January 2010 has been the coldest month since 1987 in Denmark. So far everyday with the exception of 1 or 2 days has been below freezing. It has snowed here a handful of times during the month with the majority of it coming in the last few days. Today was a blustery -7 degrees centigrade which really didnt seem that cold until the wind started blowing. The reason for this little history lesson is that if you arent familiar with Copenhagen, there are these man made lakes that separate the burrow or Norrebro from what can be considered central Copenhagen. These lakes have of course frozen over because of the cold weather. The ice is thick enough to hold a substantial amount of weight and today I saw it with my own eyes. There were a few hundred people out ice skating and playing on the lakes. Each lake is quite large. I would estimate that if you took a football field and placed it on top...the width of the lake would equal the length of the football field. Then if you covered the lakes with football fields, I would say you could probably fit maybe 15 or 20 fields on just one lake. Thats a pretty rough estimate though...the point is that the lakes are pretty large. Its pretty cool though that since they have frozen over it has created a massive area for people to play on congregate that normally isnt there. Even when the lakes are not frozen, they arent really used for anything. This is where a lot of trash ends up and a large majority of the run off from the rain ends up. All in all they are just big duck ponds.
So today was a fun kind of experience. It remains to be seen if I will ever get to do that again considering it has been 23 years since the last time they froze over like that.
The next thing I am curious to see is the harbor area. Apparently the ice breaking ships have been on call for a couple weeks now due to the freezing temperatures so I wonder if there is some ice floating around in the sea.
lørdag den 30. januar 2010
torsdag den 28. januar 2010
Well the month is coming to and end, I m finishing my contract with IBM and I havent been able to secure a new job. My lack of a new job is not, by any means, due to a sub par effort. I have indeed put in a number of different applications, however many of the deadlines are just now expiring. Hopefully in the next month I will have the opportunity to wow a hiring manager and obtain a position. I am pretty excited about the professional life that is on the horizon. Being a student has definitely had its advantages but its not all glorious. I ve spent 22 years of my life in academic institutions so the transition into a new realm is welcomed.
tirsdag den 12. januar 2010
Life after graduation
So I finished my masters degree a couple of months ago and I have determined that life after graduation has a lot of potential. It has the potential to be great beyond my wildest dreams. However the current in between phase that I am stuck in pretty much sucks. I have been searching for job...and applying...but still with little luck. I was essentially turned down for 2 jobs that I could do hog tied. I had already been working in a position for 2 years that was quite similar in a variety of aspects to the position I applied for, however, it seems that I am still running into the same catch 22. I dont have enough specific experience in my field of choice, but I am unable to get the experience without a job.
Maybe when I meet people for the first time or interview, people look at me and think I m stupid or something. This thought was actually brought about when a few days ago one of my work colleagues said that she thought I would suck at the job I have been at for 2 years when I was first hired. I of course did not suck at my job and actually moved into a pseudo management roll and team lead position. I tend to excel in the business environment. I attribute that to my massive amounts of common sense. It more than makes up for what I lack in book smarts. I have just always had a strong work ethic when I work. My dad seems to have played a large roll in this. Whether he likes his job or not, he has always put forth a strong effort and left the excuses for everyone else. He is also a fairly humble individual. Anyone with any sense of pride would work hard and do the job right.
Its just a shame that so far a masters degree is not paying any dividends and its just a 40k piece of paper...that I have still yet to receive in the mail.
Maybe when I meet people for the first time or interview, people look at me and think I m stupid or something. This thought was actually brought about when a few days ago one of my work colleagues said that she thought I would suck at the job I have been at for 2 years when I was first hired. I of course did not suck at my job and actually moved into a pseudo management roll and team lead position. I tend to excel in the business environment. I attribute that to my massive amounts of common sense. It more than makes up for what I lack in book smarts. I have just always had a strong work ethic when I work. My dad seems to have played a large roll in this. Whether he likes his job or not, he has always put forth a strong effort and left the excuses for everyone else. He is also a fairly humble individual. Anyone with any sense of pride would work hard and do the job right.
Its just a shame that so far a masters degree is not paying any dividends and its just a 40k piece of paper...that I have still yet to receive in the mail.
onsdag den 1. april 2009
Morocco - The Arrival
March 17th 2009
Woke up at 5:45 in the morning. A phone call from the night before with my Pops made me a bit paranoid that 1hr and 30mins wouldnt be enough time to make my flight. Turned out it was more than enough time. I however instead arrived 2hrs early for my flight looked at the 3 people sitting around doing nothing at the checkout counter and instantly regretted my punctualness. Ended up taking the extra time in the airport to watch Madagascar 2 on my ipod. Hilarious! Makes me think I should go back and watch the first one again because I thought it was a piece of trash and didnt make it all the way through. Anyways the flight to Germany was quick...less than an hour quick. At customs I was harassed a bit....at the check in counter for my next flight as well. Seems that not too many American travel to Morocco.
