Weekly Roundup

TAMPONS AND RAZOR BLADES - On Friday, Procter & Gamble, one of Cincinnati's largest companies announced that it will spending $57 Billion to merge with Gillette; the largest acquisition in the P&G's history. This is really good news for the company. It further diversifies the portfolio of consumer, brand-loyal products. LISTEN UP! - In the last year or so, I've probably listened to at least a dozen books on Audiobooks. I'll post some recos soon. One author that I've really grown addicted to is Janet Evanovich. She has a series about a delicate New Jersey woman who becomes a bounty hunter. She gets into some hairy situations. The tone is a bit sarcastic and fun. Enjoyable read/listen. DO THE iPOD SHUFFLE! - I finally laid down my credit card and bought an iPod Shuffle, on the online Apple Store. However, I don't have posession of my 1GB electronic friend, yet. The waiting list is 3-4 weeks as of now. I figure by putting down money now, they will ship to me faster than the retail stores or other customers. NWA - NORTH WEST ATTITUDE - As you remember, I forwent my European trip last May, as I was breaking up with the ex. I recently called Northwest Airlines. To make a long story short, I'll basically lose the ticket. (Technically, I can get $167 off a ticket that is $267 or more.) In two cases, the phone reps gave me attitude and in none of the cases was anybody willing to work with me. They suck!

Pictures: Chris' 31st Birthday

Yesterday was Chris' birthday. To celebrate this, Kevin threw a party at his apartment. For food, Kevin served bread, roll ups, fruit salad and made different type of martinis. About 16 people stayed at his place until about 3:30 am. It was a really fun time! I thought I'd share some pictures! Jeremy and Scot after a couple of martinis: Dennis after even more martinis: Andrew and me. My nips still hurt (pout) Chase doing his pretzel impression for the birthday boy: Fellow blogger friend, Beth: Wrestling, etc. a bit later in the night. Thankfully nothing was broken: My later impressions of the night

Cruelty and Brutality: The Nazi Holocaust (Tribute to the Liberation of Auschwitz)

"Those Who Forget the Past Are condemned to relive it" -Philosopher Jorge Santayana CHAPTER 1: TEENAGE YEARS, A LESSON IN HISTORY: BERGEN BELSEN In 1986, at the age of 15, I was horrified and moved by learning of a gruesome part in human history, namely the Holocaust and the killing of a million and a half people. When you're 15, old people, trivial dates and events in the past and black and white pictures just don't interest you; you just couldn't relate to things. So, in 1986, I got involved with a church youth exchange program between Reading, Massachusetts (where I lived) and Ilsede, Germany. It was a great opportunities where teens from one place visited teens from the other place every other year. The month in Germany consisted of everything from a trip to a water park to hiking to Berlin. One stop was also to Bergen-Belsen, the death/work camp in which Anne Frank is believed to perish. In retrospect, I applaud the program organizers' sensitivity to the subject. During one of the preparation meetings, we discussed our feelings after having read the Diaries of Anne Frank. We were given a videotape of some footage which we were asked to watch with our parents. The images were so gruesome. So many questions raced through my mind: How could people do this? Why was Hitler so powerful? Why did they want to kill Jewish people? Months later, while strolling the large mounds where thousands of people were laid to rest in unmarked, mass graves, I still didn't get resolution to my questions. As I matured, I began to understand things more clearly. I visited Bergen Belsen again in 1988 on the same student exchange program. CHAPTER 2: ADULT YEARS: A TRIP TO AUSCHWITZ The ex and I made a trip to Germany and Poland in 1999. We researched how to get there and I even read up on my history. We arrive to Oswiecim and took the bus to the first site. When you walk into the first building, there is an exhibit with pictures and memorials. After the introductory film (in English,) I felt a wave of revulsion and nausea. The most repulsive pictures involved experiments with twin children. Or the ones with experiments with live people (ex. putting a glass plate on a man to watch his bodily organs interact.. Until he died.) I literally felt sweaty. (As a side note, I also felt weak and hungry and had the urge for some caffeine and sugar... Sometimes your body responds in weird ways when responding to a stimulus.) Within Germany, the memorial sites dedicated to the holocaust are not overly graphic. The Poles, by contrast, want people to be moved and want people to lay the blame clearly on the Nazis. We walked outside. It was near freezing. I remember the films of planes flying over Auschwitz in winter. And the films with sickeningly skinny people without coats in front of banks of snow. Banks of now with body parts protruding out. Even though I had a warm coat but the wind seemed to go right through it. I thought about the poor souls who had to endure this. And I thought about the people that didn't get so far that were turned to ashes. We walked by a grayish pool that the book said was grey because ashes of people were disposed into the lake. This trip affected me very deeply. Whatever urge I had to understand the past was satisfied with the visit. CHAPTER 3: January 28, 2005: REFLECTIONS On CNN I saw a special on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on CNN. When seeing the pictures, it all came back. I felt a bit sweaty and sad over again.

