The Adventures of Frankfurt Freddie...

Corrado Photos

2012-01-11T16:21:00.000-08:00

I don't have a picasa or shutterfly account so I'm posting my pics here so I can upload them to vwvortex.com...

Keri Goin' HAM!!!!

2010-12-01T22:35:00.000-08:00

Always had a thing for long legs and a cute face...

Cheers.

"I Can't Feel My Face"

2010-09-08T21:38:00.000-07:00

"...you have to finish."

Classic.

Cheers.

Intro 2 the Introduction of Jungluv Scene...

2010-09-07T20:08:00.000-07:00

...how am a I going to explain this...?

F- it, this is the summary...

He enters the house, wearing a suit
You can tell he's coming from work, not just cause of his outfit but because of the tone of his voice and his topic of conversation
Over the course of his talk, he grabs a Stella from the fridge and heads upstairs to his bedroom...talking all the while...intermittently cursing
In his bedroom he begins to change from suit to comfortable house clothes (sweats and a hooded sweatshirt)
As he changes, his mannerisms change...into Jungluv

...and the thing is, this synopsis isn't doing it any justice. Matter of fact, you reading this won't do it justice cause I want it to seem seamless. I could act this out, or better yet be myself. Like this is a random Tuesday and the essence of Jungluv lives inside him without him even trying.

...all this from a picture.

Cheers.

Yeah...I Think Its Time

2010-06-07T23:17:00.000-07:00

5 Megapixel Camera...I'm done.

Cheers.

I'm Single

2010-05-09T20:03:00.000-07:00

This my isht...

Cheers.

The Caps Lost Tonight...

2010-04-28T18:55:00.001-07:00

I feel like its still niggas that owe me checks/

I feel like its still bitches that owe me sex/

--Kanye West

"I Put On", 3rd Verse

...and I'm pissed.

Not cause I'm some die hard hockey fan. Quite the opposite, I'm as band-wagon as they come when it comes to the sport. I guess I'm mad for two reasons.

The first involves what the Caps mean to sports in D.C....they're the only bright light. You have a team whose owner can't get out of the way of the team and its operations ('Skins). You have a team whose star player can't get out the way of himself (Wizards). And you have a team...well I don't follow baseball like that, the Nationals just suck (even though they have a winning record right now and Stephen Strausburg on deck). It just seemed the Caps got it right. Their owner, Ted Leonsis, seems to be a genuine guy who cares about the team and knew enough to set the team on a 5-year plan to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. They have a team captain in Alex Ovechkin who is arguably the best pound-for-pound player in the NHL. And you have an overall team (Ovie included) that is young enough to make a run for some years to come. This was the year, they had all the pieces in place and everything was going according to plan. I believe this was Ted's 5th year of owning the team and they had the best record in all of the NHL (home-field throughout the entire playoffs) and were just coming off a season where they were one game-away (decided in overtime I believe) from reaching the Stanley Cup Finals.

But they lost in the first round after being up 3-1 in the series and playing Game 7 at home.

But second, and most importantly, this seems to be how the world runs. Putting aside the very fact the D.C. may in fact be a cursed sports town, it just seems like in getting to the promised land (in sports, a championship; in life, whatever your ultimate goal may be), you end up paying too much for it.

It's like you realize that its going to be tough and strenuous and nerve-racking and sacrificing. And you're up for it. You're beyond pot-committed, you're all-in. And all the setbacks you can imagine end up happening just like you expect. And even though they truly set you back, you expect them and look at it as part of the price...part of the growth...and you move on, knowing that even in the loss, you're still moving closer to the ultimate goal.

Then you get to the point where you think you get it.

Then you get to the point where you truly understand yourself, and the world in which you're operating/playing within.

Then you get to the point where your colleagues and peers understand just how serious (i.e. good) you are, and the respect follows.

Then you see the real path to get to the promised land, and you understand all the peaks and valleys you must travel through to get there...and you KNOW you're more than capable and READY to handle them, for you've been through the trials and tribs already...you're battle-tested and ready to run through the fire, barefoot over the coals...

...and then because of...something that has less to do with your performance, but the (bad) luck of the situation, it is taken away from you in a heartbreaking fashion that doesn't make you question your preparedness, or your understanding, but whether or not it was MEANT for you to get there or whether you'll ever get there.

Its at that moment that things change. you realize how much you've over-extended yourself in pursuit of a goal that, because of things out of your control, may never be in the cards for you to have. Worse yet, even if you do get to the goal, you wonder can you ever really be proud of yourself, cause it most likely won't be because of you, but how the cards fell.

Its at that moment you hate yourself for devoting yourself to this.

Its at this moment you develop contempt for the goal.

Its at this moment that you DON'T quit, but develop a sort of apathy for the goal and the sport itself. Yeah, you still remember all the lessons from when you were driven, but success or failure means less...its just a game/process and its gonna happen the way it happens so there's no use in getting all riled up about it.

Its at this moment...that you finally end up achieving the goal. And you know what, you care less. Note, I'm not saying "you could care less", I'm saying you develop this shell around yourself that prohibits you from caring to the degree you cared before. Why? Cause you know that the value of the goal will never match the cost you shelled out to get there.

That's how I feel right now.

Cheers.

WTF?!?!?!?!

2010-03-31T22:59:00.000-07:00

Cheers.

Boomerang 2010

2010-03-30T20:01:00.000-07:00

So HBO had me on Sunday...

I was really on my way to head out to work, but I was making breakfast, and 'Wanted' was on. Then I checked the guide, and 'RocknRolla' was on right after. So, after RocknRolla, I was like, 'I really have to get going'. Then of course, they had to hit me with Boomerang. Watching it, I was thinking about how awesome this movie was...and still is after all these years. How many of the stars were very popular at the time, and have since fallen off (Eddie and Robin). How some of the stars were virtual nobodys at the time and are now at the top of their game (Halle and Chris). How awesome it would be for them to do a remake.

Who would play what role you ask...?

After much deliberation with Shayla, I came up with this list (the ones in parentheses were very good recommendations made by Shayla that deserved mentioning...and may even be better than the original pick):

The role of Eddie Murphy will be played by Will Smith (Jamie Foxx)

The role of Robin Givens will be played by Halle Berry (Jada Pinkett)

The role of Halle Berry will be played by Taraji P. Henson (Joy Bryant)

The role of Martin Lawrence will be played by Mike Epps

The role of David Alan Grier will be played by Tyler Perry

The role of Grace Jones will be played by Naomi Campbell (Erykah Badu or Tolula Adeyemi or Robin Givens)

The role of Chris Rock will be played by Chris Rock

The role of Eartha Kitt will be played by Tina Turner

The role of the chick with the jacked up toes or the hatin' chick next door will be played by Vivica A. Fox

Those are all the major characters, right? Let me know if I forgot one or if you have a better suggestion.

Cheers.

"Watch Out for Boobie Traps"

2010-03-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

Hilarious.

...who knew Mom could be so prescient.

I'll leave it at that.

Cheers.

It's Time for a Montage

2010-03-27T07:59:00.001-07:00

Jogging in D.C., specifically to the Capitol and back from my house, definitely has its perks. Most notably, this specific jog through Capitol Hill put on full display one of the best things about D.C.--we get 4 full seasons.

Among the things I've seen in my jogs thus far (i.e. since I've moved into my house), I've seen auburn leaves, 8 foot snowbanks, cross country skiers, rabidly mad, republican healthcare protesters, 40 mph wind gusts and now the cherry blossoms are just starting to peek out. I'm sure I'm also in store for torrential downpours (spring) and 100 degree humid heat (summer) in the future, but that's all part of the beauty. All of it, viewed as a whole, provides a superb backdrop for getting in shape.

That said, if there's ever a movie done of my life, I'd like for this period (Fall 2009-Fall 2010) to be a montage--where its shown as one whole jog to the Capitol and back, but the weather throughout the seasons changes showing all the crazy beauty I've witnessed. All throughout, it cuts to and from the various events of my life that happened during this period...if that makes any sense.

Cheers.

"I'm Beamin'" - Lupe Fiasco (prod. by The Neptunes)

2010-03-27T07:09:00.000-07:00

And in this episode of Frankfurt Freddie's cop-out blogs...

Cheers.

Fakin'

2010-03-25T22:26:00.000-07:00

The thing is is that I get a bunch of ideas during the day, but by the time I actually get home to blog about it, I forget...or at the least can't relay it as eloquently as I would have when it was fresh on my mind.

So here I am again, falling behind on blogs.

...and falling asleep behind the computer.

Cheers.

2Q10

2010-03-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

Goals for the coming quarter:

P90X
Taking and passing the two MAI challenge courses I've ordered (i.e. that means studying the course booklets well enough over the next 3 months)
*MIND over mind* (can't tell ya'll everything)
Prep course

I also have to volunteer at an elderly home, but I don't know the frequency I'd do it and I want to limit my goals to four a quarter (compounding--1Q10 was to successfully continue my New Year's resolution).

Cheers.

This is a Bit Much...

2010-03-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

...and a tad stalker-ish if you ask me.

In a nutshell, its a cologne for men that smells like sweaty vagina. This looks like some European isht. Even if it isn't...smh

Cheers.

5 Rapid Fire Blogs

2010-03-20T22:37:00.000-07:00

Gotta get these off before the week is out. Got 4 more blogs that follow this one that I just posted.

Yes this is blog #5 and yes its a cop out. But you know what...?

%&()%^&#(#&$#)$#$) you.

Chea!

Cheers.

Jack Thriller is Hilarious

2010-03-20T22:28:00.000-07:00

Tried to embed it but I can't find the code (guess its cause he wants you to do to his youtube page).

So here's the link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqDjr3KYexY

Cheers.

12 Weekends in D.C.

2010-03-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

I've always said, "New York is a great place to visit." And I mean that because despite the multitude of things you can do year-round in the Big Apple, you can still get jaded with not only the city itself, but also other cities you visit when you realize they don't have the same level of amenities and hours of being open that New York does. I think living in D.C. as opposed to N.Y. appeals to many a people for the small fact that N.Y. is just a 3 hour's trip away when you just want to get away.

Got me to thinking, how do people feel about occasionally visiting D.C.? And see, therein lies a difference. Let's just say for an entire year you visited N.Y. once a month for a weekend. N.Y. is so large that even after this year, you would still feel like you only scratched the tip of the iceberg of what you could do, or what you could have done each weekend. Put another way, there is no one best thing to do in N.Y. on a given Saturday. There are a number of things you could do that you would have a riot of a time at. I'm not sure the same can be said for D.C. Given 12 weekends in D.C. (one a month), I feel that not only would you pretty much have a grasp on what there is to do in the City, but also target the best thing to do each weekend you're there. So, of course I made a list. Tell me what you think.

(in no particular order)

Cherry Blossoms & Monuments/Museums
Early Nationals Game; Late Lunch on Barracks Row; Walk though historic Capitol Hill to H Street for dinner & nightlife
Georgetown & Waterfront Cruise (show at the Kennedy Center?)
D.C. Nightlife - Adams Morgan/U Street/Dupont Circle/Penn Quarter (Wizards or Caps game?)
Trip out to a couple of the wineries in Virginia
Trip out to Baltimore
Weekend doing stuff in the MD 'burbs (Bethesda, Silver Spring, Wheaton, Rockville, etc.)
Weekend doing stuff in the VA 'burbs (R-B-C corridor, Tysons Corner, Falls Church, Annandale, etc.)
Historic Anacostia & Smithsonian overstock warehouse in Suitland
Biking/walking the trails (Rock Creek, GW Parkway, Capital Crescent

...and that's my point, I could only come up with 10. I'm sure spur of the moment things/events might come up to fill the void, but even after that, you pretty much get the idea of D.C.

Like I said, if ya'll know anything else that should be included, Let me know.

Cheers.

I'm on a Horse

2010-03-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

We were talking about this commercial yesterday. Aside from the fact its utterly hilarious ("...two tickets to that thing you like"), supposedly it was done all in one take with no CGI. Something like it involved a lot of cranes, moving platforms and a lot of takes.

And I already use Old Spice (High Endurance; I haven't bought the original scent in like forever).

Cheers.

Biergarten Haus on H

2010-03-20T21:36:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting forever for this to open. And finally, it seems with the Spring comes new beginnings.

Hopefully I'll be able to keep my Hofbrauhaus stein there.

Cheers.

Who Said you Can't Learn Anything from an Online Class...

2010-03-13T14:22:00.001-08:00

I always wondered what this was all about...

Cheers.

And in this Episode of Fred's Metro Musings...

2010-03-11T16:46:00.000-08:00

Should I ever become a photographer of enough status to have showings/exhibits in galleries...I should do an exhibit called, "The Look of Lust" where it's pictures (some in black and white) of people's faces (close-ups) as they're caught in the rapture.

Cheers.

Question of the Day

2010-03-11T16:45:00.001-08:00

Is there any feeling greater, than the satisfaction of a want that is the result of an addiction?

Cheers.

Hiatus, Explained

2010-03-08T16:41:00.000-08:00

For those of you tuned into my blog (i.e. there you go talking to yourself again Fred), it appears as if I broke my New Year's resolution. Yes and no...?

So, last week I was at NBS, also known as National Black Summit, in Winter Park, CO. In a nutshell, a large number of black people primarily in their 30's and 40's descend upon a ski resort for a week (more on that later). Anyways, due to the facts: 1) I figured I'd be out of the loft for most of my time there, and 2) I knew I wasn't going to be jogging or doing push-ups/sit-ups during the week (read: altitude and skiing would be enough fitness), I wasn't planning upon blogging either for the week. As it turns out, two things happened, one that should have allowed me to blog and another that precluded me from blogging anyhow. As for the former, I broke my wrist my second skiing day out there (Thursday), and spent pretty much all of Friday and Saturday indoors. As for the latter, the Internet wasn't working in the loft and I didn't bring my computer (so I couldn't relocate to a wi-fi area in the base village).

So there it is why you haven't heard from me. And yes, I feel like shit and that my two successful resolution months are almost for naught.

...I'm going jogging now.

Cheers.

2010-03-08T16:36:00.000-08:00

On today's Metro ride home, I literally choked up reading this article.

Just as much for the reminiscing (i.e. Frankfurt) as for the fact it made me feel how much I don't want to be here now.

Truthfully, I felt more myself and happy with who I am over there than over here.

Cheers.

Man in the Mirror

2010-02-26T18:16:00.000-08:00

"...when you can look in the mirror like, 'There I am' and/

still not see, what you've become/" - Jay-Z, "Lost Ones", 1st verse

I think it was a movie. I once heard someone say something to the effect of 'Today was the first time I looked in the mirror and didn't recognize the person staring back at me." Something like that happened last night. I don't know, maybe it was cause it was the first time in a while I was clean-shaven (mustache and all). It was just strange. I always remembered looking younger when I was clean-shaven, but looking in the mirror this particular time, I saw a person that looked older than before. Like I said, maybe cause I just haven't seen myself without a mustache in a while.

But there was something else. I kept saying to myself, 'That person is 30." And yes, I know, the last few blogs make it sound like I'm having some sort of crisis over here, but that's not true at all, it's just fresh on my mind right now (I'm not even a week in yet, you know). Anyways, I don't think I've ever 'grown up' in terms of how I think about the man in the mirror. Straight up, I still see the Fred from Newport or the Fred from Young Hall. I'm sure its how parents of famous people look at their kids--how you see them goes beyond what you physically see...you see 'that person' cause you have a deeper understanding of who the person in that body is.

I'm in no way saying that I haven't matured, I'm just saying its like showering. Like looking at yourself in the mirror, its the one thing you've pretty much done in solitude your whole life, so the process in which you shower (or see yourself in the mirror) hasn't really changed since you were young. It's just wild when you realize that that person staring back has been on this earth for 30 years and, while by no means is old, is still no longer young. So you try to see yourself as an 'older' person, and seeing myself without a mustache, I got a brief glimpse.

I'm sorry if this sounds confusing, I just wanted to document it.

Cheers.

Phases

2010-02-26T17:32:00.000-08:00

Funny things happen when you pull an all-nighter. Usually around that no man's land time like around 3 to 5, you get to thinking. Me, my mind drifted around the different periods in my life (yeah, turning 30 and all, these things are fresh on your mind), and I noticed an interesting pattern...

I broke up with Shorty-baby shortly after Valentine's Day in '98. For the next two years, there were women that cameo-ed in my life, but nothing serious came along until Yonnie in '00. For roughly the next two years we dated, then she went to 'Semester at Sea' ('02) and we took a break from which we never got back together. The next four years again saw women that were, and are to this day, still special to me, but I never categorized them as my 'girlfriend' until Momo ('06). We dated for a lil' over a year, then shortly after breaking up with her Kadija was introduced in my life and that lasted til the end of last year.

So to recap -

Non-Girlfriend periods - '98-'00; '02-'06
Girlfriend periods - '00-'02; '06-'10

OK, so here's where it gets interesting. A look deeper into those 'non-girlfriend' periods saw a monster-load of me-myself-and-I time where the creative/goal-oriented side of myself prevailed. Between '98 and '00, I probably kept at least 6 journals, read a rack of books (outside of those needed for classes), taught myself to rap (the talent of which I've pretty much lost as of now) and was heavily involved with Streeteam. Between '02 and '06, I recorded well over 70 of the infamous Jungluv tapes, organized the ill-fated 'Secret Society' parties (which would have worked under different circumstances, dammit!!!!), made a number of beats on the Motif and, again, read a rack of books (not to mention I also willed myself to take that Real Estate class over at FSU which arguably is the reason I'm in commercial real estate now).

Now, I'm sure that the concept of one being more productive in the absence of a significant other is nothing new. It's just that when you're in the moment (at least for me), I've found that my overall sentiment is 'happier' during the girlfriend periods. And I'm sure its more than just the sex. I mean, its also that you have a person in which to confide, laugh, and...just be lazy with...exactly!--when you look back, you truly see the value in being alone.

Of course, I'm saying this cause now I'm in not only my 30's, but I believe the next 'phase' of my development (the non-girlfriend one). And the stakes couldn't be higher. I mean seriously, the next 'significant other' one that follows this one will more than likely be the 'wife/family' phase.

