Moving Day

It was nice while it lasted.

And I don't mean this. Pictured above.

I mean this.

And this.

At least he's only 57 kilometers away and not 5000 miles. And he can visit any time :)

www.warning.public/neverforget

I read an article in the NY Times recently that made me think yet again about just what is out there in cyberspace.

Forever.

Never to be forgotten.

Coming back to rear its ugly head years later.

I'm not a facebooker or a twitterer. Only a blogger.

Did you know that . . .

Seventy-five percent of U.S. recruiters and human-resource professionals report that their companies require them to do online research about candidates, and many use a range of sites when scrutinizing applicants — including search engines, social-networking sites, photo- and video-sharing sites, personal Web sites and blogs, Twitter and online-gaming sites.

Or can you believe this . . .

Seventy percent of U.S. recruiters report that they have rejected candidates because of information found online, like photos and discussion-board conversations and membership in controversial groups.

How about this . . .

There are more than 100 million registered Twitter users, and the Library of Congress recently announced that it will be acquiring - and permanently storing - the entire archive of public Twitter posts since 2006.

And of course, we all know this . . .

Research in behavioral psychology confirms that people pay more attention to bad rather than good information.

And unfortunately . . .

Unlike God, the digital cloud rarely wipes our slates clean, and the keepers of the cloud today are sometimes less forgiving than their all-powerful divine predecessor.

It's worth a read.

The Web Means the End of Forgetting

Is it hot in here?

There's pretty much no AC here.

Make that anywhere in Belgium.

Make that anywhere in Europe.

When a business has AC, they actually advertise it so you will be more likely to shop there when it's hot.

Was there a time when it wasn't hot here so the AC concept just didn't "take off" like in the States?

Is it like in Yankee country where everyone just thaws for a couple of months only to refreeze a couple later?

Oh, yeah, "global warming".

While it may not be unbearable, it is a bit uncomfortable. Especially if you try to do more than sit around. Which I've pretty much gotten down to a science.

Our house has three stories and "heat rises" has taken on a whole new meaning here. Ross's room is on the third floor or as we like to call it - the attic. His new apartment in Leuven is also on the third floor.

So, in light of this, we purchased a room-sized AC.

Here's Jim toting it home on my bike. Fortunately we only live about 10 minutes from the store, but it is down city streets. And the closest parking space to this store is, well, at our house.

Seriously, though, it was pretty hot, for like a week. And it occasionally gets in the 80's during the day. And the third floor anywhere is pretty warm. But I'm back donning a jacket in the mornings and evenings.

And it's got nothin' on Texas.

Flenglishious

So, almost a year now, Flemish classes are over for the summer, and I guess you'd say our Flemish vocabulary has reached a few hundred words. Our sentence structure, while not perfect or in the right order, is recognizable as a sentence.

As with any new language, reading is not so difficult and always the first thing you grasp. I'm not saying I'm there, of course.

Understanding a native (speaking very s-l-o-w-l-y) is no longer impossible.

But speaking it yourself . . . well, that's something else altogether.

It should have been obvious from the start, but I think I finally figured it out. We've just been doing it all wrong.

The speaking part, I mean.

I thought it was my accent.

And it is, but it's more than that.

Like, the word for "no" is "nee".

Not "knee" like we say it, but "nay" like hay, bay, say, and no way.

To say "nay" properly you hold your mouth like you're saying "you". Try it.

"Nay" while holding your mouth like you're saying "you".

Near impossible? Well, there you have it. In a nutshell (a.k.a. notedop). If you simply can't hold your mouth in something akin to a goldfish while at the same time saying "hey", then it just sounds wrong.

Now that the light bulb finally came on, I can concentrate more on the pronunciation of my growing vocabulary because there are a whole host of words using this same technique. I'm not pretending to have the ability to lose the accent and native speakers may still cock their head and ask me to repeat what I said, then immediately revert to English. How do they know this?!

But at the very least when someone asks if I'm fluent in Dutch yet, I can say "nay" as in "you".

Wurzburg

As we continued back to Belgium from the Czech Republic a couple of weeks ago, we saw this castle in the distance from the highway and decided to detour and find it. We still only saw the castle (aka Marienburg Fortress) from a distance, but we also found the town of Wurzburg, Germany.

