Germany December 7th 2010

The last month and a half have been some of the most fun, and the most busy\stressful (!!!), since I came to Germany!  Kathi and I have been busy, busy, busy, but I have to say it's been all worth it.

First of all, throughout all these good times, Kathi and I have been working full time and going to classes in the evening and weekends (me, my German Integration courses three nights a week for 3 hours a night, for Kathi her Social Media Manager courses, all day Saturdays, where she is also the TA).  So, each of us is pulling 50hr weeks, which isn't really too much, but throw in super busy at work (mostly Kathi), the dog, exercise, chores, friends, party planning, drinking, and some time to just veg out... and our days have been FULL. 

It started with our Halloween party.  We weren't sure we wanted to have one or not, but I'm sure glad that we did!  It was a total success!  For alot of our friends here in Germany, it was their first ever Halloween party... for me, that kicks ass!  Halloween isn't a new holiday here, but it's not celebrated much.  More and more, little kids will trick or treat, but not much and without the enthusiasm of the US and UK.  So, I had the impression that our Halloween party was not going to be very successful, that nobody was going to either show up or, if they did, they weren't going to wear costumes!  But to my surprise, most people did!!!  And they rocked!!!  Here are some pictures...

It was a great time, I got super wasted, and I want to do it even bigger and badder next year!


November was fairly quiet until the end, and then it was way too much fun!  I had two people visit me from the States... first my friend\old roommate Jessica, though she was only passing through Munich for half a day on her way to Italy.  But then came trouble... Big Sammy came to visit for an entire week!  And during that week, we threw our Thanksgiving dinner... another first for our friends here in Germany! 

Let me tell you, me and Sammy, we did it big while he was out here.  We got wasted pretty much every night, we went all over the city, we partied with a bunch of our friends out here, and we cooked a big fat Thanksgiving dinner... which was also a huge success!  Höfbräuhaus, Tollwood, Killians Irish bar, and partying like a bunch of college kids in our basement... we pretty much did everything we could to have as much fun as possible.  For Sam and me, the first day of winter started while he was here, and all the Christmas markets and decorations as well, so it was pretty much a winter wonderland for both of us!  BTW, Glühwein fuckin rocks!  ;-)  More pics...

So, now what's on tap for December???  Well!!!  I had my German "Stammtisch" last weekend (and another big weekend with the Glühwein... man, that shit is addictive!!!)... Ice skating on Friday, heading to Nüremburg on Saturday, a Yankee Swap party on Sunday, and then, next Friday the 17th, I fly back to America for a little over a week to see my family and friends... and do it big once again!  And of course, we can't forget that New Years will be right after that!

So yes, life is quite, quite, quite busy right now, but quite, quite, quite FUN as well!  Loving all of it, loving my wife and my friends, and just loving being where and who I am!!!

Much love people... much love... and Happy Holidays!!!

As Readers of my Blog...

Some time back, I changed the way that this Google Blogger was imported onto my Facebook fan page. I'm now debating which way I like it best. I'll do my best to explain and hope to hear comments back from all of you.

When I first setup my fan page, the way that I got this blog to be imported onto the fan page was by configuring Facebook Notes to import an RSS feed that is created by each new blog

• an RSS feed is a news feed, usually of a new story or post, offered by most news and informational type websites, and can be read with an RSS reader, of which there are many including most Browsers, most mail clients such as Outlook, and specific programs. These are offered as quick ways to get news and stories without having to always go directly to the website when the new articles arrive.

So, each new RSS feed became a new Note on my Facebook page. From there, you would read the note, and make comments or Like it, or whatever. The problem with this method was how long it took for Facebook to finally retrieve the RSS feed. It took anywhere from a few hours to sometimes as much as several days for a new blog post to show up on Facebook. While this is not necessarily terrible, since I don't use my blog for business or money making, it sure made it annoying. But what I liked about this method was that the blog was now a Note on Facebook, and everyone could make their comments on it, and they weren't redirected back to the Google Blogger website to read the blog.

