Boxing Day

Today is the 2nd Christmas Holiday here in Germany, or Boxing Day in other
countries. Since we had our Christmas last Monday, the actually Christmas
day was rather quiet. With a break in the weather I finally made it out the
door and spent some time in a park nearby. They even had some bison and
boar on display.









It was still well above freezing, so the everything was pretty muddy.
Not like the US, where a winter storm seems to chase the other.
I can only imagine being trapped in an airport not being able to go anywhere.
I am going to travel to the Blackwood forest on Sunday, but I am sure the
trains will run fine. We'll see.

Frohe Weihnachten!

Frohe Weihnachten!
Merry Christmas!

Jet Lag

Damn jet lag, I am still waking up at 5 in the morning, even when I stay up
late. I hope it will fade soon. Today, I went to the 'big' city a couple of miles
away.
Unfortunately, I didn't brink my camera so I have no photos of the
Christmas market. I got some last minute gifts and I also stopped at
the dSPACE office to say Hi. They had a little party, so it was good timing.
I basically made the stop to put a face on some names I usually interface
with email and phone.
The drive back was not so great. It was kinda cold and it drizzles water on the
street which could ice over. Nothing compared to Michigan, I guess. I heard
they are getting pummeled by snow. .......... I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

Hallo Deutschland

I made it!
After a late start, I finally arrived in Frankfurt this morning. The flight
was uneventful and borderline boring. Since the plane was an older
747, it didn't have individual entertainment and I was not in the mood for
a bunch of Christmas movies. So, I used my Macbook to watch
'Forgetting Sara Marshall' (2.5/5) a not so funny comedy.
The food on the flight was typical and space crammed as always. But,
I survived and found myself dazed at the baggage claim waiting for my bag.
After waiting endless minutes, watching the same luggage commercial over
and over on a screen on the wall, I finally snatched my bag and walked through
the unattended customs station. Strange, not customs cop in sight. Nevermind.
I proceeded to the train station, bought a ticket and while I was waiting for
train I helped myself to a nice 'Koernerbroetchen mit Salami' and a bottle of
'MezzoMix'. Ahhhhhh......feels good.
After a short train ride to Warburg, I crashed on my mom's couch. It seems
flying always wears me out.

Couple notes: Here is the luggage commercial they played at the baggage claim:

It's flying time......

I am on my way to Germany. Well, almost. I am sitting at Detroit airport
and waiting and waiting and waiting. They already have my flight listed
at delayed. Great! Traveling in December, awsome!
Actually, I think the inbound plane is late. I looked at flight tracker
and it shows that the flight is 1/2 hour late. If that is all, that wouldn't be
too bad. Otherwise the weather is fine for flying. A bit gusty and windy,
but it is suppose to subside in a couple of hours, so I don't expect too
much of an delay. We'll see.
Thanks to terminal Wi-fi, I can surf the net and I even found an outlet to
keep the Macbook charged and happy.
See ya later.... The next blog entry is probably from good old Germany.

More Schnitzelwagen Ratings

The Schnitzelwagen Rating is going national :)
Since I spend a couple of days in Peoria last week
I might as well give some Schnitzelwagens to the restaurants I went to.
First place I went to was Sushi Gawa on Friday for lunch. Sushi Gawa
is always a great place for sushi and this time was not different. Great
sushi and great agedashi tofu. Four Schnitzelwagen (4/5)
Friday night we went to Sizzling India. This place has been around for
a while, but I haven't been there for a couple of years, mainly because
the service was subpar. This time it was a lot better. The food was good
and the waiting staff attentive. 3.5 Schnitzelwagen (3.5/5)
Saturday, Angela, Jim and I went to a small hole-in-wall grill on Pioneer
Parkway. I believe it was called Chicagoland Grille. The sausage and beef
sandwich I had was awsome. The taste reminded me of some of the some
sandwiches I had up in Chicago. Great place for lunch. 4 Schnitzelwagen (4/5)
For dinner on Saturday we went to Kobe Steak House on Willow Knolls.
We opted for the teppanyaki style food without the song and dance.
I had shrimps and scallops. The scallops were perfectly cooked. The
shrimp was a bit overdone and the Agedashi Tofu missed the great
sauce I am used to at Sushi Gawa. Overall a solid 3 Schnitzelwagen
experience. (3/5)
So there it is. The Schnitzelwagen guide for the carnivore branched into
Illinois.

What I like about flying

A strange headline, isn't it. Usually, flying commercial these
days is annoyance, frustration, and not a pleasant experience
at all. So, for a change I will list things I like about flying.
But first, a word about Thanksgiving. I went down to Peoria to
visit friends and to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner. The food
was great as always, thanks Angela, and I had a great time altogether.
I met up with some old friends and enjoyed a relaxing weekend.
I even avoided the Black Friday sales rush, to see on the news
that people got trampled to death or shoot, just to snatch the $29.99
DVD player. Unbelievable.
But back to the enjoyment of flying. Here are some reasons why
I like flying:
- I like the fact that I can be in Germany in 8 hours and not spent
2 weeks traveling by boat.
- The moment when you pass through the cloud cover and there is
nothing, but blue sky above you and a sea of white clouds below.
- The acceleration on takeoff
- Seeing a 747 take off, amazing that that beast can fly
- Flying over a city at night time.