Maybe I'm just trying to make myself feel better for sitting at home typing on the computer on a Friday night. And yes, I've been VERY productive as of late--still going strong on all my resolutions.

Cheers.

Welcome to the Decade of Pain...

2010-02-24T19:58:00.001-08:00

I am truly scared of where this is headed.

Cheers.

Quick! Before I Turn 30...

2010-02-23T20:35:00.000-08:00

36 minutes to go...

2010-02-23T20:24:00.000-08:00

So here I sit, with just over half an hour left of my 20's, and I think, much to my chagrin, that the Lord answered the question I posted in my prior blog....I think the Lord wants me to learn how to lose without giving up.

So I just finished my last jog of my 20's, and before I started I said (to myself in the mirror), that if I can finish the jog in 6 songs or less, I will find true happiness in my 30's. I was on pace, and then the 6th song that came on was the same 6th song that was on during the last time I posted a similar 'do or die' question ('Smash Sumthin' if you must know).

I knew I had to push it...and I did...but I still came up short...by literally less than 5 seconds.

Did I really push myself hard enough?

Did the Lord make sure that song came on at just the right time so that I wouldn't be able to make it?

Does the question I posted even mean anything?

Had I made it, would I be asking myself these questions?

I don't know...all I can do is take it for a lesson, even if it hurts...much less it being the last thing that's on my mind as I exit my 20's.

...I'm not going to quit.

Cheers.

Epic Beard Man

2010-02-20T10:44:00.000-08:00

"Bring da ambalamps..."

...and this had me DYING!!!!

I Have Soooo Far To Go...

2010-02-18T20:43:00.000-08:00

Just can't give up.

...I just wanted to say that.

Cheers.

Thanks to Neecy...

2010-02-18T00:06:00.001-08:00

I have a new goal (and I'm going to keep this short cause I absolutely need to get to bed)...

...to bag a Latin chick on Latin Night at Eyebar (Wednesdays) before the year's out.

Never been with a Latin chick before, I'm mad rusty in "club" con-'flirt'-ation and I really have nothing to lose approaching chicks as the only non-Spanish speaking Black dude in there. This goal may sound shallow, but there's a method behind the madness...seriously.

Maybe I'll get into that on another blog. But for now...

Cheers.

Speaking of my Car

2010-02-15T19:10:00.000-08:00

A funny thing happened this morning.

So, by the next morning after posting the Corrado on craigslist, I had a number of response emails and you wanna know the number one question...?

'What's the mileage?'

Duh. Well, as easy as that sounds to respond to, in practice its actually more involved. See, while I haven't been keeping exact track, I wouldn't be surprised if I hadn't started the car in over a year. Add to that 30" of snow in the dead of winter and, you guessed it, a dead battery. And *bing* you're two for two now...the odometer is digitized. So that means, in order to respond with the exact mileage, I need to jump the car. Good thing we have three cars at the house. But each one presents its own set of challenges...

the 1985 BMW - seeing the age on this car, the fact its covered and abuts up to just as much snow as the Corrado, and the fact it probably hasn't been started in the month of February, this car probably needs a jump too. Even though starting this car is as simple as getting the key from out my pocket, rather than trying to dig this car from under the snow, attempt to start it then move into 'jump' position, I figured one of the other two cars would be a better bet...
Dad's Mercedes - Getting the key was as simple as asking dad, who upon being asked said, 'Yeah, the keys are on the counter in the kitchen'. However, finding the battery is a whole 'nother exercise. First, just try to find the lever to pop the hood. After searching high and low throughout that damn car, and asking dad (who didn't know cause he'd never popped the hood on the car before), I finally just started pushing and pulling unlabeled buttons and levers under the steering wheel. Finally, this nondescript red lever popped the hood. But of course it doesn't open all the way, you have to find the second lever under the hood to release the whole thing. However, unlike most cars, where you slide your finger under the opening to push the lever aside, this car has a second lever that slides out from in between the grills (quite clever, but still an inconvenience when you're just trying to keep it moving and these damn Germans just want to be so different and difficult for the sake of 'luxury'). But this was the kicker...so I finally get the hood open and I'm looking for the battery (high and low again) and can't find it. Then I spot a little box that looks like it should be the battery, and what does it say? - "Battery in trunk". WTF?! Mind you, I had already moved the car into position for a hood-to-hood jump, now I had to turn it around yet again. But before I did that, I decided to find this bad boy first. Which I couldn't because of all of dad's junk in the trunk (pause) and I didn't feel like pulling back any velcro. So now we're down to the final car...
Mom's Mazda - Now, the issue with this car isn't on the back end, but the front--getting the keys. Now mom is on the phone when I call upstairs to ask can I use her keys to jump the Corrado. "Huh, wait, lemme call you back". Here I am thinking to myself, here we go. I'm finna get asked a million and one questions about the Corrado and hear a million and one chicken little responses about the car and how she's worried.

"So what did you need?"

"Can I use the keys for your car so I can jump the Corrado, I need to get the mileage--"

"You know Fred, I'm worried about that car, that car hasn't been started in a long time..."

"Mom, I'm not even starting the car, I'm just turning the battery on so I can get the mileage. Any what does that matter...?"

"Look, I'm just worried, and why do you always get huffy when I ask a question."

"Cause this has nothing to do with starting the car, and everything with you is always a big deal. I ask dad, and he's like the keys are in the kitchen. With you, you have to stop everything, get off the phone, sit on the steps and have a pow-wow..."

And it went on like this for like another 5 minutes. In the end, I got the keys and everything was smooth sailing from there (118,703 miles, by the way). Its just this aspect of life that gets me peeved. All the stuff that made this whole ordeal 'un'-simple, had NOTHING to do with the actual jumping of the car--whether it was the snow, finding the battery or dealing with questions/comments that have nothing to do with the problem at hand.

And this is how it is with things in life, I'm beginning to see. I just thought this situation, in hindsight, was quite illustrative...even if during the time it was quite perturbing.

Cheers.

Hey, Does Anyone Want a New Car...

2010-02-14T15:45:00.000-08:00

Cause I have a '93 VW Corrado for sale...

Sexy ain't she. Yeah, and she's got issues too. I swear, this car is like the beautiful girlfriend that you look awesome with when you're out and the sex is on point...but she's crazy and half the time you're time together you spent arguing. At some point, its just not worth it anymore. Long story short, something always needs to be fixed or breaks. You really only get a good 2-3 months of good driving at a time before you have to take it to the shop. Which presents two problems: 1) the car was only made from '90 to '94 so finding parts can be a bit of a problem at times and 2) '90 was 20 years ago, that said, you're really hard pressed to find someone with knowledge of how to service the car.

Anyways, the fuse for the wind-shield wipers went out (in the middle of a storm no less) and her and I haven't been speaking since (I'd say over a year now). Moreover, she's bore first hand witness to my philandering with ol' faithful behind her (the '85 BMW you see on the left hand side of the picture). Anyways, enough is enough and I've been procrastinating for long enough...

$3,500 (OBO) and she's yours.

I'm serious...

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/mld/cto/1600813861.html

Cheers.

Where my Mind's @ Right Now

2010-02-13T22:00:00.001-08:00

First off, Happy 'Single's Awareness' Day to all those without a Valentine.

Onto the title of this blog. I honestly feel like I'm on the cusp of something great that could set off the next phase of my life. I just don't know if what I'm presented with right now is merely a test to see if I can pick myself up after a 'near-win' loss...or if its a test to see if I can motivate and drive myself to a "by-the-nose" win.

I really, really, really, really hope and pray its the latter of the two...but you can never be sure until its all said and done. I really think I'm ready, but beyond me playing my part to the best of my ability, it's not in my hands...its in the Lord's.

Let's just hope the Lord deems me ready to handle the position.

Cheers.

2010 Opening Ceremony

2010-02-13T21:47:00.000-08:00

Ok...

Was I the only one that caught that one of the Olympic 'Columns' that went up during the Olympic Opening Ceremony last night in Vancouver was broken...

[Right here is where I would post a video but I can't seem to find it on nbc's website or youtube. I searched all variations of "2010", "Vancouver", "Olympics", "torch" and "opening ceremony" and couldn't find it. So for those that saw it and know what I'm talking about, please post a comment or link.]

Cheers.

10 Bathrooms

2010-02-11T20:55:00.001-08:00

I know I'm getting too old for this isht.

Still, I feel this is basically a digital diary since I'm pretty much the only person that cares and finds this stuff interesting. So, I guess I better get this in before I turn 30 and have less of an excuse.

Cheers.

Not Only Does this Beat '95/'96, but All Others...

2010-02-10T21:04:00.000-08:00

In the 29.5" blog, I referenced that because of this storm, '09/'10 might even beat out the '95/'96 season for snow totals. Well I was right, it beat that...and all other previous seasons (since the National Weather Service has been keeping track--for D.C. and MD, that's over 100 years).

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalweathergang/2010/02/winter_2009-2010_likely_snowie.html

Worse yet, there may be another storm on the horizon by Monday.

Cheers.

Snow-pacalypse '10 - Pt. 2

2010-02-10T20:51:00.000-08:00

So I faked Sunday and Monday. That means that I have to jog every day the rest of this week to keep the resolution going. No prob...only 10 more inches to deal with on top of semi-plowed District roads :-(

Truth be told though, I was actually looking forward to it cause Capitol Hill looks utterly beautiful under a thick blanket of snow. So much so, I'm taking my camera with me tomorrow to snap pictures mid-stride.

Seriously, if all goes as planned I'll upload them after work tomorrow--yes, I plan to go in (even though my job, along with the Federal Gov't., are closed tomorrow). I'm wearing jeans though.

Ok, here are the pics...

See those stalactites? Those are serious hazards, I personally saw one of those melt and fall onto the sidewalk. If it had hit someone, they might have died.

Capitol Hill View #3

This was the second cross-country skier I saw out today. I also saw a third (albeit, carrying her equipment) on the metro later in the day.

Capitol View #2

Capitol View #1

Capitol Hill View #2

Capitol Hill View #1

Alley View

View East Along H Street NE (the Night before)

Cheers.

More Pics from Snow-pacalypse '10

2010-02-09T21:16:00.000-08:00

Cheers.

29.5"

2010-02-06T20:02:00.000-08:00

Oh it's true!...

I think this season even beats the '95/'96 season which featured the infamous 'Blizzard of '96'. We were out of school for like more than a week. Some of the best sledding of my life, I tell ya.

On the same note, I kinda feel bad for these school kids this year. The two major snows we've had this season thus far have come on Saturdays. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't get Tuesday off...unless it snows again like the rumors have been circulating.

Cheers.

I Need to See a Caps Game this Season

2010-02-04T03:54:00.001-08:00

Cheers.

The $50K Jog

2010-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

I...did...(gasp)...it...!

Pet Peeves #2

2010-02-01T21:02:00.000-08:00

The dude that ALWAYS gets on the X2 at Gallery Place and raps out loud and/or sporadically with some ambiguous rap or go-go song on his headphones. Mind you, its a different dude everytime. I'm telling you, and I'm serious when I say this, I wouldn't be surprised if its some subconscious, yet ignorant, manifestation of pissing on a tree (i.e. marking one's territory)
When they release the remix of a popular song on the radio, and cease to play the original anymore...even when the original is by FAR better than the remix.
When they do a reality show / documentary of a famous person and call it "The (insert name here) Project". Yeah, I'm talking about Michael Vick's new reality show on BET. Sorry, his life post-prison is not a 'Project'. Like he said, 'Yo, I'mma choke out some dogs, go to prison for almost two years, and lose my lucrative ATL Falcons contract...just so I can make a reality show about how I f***ed up then try to get it all back'. Sorry.
And yes, yet another ad they play a gazillion times on AM 980 where the lady says, "But where was the bailout for the general public struggling in debt?"...or something to that effect. Goes to show you how effective the ad is, I have no idea who its from, yet the irritating part is stuck in my head.

Cheers.

"I Even Bought the Foam Finger..."

2010-01-31T06:03:00.001-08:00

A Blog for Blogging's Sake

2010-01-30T15:09:00.000-08:00

There you have it.

Over the week, I've had a number of blogs that have popped into my head, but just haven't been near a computer. I mean seriously, down to having the first two sentences, literally, in my head. But by the time I got home, forgotten about them and the blog altogether.

So, what's in my head now? A number of depressing things that I'm not going to elaborate. On another note though, I will say its sad when you are sort of provided clues into who a person is, but you not to say disregard it, but pay more attention to the person they are in the moment...and then at some point, you have those prior clues validated in a way that you realize you can now no longer be friends with that person.

I mean, I guess its sad whenever you lose a friend...it just smarts when it happens this way (no pun intended).

Cheers.

"Off the Record"...at the Hay-Adams Hotel

2010-01-27T22:12:00.000-08:00

This is where I will watch the State of the Union address from now on (sorry for the blurry image). It's already a political hot spot / watering hole. The showing of the State of the Union address only makes it that much more the place to be to watch it. Tipsy republican and democratic staffers / big whigs taunting / flirting in code. The "political side" District at its purest.

They even have "State of the Union" Bingo, where the words are potential words Obama would use in his speech.

And yes, someone got bingo before the end of the speech.

Cheers.

Post #100!!!!

2010-01-27T21:49:00.000-08:00

If I had a Facebook page, my status would read...

"Big Fred is cised, not only because he made it to 100 posts on his blog...but cuz the District might actually be redoing his sidewalk."

You know you live in a city when these types of things excite you.

You know what it is...it's sort of like why I want to rehab another house on my block. I know after going through it once, I not only know how the process works (so hopefully things would go MUCH smoother), but I also know what I would do differently. More importantly, I have an idea of what it would look like and want to see if its as good/functional as I picture it.

Back to the sidewalk. First off, the District and commercial real estate developers are alike in saying that they're going to do a project and many times they don't get it done until 3 to 5 years later (if at all). Now, I had heard rumors that they were going to redo the streetscape along my street, but I never fully bought in. Furthermore, if they did, I wouldn't have been surprised if they only did the other side of the street as that side is the C-M (commercial/industrial) zoned side and has the "future" Uline Arena development. My side was the R-4 (residential) zoned side with the uninspiring small row houses.

Still, I bought into the neighborhood cause I felt that one day it'll happen (whether I'm still here when it happens is another story altogether). I have this idea of what it would look like when finished and redoing the streetscape is the first of MANY things that need to take place before my vision could take hold. I've seen what its done to other areas nearby (see the first phase of the H Street redevelopment--north side of H between 3rd and 7th NE), and am eager to see what a new streetscape would do to my block...and how right I was as to how the look would look.

Anyways, I wake this morning to the sounds of MORE and LOUDER construction work than normal (mind you, one block to the south, there are not one but 2 mid-rise residential projects going up and the train/metro tracks are one block to the west). I leave the house to go on my jog and lo and behold, they are tearing up the sidewalk across the street. I held my excitement throughout the jog and upon returning (very winded, mind you), I approached one of the workers and asked what was going on. He told me that they were doing the whole of the west side sidewalk (opposite side) and that *fingers crossed* they were going to be replacing certain (older?) portions of the sidewalk on my side of the street. I asked how long it was going to take and they said they'd have it done by today. Yeah right I thought. Got home at around midnight and sure enough, about 3/4 of the sidewalk on that side was done...and the Bobcat was parked at the end of my side of the block.

Who knows, I may just get a chance to see my vision of a revamped streetscape more "concretely"...pun very much intended.

Cheers.

Conspiracy Theory...?

2010-01-26T19:49:00.000-08:00

I wish they wouldn't use that "Cheaters"-type narrator guy. I think a History Channel-type narrator would lend some more "verbal/non-verbal" credence to this video.

I will say, I wouldn't be surprised if this is true.

Cheers.

Mine is a Mental Struggle...

2010-01-25T20:45:00.001-08:00

So here I am, less than 30 days away from 30 years of age, and I find myself torn.

I have friends, family and colleagues whose ambition I admire...but to a certain degree, I feel its the money and fame that drives them--neither of which particularly appeal to me past the point of affecting my freedom.

On the other hand, I also have friends, family and colleagues whose freedom I admire...but to a certain degree, I feel its sloth and indifference that drives them--neither of which particularly appeal to me past the point of affecting my ambition.

So I guess that's the thing...are they mutually exclusive? I don't know, but it seems that everyone I've seen with ambition, is a slave to their drive. And everyone with freedom to "do what they want", doesn't really seek to do anything of real consequence.

An even bigger question, even if they aren't mutually exclusive...will I have any friends left, as I won't be driven enough for those with ambition and too ambitious for those who "do what they want".

Just my thoughts, I'll probably feel different tomorrow.

Cheers.

When was the Last Time you Wrote in Cursive?

2010-01-25T06:25:00.000-08:00

For me, before last Saturday, it was...I'd say...at least 15 years.

I had to copy a 4 line paragraph on Saturday.

It took me 15 minutes.

No, I'm not remedial, I just prefer print and shunned cursive once we weren't required to write that way in like 6th or 7th grade.

My hand hurt like hell afterwards too.

Cheers.

P.S. This was supposed to be Saturday's blog.

Friz'z Top 5

2010-01-21T22:10:00.000-08:00

Tupac
Jay-Z
Eminem
Ghostface
Redman

They ask every artist this question on allhiphop, so I figure I'd address it myself.

Tupac

This example sums it up as best as I can describe it. When quoted by non-rap publications, all other rappers are first mentioned either by their stage name--"Rapper 'Fabolous' said, 'I like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch.'"--or by their name with their stage name in the middle--"Music mogul Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs said, I like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on my yacht on Tuesdays with a side of Malaysian breast milk.'" Tupac Shakur was the ONLY rapper to be quoted/mentioned by non-rap publications by his name alone--"Rapper Tupac Shakur said, 'F*** peanut butter and jelly, I make my own sandwiches with 2 butter pecan 'Ricans.'" Quite simply, he was and currently is, the only rapper bigger than his name. And he would have meant SO much more to us had he lived to see the age of at least 30.

