vshblog - not a daily blog http://blog.a-jo.net blogging at the lowest level . . . Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:51:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 en Thank god it’s winter… http://blog.a-jo.net/2008/11/13/thank-god-its-winter/ http://blog.a-jo.net/2008/11/13/thank-god-its-winter/#comments Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:51:34 +0000 vsh http://blog.a-jo.net/?p=246 Just when my putts started to roll again and my swing slowly came back, the weather turned from freezing cold to Siberia. So what would a normal guy do. Wait for next spring and start reading “Tiger Woods - How I play?” Maybe. But not enough entertainment for me. So I do what I will call “German Winter Golfing”:

indoor chipping

indoor chipping

]]> http://blog.a-jo.net/2008/11/13/thank-god-its-winter/feed/ Back in Germany http://blog.a-jo.net/2008/08/08/back-in-germany/ http://blog.a-jo.net/2008/08/08/back-in-germany/#comments Fri, 08 Aug 2008 08:43:20 +0000 vsh http://blog.a-jo.net/?p=244 Well,

I haven’t blogged anything in a while. So here’s my attempt to get you updated.
What started as 6month scholarship turned out to be a 1.5years life experience. It would be tough to give a complete summary in one blog entry so I don’t even try it.
The usual way two days after I left my friends in Texas I started in my new position at the Research Center in Dresden. After  living abroad for a while I have to admit that there are a few cultural differences. Damnit, I asked for ice in my drink, not one ice cube!! If I’d like to eat? Of course, why do you think am I sitting here for almost 20 minutes now…??!!! If I want lukewarm soup I’ll let you know, this time I ordered beer.

These are just some of the first conflicts I had to fight when coming back. Meanwhile everything settled a bit. I found an apartment near a golf course and just 5minutes from work (Is that good or bad?). My swing is absolutely f*cked up, so I guess I need a lesson or two to get back in shape.

Last week I finally got my motorcycle registered. With all the hidden costs I ended up paying as much for it as selling it there and buying the same one over here - well lesson learned. The only thing that I keep telling myself is, that I know how the bike was handeled and so on.

For this weekend I am planning on making a short trip to Prague with some friends and their bikes.

Last but not least, thanks to www.beetlebum.de for repairing my website. I am still marked as a harmful website by google because some son of a b*tch hacked my page and put some code in my header…

]]> http://blog.a-jo.net/2008/08/08/back-in-germany/feed/ Watch, what I do when bored… http://blog.a-jo.net/2008/01/10/watch-what-i-do-when-bored/ http://blog.a-jo.net/2008/01/10/watch-what-i-do-when-bored/#comments Fri, 11 Jan 2008 03:01:52 +0000 vsh http://blog.a-jo.net/2008/01/10/watch-what-i-do-when-bored/

]]> http://blog.a-jo.net/2008/01/10/watch-what-i-do-when-bored/feed/ This blog ain’t dead! http://blog.a-jo.net/2008/01/06/this-blog-ain%e2%80%99t-dead/ http://blog.a-jo.net/2008/01/06/this-blog-ain%e2%80%99t-dead/#comments Mon, 07 Jan 2008 04:48:51 +0000 vsh http://blog.a-jo.net/2008/01/06/this-blog-ain%e2%80%99t-dead/ Hey guys, I haven’t been active lately. We had some struggles with the schedule at work and usually that struggles my schedule, as well. I had the idea to make at least one post before I go back to Germany over Xmas. Just to let you know I am there and where to send the presents. Well, haven’t even found the time to do that. When I flew back I got stuck in New Jersey again (seems to happen on a regular basis when I am on that CO97 or CO50 flight…). So I missed my embassy appointment…Not to mention that in one second my additional travel expenses doubled, I ran into schedule problems again. What do I mean?

Instead of just sitting on my ass waiting for my visa, I wanted to add some options where to live/work from April on. So I ended up “being in Germany” not being in Germany. After 4 days in 5 different cities, sitting in crowded airplanes with a bunch of ill people, I was sick too and now 2 weeks later (thx to all German restaurant owner bitches and their Support-Smoker-Policy) I still am.

I hate trans-Atlantic flights. They’re endless. Fuck just now writing that sentence my ipod ran out of power – WHYYYYYYY!???!! So, that’s the end of Alanis and Johnny Cash. Hmm, I need to fill out some forms for my entry to US now, so I probably should stop blogging now. Just a last word: Watch out Yankees, there is a plane full of coughing Germans coming – I felt or better still feel those strong Viking germs, so y’all better get you a flu shot J!

]]> http://blog.a-jo.net/2008/01/06/this-blog-ain%e2%80%99t-dead/feed/ Karl-Marx-Tree http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/18/karl-marx-tree/ http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/18/karl-marx-tree/#comments Sat, 18 Aug 2007 08:13:00 +0000 vsh http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/18/karl-marx-tree/ On August 12th we drove to Kings Canyon and Sequoia NP where we took a look on the biggest living thing on earth (besides Rainer Calmund) - the Karl-Marx-Tree or how they call it today “General Sherman”.

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This is the right moment to mention that this picture was taken by the best “people & giant trees”-photographer on earth for all times - Carmen Krieg and that I, Axel am a poor dwarf.