So the next time you are sitting crammed in an airline seat, waiting
on the tarmac for hours to take off, and getting the drink cart
slammed in your shoulder every 15 minutes, think about the how
nice flying can be :)

Christmas Gift

Christmas in November? Why not. I've been thinking of buying a new TV
for a while now and last week I finally took the plunge. I was looking
around the local shops here, but I eventually ordered it from Amazon.
Usually, I don't like getting these big items through an internet store, but
the price advantage sealed the deal. And, as usual, Amazon delivered.
I ordered the TV on Sunday night and on Wednesday I got an email that the
TV was ready to be delivered. I made an appointment for the next day and
they showed up on time without hassle. So, I am now the proud owner of
a 40' LCD TV. The picture looks great, if you put HD in the mix it is awesome.
Since I have HD channels through my cable it makes for nice viewing. :)
Today, I also bought a new TV stand to round up the early Christmas present.
It took me a while to put everything together, but it all works and looks great.

Rant of the week:
Lately, I noticed a couple really annoying ads featuring German stereotypes.
First, the stupid IHOP commercial showing some 'typical' German, with
leather pants and a tube saying 'Streusel'. Jee, if you show a guy with
a fake German outfit and a fake German accent, at least let him
pronounce the word "Streusel"right. And then, these bad VW commercials
with the beetle talking and Broke Shields saying that people get
babies to buy the precious VW minivan. First of
all, the minivan is basically a Chrysler Town&Country and the
talking beetle is terrible. What ever happened to ads where you make
fun of Germans in a clever way.
This just makes me sad. I think I will get my tube out of the
closet and play a polka tune to cheer me up.
In the meantime, here are two of my all time favorites ads featuring Germans:




An absolute classic!



VW is in the house!

Go Packers!

Finally, after 2 lackluster games, the Packers played today's game up
to their potential and convincingly beat da Bears. This was an important
game for the Pack, since they needed to keep touch with the top spot of the
NFC North. Unfortunately, I could not watch the game, since I am stuck
with the Detroit Lions for the TV schedule. Since the Big 3 are asking for
bailout from the feds, they might have a couple billions for the Lions.

A lot of people asking me lately on my position on the proposed bailout
for the 3 Detroit carmakers. I am kinda torn on this issue. On the one hand,
I believe in the market forces and if your product isn't good enough you
shouldn't be in business. In that case, only a 'Chapter 11' solution will bring
the dramatic changes that GM, Ford, and Chrysler need to become more
competitive.
On the other hand, there are a lot of jobs at stake and maybe the government
should support the companies to get over the hump and keep them alive, so
they can make the changes without going into bankruptcy.
Hard to say, but it looks like there will be some kind of bailout. We'll see if
this will be enough or just another money pit.

Restaurant Update:
Ajishin, Novi. I went to this Japanese restaurant for lunch the other day.
The sushi I had was ok, the service fast and friendly. 3.5 Schnitzelwagen.
Big Boy, Novi. Typical sit-down fast food place. I had their 'Famous'
BigBoy Burger and I wasn't impressed. Even for a fast food place the burger
was sup-par. 2 Schnitzelwagen.

Winter's here

I woke up to a gray and cold morning and when I looked out the window
I could not believe that there actually was a slight dust of snow on the
ground. Not much, just enough to realize that old man winter is
knocking on the door. I thought it was kinda early, but than I realized
that it is already November. Wow, time is flying is bye. It'll be
Christmas soon and I will be on my way to Germany. I was checking on
flights yesterday and thanks to the frail economy, the prices are way
down. Good thing, I bought my ticket a couple of weeks ago when prices
were high. You are welcome, Lufthansa.
Ah well, you win some you lose some.

Back to Business

Well, after election day, the dust has settled and we are getting used to
Obama, president elect.
In the mean-time, life goes on. On Monday, I went to court to pay off
my speeding ticket. What? Christian? How could this happen?
You are right, I usually don't speed......much. But a couple of weeks
ago I was on my way home from work, when I 'lost' track of my speed
in a construction zone. When I saw the cop car and I checked my speed,
I knew I was busted. There was hope for a couple of seconds when I
monitored my rear-view mirror, but then I saw the cop car pull out and
turn the lights on. Damn!! This was so classic. My first ticket in the US.
Ah well, in the end, the cop gave me a break and I just had to pay a fine,
no points.
I also had to fill up the car today and guess what I saw.
Gas for under $2. Hard to believe
that I payed more than $4.50 just
a couple of month ago. Wow.
Makes me wonder. Were the high
prices just a trick by the oil companies
to test our limit? Or, did people
really wise up and drove less.

I am sure the gas price will go up again,
but for now I am enjoying filling up the car for under $30.

Barack Obama is President Elect of the United States of America.

Can I count the chicken, please.

Well, a little bit more than a week to go 'til election is upon us.
The latest polls suggest that Obama has a good shot to win, but
of course the McCain campaign thinks that can still come from
behind and that polls don't mean a thing. I hope there are wrong.
I came across this cartoon that, I hope, reflects the status of the race.



Something new. I created a new list that will list some great restaurants
I visited in this area. Every place will get a Schnitzelwagen rating from
0(uneatable) to 5(can't live without it).
Latest place I went. Sizzling Sticks Cafe in Northville, it's a typical
Mangolian style BBQ place. The food was fresh and it even had a
salad bar. The staff was a bit confused, but friendly. I'll give is a solid
3/5 out of 5.

