Friday Flashback: Back To Copenhagen...

We're off to Copenhagen this weekend. It'll be our first time back in a little over eight years.

What makes Copenhagen special for us is that it was our first "real" trip after moving to Switzerland in October 2000. For the first ten months, we pretty much just stuck to traveling around Switzerland by car or train, or we'd drive into the Alsace or the Black Forest (which I despised!). Having found a good kennel for Dominique, and a couple of neighbors who were willing to stop by and throw some food down for King, we decided that it was time to actually jump on a plane for a weekend getaway outside of the clean and safe confines of Switzerland and our immediate neighbors. I looked online, booked a last-minute trip, and off we went.

The highlight of that trip eight years ago was probably the canal boat cruise where I took this self-portrait. The weather was hot and sunny, a waitress served ice cold beer on the boat, and we just relaxed and watched the Danish scenery pass us by. We also visited Tivoli Garden, and enjoyed a couple of really nice meals in Nyhavn.

This time, we're going with friends who used to live in Copenhagen. Not much is planned (other than dinner at a nice restaurant on Saturday evening), but I have no problem with that.

What will we do?

You'll just have to check back next week to find out.

Friday Flashback: Five Years Ago & 35 lbs. Heavier Edition

Every now and then I like to take a little wander down memory lane and see what there is to see. Yesterday, I decided to see what was going on five years ago this month, and I uncovered this golden oldie.

Jo - the mother-in-law - had just been in Basel for a visit. After she left, I went up to the guest room to strip the bed, and I discovered that she had left one of her fleeces behind in the dresser. Sensing potential photographic gold, I stripped down to my birthday suit, squeezed into her several-sizes-too-small fleece, and snapped this self-portrait on January 7, 2004.

On my next visit to Chicago, I returned her fleece. Of course, I waited until I saw her wearing it before showing her the picture. Aren't I a great son-in-law?

Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen her wearing it since then. I wonder if she still has it?

Friday Flashback: Last Day Of Work

This Sunday will mark the eighth anniversary of my last day of work. Just in case you're keeping score at home, that comes out to 2,920 days since I last traded my time for money.

Mrs. TBF says I am now completely unemployable. Me? I'm not so sure. I think, if I really tried, I could probably land a minimum-wage job somewhere in the world. Of course, I always have my friend Dr. Andy to fall back on. He's a VP of sales, and he's always telling me that "...we could use a guy like you!" So far, he's offered me sales positions in Paris and Moscow. But my deal-breaking demands of a mid six-figure salary, only working three days per week, and only working between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. (with two hours off for lunch) on those days seems to have scared him off...at least for now.

Here's a picture of me on my last day of work - September 21, 2000. Since I had a company car (the white Chevy Impala on the right), my boss (Randy) had to drive me home in his car. Actually, he first took me out for dinner, and THEN he drove me home. That evening I took off the "work uniform" for the last time, and I've rarely worn a tie since then. Nowadays, on the rare occasion I do wear a tie, I really have to think about how to even tie one. Back in my working days I used to do it every single morning, without even thinking about it, when I was half-asleep.

Seeing this picture now has me thinking about Randy - all 5'6 AND 1/16th" of him ("When you're as short as me, you count every 1/16th of and inch!"). I'll be back in Chicago in just over a month, and it's been several years since I've seen him. Perhaps I should meet him for lunch and test whether I'm completely unemployable or not by asking him if he'd hire me back.

Hopefully, his answer will be NO!

Finnish Friday Flashback...

After my chance encounter with the Finnish guy on the tram earlier this week, I began thinking about other random encounters I've had with Finns throughout my life. Of course, this means random encounters OUTSIDE OF FINLAND because...well...there'd be nothing special about running into a Finn in Finland. Duh!

I think I've come across Finnish people probably about a dozen times in the eight years I've lived in Switzerland. Probably the most memorable time was when Mrs. TBF and I were in an art museum in Florence, Italy (Why can't we just call it Firenze?) and I eavesdropped on a Finnish tour guide explaining to a group of Finns that a particular painting of Jesus showed him "...in an effeminate pose not unlike that of a ballerina."!!!!

...Don't think the Italians would have appreciated that one.

Then, there is also the half-Swiss, half-Finnish girl who works the counter at "the" Basel Burger King. Ordering my Burger King meal in Finnish? Fun!!! Whopper comes out pretty much as VOPP-perrrri, and I tell her to "...heitä vähän juustoa ja pekoni siihen pääle" (throw a little cheese and bacon on it)!

However, probably my greatest random encounter with Finns, and the only one ever captured on film, occurred in November, 1997 when Mrs. TBF and I were in Hawai'i celebrating our tenth wedding anniversary.

