Losing days

Well maybe my dad was right (that I would slow keeping my blog once I started work). But now I'm back and have a lot to tell. The days really blur together. Working on the agency side we used to wonder if we were running around 20 hours a day and couldn't finish everything, what kind of work could our client ACTUALLY be doing. Ok so now I know! While I don't think EVERY client I've ever had has worked this hard (and I don't think it has to do with being new), BUT my colleagues (and me) definitely do! This past week was literally a full on blur.

I joined a Yahoo! user group called BaselExpats about a month prior to coming here, which is largely British expats but with a smattering of Americans thrown in for good measure. I've asked questions about technology etc and ended up e-mailing with this guy and finally early last week I get an e-mail from him saying, "all things being equal on the Internet, I Googled you and saw that you worked for XYZ company, well my wife is Mrs. Jones who ran the Belgium office in Brussels. Now they don't have the same last name and even if they did it wouldn't have rung the bell! But holy cow, she's now in Basel working at that "other" pharmaceutical company on the other side of the Rhine from Roche. No matter how big the world might seem, the Internet constantly still surprises me in that way. So we went out for dinner on Wednesday night and they were so kind and picked up the check, not even knowing it was my birthday.

It's very social here. When you go to lunch in the company cafeteria, most people say hello and good-bye when you sit at the same table even if you don't know them. Plus, since I really only know how to say hello, good-bye, water, and thank you in German...I might not be able to speak the language, but I'm pretty cordial. :)

And alas, Thursday was my birthday. Dad called me at 11.45 p.m. on Wednesday evening to sing. He started to give me crap about getting older and I gave it right back to him citing that he's old enough to have a daughter that is 38. He was none too happy about being reminded of that! :) He said he even "missed me a little". When you start a new job a week prior, having a birthday is a weird thing. You want to walk around telling EVERYONE that it is your birthday, but it's pretty much grossly inappropriate to plug it that way...ok I did to a couple of people. But a friend from another department brought me a card and my boss was standing there. In her cute French accent she said, "omigosh I did not know it was your birthday." I trotted off to a two hour meeting (ergh) and upon returning there was a GORGEOUS bouquet of flowers on my desk. A HUGE, absolutely gorgeous bouquet. I told her thank you, although not necessary. She said they were from our marketing team.

I ran from meeting to meeting and it really didn't feel like my birthday...or maybe when you get older by the time in the day it feels like your birthday, the day is already over. :( I went out with my friend Nadia for sushi. Her company was lovely as always, but even the best sushi in Basel isn't as good as what you would get at the corner bodega at home. But alas, I'm quickly learning that you need to stop comparing "home" to here, since there is no way those two trains will cross. But the middle eastern food rocks! Nadia did an incredible thing. She has these two rings from Swarovski that I've coveted for almost two years now. I've tried to find them online, in their warehouse, etc. but to no avail. Nadia showed with a bag from Swarovski (I bought her something from there a few weeks ago for her 40th) and I "thought" it might be there. She bought me a murano glass wine stopper shaped like a heart AND she gave me one of the crystal rings (the red one)! The last time someone did something that nice for me was when Joanne gave me her favorite ring for good luck, and I guess it worked! We sat outside having drinks at a fun place in the center of town. I got home around 11.30 p.m. and well that's all they wrote. Now I'm 38, just when I was getting used to being 37.

Last night I went out for dinner and to see a movie with another friend and with much protest from me she treated me to another birthday meal. We saw "Wild Hogs" with John Travolta and it was HILARIOUS...pee in your pants HILARIOUS. I've seen some of the out takes and they were as well. It was nice not be at a bar. Drinking wine is considered a very regular part of the social environs here in Europe, but I did a lot of birthday celebrating over the past few days!

Today I met a friend for lunch and we sat in the sun on Rhine...yep you guessed it a three course meal for lunch, wine, and another birthday treat from this friend. And then I just opted for a quiet evening at home, because my next four weeks looks something like this:

May 17 London for business (the 17th and 18th are actually bank holidays, but yes I have to work and my European colleagues are appalled that I need to do it)

May 18 Paris for business (then spending the weekend with a friend)

May 24 Mannheim, Germany business (2 hours from Basel)

May 30 to June 5 Chicago for business

June 5 to June 9 NYC for some kindness to myself and to see family / friends

Have I ever mentioned the purple building in my neighborhood??? I fear the photo won't do it justice but it IS purple!

Even though e-mail helps to keep in touch, would still love to hear voices. Yahoo! phone or calling cards make it next to nothing (Yahoo! is nothing if you have the messenger).