It’s been a terrible snow season in the mountains this year but before the sun finally melts what’s left, I’ll be away for the next two weeks hunting down what I can find to slip and slide on.
Give my love to the city, Ron

The Red Bull Music Academy is an ongoing global event that brings together musicians of all stripes to share and learn from each other – I’d say they give each other wings, if I were being a corporate shill, which obviously I’m not, so ignore that. On Thursday an Academy session is being held at Zukunft as one of the hip-hop greats comes to town to give a lecture. Just Blaze is producer, collaborator and beat-meister for the likes of Jay-Z, Kanye, Eminem and Roc-A–Fella Records. The evening continues with an after-party at Longstreet Bar with Just Blaze and London dj Benji-B in attendance. The lecture and after-party are free, so get there early, as it’ll be first-come-first-served.
Thursday 6 pm, Zukunft, 10 pm Longstreet Bar

Who needs stand-up when you can have made-up comedy? This Friday sees The Improv Comedy Kitchen coming to Boulevard and bringing with them some of the best comedians from the UK, USA and Canada to put on a totally unique show. You know the deal – you shout out aardvark, trombone and tap dance, and they’ll perform a (hopefully) hilarious scene incorporating your suggestions.
Friday 8 pm, Boulevard

The Lighthouse Festival is a new underground electronic music festival that took place on the shores of the Adriatic Sea in Croatia for the first time last year, and will take place for the second time at the end of May this year. In an unusual twist, leading up to the actual festival, they take the festival on tour, visiting like-minded clubs to give a flavour of the event. This Saturday they’ll be hosted by Hive with djs Mind Against and Oliver $ headlining as well as a selection of djs from the Hive Audio imprint. I have 2 x 2 tickets to give away. E-mail me.
Saturday 11 pm, Hive

On the surface Miriam the Believer may just be a Swedish-Iranian singer/songwriter, but once you hear her music and voice you will understand that she is a force of nature disguised in a female form. Her music is driven by rhythms that conjure up folk and spiritual traditions with operatic organ and strings layered on top, but it is her voice that takes centre stage as it swoops and glides between the howl of a banshee and the soft whisperings of the rain. She, and her band, are playing at Moods on Saturday night.
Saturday 8.30 pm, Moods

Beginning on Saturday and lasting until the 8th March is the zurich moves! - Contemporary Dance & Performance Festival, which brings international dancers and choreographers to Zurich to perform and discuss their art throughout the week. On Tuesday, as part of the festival, Kino Riffraff showcases the always-intimate relationship between dance and cinema as they dedicate an evening to some beautiful contemporary short films called Dance on Screen.
Saturday until 8th March various times, zurich moves dance festival
Tuesday 9.15 pm, Kino Riffraff

Boy and Bear may be a band that hail from Australia but would seem more at home in the sun-kissed hills of California, sometime in the mid 70’s. If this lack of originality and being on the cutting edge turns you off then you’ll be missing out on a band that has mastered the art of the simultaneously happy and melancholy tune, melodies to hum forever and vibes that’ll smother you in a golden haze. They play at Rote Fabrik on Wednesday night and I have 2 x 2 tickets to give away. E-mail me.
Wednesday 8.30 pm, Rote Fabrik

I have to admit, I was quite cynical when I saw the locale’s name: Benzin & Koffein. Just because it rhymes (well, kind of) it doesn’t necessarily go together, I thought. But after its opening last Saturday, I have to admit: I was wrong. The venue is half a café where I had a) one of my best take away coffees ever and b) was able to buy my absolute favourite breakfast - namely a bagel with humus spread. Watered and fed – I couldn’t remember what I was complaining about before. Ahh, the name. Well, the other half sells bike attire – motorbikes, of course. So the name is as perfect as the team behind the counter is friendly. Welcome! 
Benzin & Koffein, Aemtlerstrasse 48, 8003. Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 8 am to 8 pm, Saturday 9 am to 4 pm

The past weekend felt like spring. And spring makes me think of fresh vegetables and fruits. So I had a look around town to find a few home delivery services for you. Vidis Kochtüte : Vidis Kochtüte supplies you with three recipes and the required ingredients. Since February, the team also offers vegetarian bags. I have 2 vegetarian bags to give away for free. Just check the website if your address lies within the delivery zone, send me an  email with your address. Bio-Milchmann: the service delivers organic and Demeter from Zurich’s farmers directly to your house. You can define your «subscription» yourself. They deliver not just vegetables and fruits but also eggs and meat. Bio Archehof : Archehof supplies you with seasonal vegetables all year round. They also offer an option for a bi-weekly delivery, which I like a lot. Brüderhof: Brüderhof offers local vegetables as well as eggs, milk, wheat and bread in a subscription of your choice. They bring your goods to various venues within town where you can pick it up.

The sun also reminds me to start on time with my garden work this year. With this in mind, I visited Veg and the City at Europaalle to find out everything an amateur needs to know. And my gut was right: End of February is the right time to start pre-cultures indoors. For a top result they offer courses for booking and a planting calendar for downloading. I have one paper pot press and two bags of guerilla seed bombst o give away for free. Just send me an e-mail.
Veg and the City, Lagerstrasse 36-38, 8004. Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9 am to 7 pm, Saturday 9 am to 6 pm

After seeing these pictures, I’m planning my next diving trip to China, to the Qiando Lake to be specific. 53 years ago, the government flooded the city Shi Cheng (Town of the Lions). Under water you can discover various ruins that date back to the year 208. If your travel plans take you somewhere else, you’ll find a selection of pictures on  amusingplanet.com.