bigganglybear

[bigganglybear]

In case you have not stopped by our website recently, it just finished undergoing a HUGE makeover! There are a ton more pictures, a section specifically designated to Reading Is Sexy, and a bunch of other new features that you are really going to love! Now you can easily learn more about all...

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WRITING BEFORE A MONDAY DEADLINE

credit: Danielle

[bigganglybear]

One last hurrah in Germany

I know I have been slacking on getting some posts up about my trip thus far, but I have been running into some technical problems. First and foremost, Tmobil was supposed to unlock my phone last week so I could use a Localized SIM card for data and calls as needed.  It still has not happened, which is total bull shit because I own the damn  phone  and should be able too do with it what I want to.  Anyhow, technical setback two is your fact that I am banging this out on a Nexus 7.  Not the most efficient way to type something out but it seems to serve its purpose, when I have internet connectivity. So perhaps next time, a blue tooth keyboard might be the way to go.  Now, I would not say that the third reason for not posting updates is because I am selfish (I may or may not have been called a selfish lover on more than one occasion) but pretty much it is because I am selfish.    Allow me to explain.  It has been 7 years since I have have been back to Germany and it has taken me awhile to really process what I have been feeling and experiencing as I get reacquainted with old friends and see the country I have always considered a second home in a new albeit sober light.   So without further ado here are the highlights of the week I have spent in Germany.  1. I’m pretty sure Germans are not allowed to buy or sell any jeans that are not ‘skinny jeans’. Seriously, its sort of annoying to see a nice set of legs walk past followed by a pancake ass.  Get some butt jeans. Enough said 2. Anytime you eat somewhere that has a type of food food directly followed by the words ‘Haus’ its a pretty good bet that you should stop there and try it out.  The Schnitzel Haus in Heidelberg was pretty much the most awesome pork-tastic experiences I have had.  With over 100 different varieties on the menu, of can be somewhat of a daunting task to choose one, I went with a red sauce with capers, olives, and artichokes. F’ng fantastic. 3. No matter how much time goes past, the mark of true friendship is being able to pick right back up from where we were 7 years prior. In the age of social media and hyper connectivity, to be able to do that is an amazing thing. So I count my blessing for all of my amazing friends who I was able to see this week and reconnect with. 4. Old friends have a way getting you out of your funk and get you refocused on where you are going.  It must be because they have seen you at your worst (10pm at night after an epic Volksfest session) and at your best (the horse whisperer incident). I really feel that after this first week, I am more focused on finishing out grad school and ready to make new steps to where I want to go. Its always good to have encouragement and praise from those who known you best. 5.   I have finally come to the conclusion that I don’t want to live and work in Germany. I think that when I was younger the romantic ideal of living abroad as an expat was very appealing to me. However now that I am getting older, I think some of the appeal especially in Germany has sort of lost its luster.  I think some of it has to do with myself being able to actually understand the Debacle that is German Bureaucratic process. Like seriously, I don't want to pay a TV tax, dog tax , or any other tax that I can't draw a great benefit from. The whole work visa thing is one giant headache as well. This isn't to say that I wouldn't like to work and live abroad, but I just think that Germany is not it.....

[bigganglybear]

Over 100 different Schnitzels on "tap". Phenomenal food and highly recommended if you are ever in Heidelberg.

[bigganglybear]

PSA from your friendly neighborhood confirmed bachelor

Please stop calling February 14th Singles Awareness Day.   I realize that not everyone shares my affinity for acronyms but don't you find it ironic that the bar you will undoubtedly walk into will have a placard with "S.A.D" in large red letters with drink specials neatly written underneath? Maybe you have never noticed this before and now that you know, it is going to drive you crazy. I suppose, I should have given a "Spoiler Alert"(HIMYM anyone?), my bad.  Perhaps, you are truly embracing your S.A.D.ness in all of its ironic glory and flaunting it in the face of convention, taking back the 14th and owning who you are.  Good for you, but sorry Bro, you aren't a honey badger. It has been scientifically proven that although honey badgers don't care 364 days out of the year, this is the one day that they do.  

