Sunday Morning Thoughts – Jan 12, 2025
Spontaneous? Yep! Is the world broken? Very much YEP!
So much on my mind this week. I mean from the fires in LA – which is still don’t have the right words for - to going on a spontaneous adventure because of an event I went to on Friday night. Where do I even start.
There is so much going on in the world that can be directly attributed to climate change and the spreading of lies. The truth doesn’t sell. The truth doesn’t make you billions. Taking people’s hard-earned money does. Fearmongering trumps necessary changes. They just don’t care as long as they can hang on to their money.
And that’s what’s so infuriating – just because people are helping each other out in a crisis and are resilient AF, doesn’t mean it’s all going to be okay. This is humans showing up for fellow humans, helping in any way they can. Some people have lost everything! Where are these people going to go? Who is going to help them rebuild? Insurance companies? Think again!
I’ve been staying away from the news for two reasons. There is so much going wrong that I could doom scroll all day. That I stopped doesn’t mean I don’t know what’s going on or that the situation is not horrible. It sure is. It’s beyond words horrible. But I can only function in this world if I take care of my mental health – I had to stop the doom scrolling.
Then there is that “everything is going to be okay” crowd. Toxic positivity at its best. Have they been paying attention? Do they know about wounds? The physical, the psychological and also, the wounds of nature? There are millions of people who are displaced around the world. This is not okay.
Different story in Switzerland, but same result. People will have to move. People will be displaced. People will have to migrate. And it’s no longer people in so called third world countries. It’s starting to affect everybody.
But yes, it’s all okay, as long as people are making billions off of it. All very much okay. Pisses me off.
Now, there is something about warm winds that are a phenomenon around the world. I read that in another newsletter on here. It mentions the Föhn that we have in the Alps. I’ve never experienced Föhn storms like the ones last week. I can only speak for my region (not in the Alps at all), but they lasted a lot longer than usual and were - what to me felt - more spread out and not confined to what we would call Föhn valleys.
We got lucky as it was also cold and rainy/snowy the entire time in most areas of Switzerland. Those winds will dry out everything, that’s why they share a name with a hairdryer in German. The hairdryer was named after the wind it looks like.
I might be only 50 this year, but the changes in weather patterns I’ve seen especially in the past few years are scary. We’ve never had this many thunderstorms. And yes, I do remember since I used to LOVE them and they didn’t happen as much. Now, they happen so often it’s nothing special anymore. And they got a lot more intense. I can feel them throughout my body. So, they can just stay away from me, please.
And right now, we’re experiencing a colder winter than previous years. I don’t think I’ve worn my bobble hat this much in the past 20 years. I have not fact-checked this, but that’s what it feels like to me.
I dread to think what that means for our summer this year. It’s all connected, and it’s so messed up that the weather forecasts seem to have become guesses. You could sometimes just roll a dice and be more accurate. This is not normal! People need to stop pretending that it is. And yes, politicians could very well do something about it. They just don’t want to – gravy train and such. And those who want to get replaced. Make perfect sense.
But hey! lucky we have Tucker to tell us that abortions are to blame and that it’s not global warming. Of course it is. I’m going to need to move on to something else because … wtaf?!
Guess what – something else triggered me. Idiot on IG. Why was I even on IG you ask? Good question! I don’t know. But let’s talk money.
Swiss prices might be high, but here’s what I had for lunch yesterday and what it cost me. I went on an adventure and had to improvise lunch. So, I got a sandwich, some carrot salad, a 0.5l bottle of Apfelschorle (that’s apple juice mixed with sparkling water), a small bag of chips and a small chocolate bar. All of that for the grand total of $12. Yes, it wasn’t a posh sandwich and yes it was just regular chips, but those are my favorites – deal with it. Of course, you can also buy a $12 sandwich if you prefer.
I’m not saying Switzerland is cheap. Far from it. And yes, I got triggered by somebody on IG. I know how silly that is. If people want to go ahead and spend obscene amounts on stuff they could get a lot cheaper, I’m just gonna let them. And it’s not always possible and you do have to know where to go, but that doesn’t create clicks, does it? I did not interact with this person but went on a bit of a rant to a friend instead.
And did you know that the average income in Switzerland according to this person is $90,000. Even if that were the case (I haven’t checked), why are we still talking averages? I’ll give you an example. You have four people who have $0.01, $5, $10 and $1,000,000, respectively. I’m sure we can all calculate the average in our heads. Let’s make it an even $250,000 (technically $250,003.75). How do you think the penny person feels when they hear that?
Of course I picked an example that would highlight the difference between average and median well. I know my statistics, so I know how to make a point 😉. It’s not always as clear as in this example of course. So, if we take the median in my example that’s $7.50. Seems a bit fairer as a representation of how much money those 4 people have. Then again, it would let the 1 million person off the hook if this were about taxing people, but it’s fairer for those with less money. The median is the middle value – like the value where half is above and half below. If you have an even number, you take the average of the two middle numbers – that’s $7.50. If I added $9 to the mix, that would be the median. Or $6 if I added that.
This concludes statistics 101 this Sunday morning.
Also this morning on the bus the “news” screens told us that 700,000 people in Switzerland live in poverty. If we add people who are close to that poverty line the number is more than 1 million. In a country with a population of 9 million that’s a lot of people. And Swiss cost of living doesn’t care if you have money or not.