Jay-Z

What he has accomplished musically and financially is the 'platinum standard' for all aspiring baller rappers (i.e. 99 percent of em...and he's 100% respected by the remaining 1% for his lyrical ability and what he's accomplished). It's like being the 4x over chip leader at the no limit hold 'em table. You can fold as many hands as you want til you get the grand slam of a hand you want, or you can call anyone's bluff that you want to erase from the table.

Eminem

I could spend very long explaining this one, but I need to get to bed and I promised I'd keep my blogs short. Quite simply, he's the Hank Aaron of rap.

Ghostface & Redman

These both were and are my favorite rappers cause I feel they are...genuine. And I mean that in the sense that when they're not in the booth, I feel they'd be just as entertaining...only not rhyming. Ghost's stories and Red's metaphors are absolutely...they come from somewhere else and for someone, anyone to have the ability to capture it in the fashion that they do is...amazing.

Cheers.

While We're At It...

2010-01-19T20:26:00.001-08:00

Can you believe it?!...I have jury duty tomorrow morning! Ahh, the trials and tribs of being a District resident. Still, I have another blog in my head and its Conan's last week so 'I'll kill two more bird's with one stone' (i.e. watch Conan and type this post) before I head to bed.

These aren't a part of my new year's resolutions and I won't necessarily be bummed if I don't accomplish them. These are more like goals I keep in my head to keep my eyes on the prize:

Join a photography group and meet with them twice a month (maybe use meetup.com)
Play chess twice a month (either with Yves or through meetup.com)
Play ping pong twice a month on Monday's at Rock 'n Roll Hotel (maybe with Josh)
Pursue my MAI designation
Read a book a month
Cook a meal once a week (and I mean a real meal from a cook book)...if only for my refrigerator's sake
Construct a retaining wall for, fence and level the backyard; install the pervious pavers in the front yard and install blinds on all the windows

This so reminds me of the journals I used to keep. I wonder how I'd feel about the 'goals' I had penned in there 10 years ago?

Cheers.

Random Idea

2010-01-19T20:13:00.000-08:00

I would suffix this with a number but I'm not sure if the next one will make it to the computer next time. But never worry, I have a million of these that come and go.

Anyways, I wonder if there is a service where people can pay a culinary student/chef/critic to meet them once a week at a grocery store. The two then purchase the food they'll need to cook for that evening's meal. Well, ideally it wouldn't be just one store but a number of organic or ethnic or off-the-beaten-path or farmer's markets where they would not only learn about food they otherwise wouldn't have tried, but also learn how to shop for these things (as well as the foods of which they are all ready aware).

I say this after reading an article in the Wall Street Journal where they talked about 'noodles made with konjac fiber, often called shirataki or yam noodles', that 'are widely available in Asian grocers, usually refrigerated and packed in water.' After my introduction to H-Mart, I would love to learn more about and, possibly, cook with these noodles. But I wouldn't know which brand is the best, what is the difference between brands, nor how to cook them...let alone go to the Asian market at all (much less a general grocery store these days--you should see my refrigerator).

Such a service would allow me to kill several birds with one stone.

Cheers.

What Would You Do?

2010-01-18T17:49:00.001-08:00

From greatergreaterwashington.org...

"Another obstacle the District faces is getting 2010 Census forms to those who live in what the Census calls "transformed housing". Homes that have been subdivided into multiple units often only have one mailing address. A number of homes, especially in more urban communities, have basement apartments that are rented out separately from the rest of the house, but there is only one mailbox. Since the Census Bureau uses mailing addresses to send out forms, this means that a house that has multiple units but only one official mailing address will only get one form. Each unit/household should get their own questionnaire to make sure all persons are counted correctly."

Now, there are a number of people who have English Basements in the District that they "illegally" rent out to another person(s). I say "illegal" because unless you have a Certificate of Occupancy in order for that unit to be legal (registering the unit with the District, getting it separately metered, etc.). Those that don't get a C of O for the unit typically do so because extra scrutiny that is now on them from the District--and I mean scrutiny in the sense of increased financial obligations (ex. the cost to get the unit separately metered, the increase in your assessed value (and ultimately taxes) now that you have an extra "dwelling unit" in your residence, I believe there are annual "C of O" fees that are associated as well, etc.). On the flip side, not getting the C of O opens up a litany of potential problems--mainly, should you have to evict that person, you really wouldn't have a legal leg to stand on because you don't have a C of O (I've been told leasing out an English Basement without a C of O is akin to a legal land mine). But that's getting off topic.

Let's just say you were leasing out your English Basement, illegally, to someone. Would you go out of your way to make sure that person receives and fills out a census form? Worse yet, would you go out of your way to make sure they didn't fill out the form?

And yes, I know the District government and the census bureau are two completely different entities that probably don't share info (that which isn't public). Even further, as slow and ssa drawkcab the District government is, they probably wouldn't make the change or do anything if you walked to their offices and told them that the person illegally leasing out your English basement was counted in the census. But still, for the sake of argument...what would you do?

Cheers.

Olbermann on Robertson & Limbaugh

2010-01-15T05:44:00.000-08:00

Here's what Robertson said...

And here's what Limbaugh said...

Cheers.

So This is How They Get You...

2010-01-14T21:00:00.001-08:00

Sometime back during 2009 Christmas season (I think), Walmart had a special on a 32" flat screen for $399. I thought that was a good deal seeing that the Chocolate room will need a TV at some point (although the width needs to be lees than 31", but that's another story altogether). In any event, I didn't get it.

Fast forward to today and I find myself in a Fredericksburg, VA Super-Duper Walmart getting normal housewares. On the way to picking up the Windex, I pass by electronics and see a number of TV's that look used and have paper stars taped to their upper right corners. I run back over to the hardware section of Walmart and pick up a tape measure then head back over. Come to find out, there was a Emerson (I think) 32" flat screen with a 30" width--perfect size. However, it didn't have a "star" price on it. I asked the Walmart electronics guy to do a price check and he went to the back. While he did so, I did a price check on the exact same (unopened) floor model and saw it was $339 (and went over and got some Windex too while I was waiting). Back at electronics, I noticed that all the other opened models seemed to be at a $50 discount to the regular unopened models, and $300 was my threshold. So...if this guy came back with a price less than $300, I was gonna cop it. What did he say?

"$298."

I was all in. Just one question..., "Even though its opened, it still comes with the mounting kit, right?"

"No, none of our TV's come with mounting kits, only the stand you see here."

I noticed some mounting kit packages lined up right next to the TV's. "Are these opened as well?"

"No, these are unopened and regular price."

"Do you have any opened ones."

"No."

"How much are they?"

"He took his scanner" [beep] "$114."

"WHAT?!...So I'm paying almost half as much as the TV just to mount it on the wall?!"

"Sorry :-("

"..."

The Chocolate room is still emp-TV.

Cheers.

What About Conan O'Brien?!?!

2010-01-13T05:52:00.000-08:00

The funniest thing is that this is on nbc.com

Cheers.

NoMaHst Land

2010-01-12T18:54:00.000-08:00

Talk about an epiphany.

A lil' background. The neighborhood association to which my residence belongs is called the "Capitol Hill North Neighborhood Association", otherwise known as "CHNNA" (everytime I get an email from the google group I see "China"--but that's getting away from the point). A pet peeve of mine (I'll include it on #2) is when an emerging or transitional neighborhood that is adjacent to an established neighborhood tries to throw a directional suffix at the end of the established neighborhood in order to swagger-jack the established neighborhood's name. You see this a lot in Montgomery County where White Flint is now called "Bethesda North" and Gaithersburg (around Montgomery College) is now called "Rockville North". Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Burleith or Glover Park was once called "Georgetown North" by some overzealous real estate agent trying to make a sale on an over-priced listing.

Needless to say, the name "Capitol Hill North" has been a splinter in my mind for the longest. While I understand why--the housing stock is quite similar and Florida Avenue does make a good northern boundary--I still don't agree and it strikes me as the quick fix for a neighborhood that has always had its own distinct identity separate from "Capitol Hill" (H Street has always been the unofficial but visual boundary between these two worlds). Moreover, given the introduction of the New York Avenue Metro Station (to the west) in the early 2000's and the re-emergence of H Street as a destination entertainment corridor (to the east) in the mid- to late- 2000's, I feel that the boundaries should be expanded east of the current 8th Street demarcation. Personally, I feel that the character/atmosphere of the area is best defined by the triangular boundaries of Florida Ave to the north and east, H Street to the south (maybe G Street if you want to get it all) and the railroad tracks to the west. With this area definition, you get the full scope of the area:

Homes Adjacent to the Tracks - homes that are less "architecturally significant" but well-located given the proximity to the metro; additionally, given the prevalence of industrial zoning that still remains around this area, the area has the upside of redevelopment potential for large scale mixed-use or residential projects in the future
East End Homes (east of 9th) - homes that also aren't as "architecturally significant" as those in the "Heart", but are also well-located given the proximity to the entertainment side of H Street (both these and the above will serve as good rental stock over the long term
Homes in the "Heart" - these are the homes that are roughly between 4th, 8th, H and L. The stock and size is nearly identical to those of 2-stories on Capitol Hill; these homes probably sell for the most north of H street given they're perfect starter homes for young couples looking to start a family, most of which have English Basements, and, from Fall 2008 to probably July of 2009, were affordable.
H Street - the "spine" of the area that all those within the area use in one way or another--whether to travel (auto or public transit), entertain, or satisfy basic needs (i.e. Rite Aid, Chinese/Fast Food, small grocers, etc.)--and others outside the area travel to for entertainment purposes
G Street - the most expensive homes in the area due to their proximity to Capitol Hill--indicating the influence, albeit somewhat limited, the adjacent neighborhood has on our neighborhood...let me put it this way: I bet we go into Eastern Market and Barracks Row and their local corner stores and laundromats as much as they come to H Street, Florida Ave Market and use the NY Ave Metro.

The name for this area a few years back was "Near Northeast", but somehow that got lost in the shuffle. So, for the longest, I've been racking my brain trying to think of a clever name. It came when I least expected it. I was in Sova on H Street and looking at their blackboard of drinks inspired by D.C.'s local neighborhoods and streets. I didn't see my specific area and I made a mention of such to the bartender saying something to the effect of, "I'm trying to think of a name for where I live to use for a drink but its kind of a No Man's Land..." And then I realized it...

The emerging commercial area west of the train tracks is called "NoMa" for "North of Massachusetts Avenue. This is the commercial area that many people that live in my immediate area (adjacent to the tracks) are pinning some of our hopes to in that it'll be bringing jobs and a Harris Teeter grocer to the area. I thought for a second of maybe calling it "NoMaD's Land"--in honor of those who ventured like nomads to this area over the last several years to buy and live (yes, I know there have been people that have been living here for 30 years plus and they're quick to scream gentrification, but I'm meaning "venturing" in a more economical/future sense in that they were willing to take a chance, with their money, for what they felt was a good deal in light of future goods/services and upside they had faith would come to the area...hate it or love it, call it what you will).

But how do you explain the "D".

What if you replaced it with an "H" and threw "st" at the end...

"NoMaHst Land"

It probably looks better on a map. And if it were to get used as a designation, I'm sure there'd be plenty of jocular variations in the vein of "No Mas Land" or even back to "Nomad's Land"...but at least its better than riding the sweaty ball sack of Capitol Hill.

Just my 2 cents.

Cheers.

Let There Be Heat!!!!

2010-01-11T22:10:00.001-08:00

(insert pic of thermostat)

OK, this is the story for another blog.

I could go into the background of the contractor/owner relationship with Victor, but for the sake of keeping this blog as short as possible I'll say he quite simply saved my 203K renovation. And I'm very happy with the end product. However, some things were outside of his direct control, and given the many hiccups that came along with this project and the relatively small margin he was getting on it, to a certain extent, he didn't want to bother himself with it. And I understand that from a business standpoint. Lemme get to the point...

A general contractor (GC) on a gut-rehab project like mine is most likely going to hire sub-contractors (subs) to do certain tasks within the overall project. One of the subs he's going to hire is one that specializes in the mechanical (or HVAC--Heating, Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning) aspects of the job. Long story short, I didn't like his mechanical sub. I saw it from the beginning when they started framing the duct work where the ducts come into the house from the outside shed (they put it too low) and in the middle when the put the duct work behind the bathroom mirror instead of the adjacent wall (see If I Could Do This House Over #1 blog) and towards the end when issues with where and how to place the return came up. But it wasn't until the onset of the coldness of Winter '09/'10 that I saw just how much these guys didn't know what they were doing.

Now, the women that had been to my house always complained that it was cold, but I figured this was a women thing cause its been proven that women are more sensitive to cold than men and none of the guys that had been to my house complained it was cold. However, towards the end of December and the beginning of January, I began to see that the thermostat never got about 55 degrees. It was time to get a second opinion. So Mom recommended a guy they use around their house and sure enough, there was an issue with the HVAC...well, 'not technically'. It was an issue with the return duct, it wasn't wide enough to suck air out of the house at a faster rate than what the HVAC was pumping it into the house. This all stems from the fact that the mechanical subs on the renovation used what's called 'flex' duct work

(insert picture of flex duct work)

The diameter on the duct work was too small to adequately handle the air flow being pumped into the house. It gets even smaller when it has to turn a corner. Needless to say I needed larger metal duct work to do the trick. Given the small crawl space under the joists (between 6" and a foot), I needed 8" x 18" duct work.

(insert picture of metal duct work)

However, Mom's guy quoted WAY too much--I don't know if he over-charges Mom and figured I'd be a sucker too or he just didn't want to do the job cause it would have involved a lot of dirty work (i.e. crawling through the crawl space of the house and staying down there while you install it). In any event the second quote (courtesy of a guy that does the HVAC work for Darryl, a contractor friend of mine) was less than a third of what was quote prior so I went with them. Btw, I had other reservations about the first dude cause he said the ceiling fan should spin the wrong way in the winter and summer months (that's another blog too) and he charged me a trip charge of $99 on top of the $129 for an hours worth of labor to diagnose the problem. Maybe he knew he wasn't going to do the project and hit me on the front end.

In any event, dude came by and did it today. Came back around 5pm when he was finished (still a bit skeptical cause while I heard the HVAC pumping air through the vents louder than before (a good thing), it was only through a couple of the vents downstairs. So I put the thermostat up to 80 and went back to work. Got back around like midnight and sure enough, we were at 80!

Back to buck-ed naked time!

Cheers.

Pet Peeves #1

2010-01-11T21:40:00.000-08:00

Yet another recurring series...

Metro train operators that pronounce 'Judiciary Square' as 'Jew-dis-SHU-wary' Square. WHERE'S THE SECOND 'U' AT?! And don't make this into a D.C. accent thing because...you're a bamma! On to the next one...
Homeless people that get mad at you when they ask you for change and you say 'No'. F*** that, even when you say you don't have any they get mad and say stuff under their breath. I'm sorry, since when did I have an obligation to have money when you asked, much less give you some if I did have it, much less support your pandering?...
When someone asks me to resend an email that I sent to them prior that they said they received but its either somewhere in their inbox or junk mail. Is like you're passing the work of "finding" the email onto me. LOOK THE ISHT UP YOURSELF! Why should I have to search through my "Sent Items" folder and resend it to you, worse yet re-type the damn thing. I went through the trouble of sending it to you, now you go through the trouble of finding it! On to the next one...
When the dude with the Hispanic accent on the Metrobus radio commercials they play on 980 AM says, "Not technically, but they all run on alternative fuels" (just the 'not technically' part). Great, now I'm gonna have that suck in my head for the rest of the night.

Cheers.

What About Jimmy Fallon?!?!

2010-01-10T19:09:00.000-08:00

With all this Leno/O'Brian shake-up news...what's gonna happen with Jimmy Fallon?

I mean, I heard that after the Olympics, Leno's gonna be on at 11:35p for a 1/2 hour, then Conan will be on for an hour starting at 12:05a. After that, then Jimmy Fallon'll be on...but what happens if Jay's show isn't as popular as he was back when he was the host of the Tonight Show or he throws a hissy fit asking for an hour? Then, unless he leaves, Conan's going to get bumped back to the late night slot and Jimmy's screwed.

Man, I'm just saying this cause 1) he's got the Roots as the house band and from what I've seen and heard, they're really refreshing to the whole late night format; and 2) Jimmy Fallon is actually kinda funny. I literally 'lol'-ed watching it with Grandma last week.

My 2 cents.

Cheers.

Operation Weezy F. Baby

2010-01-08T05:50:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't noticed, I get these from illseed.

Cheers.

Eat a Bagel!!!!

2010-01-07T19:57:00.000-08:00

Too funny.

Jonah would love this.

Cheers.

Verizon Arenas

2010-01-07T16:18:00.000-08:00

I'm going to try to keep this as short as possible...

First and foremost, now I didn't research this but, if carrying an unlicensed firearm in the District is illegal and punishable by jail, then that's the law that should apply to Arenas--by now we know that he brought unloaded guns into the MCI Center that weren't registered in the District of Columbia, nor MD nor VA nor any other state as far as I know.

**Right now, Rihanna singing, "where dem bloggas at? where dem bloggas at?" is pulsing through my head...in part because I'm here writing as a partially (maybe mostly) uninformed individual. But this is my opinionated blog that no one is reading so...**

Anyways, and I've said this for Tiger Woods, athletes and entertainers are not only abnormal people because once they become famous (or the people around them realize they will one day become famous), I feel they are shielded from "life on the ground" as most of us know and understand it, but also because at that level of professionalism, all of them possess an "abnormal" competitive nature/drive...otherwise they wouldn't be there. And I personally feel, you CAN'T disassociate that from the person they are off the court. In other words, if I will myself to win this game at any cost, I'm also going to use that same will to bag the baddest chick in the room, do the "dare" that no one else would do in "truth or dare", disrespect to a greater degree that dude that I feel just disrespected me...

Feel me?