"Shut it, you are full of shit, lighten up" you may be saying to yourself. You are probably right, but if you discount the commercialization of February 14th by Halmark and the rise of the Hipsters and their incessant need to make everything ironic , the blame for this paradigm shift rests squarely on the shoulders of the RomCom. Don't get me wrong, I do love me some RomComs. I even own one or two. That's right, I'm admitting it.  I feel that they should be a staple in every single guy's video library because you never know when you might find yourself unexpectedly in a situation where Terminator 2 just wont cut it.

The rise of the RomCom, the selling of a fantasy. Wesley and Buttercup, Harry and Sally, the list goes on and on. So what is the point? I swear I have one (at least I did when I started). It is this: RomComs neglect to reflect the universal truth that no one will ever love you MORE than you love yourself (cue the S.I.C. self love jokes).  As much as? Sure. Equally as much? One can only hope.  But never more than. I know this because the famous mathematician John Lennon told me so, "and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make". And everyone knows that math does not lie. EVER.

So instead of celebrating S.A.D. and recounting the countless disasters that led you to your bar stool, go do something to prove the equation correct. Volunteer at an animal shelter, I'm sure some poor animal on death row will appreciate the gesture. Or go to an old folks home and listen to the Greatest Generation spin a yarn about "this one time in aught six when I was on R'R after fighting the Puerto Ricans in Burma...". I guarantee it will be more entertaining than anything on T.V. and maybe, just maybe, someone's smoking hot single grand daughter who's good at math will be there and well, you do the math.......

[bigganglybear]

I Heart Munich

Three more weeks until the love affair resumes and I can not wait.  Waiting in anticipation to leave makes me feel like a little kid waiting for the minutes to tick away turning Christmas Eve into Christmas Day.  It sort of seems absurd that a city can elicit such strong feelings but I have never been accused of not being absurd so it only seems appropriate.  I guess I love the city so much because to me, when I am there, it feels like I am home in San Diego. Of all the places I have traveled, no other place has ever given me that feeling. Unlike Berlin where there is an overt funky and eclectic feeling ever present, that same vibe is bubbling under the surface the streets of Munich ready to come out and play. To me, the city is what you want, or even need it to be at any given moment you are there. Unlike other cities you may go to where what you see is what you get.  Every time I am in MUnich, the city reveals a different aspect of itself to me and in turn, I learn something different about myself.  Travel is truly about self discovery and broadening your horizons; for me, there is nothing better than doing this while re-connecting with an old friend. 

[bigganglybear]

As of last week, McDonald’s UK has begun to create ‘Happy Readers’ through the use of their Happy Meals. On January 9th the McDonald’s Corporation made an announcement that their United Kingdom locations would be launching a long-term campaign to distribute millions of books and promote the idea...

[bigganglybear]

The Grind

    I never really thought about why people call "The Grind", "The Grind". I always assumed that it was because you were doing something that was so soul crushing that you just have to put your head down and power through without giving much thought to it.  At the beginning of Boot Camp, the Drill Instructors call the Parade Deck "The Grinder". I can't tell you how large the "Grinder" is but it seemed like it was four football fields long and three wide of nothing but asphalt.  Hot, steaming asphalt; hot enough to make you feel like your boot soles were melting and your feet were on fire.  Sweat running down your face, the sun perfecting your farmer's tan and silent.  Eerily silent, except for the slow melodic sound of cadence being called by the Drill Instructor, the thump of boot soles on asphalt, and the "thwak", "thwak", "thwack", of skin against metal as we made our weapons sing the manual of arms. 

   Thirteen years later, the meaning of "The Grind" has changed for me.  When I say I am, "back to the grind", I  mean I'm making another pot of coffee. That sweet, black, nectar of the gods that keeps me going. Because honestly, after spending countless hours on the Grinder at MCRD (I really don't know much time was spent on the "Grinder" because the space time continuum does not exist in boot camp. All I know is that I went with a full head of hair and left bald and 30 pounds lighter) all the hours spent working and in Grad School to reach my goals is really just a Sunday stroll in the park.  If you excuse me, I have to get back to the grind now. 

