leash and let him defend himself. Insteadthis little dog nips Ernie on the leg and I’ve completely lost it and I’myelling at the damn dog to get the hell away from us. Two things happened: I think I stunned the dog because it stoppedmoving, and the owner came running. I’msure the owner was trying to figure out what some crazy non-German speakingwoman was screaming at their dog about. He apologized, or at least that’s what I interpreted the “Excuse Me” tomean.

Here’s what I want to know? If I start carrying a stick am I within my Swiss rights to defend myselfand my dog with it? Yes that means thatI certainly will threaten the next dog who comes at me with it, and yes thatmeans that I might very well attempt to crack the damn dogs' head open with itif the dog doesn’t back off. What do yousuppose the dog owners reaction would be to a crazy woman wielding an axehandle over head? Of course that assumesthe owner is anywhere in sight.

I really hate stupid dog owners and I hate that I am slowly becomingmore afraid of dogs. I had outgrownthat. Stupid Switzerland.

November 14, 2011 – Book Review: Before I Died by Sara Marx

2011-11-14T11:30:00.001+01:00

Before I Died by SaraMarx

Thriller/Romance

Published by: Bella Books www.bellabooks.com

Summary on the Backof the Book:

“Laney Cavallo had a charmed life. Two wonderful kids andthe love of the best woman she’d ever known—after years of unhappiness, she hadit all.

Then the one evil in her life that she couldn’t shed finallydid his worst: after years of blackmailing her into silence, her power-drunkex-husband has made her silence permanent. Now she can’t warn her beloved Marathat he plans to come after her next, and that even the kids aren’t safe.

Unfinished business, undying love and the burden of her owncomplicity drive Laney to take action, hoping it’s not too late to save thepeople she loves. It would be easier if she weren’t already dead...”

Review: 4 out of 5stars

The story has an interesting premise; it’s told from thepoint of a woman who has been killed by her ex-husband. We’re introduced to her after she’s died andthroughout the story we watch her come to terms with the realization that sheis dead and the unraveling of the mystery of “why” she was killed. The “why” is really fascinating more sobecause it takes into account how every action or decision a person makes has aripple effect and often unanticipated consequences. As a result, we watch as Laney attempts tocorrect some of these consequences from beyond the grave.

I really enjoyed this book and will have to check out hernext one “Decoded”

November 11, 2011 – Book Review: Redemption by DeJay

2011-11-11T07:48:00.001+01:00

Redemption by DeJay
Drama
Published by RCE Books www.regalcrest.biz

Summary on the Backof the Book:

“Architect, Mackenzie Taylor will tell you she's married,that love transcends eternity, and vows are meant to be honored. She buildshomes through her business, helps to rebuild lives through her volunteer workat a women's crisis center and strives to build self-esteem in children withspecial needs as sponsor and coach of Team Bella. What she can't rebuild is herfamily. The deaths of her wife, Isabella and their daughter, Bella, haunt herevery breath. While she attended a business meeting they were kidnapped andsenselessly murdered. The guilt is all encompassing.

Emily O'Brien, a widow, and straight, arrives in town toopen KK's Book Emporium. She lives in the apartment above the store where shestruggles to make a new life for herself and her orphaned grandchildren.

Renee McVee's partner, Emily's daughter, was killed by adrunk driver, on the way to pick up her children from school. Renee's responseto her grief is to drown her sorrows.

Redemption takes a gritty look at domestic violence and howit influences the lives of these three women and how they learn to deal withthe devastating fallout. It is also a story of love, old and new. It answersthe question: is it possible to love again?”

Review 4 out of 5stars

We picked this book up while we were in P-Town for Women’sweek. Partially because it looked likeit could be an interesting read; but also because it was the authors 1^stpublished book and we wanted to be supportive, and finally because I’m alwaysinterested in finding new authors who I can read.

I was about ½ way through the book when I realized that isdoes not suffer from what I refer to as “1^st bookitis.” I’m sure it’s happened to you. You’re reading a book and you start saying toyourself “This has to be the authors 1^st book” because it lacks acertain maturity in the writing. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a badbook, it just means that you know/hope the next will better.

The storytelling is redemption is complex and well written,but not confusing. The main characterMackenzie is a shell of a person who has lost so much in her life that she’snot really living at all. The authorallows us to see Mackenzie’s pain, the process of dealing with her grief andher eventual need to start living again.

Not only would I recommend reading this book, I’ll bekeeping my eye out for DeJay’s next one.

November 10, 2011 - The Last Vestige of Fall

2011-11-10T15:06:00.001+01:00

The trees in the driveway to our apartment complex have given up the ghost:

Of course there is one lone hold out

November 9, 2011 – Running Late

2011-11-09T18:29:00.001+01:00

I’m running a little late today. I’ll blame the not feeling so well combinedwith the massive splitting headache earlier this morning. Several hours later, I am feeling mostly humanagain and being productive with my work responsibilities. Hey this is a dinner break, I’m allowed.

I mentioned a week or two ago how much I seriously enjoy thesetting the clocks back an hour because everyone enjoys that extra hour ofsleep. It’s also easier to get up in themorning when it’s not dark out. What Iam not enjoying. The fact that at 5:30pmit’s dark; it was just a few months ago that it was still light at 9:30pm. Apparently, I can whine with the best of thembut can’t have it all. I’ll get over it,I like the getting up in daylight more so it’s all good.

Dinner tonight: Chicken Soup. Yes, homemade.

I’ve got several things on my mind these days I just haven’tfigured out how to put them into a cohesive thought to share with you. When you get over laughing at the conceptthat I might have a cohesive thought, please feel free to read on.

I did talk with my Mom yesterday; Mom, Dad and my siblingshelped take the mast down from my father’s sailboat. An outsider watching this event is bound tothink that it’s a disaster/injury waiting to happen. Why would I think such a thing? People have commented in the past watching uswork through the gyrations of lowering the mast by hand. Dad rigs this crazy pulley system somehowusing the mast as its own pulley counterweight thingy. I don’t understand it but it works. Maybe next time someone will take a picture.

November 8, 2011 – Book Review(s)

2011-11-08T11:36:00.000+01:00

Devil’s Rock by GerriHill

Published by www.bellabooks.com

The Summary on the backof the book:

“Deputy Andrea Sullivan had hoped to leave the horrors ofLos Angeles behind her, but the serial murders of college students in peaceful,picturesque Sedona is her nightmare case to solve. The complexities stretch local resources tothe limit, and the FBI joins the case with Agent Cameron Ross in the lead.

The crime scenes are covered with trademark signs of thefiendish Patrick Doe, whose handiwork has been investigated by Dallas detectiveTori Hunter and others. But where Hunterfailed Cameron intends to win. She willbreak the case, find justice and go on her way. No Distractions.

Unfortunately, Deputy Sullivan is very distracting. And Patrick Doe has other plans.”

Review: 4 out of 5stars

Romance and murder intertwined; it doesn’t get much better. I can’t recall the last time (if ever) whereI have read a book and the depiction of the area as much as the characters drewme into th story. Gerri Hill’s description of Sycamore Canyon was so detailedthat I had to google it to determine if it was a real place. Then I had to add it to my list of places Iwant to visit. Well a place I want tovisit sans the serial killer. She alsodoes a great job if letting the reader get to know two kick ass, take names laterwomen: Deputy Sullivan and FBI Agent Ross. From their interactions you find that they have a great deal in common,including the self-efficient, loner persona they both use to protect theirhearts.

