Category Archives: Life

I’m Rory Gilmore (except not really)

Posted on by

Rory, wearing her 'reading is sexy' t-shirtConsidering how long I’ve had this blog, it’s surprising that there hasn’t been another Gilmore Girls-themed post before. After all, my domain name was taken from a quote of how Rory described her mom, Lorelai, in one episode. I’ve kind of adopted the phrase ‘multi-faceted abnormal’ as my motto, more and more in the past few years, as I left behind the teenage phase of wanting to fit in.

But really, I’ve always been really rubbish at fitting in. I knew I was different from most of my class mates, and deep down I didn’t want to be like them – but oh, I wished not fitting in didn’t hurt so much… I wasn’t really bullied, but there were incidents and a constant sense of being on the fringe, of not truly belonging. Still, I was Rory Gilmore during her highschool days in many ways: I was the girl who always carried a book (still do), the one who didn’t feel comfortable in groups and had no real wish to conform.

Continue reading →

Continuing to be productive

Posted on by

I finally set up some goals on 43things – you can see the list in the sidebar here. A couple I had already started on, but it’s good to formalize things, making it hopefully easier to keep at it.

Today I started a couple projects to improve my fitness levels – with tai chi sadly on hold (not enough students in our class), I have only my walk to work and burlesque once a week. Specifically I decided to give Two Hundred Sit-Ups, a 6 week program that seems doable, even in my cramped flat, a try. Also, The Couch-to-5k Running Plan, although I’m not sure if my knees will take it. But I already bought the GetRunning iPhone app and did the first session, walking and running along the river Sihl, turning a very unattractive shade of lobster red. 🙂

Another moment where I eschewed fashion was last Sunday during my baptism, which you can see for yourself in this album on Flickr.

Baptism service Baptism service Baptism service Baptism service
The last picture was taken after we had dried up and changed – our baptism companions (mine is Eli, a very friendly and lovely lady) prayed for us.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

The one where I talk about my religion

Posted on by

As I mentioned in my BADD 2010 post I’d like to improve this semi-dormant blog with the occasional post of actual substance. Hence the brilliant new category title. 🙂

Important: Please note that these posts are highly subjective and personal. I am not in any way, shape or form, trying to tell anyone how to live their lives – and in return I do ask that you respect my right to live mine the way I choose to.

So let’s dive right in: Yesterday, on Whitsunday, I was baptized. I don’t know how common adult baptisms are elsewhere, but in Switzerland pretty much everyone is baptized as a baby, either into the Protestant or Roman Catholic church. However, I was born a Baptist pastor’s daughter (which means a different thing here than it might in the US – the Southern Baptists actually left the World Baptist Union), and one of the things I like best about it is that getting baptised is supposed to be an adult’s free choice. My parents raised us in a Christian home, but never one that was restricting. I grew up believing in all the things that are good about Christianity – and not surprisingly my relationship with God and religion was for a long time informed by my family.

Continue reading →

Blogging Against Disablism Day: May I introduce myself

Posted on by

Blogging Against Disablism Day, May 1st 2010
Blogging Against Disablism day will be on Saturday, 1st May. This is the day where all around the world, disabled and non-disabled people will blog about their experiences, observations and thoughts about disability discrimination. In this way, we hope to raise awareness of inequality, promote equality and celebrate the progress we’ve made.

The fact that I’m posting this means that it’s been a year since I started seriously educating myself on disability activism in general and the disabled blog community in particular. It is part of my journey to better educate myself on a variety of issues (most notably LGBTQ rights, feminism, racism and, obvious from this post, disability rights) in order to become a better ally to marginalized groups and a better advocate for those groups that I’m a part of myself (as you can tell, I believe strongly in intersectionality). While with most minorities it is easy to decide whether I am on the inside or outside, reading and thinking about disability and disablism has not been quite that clear cut.

I’m a straight, white woman – and I consider myself at least disability-adjacent, so to speak, because I have a mental illness.

Continue reading →

Beautiful memories

Posted on by

The long Easter weekend the whole family spent in Schwangau, at the foot of the famous fairy tale castle Neuschwanstein, celebrating my parents’ 30th wedding anniversary. The five of us really enjoyed spending some quality time together – and the fact that the Bavarian landscape was gorgeous, the castle touristy but stunning, the food plentiful and great and we got to spa to our hearts’ content didn’t hurt either… 🙂

Castle Neuschwanstein, Schwangau Castle Neuschwanstein, Schwangau Castle Neuschwanstein, Schwangau Castle Neuschwanstein, Schwangau

See all 67 photos in my Flickr album. I also uploaded photos from last week’s Mika concert in Basel:

Mika @ Basel Mika @ Basel Mika @ Basel Mika @ Basel

Incidentally, I moved Flickr accounts and let my old Pro account expire. If this breaks any links I do apologize – it was a result of Flickr refusing to let you change your name in the web address.

New tattoo

Posted on by



New tattoo

Originally uploaded by Evamaria N


Spent the afternoon getting my tribal extended into what I call a ‘life tree’ by a Hungarian tattoo artist named Erne at Giahi here in Zurich. I don’t think I’ve EVER been in so much pain before, except possibly when I had my bike accident and a concussion…

There’s about an hour’s worth of work left (some colored leaves to make it more alive), but I simply couldn’t anymore, so we’ll do that in May (so I can go to the spa on the family trip to Castle Neuschwanstein over the Easter weekend in April).

Happy birthday, Omilie!

Posted on by

Today would have been my paternal grandmother’s 100th birthday. She was one of the sweetest people I’ve ever known, although she sadly slipped into dementia in her last years, the cracks in her sweetness showing the disappointments and bitterness she’d suppressed all her life. But for me, the memories of earlier on, when she was living in her small terrace house with the roses out front (with my distant grandfather until his strokes) in a retirement village in Germany, are much more vivid. Which is how it should be.

Thank you, Omi, for the smiles, the stories, the awesome tent beds in the attic, and the special treats in your fridge. But most of all for your love, which shines clearly in my mind, more than a decade later.