Combine the fact of being shielded from reality ($1,000 dollar gambling bets on team private jets, making jokes with real unloaded handguns, thinking that because the threat of violence wasn't apparent to those that witnessed the exchange there is no harm to be had legally either from the heated exchange on the plane or in the locker room with the "Pick One" post it note) and the natural competitive "one-upping" nature of professional athletes (Arenas taunting Crittenden on the plane to the point of saying he'll blow up his car to Crittenden saying he'll shoot Arenas in his surgically repaired knee to Arenas bringing 4 unloaded handguns to the Verizon Center so Crittenden could "pick one" to Crittenden allegedly throwing one of the guns across the room then allegedly taking his own weapon and cocking it (i.e. loading a bullet in the chamber) and allegedly walking around the locker room singing to Arenas then laughing at Crittenden's whole act), and voila!...there you have it, the situation we now find ourselves in. (sorry for the super run on sentence).

As Chris Rock said, I'm not saying I agree or condone his actions...but I understand (why it happened).

Cheers.

P.S. As for the pregame "Shoot 'em up" picture taken before Monday's Philly game, I think the same holds true--those that were there feel that the perceived non-threat of violence speaks loader than the fact its illegal to have unlicensed guns in the District...much less the Verizon Center.

If I Could Do This House Over #1

2010-01-06T20:35:00.000-08:00

Time for another recurring post.

And I knew this would happen too. While rehabbing my house last year, I got kind of anal about certain things cause, knowing me, I knew that certain things, if done wrong, would forever stick out and urk me like a...perpetual hangnail. Anyways, thanks to my efforts (and the semi-patience of others as I pointed things out), I'd say I got it about...90 percent right. Still, its that 10 percent that I get reminded of almost everyday.

I have a running tally in my head of the things in my house that if I were to do it again (and have a larger overall budget, not to mention), I'd implement. Please note, most of these were realized only after moving into the house (i.e. these wouldn't have occurred to me during the initial process), some are more cosmetic than others, some would be considered more functional. Anyways, I promised myself I wouldn't be doing those novel-long blogs of my Frankfurt heyday so I'm only going to write four at a time and try to keep these short and sweet...coming back to write more installments over the long haul.

Heated Floors in the Kitchen Tile...and maybe in the bathroom ;-). While the bathroom would be more of a cosmetic (i.e. sexy) thing to put in (coming out the shower on heated tiles is the hotness, no pun intended), the downstairs actually has a more functional purpose. With the onslaught of Winter '10 in full effect (read: cold as hell), you really develop the appreciation of a certain law of physics--heat rises. Now, aside from the fact that my HVAC return duct is inadequate to service the house (right now its literally below 50 degrees on the first floor and I'll probably have to spend more than a couple grand to get that redone...but that's another story), its ALWAYS cold on the first floor, even with a working system. This is exacerbated by the fact the floor of the 1st floor is the lowest (read: coldest) point of the house and the ceramic tile in the kitchen IS AN ICE BLOCK in the winter! Even with socks on. Its to the point that if I wake up in the middle of the night thirsty as hell, I'm just like "F*** it, I can't get to the refrigerator". Long story short, having heated kitchen tiles would not only reinvigorate the idea of cooking in my house during the winter, but would also probably lower my overall gas bill cause the radiant heat from the floor would actually serve as an alternate (albeit small) heating source for the lower level.
Light Above the Kitchen Sink. I have a corner sink. I also eat out more than I eat at home so it makes more sense for me to wash the limited dishes I use by hand than to load up the dishwasher. Unfortunately, the placement of the lights in my kitchen (a centered rectangle of 4 recessed lights), creates a shadow over the sink when I'm washing. Not that I can't see what I'm doing, but it would make tons of sense to have another light there right above. This would also be functional for any future corner shelving I put up there over the sink.
Install a Recirculation Pipe. Ok, now this one may be a bit difficult to explain, but I'll try. I installed a tankless water heater in my house. Your traditional water heater stores like 30 or so gallons of hot water that the house draws on as needed. As the water is used the tank fills itself back up with regular water from the street and heats it up til the entire tank is back to the temperature you set it to hold the water at (hence, when a whole bunch of showers have been taken in the house, you only get lukewarm or cold water cause the tank is dealing with a sizable portion of fresh water from the street that hasn't been heated yet). Conversely, a tankless water heater doesn't store any water. Rather, it heats the water right as it comes into the house (with a gas or electric heater that is more powerful than the heater used on a water tank). The good thing, aside from being energy efficient in the amount of gas or electricity used to heat the water, is that you never run out of hot water. But there is a downside, and its on the front end...it sometimes takes a number of minutes for the water to get hot (sometimes up to like 2 to 3 minutes...literally). The reason for this is that once you turn of the water and don't use it for a while (ex. over the night), the water in the hot water pipes gets cold. Then, when you turn on the water in the morning, all of the cold water in the hot water pipe needs to get flushed from the pipes before the newly heated water, provided by the tankless water heater, reaches the spout. There is a way around this though...a recirculator pipe. What this is is a 3rd pipe (in addition to the hot and cold water pipes) that allows for you to set the water heater to a specific time that you'd like for the water to be hot (say, 6am). Then, at that time, what the system will do is drain the leftover cold water from the hot water pipe into the recirculator pipe, thereby allowing for newly heated hot water to fill the hot water pipe and be used as needed (with no wait for the water to get hot). The cold water in the recirculator pipe is then recirculated back into the system to be reheated and reused. Make sense?
Placement of the Bathroom HVAC Vent. Now, this one I knew about before I moved in, but by the time it was done, redoing it would have costed more money than it was worth. Basically, drywall is hung over wood studs that are about 3 inches wide. This space behind the drywall allows for many of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing elements of the house to be hidden from view (sort of like the guts of the house). In the bathroom's case, they placed duct work for the HVAC vent behind the wall of the bathroom mirror. So what does this mean? It means that I can't have a mirror that has a recessed medicine cabinet behind it cause the area behind the drywall where the recessed medicine cabinet would go is now occupied by damn duct work. How does this affect the bathroom? That means I had to pay like $500 more than I should have for a stand-alone cabinet that I hung over the wall above the toilet as opposed to paying less for an all-in-one mirrored cabinet. Had they put the duct work behind the adjacent wall (like they were supposed to...meaning, I told them to do it), I would have not only saved money but had extra room on the wall where the current cabinet is to, I don't know...hang a picture or something. I guess that's why I didn't stress it too much--the aftermath was primarily cosmetic, even though the issue had structural origins. But, this was just one of the many issues I had with the HVAC subcontractors my GC on the project used. But that's a $2,000-$3,000 story for another blog.

On the next installment, I'll talk about how 3 inches affected the layouts of the whole 2nd floor.

Cheers.

P.S. Guess I just can't get away from novel-long blogs.

The Denman-Werlich Residence

2010-01-06T20:17:00.000-08:00

I could appraise properties like this all day and never get tired...

Finished my first report of the year in 3 days, and I must say, it's pretty thorough...and not even for the summary report that it is, I mean this thing could pass for a self-contained.

I think part of the reason for the beastiality, aside from the fact I'm trying to get more focused in the new decade, is the fact I thoroughly enjoyed inspecting, researching, analyzing and reporting all of the facets of this property's value...not to mention the fact its "goooo-gious" as Kadija would say.

Seriously, if I could be the dedicated guy in the office to do these types of properties in the once-in-a-while chance a request for bid comes through our office...I'd do it for half the price.

Real talk.

Cheers.

Maintenance Man...beta

2010-01-04T23:20:00.000-08:00

It's an iterative process.

Cheers.

...talk about a mind f***

From this Morning's Jog...

2010-01-04T23:11:00.000-08:00

I'm in the hall already

On the wall already

I'm a work of art, I'm a Warhol already

On a another level, on another plane already

Frankfurt Freddie, I got my own frame already.

Cheers.

I'm Full...courtesy of Jamie Oliver

2010-01-03T19:18:00.000-08:00

Spanish Chickpea and Chorizo Soup

Chorizo
Onions
Garlic
Celery
Spinach
Tomotoes
Chickpeas
Chicken Stock
Salt & Pepper
Spanish Ham
Olive Oil
Eggs

Prep takes FOREVER!!!!
Cook the sausage
Add the onions, celery and garlic
15 mins later, add spinach, tomoatoes, chickpeas and chicken stock
40 mins later, puree 1/3
Season to taste
Add the ham
Grate hard-boiled egg on top

Cheers.

Resolutions

2010-01-02T20:07:00.001-08:00

Ok...

So one of my resolutions was to blog at least 5 times a week. So what do you do for the first Fri-Sat of the new decade...? Well I'm off to a great start (as you can see by the date and time of this post). And I jogged yesterday (another of my resolutions)...but not today.

The decade is off to a great start.

Cheers.

Idiosyncrasies #3

2008-04-15T21:51:00.000-07:00

Everyone speaks at least 3 languages
Apartment leases have no end dates, just 3-month termination notices
Speaking of apartment rentals, tenants typically (i.e. around 90% of the time) provide the appliances for the apartment (as in refrigerator, overn/range, etc.)
In order for the lights in your hotel to work, you have to insert your key card into a key card slot by the door
You don’t have to pay for baggage carts at the airport
When you get your check at a restaurant, they only give you change if you ask. In other words, if you leave more money (20 euro) than the meal costs (12 euro), they'll think its a tip unless you tell them how much you want back.
Traffic lights are positioned right at the line where cars are supposed to stop, so if you pull all the way up to the line, you can’t see when the light turns green.
If there are homeless people in Amsterdam, they don’t ask for money on the street
“F**k” means the same thing in all languages and is the preferred version of the word even though each language has their own translation of the word
You can crack (as in open) windows on the subway trains
Everyone AROUND THE WORLD has their eyes on the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election
Beggars have no problem pimping animals for your spare change

They don’t “text” in Europe…they “SMS”
Dogs don’t need leashes
All streets have signs, regardless if they're pedestrian-only

Cheers.

Walk to Work

2008-02-23T11:18:00.000-08:00

Blog 1 of 2 that I meant to post before I left...

In remembrance of my experience in Germany (not just for you all, but for me as well), I figured I'd make a "photo-blog" of my daily walk to the Frankfurt office from Berger Strasse 121. Enjoy.

So I lock the front door...

Walk down the steps (inside)...

Then walk down the steps outside (to the left) and pass by the casino on the ground floor (mind you, its in the cut, as you have to go under a canopy-corridor off of Berger Strasse to get to this area...

Check the always empty (except for the infamous letter grandma sent me) mailbox...

Come from under the canopy-corridor onto Berger Strasse (this is the view north)...

And this is the view south (the direction I have to walk to the U-bahn (subway)). Watch out for the cars.

Walk less than a block to the escalator for the Hoenstrasse station...

Pass by the "Fahrkarten" machine that I never learned to properly use my entire time in Frankfurt. Mind you, this isn't where you purchase the monthly pass, so I never really had much interaction with this machine, except when visitors came to town.

Go down two more levels to the actual boarding area...

However, this is the end of the boarding area I would wait because by boarding the train at this end, it would be less of a walk to the escalator I would need to take when I would get off at Hauptbahnhof (my destination).

Check the time board to see how much longer I have to wait for the next train...

Board the train when it arrives. Unfortunately this end of the train is ALWAYS crowded.

Fortunately, two stations later (at Konstablawache), many people get off the train to transfer to another train. I can usually find a seat at this point.

Get off the train and come above ground to this rather grandiose view of the Hauptbahnhof...

Get an "apfeltashe" (which I just learned means "apple turnover") from one of the vendors by the long-distance trains...

Walk to the southern-end of the station (along the platform for track 1)...

Exit the station and walk towards the cylindrical glass building in the distance...

However, its not as easy as it seems because the rental car parking lot blocking your way is like a maze (they have hidden gates and rails that making walking a straight line (the shortest distance between two point) impossible)...

Once through the parking lot, I come out on the street between the two buildings in the distance where the green "go" stick figure is (this picture is me looking back from where I just came)...

Walk half a block west to the next street, make a left and the glass building comes into clear view...

At the end of the block, all that's left is to cross the street...

Cars hardly come from the left...

But the right is always chock-full of cars...

Once across the street, a clear, sunny day always greets me with a beautiful view of the cobblestone ground around the office...

Although the glass building is the guide, our building is the trapezoidal one next to it...

Walk to it and put the access card in my wallet to the "entrance pad"...

Walk through the glass door that slides open...

Catch the first available elevator to the 2nd floor (which in the U.S. would be classified as the 3rd floor)...

Get out the elevator and use my access card again...

To open one of the glass doors for entry onto the floor...

Turn to the right and walk down the hall...

To the "water closet"...

To get my favorite 32oz. "medium-carbonated" sparkling water...

Go back out into the hall and walk the opposite direction to the other end...

Turn the curved corner...

Say hello to the world famous, Wall Street Journal quoted, Head of Research for Germany, Inga Schwarz (whose laughing by the way cause of all the pictures I'm always taking)...

Admire the open lay out of the Frankfurt office...

Walk to my desk and say hello to my desk mates Pascal (right) and Thomas (and yes Thomas is also trying not to laugh at all the pictures I take)...

And finally, get my laptop from the shelf to hook to the docking station to start another day at work...

Cheers.

Weekend Round-Up

2008-02-15T15:15:00.000-08:00

So with one weekend left, I had a bunch of loose ends to tie up…these loose ends involving 3 cities which I had already visited: Berlin, Hamburg and Heidelberg. For two of the cities—Berlin and Heidelberg—the mission was easy: mail post cards. As these were the first two cities I visited while out in Germany, I had neglected to elevate mailing post cards to their proper priority level (i.e. people, after reading my blog, sent me their mailing addresses to send them post cards as a traversed Europe). The reason I needed to go back to Hamburg was a bit different.

In Spring 2009, I believe I will be traveling to Japan—Tokyo in particular. Now, I’ve been twice before and both times I have forgone checking out their world famous fish market. This is not a mistake I plan on making a third time—after multiple accounts from several people about how amazing the place is. Now, Hamburg also has a fish market and it is open only on Sunday morning from like 4am to 9am. If you can guess, my whole purpose to going to Hamburg was to check theirs out and compare it to Tokyo’s next year.

So here was the plan…leave for Berlin in the morning, get there sometime in the afternoon. Buy post cards (and postage), write and send them off, and spend a couple hours in the city (most likely the main retail strip that’s listed in our annual “Main Streets Across the World” publication). Head out to Hamburg sometime in the evening and get there just as the nightlife begins. Store my bag in one of those lockers in the train station and head out to the Reeperbahn (the main nightlife drag in Hamburg which is home to its clubs, bars and red light district). Party hearty on my last Saturday night in Germany til ‘round 4am, then walk over to the fish market (as it is close by). After getting my fill of the fish market, head back to the Hamburg Hauptbahnhof and catch the first thang smoking to Heidelberg and pick up, write and mail some post cards. Get right back on the train (as everything is closed on Sunday) and head back to Frankfurt.

And guess what…everything pretty much went according to the plan, except for a few minor deviations, namely:

I went back to Frankfurt after leaving Hamburg…but left back out to go to Heidelberg after taking a shower at the crib.
It started raining I’d say about 1 or 2am, and it was one of those irritating rains where it was heavier than a drizzle but not enough to classify as a shower or downpour. As such, by the time I got to the fish market, my socks were pretty soaked. And I almost didn’t find the fish market and was ready to give up (everyone I asked where the actual fish market was either didn’t know or pointed me in the opposite direction). Luckily, just when I was ready to give up on finding the place—I had found a little storefront area that sold fish stuff, but it was closed—I asked someone cleaning up one of the storefronts who finally told me where to go. Turned out, I caught the fish market just as it was opening so it wasn’t exactly at full tilt when I arrived…and it didn’t seem as if it was going to get at full tilt at any point given the rain. It was more a fresh fish market than a place to get meals or sandwiches having freshly caught fish in them. Oh yeah…I called this a deviation because it caused me to take the second thang smoking out of Hamburg to Frankfurt (like 7:15am).

And that’s about it. I mean, I took some photos in Berlin…

No your eyes are not deceiving you, I believe this is a Chevy Impala out in Berlin

And in Hamburg…

Oh yeah, as an FYI, I recorded that “End of the Road” preview at a Kareoke bar in Hamburg (sort of like an homage to the Kareoke bar in Lisbon and because it really was the end of the "Germany road" for me). Also, yes I was pretty toasted that night so while I remember taking many of the above pictures, I pretty much remember very little of the night except for the fact that I went in and out of like probably 5 bars/parties and socialized the whole way through.

Cheers.

Praha

2008-02-12T12:24:00.000-08:00

Editor's note: There was a "Praha (preview)" blog that I had tried to upload several times...then I remembered, blogger has a 100MB storage limit, and this video was 199MB's. It was basically me in front of this astrological clock tower at noon...and what happened. Ya'll didn't miss much though...it was rather uneventful. Also, this blog was written in word before I left Frankfurt (31 Jan).

With just two weekends left before I was to leave Frankfurt, I had to travel this weekend (as well as the next). I had originally planned to do my “whirlwind” trip (where I go to Berlin, Hamburg and Heidelberg again) this weekend, but when Pascal told me that he’d be in Hamburg the next weekend, I postponed that for next weekend. So where should I go? That was the question I posed to several colleagues Thursday after work. I was thinking about Cologne—it being the only “major” German city I haven’t been to yet (yeah I know there’s Stuttgart, Nuermberg, Dresden, Dusseldorf, etc., but Cologne came up with greater frequency than those other cities)—but they advised against it. They suggested some other cities, but the one that stood out the most was Prague.

Now, I’ve heard a lot about Prague since (and before) I got here. From Brock wanting to do what I’m doing now in Frankfurt out there (i.e. valuation exchange program in Prague). From Josh saying Prague is the new Amsterdam. From Pascal saying the women walk up to you and offer sex for 10 Euros. From people just telling me it’s a beautiful city. Now, no offense, but I just didn’t figure myself to have the same appreciation for Eastern Europe that many of the people who raved about it have. Like people have told me positive things about Moscow, but I’m sorry, it just doesn’t seem to be my cup of tea. I sort of felt the same about Prague. Nevertheless, I decided to try it out.

