Where in the world is Bryan Coe???

If you remember my boss had an idea that I would be going back to Germany for a while to work on a project on a US Airforce base in Germany, and therefor would need security clearance. Actually, the reason they wanted me to go is because they suddenly realized that they need a US citizen with security clearance to be able to do anything with our software once it is installed at the base. But, it seems that my company and particularly those running the project have been dragging their feet about getting me over there. I don't think they understand what it takes to get the security clearance. I mean it's not like going to the DMV to get your driver's license. ;) I'm figuring that they are going to call me up some day and want me to come over right away and expect the security clearance to either already have been acquired or that it will happen in a couple of days. But, no one seems to be able to give me a definite answer on what my function is supposed to be. It's pretty hard to apply for security clearance when I don't even know what I'll be doing. Anyway, I'm not optimistic that it's going to happen.

So, other than that I'm still in the US, for now ;), working and doing some of my own stuff on the side, and getting geared up for 2007. I think it is going to be a big year!

Well, hope everyone is having a great holiday period and Happy New Year!

Choke, choke...

Yeah, choke, choke... let me explain

Ok, we had a game tonight and the first half felt really good. I scored a goal and finally broke the slump that I've been in with scoring (about time!). We were playing really well, and we ended up scoring 3 unanswered goals.

Well, not everything was great, every time I held the ball longer than a few seconds, the other team just wiped me out! The one guy gave me pretty awful dead leg. Just rammed his knee into my thigh because I beat him. This is one of the things I've been afraid of since I started playing over 30. I'm still a bit quicker than a lot of the guys because I'm young, and they don't realize they are 20 pounds heavier and 20 percent slower than they used to be. I just hope I don't get seriously injured by this sometime. So, by the end of the game I was hit from behind on a header, tripped, kicked, both my ankles are banged up and I have carpet burn on both knees. (Indoor so we play on turf.) The second half was even worse with the fouling.

That's not the worst part though. The second half we didn't score at all and they scored 4 goals! I botched atleast 3 or 4 chances. So, we ended up losing. Talk about a major choke! Ugh it's so frustrating. I wish we could just play consistently.

Oh well, I guess there's always next year... ;)

Elf Me Baby!

Click the link below:

Elf Me Baby!

Wow, the pickings are slim...

I'll prelude this post with... It's great for those of you that have used the internet to find people, but...

I was watching some tv tonight and those stupid commercials with Dr. Phil on Match.com came on, soo I thought I'd check it out and see what there is out there. Yes, on Match.com.

And holy crap, what are most of these girls thinking?!? I was just floored by how many of them had pictures of their pets online. I mean why? Why would I need to or want to see pictures of your pets to know if I want to date you? And some of the pictures. One would think that these people would put their best picture online. If some of those pics are the best they can do, I'd hate to see them on a bad day. And how many 24 year old girls with two kids are their in Lancaster. Then there are the one's that make them sound like they are better than everyone else who's looking for love online. "I can't believe I'm doing this..", "I never thought I'd be doing this..." or "I'm really a loser, but I'm just trying not to admit it..." No one actually said that.
There are some people that it actually find someone online, but I don't know. Even the one's that sounded interesting, which were few and far between, it just seemed like a shopping list or they all had an agenda. I guess I'm just not there....

Christkindlmarkt..

One thing I miss this year: Christkindlmarkt in Munich

UGH it hurts so good!!

Wow, between the quarry field being closed and then being away for two weeks with work. I haven't played soccer for at least 3 weeks, maybe longer. Of course I exercised everyday when I was traveling. Riiight...
Yesterday I played for the first time, and let me tell you.. I felt it today! What did I do I played as an extra with a friends coed team tonight. It's an open league too, not the grampa over thirty league. To make it even better I wasn't sure if they would need me so I didn't really warm up. When I got out on the field I felt like my legs were going to explode. But, the best way to get rid of the lactose acid in your muscles when you start exercising again is to keep going. So, that's what I did. I can't wait to see how I feel tomorrow. ;)

Hopefully it will be a good warm up for Thursday's game though.