House Remodeling III

I took the morning off work today to oversee the contractors working on my house. It was the last day for the painter and the first day for the people who are refinishing the floors. I shaped the track lighting for the kitchen and the electrician put it up. I’m pretty happy with the overall results thus far, as you can see from the pictures. (Click on the image to go to the .Mac site with the photos.)

Another Operation?

I was so happy with myself last fall for dropping weight. I've gained back approximately 10 lbs from overindulging at Christmas and traveling around Europe. So I got to thinking, it's been a while since I've had an operation... Maybe I should go to my doctor and ask if he can think of anything painful to subject me to... something that would suppress or reduce my intake of solid and/or fattening foods. Anybody have any ideas? On a saner note, Cindi, a woman at work, has challenged me to lose 5 pounds in the next 4 weeks; we will weigh in on Monday. The loser has to buy lunch for the other. I think I smell a free lunch. (It's a good motivation to get to the gym every day!) I've decided I do better at losing and gaining weight than maintaining weight. Sometimes I get a bit carried away with my consumption.

Embarrassment: Private Items, Missing Items

I like to laugh at myself. I get myself into some interesting situations. Because all of my floors are being refinished, it was necessary to everything from the upper floors into my basement. I agreed to move most of the items myself, especially the small items which needed to be carefully packed in plastic containers. The main contractor called me on Wednesday of last week told me that he was going to have movers come that day to move the large items (such as my desk, bed, couches, etc.) I agreed to the timing, as postponing would have meant a delay in the overall project. Later that day, I realized that I was setting myself up for some embarrassment. My office desk was a mess. A dumping ground at the moment. Within the mess were some questionable magazines and videos. In a desk drawer was a suggestive “soap on a stick” that Scot gave me last year when I was sick, to cheer me up. I think moving people are pretty open minded, educated people, so it shouldn’t be an issue. Who am I kidding? These questionable items were moved to the TOP of the piles, likely because the movers were commenting on them and either giggling or gagging. Oops.

Obsession of the week: iPod Shuffle

Apple computer has made some interesting product announcements in the last couple of weeks. One product that’s caught my eye is the iPod Shuffle. I’ve been thinking about this a lot and talking about it a lot to my friends, who are getting annoyed by now. There is a lot of hype about the product. You may ask, “Matt, why is it that you want an iPod Shuffle. You already have a 10GB model. Why?” Well, to start with, I use my current iPod as many between 2-4 hours a day. On many days, I use it at work to provide me with some relaxing classical music at my desk. On these occasions, I can be really picky about what I am listening to. And I am constantly rating my music (specifically so I know what is ready to take off of the player.) There are other occasions that I am not so picky with what I listen to. For example, at the gym, I just need a good beat. I’m not going to need to listen to a specific playlist, I just want tunes. And, in those situations, I want something that is lightweight and durable. Something that I don’t have to worry about if it were to fall on to the treadmill. I've already decided that I'll use my iPod Shuffle for rock and my "big" iPod for classical music and audiobooks. So, I called the Apple Store here in Cincinnati and they explained to me that they do not know when they will have the iPod Shuffle back in stock. Apparently, their first shipment sold out in just 2 hours. Apparently, I’m not the only person with this obsession.