To fix the problem of the slow feed from Facebook, I started using a Facebook app called RSS Grafitti, which did the import of my blog in a very fast timeframe (I believe it checks the Blogger site every five minutes or something, so 5 minutes after a blog is posted, it will be on Facebook). This is great and I like that alot, however, now when you click on the blog to read it, you are redirected to the Blogger website. This means that you have to go BACK to Facebook if you want to comment on the blog (though you can comment here on Blogger as well). I feel like this will take away from people providing their feedback because I don't actually maintain my Blogger site at all other than to actually write my blogs so if people are commenting on the blogs here then I mostly won't notice and neither will most other people.

So, to the heart of the matter, the question I wanted to ask from the start... which way is better??? Is it better to have the blogs show up as Notes in Facebook, but take a really long time to get there, or is it better that the blog arrive right away and to just let people get redirected to this site and read the blog on Blogger, and then go back to Facebook to comment? I'm torn, I really don't know which is the better way.

I like the Notes/RSS feed method better, but I hate how long it takes. I love how fast the program RSS Graffiti is but I don't want people redirected to another website to read my blogs.

What would you do?

Thanks for the help!!!

FC Bayern!

So, tonight I'm off to my first Fußball game, FC Bayern München VS Werder Bremen! BTW, Fußball is German for Football aka Soccer!

I'm pretty excited! First, never been to a Fußball game... does this make me a soccer hooligan?!? :-) Second, the Allianz Arena here in Munich is supposed to be a very cool and modern stadium... I'm looking forward to see what Fußball fans eat and drink at the stadium!!! Third, since I'm missing out on all the Giants and Niner games (hmmm, not sure I'm actually missing out on the Nienr games! But that's a whole Blog to itself!!!) this is my first opportunity to be a sports nut here in Germany!

Big thanks to Sid for coming thru with the extra ticket!

Check the link for the preview!
http://www.fcbayern.t-home.de/en/news/news/2010/26214.php

Test Post

Please ignore!!!

Germany October 19th 2010 - Random Blog

Today I feel like writing in my blog for no better reason that I feel like doing it... and because I have more time on my hands for computer type things since I got my new job! At Insight, it was work, work, work, for the complete 8 hours. One of the awesome benefits of being in IT is that there is free moments to just be on the computer.

The job is good so far. I'm still not doing so much, but that has a lot to do with the fact that I'm still learning my way around. Kendle is a really great company. While I'm not terribly interested in what we do as a company, how it works and how its structured globally (particularly the IT department) is very fascinating. Also, I've rarely ever felt so welcomed into a company, and treated like I'm actually important, rather than just another worker. That has been a very rewarding experience so far.

Getting the new job was great. It was particularly good for me because it justified my way of being and thinking... namely, staying positive and working hard. I never stopped believing that the right job in Germany was waiting for me... and just when I stopped looking is when it found me. All the hard work I put in to my resumes and online resumes paid off when Kendle found me and recruited me. It just goes to show that you can never stop trying, never lose the positive attitude, and when you do, life will do good things for you.

Now that getting back into my career is checked off the list of things to do in Germany, I can work on the other things on my list. First and foremost, continuing to learn the German language... but that is going to be an ongoing goal that may never truly end! Second, continue saving and paying back debts so that I can travel with my wife the way we intended. Third... I don't actually know right now, but I know there will be more big goals to go :-)

Yeah, I goofed long enough, back to work!

Die Wiesn!

Oktoberfest is TOO much fun!

I've gone now for the past two days and I've been super drunk and had way too much fun! The food and beer, the singing and laughing, the stupid songs you can't help but like (especially when you're drunk)... it all adds up to a great time!

I see why the Oktoberfest is such a worldwide phenomenon. I haven't even gone on the rides and stuff yet! Though I'm not too interested in them... well, except for the 5 loop rollercoaster, that one looks f-ing awesome!

The one thing that isn't so cool though is how expensive everything is. 8.50 euro for a maß, so with tip, its 10 euro a beer! But the fact is, people pay it, and gladly, so they'll keep charging for it! And, to be honest, everything is way cool and they servers are quick, so we're getting our money's worth for sure! Oh yeah, also the beer is WAY stronger than normal, so one maß and you're already buzzed! So, it's all good in the end.