I was unable to put this book down while I followed themurder investigation and their journey of discovering each other.

Storms by Gerri Hill

Published by www.bellabooks.com

The Summary on the backof the book:

“Estranged for years from her father and four brothers afterher mother’s death, Carson Cartwright is surprised when she gets a phone callfrom her twin brother, urging a reconciliation before their father succumbs tohis final illness. Though she has spentmore than a decade trying to forget her family existed, she is suddenly pulledback to the Montana ranch where she grew up.

Carson discovers her brothers divided over plans to changethe working ranch into a guest ranch, and their consultant, Kerry Elder, doesn’tseem above using her wiles to get her way. Kerry finds that while she may have her clients right where she wantsthem, it’s the wayward sister that may be awakening something she has longdenied.”

Review: 3.5 out of 5stars

When we are first introduced to Carson we find a woman whohas been leading a “playgirl” kind of life: traveling the world but neverforming any lasting/strong relationships. Despite, having never been “in love” her father’s betrayal andabandonment taught her to keep her emotions out of relationships. Love only brings pain. We follow Carson back to the family ranch ather brother’s request. Here we meet awildly dysfunctional and emotionally stunted group of brothers which leads tosome interesting interactions between Carson, Kerry, and Carson’s brother Cody.

November 7, 2011 – Weekend Update

2011-11-07T12:14:00.000+01:00

Well I know all my US friends got an extra hour of sleep(hoorah!) which puts me back at 6 hours ahead of ya’ll. Let me just state for the record that so farMonday has been pretty good so I anticipate that it will be good for you aswell.

Now onto my weekend:

I read a couple of books by Gerri Hill, I’ll review thosetomorrow. Mostly the weekend was takenup with relaxing. However, Sunday L andI took a trip into Zürich to go to the “58. Zürich Wein-Ausstellung” whichpretty much means we went to the Wine Boats for a giant wine tasting.

First let me point out the following:

I rarely drink.

What I know about wine could fill a thimble:

Red winegives me a headache (and no not from drinking too much of it)

I don’tlike wine that tastes woody. I think thecorrect term is oaky.

I don’tenjoy a harsh aftertaste.

Now none of this is really a deterrent because I would like to at least have some idea of whatkinds of wines I do like and could possibly enjoy on a special occasion. So I figured this would be a good way toexperience a variety of wines and heck it seemed like it would be a fun way tospend a Sunday afternoon.

Off we went to the boats and let me confirm that it wasfun. We found about 10 wines that Iliked the taste of, which means we had to have tasted 20 wines. Ok are you getting a picture here? I rarely drink. Rarely. When you go to the counter you ask for a particular type of wine (or inmy case point) and they pour a shot-full into a wine glass. Sometimes L and I each had a glass other times,especially later, we shared a glass. Wehad a nice conversation with a gentleman at one of the Swiss Wine booths. He was very helpful and tried to explainwhere some of the grapes came from and which wines would be woody. It turns out I enjoy a number of SwissWines. I’ve also been told that a winesnob would turn their nose up at that statement. Then again, I also really enjoy Coors Lightso… there you have it. I like what Ilike. I also don’t seem to appreciatewines from Austria. Now I’m willing tosay that it’s possible that some of the wines I enjoyed later in the experiencecould be because it was later in the experience and I had that goofy smirk/grinon my face which is a pretty good indicator that I’m a bit “Happy”.

So what wines did we like? In no particular order and please forgive the lack of translation:

2009 Pinot Blancfrom Les Coteaux du Partage (Swiss)

2009 Riesling AOC,Amphitryon from Domaine du Mont d’Or (Swiss)

Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Prosecco Sup. Extra Dry (Italian) (ok just a side note, I really liked this, and I had no idea whatProsecco was before but I think I will try and drink it New Years Eve)

Chardonnay Don du Tariquet Gascogie (French) (This one wasnot in the book so I am not sure I wrote the label down correctly but it wasexcellent)

2010 “goutte d’Or”,Domaine de Champreveyres AOC (Swiss)

2008 AUREUM,Chardonnay, AOC (Swiss)

2010 Viognier, Le Jamelles (French)

2009 Riesling trocken<<BLAUSCHIEFER>>, Bastgen, Mosel (German)

November 4, 2011 – I A Not the Powerball Winner

2011-11-04T13:07:00.001+01:00

Apparently the Powerball Lottery was $245,000,000 the otherday and the winning ticket was sold in Connecticut. Sure I’m not in Connecticut right now but ifI had been I would have deemed the potential for winning (or losing) thatamount of money worth the $1.00 expense. I’m also fairly certain that no immediate relative of mine won thelottery because I think I would have head. My sister said she did not win. “Ohdear brother of mine… is there something you’d like to tell me?”

What would I do with $245 million dollars? I would quit my job. Well, I would certainly give them notice, butI would be gone. I would share some ofit. Start a foundation.

Buy a pony. Ok I’mkidding about the pony. When we travel homeI would hire a private jet so the beastly boy could fly in comfort and not incargo.

Alas, I am not the Powerball winner so I will fly coach, thebeast will fly cargo, and I will continue to bath in the luxury of knowing Ihave a job, but it’s nice to dream.

November 3, 2011 – Foot Cramps

2011-11-03T12:25:00.001+01:00

I know you don’t want to hear this but OMG foot cramps are theworst. Well maybe not the absolute worstthing, I am sure there are other things that are worse, but when you are havingone: seriously unpleasant. On a bright note, I ran 4.6 miles today. Well ran… walked… ran… you know the drill. Hence the foot cramps. After I ran I was stretching and my rightfoot decided to let me know that it was displeased. I let anyone within ear shot know that I wasin discomfort. Of course once the rightfoot was done complaining and we had massaged it back into a non contorted formthe left foot was feeling left out and let me know in no uncertain terms thatit too wanted a massage.

Several hours later I’ve had a chat with my feet and explainedto them that they don’t need to cramp on me. That I promise, I will stretch and massage them nightly if that willkeep them happy and uncrampy. It’s thevery least I can do. They do carry mynot unsubstantial weight around daily and if I’m being honest they have mehostage. I’d agree to almost anything toavoid the foot cramping thing, but don’t tell them. I have no idea what else they would demand ofme or if I could afford it.

November 2, 2011 – Kim Kardashian

2011-11-02T12:28:00.000+01:00

Excuse me while I take a break from our normally scheduledprogram to discuss the somewhat old news of Kim Kardashian’s pending divorce after72 days of wedded bliss. Now I can’teven pretend to know what happened with that relationship, in fact it wouldtake up too much effort for me to even get to the point where I cared. It’s actually pretty easy to find lists ofthe shortest celebrity marriages (there are quite a few).

Britney Spears & Jason Alexander married… 55 hours
Carmen Electra & Dennis Rodman…. 9 days
Mario Lopez & Ali Landry... 2 weeks
Drew Barrymore & Tom Green … 6 months (her secondmarriage the 1^st lasted 6 weeks)
Dennis Hopper 7 Michelle Phillips… 8 days

Then of course there are the celebrities who have madegetting married an art form:

Elizabeth Taylor… married 8 times
Mickey Rooney… 8 times
Zsa Za Gabor… 9 times

Here’s what I find ironic: This has become routine. Mostpeople don’t even blink when a celebrity rushes off and gets married. Heck, we even roll our eyes and aren’tparticularly surprised when the marriage doesn’t last. In fact, divorce seems to be so common placein society today that no one even bats an eye at it. Do you know what surprises people; when amarriage lasts. When I tell people myparents have been married “to each other” for more than 50 years, it’s a surprisebecause it’s a rarity. Oh but of coursethe caveat in all of this is, the marriage has to be between a man and a womanbecause same-sex marriage would destroy the institution of marriage.

