I am a bit worried

Sometimes my friend Eric worries me a bit, but usually it is all fairly harmless. But more recently his marine biology studies seem to have taken him to a different universe. :-)

New phone, new phone service?

My Treo 680 died a sudden death the other day, actually very shortly after my last blog entry. What should have been a simple warranty thing turned out to be a major AT&T customer service nightmare. Palm products are no longer on my shopping wish list and AT&T should be out too, but apparently all phone companies have no clue about customer service. So what do do other than continuing to use my ancient Sony Ericcson backup phone?
Wait a few months until the new 3G iPhone comes out and then worry about getting a new phone then? Or wait a few more months for the Garmin Nuviphone to show up?

My new phone assistant

Sometimes when I am on the phone, my personal assistant Silvie keeps me company. :-)

A great gift

Amy and I recently got this great gift from her parents. It is a bowl from 1969 called a Celestial Gem Tone bowl and they received it then as a wedding gift. They never liked it and kept it to this day. They decided to pass it on to us with the understanding that we could not sell it on eBay, but we could pass it on eventually. Amy and I though really like it and I think we will just hang on to it.

More green stuff

It appears that Amy and I will be getting a sustainable living / Leed certified home in Winston Salem. We are both excited about having a home that'll be "ours" versus "mine" and "yours", plus we feel good that we'll be contributing to a solution. Additionally a neat location downtown doesn't hurt either. :-)


A somewhat artistic rendering of the new home




The red X marks the spot where our new home will be

Build it green and they will come

Today I went to the monthly meeting of the USGBC East Tennessee chapter at the very cool Loose Cannon Studios on Rossville Boulevard. Speaker was Jim Nicolow, AIA, LEED AP, a nationally recognized sustainable design expert. He leads Lord, Aeck & Sargent Architecture's Sustainability Initiative, overseeing the incorporation of sustainable design strategies and features into the firm's design projects. He talked about daylighting and smart use of natural light and it was all very interesting. Most interesting though was the massive throng of people there to attend the meeting. Who would have thought that so many folks have GREEN on their mind?

How do they know?

Maybe the question should be, why does facebook think to market a hair loss product to me? What gives them the idea I could possibly use it? :-)

Maybe every male and female over 40 gets that.

Say it without too many words

I guess the pic says it all, no words needed.

Wild storms in Europe

Hurricane-force winds and rain lashed northern Europe earlier in March disrupting air, rail and sea travel for thousands, toppling trees and construction cranes, and killing 11 people. Below are some images that give you an idea of the power of those storms.




pics via FAZ.net

Pandora radio

My friend Joe recently made me aware of Pandora Radio where you can create your own radio stations based on an artist or band that you like. I created a few different radio stations so far and I really like it.

Amy

Almost ready, but not quite

The Xentis aero bars, Fizik Arione Tri braided saddle and stem are now added to this beautiful Jamis Xenith T1 and it slowly looks like a real vicious TT machine. I love how the bars and wheels really match the frame so nicely.

Silvie

Isn't she so adorable? I especially love her black nose and I actually used to be afraid of her, seriously.

Say it ain't so

Well it is so, Nader that nut job is seeking attention again.

Flocke

The Nuremberg Zoo in Germany has a polar bear baby named Flocke and everyone is smitten by that cutiepie. Did I hear anyone say "Knut who?"

Working out

It has been almost 2 weeks since I last worked out and I feel very lazy. But hopefully I feel healthy again soon and ready to run like a gazelle. :-)

Recycling is fun

Today I had to go to the Orange Grove recycling center at Warner Park because our garage was bursting with glass of various colors, aluminum cans, steel cans, cardboard and paper. But when I say "I had to go" I don't really mean that I dislike going. I actually really enjoy going to the recycling center and it makes me feel very good to drop in each item in the corresponding container. Ah, the simple pleasures in life.

My new toy

Yesterday I got a new toy that I hopefully will be able to build up by the weekend. It is a Jamis T1 triathlon frame and this is what it looks like so far with the Xentis Mark1 TT wheels on it. :-)

Why Obama versus Clinton

Check out this video by Lawrence Lessig on why he supports Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton. According to Lessig, Obama conducts himself with more character and integrity than Clinton. It is very interesting to listen to and words such as "Rovean Democrats" hit home hard.



