Wednesday 31 October 2012

Happy Halloween Everybody


So this is the bad boy I am reusing this year. I may have peaked with this creation.

Now to find a party.

GBM

Monday 29 October 2012

Reusing Last Years Halloween Costume...

...because I can't afford a new one.

New country so it shouldn't get noticed so much.

GBM

The Art of the Pumpkin Carve

So yesterday we turned these


Into these.

 

Bloody fantastic.

GBM


Sunday 28 October 2012

What a Difference a Week Makes


This was the scene last weekend, 24 degrees Celsius in Lucerne (75F), the sun blaring down from the a top the Alps.  Sitting out on a swimbad with my sister and her husband who were over visiting, enjoying one last Aperol Spritz (tastes like summer). It was like an Indian summer last weekend.

This weekend on the other hand looks a bit like this...


Gotta love Zurich. I do feel slightly discombobulated, I mean Winter Wonderland before Halloween has even been and gone. Well it's probably for the best that I got this job. Money so I can begin another new adventure, one that involves winter sports. Yes, I will be learning to ski and/or snowboard this winter.

Bring it on Switzerland. I am ready for it.

GBM

Hot Ginger of the Week: Alicia Witt


What ever happen to Alicia Witt? Why does she not grace us with her presence anymore? I remember in the late 90's it appeared her star was on the rise with big TV roles such as Zoey in Cybil and Hope in Ally McBeal and even a lead role in slasher movie Urban Legend (I know people think this is a terrible movie but I kinda have a soft spot for it).

Then what happened? She has since seemed to be relegated to supporting and walk on roles on television  I don't understand really but I guess it's just the way Hollywood can go sometimes.

Here's hoping she has something up her sleeve for the future to bounce back onto our radar.


GBM

Wednesday 24 October 2012

Best Friends with the Best Hands


Listen up all you readers situated in West Cork Ireland (of which I probably have none, haha), I got something to say to y'all. Now this is probably gonna come off like a sponsored post but I assure you nothing was exchanged for the promotion of this service I'm about to tell you all about. At least nothing other than this person being the most awesome spectacular friend any little Irish guy (or big and awkward in my case) could ask for and fantastic at her job.

So context people, the little lady in this pic is Carol and she is my oldest, closest and dearest friend for neigh on nearly 24 years now. We've known each other other most of our lives, she grew up in the neighbourhood right beside mine in our tiny town, she is the Joey Potter to my gay Dawson Leary (we all know he was probably gay, come on no real 15 year old straight male goes on like that, no wonder she ended up with Pacey, I mean subtext people ;-P). No but seriously, she is awesome!

So over the last few years my bestie has been making the move to make Massage her career, she took a course in Dublin (came out top in her class even) and has been my personal masseuse for the last two years before I packed up everything and moved all the way to Zurich. Seriously I do miss it, if you are reading this Caroly I would gladly use my first paycheque to fly you over, I need one after all this running I've been doing this last while.

Carol has a similar story to mine to tell as she recently packed in her life in Dublin to move to a new location. Where as my move brought, Swiss-German and the financial capital of Switzerland, Carol's repositioning saw her end up in a tiny town in the south of Ireland called Drimoleague (in West Cork, beautiful area) and whilst not technically a new language to learn, Cork people have been at times known to speak in a tongue not quite discernible to our outsider ears. It was an opportunity to grow her own business as a masseuse in a new state of the art fitness centre that took my bestie to this new location.



My loss is their gain as I have to say she is the best masseuse I ever had. Now I know you all think I am probably bias but when you think about it it's kinda a weird situation to strip down and get up on a table to allow your best friend to touch you up. Yet through it all she always made sure I was relaxed and didn't feel weird. We'd shoot the shit and catch up whilst she worked my muscles or if I wanted total relaxation both be quiet and I'd be known to fall asleep with relaxation.

You don't have to take it from me though as she was also Husband's masseuse and well he did not have the same loyalty to her as I did. Known to prefer only male masseuses (as in his opinion no female was able to apply the right amount of pressure he needed). That was until my bestie and he had nothing but praise for her and her work.

So now she's off, trying to make a name for herself in well, the countryside and I have every faith she will be a rip roaring success. Though I am sure many big successes have had help over the years ergo the point of my little post.

She has a business Blog where you can find details of her rates and massage offered. You can check that out here and on my Blogroll at the side too.

You can also find her on Facebook too (please like and share) and on Twitter (follow, follow, follow). I  do know my readers and a lot of you are mainly from the States and Oz but if you know anyone in the area or if any one who reads knows anyone in need of a excellent massage check out her pages.

Finally I'd like you all to help me wish her the very best in her new career.

Mwah sweetie, love you loads

GBM

Tuesday 23 October 2012

Slut-O-Ween Girls Listen Up


I saw this today on Entertainment.ie, great website FYI, even if you are not from Ireland, top notch hilarious insights on the celeb world and great music and film reviews (I cut my teeth submitting a few member reviews on it back in the day).