Certainly we could find plenty of same sex couples who gettogether and break up in incredibly short periods of time, but with all of theabove going on can people really say that it’s the concept of same-sex marriagethat is destroying the institution of marriage? Well, yes of course there are people who can say that. I’m not that naive.

Not too long ago Rick Perry, from Texas, was urgingconservatives to try and repeal the 2009 New Hampshire law allowing same sexmarriage because he supports the “sanctity of traditional marriage.” Well good for Rick Perry, I support thesanctity of traditional marriage as well. So much so that I think we should outlaw divorce. You would be hard pressed to show me somestatistical evidence that said because CT, NY, MA, NH, VT, IA, and WashingtonDC allow same sex couples to get married that it somehow resulted in thefailure of Kim Kardashian’s marriage.

Regardless of if you are married or not, try this on forsize. Close your eyes and think aboutwhy it is that you want(ed) to get married in the 1^st place. Forget the religious aspects associated withthe word. Why did/do you want to getmarried?

To share with the world:

This is the person I want to spendthe rest of my life with.

This is the person who I choose toput before all others.

This is the person who makes mewant to be a better person and helps be to be that person.

This is the person who I want tobuild a life with, someone who fills the gaps in my soul. Gaps I didn’t even know where there untilthey were filled.

This is the person that I love.

I also understand that there are people out there that sayCivil Unions allow that same thing. Thefact is they don’t, and they don’t because “Marriage” is understood as being allof the things I listed and more. Yes,technically “Marriage” is just a word, but the word has meaning andweight. With that one word other peopleunderstand the seriousness of your commitment to each other and all that intrinsicallyimplies. They know the rights andresponsibilities that come with being married and yes for some it legitimizes the seriousness of the relationship.

Maybe I’m wrong, in which case I’ll apologize right now toKim K. “I am so very sorry that mymarriage destroyed the sanctity of your “traditional” marriage”, but at thesame time I will continue to work at making my non-traditional marriage work. It’s important to me.

November 1, 2011 – Growing Up

2011-11-01T12:54:00.000+01:00

What do I want to be when I grow up? I know we have all asked ourselves thatquestion, but at some point do you stop asking that question? I find ever few years that question startsrolling around my brain in an unfocused random sort of way.

What do I want to be when I grow up? I remember the very first time I decided whatI wanted to be: I was watching the PerryMason Show on our Black & White TV and I distinctly remember thinking thatI wanted to be just like Perry Mason. Iwanted to be a lawyer. I have no ideahow old I was, I might have been 7. Idon’t think my lawyer phase lasted very long. As a matter of fact, that particular memory is the only time I recall thinkingI wanted to be a lawyer.

When I was a little older I wanted to run my owncompany. Pretty much I wanted to be likemy Dad. He had a manufacturing companyand I used to beg him to take me to work on a Saturday. I think I was 11 when one of the ladies whoworked for him (Mary) taught me how to use a soldering iron. She made me promise not to burn myself, mostlythough I got to run the lead bender. Itwas this machine that sat in a corner and you would feed it the diodes thatwould be placed into pc boards later. The machine would bend the legs and cut them to size. Most adults hated this job. I loved it. I didn’t have to talk to anyone and I could see the progress of my work. I LOVED going to work with him, ok fine Ialso really like money. I liked earningmoney, I liked SAVING money. I likeddepositing money in my savings account and I really liked going to the bankevery month and having them record the interest earned in my passbook. Funny, I never ever wanted to be a banker.

In high school I decided that I wanted to work in HumanResources. I just knew that math and Iwere not friends and this seemed like a good option. I really don’t know how it came about. Somehow, when I look back at it, it reallydidn’t seem like there were that many options: Nurse, Teacher, Accountant,Business Management. Obviously therewere more options but in my limited mind I hadn’t a clue. I think if I was a kid today I would try toget into Computer Forensics.

Which is neither here nor there, so periodically I go thru aphase of: if I could do anything what would I do? Go back to school and get my PhD in ComparativeReligions or some other Religious niche? Like discussing religion, all kinds of religions, especially the earthbased ones. Then what would I do? Teach? How?

Keep on the path I am on now: Technology based. Continue on with Information Protection andSecurity? If they would ever make thedamn last class I need available I would finish the certificate.

Face it I just like learning new things. I like to be mentally challenged.

I wonder if the Yale Divinity School has web based programs?

Just for fun: The beast

October 28, 2011 – International Margarita Day

2011-10-28T12:26:00.000+02:00

Not today folks, tomorrow. Unless of course you want to celebrate both days, then have at it. Oh and how do I know that tomorrow isInternational Margarita Day? “Because I said so”; isn’t that what our Mothers’used to say? The“because I said so part” not the International Margarita Day part; although,they may have said that out of little children’s earshot. In fact, I would bet money that my Mom mayhave declared it Margarita Day on more than one occasion, and justifiably so. There were three of us running around, me, myolder brother and my twin sister. Let’sjust say the household was not quiet or calm. I recall my Mom telling us a story about when my sister and I werelittle. We were down the hall playing inour room, when things got a little too quiet. It seems that children and quiet are a sign that bad things arehappening. She came down the hall,opened our bedroom door and found us gleefully shaking the baby powder all overthe room. Everything was covered andthere was a cloud of white. I personallydon’t recall this event, but Mom said that after she cleaned us and the room upshe safely put the baby powder on the highest shelf in the bathroom so wecouldn’t get into any more trouble with that little game. Apparently, not only are we twins but we arealso monkeys. We must have climbed thetoilet to the sink counter so we could reach the powder, because shortlythereafter Mom checked on us again and found us gleefully reenacting the powderfight.

Of course none of that explains why I have declared tomorrow“International Margarita Day.” Let meexplain: Yesterday could best bedescribed as a “craptastic” day. It wasjust one long day of desperately trying to get a server/database to playnice. I know you don’t care about thedetails. Let’s just say it wasfrustrating and I will be attempting another solution shortly. Anyway, I couldn’t have a Margaritayesterday, I also can’t have one today. So tomorrow it is. As for theInternational part; I have friends in the US and I don’t like to drinkalone. So if at noon tomorrow you wouldraise a glass in toast it will be 6pm her in Switzerland and I can toast aswell. Come to think of it, I thinkSwitzerland switches the clocks back an hour this weekend. Another valid reason to toast: an extra hourof sleep. Yea Me.

So here’s to a better than craptastic day and Margarita’s onthe weekend.

October 26, 2011 – Fingerless Gloves

2011-10-26T12:56:00.001+02:00

How do you know that fall is in full swing and winter isright around the corner? Well in mycase, I have to resort to wearing fingerless gloves while I work at my computer. I’ve been trying to avoid it the last fewdays but I gave up this afternoon. My right hand is dramatically cooler thanthe left. In fact, if anyone needs a beerchilled I can hold it for you: frosty in minutes.

The only problem is the wrists of these gloves are a little,ok a lot, too long, but they work so I will wear them while I work. I have to say that the very best pair offingerless gloves I ever received where given to me specifically for wearing atwork. They were pink and purple stripedand my friend Laurel gave them to me as a secret Santa gift. They were awesome, but I have never found apair like that again. My Mom gave me apair a few years ago that worked well too, but they had the little mitten flapthat would come up to cover your fingers, immediate transition from work towalking the dog.