Mrs. TBF and I decided to get all athletic one day by hiking up to the top of Diamond Head. After huffing and puffing our way to the top (we were both carrying a lot of extra weight back then), Mrs. TBF went to the very highest observation point to take some panoramic photos. While I stood there, enjoying the breeze and the scenery, I heard a familiar sound. I looked over and saw a mother and father speaking in Finnish with their daughter who was wearing a Finlandia vodka hat. Imagine their shock when I asked them in Finnish if they would like me to take a photo of them together. After talking to them for a minute, Mrs. TBF came down the stairs, heard me talking, and said:

"You've gotta be kidding me!"

She couldn't believe it, but she had to believe it because...it was true!

When you least expect it, EXPECT IT!!! Finns are lurking everywhere!

Friday Flashback: First Grilled Turkey!

All this talk about turkey during the last week or so reminded me that we have a picture of the first time I ever grilled a turkey on the Weber. At least I THINK it was the first time. The first time may have been a year earlier, but suffice it to say that it was ONE OF the first times I ever grilled a turkey on the Weber.

That's good enough, right?

These photos were taken by Mrs. TBF at Thanksgiving in 1989. Don't I look cool in my acid-washed jeans and cowboy boots? And how about the hood of Mrs. TBF's parents' 1979 Lincoln Continental. God, that thing was a boat! The hood must've been ten feet long!!

As you can see, we had a white Thanksgiving that year, and I remember freezing my butt off when I went outside to check on the coals. But cold be damned! Eleven minutes per pound for the turkey! Summer or winter...it makes no difference!

Like a Swiss...freakin'...watch!

Even though I had probably drooled onto the bird while I was carving it, AND that I was balding so fast at that point that each of us probably had some of my hair in every forkful, everybody raved about it. In fact, Mrs. TBF's dad said it was the best turkey he had ever had in his life.

You know what? I'm in the mood for more turkey. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law don't know it yet, but I'm really looking forward to the deep-fried turkey that they'll be making for us in a few weeks while we're in Chicago. Nudge, nudge...wink, wink!

Can't wait!

Friday Flashback: Long Live The King!

Since the celebration of King's 20th birthday took place this past week, I thought I'd scan and post a couple of pictures to show how long the beast has actually been in our midst.

These pictures were taken in early 1991 when King was about three years old and Mrs. TBF and I were both twenty-something. Yes I still had (some) hair, and I look quite a bit younger. Of course, Mrs. TBF hasn't changed a bit (except for losing the John Lennon glasses and the 80s Benetton shirt)! King? He's a shadow of his former self; probably about five pounds lighter now than he was back then.

These pictures were taken 17 years ago. WOW!

Friday Flashback: Coffee Break...

To celebrate the fact that our Nespresso machine continues to operate perfectly despite the fact that the 2-year guarantee expired at midnight on Monday night, I decided that it was appropriate to sit down with a double espresso and go through the photos to find some coffee-related pictures from our past. Here goes...

It was late November, 1999 when this picture was taken - our third vacation to Hawai'i in as many years, and all was well with the world. While driving to South Point on the Big Island, we pulled off the main road for a quick - and rather large - cup of coffee.

When this picture was taken, we had been living in our house (the house we thought we'd live in for the rest of our lives) for 9+ years, and we were in the midst of planning a major renovation. All was well in our personal and professional lives, and...life was good.

A few months earlier, Mrs. TBF's ex-boss had moved to Switzerland to take a job with a major pharmaceutical company, and before leaving Chicago, he extended to us an open invitation to come visit him and his family (probably thinking that we'd never take him up on his offer). One day, during this trip to Hawai'i, Mrs. TBF suggested that we actually take him up on his offer, and she bought a couple of Switzerland travel books. I remember relaxing next to the pool at our hotel, reading about the Basel Fasnacht, and thinking that it might be a good time to go to Basel. Upon arriving home from the trip, Mrs. TBF contacted her ex-boss, and the wheels were in motion; we would be going to Switzerland (as tourists) a few months later.

Skip ahead to March, 2000, and we've just arrived at Zürich Airport. The ex-boss, his father-in-law, Mrs. TBF, and I are cruising down the highway between the airport and Basel. Mind you, we're jet lagged, and we've been in Switzerland for approximately half an hour. Suddenly, the following exchange takes place:

Ex-boss: You know, [Mrs. TBF], there are A LOT of great jobs in Basel. Would you ever consider moving to Switzerland?

Mrs. TBF: I don't know. [TBF], would you ever consider moving to Switzerland?

TBF: Yeah....if I didn't have to work.