Anywho they posted this vid below and I just thought it was pretty spot on and had to share. It's nice that someone is speaking up for my favourite holiday. Girls honestly it has gotten out of hand.


Now I am not saying no to slutty, should the costume call for it then by all means but I agree with Emotistyle here and won't be endorsing unnecessary skankiness for the sake of Halloween.

Who thought that a sexy
Nemo was a good idea?
Childhood memories ruined
What do all of you think? Happy to let all slut it up for Halloween (gay men are equally as guilty) or time to put this fad in the ground?

GBM

I Am Job: Updated


After almost 6 months I finally did it, I got a job! This is a game changer, it will be a few months before it all settles and Husband and I can see where we stand but it is unlikely you will hear anymore posts about being poor in the world's most expensive city any more. I may need to find a new angle.

I am over the moon, I did enjoy my run as a 'Hausmann' but as I said in my first ever post, complete and total dependance is not something that I would ever truly feel comfortable with (it felt nice and weird like a foot rub from a monkey). I will soon be joining the ranks of all my fellow ex-patriates and begin contributing to this society who has more money than sense (and I will be one of them now, mwah ha ha).

Not going into to details on the job and company as its not very professional but I have managed to achieve a few things career-wise by moving to this new country where I do not even speak the local language.

  •  I changed my industry. My previous experience was very much in Administration and Customer Services yet I have managed to walk into a job in a completely different area which I have been trying to do for years
  •  I will be writing for a living. Corporate writing but as I said before writing has rejuvenated my soul so to be able to say this is my job is fantastic
  • We won't go without. I've heard about these crazy Swiss salaries but it was not until I held my contract in my hand that I realised how much mine and Husbands life was going to change
What does this mean for my Blog, well I am not going anywhere, I love hanging out with all you guys and I think this bug has bitten me badly. It may become less but I definitely won't but switching off for good. 

So if any of you are around in Zurich this Friday come join me for a celebratory drink. Soon they will all be on me. 

GBM

Friday 19 October 2012

Hot Ginger of the Week: Greg Rutherford


There is always something sexy about a winner, isn't there? In this years Olympic games Rutherford grabbed everyones attention as the Gold Medal winner in the Long Jump athletic event. Doing us gingers proud.


I recently saw him appear on the Million Pound Drop and it reaffirmed my beleif that I needed to include him in my little auld list of attractive redheads. He's has got the boyish good looks akin to a redhead Neil Patrick Harris and Husband and I sure do love us a bit of NPH (FYI Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog needs to be seen by all or it is a travesty).

Oh yes we all know which redhead we will be cheering on in Rio in 2016.


GBM

Wednesday 17 October 2012

Oh Mein Arsch

I saw this today and could not stop laughing at it.


I'm not exactly sure why, I think it could be because pain sounds so much funnier in German.

GBM

That Feeling...

...ever get that feeling that everything you have been doing for the last while has been building up to this very moment, a make or break moment. Here I stand on the precipice of a big change in mine and Husbands life and all I can do is play the waiting game...

...the waiting games sucks lets play Hungry Hungry Hippos instead.

GBM

Monday 15 October 2012

I Did It!

I appear to be going the wrong way

Okay I may have had a mild over dramatic freakout the night before my race, apologies but you guys know what I am like. In actual fact the race went really well and my time was not too bad and a personal best for me.

Finished the 10K in 1:01 and 410th in my category. Not too shabby especially for one who never jogged until a few months ago. I think I will do the half next year.

Also special congratulations to my hubby who successfully completed the half marathon with an amazing time of 1:58. I am so proud of you and you did fantastic.

Great day, great craic and the celebratory beer tasted amazing.

GBM

Friday 12 October 2012

Preempting my Jogging Failcess

Actual representation
I'm coining the word Failcess as this 10K I am about to do, could go either way and I am preparing for the worst. Here I sit now on this eve of jogging, about to embark on my biggest running milestone, nay sporting milestone even and I feel well, tired really.

These last few days have seen me busy, up ridiculously early in the mornings and not sleeping at night, maybe it's a bit of pre-race jitters, I do not know but what I do know is that I want my leaba (thats Irish for my bed).

So plenty of rest and relaxation is the order of today and it couldn't come sooner. Yesterday was a bit of a terrifying eye opener that made me realise how easily my 10k could turn into a jogging nightmare. I think I had maybe only slept about 3 hours on Wednesday night, a weird mixture of Husband and I being a bit giddy, staying up messing around way past our bedtimes, restless stirring in ones sleep after finally conking out and how the wet weather is making the cars and trucks that pass the road in front of our apartment sound ever so louder. Then to makes matters worse I suddenly  awoke with an overreactive gasp and the thought that I had left my umbrella in the entrance of our local convient store.

Similar example of my overreactive gasp 


So I spent the morning lying in bed trying to salvage my last chance saloon of a few more hours sleep lamenting umbrellas lost only for when my alarm finally goes off and I sleepily shuffle to the front door to see said umbrella waiting for me, safe and sound. What unnecessary nonsense, why didn't I just get up and check, instead of incessantly flustering about my bed in a state of bother and unease? Oh what brolly folly!