Just in time for the first year to roll around...

The lawyer is officially filing the papers. I should receive something in the mail soon.

Christmas Cheer -- Could this be CSB

Do you use "The Google"

Not only do we have "the internets" we now have "The Google". Check out this clip of our commander and chief:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ0BtSLD3sc

"John Wayne's Dream"

I'm walking and talking real slow
Out where the tumbleweeds blow
Hey ma, hey pa
Let those wagons roll

I almost forgot one of the best parts about the whole trip. We were driving back to the hotel from the plant. We went around a turn, I looked down at the radio, and the other consultant says. "What the hell is that?" I looked up and to my excitement I saw my very first tumbleweed! I marvelled at how big... and well, how dead it was as it rolled onto the road and....well...

...I, uh..

...ran over it with the car.

Yup John Wayne's Dream. Good ol' Nampa Idaho. Atleast I can say I saw (briefly) my first tumbleweed.

A bit of a mass posting...

It's nice to be home and get to relax a bit. I wasn't able to post regularly when I was away, so I posted them today. I put dates on them to show when they were actually written. Check it out.

There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.

Friday, Dec., 8 2006

Today I finally get to go home. Sleep in my bed. Make my own meals. Blah blah blah. I think I gained 10 pounds on this trip between not exercising enough and eating way too much. Plus, the other consultant wanted to go to McDonalds all the time. That food is bloody awful for you. Plus, this guy would drink like 6 cups of coffee a day and go smoke a cigarette every 30 minutes. Then he complained that there is no good food in North America. That’s because you always go to McDonald’s! The consultants love McD’s because it is fast and easy. The other guy that is my office once told me that he doesn’t like subway at all. I would have killed for a subway the past two weeks. At least it’s not McDonald’s.

CSB booked me on Southwestern on the return flight. I had to fly from Boise to Vegas, stop in Pittsburgh and then to Philly. It’s a terrible trip, but it was cheap. I guess I’m spoiled or something I would pay a little more just for the convenience of not having to spend an entire day just to fly across the country. I’m on the Amtrak from Philly to Lancaster now. My total travel time will be something like 14 hours. I could have flown to Germany for that amount of time.

This is my first time flying Southwestern and I’m not that impressed. I’ll have to say I’m not a big fan of having to fight for a seat. Plus, the first leg from Boise to Vegas I got stuck next to a guy that had the worst breath and kept talking to the guy on the other side of me. He also had a real issue with staying on his side of the armrest. He had his legs spread so far that he kept trying to be halfway onto me seat, I had to keep pushing him back. Then the second leg was an hour and a half late.

Holy s*&% it’s cold!

Thursday, Dec., 7, 2006

So we’ve made some good progress with getting things set up at the new plant. But, it is freezing. I think I’m getting sick. The office still has no heat. We have to wear our coats all day and really I wish I had a freakin’ snowmobile suite! The first day we left early because we couldn’t take it anymore, and we thought we could log in from the Hotel. Unfortunately the security on the system wouldn’t allow us to log in through a wireless connection which is all the hotel has. So, the rest of the week we had to stay there the whole day.

I had my flight booked for Friday for 2 reasons: one because the other guy from Germany said we would be doing some work on Thursday morning, his flight was in the afternoon. I would have had to fly this morning at like 9. Second because then I wouldn’t have to go to work on Friday and would have the weekend to recover. Then he decides that he isn’t going to the plant on today at all! I could have left on Thursday. But, I guess it is better anyway. I have the weekend to recover. Plus, I didn’t go back after I took him to the airport at noon. I went back to my hotel and crashed. I am feeling pretty sick from sitting in the cold all week. I mean there is really no place to get warm there. The people like the plant manager, that work there never offered to let us come in there offices where they have portable heaters, and they didn’t offer us one of course. The only thing we have is maybe the server room….