On Friday, Martin (the head of valuation) put me in contact with a lady out of our Prague office that does all the hotel bookings for people in the company that come to Eastern Europe. I tried to book the same hotel that Martin stayed at when he visited last year, but they were booked. The lady then sent me an excel file with all the hotels we deal with in Prague. I cross checked one (Hotel Adria) with lonely planet and it seemed all right and centrally located. I then called and, as they had availabilities, booked a room for Saturday night. When I later asked what the rate was, I thought she said 23 Euros (like “wow”), but upon check in I saw it was 93 Euros, which wasn’t too bad. I’m getting ahead of myself…

Because my Eurail pass only covers travel throughout Germany, France and the Netherlands, I would still need to buy a ticket from the German/Czech Republic border to Prague. Luckily, that leg of the trip was only like an hour/hour and a half. So for around 22 Euros going and 196 Korunas coming back, my travel was covered. Oh yeah…”Korunas.”

Now, I’m not sure if the Czech Republic is part of the EU or not, but their national currency is the Koruna and, during my stay, the conversion was roughly 25 Korunas to 1 Euro. This was actually “mathematically” cool cause to calculate the equivalent in Euros all you have to do is chop off the last two digits of the price and multiply what’s left by 4. Example, if something is 700 krowns, it’d be 28 Euros (7 x 4 = 28).

Anyways, Saturday started early (5am to be exact) so I could catch the 6:18am train to Dresden. From there I had a little less than 10 minutes to catch (as in transfer to) the 11:10am train to Prague. Two hours later, I was in Prague (and yes, its in the same time zone).

As in Germany, there are no “turnstiles” as we know them (i.e. blocking your entry unless you have paid for a ticket) there are just these stations where you can get a time stamped on the (optional) ticket you’ve purchased (they had the same deal in Munich I believe). Once getting above ground, it took me around 20 to 30 minutes to find my hotel (which was probably a 2 minute walk from the metro exit) because I was wrong to assume that the red signs on buildings at intersections denoted street names. I mean they do the exact same thing in London, only here they don’t state the street but the area of the city you’re in and the building number (which, by the way, is not the same as the address number).

After checking into the hotel (which by the way had motion-sensored lights in the hallways, so when you turn the corner, its completely dark…and when you look behind you its dark as well…way to conserve energy!), I went to the Na Prinkope (Prague’s main retail street), which was nearby. Same ol’, same ol’. Bunch of chain retailers, including H&M and Zara. However, Zara was having a 50% off sale.

Now, Jonah told me about this when he spent his Monday in Frankfurt wandering the streets, and was raving about this suit he bought for like 60 Euro or something. I felt it was a good deal, but I sort of wasn’t that geeked about going out of my way to check out a Zara because they have them in the States, I wasn’t in the market for a suit at the moment and even if they did have something I wanted, I figured all my sizes would be gone—it being a 50% off sale and all.

But here I was in front of the store, in a country I’ve never been in before…”let’s see if they have some cashmere sweaters on sale,” I thought to myself. Try 599 Krowns! At a roughly 25 Krowns to 1 Euro exchange rate, that works out to…24 Euro! Times 1.5 (Euro to dollars conversion) that’s…(drumroll please)…36 Dollars!!!! It’s good deal. AND they had my size in each of the 4 colors they had. Practicing restraint (because after this revelation I was real temped to head over to the shoe and dress shirt sections and see what kind of deals they had there as well), I only purchased two sweaters and was out. I then ventured up the rest of the street, took some pictures of the historic and/or colorful buildings…

…and headed back to the hotel to drop off the sweaters.

OK, here’s where the adventure begins.

As I would find out as the night progressed, Saturday evening in Prague consisted of one recommendation, which I then would check out, followed by another. It all started with late lunch/early dinner. Before leaving the hotel after dropping off the sweaters, I asked the desk lady where was a good place to eat (as I have done for each of the cities in which I have stayed overnight). She gave two recommendations: Café Café and Platy’z.

Café Café was the closest so I headed there first. But upon arriving, I saw that it was basically a coffee bar/lounge that served drinks and sandwiches. Wasn’t my cup of tea (no pun intended), so I headed over to Platy’z…which upon arrival I saw was more my speed (more sit down restaurant than café/bar). And the dish I had there was excellent (I’m actually going to try to make this when I get home. It was basically broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms and carrots, topped with mozzarella and oregano. Simple enough Italian dish, its just that most of the time something like this would be served with pasta or some sort of starch. But this was it…and it worked! Maybe it was the way in which they sautéed the vegetables or something, I don’t know. Also, to back up a bit, I also asked the lady at the front desk of the hotel (who recommended the places to eat) what are the beers to drink out here. She referred me to one of her colleagues (a dude…of course) who then gave me a list of four Czech beers to try. It was here that I tried the first of the four—Pilsner Urquell.

Backing up again, probably the first thing I noticed (and remembered) once I got off the train and walked through the station was that absinthe is legal (and prominently peddled) in Prague. Now, I’ve had absinthe once before in my life (it tastes like licorice) but the experience was nowhere close to the mind-altering state touted by many an absinthe-head and popularized by stories of Van Gogh. To tell the truth, I don’t even remember getting drunk from it. Backing up even further (I promise this is the last time I’ll use that phrase), when I was in Amsterdam (the other place in Europe where absinthe is sold), they told me you’re better off getting “authentic” absinthe from the Czech republic (where its still homemade in places…I believe) than in Amsterdam. So here I was in Prague and I was in the mood to have an experience with some “authentic” absinthe.

So, after finishing my meal at Platy’z, I asked the waitress where’s the best spot to get a drink. But there was one caveat…they had to serve absinthe as well. She then suggested Tretter’s NY Bar, which (according to her) was close by.

While walking over there, I found a liquor store that sold, amongst other liquors, absinthe. But to my surprise, they basically had all the absinthes that the guy in the store in Amsterdam said were weak and/or not the real thing. I even had the pleasure of schooling a couple U.S. soldiers (and their German girlfriends), who were on duty in Germany but on leave in Prague for the weekend, on absinthe-fare. Anyways, that isn't the point. The point is that it was here that I bought the second of the recommended Czech beers (this one is actually one of my favorites of the Europe entire trip)...Budweiser Budvar:

Anyways, back to the adventure. After circling the same block (where subsequently several people told me it was located) about three times, I finally found Tretter’s NY Bar.

As I walked into the place, this blonde haired girl walked in just before me and took the seat at the bar I was going to sit at. Shortly thereafter, I asked the bartender if they had absinthe, which they did. I then told him I wanted one. The girl who took my seat must have known the bartender cause they struck up a conversation somethin’ fierce (in Czech, of course). And it was during this conversation I heard her say something to the effect of “tourist” after I ordered absinthe. I then told her that this being Tretter’s NY bar, I was actually more at home than her. This sort of love-hate banter continued between us (she spoke very good English) the rest of my stay at the bar. It wasn’t long before another bartender came over and did his little “absinthe thing” (think that Tom Cruise movie where he’s playing a bartender) replete with pouring a shot of absinthe from the top shelf and lighting a brown sugar cube on fire…

Now, this was different than the absinthe from before, it BURNED as it went down. And no I didn’t take the shot “to the face.” I straight baby-sat (i.e. sipped) this bad boy for at least the following 30 minutes. During this time, girl proceeded to tell me how she was recently dumped by her boyfriend cause she would get mad when he smoked around her (to clarify, she didn’t like him smoking altogether, but it was the “smoking around her” that she had the problem with). I told her how most dudes take offense to bossy women cause its like they’re trying to control and/or change them to their liking, and how most of the time that builds up resentment and dissatisfaction with the woman and the relationship. She then tried to justify her request for not smoking by saying something to the effect of, “well, I’ve stopped flirting with other dudes while he’s around, so the least he can do is return the favor and not smoke around me.” Take it for what you will (cause it was around this time that the absinthe started kicking in and the majority of the night from this point on is a bunch of scattered instances remembered)…but I do remember her telling me how she had dude (current boyfriend) purposefully meet her at this bar where one of her exes (which she was on “good terms with”) worked and was “puzzled” why dude (current boyfriend) was acting different. I then asked whether ex was laying on the flirt/”yeah, I hit that” extra thick, to which she giggled and said yeah.

Shortly before I left, I asked where the party was. She told me about 3 places: Bombay, M1 and Radost Fx. The first two were nearby so I went to Bombay first. Not my cup of tea. But I ordered a Mojito with Havana Club Rum before leaving. Next was M1. I wouldn’t say it was wack (the DJ played that T-Pain song “Bartender”), but it was definitely less crowded than Bombay…but then again the night was still young at that point. I ordered a Mojito with Havana Club Rum before leaving…I think (remember, absinthe was taking the cake at this time).

As I made my way back to the hotel before leaving back out to check out the piece-de-resistance (Radost FX), I happened upon this other place (I want to say it was an Irish pub, but I don’t remember) and struck up a conversation with a mixed couple (black woman/white man) whom I believe were both British. He told me about when he was in the military, there was a city he was stationed at and everyday at 4pm they were told to get out of there cause that’s when the British air-calvary would come in and bomb the heck out of the city. He said that’s what happened to Frankfurt during WWII. He continued to say that’s why all of the construction is post-1950 and the one area that survived the bombings (Dom/Roemer—where the Chirstmas Market in Frankfurt is held) is one of the celebrated/touristy areas of the city.

Anyways, I got back to the room, somewhat caught my bearings then caught a cab to Radost FX. Surprisingly, it was wack but then again I think I got there before it really popped off (I got there around like 11 or 12 or something and I believe it popped off between 1 and 2). Again, I got a Mojito cause they make it with Havana Club Rum and was out. I caught another taxi back to the hotel and immediately passed out.

The next morning, I woke up and got the typical European breakfast (bread, cheese and salami), went back to the room and took a shower, then headed down to the front desk to request a late check out. Now, here’s the interesting thing about this hotel…you pay per hour (about 100 Krowns) for late check out. I’m not only surprised that the thought of such a thing has never crossed my mind, but also surprised that I haven’t run across a hotel in the U.S. with such a policy (because if you think about it, that’s a very American thing to do). But after the conversion, 100 Krowns works out to just 4 Euro. So I told them I’d be check out at 2pm.

At this point, I would normally have a long picture reel. But for some reason, even I feel that I took too many pictures on this day (well over 200). Make no mistake, the weather was beautiful, its just that I took like between 2 to 4 pictures of each thing. Nevertheless, I have a lot of very good pictures…in fact, too many to publish on this already super long blog. So, look for the blog with the link to my photo sharing account in the near future.

Anyways, to sum up the walk,

I witnessed 12 o’clock at the Astrological clock...

(this was supposed to be the “Praha (preview)” blog, but everytime I tried to upload it, it would never work.

Saw this HUGE metronome that was up on a hill in the distance...

I walked over and (exhaustively) up to it and it turned out to be a pseudo-skatepark/hangout for kids in the city...

And the view was spectacular...

There’s this famous bridge in Prague (one or more of you all got the post card) so of course I had to take a picture. So I walked to the banks of the adjacent bridge and there was this area with a rack of swans. People were feeding them and the view was awesome...

At the foot of this bridge, there was this super-small mom-and-pop shop (that sold chips and beer) with a guy outside grilling sausages. It was here that I tried the third of the suggested Czech beers: Gambrinus. From what I remember, nothing special. It tasted like a regular beer we drank at the dojo (Josh's apartment).
Of all the cities I’ve visited on my jaunt out here in Europe, I’d say this city tops the list when it comes to number of Asian tourists.

I got lost on the way back to the hotel so I had to catch the 4:30 out of Prague. I got to the station just before four though so I had enough time to try the last of the suggested beers: Staropramen. It tasted the same as Gambrinus. After the trip was all said and done, I didn’t end up getting back to Frankfurt til after 1am. I was however able to catch snippets of the Patriots/Chargers game as I traveled on the train thanks to Kadija—we Skyped each other and she faced her laptop to the TV screen; but I say snippets cause the UMTS card kept timing out as I was traveling on the ICE (high speed train) and each cell tower that the card accessed would last at most like 10 minutes. I ain’t complaining though, I love all this new fangled technology!

Cheers.

Editor's Note

2008-02-12T12:19:00.000-08:00

For all those wondering...

1) Yes, I am back Stateside.

2) I still have like 7 blogs to upload (even though, in lieu of #1, I doubt anyone will read them nor care)

3) Yes, I'm a procrastinating bamma, but the last few weeks have been very hectic...and I wanted to enjoy my time in London.

4) I don't know if I'll still continue writing this blog, once the last of all the aforementioned blogs have been posted (maybe I'll just save it for trips and stuff).

Cheers.

Amsterdam New Year's

2008-01-27T09:36:00.000-08:00

The Heineken Experience was closed for renovations until Spring 2008 and most of the museums were closed during the time we were there—outside of Saturday the 29th (our first full day there), the 30th was a Sunday (things were closed off GP), the 31st was New Year’s Eve and the 1st was New Year’s Day (and we left January 2nd). Yeah, we slept on hitting the museum scene on Saturday (literally and figuratively), but we still saw a lot that day (no pun intended ;-). For that reason, outside of New Year’s Eve, there were no real major occurrences that took place in Amsterdam. Each of the days was pretty much the same…walking around, going in and out of different shops and all in all enjoying all the beautiful scenery the city had to offer. And oh, does it offer a bounty. So much so, that you’ll have to check my photo sharing account (when I post the link) to check out all the pictures. Sidebar: Over the course of the entire Paris/Brussels/Amsterdam soiree, I took more than 1,000 pictures…no lie.

That doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything to blog about. It just means that New Year’s in Amsterdam was really the only “blog-worthy” event that took place during this leg of the trip. I’m also going to follow-up this blog with an “Amsterdam Misc” blog that should hopefully cover all the remaining stuff that happened or I noticed while in Amsterdam that isn’t necessarily covered in this blog.

Our original plan was get dressed up and go somewhere (an actual inside venue) for New Year’s. But after procrastinating for the entire trip (truthfully, we should have called around and checked on stuff prior to leaving Frankfurt), we found that our options were pretty much nil. Still though, that didn’t mean we were SOL. New Year’s in Amsterdam’s Dam Square is pretty packed and chaotic we were told, and we were down for the experience.

Now, to put the evening in the proper context, New Year’s Eve is an all day event in Amsterdam. The morning of New Year’s Eve, we awoke to the sound of what we thought were gunshots, but (as we would find out later and hear about every 30 seconds throughout the rest of the day) were fireworks, set off by the population at large.

The day progressed just like all the other days in Amsterdam (walking around, shopping intermittently, me taking pictures, Kadija exhausted from me taking so many pictures, eating at whatever restaurant we happened upon). The evening, however, was a bit different. It started I’d say at about 10 o’clock.

We walked from the hotel to Dam Square and as we approached, there was a polica barricade at the street entrance to Dam Square. We then saw a sign that said, among other things, no alcohol. Well, we weren’t about to bring in the New Year without popping the bottle of Mo’ we had with us. Our “extensive” walks through this area of the city educated us to another “pseudo-back way” to Dam Square. Now, if this were ANY American city during New Year’s and the police wished to block off or control what comes into an area, you can be sure that ALL entrances (automobile, pedestrian or otherwise) would have a police presence. So Kadija and I found it quite funny that this “pseudo-back way” (which was basically like the pedestrian pathway for the street the cops had blocked off) was completely devoid of police. Needless to say, we passed right through, bottle of Mo’ in tow, and found us a place to stand, with a view of the Dam Square super huge TV screen, right under this monument:

Here's the view:

At about this time, it was around like 10-10:30pm. They had this stage set up in Dam Square where they had various acts performing. One of them that stood out was this kid who was like 12 or something but was playing the hell out the drums. It was basically him and another older dude on the drums taking turns soloing while the other kept time or something. Despite all this, it was pretty uneventful (save for the industrial-grade fireworks that people were letting off IN THE STREET—literally, where all the people were gathered).

(see the smoke trail of one someone just let off?)

It wasn’t long before Kadija and I were hungry, so we went to one of the many “create your own stir-fry” places in Amsterdam…and they were always DAMN good (pun intended). Basically, you choose the meat, vegetables and sauce and its ready in like 5 minutes. I’m sure these type of places have found their way to over NY and are probably all over places like Thailand, but it was new to me…and it hot the spot.

We were done with our food at around 11:30pm, so we headed back over to the spot under the monument we were standing at before. It was around this time that they brought the last act onto the stage—some troupe that played these bass heavy drums (think jungley like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom). OK, to me, whoever was the program director for this New Year’s entertainment needs to straight up be fired. Yeah, I’ll concede that the playing of the drums sort of built up the anticipation for the coming year (their playing got more and more intense as midnight approached), but honestly they could of done better in such a New Year’s heavy city like Amsterdam. Secondly, AND THIS REALLY PISSED ME OFF (ask Kadija)…THEY ONLY SHOWED THE CLOCK 5 MINUTES AND 10 SECONDS BEFORE NEW YEAR’S. THE REST OF THE TIME THEY SHOWED THESE SORT OF MOVING SQUARES IN RED, BLUE AND ORANGE ON REPEAT (LITERALLY, THE WHOLE “MOVEMENT SEQUENCE” WAS LIKE 15 SECONDS IN TOTAL). You know, I could understand if it was a cultural difference thing where in America they always show the clock so you have an idea of how much time is left while over in Holland they feel the showing of the clock only matters for the countdown. But when you usurp my clock viewing time to show me moving squares (and I don’t care if it was part of the drumming troupe’s act/show)…I’m pissed, I’m sorry. And yeah, you could say that many of the people out there were on some sort of drug and the intent of the “moving square sequence” was to accentuate their high…but I guarantee, more people were blown than blown away…feasible?!

All right, I’m off my soapbox.

