misskate’s blog

potatoes not quite done

nobody@vox.com(misskate) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:30:10 +0100

I have to write my list of all I need to do before Christmas. It will be long, it will include all manner of chores and social activities, but it will all get done. I hope. And if not, I highly doubt that the world will stop. Now, if this were December, 2012, I might think differently, but I'm pretty sure nothing will end if I don't get my chores finished.
Curlers are fun. It's a nice passive way of doing my hair because goodness knows fussing with the brush and blowdryer or the straightening iron sure wasn't getting it done. I don't know how other women do it, but I just don't have the dexterity and I wasn't willing to put in the practice time. Rolling curlers, though? Sure, why not?

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less than six minutes until the potatoes are done

nobody@vox.com(misskate) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:25:59 +0100

I have a headache. I am waiting for the potatoes to finish microwaving, so I can put the broccoli in and then pour grated cheese over both and call it dinner.
First term is over. It ended today. It was a bit of a slog towards the end, but I feel good about the work I've done and some of the habits I've been developing. The number of days on which one can see the surface of my desk is increasing. Hopefully, by Easter, it will be more often than not, but at least it is visible some of the time.
I've been going to bed early and getting up early and if I weren't getting so completely screwed by the TPG at the moment, I would be getting to work early as well. Instead I am just getting to work earlier than I was, but not as early in the two weeks before the schedule change.
A friend found canned black beans in the city and I know where I can buy them dried as well which I will still probably do just because they add salt to the can and why on earth did I buy a pressure cooker otherwise? But still, knowing that they are available here endears the city to me a little more which is good because the TPG has really pissed me off this year.
Another friend is leaving. I lost a good one last Christmas to the far reaches of the Ottawa Valley, and now I am losing another one to the concrete canyons of New York. Total suckitude.
Timer just went.

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Futuristic, outer space Dances with Wolves

nobody@vox.com(misskate) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:14:35 +0100

Once again, we have a white man savior. The noble savage can't do it himself, he needs the broken (in this case literally) white man to come along and rescue them all.
Yes, I saw Avatar today. Sigourney Weaver is awesome!! And I would go see it again, but let's be honest about the movie. It is as I said above. Women do a little better in it than some other White Man Cometh films, though of course, the human women die because there's no place for them in the indigenous society, but at least in this one, women are not stuck only in the domestic sphere.
Visually, it's beautiful. The ending seemed rushed. We only get the 2D version in English here, for the 3D, I will wait for home. Also, nicely done, we actually got the subtitles in English in this one. Normally, they just block those right out, so if you don't get French or German, you stay unenlightened.
And hey, at a running time of over two and a half hours, you definitely get your money's worth.

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the TPG is driving me around the bend

nobody@vox.com(misskate) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 13:18:18 +0100

Hey boys and girls, it's time for misskate's annual bitch, moan and whine about the public transport in Geneva.
I would like to do this in a more constructive way than usual, you know, do the "two positives and one thing to improve", but having visited their website, that just ain't gonna happen. Instead we will do the inverse, one positive and two "you have got be fucking kidding me"s.

First, though, the positive:
The TPG has kept the price of its annual pass the same for something like the 4th year in a row. While they may be socking it to the casual user with a price of 3chf per 60 minute ticket, my annual pass (allowing me access to all boats, buses, trams and trains in the canton) has remained an affordable chf650.

And now, the negative:
Supposedly, they have extended the number 9 bus route to Balexert, restoring it, somewhat, to its former glory. When I first arrived and for a few years after, the 9 ran from beyond my house, past me, across the bridge and way the hell out the other side all the way to CERN. Then it stopped. And for a couple of weeks, I couldn't figure out how take the 9 from the station to my house, so I would walk or take another bus to the next stop and pick it up from there. THEN, last year, it stopped running through Bel-Air Cite (not to be confused with the end station of Petit Bel-Air where there isn't even a cafe, let alone other signs of civilization) up to Cornavin and instead went across the Mont Blanc bridge. A decrease in number of stops, but an increase in travel time because there is no good hour at which you can cross the bridge with no traffic. This also created a great amount of confusion and ire among the passengers. This year, they seem to have extended its run, but now, once again, I have no idea where to pick the bus up to go home tomorrow. But, hey, not really a problem because even though the schedule says that it now goes to Balexert, the TPG has not updated the maps on the website to let anyone know. SO, maybe the 9 hasn't changed at all and will continue to pick up and drop off in its same lane at Cornavin as before. (Somehow, though, I doubt it and now I'm starting to wonder if the TPG doesn't in fact have a sadistic sense of humor and actually enjoys watching the people who count on, rely on, depend upon the TPG run around on the second Monday in December (sometimes the 3rd) trying to figure out how to get to work. If ever I wanted a car...

