We'll Be Home For Christmas...

One week from now we'll be well into North American airspace on our way to Chicago for our Christmas vacation. It'll be our first time in Chicago for Christmas since 1999.

Ten years! TEN YEARS!!!

Ten. Years...

Can you believe it???

We were actually talking back in January about going to Tokyo this Christmas, but Mrs. TBF mentioned Chicago as a possibility, and Tokyo pretty much never came up as an option again.

Maybe next year.

Since we're actually going to be in Chicagoland for a full two weeks, we thought it would be nice to get out of the suburbs and head into the city for a couple of nights. We'll be doing our little part to help the U.S. economy by spending money on a hotel, Christmas shopping and eating at nice restaurants. Vienna, Rome, Paris, and London have been the recipients of our Christmas spending over the last four years. This year, we're bringing the money back home and spending it in Chi-town!!!

It still floors me that the last time we were in Chicago for Christmas, everybody was talking about Y2K. Remember that? What a bust! Just another thing - along with backyard bomb shelters, the oncoming ice age, and acid rain - collecting dust in the over-hype warehouse. I heard something about the warehouse men getting a spot ready for man made global warming. I'd ask them, but they're taking a break right now (damn Teamsters!). We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?

Anyway...

At this time way back in '99, we had neighbors who had bought a whole-house backup generator, people were stocking up on food and water, the end of the world was nigh, and we didn't even have an inkling of an idea that we'd be living in Switzerland less than a year later.

Here we are ten years later, and Y2K is a distant memory. Instead, I'm focused on B2A: BACK TO AMERICA!!!

How much time is left on the countdown clock???

The Nieces and Nephew...

Here were my favorite pictures of the nieces and nephew from our trip.

In this first picture, we had gone to see my sister run in a 5k race. Music was blaring over the speakers, and I thought it would be a great time to torment the nieces with some public robotic dancing. Fiona tolerated Uncle TBF, Kiera was mortified, and Sinead pretty much just ignored me.

I took this picture of Finn immediately after he walked in the door after football practice. I don't think there was enough Shout in Chicagoland to get all those stains out.


Finally, my little niece Sinead whipping around the yard on her little Barbie 4-wheeler. I told her about how when her mom and I were here age, we made bowling pins and a bowling ball out of aluminum foil, and used our hallway as a bowling alley.

She didn't care.

Kids these days! Sheesh!!

We Must Be In The FRONT Row!

Ok... it was actually the fourth row, but why split hairs?

Why are we so happy in these photos? One: they were taken just after we arrived in Chicago. And... Two: they were taken just after we arrived in Chicago after flying in first class!

That's right, folks: complimentary first class upgrades yet again!

While going through security at Heathrow, the agent told Mrs. TBF that her seat had been changed. She had been upgraded to first class. Unfortunately, I hadn't been. Mrs. TBF told the agent that she wouldn't take the upgrade unless we both received them, a quick phone call was made, and... Bob's your uncle, as the Brits say.

A little while later, we got on the plane, turned LEFT, and were escorted to seats 4E and 4F.

YES!

Mrs. TBF used miles to upgrade me to first class for the return, and we're already booked for first class when we go back to Chicago for Christmas. I'm just thinking...

Can I ever fly in anything but first class again?

No Apologies...

Hi!

This is the point where I should be apologizing for not blogging, but... I'm an adult, blogging is an optional activity, and... I don't have to apologize if I don't want to, DAMMIT!

So there! HA!

Rather than bore you with a long post, I'll be brief right now and then catch up with multiple mini-posts.

Chicago was great! Family, friends, shopping, eating, 25th NU reunion, etc. We were gone for 12 days, and we didn't return until last Thursday.

Last weekend was our friend Rammy's 50th birthday celebration. I called it Rammy-O-Rama! It was pretty much a 24-hour extravaganza, and we're still recuperating.

This Friday, we're off to London. We'll spend the night there, and then we'll spend the entire next week in Scotland. Who goes to Scotland in November. Well, apparently WE DO!

More posts coming up soon. I promise!

Packing... Again!

Since we last spoke, we went with a group of friends via private shuttle bus to a wine tasting about 30 minutes from here. It was a great evening, but... I unfortunately forgot to bring my camera. Sorry 'bout that. Then, last weekend, we went to Paris. No, I did NOT forget my camera this time. You can view some of the pictures by clicking... right... HERE.

Paris, as usual was great. We relaxed well, ate well, and shopped well. I came home with some new shirts and bathing suits, and Mrs. TBF came home with a new handbag, a new pair of sunglasses, and probably other things that I just can't remember at this time. We had such a good time, in fact, that we booked another trip to Paris for February while we were online in the lounge at our hotel.

