cereal robots ario's ubercoolisch blog

a few last thoughts on Zurich & London

I'm back in the states and relatively jet lag free. My plan of blogging-as-I-go fell through pretty quickly after that last post... memories of the trip are already starting to fade, but luckily, pictures are good reminders.

Pics from London | Last batch of Zurich photos.

A few considerations unique to moving to Zurich:

• I have to buy my own light fixtures and wardrobe cabinent... apartments don't come with closets and light fixtures are something you take with you, just like the rest of your furniture.
• It's not accurate to say you will "rent an apartment"...  you "apply for an apartment," like applying for a job.  You have to put together a packet with your salary, letter from your employer, and I hear many take the origin of your name into consideration as well... sadly.
• If you're moving anything big, you have to hire a conveyor truck which hoists the item up and into your main outside facing window since stairs are too narrow to accomodate things like mattresses.
• I saw 5 apartments while I was there and they were all nice, but none were in the neighborhood I like most.  The ones I saw were either in the suburbs or super ex-pat-y areas.  No thanks, I've learned my lesson here from prior cities.  I need to live close to where things are happening and the population is more heterogenous.

Thoughts on flying:

• When I'm flying a lot, I feel compelled to say something about how incredible the experience is, but never do.  It's like swearing to yourself that you'll journal about the dream you just had, only to get distracted by something else.
• It never gets old to me that it's possible to jump around the globe with such minimal personal effort.  In the span of human existence, our ability to globe trot is just a blink of an eye.  I wonder how much longer we will have this privilege once gas becomes more scarce.
• No matter how much I fly, when there's heavy turbulence (even though I know it won't last) I still feel a strong fight or flight response.  My stomach fills with acid, my throat tightens up, I can't concentrate on anything else.  It blows my mind that man could build something so huge and strong that can hold together and remain flexible in heavy cross winds.  One thing that reduces my anxiety is looking at the flight crew.  They fly day in and day out and they're still here and smiling.
• I really enjoy reading on flights.  It's one of the few distraction free environments in my life anymore.  While it's certainly convenient to be able to get online in a plane, I will miss the forced offline mode that flying has afforded us for so many years.
• Protip: bring your own water bottle on the plane... (you can fill it up outside most bathrooms near the boarding gates).  They don't give out water nearly as often as you need to drink it, so this helps keep hydrated between when the carts come by.  Be careful though, a sip could turn into a refreshing mini-shower (thanks cabin pressure), so make sure to not screw the cap on your bottle too tight!

Randomness from Zurich:

• I'll never forgive US MTV for its piss poor programming.  German MTV isn't perfect either, but at least they still play videos.  I thought this video by Stefanie Heinzmann was a good example of a pop star who actually has some singing talent (and she's Swiss).  Food fight videos never get old.
• I'm looking forward to learning how to snowboard, but may pass on cross country snowboarding.
• I read this this article on traveling on my last day in ZRH.  Who cares about being "dirty and ugly" when traveling?  You shouldn't be traveling so much if these things are of concern (or you need to plan better).  The general tone of privilege in here irks me.
• I made a techno friend in town!  I was concerned about not having anyone to see shows with, but I was lucky enough to run into a guy who helps with CityFox (the Kontrol equivalent in ZRH).
• Several ZRH-based friends mentioned the spoiling effect of living there.  It's easy to get used to the convenience of the mass transit and the general cleanliness of the city, so when you leave, these two factors jump out as inferior.  I hope this doesn't happen to me.
• If you go to a grocery store in ZRH, bring your own bag, don't put your basket on the check out conveyor belt, tag the price on your own produce, and don't be surprised when you see the eggs aren't refrigerated.
• People dress very similarly... men all have some sort of black coat and scarf on, women wear high heels or the pants-tucked-into-boots look.  Even the kids are dressed fashionably.  This makes me want to walk around in a yellow jump suit just to fuck with people.

On London:

• I immediately got a familiar, comfortable feeling when I got into London.  It was 10 years since I'd been last, but it didn't feel like it had been that long... I guess 10 years isn't really that long in the grand scheme of things.
• A week of being around mostly anglo-people that aren't speaking English makes being in London feel strange.  "You mean I'm in Europe AND the people are speaking English??  Weird!"
• The Google London office is incredibly central, located right next to the Victoria Station.  In general, I was struck by how easy it is to go from one place to the next in Europe.  I never had to use a taxi once and rarely got lost.
• Brick Lane and the area around Spitalfields feels like it was custom made for my tastes.  An amazing record store, bike shops, tons of interesting restaurants, and the best dude clothing stores I've seen in one place.  (Let's not even get into how many cuties in glasses I saw walking around).

I have 3 weeks until I move completely over to Zurich.  The biggest task ahead is combing through all my stuff, picking what to take and what to leave behind.  If anyone is interested in buying a plasma TV or a motorcycle, let me know.

The vision of sitting in my new place, with only the possessions I use and get value from, makes me very happy.

It's Thanksgiving today, so I'd be remiss if I didn't thank all my amazing friends and family for all the support and love they've shown me over the past year.  I hope you're all enjoying your Turkey (or Tofurkey) Day and don't forget to...

(thx Buster)