So, if the fireworks in the middle of the street weren’t enough then you had people climbing onto the monument we were standing under and around. The view from up there was spectacular I’m sure, but I mean, seriously, this is like the equivalent of someone climbing on the Lincoln Memorial during the 4th to get a better view of the fireworks and/or the Mall. And the police did nothing…as they did with the fireworks. And climbing up there was no cake-walk either. To get up there, you had to either jump or get pulled up to the ledge which was like (and I’m being conservative here) a good 12 feet high. This picture gives an idea of what I’m talking about…

So the countdown happened, 2008 started, fireworks went off like Beruit and it wasn’t until like 5 minutes into 2008 that I was finally able to pop the cork on the bottle of Moet (it was stuck in there some kinda serious). But we had a ball nonetheless…

Earlier, when we were researching last minute New Year’s options, someone told us that the fireworks in the red light district were where it’s at. So after the Dam Square countdown, we headed over to the PACKED red light district and lo’ and behold, dude was right. And the thing about these fireworks was that there was this neighborhood aesthetic to it. Of course there were random people just letting off fireworks by the canal (along the packed narrow sidewalks, mind you). But the piece-de-resistance were these 3 or 4 dudes who had a docked flat-bed boat upon which they set off these spectacular fireworks every 5 minutes for like a half an hour to 45 minutes. And these weren’t no kiddie fireworks, these were the super load, super high, even spiraling fireworks I had never seen before. And for it to be happening no more than just 100 meters right in front of me made it all the more brilliant.

When it seemed as if dudes were out of fireworks, and the thunderous roar of applause from all of the red light district’s residents and tourists had subsided, Kadija and I walked through the streets and alleyways of the red light district in its most frenzied of states…

About half an hour later we walked back to the hotel and called it a night.

I’ll leave you all with this stunning picture of Kadija’s silhouette.

Cheers.

Amsterdam Misc

2008-01-27T09:34:00.000-08:00

First and foremost, GET HEINEKENS OUT OF THE BROWN BOTTLE!

I don’t know if its that they save the good stuff for home, or if something happens to the beer when it travels overseas (or if the green bottle itself distorts the taste), but brown-bottle Heinekens don’t have the after-taste that green-bottle Heinekens have. It was so good that Kadija, who doesn’t have a taste for beer, was feenin’ for another. Matter fact, it was so good that we took a six-pack back to Frankfurt with us. Another piece of trivia: green bottle caps say “Heineken Bier” while brown bottle caps say “Heineken Pilsner.”

If there are homeless people in Amsterdam, they don’t ask for money on the street. Yeah, there were street performers, but no one came up to us outright and asked for money.
There are more bikes than cars (oftentimes, bikes even have their own lanes on the street)

(the red lane is for bikes only)

There are ticket booths in the actual tram (sorry, no free rides here).

I can’t speak on the subways though, we never had the need to take one.

“The Netherlands” and “Holland” are the same country.
On some streets, trams in opposite directions share the same track and only have their own dedicated track at stops (those on the bridge over a canal).

H Street NE could learn a lil’ somethin’ somethin’.

Stairs everywhere are SUPER steep.
The ticket area at the Amsterdam Main Train station is like the DMV…100% serious. Going back to Frankfurt, Kadija and I wanted one of those 6-seat booths on the ICE (the high speed trains that run throughout Europe), so we went to the station to reserve one. Upon getting there, they gave us a ticket…our number was like a hundred numbers away. Still, thinking the numbers went super fast or skipped a bunch of numbers, we waited…it wasn’t happening. So we left, walked back to the hotel (all the while taking pictures), got our luggage, and took the tram back to the station…and we were still like 20 numbers away. Mind you, our trip to and from the station took well over an hour. To cap it off, when we finally went to the ticket counter, dude told us we could reserve one of those booths (for a price of course), but it probably wouldn’t be necessary as the train wasn’t that full.
Everyone spoke legible English and was SUPER amiable. No one had a bad attitude or anything. I’m sure people would try to blame it on the usual suspects (i.e. their “lax” culture), but I really don’t feel that was the case. It was just a positive environment all around. Honestly, if I were to ever “retire” I would seriously consider making this the location.
Walk-to-Wok – this is one of the “make-your-own-stir-fry” places I mentioned in the Amsterdam New Year’s blog. It was official…that’s all there is to it.
Finally, they curse on commercials...

Matter fact…enjoy!

Cheers.

Whirlwind Weekend Round-Up (preview)

2008-01-27T07:00:00.001-08:00

Cheers.

The Uno

2008-01-25T15:11:00.000-08:00

For those of ya’ll still with me—yeah I know I’ve been off and on since December (and when I’m on I give ya’ll novel-length blog entries—I didn’t highlight the “Dr.” in front of Jonah’s name to be funny (see "Weekend at the Alps" if you don't NMTMBA...nmtmba?). In all seriousness, it was in admiration. I could talk about the qualifying examination he had to take going into his second year in the Ph.D. program at Stanford…but to make a long story short, it single handedly convinced me that I wasn’t gangsta enough.

Dude is doing the DAMN thang. Case in point, he pretty much was the source of the entire second half of this New York Times magazine article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/28/magazine/28wwln-consumed-t.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Uno%2C+Botta&st=nyt&oref=slogin

There’s a big newspaper/magazine/book shop in the Hauptbahnhof and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the only place where you can get the New York Times…even if it is a day late. Well, when he told me about the article back in October, I had to cop it…even if it was to the tune of 18 Euro (I’m not joking)...

A quote from the article (for those of ya’ll that are too lazy to click on the link and read)…

“Consider, for instance, the Uno, from Botta, the German watch brand. It has only one hand.”

Shortly after finishing the article, I looked up the watch online and fell in love (http://www.botta-design.de/en_uno_automatik.html). Not only was this watch different (as indicated in the article), but was designed to my liking and…it was a “German watch brand”. What better gift for myself to commemorate this overseas experience?! And it gets better…their headquarters are located just 20 mintues outside of Frankfurt. As far as I was concerned, it was a DONE-dadda. All that mattered from that point was logistics (i.e. how to get there).

I first made contact (via email) with the company in early November, and had kept in contact ever since. Well today, I finally had the car and a Friday where I had the opportunity to leave before 6pm (I was finished with all of my work and the normal 5pm Friday training session was cancelled). After a call to Klaus Botta’s cell letting him know I was on my way (yeah, I got it like that), I was on the Autobahn.

When I arrived at his design offices (not a store), he had the watches laid out for my viewing (and trying-on) pleasure. Oh yeah, the place was nice as well:

…replete with a Nespresso machine as well:

They both looked like what they looked like online:

…so the only question that remained was, white or black.

I probably contemplated this for about 30 minutes (seriously). He even left me alone to ponder (out loud) my decision.

In all truthfulness, I was immediately drawn to the black face, but the last two watches (prior to the Vizio I’m wearing now) had black faces and were reminiscent of this one (especially the big-faced Museum). The white face reminded me of the Vizio (which is a good thing in that its very clean), but it seemed like it was a bit boisterous without trying to be.

You know, actually typing this, I’m realizing this is one of those “you had to be there” type of things cause I’m sure this is very uninteresting to you all. All I can say is that I am a “watch-guy” and EVERY single one I’ve worn has gotten loads of compliments. So I took this decision very seriously (especially considering the cost and that I really would be stuck with my decision once I left).

And the winner…

Beautiful ain’t it? America ain’t ready.

Cheers.

Yesterday, It Happened...

2008-01-24T11:00:00.000-08:00

Remember how I told you that the German subway system does not have turnstiles (meaning, you can easily get on the subway without having purchased a ticket)? Well, like a good little boy, for the months of November and December, I had purchased monthly Frankfurt subway tickets to the tune of around 70 Euro. After arriving back in Frankfurt for the new year, it wasn't until halfway through the month that I realized that I didn't have a ticket. And with my stay out here officially coming to an end 31 January, I didn't much see the need.

Well...I could get into how if I just happened to get off at my normal stop (Hoenstrasse) and not take the train one stop further (Borheim Mitte)--so that I wouldn't have to walk as far to the Thai spot from which I was getting dinner--then I would have gotten off the train right before the subway ticket-checkers approached me. Or how, if I wasn't so englufed in reading this report on the U.S. Housing Market by Wells Fargo, I would have noticed that the guy was approaching me and gotten off at my normal stop.

But it doesn't matter...

And for your information, telling them that you don't speak German or didn't know cause you're a tourist doesn't work. They speak English too. And get this, if you don't have the 40 Euro fine in cash on you, they walk with you to the nearest ATM. And if you can't get any money out from there, they call the authorities.

Luckily, I had enough money on me, and I paid the 40 Euro fine. But guess what, I'm still winning...you remember how much a monthly pass was?

Now all I have to do is be on guard for the remaining week I have out here.

Cheers.

Weekend at the Alps

2008-01-21T14:15:00.000-08:00

The weekend started Friday morning (11 January) when the infamous J. Bizness (a.k.a. Dr. Jonah Berger) arrived to town.

After a quick detour to Berger Strasse (no pun intended) to stop by my place to drop off the clothes he didn’t need and get my bag, then to the bank to get money, we got in Geertje’s car (which I had picked up the night before) headed to work to pick up Thomas and we were off to Lenggries.

Thomas drove the whole way…and very fast mind you, but with good reason—we wanted to get to the place before 4:30pm (when the gondolas that takes you up to the top of the mountain closed). Furthermore, we had an additional detour to Munich so Thomas could get the stuff he needed, and Jonah and I also needed time once we got there to rent ski equipment (skis, boots and poles).

Anyways, during the drive, Jonah and I slept probably 5/6 of the way. But I still found time to take a couple pictures:

This is the world famous Allianz Arena. I say world famous because its shaped like a white nest and they can light up the outside different colors (red, white or blue I believe… seeing that these are the colors of the Bavarian soccor team that plays there) as they see fit.

These are the fields where they grow the plants from which their world famous Bavarian beers (like Augustiner Muenchen) is made.

Upon arriving in Munich, Thomas was quick to get his stuff and load the car. Of note, we met his girlfriend Micha (like Michael, without the “L”):

A little over an hour later, we got to Lenggries, Jonah and I rented our ski stuff, then Pascal, Geertje, Romana, Martin (not the head of valuation, another Martin that also works for the company) and Steffie arrived shortly thereafter. Then we all took the gondola up.

Now, one of the things that intrigued me about the trip (aside from it being in the Alps), was that we were going to be staying in a cabin located right on the mountain. However, before going up, I didn’t bother to ask where the cabin actually was, I sort of assumed it'd be right there by the gondola (or at most a short walk from there). Wrong! Come to find out, we had to walk (with skis, boots, poles and luggage, and all) about half a km…on the actual slopes, mind you, to the cabin. The walk sucked…but I’m not going to front though, it was beautiful up there:

The funny thing was that the cabin was at the bottom of a hill, so we had to either walk, ski, slide or fall to get down there.

After catching our breaths and getting settled into our rooms on the upper floor of the cabin, we all got beers…then shnapps…then dinner…then more shnapps…then I don’t remember. These were some of the pictures taken:

Jonah and I got to bed around 10 (we got there around 5:30-ish), but I heard some people stayed up till 3:30.

The next day we got up and had typical European breakfast (bread, cheese and salami) and were on the slopes by 10am. But first, I took some pictures...

I was skiing like a bamma for like the 1st two runs, but by the time the clouds arrived, I was somewhat getting back into the groove of things. I say “somewhat” because this ski trip made me realize a very painful truth…I am very out of shape. Aside from how out of breath I was from the walk to the cabin on Friday, I realized that I can’t attack the slope with the vehemence that I used to over 10 years ago (the last time I went skiing when I weighed less and did a lot more physical activities during the natural course of the week—like play tennis, basketball, rollerblade, etc.) I felt it most in my thighs. For those that are unfamiliar with proper ski-technique (like I’m about to explain this with any sort of professionalism), when going down the slope, you’re supposed to bend your knees (keeping them together) and use the edges of your skis (via your thighs) to “cut” into the slope from left to right to left to right, etc. (providing for the sort of “weaving” action you see skiers make as they go down the slope. Well, the steeper the slope, the more work your thighs have to put in to control your speed as you go down the slope (the steeper the slope, the faster you go down and the more you have to “cut” into the slope). So what I found was the steeper the slope, the more often I had to stop to give my thighs a rest and catch my breath. I absolutely have to get back into jogging.

Somehow, Jonah was able to comprehend the map and where we were at all times, so he was basically the leader for Romana and I (the three of us went out together while the others fragmented into their own groups).

(lift "tickets" are a thing of the past, its all digital now)

(shout to English Muffin)

Unfortunately at times that means you can end up here…

…where the about two feet of semi-packed snow is covered by a thin layer of ice so you have to crawl back up to the top of the run once you realize this may have not been one of the resort’s designated runs (lol). But naw, all jokes aside, Jonah was a good “Kimosabe” cause I damn sure didn’t know how to get to all the trails (which is surprising because I normally have an excellent sense of direction) and we got in a fair share of different runs before the slopes closed at 4:30.

Upon getting back (we were the first), we got a beer and shortly thereafter Pascal and Steffi arrived. Turns out, they skied the whole mountain (even the part where the gondola takes you up). They said in all, it’s 5 kilometers from the cabin to the very bottom…wow.

Truthfully, this night was no different than the other night except it was snowing outside and we played this game called “Sixes-out.”

Basically, everyone starts with 30 points (your score). You have 6 dice and then every roll you have to remove at least one die. The number on the die or dice is added until you've rolled all the dice. The goal is for your total, after all of your rolls, to be 30 or higher. If your number is 31 or higher, you get a bonus roll (with all 6 dice) and for every die that shows the number of the amount difference between your total and 30, you take those dice out until your roll doesn't show that amount again. Then that total gets counted against the score of next person's turn. Sounds confusing right? For example, if my total (at the end of my initial rolls) was 34, then I get a bonus roll (with all 6 dice) and for every '4' that shows up (the difference between my score (34) and 30) that counts against the next person's score. I then take all those fours out and roll again. I keep rolling til no fours show up. The goal is to be the last man (or woman) with points at the end.

After playing the game several rounds with Pascal and Thomas, Jonah and I got bored with the game and then tried to make up our own version called “American 3’s”, the rules of which we made up as we went along. It didn’t work. Anyways, we also played the game where you try to bounce a coin into the cup and both Jonah and I arm-wrestled Martin and his 2-meter, 2-centimeter tall self (do the math).

But given we were stuck in a cabin in the middle of Alps and we had nothing but each other, alcohol, music and each other to keep us company (and the games I said before), the night basically proceeded like this:

Sunday morning, we woke to fresh powder (it snowed the night before) and were anxious to get on the slopes before it was all gone. More early morning pics of the Alps...

But after breakfast, I found there was something else that concerned me. Thomas, Geertje and Pascal, eager to avoid the traffic that would no doubt swarm the roads more and more as the afternoon progressed, wanted to meet at the bottom of the slopes at 12:30 (it was around 10 at this point). Me, realizing I would probably never come back to Lenggries again in my life, wanted to spend considerably more time on the slopes that day. Thomas, Geerjte and I got into a bit of a tiff because at the time it seemed they were unwilling to compromise nor hear me out (I absolutely hate it when people cut me off…especially in situations like this). In the end it was all good and we compromised that Jonah and I just wouldn’t meet them for lunch (which is what they were planning to do after meeting at the bottom at 12:30) and would link up with them at 2pm.

Once back on the slopes, my style was progressively improving considerably as my body began to remember my impeccable ski-form from the yester-years. What also helped a lot was the fact that, unlike Saturday, it wasn’t snowing and, as the day progressed, the sun came out—thereby highlighting the terrain considerably more.

I wish I could have gotten even more runs in, but I was satisfied with those that we had done. So around 1pm we got back to the cabin and got our stuff. Now here was the tricky part, we had to ski back to the gondola with all of our luggage. I mean, if skiing without it (and the workout given to my thighs) wasn’t enough already, now I had to worry about the shifting of a considerable amount of weight from left to right to left to right each time I cut into the slope (given I didn’t have a backpack, but a bag with a single strap). But somehow I managed (Jonah was smart, he had a bag that had an extra strap that straps around your waist). Nevertheless, we made it to the bottom and returned our ski equipment with time to spare. And guess what…come 2pm, they weren’t even there. I wasn’t tripping cause Jonah, myself and Romana (who we saw at the bottom once we got there) were still hungry so we got something from this place called “Alte Mulistation” (go figure). They arrived sometime before 2:15 and we were out soon thereafter.

Cheers.

Adventures in Babysitting (the Brussels Blog)

2008-01-21T10:39:00.000-08:00

Paris was from the 23rd to the 26th of December, Amsterdam was from the 28th of December to the 1st of January. That left the night of the 27th (and the morning/afternoon of the 28th) open. The original plan was to go to Cologne, Germany. But after learning that Eurail pass included Belgium…I’m sorry, lemme take a step back and educate the viewers at home:

There is a plan that is open only to non-EU residents called the “Eurail” pass. Basically, for 2 months you’re allowed either 5 or 10 days of travel between 3, 4, 5 or all 18 EU countries…with each plan increasing in price the more days and/or countries you’re allowed. But here’s the thing, you have to select the countries up front. Now, Kadija and I, starting in Germany and desiring to travel to Paris (France) and Amsterdam (the Netherlands) obviously wanted the 5-day, 3-country pass. Luckily for us, “the Netherlands”, in addition to Holland, included Luxembourg and Belgium (Google Earth it, dammit!).

Anyways, lonelyplanet.com has been my guide for many of the weekend trips I have taken during my tenure out here (Sidebar: Them bammas are going corporate because when I was looking for our Amsterdam accommodations back in November, I was able to see the editor’s picks and get phone numbers and all. But now, they don’t give you any of that stuff and try to have you book your rooms through them.) So when I went here and saw that, “From November to March, the weather is often wretched (right around freezing with plenty of slushy precipitation),” I figured Brussels was not the best of ideas. The site did have a very good review of Luxembourg, but unfortunately, the country is either so small or off the radar that there were no reviews or suggestions of places to stay. So during my day at the Paris office, I asked where we should go. The overwhelming answer…Brussels.

