tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-242734022011-11-03T02:03:12.348Z<b>Ausländer: m, foreigner, <br>i.e. someone not from Here.</b>Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.comBlogger2571100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-39465146291151944642010-05-28T05:03:00.005+01:002010-05-28T05:13:16.194+01:00

This was a night launch of a Delta-IV with the next generation of GPS satellites. Needless to say, I set the shutter a bit too long, so it looks like day, but if you look closely you will see the exhaust plume in the middle of that bright spot in the sky.We also saw the landing of the Space Shuttle Atlantis the day before, but I had left my telephoto lens in Germany, so all I have to show for it

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-86657216653491401342010-04-05T22:41:00.002+01:002010-04-05T22:43:34.825+01:00

In case you ever wondered what the Schloss looked like from above.

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-62020965484862440472009-10-05T22:07:00.005+01:002009-10-05T22:38:47.715+01:00

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-81744043903718523172009-09-27T23:54:00.002+01:002009-09-28T00:00:24.074+01:00

Sometimes the venues are more interesting than the meetings themselves. Recently it was the view. Often it is the sandwiches, which in London are far better than those I get in Germany. I know, hard life.

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-54044515974302295272009-07-20T22:45:00.005+01:002009-07-20T23:54:40.355+01:00

Source: NASAThe Partnerin and I were watching one of the many tribute segments on the news marking the 40th Anniversary of the first lunar landing, and when Neil Armstrong uttered his famous little speech, she asked, "Did he write that himself?""Well," I replied, " I've heard that it was written by a team, and that he botched the delivery by leaving out 'a', as in 'one small step for a man ...'

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-13506025526523542742009-07-06T23:04:00.002+01:002009-07-06T23:07:41.101+01:00

Jim Morrison's grave at Père Lachaise. I had heard a couple years ago that they were going to kick him out due to all of his unruly visitors (wanna find the grave? just look for the crowd), but he is still there, and still dead.

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-15040993094246127662009-07-06T22:56:00.003+01:002009-07-06T23:04:26.754+01:00

The most interesting thing I saw at this year's Paris Air Show was the lighted faucet in my hotel room. To be fair to the airshow, it was somewhat rainy the two days I was there, but nonetheless it just wasn't all that jazzing. OMG ... cut to Maverick and Goose singing "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling."

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-87693177766312594602009-03-21T22:39:00.005Z2009-03-21T22:46:01.095Z

We popped up to Sylt (on the North Sea coast, just south of the border with Denmark) last week to visit friends. As usual for Germany pretty much any time between October and April, the weather was crappy, so all we saw most of the way was cloud tops. There were a few layers of clouds, but we were quickly through them on the way down, so I didn't really have to work very hard.It was cold, and

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-294113931202389932009-03-21T22:36:00.002Z2009-03-21T22:39:18.716Z

The picture says it all.

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-65402677102333040352009-03-21T22:25:00.003Z2009-03-21T22:34:46.733Z

My family shrieks in horror when they hear the Partnerin tell them about things like this ... her family too. They wonder what I have done to their little girl.Hey, I tried to show her how to do them properly, with freshly shredded cheddar and jack cheese, but she likes the stuff from the jar. Oh well. Come to think of it, I have never found good mexican food in Germany.

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-61695465116370808602009-02-23T23:00:00.003Z2009-02-23T23:03:20.780Z

It starts with one or two, then it cascades into many, some lasting for minutes, others for hours. I started watching/listening to podcasts ages ago (Remember the Jenni Show?), but with an hour commute to fill each day, they took on a larger role in my life. Now I have too many podcasts to listen to and an insane need to listen to them, which means I have been going to the gym for two-hours on

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-25512899583995967892009-02-21T23:20:00.003Z2009-02-21T23:27:42.619Z

This tag cloud is from a post made back before I took my current job. Sigh ... more and more people dreading the pink slip every day, and I kind of miss being un-employed.

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-85024466868285554702009-02-21T22:54:00.003Z2009-02-21T23:01:03.223Z

This is a tag-cloud of one of my earlier posts. I would challenge anyone to figure out exactly what was blogged way back then from this collection, but it certainly is intruiging to see the word-salad that circulates in my brain. Hmmm. Makes on wonder.