I’ll have to keep my eyes open for another pair this year aswe wander around the Christmas markets in Zurich.

I’ll try and have something more exciting to talk abouttomorrow.

October 25, 2011 - Outside My Window

2011-10-25T11:17:00.000+02:00

Roof:

I seriously thought that they were going to leave the roofacross the way barren with just the green looking rubber matting. Once again, I was wrong. Today they are replacing the dirt.

First off, why is gardening not this easy when I do it at home? Alright fine, it’s not so easy at homebecause I’m the one doing thework. Everything looks easy when someoneelse is putting in the effort. I do havea question though. Do you think they aregoing to replant the weeds or will they let nature take care of that?

At what point does mytaking pictures of the guys on the roof become stalker-ish?

Sailing:

I enjoy sailing and as I mentioned September early Octoberare some of my favorite times to go sailing but at some point ~~you~~ I haveto say it’s too cold. When you have towear snow gear… it’s too cold. It’s 45degrees and my hands get cold sitting in the office working at thecomputer. I’m wearing fingerless glovesfor goodness sake. Sailing… No. Too Cold

October 24, 2011 – Rip Van Winkle

2011-10-24T13:27:00.000+02:00

After this weekend I am officially changing my designationto Rip Van Winkle or “Winkle Bunny” depending on how well you know me. In the grand scheme of things I can statewith a high level of certainty that I slept the majority of the weekendaway. The beast was even kind enough tolet me sleep until 9:30 am both Saturday and Sunday before he made me get upand take him outside. Sure 9:30 onSaturday doesn’t sound as if I slept the “entire” day away. That is until I tell you that I wentimmediately back to bed after our excursion and proceeded to sleep until 1:00pm. I was slightly less of a slug onSunday. I got up in the morning. Made a pot of chili for dinner and thenrented “The Children’s Hour” starring Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine. Now I have to admit I like old movies…. One ofmy favorites is Stage Door… I wonder if iTunes has that one. Anyway, I’ve gotten off track.

The 1961 movie is based on a play written by Lillian Hellmanand centers around two women, Martha Dobie (Shirley MacLaine) and Karen Wright(Audrey Hepburn) who have started a school for girls. After two years of getting the school off theground they are just beginning to see financial success. As a result, Karen Wright, who has beenengaged for the last two years to Joe Cardin (James Gardner) feels like she canset a date to be married.

Of course this is when all hell breaks loose. There is a young girl at the school namedMary (Karen Balkin) who can best be described as a bully and a brat spreads alie that Martha and Karen are in a lesbian affair. Needless to say the accusation blossoms anddestroys the careers and lives of the three main characters.

The young girl who played Mary…. I hated her; seriously hated her. I will put that down to very good acting onher part because if I could have reached through the monitor I would have smackedthe daylights out of her. However, itmakes me wonder what happened to Karen Balkin after the movie wasreleased. Did people hate that characterso much that they hated “her”?

They (whomever “they” are) are bringing the play back to thestage in January 2012 in London’s West End. Starring Keira Knightly and Elisabeth Moss.

So that’s how I spent my weekend. Sleeping. How was yours?

October 21, 2011 – Ramblings

2011-10-21T14:05:00.000+02:00

Oh the critical nature of things. Once again I am torn between getting my haircut and… not. Why I even bother withsuch musings is beyond me. We both knowthat I’m going to get my haircut.

When we were in P-Town one of the things I enjoyed the mostwas the diversity of the women; and there were quite a few women in my agegroup. Plus a few older couples (late 60’s)that were just fantastic to see walking down the sidewalk hand in hand.

I definitely have a cold and I am starting to boarder onthat “sexy operator” voice. However, Ihave no illusions to the fact that it will stay sexy for about a minute andthen will quickly cross into the 100 year old cigar smoking, whiskey drinking,old woman voice. Good Times

In honor of my cold I am on a soup kick. Last night: chicken noodle. Tonight: Curry Lentil.

Colds also make me think of comfort food, which makes me thinkor tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Since I’m not going to make tomato soup it also makes me think of macaroniand cheese.

Ironically, colds do not make me think of chocolate.

October 20, 2011 – Liar Liar Pants On Fire

2011-10-20T14:15:00.001+02:00

Yesterday I mentioned that I was going to re-start myrunning today. Turns out that was a bigfat lie. Not because I woke up thismorning and decided I would be lazy. Moreso because I finally managed to go to sleep after 5am. How can I be so precise about the time I wasawake? The damn church bells ring everyhour on the hour. Heck they token ringevery 15 mins. Although I enjoy the occasionalchurch bell chime it gets a little frustrating as an hourly reminder that I amstill awake. So, yes I skipped runningand opted for a nap this morning. Thatshould make L and any other human beings I have to interact with happy. I get grumpy when I am tired. The sad thing is L didn’t sleep well either…she’s blaming jet lag. In fact the onlyone who slept, better than well, was the beast. Fortunately, the nap helped. Let’sjust say a quick prayer to whomever you like that L and I both get a good nightsleep tonight.

October 19, 2011 – Catching Up/Random Thoughts

2011-10-19T13:45:00.001+02:00

We made it home yesterday and the beastly boy is clean andsettled back into his routine. Although,I don’t know how difficult it is to get back into his routine, sleep, eat,sleep, beg to be pet, sleep, play, sleep. Hey, I want to be a dog.

If everyone was on the same time zone would traveling be asexhausting?

I refer to the apartment in Zurich as “home”, as in “we flewhome Monday”, but at the same time I said we were flying home to CT. It’s like this is home because we live herenow but CT is “home home”

Tomorrow I restart my running. Sure I could have started today but it’sraining and I’m still tired. Besidesthere has to be a study somewhere that extols the virtues of re-starting anexercise program on a Thursday.

October 17, 2011 - Heading Back

2011-10-17T22:22:00.000+02:00

We're sitting in the JFK "Admirals Lounge" for American Airlines.I haven't a clue why they call it that. It's not like you have to be an Admiralto come into the lounge. I don't even think you have to be a Captain of anything,not even your own destiny; which may be why we are actually sitting in thelounge. We were "upgraded" to business class for the flight home.I'll quickly say "thank you" to all of the air travel gods, AmericanAirlines, and L for having traveled enough in the past to have earned travelmiles. The best thing about flying back to Zurich Business Class is the comfyseats and the prospect that I may actually manage to get a couple of hourssleep.

We had a really nice time this past week. I realized on the drive to theairport that I actually feel like my hea is screwed on correctly again. I wasfeeling a little discombobulated the last month with my ability to focus being severelycompromised.

Game Plan for Tuesday (tomorrow)
(1) Pick the beast up from "camp"
(2) Drop L off at work
(3) Arrive at the apartment and take the beast for a quick walk
(4) Hustle the beast into the shower to wash away "camp smell"
(5) Unpack
(6) Dial into Work

That about covers it. Hope you are all having a great day!

Copyright © C.A. Bailey 2010 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

October 15, 2011 – Provincetown Saturday Update

2011-10-15T20:41:00.001+02:00

The Sun Will Come Out….Today!!! Yes the sun has finallyarrived here in PTown. It’s a littlewindy but otherwise a beautiful day. We’vecontinued our trek of attending book signings and introducing ourselves toauthors. I have no doubt that they willforget who we are within about 15 minutes. However, they are doing a FANTASTIC job of making believe that theyremember our faces along with the 100’s of other women who have introducedthemselves over the last week. I’m allabout delusional thinking so it works for me.