WEEKLY ROUNDUP

I haven’t given up on the blog! It’s just with house stuff and work, I’ve really been stretching my capacity! - SNOW! I just love the snow! I missed the big storm in Cincinnati last month, so I was really happy when it snowed on Thursday night! - NEW WORK – Upper management was considering moving my boss to another area. They decided to keep him in the area. They also announced a new project for me. I’ll be working on an important corporate initiative involving standard reports for the US. It’s going to be a challenge and it’s high exposure. - CONSTRUCTION ZONE – The construction zone continues to make progress. I think it will be done in a week and a half or so. I opted to have the painters paint all ceilings and hallway upstairs. - OBSESSION – I’m kind of obsessed with Apple’s new product line up. I think the only logical therapy for me is to leave money at the alter of the Apple.

AMERICAN F(L)AG

So, a couple of people wrote me asking why I have flag in my basement. Well, I had gotten the flag earlier this year and I had had every intention of hanging this flag outside. I realized this weekend that it was tattered and frayed a bit on the bottom. I think it’s kind of disrespectful to wave a flag that is in disrepair, but I liked the idea of hanging it in the basement. The flag has personality and kind of represents my feelings toward the US. I fully appreciate that this country has provided me with a lot of opportunities (being the land of opportunity.) There are some things about the US that are really great. The US is not perfect, but name me a country in the world that is?

WEEKLY ROUNDUP

RE-ENTRY – I re-entered well into the American work and homelife. In fact, it felt kind of good to get into the groove again. By Thursday, I know I had dropped the Latvian timezone as I woke up 5 minutes before my alarm clock. WINTER – It snowed this week! Hooray for snow! Horray! DOWN & DIRTY IN THE BASEMENT – I’ve spent a lot of time in the last couple of days cleaning my basement in preparation for getting my floors refinished. To give you an idea, here’s a before and after shot: BEFORE: AFTER:

Ah, Samir

Samir, the new hire in my group at work, is always a source of comic relief. His wife, Ami, gave him Dave’s pants for Christmas! Really. The green ones with the tiny St. Bernard dogs on it. Some co-workers were laughing (with him) at the pants, as they are extremely “individualistic,” like Samir. I like them. Thing is, I think he needs Dave’s “hazard” belt to complete the outfit.

House Remodeling II

I feel like I’m living in a construction zone! There is plaster powder everywhere and it’s inevitable tracking it through the house. Soon, the electrician will be putting in the new halogen lighting (3 lights that will focus on three different “work areas” of the kitchen and 6 more that will be on a flexible stainless steel track. Then they’ll be replacing the drop ceiling. Painters will be coming to paint the ceiling, walls and trim in the kitchen. A couple of other areas will be done at the same time. Over the weekend, I’m going to be packing my stuff up and eventually my things to the basement while the hardwood floors get redone. The kitchen floors are fir and the rest of the house is red oak. Obviously, there is a lot of cleaning to do in the basement in order to accommodate all of the stuff from upstairs. Luckily, it’s a long weekend. I’m tired already and I’m not even doing most of the work. To give you an idea of what I’m up against, here’s the picture of my kitchen “before:” (Take special note to the “apple” borders around the top. The walls will be painted a fun shade of yellow, like Julia's kitchen.)

House Remodeling

I’m getting a start of my new year’s resolutions early this year! In the next month, I’m having my kitchen remodeled, I’m refinishing all of my floors and moving my bedroom and redoing it, as well. More pics to follow soon. I’ve been crazy busy getting back on my feet returning from Europe. I will be blogging more soon, I promise!