Needless to say this lead to a day of wanderment surrounded in a sleepy haze, I was the 'Walking Unslept' but still had important things to do despite my zombification so had no time to rest all day. Yet when Husband arrived home from work and egged me on to do one last pre-race 5K, I foolishly went along with him. Oh dear, 1.5K in I realised that all figures in the distance were looking rather foggy and blurry to me, the only way to get my vision back was to walk slowly. This was worrisome.  Then the inside of my mouth began to feel weird, kind of metallic, like it was full of blood yet also completely dry at the same time, I tried to spit to be sure there was no blood in my mouth but nothing came fort (sorry guys, this is kinda disgusting).  

When I reached a fountain I gargled some water and spat it out to check and it came out clear, no blood. My exhausted mind was playing tricks on me but at this point I decided it was time to go home. Walked home, felt weird, slightly worried about the race now. Grr, why did I not trust my gut to not go out yesterday, this setback has sent me into a state of flux. 

So today rest, relax, nada, bupkiss, I will veg on couch and to bed early. No worrisome brollies, no more terrible pre-race runs, just a whole lot of nothing. Tomorrow will come and go and whatever way I look at it there will be a good story to tell. The weather promises to be better and the town of Hallwill where the run is located is apparently beautiful. So whatever way it goes it will be worth the experience.

And finally the idea of failceeding is starting to seem more interesting to me than success or failure ever did. Three cheers for mediocrity and one bump to averageness.

All I ever wanted to say was that I did it anyway.

GBM 

Tuesday 9 October 2012

I Need to go Dark


I need to go dark for the next few days. I think I probably won't or at least shouldn't post until Friday as there are a lot of potential things happening this week that could see me in full time employment and my focus needs to be on them.

Please don't think I have forsaken you, it's just Papa wants his own money again.

Talk soon

GBM

Monday 8 October 2012

One Step to Stepford



Sunday came along yesterday with zero plans and a grandiose amount of free time, so I took it upon myself to get my inner Martha Stewart on and bake for the second time in my life. There is something about kneading dough that is thoroughly relaxing especially if everything is going your way. I decided to use the Gino D'Acampo's 'Italian Home Baking' book that my two best girlies from my previous job in Ireland, got for me as a going away present (ladies I think I might make the baking a regular thing on Sundays so top marks on the gift). So it was to be Filone All'Arrabbiata or for those who don't Italian, a  spicy rustic loaf with chilli and cayenne pepper. 

The book itself has some great tips for the wannabe baker, things I would never have thought about like how to knead correctly, how to make sure the dough does not stick to your hands or how to get that wonderful brown crisp texture to your bread. I was worried that it it would be a bit of a disaster given my being a newb and all but apart from a few niggly things my second foray in to the world of flour and yeast was a rip-roaring success. One hot n' spicy rip-roaring success even if I do say so myself. 

Husband, beautiful flower that he is, made some broccoli and blue cheese soup for accompaniment (Gino recommends that the bread be eaten with soup or cheese so we decided 'hey, why not both'). All in all it made for a delicious Sunday afternoon dinner. 

Honestly though I am at a point now where this House Husband malark would be preferable as something to do in my downtime and I am getting the itch to get back to work. I'm getting there, it's been slow and hard but I am getting there.

GBM
        

Thursday 4 October 2012

Admitting your Limitations


Remember a while back I told you all I was taking on a Mystery Undertaking? Well now I think it's time for it to be revealed (even though most of you guessed it correctly anyways).

Husband and I were planning on doing a half marathon here in Switzerland on the 13th of October and have been training for it since August. My training has come along in leaps and bounds and was getting there in terms of distance but I was having trouble pushing past 18K in a realistic time (there could have  been a possibility it would take me over 3.5 hours to complete, eek).  So I decided not to apply for the half in the end. The decision was a hard one as I was really hoping to do it but I am just not ready.

Yet all is not lost as on the day I will be doing a 10K run, it's not my original goal but it is still something. I can get to be proud of myself for getting that far, I mean I only took up jogging 5 months ago so I have come a long way since then.

Husband on the other hand has made jogging his bitch and will be doing the half and is going to kick some marathon ass. Bravo, bravo. I take solace from the fact that my original reasoning for taking up jogging in the first place was on a purely shallow desire to look better in the nip and well at least I can say mission accomplished on that goal.

I have grown accustomed to joggings face though so I will continue down this path of foot bounce and hopefully next year I will get all up on this half marathon.

Oh yes, you watch this space jogging, you won't know what hit you.

GBM

Tuesday 2 October 2012

Things Learned Yesterday....


....Rapperswill is a really cute little village but nothing seems to be opened on Mondays.

Okay guys last of my lazy posts as my parents leave today so I should be to regular programming tomorrow.

Love y'all loads

GBM