We met Georgia Beers this afternoon and it was a pleasure tobriefly speak with her. It’s weird I’mmentally torn between thinking that these authors are intimidating and don’twant to deal with readers and thinking that they are only too happy to interactwith readers. It turns out that theyreally are very happy to have you recognize them and to chat for a few minutes.

We also met Sally Bellerose, w.ho as written a variety ofshort stories but has just had her 1^st novel published: “The GirlsClub.” It was funny listening to thedifferences between how Sally constructed her story versus Georgia. Georgia is very structured, and although sheknows of certain specific events that will happen throughout her story shestarts writing at the beginning and then moves through the story and events insequence. Since this is Sally’s 1^stnovel she hasn’t quite gotten a formal plan that she follows but she did saythat she wrote the last chapter 1^st and then went back to thebeginning to write the rest of the story.

Finally, we met Andrea Myers whose 1^st novel “TheChoosing” was just released. She’s aJewish Rabbi who writes a column for the Huffington Post, and is veryfunny. Well at least in person she isfunny. I still have to read her book toverify that it translates to paper that way.

After meeting all these authors and having L encourage me toactually speak with them, I have a new goal. I’d like to be a beta reader. Note to self. Follow-up on how todo that.

General Saturday Notes: A Fun Time is being had ;)

October 14, 2011 – Provincetown Women’s Week

2011-10-15T02:42:00.000+02:00

The weather has quite cooperated with us but L and I arehaving a good time. We’ve attended acouple of book signings/readings and we attended a “meet and greet” hosted byone of the publishers. That was funbecause we got to meet a few of the authors that I’ve been reading and we meeta new author who has just had her 1^st book published; AshleyBartlett. She was a pleasure to speakwith and to hear her perspective on how she writes and what inspired her tobecome a writer.

We also met Carsen Taite, who has written several stories thatI have really enjoyed and would highly recommend: The Best Defense, Nothing ButThe Truth, Do Not Disturb. She was verypersonable and seemed to be genuinely interested in speaking with us.

Of course sometimes meeting the author isn’t necessarily agood thing. I’ve read one or two bookswritten by Nell Stark, but after having met her I doubt I’ll be reading more. Of course, if the blurb is good enough Imight overlook the fact that she came across as being extremely arrogant, maybeshe was just having a bad day… or maybe I’m just old.

October 12, 2011 – Mammogram

2011-10-13T04:17:00.001+02:00

Smash

Crush

Squash

Squeeze

Squish

Today I had my annual Mammogram. This is not unusual, nor is it my 1^stmammogram so I can say with a certain degree of comfort that “usually” this is alittle uncomfortable but not a big deal. Today, well not quite so comfortable I’d go so far as to say that it wasdownright painful. I’m pretty sure the technician’s nick name is gargantuanhands. I’m also pretty sure she has aside job making pancakes because she was really into the whole flatter isbetter philosophy. I’ll admit thatalthough I’m not thrilled with the discomfort from today’s exam I’ll gladlydeal with that versus the possibility of losing a breast.

October 11, 2011 – Catching Up

2011-10-11T21:08:00.000+02:00

Yesterday L and I spent a large part of the afternoonsailing with my Dad. As far as I amconcerned the best sailing is done in September and October. Most of the boats are out of the water andthe wind is picking up. It was a greatway to relax and catch up with Dad.

Today I’ve been running around trying to get some thingschecked off my “To Do” list, which included trying to pull out some of theovergrown Japanese Iris’ from the front garden. I think they should be renamed Godzilla Iris’ because I managed to separateout one of the iris’ which filled one garbage can and sucked the life out ofme. Anyone who is considering buying anat home gym to stay in shape… like the Total Gym; forget it, Just go try and dig up so iris.’

October 9, 2011 - Time Zones

2011-10-09T12:25:00.000+02:00

This is the one minor drawback of flying from Zurich to Connecticut. I wake up at an ungodly hour and end up watching a Law & Order Marathon on TNT. Although I consider myself lucky that it's not one of those crazy paid for TV commercials. Fortunately I enjoy Law & Order, because really at 5am who doesn't?

Copyright © C.A. Bailey 2010 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

October 7, 2011 – Hostility Index

2011-10-07T12:04:00.000+02:00

On a scale of 1 to 10 with one being mild and 10 beingextreme… my hostility index today is hovering around 8, but I can tell it’sgoing to be a hair trigger kind of day. Ihaven’t even spoken with anyone yet so it’s not like I have any reason to behostile. It’s just that I’m trying tosolve a couple of work related problems and things just are not going in thedirection I would like them to. I’m going to make this a good day for myself

I’m seriously looking forward to a few days off and being inthe US. I’m annoyed with myself, I’mannoyed with work… again that is really about me and my inability to focus andresolve things. I’m annoyed with Lotto. Sure I don’t play but should that reallyprevent me from winning? I am definitelyplaying when we are home. I am going to make this a good day formyself.

The wind and rain is crazy here today. Mostly the wind and the beastly boy is notenjoying it. It makes too much noise forhim as it whips by and then I end up with a not so lap sized dog trying toclimb into my lap. I am going to make this a good day for myself.

I’ve tuned my iPod to Lisa Marie Presley – “To Whom It MayConcern” that might help.

I am going to makethis a good day for myself.

I wonder if Meri has any chocolate downstairs?

I am going to makethis a good day for myself.

Weekend Plans: Thebeast goes to camp tomorrow and we fly to CT and catch my parents for dinnerSaturday Evening. It’s going to be agood day

October 6, 2011 - Toby Lightman

2011-10-06T17:50:00.001+02:00

October 5, 2011 – Rambling

2011-10-05T13:03:00.000+02:00

When did that happen? Wasn’t it just September? I haveto give the beast his heart worm pills. I have to file my Sales and Use tax. What perchance am I selling and who is using it? Wouldn’t you like to know?!

How is it that I can run.. ok fine… jog.. slowly… 3 milesbut after 45 seconds of jumping rope my heart wants to explode out of mychest? Oh and I had to work up to 45seconds. Do you remember jumping rope asa kid? It was fun and I do not rememberany heart exploding experiences.

Toby Lightman’s “Take My Hand” : a very good song.

Chaz Bono’s “Transition” so far it’s very interesting. It’s written in a style that makes you feellike you are having a conversation, well less the getting to ask questionsthing. Is anyone watching Chaz onDWTS? I’m hoping he sticks around forawhile. He just looks like he is reallyenjoying himself, well except for the horribly painful knees thing.

I twisted my knee last night. The whole screaming, leaping out of bed, andrunning thing can be hazardous. I’m alsocurious to know if my downstairs neighbors got a little adrenalin rush from theexperience. L sure did. How that woman hasn’t had a heart attack fromthese random episodes is a wonder. Whichalso makes me wonder if he neighbors wonder if L is killing me when I screamlike that? How do you say in German: “IfI scream once or twice like someone is killing me, don’t worry about it; but,if I KEEP screaming that might be a problem.”

At least it hasn’thappened in awhile. Well I don’t thinkthe screaming/running part has happened in awhile. Oh and does the beast even wake up for theseevents? No. He just keeps sleeping safely tucked in hiscrate.

