I Still Miss Target Though ... well I do ...
posted by Steve at 7/28/2003 10:13:00 PM

Integration Rock When I moved to Zürich two and a half years ago, I did what all Americans do. I freaked out. I freaked out about many things. I freaked out about everything. Of course now that I'm achieving that Swiss ideal of integration, I don't freak out anymore. And when I do freak out, I don't freak out - I aus-flip.

One thing I used to freak out about alot, as all Americans do, was shopping. Of course I was spoiled by the American malls that stay open until 10.00 PM and the Target which stays open until 10.30 PM, and all-night grocery stores, and, and, and ... Here in Zürich the shops all close by law at 8:00 PM during the week and at 4:00 PM on Saturdays. On Sundays, all the stores are closed except for gas stations and stores located in train stations. Some of the more traditional stores even close at 6:30 except on Thursdays, and the most traditional stores still close over lunch. In those first months I remember running around in a tizzy on Staturday nervously trying to complete all my shopping by 4:00. And many nights I shouted (with my quiet Swiss voice), "Why can't someone shop at 9:30 PM in this country?" I thought, surely the Swiss must be especially uncivilized.

Au contrair, as I assume they say west towards Geneva, I realized - after sometime - it's the Swiss who are civilized in this regard. Really now, who needs to be so driven by commerce as to need to buy groceries at midnight? And hey, all those store clerks have homes and families to go to too. I realized that with a little practice, it's possible to achieve a balanced life, and have a peaceful Saturday, within the allotted shopping hours. My life is better for it. That's why I was a little distressed to read a month, or so, ago that there is a new law which will allow stores in the train stations to remain open until 9:00 PM starting in the fall.

Sunday, I was doing some shopping in the main train station. Incidentally, I generally try to avoid shopping in the station on Sunday, as Sunday is my day of rest (or recovery) - but an emergency potluck barbeque called. (Oh, I was also just a little disorderly and let myself run out of shampoo.) While I was treating myself to a bottle of Paul Mitchell Tea Tree at a little salon in the station, I noticed a petition against the 9:00 PM extended hours. The petition pointed out that surely people can get their shopping done in the already allotted hours. It pointed out that the shop workers needed to go home to their families. And it closed it's pitch by asking, "First, stores open until 9:00 PM? WHAT'S NEXT? Shopping until 10:00?"

What's next indeed? I signed my name to that petition right away. And I was glad to do it.
posted by Steve at 7/28/2003 10:12:00 PM

28 Days and Other Cheap Thrills A few of you more inquisitive readers have asked me about the Naked Zombie - which sounds like a frothy mixed drink, but isn't. You see... there's one guy in this apartment house that seems to have a bit of a social problem. First, he goes around screaming at my neigbor Fun Fiona, who's an eclectic mix of Swiss, British, and American, for watering the plants on her balcony. It seems that once or twice some drops of water from her watering can sloshed on to his pride and joy, a Volkswagon Gulf, parked below and he feels that Fiona should reimburse him for the cost of a car detailing every time he finds a water spot on his car. Long-time readers may also remember that he led the police to my door about 6 months ago, and he's also been a general nusiance with the other neighbors. Fun Fiona and I think that he's also the thief that has been swiping the personalized key cards that operate the washers and dryers in the basement from us while we were doing our wash. When I was discussing the police incident with my downstairs neigbor, he said "Looks like we have a zombie in the building". Which is a phrase I've heard a time or two. I figure a Swiss zombie is a guy who seems all normal, orderly, and social on the outside (as this young, good-looking guy in the Swiss Television industry does), but who is slowly rotting away on the inside - until he bursts out into a house-disrupting-antisocial- flesh-eating frenzy. I've been making very nice with our zombie for the last month or so. I've finally learned if there's a potential zombie in the house it's better to make friends then to make enemies with him.