I'll be heading out to die Wiesn again soon... I need a couple days to rest and let my body recover from the vast amounts of beer I've drank! But I'll definitely be there again... and again... and AGAIN!!!

PROST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Insanity - COMPLETE!!!

Tonight, I finally finished the Insanity workout routine. Though it took alot longer than the schedule called for, I'm extremely pleased and proud of myself.

It took 5 months to finish a 2 month program, but even taking that long, I've seen amazing results and changes to my body. Inches to my biceps, definition in my chest and back, strong legs, and even just the slightest hint that there are some abs under there. I can only imagine the results if I'd been able to follow his schedule of 6 days a week for 60 days. I think for the first time I really do believe the "hype" you see on TV. If I could get this good of results just doing 2 to 4 times a week, even skipping a week here and there, then if I'd been able to follow his schedule, I'd be ripped right now.

I've said it so many times since I started working with his routine... if you want to see and feel some real results with a workout routine that you know is working for you, get your hands on the Insanity DVDs and get to work. Forget your excuses. Costs too much? How much have you wasted on a gym membership and gotten shit for results? Don't have the time? I work everyday with an hour long commute to and from, have to walk my dog for an hour, make dinner, do any chores necessary, and spend quality time with my lady, yet I still found the time to workout a few time a week. You make time when you want time. Don't like to work out alone? Then keep your membership at the gym and do the workouts in the stretch area. Invite someone to come over and do it with you. Go to the park and work out outside. I can't think of any more excuses, but if you've got em, toss em out the window and get to work!

Nothing beats bodyweight exercises. No weights, no lame gym machines, and not cardio work either. Bodyweight exercises will transform you from the inside out, making you truly strong, not just having muscles that can't do anything. You get cardio when doing bodyweight workouts. You get great muscle strength. You get stretching. And you balance and agility. And you don't need anything but yourself (though you can use some objects to increase certain moves, but it's still all you and your own weight). Don't believe me? Ask any wrestler... martial artist... military personnel... 90% of their workouts are bodyweight exercise related. How did soldiers for the past thousands of years get strong? They didn't have weights, they used body weight exercises, and I'm sure we can all agree that a Roman soldier a thousand years ago could have likely snapped any of us in half without much trouble at all.

The Insanity program was FUCKING awesome. I can't wait to do it again, but next, I'm going to start P90X. It's mostly bodyweight work as well but it does incorporate some dumbbells and pull ups (still a body weight exercise, but I bought one of those bars for inside the house). I hear that this program is actually easier than Insanity, but only one way to find out.

I expect to continue my great results and I'm doing it without a gym membership, without tons of machines, and having a great time doing it. Try it sometime... you might like it too.

If you want to get into real workouts and do bodyweight exercises, here are some resources..

Matt Furey's combat conditioning... tons of excellent workouts.
Insanity DVDs
http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Your-Own-Gym/dp/0971407614
http://www.alkavadlo.com/

Germany, May 27th 2010 - Back on the Grind

My Wedding Week is officially over and it's back to the grind for me. Time to get back to fitness and prepping for the new job and getting in the groove of being married!

My Wedding was absolutely awesome. What was originally planned for and what actually came to be were two different things, and that makes me feel like a million bucks! Kathi and I had, at the very beginning, no intentions of having a big celebration... just the ceremony at the State building and then get together with a couple of friends for drinks at the bar. Seriously. But after the family and the friends all told us we're ridiculous and that they wanted to do their part, the end result was a fabulous day. The restaurant was great, the speeches and gifts were awesome, and, I still have a hard time believing it, all our friends did the big YouTube wedding dance for us!!! (having a hard time finding the link on YouTube, but it's the same one that they did on the Office for the wedding episode). Basically, it FUCKING ROCKED!!! We'll be viewing the video next Tuesday, I can't wait to see it again! I'll be sharing this with the folks when I can! We also got hooked up with a hotel room for the night, and that too, was way f-ing cool! All decorated and with alcohol all over the place :-) Definitely rocked big time.

Took a week off of EVERYTHING after the wedding. No watching what I eat, no exercise, no watching our budget, just enjoying the new life as a married couple! It was really cool to not have a care and just DO!