Mrs. TBF: Would [TBF] have to work?

Ex-boss: He doesn't HAVE TO work now.

Mrs. TBF: You know what I mean...

About three months later, on June 17, 2000 (if the date on the camera was correct), we were sipping al fresco coffees in Basel's Marktplatz while taking a break from...APARTMENT HUNTING!!! Yes, in three months' time, we had gone from leaving our house in the Chicago suburbs (again...the one we thought we'd live in for the rest of our lives) for a vacation in Switzerland to...putting it up for sale, giving notice on the jobs, and turning our lives completely upside down. Yes, we thought it all through when the ball started rolling. But overall, it was pretty much a spontaneous, crazy act that I still sometimes can not believe we actually did. When we broke the news to our families, they couldn't believe it either. We were probably the least likely candidates to EVER move away from Chicago, let alone to another country...

But move to another country we did! And, I've never regretted it. Sure, I miss family and friends back "home" in Chicago, but I see them fairly often, AND I'm sure we'll be back living there again before too long...I think...I hope...been saying that for four years now. We've seen so much in the past 7.5 years, and I'm glad we've had the opportunity to experience Europe, in the prime of our lives. Living here has changed our values, our outlooks, and...we've enjoyed a lot of damn-good coffee! Oh, for instance, like these fine brews on the Ile de la Cité in Paris this past December. Come to think of it, I could use a cup of that fine Parisian coffee right about...this afternoon.

Shall we, Mrs. TBF?

Friday Flashback: Sick Days

Seeing how the entire week was just a continuous string of sick days for me, I thought it would be a good challenge to go through the photo album archives to try to find pictures of Mrs. TBF and I when we've been sick. And, you know what?

There aren't many to choose from, but definitely more of me (various surgeries) than of Mrs. TBF.

I guess it makes sense. I mean, who takes pictures of people when they're sick?

After hours...ok...minutes of research, I was actually able to scrounge up a couple.

As you may be able to tell, this picture was taken quite a long time ago. It was, in fact, taken in late October, 1987 while we were on our honeymoon in Tahiti - actually, this picture was taken on the island of Moorea. We had flown from Chicago to Papeete (via Los Angeles), the day before. We spent the first night outside of Papeete, and then the next day we took a "puddle-jumper" airplane to the island of Moorea.

Being jet lagged and all, I decided to take a nap when we got settled into our little thatch hut bungalow. Some time later, I was stirred from my sleep by Mrs. TBF whispering: "There's a gecko sleeping on your hand." At that same moment, I felt that I had a scratchy throat, and...I was convinced that the gecko had given me some kind of rare tropical disease. I jumped out of bed like a sissy, and tried to swat the gecko off the back of my hand. Finding that it had suctioned itself to the back of my hand, mild panic began to set in, but I somehow managed to eventually get the (two-inch) man-eating beast off of my hand; sending it scampering out of our hut. A little while later, Mrs. TBF snapped this picture of me calming my nerves - and deadening the pain of my scratchy throat (which eventually matured into a full-blown cold - with a nice, icy Mai Tai; her first exposure to the marital man-cold!

I really had to dig deep to find a sick picture of Mrs. TBF because she really doesn't get sick that often. But I'm happy to say that I found a real doozy! We have to zip ahead nearly fourteen years for this one from June, 2001.

After about fourteen years of caring for my man-colds (probably about thirty in total), Mrs. TBF came down with chicken pox. We found out later that it was going through our neighborhood, and Mrs. TBF had never had it as a child. Getting chicken pox is never pleasant, but what made Mrs. TBF's case especially bad was that she came down with it while she was on a business trip.

She was flying to New York and kind of felt itchy during the flight. It wasn't until she was at her hotel getting ready for bed that she noticed her entire torso was covered with little spots.

To make a long story short: she called the health clinic at work which told her not to come in and to just stay in her hotel room for the next week, decided that wasn't going to happen, booked the next flight back to Zürich, and then called me to tell give me her flight details. After caking on a bunch of makeup so that nobody on the flight would notice, she flew back to Zürich the day after arriving in NYC.

I picked her up in Zürich, brought her home, and...then I LEFT FOR CHICAGO THE NEXT DAY FOR TWO WEEKS! Just for the record, I offered to cancel my trip, but she said she'd be fine with Dominique. I spent two weeks visiting friends and family while Mrs. TBF spent two weeks dabbing her face with calamine lotion (or whatever the Swiss equivalent is) and walking Dominique early in the morning and late in the evening in order to avoid seeing as many people as possible.

Aren't I a jerk?