Alright time to work. Happy Wednesday

October 4, 2011 - Leaks Swiss Style

2011-10-04T12:05:00.000+02:00

Now I'm only guessing that the building across the way has a leak in the roof, because I can't imagine that they would do all of this to renovate the roof garden. Especially since it's more roof weeds:

I can't even fathom what this repair is costing or who is paying for it. Bring in a crane, scoop off all the dirt, Tear up the underlying stuff. Then I'm guessing they have to do the reverse and put the stuff back... including the dirt.

Copyright © C.A. Bailey 2010 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

October 3, 2011 - Nervous Twitch

2011-10-03T13:27:00.000+02:00

I woke up this morning with that nervous eye/twitchy eyelid thing going on. I haven't taken any time to study what it actually looks like but based on the feeling I'm assuming it's manifesting itself in one of two ways:

(a) I look like I am randomly winking at... well everyone, but not that sexy 'come hither' wink. More the I can't quite control the wink and hope I don't look like a loon.
or
(b) A twitchy crack addict as they come off the drugs, as depicted on TV. The kind where the person looks all nervous and their eye is twitchy and at any moment they might have a hallucinatory break with reality.

I did walk to the grocery store this morning and I didn't see any mothers pulling their small children across the street away from me, so maybe it's not "b" . Then again, I didn't actually see any mothers with small children so my logic might be a little flawed.

I've got alot of work I have to get done this week, because we're heading to the US on Saturday to spend some time with the family. Yeah! Then midweek we are heading to P-Town for a few days for Women's Week. If your'e in P-town 10/13 - 10/15 and you want to catch up, look us up. We are definately looking forward to picking up some new books.

Happy October and Happy Monday. May the eye twitchy thing pass you by.

Copyright © C.A. Bailey 2010 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

September 30, 2011 - Random Comments

2011-09-30T14:01:00.000+02:00

I received an email from a guy who I need to speak with telling me he is available at 11am PDT. If I wasn't wearing a watch that had two faces and told me what time it was in Zurich and what time it was on the East Coast of the US I would have trouble making the conversion. Yes, it's only a 6 hour time difference. I finally had to google what time it would be here and then I had to count back 6 hours. I know people (L and my sister) who can do this in their heads without any apparent effort.

I just finished the Hunger Games Trilogy. I couldn't figure out how to write a review of the books individually so I assumed I would just do one of the series. Well I literally just finished the series and my immediate reaction to the last couple of chapters and the ending was "This sucks." Crude but true. Don't misunderstand, I enjoyed the series I really did, but I wanted something different for Katniss. Here's a flawed girl who is being used/manipulated by everyone up until the very end. Seriously, how much crap do we have to heap on the girl? I don't know maybe I wanted a different happy ending. Regardless, if I'm not the last person on the planet to read the series I would recommend it.

It's that time of year in Zurich when I appear to be congested all the time. I'd like that to stop as well thank you.

Happy Friday

Copyright © C.A. Bailey 2010 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

September 29, 2011 – Cold

2011-09-29T13:25:00.000+02:00

Isn’t there some rule that says if you work out your metabolismspeeds up? If my metabolism speeds upshouldn’t I be warm? Where’s a hot flashwhen you want one? The weather has beenperfect, high’s in the low 70’s low’s in the low 60’s. It’s not even winter yet and I’ve spent thelast 3 nights sleeping with a fleece sweatshirt on. That’s just not normal. Well fine it might be normal-ish for me, butit shouldn’t be. I should be notcold. Wow, although as I type that I amthinking “I’d rather be cold than hot. Cold, you just put on more layers, maybe a hat. Hot? There isn’t a whole lot you can do about being too hot. There are only so many layers you can stripoff before you’re still hot and naked. Never mind… I’m good. Not cold atall. Comfy. That’s me. Comfy. Fleece, I like fleece.

September 28, 2011 – Nutella

2011-09-28T10:56:00.000+02:00

Over the last couple of years quite a few people have encouragedme to try Nutella, especially peanut butter and Nutella. My reaction has always been the same. Why on earth would anyone want to eathazelnut spread?

Well when we went on our road trip I decided what the heck,let’s give it a whirl (besides L suggested I would like Nutella as well). So I made a couple of peanut butter andNutella sandwiches for the ride. Now I’dlike to report to all of the people who have suggested I try it. A pox on you! Nutella doesn’t taste like hazelnut anything. It’s CHOCOLATE spread. As if I needed one more delivery method ofchocolate into my system. I amofficially addicted to Nutella and peanut butter. Seriously, it’s like eating peanut buttercups for lunch and getting to pretend it’s a sandwich. Originally I bought the small jar but oncethat was gone I graduated to the big jar of Nutella. At least I haven’t gone to the extra largejar. Have any of you eaten a peanutbutter and Nutella wrap? I have. Did I mention a curse? Damn you all, if I hadn’t already startedrunning more consistently prior to this new… problem… I would certainly havehad to now.

I’ve even decided to introduce my friend D to Nutella, I’mthinking the next dessert 1^st night we have we can put Nutella overicecream.

September 24, 2011 - Not the Best Start to A Saturday

2011-09-24T10:01:00.000+02:00

Arrgghhh
I realize I don't normally post an update on the weekend, but this morning I took L into Zurich and got my very 1st speeding ticket. Sort of. I haven't "received" the actual ticket yet, nor do I know how much said ticket will cost. Switzerland uses traffic cameras. Now I have to admit, they are in plain sight. Big ugly grey things. How you know you're getting a ticket? you get flashed and not in the man in a trench coat sort of way (thankfully). A flash of light fires they snap your picture and sooner or later a ticket comes in the mail.

The sad thing is, I saw the camera. I looked at my speedometer and thought 35kph, "ok I'm fine" then the flash of light. Damn it all. I had no idea I was in a 3kph zone. I should have known, I really should have, but I had just turned off a main road that was in the city and is 50kph and I didn't see any telltale signs (giant 30's painted in the road, they do that here... it's helpful) telling me that the speed limit changed. Now I know that I have seen general signs posted when you cross into Switerland that says 120 Highway, 50 outside the city, 30 inside the city so I don't really have an excuse and I should have realized that going a block off the main road running thru the city would equate to "in the city" but I didn't.

So now I get to wait for a ticket where the amount will be a surprise and I get to pray that the amount is not based on a % of annual income. I've been told they do that, but I think it's for speeding in school zones. Then again I obviously haven't a clue.

The silver lining: I didn't have the added stress of being pulled over by a Polezi. *sigh*

Does this count as an adventure?

Copyright © C.A. Bailey 2010 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.

September 23, 2011 - TGIF

2011-09-23T13:58:00.000+02:00

Before we came to Switzerland I used to work out 2 or 3times a week. I’ve had been doing that consistentlyfor more than 10 years. Sure some of thereasons were:

I like to eat and working out allows me that luxury.
It’s a good stress reliever and helps keep my night terrorsunder control
When I don’t work out I have more aches and pains,especially in my shoulders. Crazy Iknow.

So, although I have been running fairly consistently I havenot been doing any other kinds of workouts; and while we were on vacationwalking around the various cities, my shoulders were killing me. As a matter of fact the last time myshoulder(s) hurt like this was over 10 years ago. Do you see a correlation with thetimeframes? Yep, 10+ years ago myshoulder felt like someone had stuck a hot poker in it and I was contemplatinghacking it off with a butter knife, because it couldn’t hurt any worse. I learned a couple of valuable lessons thatday.