But now it's back to life again :-) Been eating like a 800 pound man, so time to taper it down a bit! Hadn't exercised at all, but I'm back to that. I never finished the recovery week for my Insanity program, so it's a cool way to jump back in... with a routine that is still a good workout but not crazy hard and going to make me sore by jumping right into the deep end. That'll be next week, lol.

This is my last week of unemployment, so I only have a few more days to take care of some small details before I start my new job. Nick nack stuff, budget stuff, nothing too critical (Kathi is helping me with the hard stuff, like official paperwork, banks, all that... I love her :-). But it's also my last week to just lounge and take it slow and act like I'm on vacation!

Life if about to be back in full swing next week. Back to the 9 to 5. Life as a married man (so far, so good, I'm loving it!). Going back to language classes is around the corner (the state hooks us up with a fantastic deal... 900 hours of language\cultural training for a Euro and hour... to put that in perspective, I paid 1000 Euro for one month of class at the Goethe Institute, which was about 80 hours, so 1000 Euro for 80 hours versus 900 Euro for 900 hours. Quite the deal :-). And I still have to make sure that Blue gets his long walks AND that I don't fall off of my workout routine. And, there is still friends and family and Skype with folks back home. And of course... quality time with my lady. Life is about to be full again!!!

Germany, May 17th 2010 - Two more days!!!

In just two short days, I, Michael Vincent Custer, am getting MARRIED! It still doesn't seem quite real to me. Not too long ago in my past I had thought that this was just a dream that could never happen to me. But here I am, about to tie the knot with the love of my life, and I couldn't be happier about it!

I used to think that I wasn't destined to be in love, much less married. A few years ago, I probably was at my unhappiest and most depressed. Outwardly, I tried to maintain my happy facade, but inside, I was negative, bitter, unhappy, and very depressed. I remember having days where I couldn't stop saying to myself that I wasn't meant to be in a relationship, how women don't like me, there is something wrong with me and I was never going to be in anything meaningful. Thinking of marriage was like wishing that I could fly just by flapping my arms.

There was a point when I got past the depression and the bitterness, but I still wasn't happy. Not to say I wasn't enjoying my life... I have good friends, loving family, and have been successful in my career. But I was still missing that crucial part of my life... I didn't have love and I felt like I was missing an important piece of the whole puzzle. No matter how I put everything else together, there was a gap that I couldn't fill.

Trying to find love at bars and clubs was obviously not the right way to go. All I ever found there was airheads and wasted time. To my amazement though, love was going to find me where I wasn't looking for it... at work! Yes, Kathi and I are a work place romance gone right :-) It seemed that when I finally stopped looking for someone, when my mind was firmly entrenched in the idea that I wouldn't ever be in love, the perfect women came to me, right when and where I wasn't looking.

Kathi... I've never met anyone like her before. She's the perfect blend of sweet and sassy; she's beautiful but not conceited; so very smart and intelligent, but not cocky and full of herself and always willing to learn more; she's career oriented but has never forgotten how to stop and smell the roses; and the best part, the part that I can never figure out (but will never take for granted), she's totally crazy about me!!!

Having this kind of woman in my life, at my side, has changed me, and all for the good. The leaps and bounds I've taken as a person and as a man, I owe it all to her influence. While she always points out that I'm the one that has made the life changes to grow as I have, I say without any doubt that I owe it all to the inspiration that she gives me. She makes me want to be better than I am... to be all that I can. And I want to do it for her. I don't even really think of it as doing these things for me. I try to be better person so that I can be the best man for her... because she deserves only the best in life. I want to be smarter, richer, healthier, sexier, sweeter... and all so that Kathi can have the best man on her arm, to be as happy as she possibly can be.

I am so ready to take on that challenge. On Thursday, I will take that vow... that I will make Kathi's life the best it can be... that I will do everything in my power to lift her up and let the light shine on her because she deserves no less. I want Kathi to be the happiest woman on the face of the Earth, and I'll stop at nothing to do this for her. I owe Kathi my life and I will give it to her without thinking twice. I love her more than anything in this world and I plan to be at her side until I'm gone from life.

On Thursday, May 20th 2010, I am going to become the happiest man that ever lived because the best woman that has ever come into my life has chosen to be with me. This will be the best day of my life and one that I will never forget.