Final Stretch

Well, it looks like we are heading into the final stretch of the presidential
race. Thank goodness, it is getting OLD. I actually watched the last
debate and I must say Obama looks a lot more presidential. McCain looks
more like Waldorf, the grumpy old man from the Muppets. And then,
they send Sarah Palin to SNL to show how 'funny' she can be. I actually
felt sorry for her. She was used as a cheap prop and the jokes were pretty
tasteless. Just like overall SNL in general. I do not understand why these
candidates think they need to go to these shows. Do you really base your
vote on how funny the candidate is?
Sounds like the GOP clearly is running out of ideas to attack Obama. I mean,
calling him a 'socialist'? That's the best you can do? Why not call him a
communist, or a hobbit or maybe a Borg.
Since we are talking ridiculous here, we might as well go all the way.
I am fairly hopeful that the voters will see through all these smokescreen and
that Obama will be elected. BUT, I was wrong before. Last time I thought
there is NO way that the voter would be so STUPID to vote for George again.
Well, we'll know soon and then we can start to prepare for the 2012 campaign.

Movie Update:
Body of Lies: Run of the mill middle eastern spy movie. Evil terrorists,
heartless CIA, and the hero in the middle of everything. I thought the
acting was good, but the movie missed pace and was too predictable.
(3/5)

VP Debate

Did you see the VP debate???
Good for you, because I didn't. But Christian? You may ask, you always
been following politics, why not this debate? Pretty simple, first, I am
tired of the whole campaign thing. Every time I turn on the TV, there is
one ad after another. And its never about the issues, its always pointing the
finger at the other guy. Second, I don't think either Biden or Palin have
anything new to say and I am not watching these guys go after each other,
just to wait for a gaffe or stupid comment. It just doesn't matter for me
anymore. I can't vote and quite frankly, after the last 8 years we had, I
can not understand how someone could vote for McCain anyway.
As for the debate, I am sure I will get summary at work tomorrow. I have
two colleagues at the extreme opposite of the spectrum. One, left winged,
believes McCain is a traitor and the right wing colleague, who actually
believe Palin would make a good president.
It'll be entertaining to listen to their take on the debate.
I can't wait for this presidential campaign to be over.

It was the worst of times...

Feeling down? Turning on the news these days can be depressive.
The economy,presidential race, Packers, hurricanes,
and high gas prices.
So, to lift the spirits and bring a smile back on your face,
here are some videos compiled to bring you a brief moment
of humor and laughter.
First, a classic. Don't worry, be happy.



Second, Robin Williams on golf. If you ever played the game, you can
certainly understand.



Of course, Monthy Python has to be part of the set:



And last not least, Russel Peters, a funny stand-up comedian from Canada:

Burn After Reading

I saw Burn After Reading last night.
It's a comedy of the Coen brothers.
And in true Coen fashion, the movie provides
a similar style of humor like Fargo,
but is not as original.
The movie is mostly carried by the acting of
the main characters. And, it certainly has its
comedic and surprising moments.
Overall, an enjoyable experience and I'll give it 3.5 stars.


Open letter to the Federal Reserve:
Just an FYI. I am planning to cash all my assets and going to
a casino next weekend. I probably put all money on black, but
who really cares. Because, if I loose all my money on a risky
transaction, I am sure your bail-out check will be waiting
for me by Monday.
Thanks, a satisfied customer.

CERN, part deux

Well, it's Thursday and I am still alive. Apparantly, firing up the LHC
didn't bring the world to an end. But it must have affected the brains
of some of the scientist at CERN. The proof is in the video below:
(That's a perfect 10 on the GeekMeter )

What a cool way to go

Worried about your job, the presidential election, loosing the
'Kleimenhagen Classic'? Don't worry, be happy, because the world
is coming to end on Wednesday. That's right, you heard it here first.
On Wednesday, the CERN in Europe will turn on the
Large Hadron Collider(LHC), the biggest particle accelerator to date.
Some critics fear that the experiments in the LHC could create
black holes that could consume and destroy earth. Wouldn't that be
a cool way to go? Observing how the Earth consume itself and being
killed in the process. And all got started by smashing a couple of neutrons
at high speed at each other.

Peoria Trip, Part II

I am back in Novi and the trip to Peoria is already history. I had a great time
though. It is always fun to meet good friends and spent some time with them.
Thanks to Angela and Jim I had a place to stay and I even got to test drive
Jim's Prius. I also got to play some golf at Quail, but I couldn't pull of a
win at the 'Classic'. I played descent, but a couple of holes just killed me.
Damn you, hole 8 and hole 15 and hole 18 and ............. :)
I was pretty beat the next day, but had enough energy to meet with Chris
and family to hitch a boat ride on the Illinois river. Pretty cool, we got
up to 55mph and I even saw some Asian carp jumping out of the water.
Well, all good times had to come to an end. After lunch on Monday at
Panera Bread, I was time to say good bye to my friends and turn the
Schnitzelwagen towards Michigan. The drive was fast and after 6 hours
of driving, I was back in Novi. It's a long drive for sure, but it was definitely
worth it. I had a great time.