NEXT on my list is the V bus and the Z bus. Not having a car and not being particularly inclined to walk up massive hills, I appreciate having a bus stop just forty or so meters from my school. There are two buses (V and Z) that service this stop and the convenience makes me less likely to buy a car. Until now. The V and Z start at Gare Cornavin. When I first moved here, the pick up point was behind the station. Then as the construction on tram lines picked up momentum, the stops moved to the side, then back to the back and then finally to the front where they have been for a couple of years now. I think . It's all a bit of a blur. And the TPG is really not known for its communication skills. They stick up a metal stand with a sign taped to it and call that communicated. Grrr. BUT anyways, the stop has always been relatively convenient which is good because the V and Z being the letter buses (as opposed to designating the routes with numbers) are infrequent. They serve the outer parts of the canton as opposed to the city and they just don't run that often. So, if you miss one in the morning, chances are you are screwed. And possibly late to work. Oh, yes, of course there are alternatives, but they involve schlepping.

SO, what's my beef? They have moved the stop AGAIN. And according to the paper they taped to the little metal stand by the ticket machine (which by the way none of my fellow commuting colleagues had even noticed until I pointed it out; way to communicate, TPG, yay you!) the TPG was moving the stop as of, oh, today. And they weren't just moving it. According to this sign, they were canceling the next stop on the route, and putting the stop they were calling Cornavin closer to that stop than this one. This meant increasing my commute time by a lot because now I had to arrive at Cornavin in time to factor in a 10 minute walk to the new V/Z bus stop. Pissed, livid, irked, frustrated, annoyed; I ran through the range of emotions. So, today, here I am. One day before I have to get to school somehow tomorrow. According to the TPG, they have no schedule at all for either the V or Z, the itinerary machine tells me that it's only a 3 minute walk from where the 9 drops off to where the V/Z picks up, and in fact the V bus isn't even listed in the drop-down box. What they are listing as the 9 itinerary doesn't match the map they are displaying beneath it and jiminy christmas, I have no idea where the V/Z is picking up because the map they are showing is not what the sign stuck to the little metal stand said.

And really, since at the end of the day, it's all about me, I am going to have to change out of my cosy warm clothes and go to the station to figure this out. I suggest that the TPG pulls its finger out and gets their routes, website and communication sorted! Because seriously, Nissan has a really cute four door and if I buy a car, it is ALL the TPGs fault.

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not as cute as kittens

nobody@vox.com(misskate) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:16:32 +0100

Geneva gives the perception of being a safe and peaceful city, but in actuality it's not. Since I arrived more than six years ago, there has been an incredible rise in break-ins, muggings and general violence. Not that it is given particularly good coverage in the media, but it is still happening. Add to that that Geneva is home to many multinationals as well as the UN and affiliated organizations. Since my country stopped invading other countries willy-nilly, the U.S. Mission doesn't get protested nearly as often as it did, but there are still lots of organizations pissing people off. Including the UN (see the Tamil protests of not quite a year ago). This week, it's the WTO's turn. A bunch of delegates are in town for meetings. They seem to accessorize with violent protestors. Whatever your feelings on the WTO, or globalization in general, I can't really see how torching the cars of private citizens furthers your agenda. OR breaking the windows of small, independent business owners. Starbucks, yeah being a global entity, not that I'm happy about it, but a little window breakage is not going to stop them selling coffee.
Yesterday, I went out in the morning (it was beautiful blue skies and sunny) to the Clubhouse in Paquis to see a friend for coffee and walked from Mont Blanc bridge over to the bar. Thankfully, I was home by 11:30 because I had forgotten that the protest march was starting at 12:30 (two o'clock, maybe?). I did remember by the time I got home and was glad that all my errands could be achieved within a two block radius. It was Journee de Partager (I really wish they would advertise more in advance) and they were at both Migros and Coop, so they got lots of groceries from me for the food pantries. I'm a sucker for food drives so I try really hard to stick to a budget, but I totally blew it yesterday. I stayed in the rest of the afternoon doing laundry and dishes and all that.
This morning, I talked to G and she said cars had been set on fire, the police had used gas and water cannons. My neighborhood is far enough away that I didn't hear anything, but sure enough as a friend of mine and I walked from the bus to the Clubhouse (I am not going to talk about the football match, I am too sad) we saw where the cars had burned and shop windows destroyed. After the match, the three of us (G had joined us) walked over to Starbucks, place des Bergues. Their street front windows had all been replaced by wood, many of the other shops had also sustained considerable damage.
Here is a link to the local paper's photo coverage.
Look soon as I'm not sure how long they will have the photos up. It makes me sad that if there was any legitimate agenda to be put forth yesterday, that message has gotten well and truly lost in the riots. It makes me angry that idiots think destruction of other people's things and livelihoods is a joke or a good way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I hope they are caught and well and truly punished. I'm not sure how, though, something creative for sure. Jail time isn't going to keep them from doing it again.