Katharina Barbara Herkenhoener (soon to be Custer :-), I love you with all my heart and am proud to be your husband and companion for the rest of my life.

Germany, May 8th 2010 - Back to work!

I can't tell you how happy I am to finally have a job and to be getting back to work, and for 2 very good reasons... money and boredom.

I'm glad that I'm going to be getting a paycheck again. I want to be able to contribute and not having an income was really starting to wear on me. It's been troubling me that I had to rely completely on Kathi because of the strain that I've been putting on her. I guess I'm not cheap :-) Not to mention my own manly pride. I've been earning my own way now for quite a few years and not being able to earn my keep was really starting to sting my pride. I also have quite a few commitments and some things I need to get money put aside for, so not having an income to work towards these goals is tough. And I must say it again, I don't like that I've been such a burden to my lovely woman. She's been such a champ... paying for things, taking us out, ect... but it's wearing her out and I can't really consider myself to be a good man and husband if I wasn't trying very hard to correct that. Thankfully, now I can do that and take some of the pressure off of her.

Now, to boredom. That's a bit of a harsh word... I'm not bored here. But it's more about finding ways to keep myself busy while I don't have a job to go to everyday. I honestly don't know how some people can not work, for months and\or years, how they don't go crazy with not knowing what to do with themselves. I guess they just get used to be being fat slobs who watch TV all day. What's only recently been starting to get to me is just keeping my day full, especially since my language classes stopped some time ago. For most days, I've been doing the following for my routine... language studying, job searching, exercise, taking my dog for a walk, cleaning, Facebooking :-), and hanging out with Kathi and friends. But the truth is, you can only do all that stuff for so long before it starts to feel like it's just a replacement for something else... basically, work. People are workers, that's how we get by in our lives, it's what keeps us busy and what makes us feel like contributors and part of society. When you can't contribute, it starts to wear on you. I could only study so much before it started to just not sink in anymore. Searching for a job, and getting turned down for so long, was really a hit to my ego and pride. Exercise is great, but it's only 1 hour a day, and maybe another hour of walking the dog. And our friends, they work and have their own lives going on and can't always hang out (and to tie back in to the money part, it's no fun to go out with people and not have money and have to lean on their charity all the time... which gets old to both me and to the them).

And that's why the job is the answer to all of this! My days will be filled with a real job again, I'll have a paycheck coming in and can pay bills, go out, save money, ect, and I can still do all the things I was doing during my unemployment, but now, they will have that extra meaning again, not just be ways to fill in the gaps during the day.

I never thought I'd say I'm glad to be back to work. I guess sometimes it just takes having your perspective changed. It's so easy to take things for granted... and I now realize that I took employment as one of those things! But on a lighter note, let's see what my blog says in 6 months... when I'm complaining that I need a vacation from my job!!! :-)

Germany, May 6th 2010 - Fitness

I'm really proud of myself for the way I've handled my health, diet, and fitness, especially since I got here to Germany. I've managed to keep everything on track, and in fact, I've improved since leaving the states.

When I left America in January, I weighed in at 165 pounds, which was quite the accomplishment for myself. That put me over 50 pounds lost at that point. But it also did something else for me. It let me see the light at the end of the tunnel... to know where I could actually be, instead of just where I was at. I now saw the potential to get even better. So I quickly became, well, not unsatisfied, but ready to accomplish more.

I actually lost another 7 pounds almost immediately when I came to Germany, but I equate that to my initial jetlag, and the fact that I stopped alot of the snacking I was doing. I started doing my Insanity workouts in January too and came to realize that I love them! I saw instant results in my strength and muscle development.

Unfortunately, when I started school and was looking for work (as near to a full time job in itself :-), my diet and workout routine took a dip. I stopped doing the Insanity workouts for all of February and most of March. I did do some exercise, I didn't quit entirely... mostly jogging with my dog sometimes, definitely lots of walks with him, and a couple of trips to my sister-in-law's gym she works at. I also wasn't paying much attention to my diet either. I saw my weight go back up to 163 pounds. Now, while that's still a bit lower than my last weigh-in in America, that was still an upward trend I wasn't happy about.