Last Monday, when we all went out unto our balconies to see the night skaters pass, I looked down from my balcony and was just at the correct angle to catch all of the naked zombie at his window trying to see what all the commotion was about. It apears that the skaters interupted him making those famous "squeaky-bumpy" noises in our house (though I couldn't tell if they were "social" or "anti-social" "squeaky-bumpy" noises). While he may just be rotting slowly away from the inside, I realized that night that he is all there, functionining and healthy on the outside!
posted by Steve at 7/25/2003 09:01:00 AM

Let's All Go To the Movies I finally took in the new Matrix film Friday with Bengle-Boy Thomas. While I was staying tune through the long ass credits for the "scenes from next week" all alone in the kino (Bengle-Boy Thomas had to go to the WC), I wondered, "How many people really said, 'Matrix I was cool an' all, but what a Matrix film really needs is a high speed car chase ... and motorcycles'."
posted by Steve at 7/20/2003 10:37:00 PM

Zürich (by webcam) has I write this ...

The Sun That's Shining On My Face ... is shining down on you (too).

Which reminds me that August 19 is only one month away. And something tells me it's going to be the best "August 19" ever.
posted by Steve at 7/19/2003 11:45:00 AM

Skate She Said

The Swiss are a fit and driven people. Why, they find it hard to enjoy a picnic or a Christmas party unless it's preceeded by a 10 mile hike up the face of a mountain or an Aerobics marathon (no lie, my first office Christmas party was preceeded by a kickboxing master class). Quite frankly it's an ethic I've been doing well to adapt. The Swiss are also an organizing people. Which is why when a few friends decided to go roller blading together every summer Monday night it grew into a major traffic jamming event. Now the Monday Night Skate is an organized event that attracts 1000's of people on roller blades every week to skate (along an ever changing route) through blocked off streets of the city. And, for the last several weeks, no matter where I was in the city, my activities were interupted by the night skaters. Last Monday night I decided to stay home and do some things that had to be done. When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter. I went out on my balcony and looked down and saw 8,600 night skaters skating by. (I also saw all my other neighbors on their balconies and one naked Zombie - which sounds like a frothy mixed drink, but it isn't.) I guess it's time to buy a pair of skates!

Handycam photo by Steve

posted by Steve at 7/19/2003 11:40:00 AM

There It Is And I just found the Handycam. It was in the pocket of my shorts that I wore sometime last month ... it pays to do the wash occasionally.
posted by Steve at 7/13/2003 10:14:00 PM

How's that Potter Fellow Well of course I finished Harry Potter in less then a week. And I was dead wrong on my first guess, and my second guess, as to which character dies in the end. I'd quibble a bit about the marketting hype around the characters death, but I don't want to spoil the ending for any slowpokes still reading. But, actually the hype around the death of a character did add some suspense to the book, because you felt sure that even the "sacred" characters might die and not actually come out ok a the end of the book.

And after all my kvetching about the quality of these stories, I decided this book was right-on good writing. I really, really liked it. Hey, that scene near the end where Ron Weasley is attacked by those brain thingys from the jar is really moving, eh?
posted by Steve at 7/13/2003 06:10:00 PM

The Things You See Without a Camera I was brunching out today off the Albisriederplatz when what should I see, but an oiled up 70 something year old old man come riding around the round-about on a bicycle in nothing but a string bikini bottom! He was peddling standing up, presumably to promote an even tan, but maybe just so all us brunchers could get a good look at his thong, th-thong, thong thong.
posted by Steve at 7/13/2003 06:05:00 PM

She's Better Than a Drive-In Picture Show! Yep. It's that time of the glorious Zürich Summer again. The Kino am See sponsored by The Orange Cinema starts next week. Which of course means that last week I had to get up at the crack of dawn to stand in line for tickets at the Bellvue Platz. I am proud to report that after a few minor glitches, I walked away with a host of tickets for all the films I wanted to see; including: In the Shadows of Motown, Casablanca (it's the remake with Justin Timberlake and Britiney Spears with the famous line "Oops! I did it again, Sam". No of course not. It's the original), Chicago and more!

