That San Francisco Treat...

Last I wrote on this blog, I was just returning from my living in Austria, however over the last few months I have been trying to get back to the first-world, even though I still don't own a cell phone.

I'm scheduled to move into an apartment in San Francisco on November 1st, which I'm happy to report. When in comparison to the three story building I occupied while living in Morocco, this new San Francisco apartment fails in comparison. This new San Francsico apartment is small, but that's all I can afford at the moment, and it's all relative anyway. The good thing is that my apartment is in a very central location, and just a few block from Union Square. This works well for me, because I work only a few short blocks from Union Square.

During these last few months, I've also managed to find work. The work is going well, for the most part since starting on October 1st. The company is called eLUXURY, and it's basically the online retail division of LVMH, which is the world's largest conglomerate of luxury goods. I'm getting the hang of working 9-to-5 again, but it's come with some strain for sure. Coming from the last 2+ years having no sort of schedule what-so-ever, this 9-to-5 stuff was a harsh welcome back. Actually, it was more like a welcome "kick in the nuts"! The job itself isn't a real high-paying job or even a sexy one for that matter, but it does offer me an opportunity to move within the luxury industry which is a definite advantage, as I am given the advantage of transferring to the 50+ brand divisions under LVMH.

Other than that, school continues to push forward. I've had a few bumps over the last few days due to the fact that I'm trying to juggle a new job and commuting (2 hours - oneway). But, I hope things will begin to smooth out over the next weeks as I finally get settled in. I'm excited for Spring Semester, because I'll be taking courses that really have to do with my particular interests. And, if possible, I might have the opportunity to take in-person classes now that I'll live in San Francisco. Until now, all my courses have been taken online, and although they've worked well for my schedule, they're still not as good as in-person class could be.

The other thing that's highly on my mind is my girlfriend's arrival...

She'll be arriving in a few weeks from Austria to stay with me for the next 90 days. During that time she'll be looking for employment within International and Human Rights Law, so hopefully there will be something available for her in San Francisco. :)

Of course, if there's any of my friends out there that are coming to the Bay Area or even Northern California for that matter, than I would hope that you get in contact with me. The best way is via this Blog or my personal email if you have it.

Back on solid ground?

As expected, the first few days here on American soil with my family were remarkable, but they are slowly fading with each passing of the day. It's not that being here isn't glorious, it's just that the excitement has faded a bit for both parties. Now, it's back to the normal way of life, as it should be. However, what I find difficult to extinguish are the day dreams of a better future for myself, which I had sought out to make reality since going abroad. What's also omnipresent in this daily and normal life that I find myself in is this constant reminder that my day dreams of a better future are in fact the only reality I have. The reality being that they're still only dreams. Which can be a bit depressing and mentality draining, as I begin to compare that with what I held to be true in the way of a normal life in Austria for the past several months.

Sure, it's good to back home...for starters my reading comprehension is at an all time high, and it was great to hang out with my older brother again, however the excitement of adventure and the unknown only alludes me here in America. And I'm not one of those people who are anti-America, as I wouldn't change my Nationality for anything, but it's just that America (for me) is not the end all be all.

One main reason could be that the love I still have for my girlfriend, which is harder to just let slide than originally conceived, remains deep within me and prevents me from finding that solidarity here in America. As is the case currently, she remains in Austria, but we remain connected through the marvels of 21st century technology. Unfortunately, the technology has yet to implant nor develop the subtle touch or smell from a loved one, so all we can do is continue to share comments about our future. What is remotely true for me as it has been said many times over, is that a bond grows stronger with distance. But, what I know to be in fact true is that our relationship has a solid foundation which enables this distance relationship to take place. However, the blossoming of new experiences surrounding this foundation have begun to whither. As much as we attempt to un-earth our history in remembrance of our love, it frequently feels more like a dusty old vase that was once adorned with the vibrance of an audience.

As you may notice with reading this, my thoughts and emotions are mixed, having felt both positives and negatives from this return home. Often I feel like the ground I stand on isn't complete, and if I don't continue to build up on it than it will just dry up and crumble beneath me. In other words, without the constant revitalization of new experiences, the ground becomes less fertile as the days linger on. I wonder, is what I'm talking about my job, my environment, or just the love I left in Austria? To be back on solid ground has only proven itself to be rooted in confusion at best.

Weather Report...

< Map of Austria
< Click Map for Live Webcam





(10-Day) Forecast:
Click Here

Clouds Above Graz...