After all the crap I made the flight. Slept most of the way because Miley and Me was dubbed in German with no English audio...wtf. Had a pretty cute girl sitting mext to me but her English wasnt so good and a bit shy to speak. The food on the flight was awesome. Infact it smelled so good that I woke up from a nap just as they got to my row. Had tasty chicken with gravy and hash browns with a piece of cheese cake for desert.
Flew over sounthern France and Spain. Lots of snow capped peaks. Going over Morocco was pretty cool too. I didnt realize it was so mountainous. Got into Agadir and going through customs was a breeze. The thing that scared me the most was that my ride was a bit late....around 20mins. I was trying to figure out what to do but figured I would at least wait a bit to see if anyone showed up for me. Of course someone did. It was this laid back Moroccan guy named Usef. He came strolling up fumbling with a sign with my name on it but its not that he needed it, he could just tell I was the surfing type.
The ride to the lodge was about 40 mins. We took a road that went around the main portion of the city so I didnt see much except a lot of new construction. There were also around 8 or 9 speed traps. Cops were every few km's it seemed. Kinda makes sense though because apparently the lines on the road are only there for decoration. Traffic flow is quite unstructured.
The surf house is up on a cliff and the road up to it is slightly washed out and under construction so I was thinking it was a bit sketchy. Made it unscathed. Once I got there a few of the staff that I would get to know a bit better quickly introduced themselves. I got a room on the ground floor to myself which was pretty nice. The place doesnt seem terribly fancy which is just fine with me but it does have some awesome Moroccan design as well as some really cool social areas (rooftop terrace) to lounge.
The rooftop terrace is where all the action is. Breakfast and dinner is served up there, the internet and tv if needed is there as well and its where everyone congregates at night to play cards or talk etc.
Met some British blokes that had just gotten back from surfing. A real lively bunch of guys and they have been friends for many years. They seem to take a trip every year. They are a bit older than I...in their late 30s and early 40s. They are pretty hilarious though and are here to have a good time. Also met a couple of Italians who seem nice enough. The language seems like it could be a slight issue when we are joking around but it is too early to tell.
Had some coos coos for dinner with roasted lamb meet. Normaly not a fan but it was quite tasty. I'd say my tastes have come a long ways over the last couple years. Plus eating the local food just makes for a better experience.
After dinner we drank a few beers. Its St Patricks Day afterall. Nothing too crazy though. We mostly sat around and joked all night. The english guys are quite sarcastic which is alright with me. Played a new card game called trumps as well as a modified version of hearts. Called it a night around 11:30.
Surfing tomorrow...so excited I can hardly stand it!
Woke up at 5:45 in the morning. A phone call from the night before with my Pops made me a bit paranoid that 1hr and 30mins wouldnt be enough time to make my flight. Turned out it was more than enough time. I however instead arrived 2hrs early for my flight looked at the 3 people sitting around doing nothing at the checkout counter and instantly regretted my punctualness. Ended up taking the extra time in the airport to watch Madagascar 2 on my ipod. Hilarious! Makes me think I should go back and watch the first one again because I thought it was a piece of trash and didnt make it all the way through. Anyways the flight to Germany was quick...less than an hour quick. At customs I was harassed a bit....at the check in counter for my next flight as well. Seems that not too many American travel to Morocco.
After all the crap I made the flight. Slept most of the way because Miley and Me was dubbed in German with no English audio...wtf. Had a pretty cute girl sitting mext to me but her English wasnt so good and a bit shy to speak. The food on the flight was awesome. Infact it smelled so good that I woke up from a nap just as they got to my row. Had tasty chicken with gravy and hash browns with a piece of cheese cake for desert.
Flew over sounthern France and Spain. Lots of snow capped peaks. Going over Morocco was pretty cool too. I didnt realize it was so mountainous. Got into Agadir and going through customs was a breeze. The thing that scared me the most was that my ride was a bit late....around 20mins. I was trying to figure out what to do but figured I would at least wait a bit to see if anyone showed up for me. Of course someone did. It was this laid back Moroccan guy named Usef. He came strolling up fumbling with a sign with my name on it but its not that he needed it, he could just tell I was the surfing type.