Right now, I'm taking a break from packing for our next trip: Chicago. The main reason for the trip is to attend my 25th college reunion. However, I'm sure that I'll have time for family and friends too. Mrs. TBF will fly over with me, head off on a business trip next week, come back to Chicago for my reunion, and then head off on business again the following week. If all goes according to plan, she will depart for London from the East Coast around the same time I am departing for London from Chicago, and then we'll meet up in London for the flight back to Basel. But enough about that...

I still can't believe that I GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE MORE THAN 25 YEARS AGO!!! Sheesh!

A Lesson Learned!

I called British Airways a little while ago to see if I could change the date of my end-of-October return flight from Chicago to Basel. When I booked the flight in August, I made the reservation so that it would coincide with one of Mrs. TBF's many business trips to the U.S. This way, we could sit together on our flights to and from the U.S.

Awwwwwwwwww... Aren't we cute??

Naturally, as often happens in the world of bidness, Mrs. TBF's itinerary has changed due to factors beyond her control. We'll still be flying to the U.S. together, but her schedule change now necessitates her remaining in the U.S. for a couple of days after my scheduled return. But, no problem, right? I just figured I'd call BA and change my ticket and stay in Chicago a few extra days. Right?

Wrong!

Yes, I could change my ticket. However, coming back three days later would cost an extra 1,000 bucks, and I'm just not willing to pay the extra money. So, my trip to Chicago will stay at ten nights instead of thirteen. Oh well... lesson learned.

From now on, I book my trips to Chicago based on when I want to go and return.

They Grow Up So Fast...

This our niece (and goddaughter) Fiona. She's going to be 14 in July, and this picture was taken while we were in Chicago on the eve of her 8th grade dance. She's something like 5'7" or 5'8" now - a little taller than my sister, and half a head taller than Mrs. TBF. It's hard to believe that she and her sister Kiera looked like this when we moved to Switzerland.

Man, we've been here a long time!

I took this picture of the entire clan after going out for breakfast on the Sunday morning (May 17th) before returning to Basel. I tried a couple of times to get a picture where everyone's eyes were open.

No such luck...

Needing To See The Light...

Crystal Light, that is!

I just drank my last Crystal Light "Skin essentials". All I can say is: "T'ank Got I'll be back in Chicago in less denn two weeks so I can stock up on Crystal Light."

In the meantime, where the hell am I supposed to get my antioxidant vitamins & plant extracts to help nourish my skin???? Where?, I ask you!!!!!

Skin emergency, people!!!!

Hey...Remember me????

I know, I know...I haven't blogged in a long time. And, I also haven't been very active in reading, commenting or really all things "blog". But, I am trying to turn over a new leaf. TBF has been on my case now for a long time about it, so today I decided that there's no time like the present, so here I am again. The big question for me is do I have anything that interesting, amusing, intelligent or otherwise compelling to say??? Well, at the moment I must admit that I really don't. But, maybe you do, so I'm going to pose a question. But first, a prelude to the question....

As you've read, TBF and I were back in Chicago for a few days together. At the end of one of my biz trips I flew to Chicago to meet him and spend the weekend visiting family and friends...frantically moving from one place to another to see as many people as possible in a short time. Luckily, things worked out pretty well and we got to see some people that we weren't able to hook up with last August. I always end up feeling bit stressed though and I would hate for people to feel as though we rushed through the visit. One evening we had what I would call a pretty relaxed dinner with Jo Mama. It was relaxed in that she didn't protest to drinking a glass of wine, having soup and a burger, and even a few spoonfuls of our shared dessert. The restaurant wasn't crowded and I generally didn't feel we were rushed out the door to turn a table which is usually the case on a Friday night. We also had a nice conversation which was not littered with angst or guilt over anything...not an easy thing for Jo Mama who worries about EVERYTHING! When we left Jo Mama's house to go to the restaurant, TBF announced with confidence that he was looking forward to his (our) mega-million dollar lottery winnings, but first we needed to remind him to buy some Lotto tickets. On the way to dinner we forgot to buy the winning ticket, but on the way home Jo Mama and I made sure that he bought the winning ticket.

Well, as you may have guessed, we did not win the Lotto. Our spread of numbers was absolutely pathetic. But, the nice thing about the Lotto is that it always gets you thinking. If you didn't think there was a chance to win you wouldn't buy a ticket, right? I honestly believe that every single person who buys a ticket, even if it's just one ticket believes that he or she can and will win. Who doesn't eagerly review the winning numbers against their own ticket(s) with anticipation? And who doesn't think about what they would do if they won...the big one???