There were weird and interesting cloud formations over Graz yesterday mid-day around 5pm. The wind picked up rapidly, and really out of no where a Thunderstorm came that lasted only about an hour. Turning daylight into these beautiful colored cloud formations that were like nothing I've ever seen before. The pictures don't really capture it, but as I hope you'll see, they were amazing.

This is a 37 second video showing my favorite period throughout the storm.

Ever wonder what Wienerschnitzel really is...?

Wienerschnitzel, as we all know it, is an American fast-food chain founded in 1961 as "Der Wienerschnitzel" that specializes in HOT DOGS of all things. In fact, the chain's advertising mascot is a hot dog that runs from people who want to eat him.

The first Wienerschnitzel was opened by John Galardi in 1961 , at a hot dog stand along Pacific Coast Highway east of Figueroa Street in the Los Angeles community of Wilmington . This location is still in operation as of today.

It is also interesting to note that a handful of Wienerschnitzels were converted to Original Hamburger Stand restaurants in the Denver area and several other Western cities in the late 1980s by the founder, John Galardi. Wienerschnitzels now sell Tastee-Freez ice cream, a brand also owned by Galardi.

BUT...

Strictly put, "Wienerschnitzel" might also be seen as incorrect, as the term is really a two-word expression in German. Thus, "Das Wiener Schnitzel" would have been correct usage, although German-speakers do sometimes combine Wiener and Schnitzel into one word. In addition to these linguistic flaws, Wiener Schnitzel actually means "breaded veal cutlet, Vienna style", which the restaurant chain does not sell. The name probably came from a mistaken belief that Wiener Schnitzel meant Wiener sausage.

For the traditional Wiener Schnitzel, the Viennese normally use veal, and lard to fry it. But you can also use pork, chicken or turkey and oil to fry it. It will taste just as delicious either way!

Weiner Schnitzel Recipe

1. 4 Boneless veal steaks
2. 1 Egg, beaten
3. 1 1/2 Cups plain breadcrumbs
4. 1/2 Teaspoon paprika
5. 1/3 Cup Shortening (or Lard which is more traditional)
6. 1 lemon, Sliced into thin wedges
7. 1 Cup flour, and however much you will need salt and pepper
8. 4 Servings

*35 minutes, 25 mins prep

Once again, I'm coming home...

Very soon I will be (once again) returning to American soil, but probably a little delayed due to racial profiling at the airport terminal and dehydrated due to a lack of onboard liquids. But, I will eventually once again take my place amongst my family and friends in America! :)

Now, you must all make some allowances for the varying lifestyles I have been living over the last few years, as they've made their mark on my personality.

At times you may witness tighter than usual jeans, directly in contrast with the hip-hop ways of the west. Show no alarm if I prefer to eat with my hands rather than with utensils, or if I have the tendency to kiss men several times during greetings. Keep cool if I forego the temptation to jaywalk or if I mix peaches with my whisky. Be tolerant with my language, as you may experience accents, as you must understand that the English being spoken here is usually a second or third language for these peoples. In relatively short time has come and in short time taught the language again I can.

For the first few months that I am home, until I can completely become American-ized again, be especially watchful when I am in the company of others, particularly those who don't smoke. I've somehow picked up the habit of second-hand smoking, and might ask why you're not.

Keep in mind beneath my over cologned body and tendency to not wash for several days, there is an American, the only thing of value I have held on to these past years. Treat me with kindness and occasionally have on hand a case of beer and now and then a fifth of Red Label and you will be able to rehabilitate that which is now a hollow shell of the once proud civilian you once knew. Don't feel hurt if I decide to sit on the floor and ask permission to rummage through your refrigerator. If I shun large portions of meat, don't mind because they will only remind me of my Moroccan vegetarian diet. As such, feed me slowly and I will again adjust to normal eating habits.

Please show no alarm if I prefer to drink my coffee with a slice of cake or offer up a un-recognizable God phrase before we consume each meal. Don't be amazed when I seem un-talkative at the dinner table or in the presence of elders. Please don't pay it any mind if I'm up at 3am making breakfast, which would consist of brown bread, a boiled egg with butter, and a cigarette. Again, the cigarette is just nostalgic.

I am actually harmless, though my actions and attitudes may seem a little strange. Needless to say, while living overseas, I was taught to dislike America. So, please re-program my thoughts! :)

*For those of you who know me well, I return on August 30th of 2006, and will be staying with my dear Mother until I can re-gain employment State-side. So, if you'd like to get in contact with me, just shoot me an email and I'll forward you further contact information.

Happy 4th of July!!

Well, it's 10:09am here in the country of Austria, and it's also the day we as Americans celebrate our numerous Liberties and Freedoms!