Marienburg Fortress

By 1000 BC, a Celtic fortification stood on the site of what is now the Marienburg Fortress. So this city has been around a while. Built and painstakingly rebuilt after 90% of the city was destroyed (in only 17 minutes) in March 1945 during World War II. None of the city's churches, cathedrals, and monuments survived.

Neumunster Church

Just one of six major churches including this Romanesque Basilica, St. Kilian Dom (also Romanesque), Stift Haug (Italian-Baroque), Marienkapelle (Gothic), and the Marienkirche (on the grounds of the Marienburg Fortress).

Bridge over the Main River, built in 1473-1543 and is adorned with huge statues of saints and famous people

Yet another beautiful and historic city perhaps we can revisit. So much we just did not get to see.

And most importantly, it's my mother-in-law's birthday. Happy Birthday, Mrs. Frazier!

facebookin'

I have no friends on facebook.

That would be because I'm not a member of facebook.

I don't really get the fascination with it.

I thought it was because I'm over 40.

Way over 40.

I just have no desire to become a member of facebook.

Maybe because I'm afraid I'd like it and stalk people and become addicted to it.

I was addicted to Tetris some time in the late '90's so I know it's possible.

And I already spend plenty of time on the internet.

Plus, who knows, with my limited tech skills, I'd likely click the "add world as friend" box.

FYI - facebook facts . . .

> has more than 400 million active users (about 6% of the population)

The 400 million sounds like a lot, but the 6% kinda puts it into perspective. After all, only between 25 and 30% of the world have access to the internet.

> users spend over 500 billion minutes per month on the site

I think that's close to 45 minutes per user per day. Considering Americans watch something like 6 to 8 hours of TV per day, I guess 45 minutes seems like nothing.

> 70% of users are outside the U.S.

Actually the most users from one country is the U.S., but that 70% adds up and they come from everywhere - Australia, Canada, Sweden, Chile . . .

> age group 35-54 grew 276% in the last 6 months of 2009 and this demographic is basically doubling every 2 months

Well, I'm definitely in that age group.

Here's an interesting article.

Everyone hates the IRS. And, when it comes to universal loathsomeness, Facebook ranks even lower. According to results from the 2010 American Customer Survey Index (ACSI), Mark Zuckerberg's social networking goliath scored a 64 out of a possible 100 points, putting it below the IRS, airlines and cable providers. In a statement, Facebook spokesman Jonny Thaw said the site didn't have much of a chance to look over the survey's methodology, but admitted that "clearly we have room to improve." Larry Freed, president and CEO of ACSI sponsor ForeSee Results, believes that a lot of Facebook's consumer complaints stem from the site's demographic expansion in recent years. As the network has opened its doors to more age groups, Facebook has been forced to deal with a substantially larger consumer base, many of whom don't take kindly to the company's persistent site renovations. Although the social network's privacy policy remains controversial, Freed tells the Wall Street Journal that many consumers had issues with Facebook's expanded online advertising strategy, as well.

News of Facebook's poor showing, strangely enough, arrives as the site prepares to announce its 500 millionth member sometime this week. So, how does Facebook manage to attract users while failing to satisfy them? According to Freed, the company is simply the only game in town. Sure, there are other social networks, he admits, but none seem to offer the same quality of experience that consumers find on Facebook. MySpace, for instance, scored even lower than Facebook in the ACSI report. Until something better comes around, then, it looks like Facebook will continue to enjoy a steadily growing customer base -- even if it's full of unhappy campers.

Maybe I'm missing something.

Doesn't this defy all logic when it comes to customer satisfaction?

Maybe I'm just the "Reluctant Facebooker".

I know a couple of people in our house who are calculated in those 500 billion minutes mentioned above.

And they aren't all named Ross.

Nurnberg

Hangman Bridge

Church of Our Lady

Nurnberg or Nuremberg as we in the States say it, is in the German state of Bavaria. Nuremberg was significant during the era of Nazi Germany because of the city's relavance to the Holy Roman Empire and its position in the center of Germany. The city was chosen as the site for huge rallies held annually from 1927 - 1938.

At a rally in 1935, Hitler ordered the Reichstag to convene at Nuremberg to pass the anti-Semitic Nuremberg Laws which revoked German citizenship for all Jews.

During World War II, Nuremberg was an important site for military production including airplanes, tanks, and submarines. The city was severely damaged during the war and on January 2, 1945, in about one hour, 90% of the medieval city was destroyed by Royal and U.S. forces.