So, prelude over. TBF and I are no different. We've had the conversation about what we'd do if we won. We've talked about our "magic number" that we'd need for me to join him in retirement. We've discussed buying a home, or maybe two. We've talked about our investment strategy. So, now the questions....

1. What's your magic number - what size lottery would you need to win to feel you could retire?
2. What's the first thing you'd buy?
3. Would you take a lump sum or an annual annuity, and why?

Ciao!

Mistaken Identity...

We're back.

I flew to Chicago nearly two weeks ago. After spending a few days in Chicago, I flew down to Palm Beach International to spend a few days with my folks in the Florida warmth and sunshine. Then, I flew back to Chicago, met up with Mrs. TBF, spent a couple of quick days visiting family and friends, and then we flew back together to Basel.

As we were getting off the plane in Basel, a British woman who was standing behind me said to me:

"Excuse me... I'm sure you get this all the time, but are you a designer?"

I had to admit that I'd never been asked that question before in my life, so I just had to find out who she thought I was.

It turns out that she thought I was Alexander McQueen.

I don't think I look anything like him, but...whatever. Maybe I'll grow a mustache and chin-beard and try to get some free meals at London restaurants.

I was once asked (when we were on our way back from Japan a couple of years ago) in the BA lounge at Heathrow by an American woman: "Did you used to play basketball?" to which I replied, "Why yes, I did." I'm sure she thought I used to be a professional basketball player, but I did, in fact, play basketball when I was a kid, so I didn't feel like I was lying. Ok, I'm tall. Yes, I can understand if somebody would think that I used to be a basketball player, but...

A designer?

I guess each one of us has a "separated at birth" twin somewhere in the world.

Who do people say you look like?

I slept for four hours yesterday afternoon, and then like a rock for nearly eight hours last night. Give me a couple of days to get back on track, and maybe I'll find, and post, a couple of photos from my trip to the U.S.

Ready And Waiting...

My rental car has been returned, the bags are packed, and I'm all set to go. Mrs. TBF is well into her flight from Singapore to Zürich: she'll be back home at some point on Friday before me. I'll be leaving for the airport in about 2.5 hours for the 7:55 p.m. flight from Chicago to London.

It's been a good trip (as evidenced by my lack of blogging). I spent a lot of time with friends and family, ate a lot (too much) good food, and enjoyed really nice Indian summer weather for most of my stay. Oh...and NOTE TO SELF: pizza and Halloween candy is not an effective diet for keeping off weight.

Yesterday, I picked up some dry cleaning (GOD BLESS American dry cleaning!!!), and the dry cleaner asked me if I wished that I was staying a little longer. My reply?

"Yeah...like about 50 YEARS LONGER!!!"

Of course, I'm looking forward to seeing Mrs. TBF after being apart for eight days, and I'm even looking forward to seeing the beast that is King*. However...it's getting harder to leave Chicago each time I come back for a visit.

I've GOT to keep a positive attitude about Switzerland.

Clean and safe! CLEAN AND SAFE!!!!


*We're coming, King!!!

So Far In Chicago...

...I have:

smelled TWO skunks!

eaten corned beef hash and Fritos (not together)!

had a minor dispute with a cashier (I won!)!

seen a friend I haven't seen for over a year!

watched a grade school Halloween parade!

I hope the excitement doesn't escalate: I don't think I could handle it!

I'm enjoying beautiful, warm, and sunny weather here in Chicago. I just wish I had brought along some shorts.

Happy Halloween!!!

A Quickie..

I'm in a hurry...

We had a great time in Paris, and now I'm getting ready to leave for Chicago. While I'm in Chicago, Mrs. TBF will head to Singapore on business. That means that we'll be pretty much half-way around the world from each other...which is sad.

I'll blog about Paris (and Chicago) after I cross over the Big Pond.

I'm counting on you, King, to hold down the fort while we're gone.

NO PARTIES!!!!

We Saw A Sign...

...on a Christian academy in Arlington Heights, Illinois yesterday that said:

JESUS CHRIST IS KING!

So now that we've suddenly discovered that our cat is Jesus Christ, we figured it was about time we got headin' back to Switzerland so we can show him some love.

It's approaching 7 p.m. in Chicago, and we're just sittin' here in the BA Lounge enjoying a couple of cool drinks and looking at the beautiful blue Chicago sky waiting for our 8:25 flight to London.

We feel like we've been away from home for a looooooooooooong time! I guess it HAS been two weeks, but it actually feels longer than that; maybe it's because we've crammed so many things into the past fourteen days.