So here’s the funny thing. We didn’t have Internet access on Christmas (and we were busy out and about all throughout the 24th) so the only day (i.e. night) I could book something was the 26th (i.e. the night before). Considering the Christmas/New Year’s holiday, you’d think we were doomed. But the night of the 27th, given this week’s distribution of days in 2007 (i.e. Thursday night), was the exact mid-point between people’s Christmas and/or New Year’s plans/travels. So while I was aware it was last minute, I was also aware that there may be openings. Aww, lemme stop b.s.-ing, I was ready to take the first place that answered, spoke English, took Visa and was ready to book us. Surprisingly, it didn’t take long and within an hour we had the basement room in the Phineas Fogg—a 4-room (what in D.C. would be called a “row house” and in NY a “brownstone”) B&B in Brussels: http://hotels.lonelyplanet.com/hotel/-P131455.html

Nothing much happened between checking out of the hotel in Paris and checking into the B&B in Brussels except:

When traveling in and out of Paris, you have to have a reservation…regardless of whether or not you have a Eurail pass, and there’s a guy at the train door who checks each person getting on to make sure they have a reservation. So when boarding the train in Paris, when the guy in front of us tried to act like he didn’t know, the train checker-guy straight sonned him by saying (in the most stereotypic French accent you can conjure), “I do not know who told you this, but he is a lyeur!” Kadija and I were laughing about this the rest of the trip (and still are). What’s even funnier is that he also came around to where we were sitting later and struck up a conversation. He said he loved “Pulp Fiction” (replete with the John Travolta “peace sign” dance) and said he’ll only begin to come around on his not-so-positive views on America if Barack Obama was elected (he was black by the way).
I took this picture of Kadija:

And just like all of Germany, there are no subway turnstiles

So after arriving and getting settled in our room, Karin (the owner/operator of the Phineas Fogg)…

….drew us a “spot-on” map of the path that we should take to get downtown.

Here are some of the pics from our walk:

OK.

So, the original plan was to head back to the B&B, charge our (and the camera’s) batteries, sample (i.e. drink) all 6 of the Belgian beers we purchased from…

…and then head out to the authentic Belgian restaurant that Karin suggested and depicted on her hand-drawn map. But after uploading pictures from the camera, drinking delectable Belgian ales and realizing a 20-30 minute (round trip) walk just wasn’t a good look, we decided to try for something a little more closer to home-base. It was around this time that Karin asked us if we wanted pizza. Now, Kadija (for some-odd-English reason) does not like pizza and I wasn’t trying to impose, so we politely declined.

Some 15 minutes and 2 to 3 beers later, Karin asked us to babysit while she got the pizza. To her defense, there was another guest that hadn’t called to let her know (or lied about) when they were to show up. So the pizza would have been gotten earlier (i.e before we got there), had they shown up or let her know when they were going to be there.

This is a pic of her and her beautiful daughter.

Kadija and I were both a bit leery or this situation, but I figured Karin wouldn’t be that long getting the pizza and I was also a bit sympathetic to her because, being the traveler that my experiences with her and her place led me to believe she was (and lonely planet described her as being), I felt that she might have just needed a break away from it all (if not just for 5 to 10 minutes). So, speaking on behalf of the both of us, I agreed.

For the majority of the 20 or so minutes Karin was gone, things went well. Her Karin’s daughter (I’m sorry, I forget her name) sat on my lap and looked at my pictures in iPhoto. Some she liked…

Most she didn’t…

[Yeah I know Karin is in the background of these pics, but this is basically what was happening the majority of while she was gone.]

I even taught her to call Kadija a “bamma.” But then…. Look, the truth of the matter is this girl was no older than 4. And despite the fact she can probably speak 6 languages better than I can, she can’t speak none of ‘em fluently. And I don’t care if your mother or one of the many guests taught you to be an origami master, scissors without your mother’s supervision just ain’t happening.

Now Kadija will tell you herself, she dislikes children (especially bad-ass German ones—see here). So when little girl sulked and ran to the corner in the other room after I took the scissors from her, Kadija just pursed her lips, slightly shook her head and continued typing. I, on the other hand, followed her to the corner, and attempted to console her. I thought I was making headway, then she started saying, “I want Mommy.”

Luckily shortly thereafter Karin showed back up and when the little girl ran up to Karin speaking another language…I feared the worst. I then told Karin that she tried to pick up some scissors and took them away from her. Karin said she completely understood and thanked us for looking after her. Shortly after that, Kadija and I left to go to the same Italian place Karin got her pizza from. Not only were we hungry, but we were both extremely eager to talk about the situation that had just transpired.

Basically, both sides of the story were like this:

On one hand, she shouldn’t be leaving her 4-year old daughter in the care of strangers she just met no more than 6 hours ago. To do so is just plain simple irresponsible parenting because you never know what could happen…even if you’re gone for 5 minutes. The fact that she found it OK to do so might be reflective of her not wanting to be bothered for a period of time (as evidenced by Karin playing solitaire (by herself) several times during the evening and her daughter’s insatiable need of attention—meaning Karin may not be paying her enough of it). If this is indeed the case, this also lends to the notion of irresponsible parenting.
On the other hand, the fact that she found it OK to do so might also be reflective her liberal mindset in maybe wanting her daughter to be exposed to as much of the world and life as possible (i.e. spending time with complete strangers without her supervision will not only teach her English, but also teach her to be independent). Furthermore, the likelihood that one of her guests would do anything heinous to her daughter is slim to none—given her place is small and not that publicized, I would suspect that the “lonely planet” crowd that stays there is more civil than the general traveling populace. I know you can’t put a profile on a traveler or the type of person that would do something heinous, but that’s just my sentiment. Of note also, as I stated earlier, there are no turnstiles in the Brussels subway system. And if my assumption, that people who ride the subway pay for tickets to the same degree that they do in Germany, is correct, the people of Brussels have some sense of morals (i.e. paying for tickets) and would be less inclined to do something to her daughter than they would be in America.

Still, Kadija and I were both in aggreance that were it our child, we wouldn’t have left him or her alone with us, or any strangers for that matter. But then again, neither of us have been parents, nor have either of us run a B&B.

After dinner, we went back to the Phineas Fogg and went to bed. We woke the next morning to your standard European breakfast (bread with butter and/or jam, sliced meat, coffee and boiled egg (optional), and headed out to Brussels again to catch some pictures in the good weather before leaving to head for Amsterdam.

These pictures and many more can be found on my photobucket account...link coming soon.

Cheers.

Weekend at the Alps (preview)

2008-01-13T11:00:00.000-08:00

Cheers.

Don't Worry, Amsterdam is on the Way...

2008-01-10T18:09:00.000-08:00

In my quest to educate ya'll bammas to music on an international scale, I present to you "Non Stop" by Partysquad [the DJ's] ft. Brain Power [the MC]. You don't have to know Dutch to know he's snappin', but if you actually try to pay attention, I guarantee you'll catch a few lines.

Enjoy.

Cheers.

P.S. The Paris Picture Reel and the Brussels Blog are also on the way.

The Santa Claus Blog

2008-01-10T16:59:00.000-08:00

You know the story. If you're a good little boy (girl), provided your parent(s)/relatives have the financial means, Santa will reward you with the presents (and possibly more) that you desire. If you're bad, you get a lump of coal in your stocking.

Now, we all know that Santa doesn't exist...but that still doesn't mean the idea of Santa still doesn't hold true. If you get good grades and act right, your parent(s) (playing pseudo-Santa) should reward you come Christmas. Maybe not to the lofty designs characterized by your standard Santa/Christmas images, but gift(s) abound nonetheless. The same holds true on the other hand, if you're bad and/or get bad grades, you won't necessarily get a lump of coal, but you definitely won't be rewarded for the (rotten) fruits of your behavior/labor.

I wonder if the same idea holds any relation (even in the slightest) to God, heaven and hell.

Now make no mistake, this is no atheist rant (I personally believe in a higher power and I pray every night). I just wonder if the way in which "God" is portrayed in many religions is too literal...much like Santa. Although "Santa" (with his snowy beard and the red outfit delivering gifts to all the children of the ENTIRE world by flying in his sled with 12 reindeer and climbing his fat arse up and down coal stained chimneys without getting scratched or dirty) doesn't exist, the idea of Santa is physically manifested through your parents. So, in freeing your mind from the physical/literal, does that make that make "Santa" any less real?

With respect to God and religion (specifically Christianity, Islam and other monotheistic religions...and my not-so-grand understanding of their basics), its basically if you're good and follow the word, you'll go to heaven...if you're bad and don't follow the word, you'll go to hell. If you're following the metaphor, I'm likening these to the "Santa gift bonanza" (heaven) and lump of coal (hell) referred to earlier.

Now, I haven't exactly figured out who the metaphorical "parent(s)" are with respect to religion, but in the end, that's neither here nor there. It's the ultimate "idea" of God that I'm getting at...and not its literal portrayal (I personally believe many of the stories in religious texts are parables anyways, and not to be taken as literal occurrences). It goes then, in staying with the metaphor, that neither heaven or hell are respectively gangbusters in their pleasure or pain, but do follow the theme that if you live your life as a good person (in keeping with the tenents suggested by the word), then the afterlife (in whatever manifestation you believe it to be) will be peaceful--or maybe its something along the lines of just dying in peace (i.e. without having any unfinished business on your deathbed that causes you to grief during your last days). On the flipmode, if you don't live your life as a good person (not in accordance with the tenents suggested by the word), the afterlife (or life on your deathbed) will leave you unfulfilled.

To reiterate, I'm in no way saying that God doesn't exist, I just wonder in if the way in which many people in the world view "God" is too literal. That maybe "God" is moreso the means (as in process...as in thought process...as in the process that should ideally guide one's thought) to the end that awaits each and every one of us.

Cheers.

While Out on Inspection Today...

2008-01-09T12:04:00.002-08:00

I saw this...

If it's hard to tell from the picture, its basically a HUGE canvas image of trees, draped over a structured parking garage. The story goes, people working on this side of the building (from which I took the picture) were tired of staring at a boring garage everyday at work. So either they or the landlord produced three of these canvas images (which were taken of the trees on the opposite side of the building) and hung them along the side of the garage which faces the building. I'm quite positive that it has helped...or at the least provided a mid-day chuckle out of the people forced to have to stare at an otherwise dull parking garage facade.

I personally think this is the greatest idea I've seen in a while. I'm sort of reminded about the Nationals Ballpark which is currently under construction in SE Washington, DC. A big debate between the developers and city officials, prior to construction, concerned where parking for the stadium was to go. The City, obviously wanting the area surrounding the stadium to be as aesthetically pleasing as possible desired underground parking. Additionally, underground parking would allow the space where the above-ground (or "structured" lot) would be constructed to be utilized for some other higher and better use. The developers, on the other hand, stated that there was no way they could incorporate underground parking into the stadium's design because it would no doubt throw off the construction schedule causing the stadium to not be complete by the April 2008 Opening Day. But anyone with half a brain could see the real reason was that the cost to construct underground parking is many times more expensive than an above ground lot...and the developer's weren't about to sacrifice cost (which was already another LARGE issue in and of itself) for aesthetics when an above-ground lot is comparably functional.

Once it was determined that an underground lot just wasn't going to happen, the City tried presenting the idea of putting some sort of multi-family use above the structured lot, but for some reason that didn't work as well. There I go on tangents again...

Long story short, I think doing this imaged-canvas sort of thing and draping the entire above-ground lot with it could be something. I mean, they could even make it into a competition for artists and/or architects (local or otherwise) to compete to design the "art" (if you will) that will engulf the parking garage for the newly constructed Nationals Stadium. If it's done right, I think it could work.

Hey, at the very least they'd win novelty points cause I haven't seen anything like this in the States...or in DC at least.

Cheers.

P.S. More Christmas/New Year's blogs are on the way...

Paris Miscellaneous (Paris #4)

2008-01-08T11:46:00.000-08:00

There are WAY more black people (i.e. Africans) than you’d think.
Subway is dirty and more confusing than New York’s...

They make excellent use of lights…and not just the Champs-Elysees, everywhere from storefronts to hotels.
Nicolas Sarkozy (their prime minister) is short and many of the French make jokes about him, especially in regards to comparisons to Napolean...

Speaking of which, apparently having a “Napolean-complex” was a phrase that originated outside of France as the people in the Paris office hadn’t heard of it before.
CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME THE HOOPLAH ABOUT THE MONA LISA?! Last time I checked, when someone takes or paints a picture of someone who is looking directly at them (or the lens), no matter WHERE you stand, it will look as if they are staring directly at you. SO WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?!
Homeless people speak your language (doesn’t matter which one), and highlight this when asking for change..."Par le vous Francais?","Habla espanol?","Do you speak English?","Spreckenzie Deutsche?"...
For Australians, in order to get a visa in America, all they have to do is come over to America, find a job, leave the U.S., go to the U.S. embassy in Australia, show proof of work and they'll get a visa...it's that simple. It's called the "Iraq Visa" (unofficially), as I believe)its sort of like a favor-for-favor thing in return for Australia's help in the Iraq war. [I know this doesn't have to do with Paris, but I found this out in Paris so that's why its here.]
During lunch, someone told me that Germans, while civil within their (Germany's) country's borders, oftentimes act a fool overseas (specifically, Ibiza). Take it for what you will, but I thought it an interesting observation given how "by the book" I have seen them to be since arriving in Europe.
And finally...Smoking indoors was banned in France as of January 2, 2008 (who’d have thunk it…in France of all places).

Cheers.

The Paris Office (Paris #3)

2008-01-08T10:20:00.000-08:00

Prior to arriving in Paris, I sent out an email to the valuation department in our Paris office notifying them that I was going to be in town from the 23rd to the 26th and would love to stop by. They replied that they'd love to have me, but as it seems the week between Christmas and New Year's is an un-official holiday all throughout Europe, the only day to do so would be Monday, Christmas Eve. The following is a recap.

This is the view to the south from the 8th floor (Valuation's Floor) of the building. Supposedly, were it not for the building to the right, you'd have a clear view of the Eiffel Tower.

This is the view to the northeast along the Avenue de Freidland (it runs parallel, to the north, of the Champs-Elysees). According to Paul (the head of Paris Valuation whose desk is adjacent to the small patio from where I took this picture), a visit to the area surrounding the cathedral (I think) in the distance is a must if you are visiting Paris for an extended period.

This is the view to the southwest along the Avenue de Freidland. As you can see, the Arc de Triompe is in the near distance.

These were the two valuers that were nice enough to take time from their no doubt busy day (not only work-wise, but also because it was the last day to get in your Christmas shopping and they were walking distance from the main shopping destination in all of France--the Champs-Elysees). The guy on the right is Sam. He was super cool and actually knew Julia from the Frankfurt office as they befriended each other during this international valuation symposium held by our company in NYC last year that they attended. The guy on the left is Rodolphe. What's funny is that this guy is like the American stereotype of a 20-something Frenchman--from the accent, to the dress, to the overall way he carried himself. He was cordial, no doubt, but all throughout he also had this air of French cockiness about him. I could never tell if the sort of sarcastic way he was talking to me was reflective of his limited grasp or contempt of the English language. Still though, as I don't speak ANY French, I can't say anything negative cause he can speak complete sentences in English.

Although this guy isn't in valuation (per se...he's the head of Capital Markets in Paris), I had to take a picture with him. His name is Olivier (pronounced just like the dude who won the Cut & Paste competition in Berlin I blogged about back in October) and he was involved in a recently completed transaction involving an office building in Paris to the tune of 2 billion Euro. Supposedly this is the second highest valued transaction ever for a commercial building...across the world (and the highest in recent history). And yes, he is one of the few people in the Paris office that has his own office.

Just like the London and Frankfurt offices, they have an open floor plan.

This is their kitchen/eating area on the ground floor of the building (the kitchen is in the alcove to the right of the dude in the white shirt). Aside from having a striking color scheme, this area is also adjacent to the courtyard where many of the employees go to enjoy a smoke (as seen by the lady on the other side of the sliding-glass door).

Yes, they also have a bunker stocked with sparkling and still bottled water. Guess its a European thing...not just Frankfurt.

OK. Nespresso is a company that makes gourmet espresso packaged just like the little pre-packaged coffee cups at work you put into the coffee maker where it spits out a single serving. Only they come in a ton of different flavors, they also sell espresso makers in a bunch of different varieties (that also come with an optional carrying case), they have a 2,000 square meter, 2-level store right on the Champs-Elysees (Paris’ 5th Avenue equivalent)...

and have commercials with George Clooney....

No joke, it is officially what is hot on the streets of Paris. Hell, I even saw these commercials in Amsterdam and the lady who ran the B&B we stayed at in Brussels had a Nespresso machine (and she said the customer service, when her espresso-maker needed to be repaired, was superb).

Later, myself and a group of people from Paris valuation had lunch, which I heard was somewhat of a special occasion (despite me being there) because they had been meaning to have a valuation group lunch for a while but hadn't had a chance to until that day as things had been so busy at the close of the year. Well, I don't know how they normally get down during these type of "extended lunches," but it lasted about two hours and, in addition to the actual meal, consisted of about 3 or 4 rounds of red wine, 2 rounds of bread and cheese and a round of dessert (how French is that?). We ended up discussing a number of topics (politics, the French and U.S. real estate markets, the weak dollar, Germany and Germans, etc.)...but I'll attempt to summarize the important points in my Paris Misc blog.

Cheers.

Christmas Eve Dinner (Paris #2)

2008-01-08T09:48:00.000-08:00

So, Kadija has a model friend named Mahady.

The story goes, when Kadija was in NY going out for calls, she met this girl whose call sheet basically mirrored hers. So they went out together to all of the calls and have been good friends ever since. Oh yeah, she she speaks very little English (and not European “I-can-conjugate-verbs-but-not-speak-good-English” very little English, but for real she only knows a few words in English (more than my German though)). Anyways, she was nice enough to open her home to us for Christmas Eve Dinner.

First Course:

Mahady and her family are French, but hail from one of those African countries whose colonizers spoke French. Anyways, when they offer you an opaque-brown liquid in a bottle with no label, you know you’re in for some isht you’ve never tasted before. I know my description won’t do the taste any justice but it was very sugary and tasted like some African fruit that I’ve never seen or tasted before and you can only get in that country…and the only way you knew there was alcohol in there was from the look on their faces when they offered you some. I wouldn’t say I was ga-ga about the taste, but it wasn’t bad at all. It was one of those drinks that had two distinct “during-” and “after-“ tastes. I rode out with the cup they poured me the whole night.