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-91550936680305487532009-02-21T10:24:00.004Z2009-02-21T10:30:43.211Z

Every time I think I am getting closer to having first-world technology in what used to be a technology-leading country, I am reminded where I am. I can update Twitter with my phone, but for reasons unknown to me Twitter SMS updates cannot be sent to my phone. Probably because I refused to sign up for the outrageously priced data service packages, which, by the way, do not allow for VoIP ... If

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-67807081132951904092009-02-19T22:43:00.010Z2009-02-20T00:32:39.325Z

I decided to mail a birthday card to someone in the US ... As usual, the Partnerin chose a number of birthday cards the last time we were in the US so that we could have a stock of english-language cards on hand for such occasions. The problem is that American greeting cards are a bit bigger than the standard German cards .... about a centimeter or so. I counted on being charged a bit extra for

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-40675392663273575322009-02-18T00:26:00.003Z2009-02-18T00:38:32.825Z

If you ask that question of just about any German you will meet, you will be met with a blank stare. Gilligan's Island just didn't make it here. Neither, for that matter, did Seinfeld (it was pulled off the air for, of all things, Hogan's Heros). So, what does register with Germans?Well, setting aside that legend known as David Hasselhof, there's Chuck Norris. My colleagues yesterday were

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-24384874764846694152009-02-17T22:56:00.004Z2009-02-17T23:59:11.829Z

OK, not as artistic as most of the cookies, cakes and other delights you've seen on the other blogs, but hey, it's not so easy to make a good-looking, heart-shaped pizza. But the Partnerin said it was de-lish, and it made her smile, so it was worth its weight in gold.

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-82229166235560794042009-02-17T22:44:00.004Z2009-02-17T22:56:08.873Z

I never thought I would really see the scenario of Atlas Shrugged play out in real life, yet every day another CEO begs for government help, every local government needs help, the "needy" need more help. Where is all this help ($2 trillion and counting) coming from?Rand essentially asks the question, "What if Atlas shrugged ... decided the weight of the world was too much, and simply decided to

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-65824418057408524472009-01-21T23:15:00.002Z2009-01-21T23:20:09.344Z

I know there are still one or two of them left in the Senate. Can they please reach down deep in their pockets, get a good grip on that Louisville Slugger, and strongly object to the appointment of a Treasury-Secretary-Nominee who appears to have very consciously neglected to pay taxes over several years. This is, after all, the person who will be tasked to enforce the US's tax laws.If you or I

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-19346357840723856022009-01-21T22:52:00.003Z2009-01-21T23:08:04.558Z

As I walked through the door this morning, one of my German colleagues asked, "So, how do you feel today?"Me: "I'm fine, thanks. Why do you ask?"Her: "You have a new President! Isn't that good?"Me: "Yeah, sure."Her: "You don't like him?"Me: "I don't care."Her: "But he is better than Bush, isn't he?"Me: "They both have good and bad qualities."Her: "But Obama is for fairness."Me: "Not for me.

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-31950475876939665952009-01-20T22:34:00.002Z2009-01-20T22:37:27.783Z

Nice speech ... but not something I would expect to see carved in granite (which is something a number of pundits have been saying the past couple of hours). Too many gratuitous shots at "the other side." But he does carry himself better than his predecessor.BTW, have they finished repealing the 22nd Amendment yet?

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-7865776636679844062009-01-16T18:25:00.002Z2009-01-16T18:33:34.644Z

Yep, that's the game plan. Create a bad bank, backed by taxpayer money, to take all the toxic assets being held by the rest of the banks so they can start lending again. A few thoughts:1) How is that different from that evil known as securitization? You know, where you package a number of things like loans and sell off the risk to willing investors willing to bear the risk in exchange for a

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-28674516129816288512009-01-12T23:53:00.003Z2009-01-12T23:56:49.455Z

OK, it's just a frozen river, but this just doesn't happen too often here ... that's the Neckar after a week of sub-zero weather. It's been hitting minus 15 or so most of the last week, and so the river finally froze over. Too bad temps will be going up the next few days ... was hoping to walk across the river without the bridge ;)

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-34364646307180712602009-01-12T23:33:00.002Z2009-01-12T23:40:48.903Z

The new season of 24 just kicked off on Sky-1 (Monday evening). At first I thought it might be a slumberfest, given the somewhat disappointing ending to series six and the somewhat wishy-washy "Redemption," not to mention a somewhat cheesey launch into Jack's reactivation in service to his country after being dragged back to the US to face a grilling and a wrap for torture and other crimes, but

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-11262302278229734362009-01-04T22:45:00.007Z2009-01-05T00:31:56.291Z

It's Koblenz-Winningen. The Partnerin and I wanted to have Greek food on Saturday, but the place around the corner from us was closed, so we used the beautiful weather to fly on down the Rhein (yep, it's down the Rhein when you head towards the North Sea) to have lunch at Delphi, the Greek restaurant on the field. That's snow on the runway ... funny that there wasn't much to be seen on the

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-84845760285848899522008-12-13T13:31:00.004Z2008-12-13T13:40:58.261Z

The delivery is kind of flat, but the humor is cute and timely ... from the kind folks at the Wall Street Journal ...