So, since the end of March, I've been doing very good! I started the Insanity workouts again, and this time, I made the promise to myself that I'm going to finish the course and not stop before it's done (though I'm not going to accomplish this in the 60 days the course is supposed to take. I've done some other workout routines during this time as well... jogging, some Matt Furey exercises, a time or 2 to the gym, and I've taken an extra day off or 2 here and there). But, my guess is that I'll finish the 60 day course in 70+ days, which really isn't that bad. I'm DEFINITELY feeling the results... strong legs, bigger biceps and chest (I can do 2.5 pullups now, which is exactly 2.5 more than I could ever do before!), and a hard butt :-).

I also made the effort to pay better attention to my diet. I was slipping and not paying attention to what I was eating... eating more candy, especially when Kathi was in Switzerland and I was eating because I missed her, eating more McDonalds... and just not paying attention. So, I've turned it around by using my iWatcher iPod program (for my WW people out there, this program IS WW. It does everything that the site does, calculates all the points, favorites, daily and weekly point, all of it. It's so worth the money, especially if you aren't going to meetings anymore), making sure I take my vitamins, and getting more veggies back into my diet.

I'm happy to report that I'm back down to 159 pounds, with the eventual goal of 155 pounds. I think that I actually might have had more weight loss, but I've been adding some muscle mass with all my workouts, and I can't say I'm perfect with my diet (this is Germany, we drink LOTS of beer and eat LOTS of giant pretzels!!!), but the weight I'm losing seems to be in good comparison (right word?) to the muscle I'm putting on and actual fat coming off.

I've put myself back down to 28 points a day right now as well, in the hopes that I can lose a pound or 2 more before my wedding on the 20th. Sure doesn't hurt to look as good as possible for my girl and our wedding pictures ;-).

Each day is challenging, and each day, I have to think about what I'm going to do. Like today, I'm going drinking with the guys tonight, so despite the fact that I'm sore from 2 hard days of working out, I need one more so that I can have those extra points to rely on tonight... and I need to watch what I eat all day so that again I can have points for tonight (veggies for lunch!). But I have to admit, I enjoy these day to day challenges. I have to think, plan, and come up with new ways and ideas to keep myself on the downward trend with my weight, keep myself motivated to workout (I'm my own workout partner :-), and to continue to WANT to get into better shape.

Your health and your fitness are 100% your own. Nobody else can motivate you, make you do it, or more importantly, make you want it. YOU have to do this, you HAVE TO WANT IT. If you don't, you'll never succeed. But when you want it, and I mean really want it, you'll do whatever it takes to get there. You'll tell yourself over and over again, I want it, I can do it, and I WILL HAVE IT. Now get your asses out there and do it!!! :-)

Testing, Testing, 123, Testing

This is just a test to see if the feed is working to Facebook or not... yesterday's blog did not go thru so it could have been just a one time thing, or it could be something is wrong... so, you can ignore this!

Germany, May 4th, 2010 - 3 months since my last blog!

So, I've come to realize that I don't use this blog enough because I use Facebook as my blog, essentially. But, my life and my thoughts count for more than just 160 characters at once, don't they! :)

I have to say that life is good right now. Germany is treating me pretty well and I'm enjoying my time out here. And just about everything I planned for is happening in the timeframe that I wanted, though definitely not completely! There have been some surprises, for sure!

The most important thing that is happening for me is that I'm getting married! Yes, Kathi and I are getting married May 20th, and I couldn't be happier about it. Kathi is perfect for me... when they say your wife is supposed to be your better half, they must have known that I was going to marry Kathi ;-) because she is definitely the best part of me! I don't know how I got along before without her. I'm flighty, but she's grounded. I'm intelligent, but she's smart and intelligent! And she gives me a reason to try and be a better person... so that I can be a better man for her. She deserves it! Kathi is an amazing person... sweet, kind, smart, gorgeous, and honest. She deserves a great man in her life, and I aim to prove that I'm that man... until the day I'm gone from this world!!!