While I go explore places that are mostly free – getting there is not. I have an annual rail pass. I’ve had that for 30+ years. It’s cheap when you’re in school or a student, but the full adult price (second class) sets you back about $4500 a year. That’s an expense that a lot of people can’t afford.
I just thought I’d give a bit of perspective on that.
You know what the next two news stories on the bus were? 700 climate activists that were arrested in the Netherlands for blocking a freeway and some billionaire who’s about to send a rocket into space. I’m just going to leave that here and share a few pictures from a cold morning in my hills. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that’s the Alps with the sun rising behind them. And no, I can’t name any of those mountains. But look how pretty.
Anyway, do you want to know what kind of adventure I went on and how it all started? I was thinking of making this a separate newsletter but then decided to make this one unbearably long instead. You ready?
I went to see a multivision show on New Zealand Friday night. They guy who presented it mentioned an Austrian artist called Friedensreich Hundertwasser. I know some of you will have heard of him and know his work. Now, the presenter got some of the dates wrong during his live narration of the show. So, yesterday morning I decided to quickly look Hundertwasser up and guess what I found … there is a Hundertwasser building in Switzerland. Is it pretty far away? Well, yes. Was I gonna let that stop me – nope!
That was around 10.40 yesterday morning and I might have been on a train by 11.31. That meant taking the 11.06 bus. So, I had like 26 minutes. Not sure why this is relevant, but I think it’s pretty impressive 😉.
Totally spontaneous and that’s why I had to improvise lunch. I ate on the train where I had plenty of time since I was on that very same train for 1 hour and 50 minutes. It took me all the way to Lake Constance. There it got a little bit annoying. The train arrives at 13.21 and the bus leaves at 13.19 – next bus is half an hour later.
Down to the lake I went. It was a beautiful day.
And for some reason I walked around this really ugly building that was blocking the view of the lake. Well, I soon realized that they had free (!) art exhibits there. How cool was that? There was also a shop and a café. So, I could have taken that next bus or … well, you guessed it. I went inside and checked out their Joan Miró exhibit and there was also one on water, clouds and wind. Truly fascinating stuff. Check out Forum Würth Rorschach if you want to know more.
There’s also a sculpture garden and today they are showing off ice sculptures right outside the building. I saw some of the preparation work and they are lucky it’s as cold as it is at the moment.
I have no idea what brought me there yesterday, but I was soaking up all that creativity. It was pretty special. I’ve stopped questioning those impulses I just roll with them whenever I can. Yesterday was such a day.
I used their fancy restrooms, got my things out of the locker and headed for the bus stop. I took the elevator up. Not something I usually do, but the bus left from up on a hill like at least six if not more stories up.
The bus driver was funny – he called himself my personal taxi driver as I was the only passenger. I laughed which encouraged him to keep talking to me. I should have just given him my resting bitch face but there you go. It was not far to my destination and when I finally got there, I loved it!
Unfortunately, due to no prep work on my part, I got there and the gift shop and inside of the house were closed. So, I just walked around the building and took some pictures.
What you have to know about Hundertwasser is that he doesn’t like straight lines. That’s how this house was built too. The funniest thing were the zebra crossings (pedestrian crossings) that are usually yellow and straight rectangular shapes. The ones right next to this building were not straight at all. Made me smile.
I had planned on walking to the “old Rhine” that flows into Lake Constance in Altenrhein and forms the border with Austria. Sadly, my stop at those art exhibits meant that the sun was already pretty low and since there was only a bus every half hour and a direct train every hour, I just walked around for a bit waiting for the bus to arrive. I walked past an airport which was interesting. Tiny planes but very cool. There was also an airport museum. I might check that out some other time.
I kind of knew that we also had an “old” Rhine, but only yesterday did I look at a map of that area properly and see that there are two such areas close together. Areas where the old and the new Rhine are really close to each other. And there I was making fun of the Dutch for having an Oude Rijn. Of course, they also have a crooked Rhine – crooked as in not straight - but that’s a different story. Something I still need to figure out.
So, when those borders were drawn the Rhine was in a different place than it is today. The “old” borders remain, as does the old riverbed. In these cases, water still flows down the old riverbed, it just doesn’t carry all the water anymore. The main flow has been straightened all the way to Lake Constance. I encourage you to look up Diepoldsau on a map. I know at least one of you will already be looking at a map when I say this.
Train rides – a waste of time you say? Well, the first draft of my company logo is in – this is still kind of secret. I’ll let everybody know when I’ve started building my homepage. You can get a lot done on a train ride, even creative stuff – just saying.
There is also a new logo for my newsletter which you might have noticed. If your inner Monk tells you that there should be a space after the R of newsletter and the beginning of my name, you’re right. But, I think it makes people stop and look for longer, so I’m totally leaving it like this.
I am also super happy with all the progress regarding my business. Taking it step by step but it’s going a bit too smoothly. I don’t trust it yet. I’m also adding volunteer work in some way. I will see where I can be most helpful.
I had so much more to say, but I think this is enough for today.
Be safe everybody. Take good care of yourselves. These are crazy times. If any of you ever want to hang out online and just chat – let me know. Hugs all around.
Thank you for sharing your adventure! Beautiful photos and I like your logo very much. Sunday hugs 🌻
PS that last photo was just fabulous!