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oh, the cuteness of kittens!

nobody@vox.com(misskate) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:11:54 +0100

watch this:

Surprised Kitty

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where did that come from?

nobody@vox.com(misskate) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:49:15 +0100

My week so far has been pub quiz on Monday (this happens every week), Wednesday I had a friend over for dinner and then we tried out a new (to me) bar a few blocks away. Thursday, I met up with some friends for birthday drinks for one of them. Tonight, I am training it over to Nyon for dinner with a friend and tomorrow, I am supposed to go back to the bar from Wed with some other friends.
You know what this looks like? It looks like I have a social life! I know, I know, that's just not possible, but the calendar does not lie. Next week, is almost the same, pub quiz Monday, Thanksgiving at school on Thursday and Barq a Vin on Friday. Oh my gosh! What is going on?
I do, however, have a paper to write for my poetry module due Monday. But Sunday is clear, so I'm thinking that this will not be a problem. Since I had a friend come to dinner, the house is vacuumed and reasonably tidy, I am caught up on laundry, though there are quite a few dishes to wash. I made it to the gym this week, I'm going to the pool after school today. Wow!
And I've probably just jinxed myself and it's all going to go to hell in a handbasket in the next five minutes. But for now, I would just like to bask in the sunshine of a productive and holistically healthy life.

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why is it

nobody@vox.com(misskate) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:15:30 +0100

that in before and after photos for dramatic weight loss, that along with a body half its previous size (results not typical), one also seems to acquire a talent for hair straightening? I have tried and failed miserably to use hair irons, rollers, curling irons (the big huge fat ones) to straighten my not curly, but not straight either hair. But along with my daydream of dropping fifty pounds by Thanksgiving, I can apparently fantasize that with weight loss comes increased skill with my hair.

On Huffington Post, I keep getting sidebar ads that have to do with a flatter tummy in eight hours sort of quackery, if you're wondering where this little jaunt into absurdism sprang from.

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it was even worse the second time around

nobody@vox.com(misskate) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:12:40 +0100

The holes in the story were even bigger upon second viewing. And way to ram home family values. It was a touch over the top. One of my FB friends made the observation that as long as you treat it as an action comedy, it's great. And can I just say that Oliver Platt never lets me down? Never. Not ever has he disappointed me. From Three Musketeers to the West Wing, he is awesome.

And I'm going to stop tagging posts NaBloPoMo. It was a nice thought, but really isn't going to happen, but it did get me blogging again. So, yay. Maybe next year.

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what a stunning success thus far!

nobody@vox.com(misskate) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:07:55 +0100

but, I will keep showing up and blogging when I can.
2012 opened here today and you bet I was there for it. Apocalypse? Yellowstone supervolcano? West coast falling into the Pacific? Poles swapping place, fake but plausible sounding science? Of course, I was going to be there. And I'm going again tomorrow because that's when my friends can go and when I can get popcorn.
Excellent way to pass two and half plus hours.

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misskate’s blog

potatoes not quite done

less than six minutes until the potatoes are done

Futuristic, outer space Dances with Wolves

the TPG is driving me around the bend

not as cute as kittens

oh, the cuteness of kittens!

where did *that* come from?

why is it

it was even worse the second time around

what a stunning success thus far!

where did that come from?