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS

Ok, it’s cliché, but in a bar in Vilnius, I scratched down my new year’s resolutions into my journal (I know fellow bloggers Chris and Shane did theirs, too. But I didn’t read ‘em yet.) 1. Be better to friends and family 2. Spend more time on renovating my home 3. Reduce my debt 4. Volunteer my time more. Make a difference 5. Be more focused at work 6. Don’t stress the small stuff in life 7. Be myself – if people don’t like it, too bad for them! 8. Regain and maintain my girlish figure

NEW YEAR'S EVE STORY

(An excerpt from my private journals, New Years' Eve in Kraków, Poland.) After my nap, I primped and headed to “7,” a friendly bar near my hotel. At the door, the man had a registry and blurted out something in Polish. Thankfully, a man behind me translated what he said, in French. I could go in, but I’d not have a reserved table. OK. OK. I sat at the bar and nursed a delicious beer. A quite annoying 20s something man with heavy acne insisted on talking with me. I had made eye contact with a pretty lesbian couple that sat on the other side from me. “Jak sie mas,” I asked. That broke the ice. After I told them that I was alone, Katrina and her girlfriend told me that they would adopt me for the night. And they did. We talked for hours and hours in German. They are lovely people and make a really pretty, romantic couple. Amazingly, they actually met in Tunisia, on vacation. Two women. One with her girlfriend, the other with a husband and kids. They fell in love at first sight. Now, although they live in different cities, they see each other every weekend and traveled to Krakow for the weekend. We agreed that we would leave around 11:30 to go to the market place to see what was happening. We left at 11:45 and ran to the plaza. I said to them “fest halten,” hold on tight. The annoying acne man had told me earlier that there would be more than 150,000 people in the square, that it would be one of the largest celebrations in Europe. The place was packed you could barely move. We made it about 20 feet short of the square when midnight came. They kissed one another, then I kissed them. The night was clear and fresh. Fireworks and champagne bottles popped everywhere. You could smell the sulphur from the fireworks. The night was mixed with music, the sounds of breaking glass and people screaming happy new year. People embraced one another and danced and drank and celebrated. The architecture combined with the fireworks and festive mood created an atmosphere that I will treasure. The only way it would have been better if a certain someone were with me. It was incredibly romantic and beautiful. The couple caught on and kissed several times. I told them that I was their security blanket and they soaked up the moment together and had many tender moments. My women wanted to get closer to the stage. We grabbed on to each other and their pushed our way through the crowd. They wanted to get closer to the action. Two stages were set up. One stage was attached to the Cloth Market, high above, on construction stilts. Jutting out from the main stage was catwalk that came out into the crowd. On each of these long stages, there were professional dancers who, with extreme graciousness danced the night away. The dancers must have been models as all of them were drop dead gorgeous. Fine specimens indeed. A popular Polish pop singer appeared on the main stage and sang some hits. One song was really popular and we all jumped up and down. Nope. I didn’t know the words to the songs. But the crowd did and loved it. Surprisingly, they did not clap after each song. Pacifist group. The large TV screen showed the singer, the crowd and the dancers. The production was incredibly sophisticated, hi-tech and well planed out. Earlier in the day, I had bought a bottle of apple flavored vodka. Really good stuff! My women didn’t take too much of it, but I passed it around to people—mostly students in the crowd,. Don’t worry. The alcohol kills germs and bacteria. Germophobes need not visit Europe. Trust me. Oh, the 500 ml bottle was a third full this morning. We returned to “7” and continued to party. After dancing a bit, my women were beat and bid their farewell. I talked with a nice couple from Berlin, who of course, spoke German and not English. When I got back to my hotel, I looked at my watch. I tapped it, thinking it was wrong. No. It couldn’t have been 6:00 am. I grabbed my useless alarm clock. It said the 6:00 am. I need to do something unnecessarily drastic to the alarm clock because it is such a twat to me.