Cold pain is not a problem for me, hot searing pain, I’m abig baby.
Nurses and Doctors get very upset with you when you explainyou’ve taken 20+ Advil in the course of the day and it’s not touching the pain.
Ice packs are your friend.

A doctor’s visit and an x-ray later I was told that when mywhen the muscles around my shoulder get week, my shoulder slides in the socketand irritates the nerves.

What was I saying? Ohright, while we were on vacation walking around, I was experiencing anunpleasant yet mild version of discomfort; a HUGE clue that I need to dosomething about my not working out with weights.

Well the lovely L occasionally works out with a woman namedOlivia. I’ve met Olivia a couple oftimes when I have gone running with the two of them. She seems very nice. We made contact and today I am happy toreport that I went to see her and we did a series of exercises that shouldstrengthen my shoulders as well as a bunch of stability exercises. Hey ifmy mind can’t be stable at least some part of me can be. It felt really good, but oh my lord am Iweak. Weak Weak Weak. I hate being weak, but that’s what 18 monthsof lazy gets me. Oh and to make it anextra productive workout I ran to the session 4 miles. The last mile was walk/run but I made it in adecent amount of time. Sure once Oliviaand I started working out I thought I might throw up, but it passed. The feeling passed, I didn’t actually loseit.

Really this is just a long winded way of saying I feel goodtoday and I’m pretty proud of myself.

September 22, 2011 – Wien a.k.a. Vienna

2011-09-22T12:57:00.000+02:00

Now why would I write the name Vienna as Wien? So you can experience a little of my driving dilemma. L and I were heading to Vienna and shortlyafter crossing into Austria we decided to make a quick stop because… there wasa wind farm and I wanted a picture. Idon’t know, I like wind farms and I especially like when they are on “farms”. I really don’t know why people complain thatit’s going to ruin their view (typically said in the US on the east coast whenthey discuss putting windmills in the bodies of water). Granted however, I’ve never seen a wind farmon the water, maybe it would ruin the look but I seriously doubt it. Heck don’t houses ruin the view? Anyway I’ve gotten off track.

We stopped so I could take a picture but when we were goingto get back onto the highway there were two entrance ramps and I was not surewhich one to take. I also havedifficulty listening to the GPS lady, paying attention to the other vehicles,AND reading foreign language street signs. So I count on L to read the street signs. Needless to say the GPS lady is telling me todo something while pronouncing something in unintelligible English and I haven’ta clue which way to go. I sure as heckdon’t want to end up taking a wrong turn.

L: Take the onewhere it say “Vienna”.

Me: <startingto panic> “which one????”

L: “The oneright there that says Vienna”

Me: <stoppingcar> “I don’t see anything that says Vienna”

L: Points to asign that say “Wien” and says “That one”

Me: “oh… ”

Obviously L’s German lessons have been more successful thanmy water boarding sessions, as she pointed out Wien is Vienna written in thelocal language. Needless to say wecreated a new point and shoot rule. Lwould point and I would follow.

When we arrived weput our stuff into the hotel and took a walk around to get our bearings. One of the very 1^st things weencountered… cupcakes.

This alone was enough to make Vienna L’s favorite stop

The best way I can describe Vienna is… everything (at leastthe buildings) is big. As in reallyBIG. Ginormous even.

This is the “summer palace”… seriously it’s small comparedto the “everyday” palace.

Our last day there was a police escorted bike ride. I’ve seen these before, a way to encouragepeople to ride bikes. At least that is what I assumed the purpose was,regardless it was fun to see all the people on bikes and some of the crazybikes.

All I could think with this guy was “that’s a long way to fall”

There were also quite a few street performers, except that the majority of them were that typical, paint myself gold and stand absolutely still like a statue... but this guy, he had a really cool gimmick and was racking in the cash.

I have to admit that by the time we got to Vienna I wastired, we’d been doing a lot of running around the few days prior and I wasmissing the beastly boy. As a result, wedidn’t see as many things as we would have liked and if we were to do it overagain we would have reversed the trip. Vienna, Budapest, then Prague and we would have spent one extra day in Viennaand one less in Prague.

September 21, 2011 - Prague Part 2

2011-09-21T11:43:00.000+02:00

I should really be sharing things about Vienna but I'm fighting a head cold and a nap is calling me. So...

While we were wandering around we ran into this art installation which I thought was pretty cool

The Giant Metronome ... I'm not sure what the point of "this" metronome is but it's functional. Maybe the skateboarders who use the park behind it, us it to keep time

The changing of the guard at the palace. Alright, fine.. the guard marching away after having been changed

September 20, 2011 – Budapest

2011-09-20T12:07:00.000+02:00

I think this was my favorite city of the three that wevisited, although L and I were so exhausted by the time we went to Vienna thatI’m probably not giving that city as fair a shake as I should.

Budapest was just a fun city to walk around and our hotelwas located right outside a main public transportation hub and riding thetrams/buses was easy. Well easy becauseL understands these things and I just go along for the ride.

The 1^st thing we did when we arrived was hop ontoa “hop on hop off” bus tour. We really justwanted to get a sense of what there was to see and where everything waslocated. This really worked out well,because it gave us a plan of attack for the next couple of days and let usgroup together what we wanted to see.

A view of the city from the Statue of Liberty Monument;

yes they have a statue of liberty but it’s not ours….

Did you know Budapest has Thermal Baths? Well, fine, I was unaware but L knew so wepacked with the intention of going to one. Now I freely admit that going to a thermalbath is a little outside of my comfort zone. Fine it’s weird but it’s way outside of my comfort zone. L pointed out that it’s like going to apublic pool. I pointed out, that wouldalso be outside of my comfort zone. Towhich she pointed out that I was an idiot (not her words) and had been to lotsof public pools. Somehow going on abeach vacation and using the hotel pool was never equated to a public pool inmy mind. *sigh*. In fact, there are somany things outside my comfort zone I could dedicate a blog just to them.

Anyway, back to the topic. We got a recommendation from the concierge, I screwed up my courage, andwe went to a thermal bath/spa. At thisparticular spa they separate the men and women, for which I am grateful. I will also point out that the followingobservations:

(a) AsL put it, not all bathing suits are created equal

(b) Land I were seriously overdressed when compared to a few of the women. In fact anyone who was not naked would havebeen over dressed.

I want to point out that I’m actually pretty comfortablewith my body. Sure I’m not gorgeous, butI think I’m ok looking and frankly this is my body, it’s what I have had towork with for 46 years and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. That being said, I can only hope to have ½ thebody image/comfort in my own skin thing that some of these naked womendisplayed. There was this one woman whohad to be 400 pounds and she was amazing. I tried not to stare but it’s difficult, here’s this large woman in herbirthday suit floating in the pool as relaxed as can be. Some day I want to be able to do that, notthe 400 pounds part, the “I don’t care what people see” part.

The spa itself; I didn’t really know what to expect but wowwas the water HOT. There were two pools,one that was 38 degrees celsius and the other was 34 degrees. I loved the wicked hot one, it felt great onmy aching shoulders but at some point when you are in water and the water ismaking you sweat. It’s time tomove. You wouldn’t think that 4 degreesmakes a big difference but it does.

They also had a regular pool for men and women. I did NOT go into that one. Ironically they made everyone where caps ontheir heads. I assume to keep the hairunder control. What was ironic was theguy who was balding wearing a shower cap on is head to keep what little hair hehad under control, but my god the guy looked like he was wearing a sweater forall the hair on his back and chest. Seriously, the shower cap was ineffective.

