Sunday Sundries

1. "The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)" was released on Netflix Canada on August 1st. You know how Netflix notified me? By sending me an email about "Planet of the Apes (1968)".  Wrong choice, Netflix!

I don't know why "The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)" didn't do better in theatres when it was released, but I love it. In its opening sequence, there's a car chase between two trabants. TRABANTS! Trabbis were a product of the former East Germany and reached their top speed of 100km/h in 21 secs. A trabbi car chase is a thing of beauty!

The whole movie is ridiculous and fun, but again... TRABBIS!! It didn't really matter what they did after that scene, I was going to love the movie.

2. August 1st is Switzerland's national holiday. I don't know if you know this but I love Switzerland. I know! This is brand new information to EVERYONE! Also, I am never sarcastic. Coincidentally, a friend posted an article that day about Switzerland's new suspension bridge which lead down the YouTube rabbit hole of Swiss videos. On a whim, I entered Sigriswil in the search bar and actually found a video of Sigriswil. The reason this is surprising is because Sigriswil Town only has a population of 889 and this is a fairly professional looking video. WHAT?!?

Not going to lie, I get a little teary watching that. I've walked all those streets! I ate that restaurant! I've attended services at that church! I've ridden that bus route! I don't even mind the crappy Phil Collins song because the video just makes me so happy.

3. Dara Ó Briain is a comedian I have enjoyed since catching him on a Just for Laughs festival show on CBC when I was still in high school. Not only is he funny, but his knowledge of math and science is amazing. What I wouldn't give to see him live! Anyway, his take on the movie 2012 had me cackling so loud one of the cats hid under the bed. (Do not stop it before it stops itself. Also, NSFW.)

4. At the time I post this, GISHWHES will have started. I look forward to seeing what ridiculous items I can get roped into doing this year.

5. Monaghan lost against Dublin and Armagh lost again Tyrone in Gaelic Football. *sigh* From here-on-out, I'm supporting team Anyone-But-Dublin... even if that is *shudder* Tyrone.

On the upside, the Galway-Tipperary Hurling match was not only a fantastic game - the teams were within one point or tied with each other for 95% of the game - but Galway nudged out a win in the final seconds of the game. The only downside to the game was seeing Supermacs on the Galway jerseys and remembering that I never did get to one the last two times I was back.

Just another reason to head back. Some of my favourite Ireland memories have occurred in a Supermacs. The fact that I remember those memories is pretty amazing given the drinking that had gone on before many of them.

Happy August, everyone!

That's May in the Bag

Sitting at my desk today thinking about the topics I wanted to talk about on here, I suddenly realised it was May 31st and I had completed my month of blogging... except for two days I made the conscious choice not to blog.

I wouldn't say that the blogs were of any great calibre but I did something after months of nothing. I'll take it.

I've set my goal going forward to post (at least) three times a week, with an aim of posting Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. I'll see how that works for June and adjust after that if necessary.

You know, I never did write a post where I was wistfully nostalgic for Switzerland...

Thanks to the magic of Facebook, I've been reminded that it was four years ago this month that I was last in Switzerland. For those who don't know about my love of Switzerland, you can read how I ended up there here.

The Swiss use the term Röstigraben for the divide between the French-speaking and German-speaking parts of Switzerland. It means 'Rösti ditch' and refers to the cultural differences between the two sides. (Rösti is a staple in German-speaking Switzerland.) In Fribourg, is one of the only places where there is a physical representation of the Röstigraben. In the picture below is the River Saane (German) or Sarine (French). To the left of river was the German settlement of Freiburg, to the right was the French settlement of Fribourg. While both sides speak French now, the river is still considered the border of the Röstigraben.

Bern: come for the culture, stay for the bear porn. When I first visited Bern almost two decades ago, the Bear Pits were just that: pits in the earth. Small, miserable, depressing pits. Since then, the city has cordoned off a sizable chunk of the hillside leading down to the Aare (the river), and has even fenced in part of the river for them to swim in. Above the bear area is a lovely restaurant and bar called the Altes Tramdepot. The food's decent, but the beer (they brew their own) and view are divine.

Karin and I took the slow boat to her parents' house across Thunersee (Lake of Thun). I was there in May. There is snow on those mountains. THERE SHOULD NOT BE SNOW ON THOSE MOUNTAINS IN MAY!!! Of course, all the snow was rain by the time it reached us. Such a wet visit.