Despite the destruction, the city was rebuilt after the war and to some extent restored to its pre-war appearance.

You may be most familiar with the Nuremberg Trials where in 1945-46, German officials involved in the Holocaust and other war crimes were brought before an international tribunal.

Gothic Schoner Brunnen (Beautiful Fountain)

Konigstor Tower

St. Elizabeth's Church in the distance

Bridge over the Pegnitz River

We were only in Nurnberg for a couple of hours, but it is definitely worth a second visit if we get the chance. There is so much of this city we didn't see.

Independence Day

Happy 21st of July!

And that's about as much celebrating as you'll see here on Belgium's Independence Day.

When we asked our neighbors what sort of celebrations might take place - maybe some fireworks on the canal, a parade around the ring, a backyard barbeque, anything? They said "It's really just a day off from work".

That's it.

I did see some pictures of a parade that takes place in Brussels. Totally military. No beauty queens or Shriners.

The day actually signifies when Belgium gained their independence from the Netherlands in 1831. There was a revolution and, no surprise, it involved the economy, politics, and religion.

Does history repeat itself or what?

So, I'm sure Belgians appreciate their independence and apparently celebrate it simply by taking the day off.

Happy Independence Day, Belgie

Detour

On our way back to Belgium from Prague, we detoured a couple of times. Jim is famous for this and it always makes our trips more interesting and fun.

First, we drove through the town of Plzen and as it turns out , this is where the term Pilsner (as in beer) originated. The story goes that in 1838 the citizens of Plzen, Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) found their beer to be spoiled with bacteria and the brew masters of the town rolled 36 barrels of ale into the street, opened them up, and let the beer run through the main square of town and into the nearby river. After watching their work run down the street, the brewers decided next time would be different. Using light barley and Saaz hops, the new beer was the color of straw and light and refreshing, unlike the dark and heavy ales they were used to and the Plzen or Pilsner beer was born. It's pretty much been brewed the same ever since and the brand name Pilsner has become the common name for this type of beer which is probably the most popular beer in the world.

Next, we could see this structure from the highway and decided to try to find it. We did - at the top of a very large hill. It is Burg Leuchtenberg serving as headquarters for the Landgrave (a count having jurisdiction over a large territory) of Leuchtenberg since 1124. Views of the German countryside from the top are incomparable.

When I think of wine, I usually think of France, but Germany has some serious vineyards. Along this stretch of highway from the Czech Republic to Belgium, there are vineyards as far as you can see.

Next detour: Nuremberg and Wurzburg.

Fan base

Well, that's not entirely true. I do have a few people who occasionally read my blog, but it may be a stretch to call them fans.

I learned recently that I have a few more "fans" than I realized. They shall remain nameless, but one of them may or may not begin with a B.

Some have even read most if not all of my posts. Their location shall remain anonymous, but it may or may not begin with a T.

Interestingly enough I've also been visited by Eurocontrol Brussels whose aim is "to keep European flight safe, punctual, and that it won't cost too much - either for you, or for the planet".

And the European Commission whose mission is "to propose legislation to Parliament, administer and implement community policies, enforce community law, and negotiate international agreements relating to trade and cooperation".

Only once by both.

And a person I know well calls my blog therapy for me. Mentioning no names, it may or may not begin with a J.

Not sure if the "therapy" label is good or bad, but likely true.

So thanks for making sure I'm not the only one reading this stuff :)

Praha

Since it was Jim's 50th birthday, and since he's been wanting to visit Prague, we took a road trip for a long weekend.

The picture on my blog header is the Charles Bridge over the Vltava River in Prague.

Prague, or Praha as it is known in Prague, is the capital of the CzechRepublic and once the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. Formerly known as Bohemia and Czechoslavakia, the Czech Republic is bordered by Poland, Germany, Slovakia, and Austria.

There is evidence of prehistoric settlements as far back as the 3rd century BC so the region has a long and rich history and was a major power during the Middle Ages.

After the fall of the Holy Roman Empire, Bohemia became part of the Austrian Empire. And after World War I and the fall of the Austrian-Hungary Empire, the independent republic of Czechoslavakia was created in 1918.

After World War II, in 1948, Czechoslavakia became a Communist state and remained so for the next 41 years. In 1989 it became a liberal democracy and in 1991, there was a peaceful split of the country into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In 2004, both countries became members of the European Union.

History lesson is over.