The Kino am See is a completely cool event for a film geek. It's like a drive-in - except it's on the lake. You go with your picnic and your wine (and you try to get a seat inspite of all the pushy seat-snatchers ... but I know a secret about that) and then at the appointed hour (dusk) a giant silver screen rises up out of the lake of Zürich and the feature begins while everyone enjoys the beautiful night air and the lights reflecting on the water. This is my fourth Kino am See believe it or not. I wonder if the canoers that I have seen every year row quetly up to see a free picture show every night after the screen rises from the water will be back this year.

Handy Answer in the Class Room And since no one in my German class can ever remember when to use the dative article and when to use the accusative article with See (lake) we are always being asked to use See in a sentance with a dative article ... for which I always have an answer ready "Das Kino am See ist einfach schön!"

Win a Date with the Züri G'schnätzlets But of course, I bought extra tickets for every sold-out screening. So if, dear readers from all over the world, you think you can find your way an den See (look, I know when to use the accusative article as well ... ) send an email to me and explain in 500 words or less why I should win the movie night am See with the Züri G!
posted by Steve at 7/13/2003 05:34:00 PM

As Real as Any Doggie or Kitty Wedding
But 47 Years Strong

My friend Thomas and I had a meeting of the Bengel's Club at the local watering hole called Cranberries tonight. (Each member of the Bengel Club swears to the personal motto "Ich bin eine Engle ... mit einem 'B' davor") Before long a whole group of guys came in. "Oh looks like someone's support group ...", Thomas snarked. "... or 12 Step program...", I piped up "...just let out", Thomas finished. "Hey", I cried, "does anyone's baggage go with ours?" (We are the founding members - and only members - of the Bengel Club, after all.)

(photo swiped from Keystone)

Next, we noticed two well dressed old gentleman enter with the group. After we talked to Thomas' friend Francois, we found out that the two men were Ernst Ostertag and Robert Rapp, and they were celebrating their Gay Registration after 47 years of devoting their lives to one another. Regular readers will remember that last September the citizens of Zürich sagt JA to the world's first popular referendum to allow partner benefit registration to gay and lesbian couples (as in West Virginny it's not a real marriage). Well the new law went into effect today, and Ernst and Robert, as the oldest and longest time couple seeking to register, registered first. At first, they wanted a quiet little registration at City Hall as befits their 47 quiet Swiss years together. But soon, given the whole feel-good-in-your-face-vibe of it all, it became a bit of a happy media and political circus. (And I hear, that Ernst and Robert were happy to go along with it.) This morning at 9:00 AM, while the camera's rolled, the two were registered by the Stadt President of Zürich himself.

The festivities continued later with a more private Registration Banquet that lasted from 3:00 PM until after 10 (we were told). And, that was all followed by a night-cap at Cranberries with some of their closest friends, a few political allies, ... and the illustrious two founding members of the Bengel Club.

Read More About It: here

A Registration by Any Other Name Well, we can all snark a bit about the differences between a real wedding and registration, but in another sense it's kind of cool to "reclaim" the word registration. Ernst pointed out in his interview with swissinfo.org this is not the first he's been registered with the Stadt of Zürich:

"During the police repressions of the 1960s, I was also on a list of homosexual men. The police raided my flat once at 4.30am, took me down to the station and even took my fingerprints. It was inhuman, a dreadful experience." �Now here we are using the word �registration� again, but in a completely different context. So now we can leave all those past memories behind and just forget about it.�

posted by Steve at 7/01/2003 11:18:00 PM

I've attempted to leave this blog in the state it was in early 2006 as a historical artifact, but Google broke my original Archive page. What you see above is a quick reconstruction to rebuild some archive functionality without altering the original blog layout (or researching too deeply into Blogspot).

Original Contents Copyright 2002 - J. Stephen Holyer. All Rights Reserved.