It rained heavily every day I was in and around Thun. It even snowed when we were in Sigriswil due to the slightly higher elevation. Woke up the morning I was leaving and it was absolutely beautiful and forecasted to stay that way all week. I'm not bitter.

Looking down the Aare towards Eiger and Niesen (mountains in the background).

My deal with myself is that I'm allowed to return to all these places I love as long as I see some place or thing I haven't seen before. This trip, I decided to visit Lugano in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. This was the only sun I saw the entire time I was there until, you guessed it, the day I left. Seriously, not bitter at all.

The rain was so awful one morning that I stayed in bed instead of going for breakfast. The dining hall was outside in an old converted barn and it was raining so hard that the trees just 15 feet from the French doors were just shadows. Warm bed and a book trumps swimming to breakfast any day.

The view from my friend's balcony in St. Gallen. To the right of the house you can see the line of white markers. That's a firing range for the Swiss Army. Because of that, no building is permitted on this field. Given that the range is only in use three or four times a year, it means that the field is a giant playground for all the neighbourhood kids. Hard to believe this is a 10 minute walk from the centre of town!

My favourite part about visiting Basel is walking across the border to Germany just because I can.

Basel City Hall.

 The cloisters at the church.

On my way back to my friends in Elfingen, I decided to make a stop in Rheinfelden. I had heard that it was a quaint town, it has a fantastic brewery just on the edge of town, and I could do the annoying thing of walking back and forth across the bridge between two countries.

The town was adorable and I wish I had given myself more time to explore instead of leaving it as an afterthought on my way home.

When you visit the Roman ruins in Brugg, you cheer for the non-existent gladiators. That's just a fact.

One of my friends and I spent the day at Habsburg Castle. That's right. Austria's most powerful family were actually Swiss. Boo-yah! The family took their name from this castle which remained in their possession until the mid 1400s when the lands and castle were taken by the Swiss. The family had already shifted to Vienna as their power base about a century before so it wasn't a huge loss to them, but I hope it irked them. The castle that gave them their last name forever in the hands of the democratic and independent Swiss. Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! The castle affords lovely views of the surrounding areas and has a breath-taking collection of china. We may have wandered into an out-of-bounds area where they were setting up for a black-tie dinner.

The Swiss parliament buildings in Bern. Bern is usually listed as the capital of Switzerland but, fun fact, Switzerland doesn't have an official capital! Switzerland is a confederation with equal power sharing between all the cantons*. Bern becomes the de facto capital, however, as it is home to the parliament buildings and most of the government offices.

(*They have a federal counsel that are elected by the Federal Assembly to a four year term but rotate their positions on the counsel every year so none of them hold power for the entire term.)

Looking up Kramgasse towards the Zytglogge. (I love Swiss-German. That would be Zeitglockenturm in "real" German.) The old town of Bern is a UNESCO World Heritage site. With its covered arcades, hundred-odd fountains, and cobblestone streets, it is just so darn beautiful. And I hate it because my first 24-hours in Bern were awful and I vowed to dislike it forever. But it's winning me over.

Stupid pretty Bern.

Back in Thun on a bridge crossing the Aare. Thun will forever and always have a piece of my heart.

Crossing the Panoramabrücke and looking back at Sigriswil. Sigriswil is yet another part of Switzerland that will forever have a piece of my heart. Long after the Hostettlers have moved on from this area, I'll be coming to visit. Crossing the bridge, sitting under the oak tree at the look out, mailing letters at the post office and saying 'I once knew the Postmaster here'.

Ah, Swiitz! Ik hab Di gärn. (Switzerland. I love you.)

Mr. Sandman Has Caught Up With Me

Not a real post tonight because I have been fighting to stay awake since about 7. I lost the fight for a good hour. I've been pretty go-go-go since last Friday so I'm not surprised, but I could have done without the upright "sleep" on my couch.

Facebook reminded me that on this day four years ago, I was having a cheese fondue in Switzerland with the Hostetters.

Only three months until I see them again. That's a good memory to have as I head off to bed.

May Plan

Um, hello.

So, I haven't written in a while. Four months and 23 days to be exact, but who's counting? The longer time went without posting, the more I had to say, the longer the writing got, the more insurmountable the idea of posting became.

How to fix this? I've set myself a goal to post every day in May. Something. Anything. Recaps of the past few months, videos that make me smile, the going-ons in my life, and perhaps about a few of my other May goals. Fair warning, BC has an election on the 9th so there may be a political rant or two depending on what happens in that.

For now, I'll just post a video that always makes me happy.

(The two Swiss farmers are Sebi and Paul, and there's a whole series of ads featuring them.)

