Archive for the year 2009
Van Morrison
Posted on March 10, 2009 by Ching under Videos.
One of my all-time favorite Van Morrison songs…
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Germany another day down.
Posted on March 10, 2009 by Brian under Family, Life, Travel.
Well I am another day closer to going home to my baby. I am getting anxious. I pity anyone that is going to be around me on Saturday at the airport. I am going to be like a kid at Christmas waiting to sit on Santa’s lap. Today i did some more testing and then sat through a few meetings, got some new capabilities in one of our reporting systems and sat through a very lengthy meeting and argued that the process they were trying to cut needed to be left alone because the view they had was not the view of the users and they were working for the users and not themselves. Needless to say, I got my point across and won. Now we will see if it stays all the way to launch.
I am addicted to the Turkish place on the corner. It’s one of the things that I am going to miss about this place. I have eaten there at least once a day every day since I have been here. They are very nice to me and they have accommodated me in every way. I went there at lunch today and ate with the development group. For the first time in my life (and I am not exaggerating one bit) I witnessed an entire table full of grown people eat a pizza and never physically touch a single piece with there hands. That’s right, each of the 4 developers ordered a small pizza each. They then got out a fork and an knife and they cut and ate there pizzas with utensles. I looked around and found a few other people doing the same thing. I got a Turkish pizza (which is like a wrap) and I am cramming this thing into my face while they are all eating small bites with a fork. It was the strangest thing I had ever seen and I don’t think I will ever witness it again. I just racked it up to the differences that I have been learning about between the cultures.
I am so looking forward to getting home. Back to cable TV, fast food, stable internet connections and the most important thing of all, my wife. I can not wait to get back to her. I miss her so much, her smell, her touch, her…….dammed I am getting all worked up just thinking about her. I have her picture on my desk top but its just not enough any more. I have a new respect for those in the military or those that have to take positions that take them away from family and friends for extended periods of time. I don’t know how they do it. If I had to stay here much longer I think I would have gone bonkers. They would have found me standing on the bell tower naked shouting obscenities to people as they walked by. They told me today that they were so impressed with the progress that they made and everything that we had accomplished that they think I should come to Germany for at least one week every year. I proposed that we alternate years. One year some one comes to America, the next I come out to Germany. They actually liked that idea. I don’t think I will need to come to Germany again this year (it was thought that I might) which I am grateful for. As much as I want to get home, I will miss some things about this place. I like the convenience of everything. If I want to go to the store its a quick walk away, if I want to go to a restaurant or fast food shop it’s a quick walk away. Actually just about anything is just a quick walk away, including my office. Everybody walks around here. It’s one of the things that I really liked, the convenience of everything. I thought that we had convenience in the states but I was very wrong. I will miss it, but no so much as to stay, lol.
Well, I think that’s all I got for know. I am going to head to bed so that I can wake up in time to chat with the wife before she goes to bed.
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Wichita Home and Garden Show
Posted on March 9, 2009 by Ching under Flickr.
Some pictures from the Wichita Home and Garden Show this past weekend…
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Germany the Home Stretch
Posted on March 9, 2009 by Brian under Travel.
Well today was another day of work here in Germany. It was not so bad though. Got to work and immediately started testing the system. Got some questions answered and went to lunch with Matthias and a few of his friends (they do this every Monday and they rotate who pays every Monday). I had a really nice pork steak in a dilled cream sauce with veggies and croquettes, I love croquettes. We don’t have them in the states that I know of. They are like Tater Tots, only better. The pork steak was great and I even liked the sauce that was on it.
My wife will be proud of me. I am usually not very adventurous when it comes to food, I have had to adapt (I’m good at adapting) in order to stay fed. I have eaten things this past few days that I thought I would never eat. It may cause me to be more adventurous in the whole food area when I get back home.
After lunch Matthias and I had a tour of the Ennest manufacturing facility. This place is gigantic. I did realize how big it was until about half way through it. I was really looking for a golf cart. Then this dude rolled by on a bike, I was like “Hey, give a brother a ride”. I was SOL, stuck walking. It would not have been so bad if it wasn’t for all the stairs. We went up, then down, then back up then back down, it was never ending. But I have to say very much worth it. They have almost everything automated, its absolutely amazing.