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-53680022781032371972008-12-04T22:33:00.008Z2008-12-04T23:41:43.306Z

Nature's alarm clock ... I left the blinds open most mornings, so I was up at 6 regardless of whether or not I was over my jet lag. Some mornings it was a bit dramatic.I dragged the Partnerin around the States the past few weeks ... we had a few cold fronts blow through our section of beach, so the beaches were fairly empty. It must have been only 10 to 15 degrees (C) most mornings and only 5

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-35663077036799663222008-11-13T21:03:00.011Z2008-11-13T22:14:05.680Z

My mother and step-father popped over for a short visit last weekend. 2 days in Prague and 2½ days with us. The Partnerin thinks its crazy that Americans can travel so far for only a few days ... I make her crazy when we go to the US by dragging her to at least three places in two weeks, which will be the case in two days.Anyway, the nice thing about Mom visiting is getting to see all the

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-11036844665206146612008-11-11T23:59:00.002Z2008-11-12T00:13:53.127Z

I was sitting in a meeting in London today, and around 10:58 one of the members of the group started to fidget with his watch and mentioned to the Chairman that it ws almost 11. The Chairman said, "Yes, I know, we have a lawyer waiting and that can get expensive."Just the night before I watched a piece on UK-History where they interviewed the last three British survivors from WW-I, and one of

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-2922455636351983432008-11-02T13:33:00.004Z2008-11-02T13:53:40.863Z

John Derbyshire at National Review Online (Gasp! Did he mention a right-wing-facist-hate-speech organ?) bemoaned the fact that he had not taken an old uncle's advice from years ago to get a government job ... you know, one you can rarely be fired from and is most certain to carry a good pension and post-retirement medical care those of us in the private-sector will only be able to dream about as

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-1204175539636007742008-10-29T23:29:00.002Z2008-10-29T23:50:33.421Z

Not for the reasons you might think. Yes, it was insufferable when Bill Clinton was elected in 1992; everyone around me -- I was working in a television production company, so yes, Virginia, everyone around me -- was walking on air. The world was saved and order was restored to the Universe. We see how that all turned out. This time I'm told the oceans will recede, the polar bears will eat,

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-14639720268846924582008-10-18T00:11:00.005+01:002008-10-18T00:26:15.301+01:00

Things you don't think of when most of your waking hours are spent listening to a language other than your own:1) All the politicians are talking like they are from fly-over country, i.e their 'g' endings (or would that be 'endins'?) have been stripped away. It seemed natural coming from Palin, but not from McCain, Obama, or Biden.2) It seems like everybody in America has trouble uttering a

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-51621114427787060102008-10-15T09:47:00.003+01:002008-10-15T09:58:09.566+01:00

I'm back ... The markets may now resume their correction. Sorry C.N.It's amazing how easy it is to slip back to American life in just 36 hours. I was there for business, so I didn't get to do as much personal stuff as I would like, but I squeezed some into the schedule. You can sleep on the plane, right? What is funny is going back to the hotel and seeing all the room-service trays outside the

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-8631877462671321722008-10-13T22:34:00.003+01:002008-10-15T09:58:44.544+01:00

I came back to the US today, and the Dow closed up 936 points ... coincidence??? ;~)

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-41709112658334646132008-10-10T22:52:00.004+01:002008-10-10T23:13:02.203+01:00

So we're all gathered around the Bloomberg screens to watch the Chimp give the same tired old speech about the markets' continuing melt down today and what his administration is doing about it, and my boss turns to me and says, "We could buy GM now." He means the whole company.Me: "You don't want to do that ... you don't want to inherit their pensions and other obligations."So he fires back, "I

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-7481210484602753052008-10-09T22:26:00.019+01:002008-10-10T02:02:31.781+01:00

Photo Source: US Air Force Link, www.af.milWashington -- In a move that literally went over the heads of the Treasury Department, the Fed announced today that it will start air-dropping cash directly to the populace of the US in the hope that their spending will jump-start the faltering Bush economy. "It's clear from market movements over the past week that the Treasury Plan ... the Paulson

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-48412040602223159252008-10-09T00:11:00.006+01:002008-10-09T00:56:49.546+01:00

I had a friend ask me how my 401k is doing, and I joked that it was more like a "200.5e" these days ... in all honesty, it's really a 351i, as it is only down 12.5% for the year. But I've had a lot of friends back in the States moaning about how they no longer had any retirement savings left ... seems that making a killing in real estate was not enough for them. They bet the farm and the nest

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-11128030356262062152008-10-06T00:10:00.004+01:002008-10-06T00:16:09.396+01:00

The sandwich was good, but I don't know if it really needed the ISO certification.

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-53620185720547964782008-10-03T20:07:00.003+01:002008-10-03T23:01:17.622+01:00

I kid you not ... this is the title of the Bailout bill, which passed the Senate yesterday, cleared the House today, and has already been signed by Prez Whatshisnameagain. So you mortgaged your children today. Don't wait for the Bankers to thank you, and no, you and your cherubs didn't even get kissed.