The ride to the lodge was about 40 mins. We took a road that went around the main portion of the city so I didnt see much except a lot of new construction. There were also around 8 or 9 speed traps. Cops were every few km's it seemed. Kinda makes sense though because apparently the lines on the road are only there for decoration. Traffic flow is quite unstructured.
The surf house is up on a cliff and the road up to it is slightly washed out and under construction so I was thinking it was a bit sketchy. Made it unscathed. Once I got there a few of the staff that I would get to know a bit better quickly introduced themselves. I got a room on the ground floor to myself which was pretty nice. The place doesnt seem terribly fancy which is just fine with me but it does have some awesome Moroccan design as well as some really cool social areas (rooftop terrace) to lounge.
The rooftop terrace is where all the action is. Breakfast and dinner is served up there, the internet and tv if needed is there as well and its where everyone congregates at night to play cards or talk etc.
Met some British blokes that had just gotten back from surfing. A real lively bunch of guys and they have been friends for many years. They seem to take a trip every year. They are a bit older than I...in their late 30s and early 40s. They are pretty hilarious though and are here to have a good time. Also met a couple of Italians who seem nice enough. The language seems like it could be a slight issue when we are joking around but it is too early to tell.
Had some coos coos for dinner with roasted lamb meet. Normaly not a fan but it was quite tasty. I'd say my tastes have come a long ways over the last couple years. Plus eating the local food just makes for a better experience.
After dinner we drank a few beers. Its St Patricks Day afterall. Nothing too crazy though. We mostly sat around and joked all night. The english guys are quite sarcastic which is alright with me. Played a new card game called trumps as well as a modified version of hearts. Called it a night around 11:30.
Surfing tomorrow...so excited I can hardly stand it!
fredag den 12. september 2008
summer...the back half on a concussion
disclaimer....i am writing this while on strong pain killers....enjoy (thats for you mang
Holy crap its been a long time since i ve written but i figure the summer is over and i m back in DK so its high time i get my act together and metaphorically scribble down some jibberish.
Ok so I was in NYC for about a week chillin with my Pops. It was probably the best time of the summer for me. Dont get me wrong...hanging with g-mang, kicking it in DK with nice weather, my brosef c-dizzles wedding, golf with the step dad, wii with the family, a week in c-town, beers at kells and then running drunk in the streets, or any of the other plethera of activities that i partaked in were all fun, but I ve spent way too little time with my Pops over my lifetime and lets face it my Dad is cooler than yours and you can only deny the thruth of that statement.
So NYC was pretty sick...I got to see a show on Broadway...hit up all the major sights, run through the burrows of the city and see the Yankees lose! Sorry Pops, but you know I m a Bosox fan. A couple of other things that were nice was I got to see an old friend from my exchange. We had a nice dinner and some conversation afterwards. And after 3 years she was still as beautiful as I remembered her. Secondly I got to go to an Adidas Y3 store....which there are only around a handful of in the whole world. It was unfortunate that prices were way higher than I expected and I was unable to afford anything. But afterwards I went the the village and drank with my Pops and had some awesome guac and nachos while we people watched for many hours. Unfortunately as always my time was too short with Pops and I was off to see the rest of my friends and family that I had left behind a year prior.
It was nice to see oregon even though the summer there sucked pretty hard weather wise. Too much rain for sure. I pretty much spent the time there driving my car around seeing friends that I had been missing. It was great to reconnect and catch up. Eventually it seemed like much hadnt changed as I found myself quickly falling back into the old routine. I guess thats when you know when you are actually friends with someone. You can be apart for a long time but then its comfortable again when you meet again.
I was able to show my family how much i can dominate them on the wii. They have had it for like a year and i had played maybe once before. I owned
I also got to see a new niece, spend time with my stepdad who had brain surgery, see my sisters and brother in laws....and of course have my mom try to set me up with a russian girl.
Oh so at home i was able to get my fractured wrist situation taken care of....that was nice. I shot a bunch and got into my old high school when they opened for registration and used the gym. Also found out my old english teacher died. That was sucky news....she wasnt really that old. I went to the memorial service and it was pretty sad. I saw some old classmates and teachers etc. So that was pretty cool. Would have been better under different circumstances though.
Well soon enough I was headed back to DK to start my last year of school....unless i get the itch to go for a phd.....but lets face it i am pretty much out of money for more academic endevours and I think my thesis might kill me first.