I've finally got a job here in Germany too. While I had lofty dreams of it happening in 3 months or less, I've finally gotten a full time job at a good company. I start June 1st... though that means I probably won't see a paycheck until July! But regardless, it'll be great to finally be back in the workforce and be able to give back to my girl, who's given me so much in these past few months. She has been the backbone since I got here and I'd really like to be able to take some of the pressure off of her. Not to mention, and I can't believe I can actually say this, but I was starting to go a bit stir crazy not having a job for these few months. Since I think about 2002 or so, I haven't had more than a single weekend off between jobs, and it was definitely a challenge to keep my self busy and occupied while I was unemployed. But, it's all coming to plan, just as I wanted it to, so I'm happy.

Yes, things are going as I planned, though not always as smoothly as I would have liked, but that's life for you. I had a 6 month plan for when I moved to Germany, and so far, it's working out. I wanted to take my language classes and get certified... and I did it. I wanted to find work... and I did it. There were some snags here and there, but with 2 incomes coming into the house, things will be going pretty smoothly for me and Kathi.

I think I'll try to write more again later, but I'm already in a rush today... have another opportunity I need to see someone about this afternoon, and then it's shopping for a suit with my friend Gemma! Need to look good for my wedding, after all!

Tschuss!

Frisco Peoples, Good Show To Go To

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Germany, week 2, Monday 1/25/2010

I enter my second week in Germany, and quite frankly, I'm ready to put week one behind me and move on! To say it was a rough week is a bit of an understatement.

I want to say though that I like Germany, I like the people, and I like it here. There are no problems with me and Germany, or me and my lady (never that!). I had a great time on Friday night and Saturday night, hanging out with Kathi and then partying with her friends. But there was some crap that happened this week that just really put a sour note on my first week.

I made a huge mistake about my personal belongings. Turns out I can't ship ANY of it because there was a requirement that I didn't look into that I should have (it was on the PDF that was sent to me, but I didn't read it thoroughly, yeah, hella stupid, I know). Before you can ship personal belonging into Germany, you have to provide proof to customs that you've been in residency for 12 months. Since I obviously moved here only last week, I can't prove this and had to cancel my shipment. Thankfully the company, Safepack, was totally cool about it and didn't charge me a dime for holding my stuff for a week, and they let my buddy come and pick it all up for me. That was really awesome of them. While this was a bit of a setback, because I really wanted my desktop computer and my personal nicknacks and stuff, none of that stuff is crucial to my getting by. I brought my main hard drive with me on the plane, which has all my stuff on it, and that was as close to something I HAD to have as anything else. Everything else was on the "I want it" list not the "I have to have it" list. Still sucks, but hey, no worries. I accept that I made a mistake and I'll move on!

Also had something else go down that I don't really want to get into, but it put a real drain on me. Funny how much other people can bring you down, you know? I'm just glad that I know how to fight back from letting it drag me under. Everyone gets upset and can feel sad\depressed, especially when arguments happen, but what I tell myself when this happens, or anything bad really, I learned from a movie (some of you will know it :-)... "why do we fall down? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up". You can choose to stay on the ground and cry... or you can stand up, brush off the dirt, clean your wounds, and move on... and most importantly, learn to never let that incident knock you down again. Life is pain and pain is life, so learn how to deal with pain so that you can deal with MORE pain. You'll only be more stronger for it.

Coming to Germany has only solidified in my mind the things I've been trying to be better at. Don't run from challenges, face them. Continue to learn and grow and become better every day. Face the mountain and win because I refuse to give up, to lose. And I tell you that meeting these demands I've placed on myself is so much easier with Kathi by my side. She is such a source of inspiration for me. The old saying "behind every good man is a good woman" is so true, since I can now see it and believe it for myself. Kathi, I love you baby!

OK, enough blogging and on to some of those things I need to be better at :-)

Tschüss!

Germany, Friday, 1/22/2010

I'm coming close to the end of my first week in Germany. So far, I've just been getting myself settled, getting over my jet lag (2 nights of waking up at 2:30am, wide awake, that's kind of rough), and in general, getting a feel for the place... buses, stores, ect. It's interesting how similar, yet how different, everything really is. I mean, we're all people, we all get up in the morning, drink our coffee, go to work, come home and relax. Yet, there are so many things that are just different in the way we do those things! I'm not going to go into the details, but suffice it to say, it's interesting to compare and contrast!