After the tour we came back to the office and it was almost time to leave at that point. I had just enough time to call Ching and my dad and just give them an update on how things were going. At a little after five I decided that all the walking had burned off lunch and it was tie to fill the tank again. Can you all guess where I went. YEP! the Turkish place. Man I love that place. This time i got a Turkish Pizza. This is a thinly rolled pita that’s about 12 inches in diameter. Its got some kind of a curry paste on one side of it. They put that shaved beef on it some veggies and Tzatziki (that’s the Garlic, Ranch, Paprika sauce). then they roll it up like a wrap. I have to say that this has got to be my new favorite. Out of all the places that I have eaten since I have been here I think the Turkish place will be the one I miss the most. We don’t have any places like this in town that I know of, and its a shame, the food is outstanding.
One thing I will not miss is the noisy hotel that I am in. I swear, Germans are not happy unless they are talking loud, slamming doors or walking like they are trying to put there feet through the floors. Its one aspect of the culture that I just do not understand. Its like they think they are the only ones in the entire place. It does not matter what time of the night. I can tell where they are, what room they are in, what floor they are on and if they just walked in the front door or the bathroom. And before any of you think that the place has thin walls I will stop you. I checked, they are poured concrete walls and built to withstand just about anything. Its not cheaply constructed, its solid. Its just that they are seriously that noisy.
Luckily I only have a few days left then its back to the states. I can not wait either. I miss my wife so much. I told her not to plan anything for the weekend because I had a lot planned for us. Most of which involved lewd things in the privacy of our own home.
As always, I have posted pictures on Flickr and the wife should provide a link later to the images. I hope everyone is doing well and I am truly grateful to the friends and family that have been taking care of and looking after my wife in my absence. I really appreciate it.
Well thats all for know. Its getting late here and I am tired fro all the walkig around. I think I am going to head to bed here in a few. Night all.
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Turning Over a New Leaf
Posted on March 9, 2009 by Brian under Travel.
I may be turning over a new leaf. Being here in Germany, I have no choice but to walk to every thing that I want to do. The first few days I was really dreading it. I would get up, get ready for work then think to myself, “God I need a car”. Now a little over a week later, I am not really minding it. You also have to remember that on top of the walk every morning I have been carrying a back pack full of about 30 lbs of computer equipment in it.
I think when I get back, I am going to start walking around my neighborhood. Then maybe branch out and walk a little farther every day. Maybe I can get the wife into it and who knows, it may spark something in both of us to venture to exercise further. I am just worried that I will go home find the joys of driving and slip back into my old ways. There is not really that much to see around home like there is here and the walkways are designed more for exercise and not for pedestrian travel to and from specific points. In Germany, the walk ways are wide enough for all pedestrians to move and are close to the stores, the streets are wide enough for 2 lanes of traffic and because they are so narrow, it makes it easy to cross traffic. Unlike in America where you have to cross multiple lanes of traffic and worry if the people on the street are actually going to stop for you or run you down. That is one thing that I will miss. The convince of everything. If we had towns like this in the states, I would move there in a heart beat.
I noticed that the only cars that you see on the road are for delivery, or they are coming into the town or leaving the town. Other than that, everyone walks everywhere. In the states, everything is so spread out. We have to drive to every location. Its no wonder we have pollution levels off the charts and we are struggling to keep gas flowing in our country.
There is also a sense of trust among everyone. I noticed that no one pushes in line, no one is concerned about someone stealing something from them while walking down the street, no one is mean and hateful to others because they are different or odd. Now this may be isolated to just this town, but I would loike to think that it spans farther than just here. Visiting the Turkish place so much I have learned that a lot of people visit this place. They are always pleasant, always accommodating and the people that come in are varied. Just last night I was standing in the store and there were two Japanese Business men in there, Myself, a handful of Turkish folks and a sprinkling of Germans. I think there might have been a few middle eastern in there as well all crammed into a store a little larger than a standard US kitchen. An not a single bit if hatred in the entire place. In America, some racist redneck would have started a riot within the first 10 minutes guaranteed. That’s if they weren’t trying to fire bomb the store on a daily basis. There are some aspects of America that I hate. But all-in-all, i miss home.
Only a few days left then I am on my return flight and back to my family and friends. Hopefully I can take some of the cultural things that i have learned and bring them back home with me. I hear it all the time, “It only takes one person to change the world”. Maybe that person is me.
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