I have to admit that I could stay here (a lot) longer, but Mrs. TBF has to get back to work, AND...we don't want to tick-off Jesus.

Talk to all youse guyses soon!

What We Did This Summer...

We've been on vacation for ten days now. We flew to Chicago on the 19th, then we flew to Norfolk, VA on the morning of the 20th, met up with some friends at the airport (btw...a very nice airport y'all have there in Norf-uck!) and then drove from Norfolk to Rodanthe, NC where we spent a week enjoying an Outer Banks vacation in a ginormous beach house with NINETEEN other people - a total of 11 adults and 10 kids!!!





Outer Banks vacation keywords: sun, sand, hot, humid, surfing, beer, wine, SPF 30 sunscreen, BBQ, Dairy Queen, Food Lion, and smuggled Cuban cigars (sorry, Dad!).

We flew back to Chicago this past Sunday, and now we're enjoying doing stupid things like going to Costco and being amazed by coolers that will hold 101 cans of beer AND keep ice up to 5 days at 90˚F. OR...if that's not enough fun for ya...picking up gigantic slabs of beef, and wondering how much more they'd cost in Switzerland.

Do we know how to have fun, or what?

Of course, we have our usual array of dental appointments (still no need for dentures or glasses...at the age of nearly 46!) and such, but most of the week will be spent wandering around aimlessly and just blending in anonymously as locals.

Oh...and the quote of the day comes from Mrs. TBF as we were walking around a Target store picking up a few odds and ends:

TBF: Ya wanna walk around s'more and look for somethin' else we might need?

Mrs. TBF: NO! I HATE this place! It's got a bad vibe!

I guess we'll just have to stick to Costco from now on.

Let's Catch Up...

I spent eight days in Chicago visiting friends (including one who was in the hospital), family (including my parents who were on their way back to Canada from Florida), overeating, shopping, etc.

Back in Basel on a Thursday...and an early Cinco de Mayo party on a Saturday. My bro-in-law and sis-in-law arrived from Chicago on Saturday evening at about 5:30. Our party began at 7:30. They had hardly slept during their flights. They ended up going to bed at about 2:30 a.m. Aren't we mean?

Two days ago, the four of us left for Italy. We took the train to Milan, and we spent one night there. Yesterday, we took the train from Milan to Venice. This is the view from our hotel room. We've been here one night. So far, so good. I'll let you know how things go.

There...all caught up!

It's 8:30 a.m., and...

...I've already been awake for FIVE HOURS!!!

Yes, I woke up at 3:30 a.m. I realized that falling back to sleep was futile, so I just read until Jo Mama got up.

Isn't jet lag a wonderful thing?

The flight over The Pond went well. I'm happy to report that I was not seated next to a completely insane person like I have been on past trips. We arrived in Chicago exactly on time, I was not hassled by immigration, and my checked bag (empty suitcase for bringing stuff back) made it too.

Nothing too exciting yet. Last night: a nice Reuben sandwich for dinner. This morning: a free cup of coffee at Starbucks (coupon in yesterday's paper), and a quick stop at Dunkin' Donuts for a box of 50 Munchkins for the nieces and nephew so that they'd all go to school completely jacked-up on sugar.

Later this morning, after picking up my rental car, I'll be going to the post office to mail our tax returns - one day late. I guess I didn't feel like standing in line at the post office yesterday afternoon with all the last minute filers. Actually, the return is not late since we have an extension until October 15th. However, the extra taxes we have to pay (a little over $100) were supposed to be paid by yesterday.

Dear Uncle Sam: Let me know if you want me to pay the interest on the amount we owe. What would that come out to? Something like...oh...2 cents?

Next Stop Chi Town...

I'll be up bright and early tomorrow morning for my 6:45 flight to London. I fly British Airways (with whom Mrs. TBF is very angry at the moment) to London, and then I connect to a flight on American Airlines to Chicago; used the rest of Mrs. TBF's Aadvantage miles.

This is the first time in a long time that I haven't flown British Airways overseas, and while I usually enjoy my American Airlines experience, I'm not looking forward to having to switch terminals at Heathrow. But hey...the ticket was free, so why complain?

I'm completely packed, the taxi has been ordered for 5:15 a.m., my transfer from O'Hare to my sister's house in the suburbs has been arranged, and I've given Mrs. TBF a refresher course on how to use the washing machine (...I'm not kidding!). So, everything is good to go.

I always look forward to going to Chicago, but I'm really looking forward to this trip because...

I'll be going to Wrigley Field this Friday to see the Cubs battle the Pirates. Our friend Dave called last week to see if I'd be interested in sitting in the first row, right behind the Cubs' dugout.