And incidentally, Prague is quite literally the geographic center of Europe.

National Museum

Jubilee Synagogue

St. Vitus Cathedral

Atop St. Nicholas Church; Prague Castle in the distance

View of the city from Prague Castle

Crossing Charles Bridge

Old Town Square

St. Nicholas Church

Old Town; Tyn Church in the distance

Prague Municipal House

Just a city street

Powder Tower

I can only imagine their computer keyboard.

Although the Czech Republic is part of the EU, it has not adopted the Euro. Their currency is the kurona and this 2000 bill is worth € 78. So you can imagine it seems expensive when a beer costs a 100 "dollar" bill! We never really got a handle on the currency conversion.

It was quite warm in Prague on July 10 and I won't say it didn't take its toll on us. Despite the heat, we had a great time. Our hotel was super nice and prices are very reasonable for everything. Prague is a really beautiful city. Perhaps we can go back in what Ross refers to as "light-sweater-weather"! Maybe on my 50th birthday?

And just as Jim was stretching his long arm to snap our picture, a nice bystander asked if she might do it. Of course we said "ano, prosím a děkuji" :)

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday . . .

That's right. Frazier is one year old.

Today, July 16.

I can hardly believe it has been a year.

What a difference a year makes.

When Randi, Josh, and Frazier visited us recently, we had a little party to celebrate all the birthdays and special events for which we would not be together this year.

There will be a birthday party for Frazier tomorrow at his house.

Saturday, July 17.

Here's the invitation we got in the mail this week.

I can hardly believe Randi found this invitation and didn't print it herself.

First birthday, boyish blue, and a cupcake. A trifecta.

It is also hard to believe we won't be there to celebrate.

I'll be anxiously awaiting some pics and maybe a video.

Perhaps we will not miss too many more.

. . . to you. Happy Birthday, dear Frazier.

Happy Birthday to You!

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

We recently visited and stayed overnight in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. The Tauber is a river. This little town, founded in 1170, is quite "touristy", but it is really quite remarkable too. The entire town - and it's pretty big (16 sq mi) - has come together to keep the medieval thing going. Every store, every hotel, every individual house, every restaurant, everything in this whole town is quaint and beautiful. I can see why it was the inspiration for the town in the movie Pinocchio and is actually in scenes from the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

As you may have guessed, the city has endured a lot since 1170. It became an imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire in 1274. Fast forward past the Thirty Years War and the Black Death in the 1600's. In the 1880's it became a tourist attraction and laws were created to prevent any major changes to the town. Adolf Hitler found Rothenburg to be the epitome of the 'German home town' and was hailed as 'the most German of German towns'.

In 1938, all Jewishcitizens were expelled from Rothenburg.

In March, 1945, German soldiers were stationed in Rothenburg. Bombs were dropped destroying many homes, towers, public buildings, and 2000 ft. of the wall surrounding the city. The U.S. Asst. Secretary of War , John McCloy knew of the significance and beauty of the city and ordered the use of no further artillery in taking Rothenburg in 1945. In 1948, McCloy was named Honorable Protectorate of Rothenburg. You can even see an American flag in the town square in the video below.

The Town Square

Every street is like this

Here's another one

And another one

The entire city is surrounded by this wall

View of rooftops from atop the wall

Check out this Christmas store

Everything was "just so"

Schneeballen.

Basically strips of dough rolled in a ball, fried and covered in chocolate or cinnamon sugar.

Lekker.

While I was in the Christmas store, Jim and Ross were checking out the bakery across the street from our hotel. Jim had Winslow so Ross went in to purchase this huge loaf of bread.

It came in this huge shopping bag.

Jim asked him to find out more information about the bread since it seemed the town was famous for it. Ross asked the lady if she spoke English and she immediately said no, but called for her co-worker who apparently did. Ross asked to know more about the bread and she said in her best English . . . "it's, uh . . . . baked? . . . in a, uh ?? . . . hot oven". Thanks for the info and while that is pretty much right,

. . . it's actually called holzofenbrot and it's direct-fired in a wood-fired oven meaning it is baked on the same surface in which the wood has been burned.

It looked like a huge snickerdoodle cookie and tasted pretty good. Crusty on the outside and dense and soft on the inside.

The city park

As I said, it's a bit "touristy" and we heard more Engels spoken here than in Texas, but I want to go back and see this place again - with Randi - with snow on the ground - and with Christmas lights.