Days 9-24 (a little catch up)

Well I have been on a bit of a hiatus from posting. I am in a bit of a pensive mood; an all to familiar mood. The past fifteen days have been full of many assorted things.

Movies I have watched: American Psycho, This is England, Dan in Real Life, 21, We Own the Night, Lars and the Real Girl, Sweeny Todd, No Country for Old Men, Iron Man, 1/3 of Speed Racer (It is awful), Indiana Jones (new one), Die Hard: Live Free or Die Hard, I Am Legend, Hitman, The Kingdom, and The Darjeeling Limited. I may be forgetting a couple.

Books I have read:
American Psycho, Notes From Underground, On Beauty, A Grief Observed, Face Your Fear, and Blood Meridian.


I have also played 2 softball games against the Pick Wicks and the Quarks. We won Both. Here are the box scores and stats for games one and two.


I was contracted to do a website for one of the members of my softball team. I had to create a web tool that would evaluate the motivational potential in educational websites.

Work has been going quite well also. My project seems to be going alright and I have been enjoying hanging out with all of my co-workers.

Lastly, we have been out to several parties, 2 karaoke nights, and several bar outings. We may be going canyoning this weekend in Interlaken as well.

I miss home though...

See you soon!

Rant heard around the world...

Keith Olvermann is my hero for now...

Day 8 - reunion

Due to today being Pentecost there was no work, bonus! I met up with Rachel for one last time as her and her family passed through Geneva before leaving. We had a very nice dinner in old town. I tried fondue for the very first time. It was delicious.

The final portion of the evening was spent with a bottle of Polands finest vodka Wyborowa and Rachel. The building lights flickered on the soft rippling water; yellow, orange, blue, green, and white, as we reminisced until the early hours of the morning. Feeling at home for the night was a much needed change. It was hard saying goodbye again but it was worth it. It is hard to believe in four short months that we could all form just a close friendships. See you all soon...

Day 7

Sadly, the Leptons lost today with a final score of 18-10 to the Marines. We were tied until the sixth inning with the marines bombarded us with a fiery of hits and a homerun. On the bright site we look promising. Our next game should go well.

That evening Carlos, David, Christian and I went to some new bars; one of which was Karaoke. With great crowd approval we David, Christian and myself sang Yellow Submarine. The evening ended with a 2 hour walk home. I got lost. Big surprise. I really live up to my nickname 'wrong way', thanks dad.

Day 6

Although I didn't get to go home for commencement I graduated today! I am the first person in my immediate family to graduate college. It is a great feeling but at the same time it hasn't quite registered.

In the afternoon I prepared a nice lunch and played basketball with Dimitri. He is my home-stay families 13 year old son.

At night I met up with David, Carlos, David, Christian, Catherine, and Marta at Alhambar for drinks and then went dancing.

After that I spoke with Maria online for about an hour and tried to iron out plans to meet her in Rome.

Then bed....

Day 5

Due to the late night last night I went to work a bit later than usual. I stayed until about 8 then went home. I decided to just relax read and watch a movie with the help of a bottle of red wine John left me. A quiet night was just what I needed.

Day 4

Tonight we (David, Carlos, and myself) went to the UN night. It was actually quite fun. Being in a smaller group that usual had its advantages. I met a lot of people. It was actually quite laid back but at the same time there was a slight bit of formality in all of my introductions. I met Giulia and Carolina, both of who invited us to a BBQ.

After the we left the UN night at Scandale we went to a great little club near the train station with Ruel and Giulia. I can't recall the name but it was great. Beers were only 3 francs! It was a bit of a punk/alt scene. Typically kind-of dirty and swanky but at the same time trendy and sheik. There were no reservations when it came to dancing. Everyone seemed like they just wanted to have fun. Ruel snapped a picture of me with a transvestite which I can't wait to post. Other than that it was a wonderful night.

Meeting so many new people has really helped with the transition of the whole group.

Day 3

Well because it is a quarter after three and I am tired I am going to list the events of my day in chronological order. Here's to brevity...

First I searched all of Geneva for a softball mit. They do not exist. As a little aside, 23 out of the 25 baseball gloves in the athletic store were for lefties. Considering 7-10 percent of adults and 35 percent of the worlds population are left handed I would say thats kinda weird. I imagined a guy offering a bulk order of gloves for cheap and then when they opened it they were shocked but at the same time didn't care because no one plays baseball in Geneva.

