Some of you may have already seen this, but I just saw it and it is absolutely hilarious. I’m sure it makes those who live in the Bay Area proud…thank goodness I live in Germany now.

Make sure you watch the video first, then go to the second link.

** First go to and watch the news story…
News Story

Then go here:
Woo Woo

As mentioned in the previous post, today was the first day of obedience school for little Kymba (or should I say big since she is already 45lbs. at 4 1/2 months). I must admit I was pretty skeptical of the whole obedience school thing since I’ve already had 2 dogs that ended up being pretty well behaved. However, after attending the class I was fairly impressed with their thought process of teaching the dogs, plus it was good to see Kymba have to obey while other dogs were around…which is key here in Germany since dogs are everywhere. Anyways, here are the basics that they taught us:

# You need to use hand signals since that is the way that dogs communicate with each other, and it easier for them to understand what you want them to do rather than when you just talk. Not to say you shouldn’t tell them commands, but you should do both. The other bonus of this is if they are far away from you and can’t hear you but they can see you, then they will know that when you put your hand up you want them to come.
# The next thing they taught us is that you should always have a “release” command after they have done something, that way they know it is OK to continue playing or doing whatever. A good example is when you tell them to sit…if you don’t have a release command then they don’t know how to long to stay seated.
# They were planning on teaching Kymba how to sit and lay down, but since she already knew it we moved right on to getting her to walk besides us on the leash. Now this is something I would never have gotten Cinder or Timber to ever do. Those two dogs were all about sniffing everything in sight. Anyways, what they said to do is when the leash gets tight (ie. the dog is pulling too much), you should stop walking and slowly take step backwards until the dogs comes back to you…thus loosening up the leash again. Now this can be a big pain b/c it can literally take you 5 minutes to walk 30 feet, but they say to be consistent, otherwise the dog will know that he/she can break eventually break you…hence they will continue to pull. So for about a week, Barbie and I may be going on 20 minute walks with Kymba, but it we will have only gone 3 houses down. However, if she can learn this trick then I’ll be a happy camper since I hope that someday she’ll be able to run along side me when I jog or possibly bike around town. The other thing they mentioned was to never shorten the leash on them, b/c they need to know exactly how far they can go without the leash getting tight on them and you stopping. If you keep changing the distance then they will never learn.

Anyways, you may not agree with these theories, but I thought I’d share them since we are paying money for them and might as well let other people benefit from it. Consider it the Napster of the dog training world , and if you don’t know what Napster is then where have you been living the last couple of years?

Well can you believe I’ve already had 4 full days of work…it almost seems as if I am due for some time off. Thank goodness for the weekend!! Anyways, tomorrow is a big day for our overly spoiled dog Kymba (Case in point). Tomorrow is her first day of school…obedience school that is. She is showing all the signs that most youngsters do before the big day, you know…getting excited and nervous all at the same time. I try to tell her that things will be OK, but youngsters have to learn for themselves. Although it is a big day for Kymba, it will be a bigger day for Barbie since she will now have to be somewhat strict with the dog and not let her get away with things. She’s been putting off being strict until tomorrow…which I could slightly understand when she looks liked this… Cute Kymba , but now she’s slightly grown up and needs some discipline.
Other than that, it should be a pretty good weekend. I think there are some festivals going on that we’ll go check out, and probably go see a movie. I’ve also decided to start reading “A tale of two cities”, and I must say that after reading only 2 chapters it is not the easiest thing read. This old English thing gets to me. Hopefully I can get the hang of it so the book will be more enjoyable….otherwise, it could be a few months before I give out another book review.

