Lego Star Wars: The complete Saga

My two boys just love this game. I'm not sure how many of you have children, or for that matter play games yourself (this ones great for adults too) but this game is recommended. I am so impressed with the puzzles and game play. We are playing it on our Wii and there is a coordination factor to take into consideration.

If you're looking for a great gift to place under the tree for the whole family, this is the one. If you don't have the Wii, I love it and you should have a look.

I hope I helped with your Christmas shopping a teensy bit.

All hail Lego !

Chris

The Dust Has Settled

Now that the dust is settling, I thought I’d say my peace on the election. With such a media frenzy and, our little Blogosphere just bristling with election pieces I waited for a bit.

As I think about this election, my first question is, am I happy with the results? The answer is, not really. I don’t like Beiden and never have. So the idea of him as a Vice President does not appeal to me. I am also not a McCain fan, so this was and odd election. One where I was undecided for quite some time.

The nation definitely wanted change. I think many a voter truly had a quiet agenda to vote this way and not talk about it much. I am not happy with some of Obama’s associations of the past and am uncertain of his experience.

This all leaves me with an uneasy feeling for the future of the US. I am optimistic none the less. The American people made a decision and I support it. We the people have the power to make a difference, and I am sure Obama and his cadre know this and will do the right thing.

So we step into the future head held high, brave and sure.

Good luck and godspeed America. You decided; thats what’s important.

Whats The Status?

I haven’t been a posting machine this week and will try and step the pace up soon. The new job is good but has a steep learning curve. I have been honing my German and have spent the last few days translating technical documents from German to English.

Being a native English speaker saps your energy when working in a pure German environment. Don’t get me wrong, I no longer have to translate when speaking the language. I do think, and sometimes even dream in German. But in the technology environment there are literally thousands of technical terms you need to know and know well. I’m in management and attend many senior level meetings, and that’s when the jargon starts flying.

There are so many abbreviations for hundreds of departments, (the firm employs 240,000 worldwide) applications, tools and more. Not only do the abbreviations fly around, but country codes and other things too. Fact is, no matter how knowledgeable you are you’ll have to learn the structure, processes and procedures of the company first. You learn these and learn them fast; you’ll survive, and be successful.

Now I tend to have a knack for this kind of thing and can traverse my way around big organizations rather well. So if I miss a few posts, don’t despair. Once I get settled here in my new job I plan to try and get back to the regular three to four posts a week.

To all you loyal readers out there, Thanks. Thanks for the nice mails and thanks for hanging out with me in my little spot on the web.

Chris

Barrelhouse Jazz Gala continued

You could probably feel the excitement in my last post, good news, the show was truly wonderful. The Barrelhouse opened with some smooth classic tunes from Jelly Roll Morton and continued to entrance the audience into the night.

The beauty of the Gala is the moderation from Reimer Von Essen. He opens each classic tune with brief history of the song and its composer. He does this with such verve, it immediately sets a nostalgic, almost romantic atmosphere. Most of classic tunes are wonderfully arranged by Horst “Morsch” Schwarz, lead trumpet. In each piece you can hear the patient-care he takes to retain the original piece yet ensure the Barrlehouse flair is there too. Damn good.

The younger members (sadly a couple orig. members have passed away) Jan Luley (piano) and Michael Ehret (percussion) and Roman Kloeker, (Guitar, Banjo) bring a fresh buzz and beat to the cultured talent of the original members. Jan’s pianos solo’s and rolling rag time sound offer much to the Barrelhouse. Technically, Michael’s percussion work was almost flawless. He could come-out a bit more though. (Did I say that?)

The Gala was littered with great guests from the US. One such guest was the amazing 81 year old talent Red Holloway. Red comes from the roots of the American jazz scene in Chicago and has played with Billy HolidayMuddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Redd Foxx, Aretha Franklin,a nd many others. During this same period, he also played road tours with Memphis Slim and Lionel Hampton.

http://www.redholloway.com/

Next up was Gene “the mighty flea” Connors, famous for his virtuoso trombone. His subtle swing and warm voice rang the opera and engaged the us all. Gene 78, played with Ray Charles, Tina Turner, Lionel Hampton and Count Basie and is a charming talented musician with air of dignity.

http://fotowelt.chip.de/k/menschen-portraits/prominente/gene_conners/101944/

To be continued:

Barrelhouse Jazz party at the Frankfurt Alte Oper

Tonight’s the night! The Barrelhouse Jazz Band is in Frankfurt for their gala party in the beautiful Alte Oper, and we have tickets!

Susi and I have a baby sitter and we’re going to spend all night, and into the morning, listening to international jazz, swing and Blues.

The Barrelhouse (The Feature band) will open up the evening in the Alte Oper. The Frankfurt Alte Oper is an acoustic wonder. It’s all wood and eye candy. It seats thousands and every seat has a wonderful view of the stage. All the above make for a warm delightful atmosphere.

See pictures and more of the Alte Oper below:

http://www.alteoper.de/_en/indexstart.html

Later, into the wee hours, there will be jam sessions on all the floors and in the foyer. These exciting and informal sessions go strong into the early morning and feature the best names in the European jazz scene and some greats from the US also.

Just a note; the Barrelhouse received the key to the city if New Orleans and are one of the most respected German jazz groups in Europe. They have more than 20 Cd’s out and have been on the scene for many years.

See details at link below:

http://www.barrelhouse-jazzband.de/

I’ll continue tomorrow. I’ve got to run now, wrote this on the fly. Got to hit the shower and head off to Frankfurt.

Chris

Election 2008 - A groundbreaking election

I’ve been thinking about the presidential election this year and no matter what happens it will be groundbreaking to say the least.

If we elect McCain then we have the first female Vice President in the history of our country. In turn; if we elect Obama we have the first minority as president in the history of our country.

Either way this will be an exciting and groundbreaking election.

This should finally put an end to many issues in the US. Could this be the end of racism and the question of equal rights for women?

What do you think. Post a comment.

Chris

Soccer, (Fussball) The World’s Favorite Sport

I was at my boys soccer tournament today. It was great! I spent most of my time yelling and walking the field with the other dads (and moms). Here in Germany they take their soccer serious. We started at 13:00 and ended at 16:30. Three and a half hours of pure soccer excitement. My boys played four games throughout the day and it was so exciting, painful and fulfilling. They won one, lost one and tied for two.

My oldest, Emanuel is very good. The coach had him play in all four games without pulling him. He played two different positions. He did great! They asked us if he could play in a higher league. Sadly, he has music lessons at the same time of the F league. The times change after winter though. So next summer he’ll be in with the big boys. (can you tell I’m proud)

My little one, Alexander played well too. He is only four, so our expectations are within reason. He is playing as well as his older brother at that age though and is learning fast.

Overall it was a nice day and great sport for my sons.

All Hail Soccer!

Go Lindheim !