Hmmm… do I want to be a vegetarian?

Tuesday, Dec., 5, 2006

So, I’ve made it this far without having to see anything really gruesome. I was really worried that I was going to have to go on the kill floor of one of the plants on the trip. For those of you that don’t know, most of our clients in the US are meat producers of some sort. Our software runs their full plant including production. Which in turn includes the kill floor. You can guess what that is. The client that I came out here for is setting up a new plant in Nampa, Idaho. (apparently the second largest city in Idaho.) The first day at the new plant they gave us a tour. We saw the kill floor. Thank goodness the plant is not running yet, but the guy that gave the tour gave us a detailed description of… well I won’t describe it here because I’m not sure I want to know it. But, let’s just say I know the whole process from when the cows come in the door to when they come out the other end in boxes, and a lot of that is automated. I saw the machines. They want me to go back in January and be involved with the project further. Man I just don’t know if I can see that…

Like I said the plant isn’t open yet. The place needs a lot of work before they can go, including getting heat. The office we have to work in has no heat! Don’t forget it’s only like 25 F outside!

Party in Lincoln!! A well needed distraction.

Sunday, Dec., 3, 2006

So, after we worked a full day on Saturday, which I thought was only going to be a couple of hours. I drove down to Lincoln to a photo exhibition. One of J’s friends is a photographer and every year he takes pictures of his friends and then has a party to display them. You can take you pictures home if you want to. It’s a good way to build up a portfolio I guess.

The guy is gay so most of the subjects were men… gay men too. It is pretty strange to me that there are so many in Nebraska, but apparently they seems to be a gather place. I never would have thought. But anyway, there was only I think 5 of us there that were straight, me, J and his wife and two other girls. After the party all went to a gay club, cross dressers and all. The best part of the evening was, one of the Bar tenders thought I was cute so he served me after they had closed the bar. No one else could get served. The two straight girls were upset, because usually it’s the other way around. So, I got them drinks too. Then we left really quick so the guy didn’t think I was interested!

After the club we headed to an after hours party at one of the guys house. It was pretty much a drunk fest. Someone let J start mixing drinks. That’s something I learned not to trust years ago. Unfortunately the hard way.. I ended up crashing in Lincoln and driving back the next day. Um, a bit late too, I was supposed to check out of the hotel at 12. I didn’t get back till 3. Oops!

Hey, where’s the nightlife?

Saturday, Dec., 2, 2006

Friday night J came up from Lincoln and we went for some dinner and then out in Omaha. It was really good because we were able to catch up on a lot of stuff that has happened in the past year. It was definitely over due.

I was really surprised that things were so empty though. Maybe it was the cold. People were saying that it was because it was Friday night and that Saturdays were usually better. Everything closes at 1am in Nebraska, so we went to an after hours club and there were only like 4 other people there. It was pretty disappointing, but we still had fun. Unfortunately I had to work on Saturday. The guy from Germany that came over would have worked on Sunday too if we weren’t flying to Idaho. He also worked till 1am almost every night. I don’t know I guess I’m just not enough of a workaholic. I can’t do that. It would be different if it was my business, but not working for someone else. When we talked about working so much he said to me, “Well, what else am I supposed to do?” I don’t know… What is the point of traveling with business if you don’t take anytime to see the city. I mean, you might as well stay in the office. Just my opinion I guess…

Conservative… liberal… how about free thinker??

Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2006

Tuesday night I shared a bottle of wine with the girl from the airport. Turns out she is a physical trainer and wants to go out on her on in the next year. Plus, she lived in Europe for a while (Belgium and France), so we had a lot to talk about. Then the conversation turned to politics. If you thought that people from Nebraska were conservative. (By the way I hate categorizing people with labels like liberal or conservative I think it is a bit narrow minded, but anyway) Well, this girl fit that to a T. The I don’t think I will ever understand is the way people that are really conservative take what the government does on “faith”. It was actually quite interesting though. She was able to intelligently discuss things, it’s not often I meet people are able to do that. It was kind of like sparring. In the end of course she had to admit that I was right. ;)

Thank goodness for winter coats.