After a March filled with reminders and conversations about Switzerland, I started April by joining some Swiss friends (now residing in Victoria) for cheese fondue. Let's guess who has been feeling homesick for one of her homes-away-from-home since then. Perhaps being wistfully nostalgic about die Schweiz (or di Schwiiz in Swiss-German) will be one of May's posts.

Customary First of the Month Post

Happy National Day to all my Swiss friends... not that any of them read here, but you know, it's the thought that counts. According to the folklore, this was the day in 1291 that the cantons of Schwyz, Uri, and Unterwalden swore the Rütlischwur - the Rütli Oath in English - declaring their independence from the Habsburgs and marking the start of the Swiss Confederation. 

Of course, with my love of Switzerland, I can't let this day pass without marking it in some way. Tonight, I will make rösti and sausages in Zwiebelsauce. Not to make you jealous, but it looks like this.

Well, trust me when I say that it tastes really good.

After 12 years away, I was back at UVic in early July for a course on Program Planning. I miss being a student on that campus. The whole place is just beautiful with so much green space - and a few too many bunnies - but I was a little disappointed when I went to see the old German department and it had moved. How dare they do that to me! The nerve of some people.

Save for that week at UVic, my gym attendance has been spot on. I had a little hiccup when my trainer got sick and ended up in the hospital - fyi, burst ovarian cysts suck - and they tried to pair me up with another trainer. The other trainer actually sighed on the phone with me when I confirmed that yes, I want to continue the 6:30am training sessions and no, it can't be any later because I have to get to work. She actually sighed, like I was causing her grief by being difficult. Do you know how much I pay for these sessions? I am allowed to require that you accommodate my schedule as long as I'm asking for regular gym hours. I was so angry that I texted my regular trainer and told her to hurry up and heal. Luckily, I only had a week before I was back with her.

I celebrated the end of July by getting another tattoo. This brings my grand total up to 2, but that's 2 more than my brothers who have been talking about getting tattoos for longer than I've been planning this more recent one. If I recall correctly, I first thought about this one almost a year ago. Get a move on it, guys!

The tattoo is on my right forearm and is just simple line work, although I may go back and get the harp shaded or coloured in. The writing on the bottom is my last name and my dad's county in Irish. This blog post may be the first time my mom sees this tattoo. Sorry mom!

To marks the start of the craziness that is GiSHweS 2015 (it's typed that way because of reasons). Not that anyone expects regular posts from me at this point, but really don't expect a post from me this week. I'll be to busy doing fun and crazy things.

In Case You Don't Own A Calendar, It's Fall!

You know those periods in your life where you think you are the busiest you could ever possibly be then life is all like "ha ha, nope!" and suddenly you're even busier? Yeah, I really wish it would stop doing that. My whole we're-into-the-home-stretch-things-should-be-calmer statement was way off the mark.

But in the midst of all the craziness which sees me working 9.5 hour days and taking work home, I've discovered exactly how much I love my job. While I could do with a return my regular hours of work with no take-home items so I could have a life outside the office, I wouldn't change anything else. So, you know, silver lining and all that jazz.

Downside? What was supposed to be last week's Trivia Tuesday is still sitting on my hard drive only partially finished so instead, you're getting a recipe.

I may have posted a recipe just so I could use this gif

This recipe is for Schnitz und Drunder, which is just a really fancy way of saying "best Fall food ever!". It's a potato, bacon, apple and pear stew-type-thing which is just as fantastic as it sounds. Every Fall, when everyone else is tripping over themselves to get Pumpkin Spice Lattes, I'm planning entire weekends around being able to cook Schnitz und Drunder.

Schnitz und Drunder is a Swiss dish. Traditionally, this dish is made with dried apples and pears but I have recipes which call for both dried and fresh. I use fresh apples and pears because I'm lazy and most of the dried recipes tell you to re-hydrate the dried fruit the night before they're easier to find in grocery stores. Stop judging me.

Ingredients:

- 2 tbsp butter

- 1 onion, chopped

- 1 pear, peeled, cored and sliced

- 1 apple, peeled, cored and sliced

- 1 tbsp sugar (optional)

- 1 lb potatoes, peeled and chopped (doesn't have to be pretty)

- 10 oz piece of double-smoked bacon or ham, chopped into chunks

- salt and pepper to taste

- 2 tbsp cream

Serves:

4 - 6 according to all the recipes I've ever seen. I think that's generous. I've found 3 - 4 is a better estimate.