Second Course:

Now these WERE THE BOMB. They poured these in a wooden bowl (the size of a cereal bowl) and it took all my druthers (and Kadija) to stop me from eating these straight from the bag (much less finishing the bowl). I don’t know if they have these in the States but I HAVE to get my hands on some (Josh, you’re up on these type of things, what’s the deal with these State-side?). Of note, along with this were a bowl of small cut-up pieces of three different types of uncooked sausages/pepperoni (of which I ate about 2 or 3 pieces) and a bowl of crackers (which I didn’t eat).

Third Course:

Just your regular salad with a creamy dressing similar to Ranch. I crushed this and ate Kadija’s tomatoes (I like this picture of the table by the way).

Fourth Course:

OK.

Pancakes. Regular silver-dollar sized pancakes.

Smoked Salmon. The same lox that you throw on a bagel with some cream cheese.

The Pink Spread. Man, I don’t know what that stuff is but I was told that you’re supposed to spread it on the pancakes…and like a good little boy I did. I can’t tell you about it’s taste cause I ate it in combination with everything else on the plate, but the good thing is that it didn’t detract from any of the other foods.

The Blood Sausage. Yeah, they actually use the blood of a pig or something and cook it with some refried bean consistency stuffing (but its more coarse). You’re not supposed to eat the skin, so I pulled it back and just ate it in combination with everything else on the plate (dude, I was hungry by the time we got to Mahady’s cause I hadn’t eaten anything since lunch with the Paris valuation office). Again, I can’t tell you its specific taste cause I ate it in tandem with everything else on the plate. But what sticks out was its consistency (and this holds true for the smoked salmon and pink spread). But I’ll get to that later.

Fifth Course:
Duck "Pâté"
(sorry, no picture here)

“WAIT!!!! Don’t you dare call it pâté!” Why do you ask. Well, according to Mahady’s sister, pâté is what you call a pâté-looking dish where you don’t know its contents or its contents are a myriad of meats. When you know what it is, as in duck, you call it...I forget. Anyways, for those unfamiliar with pâté-like dishes, it basically has the consistency of hard cream cheese (in look and feel in your mouth), but the taste and process to get it are completely different. As it was told to us, they basically gorge a duck until it dies, then take its remains (don’t ask me which remains cause I don’t remember…and even if I wrote this the next day (which I had planned to but the internet went out in the hotel room on Christmas day) I wouldn’t have remembered) and grind it up (I believe) and make the dish. As for the taste, it’s about 1.5-times thicker than cheese and has more complexity in terms of what you actually taste as you’re chewing. I hope that helps and I really wish I had a picture but I don’t.

Sixth Course:
Roast Leg of Lamb
(again...sorry no picture here)

Unfortunately, by the time we got to this dish, it was around like 10:30pm and both Kadija and I were full…so we left (got a ride home from Mahady and her sister) before this dish was even served. Trust me, we did NOT leave because we just couldn’t take the food anymore, we were just full and tired. Furthermore, I’m sure the consistency of this dish would have agreed with my palette the most of all the prior two courses…which brings me to the conclusion.

The consistency of French cuisine is more foreign to me than its taste. Nothing from this dinner tasted b, but I’m not sure I’m in agreeance with how it feels in my mouth. I’m sorry, I’m used to solids that I then use my teeth to break down. It seems, from my limited experience with real French food, that many of their dishes (from cheese to the dishes experienced at Mahady’s house) have this pasty or creamy consistency (even escargot is on some other stuff). I’m sorry, it’s just not my cup of tea. As a result, it’s hard for me to separate the taste (which I’m sure many-a-culinary aficionados would tell me is exquisite) from the feel. I mean, if you were a milk lover, I bet you wouldn’t drink a cup that looked green or brown. That’s what I’m getting at…real French cuisine is on that next level…where taste transcends what you actually put in your mouth. And I'm not enough of a foodie (yet...?) to "free my mind."

Cheers.

Sidebar: Mahady’s boyfriend is super cool and a buyer for Nike Stores all throughout France. Dude looks like he should be playing European league basketball (and I think he used to or something), but that’s not the point(s)…there are two. One: The Nokia N series phone that he had was OFFICIAL! It was basically an iPhone without a Qwerty keyboard and all the hype. It had just as many gigs and a sleek hardware to match. Looking for a new phone…don’t sleep, do your research. Two: The next Jordans (the 23’s) will be the last Jordans produced. And according to dude, they are SICK! The story, as I remember it, is that they are bringing back Tinker Hatfield--who was the designer of the Jordan 3’s through the Jordan 15’s (as well as the 20's). Ask about (or google) ‘em.

Reflections on Tipping (Paris #1)

2008-01-08T09:28:00.000-08:00

I’m sure many of the commenters/viewers of this blog are familiar with my friend Cynthia. For those that aren’t, I went to high school with Cynthia and she showed an uncanny talent and propensity for the arts all throughout. Truthfully, I personally believe that Cynthia will be an established actress (via TV or film) within the next 5 to 10 years. But that’s besides the point…

Cynthia, following high school, went to and graduated from NYU and, following that, was a server at many an establishments in NYC. During my many visits to NY (namely during my extended stay internships), I would chop it up with Cynthia. And whenever we went out to lunch and/or dinner, we would inevitably be presented with the bill, at which time we would almost always engage in a debate about tipping.

She, deriving a sizable portion of her income from the service industry, would vehemently take the stance that you should tip 20% unless the waiter/waitress did something deplorable. I would always take the position there are two players (not one) involved with her pay—the consumer AND the employer. “Don’t try to put it on me that your boss doesn’t pay you enough. If he’d pay you more and not try to pass the cost onto me, you wouldn’t have to worry about whether or not I tip,” I’d say. Furthermore, I always felt why should I have to pay extra for a waiter or waitress doing their job. Well, it wasn’t until Paris that I realized that “average” service in America is “good” service in Paris.

The following is a list of things you probably take for granted at restaurants in the U.S. that are either nonexistent or they just don’t care to implement in Paris:

Hosts. Christmas night, Kadija and I went out to a restaurant that was suggested by the desk clerk at the Royal Hotel (the hotel where we were staying). After taking a gander at the menu outside, we decided to give it a try. As expected, we weren’t the only ones, as the restaurant was fully packed and there was a small crowd of people waiting just inside the door in what would be called the “host area.” I say, “what would be called” because there was no host. Now, I’m not sure if this was because they never have a host or felt that because they were packed, “what do we need a host for?!” But it wasn’t until the patrons at a couple of tables vacated that the waitress bussing those tables came to the “host” area looking to seat the next people (good thing for us one of the tables was a table for two and Kadija and I were the only couple that were waiting for a table). And this wasn’t the only place. While at many other places we got seated probably just as quickly by the nearest waiter as we would have were there a host, there was nevertheless no identifiable “host” behind a podium.

Receiving menus and/or drinks in a reasonable time frame (if at all). After checking into the hotel our first day in Paris, we walked around the immediate area (i.e. the Champs-Elysees—pronounced “Shauns Eleesay”…or as I like to say “the Chandra Leevy”) and happened upon what seemed to be a somewhat upscale African restaurant (no I don’t know the region but if I had to guess…Moroccan, maybe?). We went inside and after asking the nearest waiter where to sit we were sat in the non-smoking section. I could go through the theatrics right here but it took a good 10 minutes for us to receive menus (after we non-verbally gestured to the guy who sat us who then notified our waiter that we didn’t have menus). After another 10 minutes or so, he came back to take our drink orders. Not sure if he would come back in a timely fashion to take our meal orders, we hastily ordered both our drinks and meals. After another 20 minutes, we said we’d give the guy til 6pm to come back with our drinks (which was around 5 minutes from then); and mind you, we ordered beers, not drinks that were to be served with meals. At 6:01pm we got up and left. As we left, dude looked over at me and had this puzzled look on his face (which was probably the first time since leaving the table that he gave any indication of our existence). I then replied, “Don’t worry about it cuu” (as FAMU-ish as possible ;-). Now, I don’t know if dude was having a bad day, lazy, didn’t like us cause we were Americans (much less black Americans…and yes, he was black too), or any other excuse…the bottom line was that the service was absolutely deplorable.

Stopping by after the meal was delivered to make sure everything’s OK. This never happened…but let your glass be half full with the sparkling water you purchased and they’ll promptly empty the rest of the sparkling water bottle into your glass and ask if you want another (I hate it when they do this in the States…much less overseas)

Ordering something that is not to your liking, ordering another dish and not having to pay for both. All I can really expound upon regarding this was at the restaurant we went to after the African restaurant fiasco, Kadija ordered this red wine that was brought to her chilled. What the waiter told us later was that this particular wine is supposed to be served chilled. Still, she had a taste for red wine at room temperature, so she ordered another. When the bill came, we were charged for both. But over at Kadija’s blog, she has a much more elaborate explanation of the horrors of French service. You can read about it here: http://muffinmoments.blogspot.com/2007/12/paris-quickie-1-service.html.

I said all this to highlight the beginnings of a change in my viewpoint on tipping. You see, overseas (not just in France), tipping is not required. However, what this inadvertently does is not give the waiter/waitress any motivation to provide good service. Before leaving for Europe, I thought I understood this and was cool with it (thinking that “good” service entailed things like a smile or recommending dishes from the menu...actually bringing the menus and drinks in a timely fashion I felt to be required of the job). But after visiting France, where the things listed above were absent and I was left with no recourse but to either get up and leave or ask for the manager (which according to Kadija’s blog doesn’t work either…and on top of that you’re speaking in English—a language spited by many of the French), tipping might actual provide a useful purpose...to keep the waiter/waitress courteously on their job. Additionally, it also (theoretically) keeps prices lower as the manager doesn’t have to pay the servers as much.

Cheers.

Sidebar: Mainly attributable to the guilt trip Cynthia has bestowed upon me, I have almost always tipped between 15 and 20 percent when in the U.S. And I’d say since being in Europe, around 60 percent of the time I have stayed true to tipping that much (even though I don’t have to).

I Haven't Forgotten About Ya'll

2007-12-26T13:20:00.000-08:00

Here I sit in our room in the Royal Hotel in Paris (our last night in town) and I feel like I need to explain ya'll why ya'll haven't heard from me in a week (again).

Thursday night was the Christmas party.
I spent all of Friday recuperating from the Christmas party (no one went to or was expected to go to work the next day).
Saturday was Kadija and I's last day in Frankfurt before leaving for Paris, and I needed to pack as well.
Sunday we arrived in Paris. Yes, I could have blogged in Word on the train but I chose to read this long article I copied into Word from this website (it came out to be around 30 pages long) that explains the basics of photography because yes I plan to get a Digital SLR and try and step my game up. Unfortunately, around page 11 I fell asleep (we had to get up early for the train). The weather was lovely once we finally got checked into the hotel so we immediately went out onto the Champs-Elysees (Paris' 5th Avenue). That night we went out to this hookah bar at this place called the Egyptian Cafe. The 4 ladies and one dude that were at the booth next to us could not stop laughing (I believe they were shishain' up their own "tobacco" concoction. They did however take the time out to laugh at me and then help us with how to properly light a new coal. Once we got back, I went to sleep cause I had to get up somewhat early as I was to visit the Paris office the next day.
Monday I went to the Paris office during the day, Champs-Elysees during the afternoon (for faux-Christmas Eve shopping) and to Kadija's model friend Mahady's home for Christmas Eve dinner. Although we got home before 12, I didn't blog that night because the next day was Christmas and Kadija and I had already established that, outside of Skyping relatives back home (which we really didn't have to start doing til 3pm our time--9am east coast time), exchanging gifts and loafing, this was going to be our blog day.
Tuesday (Christmas Day) started out with such promise, but was quickly derailed when the internet for the hotel went out. And since no one at the internet provider they use was working that day, we had no choice but to wait til the next day. Yes we still exchanged gifts and did our fair share of loafing, but we ended up having to call all of our relatives on my German cell phone. By the way, I had planned on putting up a "Merry Christmas" blog, but couldn't do it when it mattered (i.e. yesterday). I sent out texts to the phone numbers I had memorized though (hope ya'll got them)...for those that didn't get it, I'm sorry and Merry Belated Christmas. Oh yeah, check this out...

Kadija, taken Christmas 2007 from the middle of the Champs-Elysees with the Arc d' Triomphe in the distance

Wednesday was Kadija and I's "token" day through Paris (we walked to the Arc d' Triomphe, Eiffel Tower and Lourve) and surprise, surprise...it was the first day of bad weather for the trip. Not to say it was horrid, but compared to the beautiful days we had prior...overcast was not a good look.

So anyways, here I sit Wednesday evening and I still have to write post cards, pack and get dinner (it's now 11pm). Not to mention that we need to be in Brussels tomorrow by 12pm, so we need to get to bed at somewhat of a decent hour. Needless to say, this blog will have to suffice for now. I'm sorry. Hopefully before everythings said and done, you'll get 3 to 4 more blogs out of me in relation to this Paris trip. Until then...

Cheers.

P.S. The Lisboa (part 2) blog is written, it just takes forever to upload pictures to blogger and I haven't gotten my patience around to it yet.

This Blog is Dedicated to Grandma...

2007-12-19T14:56:00.000-08:00

On the real, if it wasn't for Mrs. Pearl Montgomery, you all still wouldn't have heard from me since last Wednesday.

Up until last Wednesday, I had been accessing the internet via my landlord's (who lives right above me) wireless internet connection. Well, last Thursday, he left for the holidays, and turned everything in his apartment off...including the wireless connection. I didn't find this out until last Thursday evening, when I was fully geared up to bang out one or more blogs for your viewing pleasure (namely the Lisboa blogs).

The next day, I went to the office and found out that in addition to getting a free car, gas, cell phone, laptop, and sparkling water, they also get a free UMTS card from T-mobile. For those that sort of know what it is, but don't know it by name (i.e. me prior to last Friday), a UMTS card is basically a card-like device that goes into the side of your laptop that allows you to access the internet from anywhere. It's that metallic/plastic device that, after being inserted into the laptop, still sticks out your computer and will have some wireless carrier emblazoned on the part that protrudes. Dammit...do a google images search on "UMTS card" and you'll see what I mean (where's a camera when you need one?!).] Technologically speaking, its basically a cell phone without the keypad (the device only works with a valid SIM card--just like a cell phone).

Unfortunately at our company, 1) they are configured to each person's computer (i.e. I can't borrow one, much in the same way I did the company car for Heidelberg), and 2) they are very expensive.

Well, I wasn't about to be without internet without putting up a fight, so I took Saturday out to do some field research (have you stopped and thought recently about how we ever got around without the internet and cell phones?! Scary isn't it?) Well, I found out there are only 2 carriers that actually sell these UMTS cards--T-Mobile and Vodafone. No matter what carrier you use, you have to pay the upfront cost of the hardware (typically between one and two hundred Euros). But it is from there they differ

T-Mobile (the provider my company uses) - There is no pre-paid option (i.e. no contract) and the contract length is 2 years. And you only pay by the minute when you're in a t-mobile hot spot (you get like either a certain amount of minutes to use a month or a large amount (like 10,000 or so) for the duration of your contract). When you're not in a t-mobile hot-spot, you pay by the amount of bytes you use. Don't ask me how they compute it, all I know is that in the end its not a good deal :td
Vodafone - Here they have both pre-paid and contract options, but the UMTS card for the pre-paid for some reason is different from the UMTS card for the contract and (surprise, surprise), the pre-paid UMTS card doesn't fit Macs. The contract option is also for two years, but you pay by the minute.

Needless to say, I wasn't trying to do either of these. Now, I don't exactly what it was that made me walk into Saturn (the Best Buy equivalent store located on my block), but it wasn't long after I walked in that I saw something that looked like a special on UMTS cards hanging from the ceiling. I asked the first available clerk if he "spreckenzied" english and then what he could tell me about the UMTS cards they offered at the store. What he told me next made my heart skip a beat.

There was a "Try and Buy" Christmas special going on for UMTS cards. You pay 49 Euro upfront for the Vodaphone UMTS card (the one that's compatible with Macs) and 5 Euros a month for the next 2 months...unlimited minutes and usage. If you so desire, after the two month trial period, you can terminate...no strings attached (and you get to keep the hardware (you return the SIM card though)). Once up, you'll have access to the internet anywhere in Germany...and most if not all of the big cities operate on the superfast 3G networks, so you'll be on the internet like its a broadband connection.

"Sounds like good deal" :tu "So what do you need from me?"

"Passport"

"Check"

"German Bank Account"

"Uhhh...I have a bank account, but its with an American bank. Does it have to be a German Bank?"

"Uhh...well I've never tried it before. What happens is when we get all the information, we send it to the verification department and they have the final say. I can give it a shot, though I doubt it would be a problem since its only 10 Euros [the 5 Euros per month x 2 months]"

"OK, what's the last thing you need?"

"Proof of residence. All you need is some mail with your name and address on it."

It was at that point my heart sank. The only person that had sent me mail was Mom. And since all the package contained was deodorant, I threw the empty package (proof of residence and all) away. Still, I frantically searched the house, after leaving Saturn, to no avail. Dejected I left the flat, thinking of excuses/ways around I could possibly use to get the UMTS card. It was at that point I passed by the mailbox.

Even though I hadn't checked my mail in probably a couple weeks or so, there was no chance that there was any mail in there for me. And not because I didn't think anyone might surprise me, its just that I could only recall one, maybe two, people that had my actual home mailing address. Furthermore, considering that you have to write this foreign "c/o" name on my address in order for me to get it AND ever since December my end date at this flat has been up in the air, I've just been telling those interested in sending me something to send it to my work address.

Still, you never know.

I put the key in, turned the lock, and...

Grandma's letter fell out...followed by me.

I was yelling, jumping, and screaming in the most stereo-typic of American ebonic glory for all of Berger Strasse to witness. And I didn't care. Because of all the people in the world, the one who saved the day was my Grandmother...the one who has ALWAYS been there for me in my best, my worst and when I needed--be it on my birthday, through my depressed episodes, during my euphoric highs, and the list goes on. Add this as its latest entry...when there was no other way for me legitimately get online. It may sound a bit over the top, but you have no idea how much of a lifeline the internet becomes when you go overseas.

To wrap up the story, I rushed back over to Saturn (after reading Grandma's letter...twice) and was back online by the evening.

Man, I'm finna call Grandma right now.

Cheers.