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-88642282039314235482008-09-30T22:32:00.007+01:002008-09-30T23:02:43.208+01:00

If the "toxic assets " can really be sold at a profit later, would the Street be begging the Government to take these off their hands? I think not. They'd be finding someone else's money to borrow and buy.Contact your Representatives and Senators and tell them that the only "give-away" you will support is a zero-capital-gains-tax rate for private citizens and entities that put their own money up

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-685106307042030342008-09-29T22:43:00.003+01:002008-09-29T22:53:00.739+01:00

Despite all the doom and gloom, it's a good thing the "bail out" bill did not pass. Too much money to all the wrong people. Did they really think it would get banks to start lending money? For one thing, banks have stopped lending to one another because they know what their own internal practices have been. They know what they've been doing with the money and how they keep score, so of course

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-77094566570544993662008-09-18T21:28:00.005+01:002008-09-18T22:45:00.930+01:00

That is the City of London (the Square Mile, so to say) as seen yesterday afternoon from the offices of Legal & General, a fine insurance and investment house. Contrary to rumours that may have been spreading, there was no smoking crater to be seen and no one around me seemed to have the urge to leap from the windows.I've lived through and managed to keep my jobs during the last several of these

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-26209994791410136672008-09-16T20:27:00.006+01:002008-09-16T20:34:36.187+01:00

People who call in to talk-radio shows and give what usually sounds more like a political statement rather than a question and then, being holier than thou types, close their comment with "I'll hang up now and take my answer over the air." You hear them on both sides of the political spectrum, but more often than not I hear them on the left side ... probably because most of the talk radio I hear

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-68607136112296727902008-09-10T22:56:00.004+01:002008-09-11T00:52:46.761+01:00

I forgot I wanted to post this last week ....We went to France to do our Saturday shopping ... the reasons are many, suffice it to say it involves a very big and good lunch, a walk about, and almost always a walk past this particular cookie shop. Usually during the winter months, the nice ladies who staff the place are shoving samples to unwitting tourists like me who fall in love with the wares

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-45691671834705169482008-09-10T22:42:00.005+01:002008-09-10T22:47:30.754+01:00

A smaller, more intimate stage is set for the U.S. Presidential Candidate's next visit to the German Capital. Seems the adoring crowds have tapered off some in the last week or so.

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-59268290841109585592008-09-09T01:11:00.005+01:002008-09-09T17:51:37.015+01:00

The Partnerin and I flew up to Berlin for the weekend. They say it is an ill wind that blows no good, which is indeed true ... we had a 49 knot tail wind, which meant we were crossing the ground at 188 knots, which meant Berlin was only roughly 1.5 hours away. We flew into Tempelhof, which may very well be for the last time since it is targeted for closure in the next few months. Normally this

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-44504218041810104302008-08-29T20:59:00.003+01:002008-08-29T21:23:45.591+01:00

Truly inspired ... makes one wonder who gave McCain the idea, but I'll give him a lot of credit for running with it. You might have heard a lot of talk about Lieberman, or even Hillary himelf ... err, herself, as the "real" maverick picks JohnJohn could have gone with ... heck, if the MSM had had its way, they would have McCain choosing Obama as his running mate.Already the Dem pundits are

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-39569472388864895102008-08-17T23:13:00.003+01:002008-08-17T23:17:50.732+01:00

OK, I know I have been out of the US for quite some time, but when did psychadelic tripping become an approved option?

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-55480492767133219462008-08-03T14:29:00.004+01:002008-08-03T14:53:28.820+01:00

OK, I realise this is a graphic, gratuitous, and sophomoric double entendre, but I seem to revert to teenager in the presence of pretty airplanes.Which takes me back to my teen years, when DEVO was en vogue ... at least in nerdy circles. Move over Dawn Patrol, here comes the Smart Patrol ....Der Auslander was ready to build his own plane, but after seeing the new Cirrus Jet up close and

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-36356255207313607172008-07-29T22:05:00.006+01:002008-07-30T18:13:53.457+01:00

I just realized I always seem to wander off around this time of the year. Then the Partnerin asks me how my blog is doing, and I realize I haven't looked at it for a few weeks ... months perhaps ... and I start to feel guilty because I did have an occasional reader or two who might want to know why the stories stopped coming. Well, at least I'm no Paul Harvey. Poor guy's wife died ... he's

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-17966874884673512632008-05-14T21:33:00.007+01:002008-05-14T23:22:06.482+01:00

It also doesn't know when it is over water. The Partnerin, on the other hand does, and absolutely hates it when I fly over open water or above clouds. During the weekend we did a little bit of both on our way to the North Sea. Yes, somewhere under that deck of clouds lies Hannover. It was otherwise a fairly sunny weekend in Germany, so I was flying VFR, which meant that I had to either go

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-3368638850867206672008-05-14T21:06:00.004+01:002008-05-14T21:32:26.311+01:00