Instructions:

In a large pot, melt the butter. Soften the onion but don't let it brown. (If you have a really fatty cut of bacon, you can put it in first and use that to soften the onions instead of butter.)

I threw in the ham early because I wasn't paying attention.
LET THIS BE A LESSON, KIDS!

Add in the apple, pear, sugar (if using), the potatoes and enough water to just about cover them.

Toss in the bacon or ham (if you haven't already done so). Salt and pepper to taste, then let the pot simmer uncovered until the water is almost completely evaporated (roughly 30 mins).

It's around this point that I start hopping around yelling "WHY AREN'T YOU DONE YET?"
My apartment smells delicious and I get impatient.

Stir in the cream and serve.

Look at this fantastic meal!

Okay, so it doesn't exactly photograph well because it's essentially a stew, but trust me when I say that it tastes fantastic. 

If I had to sum up fall in one meal, this would be it.

En Guete!

(Beautiful Swiss German for 'Bon Appetit!)

Happy Am 1. August!

Fifteen years ago, I went to Switzerland as an after-thought while backpacking around Europe. I had no intention of visiting the country because everyone I talked to mentioned how expensive it was and how unfriendly the people were. It was only when I was reminded of a family friend I could stay with in St. Gallen that I added it as a possible destination on my European backpacking trip, but it still took meeting another Swiss person who invited me to visit his part of the country to convince me to actually go to Switzerland.

A rainy evening in St. Gallen

It was, in no uncertain terms, my favourite country of the whole trip and I wish I had allotted more time for it, but I had a time commitment to keep in Ireland so I had to move on. Yes, it was the expensive place that everyone told me it would be (especially coming from Italy), but they were also the most helpful people I met during my entire journey.

The vineyard of a family friend, near Basel. Their first harvest will be this Fall.
Obviously, I need to go back to Switzerland so I can try some of their wine!

I had spent most of my childhood longing to learn German and travel to Germany because my mom's family comes from there and I knew so little about the country compared to Ireland. (My dad's an immigrant whereas my mom's family came over a couple of generations ago.) But this desire was almost completely undone by six days in Switzerland. I had loved travelling in Germany, I had even fallen in love with Austria, and wished I could have spent more time in both countries, but Switzerland? Switzerland stole my heart.

Town Square, Thun

When I looked into University programs I could attend in Germany (yay EU passport!), I had the option of a university pretty much next door to where my mom's family comes from or one that was 40 mins from the border with Switzerland.  I went with the proximity to Switzerland. (In fairness, it was also a proximity to my Swiss boyfriend so that decision wasn't just about Switzerland.)

View from the ferry looking towards Merligen, Lake of Thun

I've had the opportunity to return to Switzerland a few times over the years and every time, my love for it grows a little more. If only I could get a job which could afford me the pleasure of living there. (Remember, ridiculously expensive!) So, it really should be no surprise that when the Swiss National holiday of August 1st rolls around, I do something to mark the occasion. (This year, I made a loaf of züpfe and brought it into work.)

Near Fluelen, Lake Lucerne (or Luzern, if you're me)

I could wax poetic about my love of Switzerland for hours - hell, if you've ever spent time with me and made the mistake of asking about Switzerland, I have waxed poetic about it for hours. And I'm not sorry that I did - and I wanted to share some of my love for it with all three of you on this Swiss holiday.

Sunset from my friend's apartment rooftop, Zurich.

Lieb' Schwiiz!

Making Plans

Welcome to the future! Isn't it glorious?!?

I'm a little sad that the future doesn't actually look like this,

I had a rousing evening of staying home and watching movies. It seemed that all my options for the night involved large crowds and loud noises, and I just wasn't feeling it. So after a viewing of Dinner for One (it's tradition), I snuggled in with my kitties and a couple of movies: The Social Network and Michael Collins. I'd never seen The Social Network which seemed odd given the amount of time I spend on Facebook. I saw Michael Collins on a date 17 years ago - yes, I'm that old - but a recent discussion about it prompted the repeat viewing. While it's a decent enough movie (historically accurate bio-pics are hard to get right), a better option to learn and understand that time in Irish history is The Wind That Shakes the Barley. Great film. Check it out.

At any rate, I'm just going to assume everyone had a more exciting evening than I did. On to the 2014 resolutions!