Peoria Trip

Since this is a long weekend, with Monday being Labor day, I decided to
take Friday off and head down to Peoria for a quick visit. For some
reason, flying was not an option, so I saddled the Schnitzelwagen for a
400mile run to Illinois.
I wanted to make the drive as painless as possible, so I decided to leave
Novi EARLY in the morning. Said and done. I went to bed early last night,
caught a coupe of hours of sleep and set the alarm for 3AM.
I actually woke up alright, through my stuff in the car and was on
the road by 3:30AM. After about 5miles I noticed that I left my cell phone
on the kitchen counter. So, I turned around, got the damn phone and
started the journey with a small delay.
The drive was pretty uneventful and works pretty well. After driving
the first couple of hours in the dark, the sun came up when I hit I-80
and gave me a nice boost. I stopped for gas in Pontiac and decided to have
a nice breakfast at Panera Bread in Bloomington.
I arrived in P-town and I am having a nice cup of
coffee to wake me up again. The weather looks promising and
I can't wait to meet with some friends and play a round of golf.

Exceptional games?

Well, I guess the Olympics are over. The IOC president called them
"... truly exceptional games". Personally, I found the games rather
uninspiring. Besides watching a couple competitions here and there,
I never caught the Olympic fever. Of course, the games were perfectly
organized and the world records were broken, like there is no tomorrow.
But, everything seem just a touch too perfect and with most of these records,
there is always the linger of doping. Maybe it was the NBC coverage, that
focused on a couple athletes and teams only and that was typical
hyped-up and patriotic. I mean, come on, the US basketball team's Olympic
experience was dubbed 'Road to Redemption'. Wow.
I found myself watching mostly CBC, because they actually showed
some sports you usually don't see on TV. I will however, give kudos to the
NBC Internet site. They had most of the sports on video, often live,
and without commentators. Truly enjoyable.
Well, time to focus on the upcoming football season.
One of the few hyped-up sports I like watching. :)

Into the Wild

A couple of weeks ago I downloaded the soundtrack of
'Into the wild'. More curiosity than anything, since I didn't
watched the movie, but I like Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder wrote
the songs for the score. In case you don't know. The movie is based
on a book by Jon Krakauer, who writes about Chris McCandless from Virginia,
who died at age 24 in a wilderness area of the state of Alaska.
After graduating in 1990 from Emory University, McCandless ceased
communicating with his family, began traveling, later went to Alaska.
There McCandless headed down the snow-covered trail to begin an odyssey
with only ten pounds of rice, a .22 caliber rifle, a camera, several
boxes of rifle rounds, some camping gear. He took no compass or map.
He died sometime in August, and his decomposed body was found in early
September by moose hunters.
Personally, I felt the book was a let down. After reading Krakauer's
"Into thin air", which was one of the best books I had read in years,
I just couldn't connect with 'Into the wild'. So, I didn't watch the
movie, but I heard good things of the soundtrack so I gave it a try.

The CD has been in my car ever since and I still like to listen to it. The songs
are very simple, mostly acoustic guitar, but have great melodies and
lyrics. I am usually not a big fan of folk style music, but for some reason,
these songs just keep me captivated. Maybe, because some of them are
protest songs, actually having a political message. Hard to find these days,
where it seems the biggest thing to protest against,
is the age of Chinese gymnasts in the Olympics.
Overall, a great piece of music.

Rotten Luck

This was suppose to be a great weekend. Last week I got a call from
Thomas, a good friend from Germany. I know Thomas since college and
I usually visit him and his family when I am in Germany.
Thomas was on a business trip throughout the Americas and had a
weekend stop in Chicago. So, we decided to meet on Saturday
and explore the windy city. I used some frequent flyer miles for the
first flight out of Detroit and I was set to meet with
Thomas for breakfast. Since my plane would leave Detroit Saturday
morning around 7am, I would have to leave home about 5:30 to make it.
Good plan!
Friday night I woke up around 1am, because it seemed like some of my
dinner from last dinner launched a full scale attack on my immune system.
I spent the rest of the night pacing between my bedroom and bathroom and
at 5:30am, the time for departure, I rested curled in my bed with a
cold sweet and frequent stops at the porcelain phone. At this point
I knew, i wouldn't make it to Chicago, so I reluctantly called the
airline to cancel the flight. Rotten Luck.
I spend the rest of the miserable Saturday sipping tea and nibbling
pretzels to past the time. Great!!
Of course, today I am fine. Besides a sore ribcage and a big headache,
there is nothing left of the big fight.

Election JIBJAB Satire

You can tell the election is coming closer when the guys
from JIBJAB posted their latest election satire.
It is not as funny as the original 'This land is your land',
but it still has some funny moments. Enjoy:

Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today!

The Dark Knight

Ok,ok, I gave in the Batman hype and watched the latest installation of
Batman series last night. With all the talk about the movie, especially
Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker, I was concerned the movie
couldn't live up to the expectations like so many before. I was proven
wrong. The movie was excellent. I really like 'Batman Begins' but I
thought The Dark Knight was even better. Great story with haunting
characters, especially Heath Ledger as the Joker. I don't want to give
anything of the story away, so I'll stop right here.
For me, it was a (5/5) movie.

Wanted

I saw 'Wanted' today. The story is about Wesley, a guy with a boring life
until he meets Fox who tells him that his father died yesterday on the rooftop
of the Metropolitan Building and that he will be next. Wesley is recruited
into the "Fraternity," a secret society of assassins that his father was a member.
The Fraternity's leader, Sloan, also teaches Wesley the ways of the group,
and Wesley soon becomes an assassin just like his father.
The movie is really a high paced film with a lot of action in it.
The CGI is cool and the music keeps pace with the action itself.
It kinda reminded me of the first 'Matrix' movie.
I will give this movie a 4 out of 5, but I realize that this is one of these movies that people either love or hate. So, here is my advice: If you are looking for a movie with a plausible plot where morals and the laws of physics are upheld, 'Wanted' is not for you. But, if you are looking for 2 hours of action packed entertainment, I'd recommend it.