Well, I am now finished reading “Body of Secrets” which was/is about the NSA. (You english nuts are going to have to tell me which verb to use there…was or is… they both seem correct to me, but I’m an engineer so what do I know.) OK, now about the book. First of all this is not your normal book that someone is going to pick up and find an interesting story like a Tom Clancy novel or anything, it is very detailed orientated about the specifics of how the NSA operates and what it has done in the past. It is mind boggling (although don’t always believe what you read or hear) about the things the author claims some of the top officials used to want to do. For example, it refers to officers talking about blowing up buildings and killing people in the United States, then blaming it on the Cubans so that they can get support for a war against Cuba during the Cuban Missile crisis. There are a couple of other instances like this, but that one sticks out the most. The book also spends a good amount of time on Vietnam, which after a while got kind of boring since all he did was say that we had trouble getting any intelligence on them b/c they used short wave radios.
One of the more interesting things that I read was about the USS Liberty, which was a Spy ship (ie. full of antennas and listened in off the coasts). Apparantely during the war b/t Israel and Egypt back in the late 60’s this ship was off the coast listening in, and Israeli planes and boats completely attacked the ship…and we were supposed to be on their side. They attacked it to the point where they did not want any survivors, even going to the point of shooting soldiers in the life raft. The USS Liberty eventually made it out after some help arrived from US planes, but all the US got from Israel was an apology, claiming it was an accident and they didn’t know it was a US ship (despite having done multiple fly by’s the previous few days and talking on the radios about ‘A US ship off the coast’, and the fact there was a US flag supposedly flying from the ship. They also gave the USA 6 million dollars for the ‘accident’. This whole thing was apparantely covered up for political reasons.
Anyways, the book was interesting for other reasons…notably b/c I could relate to how he explained the work environment of the NSA with all it’s secret documents, procedures, and windowless buildings. The book also managed to mention Cisco Systems (b/c of it’s networking equipment and how the NSA tries to crack into it), Lockheed Martin (for obvious reasons), SGI(b/c of it’s supercomputers and buying of CRAY) and FSU (b/c one of the former NSA directors graduated from FSU). All in all a decent book…but 650 pages is not the shortest book in the world, then again the new Harry Potter is 900+ pages…so who am I to complain.
Now I have to find a new book to read…perhaps the 1st Lord of the Rings (so I can figure out why people like this stuff so much), or the 3rd Harry Potter (I gotta beat the release of the new movie), or Tale of two Cities (b/c of Barbie), or Oliver Twist (b/c why not). Suggestions are recommended, but I’ll probably start tomorrow…so make it quick.

Well, I am writing this message just to let all of you know that today is my first day of work with Cisco. I haven’t really done anything yet…just hanging out right now waiting to go lunch with my co-workers, then I get to meet with the team lead this afternoon. OK…just wanted to give an update.

ps. If that wasn’t enough for you, then here is a riddle for you.

