My Blog - revisited

Hello all,
and sorry for the shabby job keeping this thing updated. No photos this time, but plenty to tell to be sure. Lately things have been a little crazy and I have been working quite a bit. To be honest it is a welcome change, as a few weeks ago I was struggling just to get any number of hours accumulated. Now, I have the opposite problem and I think I like it - keeps me out of the pubs and money in my pocket.

I have been crazed by the travel bug lately as well. I discovered a website that, if booked far enough in advance, you can score really cheap tickets to ust about anywhere. I have already booked two trips for early next year. In February I am going to Catania, in Sicily Italy. It should be amazing and it only cost me 45 Euro. I found for the same price a round trip ticket to Palma de Majorca - a city on a spanish Island in April. It is so exciting to be booking trips to places that I never would have thought I would have the opportunity to visit.

I have been working for 8 straight days, and am scheduled for 5 more without a break. On Monday, the only day off anytime soon I will be trying something rather new to me - couchsurfing. On couchsurfing.com, you can join up and enter a community of world travelers that offer their couches, free of charge, to those passing through their respective towns. I have already secured a location in Munich on sunday night and will be relieved to be getting out of Garmisch, if only for a day, to explore Munich with a local. For anyone that may read this blog and would be interested in this type of thing, please sign up!

www.couchsurfing.com

Well, until next time, love to all and stay in touch!

Munich, the Klamm, and other freakishly cool shindiggs

This posting is dusted with photos from a few of my recent excursions - enjoy!

Okay, for those who may not already know... I have the greatest gig ever. I am currently working for the recreation department here at the resort. Today, I walked to work (in the rain) and clocked in around 8am. I then proceeded to get PAID to take a tour of Munich. I have serious reservations concerning the sanity of any person that does not like, nay love, this damn town.

We walked around for about an hour while I tried to contain myself. The architecture is simply amazing. Munich is one of those cities that I have only read about or seen on the travel channel. Now, having been there, I feel like I watched a travel channel special in IMAX... it doesn't seem quite real just yet. I was not able to take my camera because I was "working" but there will certainly be return visits.



I ate at the Hofbrauhaus during my visit. Great food, flawless beer... 'nuff said, as words are wasted in trying to describe the party that took place in my mouth. Afterwards, I had coffee and dessert on the roof-top patio of a cafe. From where I was sitting I could see the booming market, the Glackenspiel in the Marienplatz, and nearly every church in the city. AHHH, words failing me again here, so you will just have to wait until I can post some pictures of this amazing place.

Tangent: This is a look at what I see as I walk/ride to work every day:I love going to work these days...

Yesterday, I had an unexpected day off and decided to go hiking to a place called the Partnachklamm. The Klamm is a gorge that has been carved through a section of the Bavarian Alps. After I emerged from the gorge, I decided that the day was too pretty to be over with and hiked up a mountain and had a beer at the restaurant I found on the top.









The Gorge was impressive





















And the hike was tiring... but certainly worthwile!

Germany!

About a week ago I hopped on my very first plane and landed in Central Europe. The 18hrs spent traveling may prove to be the most anxious and exciting time of my life. Upon walking out of the Munich Airport, the air was cool, crisp, and clean... a welcome change from Charlotte. The bus ride to Garmisch was uneventful, that is until the shadows of the Bavarian Alps came in to view. Luckily enough it was a crystal clear day and I could see every craggy mountain-top in full detail. The other people in the vehicle with me were chatting and passing the time with no regard to the freakish natural beauty around them. Me, I sat silently, head upturned in awe at the treeless mountain tops sprinkled with waterfalls.


My first week has been nothing short of (for me) totally unbelievable. I have already taken a bike ride with my new roomie, Tom. We climbed one of the smaller mountains in Bavaria and visited King Ludwig's castle at Linderhof. On the way back we stopped at a monastery called Etal and enjoyed one of the beers that the monks brew there. On Thursday, only 4 days after my very first time in any country other than the U.S. I went on a tour into Austria and got paid for it. As if that wasn't enough, a few people invited me to Maastrickt, Netherlands for a few days. I accepted, of course. Maastrickt was amazing, as everyone in the city was wearing the most fashionable garb available. I was certainly out of place, not to mention very high... legally!