WHO WOULDN'T????

I have to admit that I looked at the Cubs' roster, and...I only recognize the names of three players. When the heck did they get rid of Ernie Banks and Billy Williams???

Anyway...

If you happen to be watching the Cubs on TV this Friday, look for the big bald guy sitting behind the home dugout. I'll try to remember to wave.

Friday Flashback: Sky King

We're going to have an early start tomorrow morning; 4:30 a.m. wake up, 5:30 a.m. taxi to the airport, 6:45 a.m. flight to London, and then an 11:35 a.m. (London time) flight to Chicago.

I love flying to Chicago. Actually, I love flying...period! Sure, I love going to see friends and family, eating all the food I miss eating on a regular basis, and just getting a grand old dose of all things Americana. But the thing I like most about flying is that once you're up in the air...it's always sunny. Yes, it's gray and dreary here in Basel today, but tomorrow at this time I'll be seeing nothing but clear blue skies and sunshine (if I'm not asleep).

In honor of tomorrow's flight, I dug deep through the photo albums to pull out this photo from the day - 7.5 years ago - when Mrs. TBF left for Switzerland. I stayed behind (with the pets) to finish working, sell the house, etc. At one point, we walked into our old bedroom and King was relaxing in one of Mrs. TBF's suitcases. Apparently, he didn't want to wait to head to Switzerland for his twilight years (that never seem to end!).

We learned from that experience; we no longer leave open suitcases on the floor. I guess another thing I like about Chicago is walking around wearing clothes that don't have cat hair on 'em.

My Kind Of Town...

I'm back in Basel, and Mrs. TBF is on a plane.

What else is new?

I made it back to Basel (no delays for a change) yesterday morning, and Mrs. TBF left for Singapore this afternoon. She'll be back on Friday.

Chicago was good. Here are some highlights:

Personal business was taken care of! Nothing bad...nothing major. It's just sooooo boring that I won't even get into it.

Classic Jo Mama Moment - I: I bought a "Blades Of Glory" DVD at Best Buy for Mrs. TBF (she LOVES that movie!). I brought it back to Jo Mama's house and put it on her coffee table so that she could watch it. At one point, while I was in my bedroom, she apparently picked it up, noticed the "Made In Mexico" sticker on it, and blurted out to herself: "Made in Mexico? Can't WE make anything anymore?!?!?!"

Classic Jo Mama Moment - II: Jo Mama told me (while we were eating dinner at California Pizza Kitchen) that she thinks the U.S. government should make sure that every single person in the U.S. has health insurance.

TBF: "Of course, you then agree that our taxes should be raised and your Social Security benefits should be cut immediately in order to fund this 'universal' health insurance. Right?"

Jo Mama: "Well...of course not! Why can't we do it like they do it in Canada?"

TBF: "You mean, the 'free' health system that is funded by 50+% income taxes and non-medical benefits that are lower than those in the U.S.?"

Jo Mama: (silence)

Chicago deep-pizza!! I took Jo Mama out for dinner on Friday night. I wanted to go to Gino's East for some Chicago pizza, but Jo Mama wanted to go to California Pizza Kitchen because they "...make the BEST chopped salad!" The salad ended up being "wilted", and the pizza sucked! Fortunately, the bro- and sis-in-law came to the rescue the next evening by ordering some Lou Malnati's deep-dish. It...was...AWESOME!

NOTE TO SELF: Don't stuff yourself with garlicky deep-dish pizza the night before an overseas flight!

Hassled by a crazy dude at O'Hare Airport: I arrived at O'Hare a good 3.5 hours before my Chicago-London flight because I wanted to buy some Japan Rail passes - for our upcoming trip - at the Japan Air Lines counter. I showed up at the counter, and...there was nobody there. After going to the information desk to find out what the deal was, I came to find out that the JAL counter is only open for a couple of hours in the morning. NOTE TO THE JAPAN RAIL WEBSITE: How about putting the JAL counter hours on your website?

Anyway...I had A LOT of time to kill, so I parked myself at a bar so I could have a couple of Okocims and watch some football. I won't get into details, but I ended up being hassled by a little old homeless/crazy dude who didn't like that I glanced over at the luggage cart containing his worldly possessions that he had just bumped into my barstool. I just ignored him until he called me a "earring-wearing faggot". Nobody, I mean NOBODY, insults my earrings, so I just told the tough-looking Polish bartender that the crazy dude was hassling me, and SHE told him to "...get da hell outta here or I'll call security!"

He ran like a sissy, my perfect record of never having been in a fight in my life remains intact, and my two-day-old manicure didn't get messed up.