Friday Flashback: "Everyone Knows It's Windy" Edition

In honor of the howling winds from earlier this week that kept me awake by rattling our blinds and windows, I pulled a couple of old "windy" photos from our photo albums. Yes...actual photos that you can hold in your hand. What a concept!

These pictures were taken in October, 2001. We took the train to Munich for a weekend trip to meet up with our friend Dave from Chicago who was in Munich on business. While there, we made a quick excursion to the Olympic Park. And, of course, no trip to the Olympic Park would be complete without a ride up to the top of the Olympic Tower.

Now, I'm not crazy about heights to begin with. But imagine my concern when I walked out into the open air at the top of the tower and felt gale-force winds blowing against my (at that time) rather substantial girth. I seriously had images in my mind of being blown off the top of the tower, screaming Scheisse as I sailed over the Olympic Stadium, and landing somewhere in Austria. Mrs. TBF, on the other hand, was more concerned about what the fine people at the BMW headquarters were saying about her "freak flag" flapping in the wind.

Wow! Has it really been over six years since we were in Munich? Over six years since we had Weisswurst and Hefeweizen beer for breakfast?

Scheisse! We need to go back!

Friday Flashback: Seven Years, No Itch!

This past Tuesday marked seven years since Mrs. TBF arrived in Switzerland.

Time....keeps flowing like a river...to the sea...TO THE SEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!

Our original intent was to move here for "two to three years." Obviously, the "two to three years" has stretched to another "two to three years"...and then some.

How much longer? Who knows? Perhaps...two to three more years. Or, what I usually tell people is that we'll continue to live outside the U.S. as long as George Bush is in office (I moved here one month before the 2000 election). How many days is that now?

Overall, I like living here. Every now and then I get an itch to move back to Chicago, but I'm fortunate to be able to travel to Chicago three to four times per year to see family and friends, and those trips serve up a pretty good scratchin'!

Mrs. TBF, on the other hand, has no itch. Sure, she misses family and friends, but she really likes living in Switzerland and has said on several occasions that she could live here for the rest of her life.

Only time will tell.

This past Wednesday evening, while enjoying a glass of wine on our balcony, Mrs. TBF reminded me that it was the seven-year anniversary of her starting at her current company; it's the longest she's ever worked at any one place.

I decided to do some searching through the archives, and I found this picture from the evening of July 18, 2003. Mrs. TBF was out enjoying a cold beverage on the back patio at our old apartment; probably telling me that it had been three years since she started at her current company.

Some things never change.

Or do they?

Friday Flashback: Sky Blue Sky

Oh...I freakin' give up already!

Today is the first beautiful, warm, blue-sky, day in I don't know how long. I was going to be a lazy arse and spend about three minutes finding a nice photo of Mrs. TBF and I from the archives with a blue sky in the background, post it, and then head outside to enjoy the day. And...guess what? It took me an hour to find a photo of the two of us together, with a blue sky in the background, that...I HADN'T PREVIOUSLY POSTED ON THE BLOG!

Sheesh!

Here's the stinkin' photo photo from this past Christmas Day in Rome!

Hope you all have a nice weekend.

It's time to go get my tan on!

Friday Flashback: March, 2003...

The reason why I'm flashing-back to March, 2003 is because that was the last time that Mrs. TBF and I were in Madrid. I can't believe it's been four years!

Four years ago, my sister, my bro-in-law, and their (at that time) three kids were living in Madrid due to my bro-in-law's two-year expat assignment with a major Chicago-based electronics/communications/etc. company. We knew they would be heading back to Chicago in a few months, so we decided to make one more trip to Madrid; which we thought would be our last.

No, we having nothing against Madrid. However, we had already been there a couple of times before that (including driving there from Basel - with our dog - for Christmas in 2001), and we just thought there was no reason for us to ever return.

Then, we met Sal...

I guess the word "met" isn't exactly accurate. I mean, we've never met him face to face, AND we've never even spoken to him. However, we have left comments on each others' blogs, and we have exchanged a few e-mails. As far as we're concerned...that's reason enough for us to take an easyJet flight from Basel to Madrid tomorrow morning so that we can meet the blogging legend in person and turn the "virtual" tapas bar into a "living and breathing" tapas bar. By tomorrow at this time, the three of us will be in the midst of a tapas bar crawl to end all tapas bar crawls!

We are REALLY looking forward to it!!

So here, for your viewing pleasure, is a picture of Mrs. TBF and I taken in Madrid on March 22, 2003 while riding on one of those double-decker, tourist buses. I have to admit, that we both weighed significantly more at that time (I think our combined weight loss is equal to one-half of Sal's total body weight!), and it took quite awhile for me to find a picture where the camera angle had an acceptable slimming effect on our bloated faces. I'd also forgotten how long Mrs. TBF's hair was back then...wukka, wukka, chukka, chukka...Wow!