For the past few days now it has been rainy in Garmisch, and the city is picturesque as ever. This morning I woke up to walk out on my balcony and see that the Alps are now capped in snow... gorgeous!

Pictures will be available soon... and sorry for the long time between posts. This should become a steady thing now that I have settled in a bit.

Auf Wiedesehen!

Oktoberfest here I come!!

I just got in from Washington DC and thought I would share the news: I am soon be leaving for Germany! I had my interview for the position in DC yesterday morning. It went extremely well and I was offered a job... I took it. Now All this left to do is to:

Graduate in August (easy)
Work relentlessly (easy)
Pay off almost everything I can (difficult)
Stash away about 1000 bucks for my first month in Germany (impossible?)

I hate money. I suppose most people who don't have money feel the same way. I really just hope that something as useless and petty as dollars and cents doesn't keep me from this.

It certainly feels very good to actually have a plan though. Ambiguity is hard to live with I have found. Now that I know that the door to Germany is sitting wide open, I only need to be careful not to kick it closed somehow.

Ok I need food.

Wilson's Creek

Due to laziness and lack of time at home lately, these photos are long overdue...


We went to the Wilson's Creek area of the Pisgah National Forest last Sunday


There were more waterfalls and lagoons than you could shake a stick at














For once, it was sunny and the pictures nearly took them selves

Up's and Down's....

Life if full of 'em! Here's an example from recent days:

Wednesday was the first mountain bike race of the season! Woohoo, so I'm cranking around this 15 mile race course in 2nd place and feeling great. That is, until the chain pops off the bike and sets me face first in to the blackest dirt on God's green earth. Enraged at the situation, I actually pick up the bike a run it for about a mile before I found someone with the tools necessary to fix me up. Back on the bike, I end up in 5th place.... out of 5. But I did finish and get some points.

up, down, up-ish

After the race I cheer myself up over the idea of snagging a pizza and watching LOST with the crew. In the Little Caesars' parking lot I shred a tire on some metal monstrosity and change the tire while the pizza cools beyond enjoyable temperatures with the entire staff of CVS looking on. One guy actually said about 10mins into the operation: "Get a flat?"

I pointed at him and in the most candid ass-hole voice I could muster shot back: "you must be the manager"

LOST, once I got home and out of eye-sight of the damn car, was great as usual. I went straight to bed to prepare for a new, better day.

down, up

Untitled April Chowfest

Today is this month's potluck dinner and it promises to be a good one! As always, I am excited to have a day to do absolutely nothing at all.

This past week has been a little hectic. I found out on Wednesday that I had some 12 page journal due on Thursday. Got it done, but it certainly reminded me how I am ready to graduate.

Apart from the spontaneous paper I had to write, I worked the rest of the week away with a few bike rides in between shifts.

I have been listening to the Avett Brother's new album and little else. I love these guys. If you haven't heard of them I strongly encourage you to check them out.

Soon, I will have my mountain bike fully operational and will be racing again. My first race will be this Wednesday and I will post pictures of it as they become available to me.

No pictures in this one however, as I am too lazy

Emotionalism and other fun things

It has been a few weeks since my last posting, but I'm back!

Yesterday, a friend (Dustin) and I went hiking into Linville Gorge. It was a pretty long and tedious hike, but so worth it. The trail was deserted, as it had been raining off and on all day. This was perfect for me! I dont like seeing anyone else on trails - I hike to get away from people.

In any case, we checked out the falls and then headed into the Gorge itself. The hike to the falls was short and easy, so I took the camera along:





These were taken from the trail to and from the falls' area. I always seem to go hiking of the dreariest days possible...











I didn't take the camera down into the gorge because it started snowing. That's right, snowing. The gorge was magnificent! We are planning a camping trip in the near future.

As you get to the river at the bottom, you notice that the valley acts as a wind tunnel and the breeze becomes a gale.

There is a huge rock in the middle of the river that acts as a crossing point with the help of a few primitive log bridges built there. Standing on the rock itself is quite an experience with the rapids on all sides rushing past. I will certainly take the camera next time and let you all see it.


Now, the reason for the "Emotionalism" in the blog title is because it happens to also be the title of the newest album being released by the Avett Brothers on May 15th.

As an intern of a talk radio show that has had and will have the Avetts as guests, I got the CD today! Of course, I will be listening to this for weeks on end. So far I love it, of course.