No Happy End

There is no Happy End for Germany in soccer today. We lost against Spain
in the final game 0:1. In the end we just couldn't compete against the
Spaniards who played a better game and captured the Euro Cup.
Again, it was quite obvious that the German team is lacking in defense
and the midfield. We knew since the World Cup, that our defense
is suspect, but I expected more from the midfielders. The so-called
leaders Ballack and Frings didn't do much all game and the forwards
were pretty toothless as well. Spain outplayed us in every aspect of the
game and deserve to lift the trophy.
Overall it was a great tournament. Great games, goals, comebacks and
great football all along. The only thing that bothered me during the games
was the increased amount of 'diving' of players or faking injuries to halt
or slow down the game. It used to be just in penalty box, but now players
are going down on easy fouls like they have been shot by a sniper.
Terrible.
Well, the Euro Cup is over and I am looking forward to World Cup 2010.
Qualifying will start soon. Great, more soccer to watch.

FINALE

Well, well, well, so Germany made it into the Euro Cup finals. This time,
we weaseled ourselves through the game. Three good plays out of
90 minutes of play was good enough to beat Turkey who scored 2
goals themselves. It was painful to watch, I actually took off from
work early to watch the game and I find myself yelling and shouting
at the TV screen. On top of that, the TV feed from Europe was interrupted
a couple of times, so I missed 2 of the goals. Disgusting!
To sum it up. We can be proud to reach the finales, but if we don't start
to play better football, we can brace ourselves for a beating by the Spaniards
or the Russians.
Let's hope the team can find its form by Sunday.

WOW!!!!

WOW!!!
I can't believe it. We actually beat Portugal in the quarterfinals.
I only saw the game as a repeat, but it was a great. After the
two not so great games against Croatia and Austria, this was a huge
improvement. Germany changed their team and tactics and it
totally paid off. Portugal seemed asleep for the first half hour
of the game and when they woke up it was already 2 to nil.
The final score was 3:2 for Germany and a spot in the Semifinals.
Germany's opponent will be Turkey, the cinderella story and comeback
kid of the tourney. After a nailbiter against the Czech Republic they
beat Croatia in PK's. This could be an interesting game. Germany is
certainly the favorite, but you CAN NOT underestimate the Turkish team.
But I have confidence that we are making it to the final.
Let's go GERMANY!!

Live to play another day...

Well, we made it. Through a 1:0 victory over Austria, the German
team advanced to the quarterfinals in the European Cup. They
had a hard time winning, because the forwards are still not
hitting the back of the net and it took a free kick from
Ballack to mark the 1:0. So, we are going to play Portugal
on Thursday and that is a tough nut to crack. With their
offensive power there is a good change that they will score
on us and the only way to win is to score more goals. I am
hoping the German forwards are coming to live and maybe the
coach will bring some fresh blood. Missing a goal like Gomez
did today is just inexcusable. He had three bad games and against
a team like the Portuguese we can't afford to miss those
opportunities.
It should be a good game. Portugal is not unbeatable and if
everybody brings their A game, we have a chance. Just look
at Turkey and how they beat the Czech Republic.
Go GERMANY!!!

Schmap

A couple of days ago I got an email from the editor of
Schmap Guides. He asked for permission to use one of my
New Zealand photos, I published on Flickr, for their website.
I agreed and now you can see my pictures if you search
Schmap for information on Christchurch. Check it out:


My photo on Schmap

It's the small picture in the top right corner ;)

Nooooooooo...........

I can't believe it. I am staring at the computer screen and
the numbers are shocking. Germany 1 Croatia 2.
I can not believe Germany lost against Croatia today. After
the great game against Poland, I surely had hoped that
they could continue their good play, but I guess not.
I didn't see the game myself, but followed it on the
computer. My sister called right after the game and told
me that the team played really bad. Hopefully, this was
just a slap in the face and it'll wake everybody up.
With Poland and Austria splitting the game a 1:1, Germany
needs at least a tie to move into the elimination round.
Let's hope they can get their act together on Monday and
advance. Because if they do, they will most likely face
Portugal, a team that looked really impressive so far.
But, if you are serious about the cup, you better start
winning the rest of the game.

Soccer Update

The first couple of games of the European Cup are in the books and so
far it has been pretty good. Especially, since Germany won their first
match against Poland convincingly with 2:0. What a great game!
Germany played awesome during the first half and got the first goal
in the 20st minute. In the second half the team slowed down a bit
and let Poland get stronger, but Podolski's second goal sealed the deal.
Here the two goals for your enjoyment:

Video no longer available.

If the team can keep up that kind of play, they can go a long way.
The next game it Thursday against Croatia. A tough team to play against,

Midwest Summer

Today, was the first day that felt like a typical Mid-west
summer day. Hot and muggy. Stepping out of the air-conditioned
office is like walking into wall of water mist. This also means
that Thunderstorms are rolling through the area. No tornado's, like
in other parts of the Midwest, but strong enough to cut the power
once in a while. Let's see, what else is new. Well, of course the
democrats have decided that Obama is most likely their candidate.
A good choice?? I think it is better than the alternative, but I
do believe Obama needs to pick up some great people for his cabinet
to convince me, that the change he is talking about is really happening.
But on a more important note, the European Cup, soccer that is, starts
Saturday. Germany is considered one of the many favorites, but the
last couple of games the defense looked rather shaky.
I still hope they will at least make it to the
semifinals. Their first game is Sunday and I hope
it is carried by one of my TV stations. I am still riled
about the TV debacle during the finals of
World Cup 2002.