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Which pic do you like more?
View Results
]]> http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/18/karl-marx-tree/feed/ Yosemite http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/17/yosemite/ http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/17/yosemite/#comments Sat, 18 Aug 2007 01:12:00 +0000 vsh http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/17/yosemite/ The day we had Yosemite on our schedule was combined with becoming one year older. We stopped for lunch at a real American restaurant and enjoyed it. Because of our laidback start in the day we arrived late at the park and started for a hike to the Vernan Falls. After about 2 miles we went through all of Carmens “exercising moods”: joy, frustration, complaining, anger, anger against Axel. TripleA is my favourite. My fault is that I can’t stop teasing her while she is in a bad mood.

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Doing the Duck-Walk in Pregnancy-Style…

But finally everything was perfect. Carmi enjoyed the hike (after I stopped making her angry) and we returned to the car before darkness. Then the best part of the day started - a 40 mile switchback road to Fresno. I wanted to celebrate my birthday at a Hooters (Kiefs&Carmens idea) and so I speeded a little bit. I think a melted our brakes because they rattled from one moment on…we didn’t make it to Fresno in time, but at least I had fun to drive even Carmi and Thomas were close to ralphing.

]]> http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/17/yosemite/feed/ Leaving Frisco http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/17/leaving-frisko/ http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/17/leaving-frisko/#comments Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:09:08 +0000 vsh http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/17/leaving-frisko/ On our last day we wanted to see the Golden Gate without fog so we went there early in the day. After chatting 20 minutes with another photographer it turned out, that she was German too. We even found a German bum there…we are everywhere!

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We drove over Richmond Brigde to Oakland and visited Berkeley Campus what was also very pretty, but the city of Berkeley looked actually like a suburb of Rio de Janeiro. We closed the day in a Motel hot tub with Dale and his wife talking about the universe and Yosemite - our next goal.

]]> http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/17/leaving-frisko/feed/ Day 2 San Francisco http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/17/day-2-san-francisco/ http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/17/day-2-san-francisco/#comments Fri, 17 Aug 2007 06:12:44 +0000 vsh http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/17/day-2-san-francisco/ The first night was pretty damn short because parking lots are expensive. Our free parking spot was only valid till 8am. So Kief and I, we went to the car…and we found a ticket again. Street cleaning??? This city has never been cleaned before! Those b****rds were waiting for us.
From 8am till 11am I keep moving the car because Kiefilein “didn’t sleep one second”.

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It’s 9:25am on the picture…

Later that day we walked downtown and then Chinatown. I had the great idea to have lunch there. I asked a Chinese looking lady for a good restaurant. We ordered from the Chinese menue and tadaaaa Kief got something with lots of egg inside…(insider, he hates eggs). I got something with something they called beef, but I am sure it was rat, dog or cat. Carmi liked the food there. Kief was starving so we headed up to find a Starbucks and Subways. Check! At Starbucks I made the mistake to buy an Orange Creme Frappucino and Carmis immediatly was addicted to it. From that moment on I have 2 guys crying “Staaaaaaaarbucks” every other moment. By the way the Japanese Garden is great!!!

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]]> http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/17/day-2-san-francisco/feed/ If you are goooooooing to San Francisco http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/12/if-you-are-goooooooing-to-san-francisco/ http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/12/if-you-are-goooooooing-to-san-francisco/#comments Mon, 13 Aug 2007 04:51:47 +0000 vsh http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/12/if-you-are-goooooooing-to-san-francisco/ Be careful in what area you book your hotel. But let’s start at the beginning.
On the way to San Francisco we stopped in Palo Alto and visited the Stanford University. The campus was just WOW.
We were much faster then we thought and arrived San Francisco on Wednesday. We did not book in advance so we started again digging through all our TravelCoupon magazines. And yep we found something in the Art district. The hotel was pretty cheap but parking was about the same price because I didn’t see the “No parking” sign - fuck. We were pretty hungry on that evening but everything was closed…finally we found a Carl’s Jr. that was open. Our happyness didn’t last too long - have you ever been downtown in a freezing cold city inside the only open store. I think we were (except the the guys on the other side of the checkout) the only ones who haven’t peed in their pants recently. That was the first time ever that I bought the SuperDuper XXL beverage just not to need a refill…

BTW: Carmiii is doing fine of course. Give me the robot, babe!

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]]> http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/12/if-you-are-goooooooing-to-san-francisco/feed/ Last days Summary http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/11/last-days-summary/ http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/11/last-days-summary/#comments Sat, 11 Aug 2007 18:35:32 +0000 vsh http://blog.a-jo.net/2007/08/11/last-days-summary/ The HEDP summer school was a great event for me. I enjoyed the introduction in a field I can imagine to work in later. We picked up Jens on Saturday and gave him the full San Diego package in one day..San Diego Zoo, Coronado, Gas Lamp Quarter at night, Black Beach, UCSD campus etc.

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We left San Diego on Sunday and stopped in Newport Beach. Regarding to the travel guide book a place full of millionaires. We were pretty disappointed the everything closed at 10pm or before…boring!

Next day we reached SlumCity ehrm L.A. Jens guided us right to the closed Griffith Park - damn fires…
We cruised the whole day through LA stopped at a restaurant above the city and walked the Walk of Fame.

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I will add couple more pictures later…need to organize ‘em.

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