Montreux, immortalized by Deep Purple. Didn't really see much smoke on the water, though if you look closely you can discern some. Certainly didn't see any fire in the sky. Just three days of investment presentations punctuated by a very drunk rep who wanted me to put money into Viet Nam development projects. Did get to see an occasional Alp or two from the hotel balcony. Otherwise I did

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-57394232451197392112008-05-08T22:36:00.003+01:002008-05-08T22:55:19.601+01:00

OK, so I need to close the loop in an upcoming post. I am back in Germany ... have been for two weeks, although I came back via three days in Montreux. Scenic. Definitely a different world from Asia. More on that later.One of my French colleagues came into our larger common office waving his French flag, leaving the Germans somewhat baffled. So, I did the American thing and took charge of the

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-42161807640886058542008-04-20T13:29:00.002+01:002008-04-20T13:37:58.409+01:00

Always a good place to visit, even if it is on the way back home.Lot's of good food in Singapore ... I've only had one bad meal here, which was, oddly enough, at a place recommended by a German colleague. That will teach me.The Merlion, pictured here, is a symbol of the city. The fountain here seems to be a popular place for just-married couples to visit ... note the bride and groom here.

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-82408563842862905762008-04-20T13:23:00.003+01:002008-04-20T13:27:58.525+01:00

That's pretty much all I saw between my hotel room, the office, and the airport. Lots of traffic. Spent more time getting to and from the airport than I spent in the actual meeting. Ah, the joys of business travel.

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-65688349121576690822008-04-16T15:38:00.003+01:002008-04-16T15:53:01.952+01:00

there are a few insecurity issues down under?I was going to make a few jokes with some other shots, but it gets old quickly. Anyway, this is the ferry stop for Manly Beach, somewhat famous, though not the world famous beach (Bondi) to which I referred in my last post. It's a nice beach and a nice town only 30 minutes by boat to the heart of downtown Sydney.The Partnerin used to live here when

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-61320229045130875332008-04-16T02:00:00.005+01:002008-04-16T02:19:44.020+01:00

OK, this one is easier. Too easy. Can't really think of a prize that won't give it away, so how about a jar of vegemite. Yumm! Contest rules below.One of my dinner companions asked me what I thought about one of the world-famous local beaches, and I made the mistake of speaking the truth ... "It's much smaller than I thought it would be."That led to an earful of how ratty my friend found

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-17115564431684311762008-04-14T06:32:00.002+01:002008-04-14T06:37:05.006+01:00

OK ... sorry for not providing anything interesting lately, but I have been travelling ... heavily. Meaning a lot, and with a lot of baggage, but the latter statement is something that can be overanalyzed some other time. In the meantime, I was here last week. I'm in an airport lounge with wireless access and time to kill, so I can actually post something this week.So , guess where this was

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-71551792887831912392008-03-07T22:30:00.005Z2008-03-07T23:04:13.569Z

I pick up the Wall Street Journal last week and to read about some poor sugar producer in Brazil taking a beating because his income is received in USD while his expenses are paid in Brasilian Real, against which the US Dollar is depreciating. No offence, Brasil, you're still up and coming after all these years, but ... The Real is a third world currency, and the USD is depreciating against it

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-78008330290107467132008-03-07T21:36:00.006Z2008-03-07T22:27:55.231Z

[Do you suppose this is real? From our friends at ITN via Yahoo]Padded lampposts are being trialled in a London street to protect inattentive pedestrians.A pilot scheme has been launched in Brick Lane after it was found to have the highest number of 'walking and texting' injuries in the country.A study carried out by 118 118 found one in ten people has hurt themselves while focused on their

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-43673250907897054702008-03-06T20:08:00.003Z2008-03-06T21:29:28.074Z

No matter how much training you may have had, whether it be recent and fresh in your memory or burned into your brain cells through years of slipping through myriad locales throughout the third world on various deployments, you will one day slip up, and you can only hope that it won't be fatal. It's the price of living in plain sight while at the same time trying to not make yourself an obvious

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-78829081247015603892008-02-21T21:43:00.006Z2008-02-21T23:20:41.569Z

Yes, I know, I haven't had much to say lately. I bought myself a new toy, and I've been playing with it for the past few weeks. This is the Diamond DA-40. It's not brand-new, but a 2005 model is close enough ... the Cessna I flew before was vintage 1985, so stepping into the Diamond is literally stepping into a new century of aviation. Well, OK, it was designed in the 1990's, but you get the

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-57906771849766579572007-12-25T00:04:00.000Z2007-12-25T00:15:52.326Z

This is a shot down the Elbe ... it almost looks like a Bob Ross painting, what with all those 'happy little trees' on the waterfront covered in ice.What was really intriguing was the way the trees were covered in the frost while the surrounding ground in a lot of places retained its brown or green hues.And here close up is what was going on ... the ice crystals look almost like pine needles.