Go, Indy Go

Saw the new Indiana Jones movie today. The first
of a bunch of big blockbuster movies this summer. To sum it
up: I thought is was a good movie. Comparing to the other movies
of the Indy's series, I'd say it was better than the Temple of Doom
and not as good as the last Crusade. I still believe the Raiders
of the lost Ark was the best of them all. It's just a classic with
the melting faces in the end or when Indy casually shoots down the
sable wielding enemy. But back to the movie last night.
I liked the action scenes and the tempo of the movie. Harrison Ford
is doing a good job and I liked the references to some of the other Indy
movies. My favorite: The chase through a warehouse in Area 51
which busts open the box with the Ark in it.
The story itself felt a little bit thrown together and some of the
dialog sounded a bit stiff, trying too hard to sound witty or funny.
But overall the movie was enjoyable and I give it 3.5 out of 5.

Typography

I was browsing through some YouTube videos and came across
typography clips which look kinda cool. Here are some examples
I like:


Here is a comedy classic, still funny after all these years:



The next one is just a cool song:



And of course, Pulp Fiction, a favorite, but definitely NSFW.

Quick Hits

Just a couple of quick hits:
- I don't understand the Democrats. After last weeks primary I would
have guessed they'd pull Hillary aside and told her to bow out, but
I was wrong. Good thing I can't vote. I'd consider myself a Democrat, but
this is pathetic.
- Saw a couple of movies. 'Hot Fuzz' funny dark British comedy. The village
shootout at the end is classic. (3.5/5)
'Little Miss Sunshine' is a quirky off-beat comedy with interesting
characters and good acting. (3.5/5)
- Just read that Hugo Chavez is comparing Germans chancellor Angela
Merkel to Hitler. What a nut-case. Why are all the oil rich countries
run by idiots? I don't know.

Stalemate

Another primary Tuesday in the books and the democratic race is still
open. I am sure that Hillary will use the narrow win she squeezed
out in Indiana to argue that she should continue. Ah well, at this point
I don't care much anymore. I pretty much tuned out all the election
chatter and just voting days like today still spark my interest.
It's still makes a great topic for a water cooler discussion.
My guess, the fight between Obama and Hillary will continue unless
Hillary comes to her senses. Not gonna happen.

The forbidden Kingdom

If you ever wondered, what would it be like to have a movie that
combines 'Karate Kid' and 'The Wizard of Oz', you got to see
'The forbidden Kingdom'. It's a action packed movie with cool
Kung Fu, great humor and ............. ahhhhh, who am I kidding.
For some reason, every time I see a movie with Jet Li, I am disappointed.
After 'Romeo PLEASE die', this is another boring Kung Fu movie.
The story is dull and didn't make much sense. The CGI looks fake
all the way, not sure if they did that on purpose, to make it look more artsy.
So, what's left is a bunch of Kung Fu fight scenes which get old really fast.
Just to give an idea on the logic of the movie, here is a tidbit:
The female villain, who is flying around tree tops all movie long, is killed
by falling off the balcony of a castle. Mmm, I guess, she ran out of flying
power.
Well, this one will get a 2.5 out of 5.

And the new president is........... McCain

Yes, you heard it here first. I make a prediction that McCain is going to
be the next president. After watching results from the primaries in PA
I come to the conclusion that the Democrats are just to stupid to win.
Looks like Clinton successfully clawed her way back and with the proven
tactics of negativity and polarisation, she has success. That means more
bickering and fighting and still no candidate. It looks like the voters really
go for that. And yes, I am biased. Not so much for Obama, but against Hillary.
The more I follow the campaign,the more she looks like a democratic Bush.
In the meantime McCain is sitting on the sideline, enjoying the show. Perfect.
Ah well, every democracy gets the leaders it deserves.

Tax day

The 15th, is approaching fast and we all know what that means: TAX DAY!
I just finished mine today. It took longer than expected, thanks to
Massachusetts. Their tax return is more complex than the federal one
and you need to provide proof of health insurance, because it is now
mandatory, if you can effort it. And, I can not e-file and have to use
the good old snail mail. Ah well, it's all set and done, unless I forget
to put it in the mail.
This week feels kinda weird at the office. I hear German spoken everywhere.
We have a bunch of guys from the German office in town, mostly for
the SAE world congress next week. Interestingly, I find it not that easy
to talk German in a English spoken environment. Even when I share an
office with Fredi in Peoria, we would mostly talk in a German/English
gibberish. Usually, when I go back to Germany for vacation, it takes a couple days to go back into the German groove and I have been
accused of having an "American" accent. Funny.
Speaking of talking, I had to go to the dentist yesterday, because
of a cracked tooth and the assistant actually started a conversation with
my mouth filled with cotton strips. I've seen this type of 'conversation'
in so many comic sketches that I almost had to laugh out loud when she
nodded and responded to my mumbled answers.