Please check them out at www.theavettbrothers.com

Patrick Combs and Old Rag

Patrick Combs (you may have heard of him) is a normal person turned celeb. He cashed one of those get rich quick scheme checks that you get in the mail that have strings attached. Some how, he found some loophole and was able to keep the sum of 95,000 with no further obligation.

Long story short, we were to have him as a guest on the radio show on Friday, only he was nowhere to be found with about 3 minutes til air time. I get a message from the staff at Spirit square where we hold the show from this guys promoter/manager or whatever telling us to call him. So I do.

"I'm on my way to his hotel and am stuck in traffic and will not be able to get him to the studio for another thirty minutes" the overly excited Eric on the phone screams at me. Upon asking where this hotel is, I find that it is the Dunhill. For those of you that are familiar with Charlotte, the Dunhill is the oldest and swankiest hotel in Charlotte and also happens to be right across the damn street from Spirit Square. For some reason this guy needs a limo to take him a block and half.

I run across traffic, track him down, and drag him to the studio just in time to do the show. I receive many kudos from important people...





On a non work related note, I took a trip to VA with the little brother to visit family. We decided to go hiking and climb a mountain called Old Rag. The trail was no joke, and was nearly impassable. There were elements of rock climbing and rock scrambling. Very difficult, so very fun! Below are some pictures from the excursion, and I have about 60 of them. If you want to see them all, let me know.


Elevation at the peak= >3900ft

Beer Trinkin

The Flying Saucer, a local (and my favorite) watering hole in the University area has over 200 beers on tap. On Mondays, they offer each and every one of these up for $2.50 each. For the first time in a long, long time I attended $2.50 pint night at the saucer tonight, and realized just how much I have missed it. There are very few things better than an hour over an Oatmeal Stout and a group of friends after work.

During my break at work tonight I decided to call up some people and have them meet at the bar and enjoy a beer or two. Dave Miller, an old roomie and good friend, was first on board. He was followed by a few others; and we all met there around 10:30.

The bands that play at this place are always the same group of semi-talented musicians playing other band's hit songs - whatever, its a bar.

Of course, as the night goes on, I see many familiar faces stroll in the door and am soon greeted by them with open arms and a jovial hello. This is always nice, especially when you never get out anymore!

So, needless to say, I headed home a bit refreshed in more ways than one... hooray BEER (in moderation)

quick update

Thought I would update from earlier today:

- I actually got out and did a trail run for an hour
- Found out that even though I got paid thursday, I am already scraping bottom
- Got a raise at work
- Sink is clogged and I only made it worse whilst trying to unclog it



Looking forward to good warm day tomorrow... likely to ride around 50miles or so!

Motivation? Anybody?? Anybody? No?..... ok

For the last few weeks I have been doing quite well in terms of training and staying busy. Yesterday, I hit a wall that I am trying to climb today... with no luck so far.

Every month I organize a potluck dinner at the Bonnie Mansion (the nickname for the house we rent). Yesterday, we had "Potluck of the Irish" for this months' theme. It was a great, sunny, warm day and usually there is no way that I would even think about staying off my bike, much less inside all day. But this was potluck.... so I stayed in, ate a lot, and played games with the crew.

Although the potluck was good times I think it made me realized how much easier being lazy is; and now I don't want to be active again. Furthermore, and against my better judgment, I let a co-worker who is considering buying a road bike test ride my bike. This means that he is returning it when I go into work today and I do not have it to ride today. Soooo, I guess I'll do a trail run, maybe.

Round 2...

As some of you may know, my intent for last summer was to go to Germany and attend the world cup. While I do love soccer, the WC was only a reason to travel abroad. The dream of the Germany visit went up in smoke when I realized just how in debt I would be upon returning stateside. So, I stayed here and raced mountain bikes instead.

Well, I've got the travel bug again this year and oddly enough the destination hasn't changed. The means and circumstances may, however, be entirely different this time around. I have been made aware of a program that allows young US citizens the opportunity to travel to Germany and work in a world class resort as waiters and waitresses. Check out the link to the resort below:

Edelweiss Lodge and Resort

As you can see, this place is mind-blowing! I am sending off the application today and am hoping against all hope that they will admit me for an interview. If I get the interview, I know I can get the position.