[bigganglybear]

Great visual comparison of the various NFL jumbotrons. It is just insane how much larger the screen is at Cowboy’s Stadium. And although I think this is a pretty goofy competition, I am glad to see that my Patriots made it into the Top 5.

(via The Verge)

[bigganglybear]

Week 1: On Not being a Resolutionist

Last week, I pulled out my copy of "The 4 Hour Body" and started thumbing though it to get reacclimatized with the program. I tried it before and I had some pretty good results but like most things lately, I stopped doing it and reverted back to my old ways.  Not that my old ways were necessarily bad, I still exercised regularly and ate relatively well but I was not getting to where I wanted my goals to be. Call it the stress of grad school, the uncertainty of work, general lack of motivation from feeling stuck professionally and emotionally, whatever the cause, I knew it was time for a change.  Change is always hard and getting started is the hardest part but the final push of motivation came from talking to my pops a few days ago.  Following the things written in the book and doing two days of yoga he has managed to drop like 45 lbs. The man has a TWO PACK!  a TWO PACK and well on his way to another two. SHIT FIRE! if a 63 year old man can make the change, so can I, however, I am stopping short of making it a New Year Resolution because I am not a Resolutionist, You know, the people hitting it hard at the gym for 2 months before hanging it up only to resolve to do it again next year.  No, this year I am not resolving to make my life better, I am just going do to it.  

[bigganglybear]

Thinking 'bout Home

I went and caught a show this weekend at a local brewery which shall remain nameless, not because it is a great secret place to see a show, but rather because the Tapist beers they import are way better than anything they brew there. I was there to see my buddy's band, The Grant McClintock Quintet (click the link to take you to his sound cloud page), and one of the tracks he played that really struck a chord with me was about missing home. It's a great track that talks about all the things he misses about Harrisburg since he moved to Indy about two years ago.  Half way through the song, I found myself subconsciously replacing the words Troegs and Lager with  Stone, Margaritas, and I am pretty sure I even managed to work California Burrito into the mix much to my own personal satisfaction.  

In the days since, I have really been thinking a lot about what makes home, "Home".  Some might argue that "home is where you lay your head" or "home is where the heart is"; I would have to say that in my 20's, I would have agreed with the former, but as I get older, I definitely agree with the latter. I usually joke to myself that San Diego is my  "Spiritual Home", the place I feel the most at ease, the place where I feel like "me" (as if at this point of my life I know what me "feels" like).  Sometimes I wonder if this is more a function of a fuzzy memory and remembering things differently than they actually where or rather if it is not the city but the sum of the people, sights, sounds,and experiences contained within the city limits that makes me feel like this. The place where all of these things came together in harmony and touched the depths of my being.  I may not be the smartest man in the world, but I do know that where I sit right here, right now, is not home. I also know that until I find that feeling again, no matter where it is, I'll always be thinking 'bout home.

[bigganglybear]

I've been staring at this box for the past few days trying to decide if I am actually going to go through with this personal DNA analysis. I guess it really comes down to whether or not I will spend sleepless nights worrying about what may or may not happen in the future. I already know my family is crazy, so what do I really have to lose?

[bigganglybear]

Back in the saddle

After a long while away from writing, I'm back.  It seems like every time I start my blog back up it is usually because I am about to go on an amazing trip and I want to share what I see, hear, and feel with friends and family.  Well, I am getting ready to an another amazing adventure in a few months, but that is not what is driving me to get back in the saddle again. A few weeks ago, I was talking to my buddy Vince and he had mentioned that it was my earliest travel blogs that got him into writing his blog and eventually lead him to create the successful  www.wheninmanila.com and become somewhat of the Filipino Hugh Hefner and acclaimed radio DJ in Manila. This is purely conjecture since I don't speak Filipino, but if there was anyone who could pull it off, I know it would be him.  Anyway, I digress. I never really thought that the things I wrote would be taken as inspirational by others and I have no delusions of being another Faulkner, Salinger, or Palahniuk but I guess I am just looking for a way to keep accountable and express my thoughts as I stumble my way through this crazy thing called life.