Food Notes

Finally, I nice weekend. With temperatures in the 50's I ventured out
to find a driving range to see if I could still hit the little white ball.
Unfortunately, the ranges I passed, were still closed. Too bad. But
I found a little park and took a stroll around the lake. It was nice
to do something outside for a change. Afterwards I went to Red Robin
for their famous BBQ burger. "This is a tasty burger" and was good
for a chain restaurant. I am also trying different cuisine around here.
I had some great sashimi tuna at the Cherry Blossom Japanese restaurant
and a great lamb wrap with hummus at the Pita Cafe, the other day.
They is really quite the variety of different restaurants here and with
the Detroit area known for their Greek influence, I tried some gyros, too.
Wow, that was probably the worst gyros I've ever had. It tastes like
gnawing on a leather shoe. Terrible. Come to think of it, I never really
hat great gyros in the US, ever. Most of the time it's ok, but in
comparison with the Greek restaurant in my home town it's just a
dry peace of meat with some greek seasoning. Ah well, I'll try something
different next time. My co-workers tell me, there are some good Indian
places around.

The Bank Job

Slow weekend, with temperatures still in the 30's I didn't really
feel like doing something outside. So, instead I checked out a
movie theater close by. I was in the mood for some light
entertainment and I picked 'The Bank Job",
a heist movie that is based on a 1971 bank
robbery in London. Overall an entertaining
movie with a descent storyline and good acting.
I'd give it a good 3.5 out of 5.
The theater I went to was your typical
concrete box multi screen place and the
only thing that caught my eye was the bar
inside. They actually sold beer and
cocktails inside the theater.
Wow, haven't seen that in the US in a while.
I also decided to make a statement for spring today. In an act of
defiance I decided to move my golf clubs into my car. Take that,
winter!

Fake Outrage

Today, I came across one of my favorite pet peeves. Fake Outrage. Over
the years I have witnessed a few, but today was a beauty. I was standing
in line o grab some lunch. The guy in front of me got up to
the counter and complaint that whoever made his chili salad earlier
forgot the chili. Just as the person behind the counter started to
fix his salad, the guy demanded to see the manager. Then he went into a
fit, explaining that he had to drive back for 15 minutes
to get his chili and that he lost a half hour of his life. He
obviously was going for some free coupons and he actually demanded
an apology from the person who forgot to put the chili in his salad.
Hilarious! I guess he took a cue from the current presidential race. It
seems like everyday, in either the Clinton or Obama campaign, somebody
says something mildly confrontational and the other side is OUTRAGED!!!
This is going on for weeks now and it turns my excitement for the election
totally off. Because, we all know, there is more to come.

FROHE OSTERN!

Frohe Ostern and Happy Easter wishes from Michigan.

Proof of residence

Today, I finished the last step to become a lawful Michigan resident.
I went to the DMV and applied for a new drivers license and new plates.
To my surprise it takes 5 different types of identification and I only had
4 with me. Actually, I had 6 types on hand, but letters from the insurance
and bank weren't good enough to proof my residency. Well, I had to come
back to finish the process. With all the paperwork lying on the counter,
IL drivers license, green card, social security card, utility bill, and pay stub,
the application went through without a hitch.
After declining the question
if I want to register to vote.............
with my green card still in plain sight,
I stepped in front of the camera and smiled.

The car registration went without any
problems and I am now a proud owner of
MI license plates. I'll keep the old Mass
plates as memorabilia with the other
ones from Wisconsin and Illinois.

In the news

Well, it looks like the race for the democratic candidate will continue.
The latest news show a tight race between Hillary and Obama in
today's primary, so I am sure they both find reasons to carry on.
Great! More weeks of campaign covering and bickering. I am afraid
the actual election campaign will be even more nasty and negative.
Personally, I am not too thrilled with either of the three potential
candidates. I like Obama's personality, but some of his suggested
policies are suspect. McCain is ok, but he is a Republican and after the
last 8 years..................No. And Hillary? She just has no personality and
no new ideas. But, since I can't vote, I will have no say in the election.

And, at least somebody made a decision today. Brett Favre decided to
retire as QB for the Green Bay Packers. A good decision, I think. He
had a above average season last year, so he can leave on a high note.
I hope he sticks with that decision and doesn't retire from retirement.

Whole Foods

During my time in Salem, I was a frequent customer of the Whole Foods
Market. Not so much for the whole natural-organic-save-the-world
food experience, but more for the quality of the
food they have.Especially the meat and seafood
section was incredible. They also have some
specialty products I enjoy like IZZE soda.


So, when I learned that there is a Whole Foods
market in the neighborhood, I was eager to
try it out. It is more expensive than your
run-off the-mill Krogers, but if you are looking
for a fresh piece offish or a great cut of beef,
this is definitely the place to go.
I am looking forward to kick back tonight with
a nice seared piece of tuna steak and a blackberry IZZE soda.
Mmmmm...good.

Video

I noticed on the blog edit page that you can also import video clips.
So I figured I check it out. Here is a video I took while I was driving through
Pennsylvania. Actually, it is quite boring even with only 13 seconds long.
If you play the video 3600 times in a row you will know what kind of day I had
driving from Salem to Novi. :)

I am online

I finally got my cable service hooked up and got my internet all
connected. So, thank you 'SWSnet' for providing me with some
net connectivity in the last couple of days. It took me a while
to get my wireless setup working, but it finally all clicked and
all PCs/Macs/WIIs are talking to each other.
I also found a flash card reader in one of the boxes I unpacked,
which means I can share a couple pictures of the move. The living
room is combined with the dining area and the kitchen into one
open space. This is the only room so far that is really 'show-worthy".
This is what is looked like when the movers dropped all the off:

And after:

The layout is similar to myother places, but this one
has a lot more room, so it doesn'tfeel as cramped as in Salem.