The perks for working for these people are outrageous:
-$8/hr (US) plus gratuity
-Living expenses (room and food) only $30/mo.
-5 days on, 2 days off - with a paid weeks vacation after 6 months
-401K
-They pay for the flight(s) to and from the resort
-They have bike rides into the surrounding countryside (both on and off road)
-Just imagine the people I'll meet, the things I'll do
-Its in the ALPSSSSSSSS


So, here we go again. Destination Germany... round zwei!

Spring's Broken

Today marks the beginning of the end for my Spring Breaks, if you can call them that. The only time I have ever really took advantage of this week I have off from school was last year when the guys and I rented out a house in the Outer Banks. I suppose once was enough for me though, seeing how the other 51 weeks of the year I make it a point to take my own little (and sometimes large) breaks from responsibility.

So, instead of going to Panama City or the Bahamas or whatever else college kids do on the typical spring break you hear about on MTV, I'll be doing business as usual... as usually is the case this time of year.

I did the radio thing this morning and left with a certain feeling of importance. The radio show host, Mike Collins, and I talk pretty regularly and comfortably. At the onset of my internship, as I only assume is natural, I was very intimidated by the whole thing. However I have grown comfortable with the realization that the people running this show (so to speak) are no smarter, more talented, or more capable than me, just more experienced; and I'm glad to have always been a fast learner.

This afternoon, I went to Huntersville for my weekly visit with Dominic. Dominic is a 12yr old boy that was on a soccer team that I coached a few years back. After I quit coaching, his parents got in touch with me more than a year later and wanted me to train Dominic one-on-one. As it turns out, the kid looks up to me and had listened to every word I ever said to him as his coach!

It's funny for me to be in this position, as I remember the guys that I felt this very same way about; and it seems like only yesterday. Thinking about it now, "yesterday" was 10+ years ago... wow.

Conclusion? I'm 23 years old, a role model, and a key holder to a multi-million dollar studio in uptown Charlotte; and the best part of it all...

I still have no clue what I'm doing, and it's fun as hell.

Brilliant

Nothing too insightful to offer from this weeks' happenings, except for the obvious fact that I have no idea how to negotiate seemingly simple technical issues. For a while now, evidently, we have been paying for internet service that we have not been receiving. We have, for a good spell, had a dodgey signal at the house on our wireless network. Usually one would complain to the provider of the faulty internet service and schedule a service call. We are guys, we are lazy, we are what we are. So needless to say, no one was contacted. Today, after trying to connect to the internet (restarting my computer over and over) for around 3 hours unsuccessfully, I got angry and stomped upstairs to inspect the modem.

The damn thing was unplugged - and has been for quite a long time.

And by a long time, I mean months (we have been picking up a signal from some other source)

Brilliant.

A nice rainy day is just what the doctor ordered when you are my room. During a sunny weather spell the space I occupy closely resembles a battlefield in which the clothes seem to have put together a rather successful invasion strategy. It starts with my shoes. I have so many different shoes that I wear, depending on what activity I partake in - running, mountain biking, road biking, going to work, etc. Close to follow are the clothes that go with these activities. Typically it is the result of poor time management, I must confess. I usually get done biking just in time to take a shower, change, and run to work; and the clothes find themselves on the floor.

So today it rained and Dave, with nothing better to do, cleaned his room.

Rainy days can also become the catalyst for thoughts like "I wonder what Dad is up to" (ie, "I wonder if Dad would buy me dinner"); and with a simple phone call, I found out. We met at Cici's for a bite to eat and the usual debate on religion and politics took over and continued until well after we were done eating.

My Father, by brother, and I may never see eye-to-eye on these issues, but I am OK with that. In fact, I love this part of our relationship. No matter how different we see something, or how heated the debates get, it always ends with a joke, a hug, and a sincere "I love you".

No matter how much I love the outdoors, sunshine, an open stretch of road to ride on, or a trail to run on, my room and my soul can always benefit from a good rain day.

Ready, Set, Blog!

I have joined the ranks of the technologically savvy and created a blog!

I will try and keep this guy updated so those of you who may not talk to me on a regular basis can (if you care to) stay in the know on all things Dave. Please feel free to leave comments and let me know what you think about anything at all.