1. Go to kickboxing/bootcamp at least 11 times a month.

In an ideal world, I'd be making a commitment of going to every class, every week (that's four classes a week) but this is not an ideal world. Attending class is a huge time commitment as I go straight from work and don't get home until 7:30 or 8:00pm. Some weeks, doing that four nights in a row is just not going to be feasible. So while I want to aim for attending every class, my minimum is going to be 11. And maybe, for added incentive, I should say something silly like "if I don't make the 11 classes, I will do [insert number] burpees".

 Because if there is one thing that will make sure I get my ass to class at least 11 times a month, it's the threat of more burpees than I'd get in class.

2. Run two 10Ks

I will be running the TC10K in April because that's what you do when you live in Victoria and like to pretend you're a runner... or you're high on running endorphins and you agree with some Twitter friends that it sounds like a great idea to form a team. Same thing, really. But I want to aim to run another one in the Fall, something to keep me going once the TC is finished. If I get really hardcore, I'll do the Gunnar Shaw but I don't know if I'm ready for that level of trail race in the cold.

And just to be very clear, when I say 'run a 10K' I mean 'jog a 10K with plenty of walking breaks'. Let's not fool anyone here with thoughts of speedy races.

This totally counts as running, right?

3. Start the process of becoming certified in Instructional Design.

I'm a technical writer. To move forward in my field, Instructional Design is where it is at. Don't worry, I don't expect you to understand any of that. The plan is to enroll in a few classes, probably starting in September because they're through schools that start in September. Someone should probably remind me of this in June.

4. Improve my German.

A few years ago, I gave myself an ultimatum: either that was going to be the year that I worked on my German or I would drop it and just accept that das Schiff had sailed. I did nothing that year and so I let my half-hearted attempts to improve my German stop. 

Then I went back to Germany and Switzerland this past year and had to use my rusty German. Surprisingly, my German was much better than I anticipated and I gained a lot of confidence in my ability to use it. Not surprisingly, it reignited the desire to improve my German. I've been working on it casually for the past few months and I'm going to continue doing so in 2014. I'm still trying to determine how I plan to 'measure' my improvement. Hmm, a Christmas trip to Germany/Switzerland where I speak only German for the entire two weeks? Anyone want to fund that?

And that, my friends, concludes my resolutions for 2014. Nothing crazy, but building on what I've already started.

Wish me luck!

Question: How about you? Any resolutions? Or are you not a resolution person?

So That's That Then?

It's incredible to think that another year has come to an end. Oh, to be a kid again when time seemed to take f-o-r-e-v-e-r to pass. Now, another year is over faster than I can drink a keg of Pinot Noir. How did that happen?

Cersei needs to start the first AA in Westeros.

On the whole 2013 was a decent year. There wasn't a whole lot of great amazing moments that will make up the highlight reel of my life when the time comes, but it wasn't a bad year.

The highlight of the year was travelling to Germany and Switzerland to see my friends and visit the old familiar places that I love (as well as visit a few new ones)!

Hanging out in Thun, one of my Swiss "homes", during a rare break in the rain.

And it pissed with rain the entire time I was there. In fact, it even snowed one night. Snow!! In May!! As I said to my Swiss friends "I didn't get to see the mountains I love so much because of the clouds so, obviously, I'll just have to come back." They were all very amenable to the idea. Sadly, my back account just laughed and walked away with a credit card statement.

Stumbling home from the pub in wet cold St. Gallen.

A close second for highlight of the year was finding Chikara Kickboxing and Bootcamp through my friend (and devil-on-my-shoulder), Katie. I can find kickboxing at many gyms, what I can't find is such a welcoming, friendly and supportive group of women. Also, I've found that I really like kicking and punching things. Like, if I didn't know me, I'd be worried about how much enjoyment I get out of it. As it is, I know me. I know that the idea of hurting someone (outside of my or someone else's life being in danger) doesn't sit well with my conscience. Kicking them when they're holding a pad? Well, they're just asking for it.

If Dean Winchester punches you, you deserve it... probably.

I credit the kickboxing for why I actually want to set down some resolutions this year. The past few years, I haven't bothered with resolutions. What's the point in writing down a couple of goals when I know that by the end of January, I will have stopped one half and not bothered starting the other? Generally, that just seems like a waste of paper and I quite like trees.

But this year, I want to set goals not to start new things but to build on what I'm already doing, to hold myself accountable to the changes I've already made. It might like seem like a small difference from writing resolutions to start something new, but mentally it's a whole different ball game. At least, that's what I keep telling myself.

Obviously then, it would stand to reason that if I'm talking about resolutions that I would share them. And I will. Tomorrow. Right now, however, it's time to celebrate the coming of the new year!

Happy 2014 Everyone!