1st my Grand Father was pretty much right, Germany is a lot like America. There's a McDonalds, Starbucks, KFC and Dunkin Donuts all over the place. In Dusseldorf I ran into a Hooters (yes I went inside and had some curly fries and a beer)

The Netherlands, ok Amsterdam, was a very pretty town. Full of Americans this time of year but a good looking town none the less. Defiantly need a couple of days there to see and do all the things that are available.

I ran into very few people who didn't speak English but I always feel a little rude by not knowing a little of the language of the country I'm in.

1 thing that has been proven to be a great conversation piece is soccer. Being able to argue with some random person about National team play or a certain league seems to go a long way. I bet I could go to Abu Dhabi and argue with some local Sheik about Cristiano Ronaldo's contract with Real Madrid.

So I killed my cable TV about a month or so ago. Since then I've gone on a movie/Buffy the Vampire Slayer kick. Recently, meaning yesterday, a co-worker gave me the DVD set of the TV show WEEDS. Funny stuff.

I've also been on YouTube way too much. I found old lame music videos I once thought were cool. Even discovered some things that disturb me (Kelly Clarkston...scary music but unbelievably hot) and things I can't get enough of (The Most Interesting Man in the World anyone?)

I had my first trip to continental Europe a few weeks ago. Western Germany and Amsterdam for a half day.

It's a lot like America. I did hit up a Dunkin Donuts for Coffee but in my 9 trips to Europe in the last 3 years I have yet to go to a McDonalds, KFC, or Burger King. I think something should be said for that.

In any event check out the imagery.

How long do you keep a political sticker on your car? Dude I get it, Obama won. He's in charge. Now take the fricking sticker off your bumper.

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I'm very happy I was able to unload all of the tickets I was asked to. One set went to hot blonde who gives me beer

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I spend  more time planning than I do doing

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Have decided to visit Amsterdam with my 1 day off while in Western Germany

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Don't think U2's latest record is very good. However they have made 3 of the all time greats so...

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I'm not that smart. How do I know this? I have to take orders from people who don't know what they're doing sometimes and if this were the military they'd have been fragged long ago.

As the movie line goes, "You can never go home again but you can still shop there." Well, I'm going to one of my former homes on Thursday, Austin, TX.

I have a surprisingly large amount of people who still keep in contact with (thanks Facebook!) and looking forward to seeing them.

Everyone always asked me, "Why don't you like Austin?" It was too much like Sacramento to me at the time. People's inability to call it a river as opposed to a lake and my job was not all that interesting.

A few things I did like about Austin in retrospect are all of the places to go out to, being able to see any band that I wanted, and the fact that this is the last place where I would actually go out with co-workers after work.

And yes, I do plan to hit 1 of my top 5 record stores and do some serious shopping.

You stare at a monitor and all you see is the word DELAYED highlighted in yellow. Blind Melon's 'No Rain' plays overhead....it's pouring down rain outside. Maybe that's funny.

The 2 guys and 1 girl on a business trip next to you tell stories of Kid Rock in Detroit. A cop on a Segway is wearing a helmet.  To be honest I'd rather be delayed here in Nashville than anywhere else.

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There is no talking for an early flight. Just zombie like looks and closed eyes. No one much cares about appearances. Adidas pants and flip flops will work just fine.

Chicago airports are the best places in the World for people watching. Even better than Vegas. Midway beats O'Hare by a mile if you ask me.

I could ask for a better start to Sunday but it would be tough and...well let's just leave it at that.

In any event Liverpool was playing Aston Villa this morning and I also got NCAA Tourney B-Ball on CBS. Liverpool was up 3-0 at Halftime. As of this writing the score is 5-0 Liverpool and the American Aston Villa Goalkeeper Brad Friedel got Red Carded in a tough call (he actually got an ovation from the Anfield crowd). Then his replacement, fellow American and former University of South Carolina Goalkeeper Brad Guzan came into replace Friedel. Of course Guzan's debut in the English Premier was a tough one. He had to try to stop a penalty shot from "Captain Fantastic" Steven Gerrard who of course made his 3rd goal.

So mixed feelings, especially when I didn't have Gerrard on my Fantasy squad but did have Friedel.

Not mention the fact that it's windy and rainy outside just adds to the reasons why I should sit on my couch and watch sporting events.

So after the DVR proceded not to work and record the 1st MLS game of the season and the 1st MLS game in the history of the Seattle Sounders I was forced to watch highlights on MLSNET.com and ESPN.COM.

Friday night, while playing one of the many games that the folks at THQ gave me, I found out that the Seattle Sounders and MLS made an even bigger than expected coup when they signed XBOX 360 LIVE to a sponsorship deal with the club.

XBOX 360 LIVE is on the front of the jersey of the Seattle Sounders. Prime real estate in the Soccer World. But to have XBOX's goofy personality Major Nelson and crew showcasing the game and talking with team is just huge. Think of the audience!

There were multiple segements and multiple slides to support, not only the Sounders, but also MLS First Kick (the opening weekend).

Being someone who helps supply XBOX 360 with content it's cool but also a challenge. How do I get my content featured over something that XBOX 360 is a direct sponsor of? On the other hand, I want to MLS succeed in the US and can't hlep but think of the possibilities. Live games on XBOX 360 anyone?

recently everytime i fly back to vegas i always pop on filter's song only you and can stop this which right after only you.
don't know why. i guess its because it's night and i'm tired when i arrive home

I'm trying to wrap my head around why people are freaking out over the Seattle Post-Intelligencer stopping it's daily paper service and moving entirely online.