Most likely, before the time most Americans have even woken up, I'll have already had a chance to celebrate this day. But, unfortunately this is a holiday specific to only Americans, and I'm afraid I won't be able to truly enjoy the spirit that today brings. This will be my second 4th of July being spent over seas, and it's hard to be a sort of Ambassador of America to my friends here.

Fireworks Fun Finder: Click Here.

Lightning

This week we've had some pretty BIG thunderstorms. I know it may not be as interesting to you as it is to me, but nevertheless I've uploaded some pictures/video, including some information about lightning / thunderstorms.

I started to think to myself..."What do I know about lightning other than that it is a form of electricity?" I've came to find out that it is actually a giant electrical spark that is caused by the ice and water in a cloud, rubbing together and causing static electricity. Now that's the simple explaination.

Here are some interesting facts about lightning:

• Hits temperatures of 50,432 degrees fahrenheit
• Contain 100 million electrical volts
• Each spark can reach more than 5 miles
• Lightning kills more people than hurricanes or tornadoes.
• Lightning can heat up the sap in the tree’s trunk. The sap becomes steam, which expands and, wham! Kablooey! The tree blows apart.
• Lightning does strike twice, and sometimes more.
• Park ranger Roy Sullivan holds the record for surviving lightning strikes. Between 1942 and his death in 1983, he was struck seven times. The first lightning strike shot through Sullivan's leg and knocked off his big toenail. That’s gotta hurt.
• You can't hear thunder when it comes from a form of lightning called Heat Lightning which is over 10 miles away and occurs most frequently during the Summer months (which was exactly what I experienced).
• The safest place to be is in a building, away from the windows, or in a metallic, conductive cage like a car or an (aluminum) airplane. These act as Faraday-cages.

Here are the types of Lightning...
Intracloud lightning, sheet lightning, anvil crawlers
Cloud-to-ground lightning, anvil-to-ground lightning
Bead lightning, ribbon lightning, staccato lightning
Cloud-to-cloud lightning
Cloud-to-ground lightning
Heat lightning or summer lightning
Ball lightning
Sprites, elves, jets, and other upper atmospheric lightning
Streak lightning
Triggered lightning
Lightning throughout the Solar System

To view my entire collection of photos taken during that storm,
Simply click on this image below and watch the slideshow...



Here is a video clip of an electrical storm over-head, CRAZY!!
* This video is in fast motion.

Thunder

Here is the simple explaination for Thunder... well that's just the electric current passing through the discharge channels rapidly heats and expands the air into plasma, producing acoustic shock waves (thunder) in the atmosphere.

Historical Understanding of Thunder...
The cause of thunder has been the subject of centuries of speculation and scientific enquiry. The first recorded theory is attributed to Aristotle in the third century BC, and an early speculation was that it was caused by the collision of clouds. Subsequently numerous other theories have been proposed. By the mid-19th century, the accepted theory was that lightning produced a vacuum along its path, and that thunder was caused by the subsequent motion of air rushing to fill the vacuum. Later in the 19th century it was believed that thunder was caused by an explosion of steam when water along the lightning channel was heated. Another theory was that gaseous materials were created by lightning and then exploded. In the 20th century a consensus evolved that thunder must begin with a shockwave in the air due to the sudden thermal expansion of the plasma in the lightning channel.

Video Clip: This video clip was taken just outside of my apartment at about 9:15am this morning. I've heard the close crackling of thunder before, but this was just a BLAST! It was honestly the loudest thunder I've ever heard! As you watch the video clip you'll notice that at about 7 seconds into the video you'll hear one thunder blast which had me shaking in my boots alittle. The second thunder blast happens at about the 49 seconds, and although you don't see it, if that camera were faced at me you would have seen me looking quite pale and crouched down. It's sort of funny now looking back, because during this thunder blast I could sense my primitive brain saying, "Get the f__ out of there!" If you can catch the lightning flash reflecting off the building, and compare that with the thunder blast, you'll realize just how close the lightning must have been.

*Make sure your volume is turned up high enough to get the feeling of it.

1 Semester Down, 3 more to go...

So, today marks the end of my first semester of my first year of graduate studies. This semester was truly amazing, and I swear I could have done better in some classes if I would have just spent alittle more time on the individual subjects. However, outside of my Strategic Marketing course, the others were based on creativity and therefore very biased by the instructor.