Second I worked from 11-6 and had a great lunch. The CERN cafeteria has been on top of it's game lately.

Third, I started reading American Psycho. I am very excited about this because it will be the first book that I think I have read, other than High Fidelity, before seeing the movie. I can't wait to finish I am only about 50 pages in and it's great.

Next, I went to softball practice. I am on one of the 2 CERN teams the Leptons. The other is called the Quarks. Practice went well and everyone is great. Historically I guess we have faired quite well in the league. Anyhow, I was also invited to a going away potluck picknick on Sunday before our first game.

Then I went to Pic Wicks to watch the soccer match with two of my co-workers from Spain, Carlos and David. Carlos knows a guy at CERN that is going to take us up in his plane over the Alps and then we will land in the Alps to have a coffee ( no big ). Canyoning in Interlaken was mentioned as well.

Last but not least, on the way home I randomly ran into Jamie on the 8 bus from Nations. She had just returned from Paris. So, we walked back to the Knox and then had a 2 hour stroll/conversation. It was great.

So, overall today was great. I can't wait to go to bed though. Tomorrow I will be going to the UN night with Carlos and David. I think there is also a pre-house party Jamie mentioned.

A tout l'heure...

OHH! I almost forgot. Here is the most blatantly offensive ad I have scene in Geneva. It is about some issue regarding immigration etc.

Refusé the colored sheep. Awful.

Day 2

Today was a great day. Work went very well. I am officially a member of the 'Leptons', the ultra competitive CERN softball team. Our first practice is tomorrow. Should be a great time.

What else...I stopped off at a small farmers market and bought a couple peaches. I made a mess of myself trying to eat it. It is nearly impossible to eat a peach and maintain any semblance of being 'neat'. Fortunately my muted slurps didn't attract much attention.

The weather here has been perfect. I got of the bus 3 or 4 stops early to walk the rest of the way home. With my headphones secured I set off on a 2-hour walk around Geneva. I started creating a summer play list. The drab and depressing winter music had to go. With my new soundtrack to life blaring in my ears the whole world seemed to open up. Everything around me was teeming with life and happiness. I stumbled upon a courtyard; it was literally in my backyard. It was beautiful. I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to be here in Geneva right now.

Day 1.5 - Bored

Don't ask. I got bored waiting for my boss at work. Writing backward is hard.

Day One

It is been a few months since my last post. I am determined to post each day for the remaining 5 weeks I will be in Geneva. I hope you will read and keep me accountable on my new more independent stay in Genève!

Well today was day one of CERN full time. I miss everyone but it is time to move forward. I enjoyed work today. It was filled with a bunch of logistical work, such as finding out my banks international wire transfer number (more difficult than one would expect). After a nice lunch with a co-worker I got reacquainted with our system. They did a lot of rearranging over the past couple weeks which took some getting used to. I met up with a friend Carlos; we met at a UN night. Several of us are planning on attending the one this Thursday. Of-course these typically aren't the pinnacle of excitement. I went home around 5:30 after emailing a guy named Andrew about joining the CERN softball league. Seems like a fun way to meet some new people.
On the way home I finished a book that I had been reading all day. I found it under a tree behind the Knox on Friday. It is called "Inherit the Wind". It was a fairly short play about a legal battle. It was the high and pious prosecuting attorney Brady vs. the big city lawyer Drummond. It was the State vs. Cates, an open-minded schoolteacher who decided to break Public Act Volume 37, Statute Number 31428, teaching Darwinism over creationism in school. This violation was punishable by fine and/or imprisonment but in reality it had a much larger impact on this small town fitted at the buckle of the Bible belt. It seems like two giants facing off over the morality and right to free thought. I really enjoyed the play. It raised some great questions and included some thought provoking subject matter on ones ability to judge the world with an open mind but also being able to maintain faith. I particularly enjoyed a private exchange between the two lawyers. Brady asked, " Why is it, my old friend, that you have moved so far away from me?" Drummond slowly responds after they study each other, " All motion is relative. Perhaps it is you who have moved away -- by standing still. For me this line embodied the greater idea of the play. Progress is hard work, it means testing all ideas against the light of day. Maybe it's better to chase the sun rather than be left in the dark.
I stopped by Migros on the way home from work today and bought some groceries. It felt nice to start a routine. Tomorrow I may buy a plant for my desk, perhaps something simple but nice. Well tomorrow is another day. I can only hope everyone from Geneva is settling back into their lives as I am trying too do as well.

-Jorry