Apparently there is a new primary color that is going to be introduced to the world called “Squant”, which is named after it’s founder Dr. Squant. This is not a combination of the three other primary colors (red, blue, yellow)…but an entirely new one that even has its own scent. Check out the Squant website to get further details…although your computer won’t be able to see the new color b/c monitors are not configured for it yet. They do have a plugin you can install to see it, but it didn’t work on my computer since I have windows 2000.

We have arrived in London, and now can’t wait to leave again. Not because we don’t like London itself, it’s just that our new place in Munich is going to be so much better. Anyways, I just wanted to let you guys know there are some new pictures from Munich that have been uploaded…so check out our new place as well as other miscellaneous pics.

OK…in case any of you were wondering, I still have a shot to win the NCAA tournament pool, but I need Kansas to win the whole shabang…and they are about to play the #1 seed Arizona. Although I did gripe about being back in London, it is nice to be able to read the restaurant menus again…as well as being able to watch the NCAA tourney…I’ve had to miss the last two days of games…which is too bad since most looked they were close. Guess I’m going to have to start reading more instead of watching.

In case any of you were wondering who won the Cricket World Cup…it was Australia. The scored 359 runs on only 2 wickets after 50 overs (which is the max. allowed)…whereas India scored only 234 runs after 10 wickets (max. allowed) on 39.2 overs. Click on the link if you want to see the Cricket scorecard.

Well Barbie and I have found a place to stay in Bogenhausen, which is one of the nicest areas in all of Munich. It’s right across the Isar river from the English Gardens, which is considered the largest park in all of Europe. The park is absolutely great, and dogs simply do not know what a leash is. All the dogs run around playing with each other, or simply following their owners. Another crazy thing about Munich is their consideration for people on bicycles. The bikers have their own lanes by the sidewalk throughout most of the city. And the bikers will ring their bells and get all upset if you are walking on their side of the sidewalk. I almost got run over by a biker 3 times the first day I went around town. Anyways, our place has plenty of room for people to visit so be sure to come out…especially since airlines have been dropping their prices due to the war. Our house is also close to a very nice shopping area, and is about 15-20 minutes by public transportation to the center of Munich. All of you should come out…so feel free. Just make sure you let us know prior to stopping by. We’ll have pictures posted tomorrow of our place and also of us visiting some of the scenic sites around town. Until then…l8r yall.

Well Barbie and I are spending the week in Munich, Germany. We’re here for a couple of reasons…for Cisco meetings and also to house hunt for our eventual move in May. I must say the reality of living in a foreign country really hits home when you don’t speak the language. It’s a struggle just to go to a restaurant b/c you have no idea what you are about to order unless the waiter happens to speak English and will translate for you. We’re having a good time, and tomorrow we go to look at houses.
Yesterday was our first evening in Munich, so we went to the Englisch Gardens…and of course eventually to a Bier Garten (Beer Garden) for those who don’t know how to translate. We have a good picture of me drinking a full 1 liter of beer…so check back for the update. Of course the best part, other than the beer, was when I tried to order the beer and the guy knew instantly that I was an American, so he pointed to his co-worker and said he is a tourist as well…he then proceeded to point out that his co-worker was from Iraq to see if he could get a rise out of me. Of course I didn’t understand half the stuff he said…but it was pretty funny.
Anyways, today was spent doing some sightseeing for me…Barbie was stuck in a meeting all day . I took one of these one hour tours around the city, so I now have a pretty good idea where the main tourist attractions are…so feel free to visit and I will show you the town. We’ll stop by and see the Neptune fountain, Angel of Peace, and Maximillian street. Then we’ll go see the Olympic village…where the 1972 Olympics were held and also where Mark Spitz won 7 gold medals in swimming. Well, don’t be afraid to visit…after this week we’ll have an extra room for you to stay.

It was cricket all day, now it’s basketball all night. How is a sports person with no job expected to get any sleep these days? In case you hadn’t heard, India ended up winning by like 190 runs. Now they get to play Australia in the finals. As for basketball, March Madness has finally begun…so I’m stuck thinking about whether to sleep or stay up and watch the games. We’ll have to wait and see how I feel in another hour or so. According to an anonymous source, it’s better to be in the UK right now for watching games since the U.S. has to watch everything about the WAR in Iraq. By the way, Barbie’s and my thoughts are with all those whose family members are in the WAR…especially those families that we know personally. Alright…back to watching bball on the tube.