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-19532205044418877232007-12-12T01:01:00.000Z2007-12-12T01:06:58.589Z

An unpopular Republican President is waging an unpopular and seemingly un-ending war. The dollar keeps hitting new lows as the world places less confidence in the US economy. Oil hovers at new highs, a further drain on the US economy. And Led Zepplin has just just had a hit concert, with the prospect of a further tour to follow. It's 1973 all over again ....

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-5058840542832952472007-12-08T07:23:00.000Z2007-12-08T10:10:56.433Z

The Partnerin keeps asking what my blog is doing, and I keep telling her I don't know because I've been doing a million other things because of my recent job change. I was supposed to be unemployed and flying around the world by now, but life has a funny way of throwing curves at you. I was so burned out from the job that I had just quit that I planned on not working perhaps for the rest of my

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-58021289935289432332007-10-01T18:51:00.000+01:002007-10-01T19:08:08.706+01:00

If I do, I'll just walk around saying "Denny Crane!"T-Bone steak is almost impossible to find in Germany. First, long before there was mad cow disease (or BSE its close cousin, the human-brain wasting CJD), the average German had a tough time even thinking about buying a steak with a bone in it. Then along came Mad Cow, and T-Bone was banned in most of Europe for several years starting somewhere

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-87018601622222546942007-08-20T19:03:00.000+01:002007-08-20T19:09:18.220+01:00

A colleague was headed out to lunch at the same time I was headed to the bank to pick up some cash, and asked if I was going for a real meal ... which was a curious comment. So I asked, "What is a real meal?""You always go for sandwiches ... that's not a real meal. You need to have something hot at least once a day." I asked the Partnerin about this, and although she frequently skips lunch

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-88288419850149530692007-08-16T21:58:00.000+01:002007-08-16T22:02:46.770+01:00

A number of financial experts are still telling everyone to be calm, that the problem mortgages are only 2% or so of all outstanding mortgages ... but a lot of the panic selling seems to be coming from the bankers, who are in the best position to know about the real quality of the mortgages that have been issued, packaged and sold. Hmmm! And before the markets get a bailout in whatever form it

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-68712316757259599272007-08-16T21:14:00.000+01:002007-08-16T21:25:15.977+01:00

Well, if I had left my position open while we were out to dinner, I would have made a little bit more ... but the old saying goes something like "Bulls and Bears make money, pigs get slaughtered."And this hardly makes up for the money I have lost with my so-called "investments."

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-34208719099846316872007-08-16T18:41:00.001+01:002007-08-16T21:14:49.727+01:00

But I'm not sure they're mine ... Diamonds Trust Unit Series 1 (DIA:Amex) that is. I decided while I was sitting at my desk and not doing very much useful or engaging work today that when unemployed at the end of the year I would make my living "scalping" the market. That's when you do a few quick intraday trades in the markets to take a few hundred or a few thousand dollars out for the day.

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-69196621282775591512007-08-12T12:51:00.001+01:002007-08-13T23:55:37.513+01:00

Donald Trump is calling for Federal Reserve rate cuts ... possibly even a full-fledged government bailout .. to help those suffering from the "credit crisis," which makes one wonder just how much of the crappy paper his young apprentices were holding in the Don's portfolios when the melt-down started. The Don, who has several spectacular bankruptcies under his belt, tells us he's just thinking

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-67486697727232326452007-08-12T12:35:00.000+01:002007-08-12T12:39:01.806+01:00

Years of computer and PDA use have taken their toll on my ability to hand-write anything ... but I find I am joined by the rich and famous as well ... see this blurb at Mark Cuban's "Blog Maverick."

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-30012568271444620552007-08-11T10:35:00.000+01:002007-08-12T12:30:43.598+01:00

779 spam e-mails and attachments totalling 22.7 MB of mailbox space in one week, a new high. Time to consider a new e-mail address.Spam, at least the term 'Spam' in the context of the canned "Deviled Luncheon Meat Spread" that is, is a registered trademark of HORMEL FOODS, LLC LTD LIAB CO MINNESOTA 1 HORMEL PLACE AUSTIN MINNESOTA 55912. Hormel and its various subsidiaries in Delaware, Minnesota

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-80248877499124539282007-08-09T23:25:00.000+01:002007-08-09T23:33:43.293+01:00

OK, it was officially yesterday, but I'm only half an hour past yesterday and only then because I was with a bunch of Germans who also spent some time there and now look wistfully back upon those happier days of expat life. Of course I am still living the expat life, so I guess I don't need to look wistfully back. It's kind of nice to recount some of our favorite stories ... I, for one, never

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-63286677599228674742007-08-07T00:08:00.000+01:002007-08-07T01:12:06.095+01:00

Did I mention I quit my job? I think I needed to remind myself of that today, because my boss came to me to pick up on a conversation I had with his boss on Friday, where he asked me if it would be possible for me to stay on longer. I like the ueber-boss, so I didn't reject the notion out of hand ... I told him I have no professional plans, but I do have personal plans and that I would need to

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-63800418209844573342007-07-29T23:47:00.001+01:002007-07-30T21:07:09.227+01:00

Don't you just love small town America?