"You are amazing. I look forward to seeing your work in the future and helping you get your first internship and/or job." - Melinda Mettler (Director of Advertising, Instructor)

"I hear you're a copywriter. I hope the rest of your classes go easier now that you're through the software component." - Denise Richards (Instructor)

"I love the prematurely gray line!" - Tom McGuire (Instructor)

There was one course that really intellectually inspired me, and from the first assignment I was hooked. The course, as I mentioned above, was Strategic Marketing. The course was taught by a

Mario recently started in his new position as the Director of Strategic Development at Respond2 Communications, where he's doing everything from raising morale to managing the company's growth strategies. In his prior position, Mario built and managed WONGDOODY's new business program. During his tenure, agency-wide revenues grew significantly, the office's head-count doubled and client wins included Autodesk, Dairy Queen, T-Mobile Hotspots, Full Tilt Poker, Loreto Bay, and Augustine Casino.Mario, who was born and raised in Germany, made his first thousand Deutschmarks at the age of nine, selling horse dung to a rapidly growing crowd of stay-at-home moms and hobby gardeners. And he claims that if it wasn't for his mom's inexplicable unwillingness to chauffeur those smelly buckets of poo, he might have made a career out of it. Instead, he kicked off his career by working for a communications firm in Montana, where he managed the PR program for a variety of clients. This was followed by a consulting stint with the American Sugar Association. In 2005, Mario was awarded the Monty McKinney Award for Advertising Excellence by the American Advertising Association. Mario graduated summa cum laude from the University of Montana and serves as an advisor to their business school. He's an avid fly fisher, a failed improv comedian, a vigorous marathon runner, and a proud big brother.


"Welcome back and goodbye. This is your best paper and the best paper that anyone has written in any of my two classes. Congratulations. I can't give you any feedback, because this one is perfect. You were by far my most interesting student and have the potential to do whatever you want in Advertising, or life in general. As a matter of fact, you might be too talented for this industry. anyway, I hope that we can stay in touch and meet some day in person. Shoot me an email every once in a while and don't stop blogging. It was my absolute pleasure to have you in my class. Congratulations. You are getting a well deserved 'A'."

PORTUGAL TRIP!

More to come...




















This Spring I paid Portugal a visit. Below are just a few images from the city of Porto. I have more images from Porto, as well as images from the capital-city of Lisbon.

Stay tuned...

PORTUGAL TRIP: (Porto)

Porto, the country's second largest city, is in itself full of interest, but the district it heads, though largely industrialized, offers the visitor plenty to see. Along the coast, holiday resorts like the cosmopolitan beach of Espinho, busy ports like Matosinhos, with splendid seafood, or traditional fishing towns like Póvoa de Varzim, but where there is also an animated casino. Inland, for example, the quaint charm of Amarante, with 17th century mansions overlooking the river and famous for a kind of sweet egg pastries called "papos de anjo" (angel bellies). Right next to Porto you can visit, in Vila Nova de Gaia, the lodges where Port wine is blended and aged and where you can taste the different varieties, or you may choose to take a river cruise along the Douro. The whole district is filled with prosperous towns, as commerce and industry thrive there, but you can drive along many calm roads with wonderful views over the river or enjoy a rugged and still unspoilt coastline. Here are just some of the many photos from the trip...

Port Wineries:

Sandeman Poster (Porto)
Most people are familiar with this poster, being that of the Sandeman Port Winery in Porto. http://www.sandeman.com/new_packaging/sandeman_intro.html

Cálem Port Winery (Porto)
One of the Port Wineries we visited was Cálem.
None of us left purchasing a bottle, as Port we found was just too strong for our tastes. http://www.calem.pt/

Cálem Port Winery - Cellar Tasting (Porto)

Bayside with the Wine Boats (Porto)

Porto e o Douro - Wine Boats (Porto)
What's really cool is that many of these wine barrells are delivered much like they were many years ago, here on the Douro River.

Cálem Port Winery - Cellar (Porto)
These barrells really dwarfed even us.

Restaurant above Duoro riverside (Porto)
This was a great little spot that Kathryn spotted, and it proved to be well worth the discovery. A lot of character was jam packed into this place. You may or may not be able to see, but the ceiling is filled with money from all over the world over the past decades. The manager provided us with a photographic history of the Duoro river, which include an account of the flooding that has happened multiple times.

My fellow Travelers:

Douro Riverside Restaraunt (Porto)
The future Mr. & Mrs. Dench

Lovely Lili - Duoro Riverside Restaurant (Porto)

Massive Cotton Candy (Porto)

My Giant (Porto)
Lili was shocked to see someone taller than even I.
I think she likes being around tall men.

Myself and Axel (Porto)
6'7'' and 6'11''

Churches & Monuments:

Igreja de Sao Francisco (Porto)