OK…i’m no expert, but India has absolutely been destroying Kenya in cricket all day. They ended the day with 270 runs on only 4 wickets after 50 overs. That’s right folks…I’m speaking cricket language. I’ll give an update later that explains the rules.

First off I apologize for not updating the site recently…especially with the big move to London and all. Internet access has been sketchy at best, so I’ve had to sink to the depths of joining AOL for the next month or so. Anyways, the “flat” is nice…a little cramped on clothing space, but manageable. Barbie and I have been eating a ton of Italian, mainly b/c some of the food here is questionable at best. Although, I did find a legitimate Texas style restaurant which has some pretty decent food. We call it comfort food.
Anyways, this past weekend Barbie and I went into the city of Bath to see the Roman baths and mainly just visit. Cool town…especially realizing how the Roman stuff is so old. The second point of our visit was to see our future puppy…a white german shepherd named ‘Kymba’. I say future b/c we cannot pick her up until April 12th. Here is a link to the photo gallery that shows our trip to Bath and the new puppy.

So, if you are wondering what I have been doing with my so called spare time since I’m unemployed…well it seems to be a lot. Last week was spent adjusting to the jet lag…i.e. getting up at 4am every morning, taking a nap from 7-11am, then going to bed at 8 or 9pm. Thank goodness that is all over, although I did get up at 4am this morning for a fantasy baseball draft.
Monday and Tuesday of this week was spent in culture training for Germany…a 2 day course at Cisco where a consultant comes in and tells us what to expect when we arrive, and what the German people and culture are truly like. Good course, but could have been condensed to a day or just an afternoon.
Anyways, after my morning draft at 4am (lasted til about 7am)…I went for a run along the River Thames…which is basically right behind us. Nice jogging path, although the fog was so thick this morning I was getting droplets at the end of my eyelashes every few minutes or so….strange but cool. After the morning run, I proceed to find my way to Chiswick…pronounced like ‘Chizzick’ in the english accent. Nice town not to far away…about a 5 minute tube ride away. I’m assuming by the end of my stint here in London I should know the tube system fairly well. Well I’m off to sleep… and remember to “mind the gap“!!

We are now about 24 hours away before I’m heading off on a plane to Europe. Of course everything is not finished, but it wouldn’t be the same if I had everything all organized and ready to go in advance. Anyways, yesterday I arrived in San Jose from Miami…not a bad flight, but I was pretty upset that the people at LAX wouldn’t let me catch an earlier connection. There excuse was that I checked luggage so I had to fly with my luggage, hence I ended up in the L.A. airport an extra 2 hours.

Last night we had our end of the season party for the Harker girls basketball teams. We had a good time…eating dinner, handing out awards and talking about Europe. The season didn’t end the way I would have preferred, but I had a great time doing it. Hopefully some of the girls will keep in touch and let me know how things are going at Harker…if not, there is always the Yamo to keep me informed. Alright, I’m off to finish packing things up.

So I played the easy course at Grenada today and didn’t measure up to anywhere near as well as I played the last couple of times. Grenada is probably the easiest golf course in all of Miami, and I shot a 49 (9 holes only). I’m thinking it had to do with the fact it was early, I was tired, my back and legs were sore, and I wasn’t using the same clubs I normally use…but those are just excuses…I am just not Tiger Woods…YET

Apparantely taking time off from golf doesn’t really affect your game when you are not that good to start off with. Grant it, the last time I played a couple of months ago my shot was way off and the rust was evident…but this time everything seems to be in working order. I shot a respectably 94 at Biltmore today…which is about 5 shots over what I would have liked to shoot. I aim for a bogey on each hole which will normally put me at about a 90, but Biltmore is a par 71 course, so I was 5 shots over instead of just 4. I had my birdie chances but nothing fell…actually I never gave it a shot and wimped out by short arming the putt. Anyways, I’ll probably try to play at least one more time while I’m down here…might as well take advantage of the 90 degree weather