One thing that I knew before I came to Germany is that I'd be facing an uphill battle to get myself established and legal. The one thing I didn't know was how big the hill (mountain!) was until I was standing at the foot of it! But no one ever climbed the mountain without first starting at the bottom and slowly working their way up. And it's just as easy to fall down and have to start again. Edmund Percival Hillary, the first man to reach the top of Mt. Everest (along with his partner, Tensing Norgay) had tried and failed the year before he actually made it. To beat the mountain, he had to try again, and his persistence paid off.

Admittedly, not speaking German puts me in a tough position. Yes, there are lots of American companies here in Germany, and there are lots of German companies that want English speakers, but obviously, knowing the native language is very important to being successful. This limits my opportunities... but it doesn't stop them. I have to try harder than the next person if I'm going to pull this off. So, lots of resumes that get turned down... lots of "facetime" at companies and recruiter sites that are likely to tell me "go apply on our website and go away"... and, should I actually get one :-P interviews with people who may not speak very good English and will turn me down because we don't communicate well.

Attending the Goethe Institut for language will be a big advantage for me, especially WHEN I pass and get my certification, but it still only means that I will have the most rudimentary understanding of the language. But my hopes are that this shows my commitment to doing things right and that it will "impress" whoever I interview with. Also, once I do get a job and start to earn income again, I'll start immediately saving to attend a second semester at Goethe (the classes are WAY expensive, but basically officially recognized by official agencies, including the government, so they are worth the money). I slacked off big time on my personal study with Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur, but I'm recommitting myself to using them every day going forward (sucks though, I packed my headset for Rosetta, so until I can get another one, I can't use it... but Pimsleur is still good!).

On a more personal note, I have my first date in Germany tonight with my lovely girlfriend... we're going to go see Avatar, which I didn't get a chance to see when I was still in the states, and yes, it'll be in English, at a theater that only plays movies in English! And tomorrow is my Welcome to Germany party, where I'll get to see a lot of Kathi's friends, some of who I have already met a few times and some that I have not! Most of them speak English and will actually look forward to a chance to practice with me, though obviously, most conversation will be in German :-)

This Road to Germany (no Family Guy jokes please :-) is definitely a tough road to face, with plenty of challenges and obstacles to overcome. But can you imagine how much stronger, how much more successful I will be when I overcome all of that? In my mind, I don't fail... period. I set out on my path and I get there... whether I have to climb over, go under, go around, or go right through the wall that is blocking my path. Difficult doesn't mean it can't be done. Hard doesn't mean that I can't do it. My name is Atlas and I put the world on my shoulders, and instead of bowing my back, I dig deeper and stand up straight, and I take that first step forward, becoming stronger with each step.

More to come... stay tuned!

Germany - Day 2

I have officially started my second day in Germany, though day 1 was a wash as it was partially taken with travel and lost hours by moving ahead 9 hours. We came home, went to dinner, then to bed, so day 1 was not so exciting :-)

The first thing I have to say is, Mom, you were so right about the weather! I doubted a bit since you and Michelle are always cold :) but it is legitimately colder than a witches tittie out here! Long johns are going to be a must for this California boy!

Today is going to be my first "real" day in Germany... unpacking my bags, unfolding my clothes, arranging my little room, and tonight it's Kathi's fathers birthday and we'll be going out to dinner. I'm sure I'm going to be sitting there not understanding a word since they'll definitely be speaking German 99% of the time (except when they talk to me :-), so I'll just sit and enjoy the company!

For another day or so, I'm just going to adjust to the country and not do much else. Take walks, go to the store, play around with TV (or what I can understand anyways!), and just chill. But later this week, it's going to be time for business.

First item of business... immigration office. I want to get my residence papers going and get established so that I don't get myself booted from the country! I have every intention of doing this properly and getting myself legal. Since I still need to get a job, getting residence status will be a huge plus to getting a work permit. Truth be told, I'm not really sure if they are even tied together at all, but I still consider residence priority #1.

That's enough blogging for one day. I'm going to be doing my best to keep a running journal of my stay for a while... at least until I'm fairly well established and everyone stops giving a shit, lol. So, stay tuned folks!