Yes they're laying off like 145 people but they're keeping 20 and turning themselves into, what's been called, "a local Huffington Post."

I for one welcome the change. Apparently most people don't. I heard multiple stories today from NPR to the NY Times about this shift to an all online platform. They all reported it as is but there was defiantly this tone of "oh boy are we next?"I guess people thought that the inevitable would never come.

Newspapers have been fighting a losing battle for years. This is no secret. But this is not the end, it is a begriming. This online only version will more than likely be successful. I don't go to the Huffington Post but the model that the SeattlePI.com will follow doesn't seem too terrible.

Personally, I would have kept on a few of the journalists and made sure that some of the in depth stories that a newspaper (and I assume the Seattle Post-Intelligencer) are know for would continue on. Not to link back to the "good ole days" but because there is still room for that kind of reporting online.

I would also argue that "newspapers" need to become more multi-media and fast. The papers in the UK are already doing this by doing much more video and the papers in the US need to start ASAP or else the local TV stations are going to wake up and they will beat the papers in that space.

And yes local TV, the wave won't stop with newspapers.

I was listening to an old podcast from some C-SPAN show with Michael Rosenblum.

Rosenblum is the evangelist for the videojournalist or as we use to call it one man band. 

I am a fan however I believe there are some flaws in his practices and theories. In any event he said something on this show that really resonated with me. He said in short:

If you want to be an artist you pick up a brush and start painting on a canvas. Who know you could be the next Rembrandt. If you want to be a musician you pick up a guitar or piano and start playing and who knows you could be the Beethoven. If you want to be in TV you get a job as a PA and work your way up.

His point being that TV is actually a creative process. Video can be very compelling if done right but nowhere in the current structure of things is the creative process taken into account.

I'm saying right but you get the idea.

You can see or hear or read the full interview here

I had 3 days off. Nothing apparently broke at work. I was able to normal human things such as:

-Go to the Movies (Saw watchmen. Pretty good. too long)

-Go hiking at Red Rock (fun. going again soon)

-Go to Costco (still costco)

-Meet new people (dude name Dan who make candles. cool guy)

-Watch Tennessee lose (shocking I know)

-Play around on my PC and make really bad videos using Microsoft products

While in Columbus I heard on the news that some 700+ people applied for A janitor job at a local high school.

Just 1 job. 700+ applicants to be a janitor.

The best line I heard in the last few days was "that was a diversified ass whoopin" which I thought was a pretty good line. I don't but apparently I'm strange. If you ever visit Columbus, OH I do recommend going to a bar/ restaurant called Ringside. It's a hole in the wall where the bartender also cooks your burger.And a gut bomb burger it is. Watch out for the drunk CCAD students. I kept telling them not to tell me that becasue it made them sound like they had a disease.

after 9/11 there was a lot of heat on the CIA. Something I deducted was that there were too many analysts and not enough collectors, I.e. boots on the ground. Not enough people collecting all of the information to get to the analysts. And at the end of the day too many analysts which is short for " arm chair quarterbacks".

The point is that the CIA isn't so different then the rest of the World. Plenty of people on top and not enough at the bottom.

The catch to that is something that many don't see. while the top needs the bottom (and for that matter vice versa) they also need the bottom to be smarter. Like the war in Iraq. It was a great invasion plan: Speed combined with a shit load of firepower or as they say it, "overwhelming force."

The bottom is asked to do more and more and more and they need to be smart and capable. That's the catch, give the bottom the ability to think and you just took a big roll of the dice.

In the end there aren't enough "doers".

So Delta Airlines, who I'm flying in a couple of days to London, is consolidating it's smaller regional airline system.

They're placing it in Minneapolis pretty much so they don't get stuck with a $245 million dollar bill from the state of Minnesota.

So this makes sense thus far right?

Until I read this part:

The goal of the consolidation is to match the airport customer experience provided by the three regional carriers to that of mainline Delta.

Comair, in particular, has struggled with on-time performance and baggage handling relative to the industry. According to the Department of Transportation, Comair had the worst on-time performance in December among the 19 carriers the agency surveyed.

Delta's new RHS team will be headquartered alongside Delta Connection in Minneapolis and will be led by Comair's Don Stephens.

So take the worst airline you own and make the head of that the head of all the other regional airlines.

And people wonder why airlines don't make any money.

I wrecked my truck. Fishtailed on a wet road right into a guard rail. I'm physically ok but now I get to deal with insurance companies and the process of buying a new car.

During my conversation with my car insurance company the lady asked me "Does the state own the guard rail?" WTF? If you know me then you know my response wasn't the nicest.

WTF?

ESPN is having a 4 hour pre game show for the Super Bowl.

Dude!

It's Pittsburgh vs. Arizona. Pittsburgh has 5 Super Bowl titles and Arizona is in their first Super Bowl. Last time I saw something like this Denver beat the snot out of Atlanta.

A 4 hour pre game show?

What are they doing? Breaking down the training staff?

I assume that not a lot of people visit Dublin, Ireland during the month of January. It's cold, rainy, windy and the sun rises at 9:30 and sets at 4:30.

In any event, I wasn't there for pleasure but for work.

I only pulled my hair out twice which for being on my own is pretty good. On event day I worked for 21 hours. I started around 10 am on Saturday and hit my bed at 7am on Sunday.

My trip however wasn't terrible by any means. I meet some interesting people who I would like to know better. I got to go to the Guinness factory and I walked the same streets that U2 does.