So coming back was hellish...regarding the jetlag. It took me about 4 or 5 days to get over...ugh. But school started only a few days later so i was forced back into a routine quick. Basketball has started again and we are a ton of guys....we had a coach for about 2 practices then he quit cause he wasnt getting paid. Oh well. School has been a load so far because my schedule is quite loaded the first month and then it drops off to 5 day weekends. I ve been back to work as well....catching up and trying to start posting lots of hours so i can afford to live. Books have taken a dent into my savings so I am opting to sell my car so I dont have to worry about anything and maybe i can take a trip as well. I havent traveled much and I get a bit cabin fever in the winter months. It may even allow me to come home for christmas or something like that.
In other news I totally got a concussion this past monday. Heres the story
I went to bed sunday night feeling fine and dandy....2 hours i woke up and was shaking quite badly and couldnt warm myself. Shortly after my head began to hurt and my eyes were really sore. Somewhere after 8 I got up to use the bathroom and as I was standing there I began to get light headed. I figured the time to finish was right then so I pulled up the shorts and tried to grab onto something.....well that something was thin air and I woke up on the floor. It wasnt all bad unless the toilet breaks the fall for your neck and head and the sink for the elbow. Not quite sure how long i was out but i was definitely not a happy camper. Turns out my fever was about 41 degrees celcius or somewhere in the neighborhood of 104, 105. I dont remember the conversion. I did probably a not so smart thing and went to sleep for like 7 hours instead of getting a ride to the hospital....wont make that mistake again. So oddly enough I wake up the next day and feel fine. Go to work for a number of hours and then head back home and chill for the night. Next day...wednesday....It all sets in. Headaches, nausea, loss of appitite, inability to focus, sore eyes, sore back....etc. I make it to about half a class then head to the hospital. They dont really tell me anything i dont already know from wikipedia but I have post concusion syndrome. Fast forward til now and the headaches are still there and some of the other stuff but i m hoping by chilling this weekend the symptoms will fade.
So odd that finally get back to normal then my world gets fucked!
But the plus side is that I can take a break from drinking and can focus on my health for a change. And I can catch up on things like writing in my blog for you...the reader. I mean cause thats why I am here.
Thats if for me...I m outta here
PS....i watched 6 full seasons of scrubs, caught up on greys anatomy and currently am working on weeds....soooooooo good. I love tv!
Holy crap its been a long time since i ve written but i figure the summer is over and i m back in DK so its high time i get my act together and metaphorically scribble down some jibberish.
Ok so I was in NYC for about a week chillin with my Pops. It was probably the best time of the summer for me. Dont get me wrong...hanging with g-mang, kicking it in DK with nice weather, my brosef c-dizzles wedding, golf with the step dad, wii with the family, a week in c-town, beers at kells and then running drunk in the streets, or any of the other plethera of activities that i partaked in were all fun, but I ve spent way too little time with my Pops over my lifetime and lets face it my Dad is cooler than yours and you can only deny the thruth of that statement.
So NYC was pretty sick...I got to see a show on Broadway...hit up all the major sights, run through the burrows of the city and see the Yankees lose! Sorry Pops, but you know I m a Bosox fan. A couple of other things that were nice was I got to see an old friend from my exchange. We had a nice dinner and some conversation afterwards. And after 3 years she was still as beautiful as I remembered her. Secondly I got to go to an Adidas Y3 store....which there are only around a handful of in the whole world. It was unfortunate that prices were way higher than I expected and I was unable to afford anything. But afterwards I went the the village and drank with my Pops and had some awesome guac and nachos while we people watched for many hours. Unfortunately as always my time was too short with Pops and I was off to see the rest of my friends and family that I had left behind a year prior.
It was nice to see oregon even though the summer there sucked pretty hard weather wise. Too much rain for sure. I pretty much spent the time there driving my car around seeing friends that I had been missing. It was great to reconnect and catch up. Eventually it seemed like much hadnt changed as I found myself quickly falling back into the old routine. I guess thats when you know when you are actually friends with someone. You can be apart for a long time but then its comfortable again when you meet again.
I was able to show my family how much i can dominate them on the wii. They have had it for like a year and i had played maybe once before. I owned
I also got to see a new niece, spend time with my stepdad who had brain surgery, see my sisters and brother in laws....and of course have my mom try to set me up with a russian girl.
Oh so at home i was able to get my fractured wrist situation taken care of....that was nice. I shot a bunch and got into my old high school when they opened for registration and used the gym. Also found out my old english teacher died. That was sucky news....she wasnt really that old. I went to the memorial service and it was pretty sad. I saw some old classmates and teachers etc. So that was pretty cool. Would have been better under different circumstances though.