Yesterday was my first INTERNATIONAL triathlon, and it took place in a small city just outside Munich called Erding. The distances were 1.5Km swim, 47Km Bike and a 10Km run….for those that don’t know what that is in miles…it’s about a 1 mile swim, 30 mile bike and 6 mile run. Other than having a hard time figuring out where to go for the race, it was a pretty well organized event. OK…on to how I did and what I thought about everything…kinda long though.
The swim
My swim training has been pretty slack, so I didn’t expect much from this event. I also didn’t have my wetsuit with me since the movers from the USA didn’t ship it to Germany. If you didn’t already know, wetsuits make a swimmer a decent amount faster b/c it keeps you bouyant which makes you more streamlined in the water (ie. your legs don’t sink and cause drag), and it is also designed to have material where water just slides across which also makes you faster. So…upon entering the water I notice there are about 300 people about to start, and I am maybe one of ten people who do not have a wetsuit…doh! Luckily the water wasn’t that cold. Anyways, I wanted to swim about a 30 minute time…which is slow, but good enough for me since I swam a 26 minute time in Wildflower last year and I had a wetsuit and had done a decent amount of training back then. So the race starts, and I’m swimming along…round the first buoy, round the second buoy, and then I’m kinda lost as to where the next buoy is. Luckily, sort of, I am not in first place so I can just follow people…but they didn’t seem to know where to go either and we all swam somewhat out of the way for a little bit. However, we find our way to shore and I look at my watch and I am out of the water in 30:03…so I am happy with the swim.
Transition 1
Since I don’t wear a shirt during the swim, I usually put on a cycle jersey during this transition so I can store all my nutritional foods in the back pockets. I had practiced, yes practiced, putting on the jersey/shirt b/c last year at Wildflower I had trouble getting it on b/c the zipper was all the way undone. So prior to the race I put on the jersey no problem…however, I forgot to put the zipper back up after practicing putting it on…so during the race I have the same problem and can’t get the darn shirt on…what a pain. Murphy’s Law again . Anyways…everything else goes smooth…on to the bike.
The bike
OK…now this is my event…or so I thought before yesterday. I’ve been doing a decent amount of training for the bike…at least for a 30 mile ride. My goal was to average 20mph. Usually I come out of the swim behind a bunch of people, then I catch them on the bike. Well, that was not the case during this race. Apparantely the Germans take biking very seriously b/c I was getting passed left and right throughout the entire 30 miles. I felt like the tortoise and they were the hares, but I wasn’t going to catch them later on. I mean these guys were flying! At one point I looked at my speedometer and I’m cruising at about 23 or 24mph and people are still passing me. Another time this big hefty looking guy with a gut passed me and started saying stuff in German and laughing…although I don’t think he was laughing at me…but who knows. So, by the end of the ride I have passed maybe 5 people the entire time, but I look at my watch and I have done what I wanted…average 20 mph. I must say that the course was a lot more hilly than I expected, so that might have had something to do with why I was getting passed since I haven’t done a ton of hill training yet. So, other than getting passed a ton, I am on pace for what I wanted after the swim and bike. OK…onto to T2.
Transition 2
Pretty uneventful transition…you put your bike up, take your bike shoes off and put on your running shoes then take off. However, before I take off I decide to poor some water on myself from an extra waterbottle that I had in my transition area. Normally this is a nice cool relief, but apparantely the sun heats things up after a couple hours, so instead of a cool relief I got drenched with warm/hot water…another of Murphy’s Law.
The dreaded Run
OK…the run is my most hated event. I have never liked running…then again I never used to swim or bike either and now I am doing triathlons…go figure. Well, to give you a little history,during training I have been running about 6 miles at around an 8 minute pace…which is nothing spectacular but good enough for now. However, during one, actually the only one, of my brick trainings (where you bike then run to simulate the race) I completely struggled during the run and probably averaged about a 9 minute mile pace the last 3 miles. So, for me to come into this race hoping to run an 8 minute mile pace may have been unrealistic, but on Thursday I had a great 5.25 mile run where my legs were fresh and felt great despite having done a 66 mile ride on Tuesday. Normally I wouldn’t do this kind of training so close to the race, but I have a 1/2 Ironman in mid-July, so that is the race I am really training for and this was a warmup of sorts. Ok…so I want to run a 8 minute pace per mile, and for the first mile I’m feeling great…and I’ve passed about 15 people. I’m starting to think these Germans may know how to bike but they forgot about the run. As soon as I think this my legs and heart feel like a ton of bricks and my pace slows down tremendously. Normally I can tough it out but I am dead and have to struggle the rest of the way. Also, volunteers and fans are normally great cheering you on…but it is hard to get motivated when you don’t understand what they are saying b/c it is all in German. So, instead of an 8 minute pace I think I end up with like a 9 minute pace.
After Party
Well, I finished the race in 2:55:00…just under 3 hours…and about 5 minutes slower than I really wanted to do. I noticed it was probably my worst overall finish placing…so I guess the Germans are pretty fast. It is always depressing to not meet your goals, but that is life. So, I finish the race and I’m dying to get some water in me. First the volunteers hand me this nice beer glass (typical German thing) for finishing…then I head to the after party where there are normally tons of people drinking water, gatorade, whatever and eating oranges, muffins, bananas, etc. to replenish their bodies. However, in an event sponsored by the Erdinger Brewery, all I can find is people drinking and serving beer. It literally takes me about 5 minutes before I can find the food and water. Everyone is just pounding down beer like it is nothing. Normally I would of had some, but I am not that big a fan of Weiss beer…Heffeweissen for those don’t understand…and I also knew the alcohol would shoot right to my head and I had to drive home.
So, in conclusion, it was good day…but very hot (about 90+ degrees I think). The one good thing about German triathlons is that they don’t start til around 11am, which is a lot better than starting at 8am like American triathlons. It may be hot during this time of the day, but at least you don’t have to get up early. I may have done better if I rested more during the week leading up to the race, but like I said this was a warmup event. My main race is in mid-July…the Allgau Classic, which is supposed to have a lot of hills. Hopefully I can do some training in the swiss alps before then.

Apparantely I am about to start working for Cisco this coming week…although I am not sure of the exact date yet. My boss is going to be out of the office on Monday, so it won’t be then…although that is a good thing since we have a new dining room table being delivered that day. On a side note, although we just spent some obscene amount of money at IKEA…I can’t say I like the place too much (sorry Meg). First you have to follow a foot path with arrows around the whole store before you can get to the section you want, then you have to go down to a wharehouse looking area and try to fit all your stuff (tables, chairs, rugs, whatever else you managed to pick out) into a small shopping cart. Remember, you are not the only one is the store either, so there are hundreds of crazy people all trying to do the same thing as you. Finally, to top things off…if you want something delivered you can’t just tell them which product…you have to get the product from the wharehouse shelf yourself and bring it to them and tell them to deliver it. Maybe it is not this way in the US, but that is the deal here in Germany (where customer service is a term that doesn’t exist). Anyways, enough about IKEA…just wanted to express some frustrations. So Monday I won’t start b/c my boss is out of the office…so that leaves Tuesday…right? Nope…you’re Wrong! My boss then leaves for vacation on Wednesday so I don’t know if I am going to start on Tuesday and then have no manager for the rest of the week…who knows?
So much for my time off…although I must say it is always fun having a couple months to “re-charge my batteries”. I hear a lot of my friends complaining that of all the people I should not be the one to have gotten more time off, but you’re wrong. As Steve and MJ (friends from FSU) said…”I married UP in the world“!! And when you marry a Barbie you get some ancillary benefits…