Random Pictures:

September 19, 2011 – Praha a.k.a. Prague

2011-09-19T12:04:00.000+02:00

The path to hell is paved with the best of intentions… thesame can be said of blogging while on vacation when all you have available isyour iPod. I’m sure you’ll forgive thesilence.

I am happy to report that we were able to find each of ourdestinations and hotels with minimal stress and panic. Sure there were a few incidents where I was alittle freaked out trying to figure out if I should be driving on the tram tracks or next to them orif I was about to head the wrong way down a one way street. There is just something a bit unnerving about(a) driving in a foreign country (b) being completely unable to read the streetsigns. I’ve gotten a little morecomfortable with signs written in German. Not that I necessarily know what they say, but I can at least identifythe word in comparison to a map or the GPS. Well, if I thought German was tough it seemsdownright easy compared to the Czech alphabet.

Our first real adventure in the Czech Republic was stoppingon the highway to get gas. Now thismight not seem that exciting except that the bill was 1,575.00 ck for ½ a tankof gas. Thankfully I had a credit cardbut both L and I were left wondering what the heck the exchange rate betweenEuro’s and CK’s were. We said a quickprayer that it wasn’t a 2 for 1 exchange.

We did a lot of running around in Prague, checking out thebuildings and the various sights. Theseare some of my favorites:

L and I in Prague (we did take a picture of our feet but we figured why not show all of us)

We spotted this walkway that is so narrow they have a “traffic”light to tell you when you can go. Twopeople can not fit at the same time:

Then there was the astronomical clock. I have no idea how it tells time, but itappears to tell the month/day and time:

The Jewish Quarter:

It's mind boggling that they have so many people buried in this small area, because that was what was available during the German occupation.

Can someone tell me what the deal is with Prague and Marionette’s? They are EVERYWHERE oh and the Obamamarionette was a big hit with tourists walking by. I’m not sure if it was intended as apolitical statement or not….

I also reaffirmed that I have a "thing" about gargoyles or gargoyle like things...

Random things:

Someone obviously ticked this guy off...

This guy too..

September 10, 2011 - Road Trip Day 1

2011-09-10T21:44:00.001+02:00

September 9, 2011 - Book Reviews

2011-09-09T13:00:00.000+02:00

The Abby by Chris Culver

4 out of 5 stars

Mystery, Crime

Product Description:

“Ash Rashid is a former homicide detective who can't standthe thought of handling another death investigation. In another year, he'll beout of the department completely. That's the plan, at least, until his niece'sbody is found in the guest home of one of his city's most wealthy citizens. Thecoroner calls it an overdose, but the case doesn't add up. Against orders, Ashlaunches an investigation to find his niece's murderer, but the longer hesearches, the more entangled he becomes in a case that hits increasingly closeto home. If he doesn't solve it fast, his niece won't be the only family memberhe has to bury.”

I downloaded this book from Amazon because it was $0.99. I admit that might not be the best reason toread a book, but considering I’ve never read anything by Chris Culver in thepast; it was as good a reason as any. Inthe long run I think it will work out. Ireally enjoyed the book. Ash, is aformer detective studying to become a lawyer. He’s a bit of an alcoholic, although I believe he refers to it as ahobby that involves alcohol. The storyopens with Ash doing a death notification. We quickly find out that this isn’t any ordinary notification; the girlwho has died is his niece.

From this point forward, the reader follows Ash through hisinvestigation into his niece’s death and the plot twists that occur. Ash is definitely a flawed character, but youfind yourself rooting for him as he gets dragged further into the grey lines ofwhat is right and wrong.

An excellent read.

Comments/Reviews ofLynn Galli’s Book:

Wasted Heart 4out of 5 stars

Imaging Reality 4out of 5 stars
Blessed Twice 4out of 5 stars

I could write an individual review for each of these booksbut the fact is I would be repeating myself. Below you will find the product description and here I’ll tell you thatI could not put these books down. Out ofall of the characters my favorites where Jesse and M. No they are not a couple, but they are veryinteresting. I also really like thatthese “romance” stories have a plot, it’s not about falling into bed withsomeone, it’s about the development of the relationship itself. In addition, there is an Epilogue at the endof each story that gives you and idea where the characters are down theroad. My only complaint is that I reallywant to find out more about all of the characters and where they are 10 yearsfrom now. Wishful thinking, but in themeantime I’ll read any other book that Lynn Galli comes out with.

Wasted Heart by Lynn Galli

ProductDescription:

“Austy Nunziata has spent two years pining for her marriedbest friend and about the same amount of time berating herself for it. In fact,she’s so adept at trying to stamp out her feelings that she could probablywrite a How-To guide on the subject. One, move 3,000 miles away from your bestfriend. Two, get a time-consuming job so you don’t have time to think aboutyour best friend. Three, hang out with new friends who aren’t anywhere asenchanting as your best friend. Four, get involved with a striking woman who issmart, sexy, caring and, most importantly, available, unlike your best friend.Five, hope the new love interest doesn’t find out about your pathetic bestfriend obsession before you have time to replace it with actual life-alteringlove.

Even following her own step-by-step process, Austy may notbe able to redirect all of her misguided feelings. Becoming involved with EliseBridie helps her realize how pointless her pining has been. But when Elisesuspects that she harbors feelings for someone else, will their new found lovesurvive the unrequited infatuation of Austy’s fantasies?”

Imagining Reality by Lynn Galli
Product Description:
“Considered Charlottesville’s most eligible lesbian, JessieXimena has recently grown tired of that status and has stopped dating entirely.She’d rather focus on the important things in life like her job, her family,and her friends. There will always be plenty of time for relationships when shefeels like jumping back into the fray. If she finds someone to hold herinterest, that is.

Lauren Aleric has been searching for Ms. Right since shebegan dating, but no one has yet filled the role. Her friends think that she’stoo much of a romantic mush to settle. She wishes she could be more like hergood friend Jessie, who seems perfectly happy dating casually. But mostly, shewishes she could be like her best friend, Austy, who’s just found her foreverlove.

Imagining Reality is the story of these two friends and howthey discover that what they’re both looking for isn’t as far apart as theymight think.”

Blessed Twice by Lynn Galli
Product Description

“The problem with starting over in another state afterlosing your partner is that your new friends don’t understand why you can’tjust get over it. They never saw how you were together, how much you loved her,how she was your life. They only see a number: three, as in, the number ofyears since she died. That’s all the evidence they need to begin pressuring youto get back out there again. It doesn’t matter that you’ve told them to backoff. No, they feel it is their duty to butt into your life and ambush you withblind dates.

This wasn’t a predicament Briony Gatewood anticipated whenshe relocated for tenure at a prestigious university. Yet after a year with hernew friends, they’ve ceased being merely concerned and moved on to obnoxious.As if being fixed up wasn’t bad enough, the dean at her college justvolunteered her to teach a potentially career damaging class. Along for theexperimental course is the socially challenged M Desiderius, a fellow professorwho won’t ever win a faculty popularity contest. But as they start workingtogether, Briony begins to understand M’s aloofness and is intrigued by theshy, brilliant, passionate woman. Enough so that she’s starting to believe herfriends when they say it’s time to move on. And M, as complicated as her pasthas been and reticent as she seems now, may be the perfect person to helpBriony finally heal and love again.”

Copyright © C.A. Bailey 2010 - 2011, All Rights Reserved.