Ho Hum

It can't be candy and fireworks all the time, and we can't tell of fantastic adventures on a weekly basis. At some point, life in Geneva was going to shift from being a new adventure into something more akin to, well, life. Jaren's working, I'm waiting on my papers and doing some networking, and routine has become part of our story here.

Of course, that doesn't mean interesting things don't happen. In fact, I would say we have a much better appreciation of the city, and although it may not blog well, we'll do our best to beam it your way.

The big news is that we found an apartment for the long term. As you may or may not know, our current place is a sublet through the end of October, for which we needed to find another place for November on. After scowering the UN message boards, Jaren found a posting for a place about two blocks from where we are now (much closer to the lake) that fits us perfectly. The third story, it is an apartment with an abnormally large kitchen by local standards and has more windows than walls. We were able to close a deal with relative ease, and will be moving in as soon as we return from New York.

Ah yes, New York. We'll be flying out of Switzerland late on the 25th and arriving back in Syracuse around dinner on the 26th. After spending a few days in the 'Cuse with the family, we'll be off to NYC around November 2nd for the marathon. Training is going well so far -- Jaren is up to double digit mileage on a regular basis, and my sign holding practice is nearing its training "peak" (takes stamina to hold the sign while simultaneously cheering and eating a hot dog). We're flying back out that night (not optimal, but neccesary), and then we're here through next spring.

We're going to try a new feature here at Jaren's Blog called "Geneva Corner," where we give you, the reader, a look at some facet of our daily life. Some of the "GCs" we're planning include:

- "Migros The Flame-thrower," an in-depth look at the Swiss grocery/ banking/ gas/ education/ department store conglomerate (special points for anyone who can identify the movie paraphrase)

- "Emmenthaler: Local Delicacy or Lactose Terrorist?" reporting on Steve's adaptation to a dairy-heavy lifestyle

- "Moped Drivers are People Too," a survey of the ubiquitous Swiss transport vehicle and the people who drive them.

We'll try to get one of these up at least once a week, hopefully with photos (provided I don't end up in "Migros the Holding Cell" for taking them).

In the mean time, here are a few pictures we've taken recently. Enjoy!

The oft-discussed Cafe Gandhi


Smart Car Deluxe - I'd never seen one before, but have a hunch this would be more accepted in the US market than the little box zipcars we're all used to. This one is still pretty tiny though.



Over in Plainpallais - hey, whatever keeps Schwimmer flush in cash, I guess (actually, this place had free wireless and I spent a few days there).