# Extra time off from work
# A little extra spending money
# Being able live in another country
# Finally…A hot wife

I forgot to mention this to all of you a while ago, but it was reinforced to me yesterday while driving on the autobahn. There is a theory about driving here in Germany…but it is fast (no pun intended) becoming a fact for me. The theory is…“No matter how fast you drive on the autobahn, there is always someone driving faster…so watch out!”.
I would say I drive around 100mph(160km/hr) on the autobahn…and I usually am one of the faster cars…but definitely not the fastest. I can’t tell you how many times a car has whizzed by me while I am doing a 100mph+. I’ve gotten the car up to about 130 mph, and there are still cars passing me like I am standing still. Anyways, yesterday I forgot the theory and was cruising in the left lane (ie. fast lane) at about 115mph and was feeling pretty comfortable…then I remembered to always look in the mirror just in case. Sure enough, a Porsche boxster was flying up on my tail … and I had to quickly change lanes before he had to hit his brakes. For this reason, it took me a few times to get used to driving in the fast lane…because it is a mad house out there. Too bad I don’t have a Porsche of my own

I realized today that I am not nearly as prepared as I thought I was for my 1/2 Ironman (1.2 mile swim, 55 mile bike, 13.2 mile run) in July. I figured the one thing I was prepared for was the bike, and that the swim would be tough, but manageable…and the run would come around. However, after riding 63 miles today (the farthest I have ever gone so far) through the rolling hills around Stanbergersee (which means a lake in Stanberg), I am completely exhausted and can’t imagine having to run right afterwards. Hence…I am going to die in July.
My first race of the season is this weekend in Erding…a town just outside Munich. It is only an Olympic distance race so I should be fine…but probably pretty slow compared to what I did last year. Wish me luck, and lets hope my stamina comes around by the time the 1/2 Ironman rolls around in late July.

I just finished (well 3 weeks ago) reading a very good book, although I doubt most of you will ever read it (except Raggio), since it is a history book. The book is called “Winston Churchill’s History of the English Speaking People” revised by Henry Steel Commager. The revision is pretty big since the actual book written by Churchill is really 12 books. The book is revised from Churchill’s original for an American audience to help the reader learn the history of England, although this just means some sections have been taking out and nothing has been re-written. I started the book before we moved to England to help educate me on its history. The book was actually useful when we traveled or did any tourist stuff since a lot of the people and places are mentioned in the book. Also, the book was very educational on talking about all the kings and queens that have reigned over England since the Roman times, as well as a very heavy dose of American beginnings. I guess since the book was revised with Americans in mind, it makes sense to have such a large section devoted to it. I was actually amazed to hear how many times the British should have won the Revolutionary War, but then something would go wrong. The book also talks about how the South had a couple of brief opportunities to win the Civil War, but something crazy would happen and it would never come to fruition. As Nick would say….”If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we would all have a Merry Christmas”. Don’t ask me where he came up with this phrase. Anyways, here is a list of the people that interested me in the book:

# Alfred the Great (King who ruled in the late 800’s)
# The Black Prince (son of King Edward III and a great warrior in the mid 1300’s)
# Oliver Cromwell (great military leader who basically ruled England with the army during the mid 1600’s)
# Major Andre (British messenger who was caught bringing back papers of Benedict Arnold’s plan to turn over West Point to the British. He was hanged in the U.S., but was re-buried in Westminster Abbey 40 years later after America gave him back to England)
# Stonewall Jackson (Great military leader of the South with Robert E. Lee…ended up dying because he was shot by his own troops mistakenly while scouting out a way to trap the majority of the northern army. This is one of the points where the South might have won the war, but he hadn’t told anyone why he was scouting out a particular pass, so the plan was never executed. As I always say, things will work out for the best.

So, I’m now reading “Body of Secrets” which about the NSA. I started it while reading Churchill’s book, but had to stop so I could try to finish the other book before I left England. So far the book is good, but can get bogged down in details. I’ll give more on this book once I finish reading it. After this book I plan on starting “Europe in the 20th Century, A history in fragments.” This book was actually given to Barbie and I as a going away gift from Yamo and Raggio. Hopefully it has the same affect as Churchill’s book did while I was in England.

In conclusion, I’ll try to give you guys an update on books I’ve read, but you will probably have to wait a month or two for each review since I’m no Barbie and can’t finish a book within a week. Also, give some advice on some good books to read…preferably non-fiction (Raggio I am counting on you to come through on this!)