My overnight bag is packed, the weather forecast for Madrid is looking good for the whole weekend, and I can already taste the tapas and Spanish wine! Plus, I think they have Dunkin' Donuts in Madrid (added bonus!).

Sal, we'll be seeing you in less than twenty-four hours!

Friday Flashback: Moving On Up...

...to that dee-luxe apartment, in the sky-y-y....

With very little fanfare, we just passed the two-year anniversary of moving into our apartment. We actually spent the first night in our apartment on January 22, 2005, but our lease began on February 1st (complicated partial monthly rent back-payment to previous tenants...don't ask). What that means is that since we signed a two-year lease, we are now free to move whenever we wish without penalty.

During the first two years of our lease, if we had wanted to move, the onus would have been on us to find new tenants to lease. Of course, the landlord would have to approve the new tenants, and...well...let's just say that it's a situation best avoided.

So now the state of things is such that all we have to do is give a three-month notice if we want to move. Not that we're looking to move in the immediate future, mind you, but it's nice to know that the option exists should the situation warrant.

To the flashback:


I went to the extensive TBF photo archives and blew the dust off of these pictures from moving week/January, 2005.

We woke up the first morning (with stiff backs) after sleeping on the trusty, old futon mattress; that space is now taken up by the "puzzle table". The waterbed was set up a few hours after that picture was taken because there was nooooo way I was sleeping on that mattress for a second night.

A few days later (on the coldest day of the year), I threw on my work gloves and helped (we were paying by the hour) the moving crew make the 7 km./4 mile move to the new apartment. My God! Look at how red my cheeks are. It kind of makes me wonder who was doing all the work. Well, apparently the pets were, because they were exhausted!

The picture with the moving crew makes me sad because this was when our dog - Dominique - began her quick spiral downward and began to have bouts of confusion (as you can obviously tell). We had to put her down less than two months later. King, on the other hand, is still terrorizing us with his toys during the night and feels the need to tap my nose every morning around 5:00 a.m. when he feels I should be getting up to feed him.

I wonder if this apartment is the last place King will ever live...

Happy (Belated) Birthday, Vince!

Believe it or not, I used to actually go to a barber to have my hair cut.

Yes, I actually once did have hair...

Mrs. TBF and I bought our first house in Elmhurst, Illinois in 1987. Shortly after moving in, I noticed that my hair was getting a bit scruffy, and I realized that I needed to find a local barber. As fate would have it, while making one of the first of what would be many drives to the local home-improvement store, I happened to pass a barber shop located only a couple of blocks away from our house - Vince's Barber Shop.

I liked the place the moment I walked in because:

...no appointments....first come, first served...

...guns mounted on the walls, and usually a gun on the table next to the cash register that Vince would be cleaning while he was waiting for the next customer to come in. I'm not a "gun person", but I thought it was pretty cool!

...three barbers' chairs, but only one barber...

...stacks of gun, car, and girly-magazines...

It was truly a barber shop for manly men.

More often than not, while Vince (...it's amazing what one can find with a Google search!) was cutting my hair, one of his buddies would pull up in front of the shop in his Cadillac that would take up two parking spots, come in to the shop, sit in one of the chairs, talk to Vince about guns - or some other pressing matter - for a few minutes, then...leave without getting a haircut. Yup...just stoppin' by for a little visit.

Vince, whose birthday is on February 2nd (I remember it every year!) was - and probably still is - a real character.

One time, while getting my hair cut about a week before Christmas, the following exchange took place:

TBF: "Did you buy your wife anything for Christmas?"

Vince: "Leather goods."

TBF: "What...like a purse, or something?"

Vince: "No...a boot in da rear, and a belt in da mouth!"

I've used that one a million times...

Around 1995, I realized that I didn't have too much hair left, and I started buzzing my own hair with a trimmer. Then, in 1997, I began shaving my head. Vince's services were no longer needed, and I stopped going to "the" barber shop.

I wonder if he even noticed...

Zip ahead five years to late summer, 2000 when, shortly before moving to Switzerland, I stopped in to see Vince.

(TBF walks into Vince's Barber shop...)

Vince: "Holy shit!!!!"

TBF: "I just thought I'd stop by to let you know that I didn't leave you for another barber."

Vince: "Looks to me like your barber is a real asshole!"

I grabbed a seat, talked to Vince for a few minutes, told him I was moving to Switzerland, said goodbye, and walked out of his shop...

Yup...just stopped by for a little visit.