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-60590926576720943062007-07-29T23:46:00.000+01:002007-07-29T23:47:07.003+01:00

Wish mine were so big!

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-20641134798052398072007-07-29T22:50:00.000+01:002007-07-29T23:46:14.141+01:00

I never did get to see the F-22 Raptor put on its act. I finally got a chance to move my campsite away from the highway and closer to the airshow, but in the process I missed the arrival of the Raptors on Thursday while I was setting up my tent. The next day, on Friday, when they were supposed to put on a full show, a crash of two aircraft during an air race in the early part of the daily air

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-17250448577169168942007-07-27T02:58:00.000+01:002007-07-27T03:09:05.228+01:00

I've been coming to the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Airvention at Oshkosh since the late 1970s. EAA is dedicated to supporting a broad array of pilots ... an experimental aircraft can be one that is built in a garage, or it can be that old World War II fighter. It can be a twenty-seater powered by a jet engine, or it can be an ultralight powered a chainsaw motor. It can be many

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-55682628206540092422007-07-27T02:53:00.001+01:002007-07-27T02:57:00.599+01:00

This was actually part of a very funny act ... funny if you have a morbid sense of humor I guess. The woman behind me in the viewing section panicked when she saw pieces of the airplane falling off. Despite all the falling parts ... aileron, tires, other things l.. it still managed to turn and bank and land. Actually, if you watched very closely, it still had a miniature aileron in the section

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-22546369901220572442007-07-27T02:26:00.001+01:002007-07-27T02:43:08.632+01:00

This seems to be a July pattern, me disappearing from the blogosphere. What have I been doing?Growing cherries on my balcony, for one thing. The first crop was staggering! 14 of them in all. Two more seasons like this and the tree will have paid for itself, though the poort tree is not so likely to make it through two more seasons on the balcony. It really needs to find its way into real

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-71722307077621811582007-06-11T01:31:00.001+01:002007-06-11T01:40:26.557+01:00

The management company for our new building decided to use grass seed instead of sod (pre-grown grass, for those of you not familiar with it). I wish I could say that this is unusual, but this seems to be the German style of landscape ... it works well if all parties cooperate. Needless to say, if you can get the tenants to water the grass, that is only half the battle. The next problem is

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-86302354375094583672007-06-07T22:31:00.000+01:002007-06-08T10:00:16.293+01:00

Did you ever hear the old joke, Q: Why do adults always ask children what they want to be when they grow up?A: They're looking for ideas.I thought of this when I read the first comment to my last post. The post itself was wholly unremarkable. If I had any dignity left, I might have regretted not posting something more clever. But it certainly begs the question, "what do I want to do next?"

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-89438518722746346782007-06-04T23:38:00.000+01:002007-06-05T00:15:01.246+01:00

I feel guilty for not posting more often, but I'm living a somewhat boring life these days and I don't know if I need to bore you all with the details. To put it succinctly, you could set my life to the Paul McCartney tune, "It's Just Another Day." Well, except for the so-sad part. Not sad. Just mundane.Well, maybe not today. My alarm went off at 6:17, but I didn't notice it until 7, menaing

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-63003401649952038092007-05-28T22:38:00.000+01:002007-05-28T23:34:13.924+01:00

More than 65 years have passed, and oil still comes to the surface from the USS Arizona, a poignant tribute to the 1,100+ Sailors and Marines entombed in her on 7 December 1941. So many years later, the poignancy is slipping away ... I heard a younger voice ask a parent if the oil leak would harm the environment.Visitors are nowadays briefed by a National Park Service film at the visitor's

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-37385897556283286172007-05-18T23:01:00.001+01:002007-05-18T23:11:55.941+01:00

Yes, on a happier note I finally managed to eat at the restaurant at Koblenz-Winningen airport, and it was pretty good. I had the Grill teller, which looks innocent enough from this perspective, but there really is a lot of meat in this thing. I had to ask for the Tzaziki (or however you spell it), and it was loaded with garlic. Good stuff. If you are in the neighborhood, drop in. I actually

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-11843261428896345082007-05-17T23:21:00.000+01:002007-05-18T00:59:24.403+01:00

Quitters don't win, but they do get to play golf. By the end of today, I will either be unemployed again or I will be completely miserable because I refused once again ... I say this figuratively, so don't go panicking because I am an American and we are all alleged to own guns ... to "pull the trigger." I finished the probationary period at the end of March. Up to that point I had heard very

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-41162567445312836252007-05-17T17:23:00.000+01:002007-05-17T23:20:22.167+01:00

At the risk of giving away my age, I couldn't resist the play on an old Dylan song. Woke up at a little before noon ... Gott sei Dank for holidays in the middle of the week, and the Partnerin asked me to bake scones. What the heck. Cinnamon-raisin sounded good, and we had all of the ingredients except for allspice ... can you even find that in Germany? Gotta ask Mausi ... she knows everything