Tuesday, Nov. 28th, 2006

Before I left for this trip it was so nice in PA that I almost didn’t take a winter coat. In the end I took my big brown coat. I’m so glad I did! It turns out the first day was ok, it was pretty warm and I didn’t really need a coat. By Today there was a huge change in the weather the temperature difference was something like 40 degrees F. The high for the rest of the week will be something like 25 F. Guess I would have been shopping if I hadn’t brought it.

Omaha.....1st Installment

Nov. 26th, 2006

Omaha
Somewhere in middle America
Get right to the heart of matters
Its the heart that matters more
I think you'd better turn your ticket in
And leave your money right at the door
Omaha Counting Crows

The trip started out on Sunday the 26th. Now you have to remember that this was the Sunday after Thanksgiving. So, since my flight was book really late I ended with a flight to Chicago where I had to sit for 4:30 hours! Then a flight to Omaha. The good thing about it was the only flight they could find from Philly to Chicago was a 1st class ticket. So, that made up for the long wait a little bit. They just kept bringing me drinks I didn't even have to ask. I finally had to tell them to stop. ;)

One of the great things about traveling is the different kinds of people you meet in airports and on planes. It turns out the guy sitting next to me was also a consultant, but a management consultant. I think he helps executives manage their companies. He's apparently written a few books too. I wanted to check out some of his books, but he didn't have any cards with him and of course I forgot his last name. It's really not good, how bad I am with names. I gave him my card, so hopefully he will email me.

While I was in the airport in Chicago. I wanted to get something to eat since I was going to be there so long, and wouldn't get to Omaha until pretty late. The only restaurant that was really a sit down place was Chili's, and of course there was a line. I ended up behind some guy that was also by himself, so we decided to sit together so we could get a table quicker. Turns out he was a was a dancer in a group from Israel that's kind of like Stomp. Maybe you've heard of it. They were performing at some festival in Chicago. It was pretty interesting to talk to him about his impressions of the USA.

After dinner I walked around a bit and they started to mess around with my flight. First it was late then it changed gates, then terminals. Then it wasn't on the board at all. So, I went to the info desk to find out what was up, they said it would be back on the board in a couple of minutes, but it was going to be late. Turns out the girl in front of me was from Omaha so she was asking about the flight too. We ended up hanging out in a bar while we waited for the flight. We met a girl from California that lives in NYC. She's definitely taken NYC to heart. I pegged her as a New Yorker in the first five minutes of talking to her. Talk about attitude! Anyway, there were two guys in our little wayward travelers group too. One was a microbiologist that did some sort of testing with anti-bodies. (I think he may have sniffed a few to many chemicals.) and the other was a student who was on his way back to San Francisco from Toronto where he spent the holiday with his fiance. He was disappointed that he missed Thanksgiving since they obviously don't celebrate our Thanksgiving in Canada. After about an hour and a couple of beers we all headed to our respective planes.

When I arrived in Omaha, I was supposed to meet up with the German guy that I was going to be traveling. My plane was really late so I didn't know if he arrived on time or not. I also didn't know if he had a car or if there was just the one that was in my name. Oh, before I left Omaha I tried calling him and of course he has a German number. The stupid thing is the phone I got from the company doesn't allow me to make international calls. A bit silly think seeing as I work for a German company and need to call Germany pretty often. So, I had to use my personal phone to try and call him. All I got was voicemail.

So, now I'm in Omaha. I realized he never gave me his flight number and it was already past the time when he should of arrived. I went and got the car and figured since I couldn't get a hold of him, I would go to the hotel and hopefully he would be there or call me when he arrived. I was almost to the hotel when he sent me an SMS. So, I had to go back and he was upset that he had to wait, but what can you do.