Thank you John Jones

Go Barack go

It looks like the momentum is finally going the right way. As a resident alien I actually can't vote, but I want to give my support to Barack Obama as I believe he is the man who can take this country to a new level.

As I said, I can't make my vote count, but you can. Do your duty and vote.

The costumes of the Rottweiler Fasnet

There are several different characters among the roughly 6,500 total costumes.

The Narrenengel leads the parade and there is only one



The Biss is a male figure and the counterpart to the Gschell (worn mostly by males as it is very heavy)



The Gschell is considered a female figure (worn by females and males)



Two Federhannes in action (worn by males and females, but mostly by males)



Schantle with child Schantle



The Schantle figure is usually a costume for an older person and comes in all kinds of colors and fabrics (worn by males and females)



There is only one Schiermeiers Guller



Fransenkleidle with child Fransenkleidle (A female costume typically worn by females)



One of eight Benner Roessle (Two herders with wips try to control an out of control horse)



Plus here you can see some of the costumes of the Rottweiler Narrensprung in action



And I am actually "featured" in this clip from the 2008 Tuesday afternoon parade

Rottweiler Fasnet

Before my dad died he was very excited that I would wear his Rottweiler Fasnet costume (Rottweil Carnival costume) and he told my mom about all the things I would need on those 2 days. In his honor I decided that I would take part despite his recent death, because I knew in my heart that is what he would have wanted. So here are a few impressions of the first day.

I am arriving there at 7:30 to get my Rottweiler Fasnet 2008 card stamped for insurance reasons



As far as the eye can see there are "Narros" getting ready for this parade



It is now almost 9:30am and there are still lots folks who are waiting to go



Ok, we are almost through the "Black Door" and from then on it is mask down



This is how the spectators see the parade and the various costumes when they come by



Finally, here I am a few hours later at the end of the parade with the mask still on my face

Opa

Recently I had a chance to spend time with my Opa (grandad) in Germany who is an incredible 94 years old. He is fit and very spunky and only his eyesight is slowing him down a bit. Tomorrow I'll be seeing him and several other relatives again in his hometown of Rottweil.

The witches have been liberated

In Southern Germany the crazy Fasnet time has started and in my hometown in Ostrach they liberated the witches on Wednesday evening. The witches showed that they are ready for multiple days of partying by dancing around and jumping through a big fire.


Here they are indeed jumping through the fire




They also picked up one of their own on their brooms and dropped that witch into the fire

Cloverfield blows

I watched the much hyped and guerrilla marketed Cloverfield movie with friends on Saturday night and it was a waste of time and money. The crappy previews for other movies should have been a heads up as to who the target audience was, but we ignored these warnings and sat through the complete 80 minutes or so. We thought that maybe we were just too old, but several teenagers and folks in their twenties booed at the end of the movie, and the faces of the audience spoke volumes. "Cloverfield blows no matter how old you are."

Detroit Auto Show

I feel a bit guilty that I am not excited about a very cool new energy saving car, but this Mazda just looks too amazing. So I am excited about it.




Pics © core77.com

My new toy

While Amy is all and everything I really wanted for Christmas, I still appreciated the Garmin I found under the Christmas tree courtesy of Amy.

As you look closer at the screen shot of that beautiful new Garmin, you may notice that the correct vehicle is actually featured on the screen. :-)

Papa

Ich vermisse dich schon sehr und werde dich auch immer in meinen Gedanken haben. Schaue doch auch immer wieder mal vom Himmel herab und zwinkere mir zu.

Animals are not clowns

I wouldn't consider myself a radical animal rights activist, but have refused to go to a circus since I was a child. Well, I have been to several Cirque Du Soleil shows, but they do not have any animal acts in their shows.

The coolest, most down to earth

I wouldn't call myself a big basketball fan, but Steve Nash has got to be the coolest, most down to earth big time sports athlete ever.

Always wear your helmet

Below is a very fine example why you should always wear a helmet when riding a bike.

Eric's 15 minutes of fame

My friend Eric's Fox wagon is currently featured in a new VW advertising campaign. Very nice my friend.