Well soon enough I was headed back to DK to start my last year of school....unless i get the itch to go for a phd.....but lets face it i am pretty much out of money for more academic endevours and I think my thesis might kill me first.
So coming back was hellish...regarding the jetlag. It took me about 4 or 5 days to get over...ugh. But school started only a few days later so i was forced back into a routine quick. Basketball has started again and we are a ton of guys....we had a coach for about 2 practices then he quit cause he wasnt getting paid. Oh well. School has been a load so far because my schedule is quite loaded the first month and then it drops off to 5 day weekends. I ve been back to work as well....catching up and trying to start posting lots of hours so i can afford to live. Books have taken a dent into my savings so I am opting to sell my car so I dont have to worry about anything and maybe i can take a trip as well. I havent traveled much and I get a bit cabin fever in the winter months. It may even allow me to come home for christmas or something like that.
In other news I totally got a concussion this past monday. Heres the story
I went to bed sunday night feeling fine and dandy....2 hours i woke up and was shaking quite badly and couldnt warm myself. Shortly after my head began to hurt and my eyes were really sore. Somewhere after 8 I got up to use the bathroom and as I was standing there I began to get light headed. I figured the time to finish was right then so I pulled up the shorts and tried to grab onto something.....well that something was thin air and I woke up on the floor. It wasnt all bad unless the toilet breaks the fall for your neck and head and the sink for the elbow. Not quite sure how long i was out but i was definitely not a happy camper. Turns out my fever was about 41 degrees celcius or somewhere in the neighborhood of 104, 105. I dont remember the conversion. I did probably a not so smart thing and went to sleep for like 7 hours instead of getting a ride to the hospital....wont make that mistake again. So oddly enough I wake up the next day and feel fine. Go to work for a number of hours and then head back home and chill for the night. Next day...wednesday....It all sets in. Headaches, nausea, loss of appitite, inability to focus, sore eyes, sore back....etc. I make it to about half a class then head to the hospital. They dont really tell me anything i dont already know from wikipedia but I have post concusion syndrome. Fast forward til now and the headaches are still there and some of the other stuff but i m hoping by chilling this weekend the symptoms will fade.
So odd that finally get back to normal then my world gets fucked!
But the plus side is that I can take a break from drinking and can focus on my health for a change. And I can catch up on things like writing in my blog for you...the reader. I mean cause thats why I am here.
Thats if for me...I m outta here
PS....i watched 6 full seasons of scrubs, caught up on greys anatomy and currently am working on weeds....soooooooo good. I love tv!
søndag den 27. juli 2008
Taking it easy
So only a couple days left in Copenhagen until I head back stateside for a month. Last week I worked everyday but took a couple half days so I could take advantage of the fantastic weather that descended upon Denmark. I spent a few days at the beach working on my tan and swimming in the ocean. Its been quite a relaxing summer here in Denmark and I have fully enjoyed the nice change of pace compared to my previous summers that consisted mainly of work.
Went out on Saturday night with some friends. Kinda my last night out until I get back from vacation. Had a pretty good time and ended up getting more drunk that I had planned/anticipated. The events of the night were quite unexpected and I m sure later down the line they may be brought up again. Its probably a good thing that I am leaving for a month. Maybe I need to clear my head and gain new perspective on different situations...and at the very least give time for things to blow over if need be.
Garth you should have been here....would have been night ride part quatro
Went out on Saturday night with some friends. Kinda my last night out until I get back from vacation. Had a pretty good time and ended up getting more drunk that I had planned/anticipated. The events of the night were quite unexpected and I m sure later down the line they may be brought up again. Its probably a good thing that I am leaving for a month. Maybe I need to clear my head and gain new perspective on different situations...and at the very least give time for things to blow over if need be.
Garth you should have been here....would have been night ride part quatro
Batman
I also took time out of my not so busy schedule to see the new batman movie. I am a big fan of super hero movies in general and have grown up watching the transformation of the dark knight on the big screen. I think my expectations were too high from the start. Critics had been raving about the movie and it broke the opening weekend record. I did my best to stay away from trailers and sneak peak clips in order to be fully surprised when I saw it. Anyways so overall I thought it was an entertaining movie however I was pretty disappointed at the predictability. I found myself at time being completely sure of what would happen sometime 20 minutes later in the film. Dont get me wrong I liked the story line and was surprised at times but after watching Batman Begins today I think that I almost liked that one better. One thing I am glad for is that the batman cash cow has been reestablished meaning there will most likely be more to come...unless studio heads are fucking retarded.
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