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-30069253720542761302007-05-12T12:40:00.000+01:002007-05-12T13:15:35.965+01:00

I love that line (among many others) from the certainly politically incorrect song "Jewish Princess" on Frank Zappa's album "Sheik Yerbouti" (1979). We left Hawaii the week before last, but not before visiting Giovanni's Original White Shrimp Truck, which you will find on the North Shore of Oahu, somewhere just beyond the Turtle Bay Resort. I guess I could give better directions than that, but

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-57561083509177781142007-04-27T00:02:00.000+01:002007-04-27T00:38:21.785+01:00

This place is popular with Tourists, probably because it is one of the few places on Waikiki Beach where you can get breakfast for two for under $20. It's right across from the Hilton Resort Complex, so I can understand people looking to save a few bucks. By the way, they get more than their fair share of locals, so it is not just a tourist haven.The draw for me was that it was probably going

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-78520432148840580652007-04-26T23:56:00.000+01:002007-04-26T23:57:45.544+01:00

No offense to this international chain, which I still visit from time to time for a relatively healthy and fast lunch, but sushi is one of those things I leave to people who specialize in sushi.

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-19187741404634216672007-04-26T23:31:00.000+01:002007-04-26T23:54:26.817+01:00

We were driving up a particularly steep hill, and the Partnerin, obviously forgetting where she was, asked "What do the locals do when it snows?"This is the waiting area at the local commercial airport. They do have screeners and security and all that, but they did seem a little bit friendlier, probably because they are in fresh air and sunshine on most days. One wonders what they do on a

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-23552463138047677932007-04-18T08:50:00.000+01:002007-04-18T08:52:35.279+01:00

More "Magnifient" and not so much "Desolation" in this one.

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-39016102260227753522007-04-18T08:10:00.000+01:002007-04-18T08:23:09.715+01:00

This is really fun to check out ... the land around the Kona coast of the Big Island brings to mind Buzz Aldrin's "Magnificent Desolation" comment about the lunar surface. But as you drive along you see all this grafitti "written" in white stones. This stuff goes on for miles, and there are literally thousands of these little messages -- millions of white stones arranged on black lava

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-17678789557868700742007-04-17T09:25:00.000+01:002007-04-18T04:54:46.083+01:00

"Honolulu Center, Cessna 827 level at 10,000." I haven't flown in this airspace since 1987, so old habits die hard ... Honolulu Center became HCF Control three weeks ago. Oops! I am not the only one on frequency who makes the mistake, as two others report in to "Honolulu Center" just after my call. It must be a harder adjustment to those who have been talking to Honolulu every day for years or

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-1174431423762136252007-03-20T23:29:00.000Z2007-03-21T00:50:39.926Z

The Partnerin and I have a number of Code Phrases to abbreviate and lend some obscurity to the key messages we pass to one another every day. "Number One," for example, is a discreet way of saying "I love you." I've added another one to the list ... "Number Three" means, "You were right, Honey." The sofa that I ordered delivered, with all due confidence in German efficiency despite several

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-1173954736001505932007-03-15T11:19:00.000Z2007-03-15T11:32:16.016Z

Still alive, but up to my armpits in boxes. We move today into a smaller flat in the city. What we have done remains to be seen, but as you can see from the fact that I am posting this, some things actually seem to be working well.Telekom, for example, arrived pretty much in the middle of the 8 am to 1 pm window they gave me. That might not seem like much, but the last time I moved Telekom

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-1172962661033715672007-03-03T22:23:00.000Z2007-03-03T22:57:41.050Z

I was at the end of my rope on Saturday morning when the counter-top for our new kitchen arrived. Yes, we have not yet moved, but the Partnerin insisted on having the countertop delivered to us now so that it could be included in the the truck for delivery at the new flat. I was at the end of my rope because one guy showed up in a truck to deliver it ... turns out the deal was that we had to

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-1172702004946671162007-02-28T22:13:00.000Z2007-03-02T19:04:55.336Z

The NASDAQ Q's turned out to be a lame trade. The markets did turn up the next day, but the NASDAQ remained fairly flat. It seems people really are re-assessing their appetite for risk. As for me, I still seem to have my taste for risk, so when the Russian called me for dinner, I thought "What the heck." Actually it was pretty tame. She told me about her new job and her old and now new

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24273402.post-1172616684896401602007-02-27T22:49:00.000Z2007-02-28T00:23:02.713Z

You know you're having a bad day when your chewing gum starts to crunch. Ouch. That was a crown. So you drag yourself to the dentist and he engages you in an existential conversation about the course of action. You know that it will be at least three visits and EUR 2000.00, because there is always something else to be done. But you try to book the three appointments and he won't commit,

Mike Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461714387879513463noreply@blogger.com2