I still need to add some pictures and other things,
but at least a got allthe boxes out and made it comfortable.
















Now, I can focus on the other rooms, that still look like a "Rumpelkammer".

Helping the 'sluggish' economy

According to the latest news, the president signed the Economy Stimulus
Package into law, which means I can expect a check from the government
in May or so.
Great, because I already spent the money. I got my car back from the
shop and it set me back a couple hundred bucks. I am always happy to
help an 'ailing' economy. They found a sensor
and wiring problem which made the engine controller believe it is very
cold and it tries to use more fuel on startup, flooding the engine. That certainly
explains the rough engine behavior and the unusual amount of smoke.
I hope this will fix it.
I am actually not surprised by this. My Schnitzelwagen really took a beating
in Boston. The roads are bad and it rattles the car all day long,
shaking things loose. The constant stop-n-go traffic wasn't helping either.
I saw a big drop in gas mileage during my commute to Lynn and at times
I was concerned that the engine performance would deteriorate, but
during my trip over here, it went right back to 30 MPG, even packed with
junk.
Ah well, at least I got the apartment in almost living condition and the
cable guy is hopefully showing up tomorrow, so I don't have to 'borrow'
anymore internet from a friendly neighbor.

The first days

It's Tuesday and I am sitting amongst boxes and furniture. The movers just
left and I slowly started to unpack. The first couple of days have been rather
uneventful. Besides the fact that the Schnitzelwagen still behaves like
on old mule. I am having the same problem again and I finally called the
VW dealer today to have them take a look at it. Since it was wicked cold
on Sunday, I didn't mind staying inside. I got the car running yesterday
and went around the block to get some groceries and lunch.
I was waiting all day for the movers, but they had truck problems and
couldn't make it until today. That gave me some time to watch some DVD's:
Match Point: I am not a Woody Allen fan, so this movie fit right into the
'Don't really care for it' category (2.5/3)

Deadwood: Western series from HBO. Wasn't too thrilled, but these HBO
series usually need to grow on me, so I'll watch some more.

Long Way Down: TV series where Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman
take a bike trip from Scotland to South Africa. Very similar to the
Long Way Round, but it lost a bit of its uniqueness . Still good TV.

Well, I better get back, unpacking. I should have some pictures of the
move ready, as soon as I find my flash card reader.
I am not starting work until Monday, so that should give me plenty of
time to get everything going and into running order.

Schnitzelwagen Power

Well, I made it.
I am sitting in a Caribou cafe in Novi, after driving here yesterday
from Salem. The trip went alright, but not without a little bit of
Schnitzelwagen drama.
On Friday night I had all my things packed up and decide to run one
last errand. I got into my car, start it up, and the engine just sits there at
1100rpm, sounds real rough and doesn't respond to the gas pedal.
'This can't be happening!", I thought. This is the last thing I needed.
I tried to start up the car a couple more times, but to no prevail, same behavior.
I went back into my apartment, to think about plan B. Plan B?
There was no plan B. I got into my car one more time, and voila,
the engine runs just fine. Mmmmmm.
Needless to say, I had a rather restless night. I got up early, packed the car,
ready to go, and ...................... the same problem on startup. WTF!!!!
I try again and this time the car runs fine.
This doesn't real calm my nerves.

I start my journey to Michigan. The first miles I am rather paranoid
about the car. Listening to every little sound, watching the gauges,
preparing to pull over in case the engine dies on me.
100 miles, 200 miles the car runs fine. 300 miles, the first stop for gas and
I turn the engine off. After filling up, I turn the key in anticipation,
but the engine starts up like a champ and we on our way again.
We make it through Pennsylvania, into Ohio and on to Michigan with
no problems whatshowever.
Originally, I had planned to drive the biggest part of the journey on Saturday,
stay overnight somewhere and finish the drive on Sunday. But, everything
went real well and I decided to keep on driving. The weather was good,
I didn't feel tired, and the car was running fine.
Novi was in sight, at around 9PM and when I fell down on the hotel bed,
I couldn't believe I just spend more than 13 hours in the car.
But hey, I made it and without spending time at a Volkswagen dealership :)

I'll pick up the apartment keys this afternoon and the movers should arrive
with my belongings either tomorrow or Tuesday. I am excited to get everything
back together and actually start my new job.

MIdventure

Oops, what is this. I am writing a new blog entry. I checked and the last entry was over 5 month ago, so it's about time to update.
The title kinda gives it away, so the big news up front. My time here in Massachusetts is coming to an end. I am moving to Michigan, to Novi to be exact, which is just west of Detroit. The reason for the move is job related. I decided to make a more drastic move and leave Belcan after 10 years. With all the different positions I had, it certainly doesn't feel that long of a time, and I enjoyed most of it. But now it is time to look ahead to new MIdventures.
The move is already on the way, the mover are here today to pick up my stuff and I will be driving out there Saturday.
I know what you're thinking, my AAA membership is up to date and I have all VW dealers on the way on speed dial. Just in case.
So it's coming down to saying goodbye to the North Shore. I will miss the friends I made. Especially the volleyball group in Marblehead, the German meetup group in Cambridge, and my former coworkers. Overall a great bunch of people. I will miss being close to the ocean and living in an area that has a distinctive european flavor.
I won't miss the traffic or the Dunkin' Donuts coffee.