Shadow man

May 30, 2012

Still feeling like a shadow my former self, but managed to make it into the office today.

[sticker is on the wall next to my desk]

Crash and burn

May 29, 2012

Fever. Headache. Too much weekend. Sick day.

German style delivery pizza. An incentive to get better. Delivery food is in its infancy here.

Nice pontoon

May 28, 2012

Spending "Memorial Day" floating on Lake Tegel.

Lord of the Ring

May 27, 2012

First visit to the Berlin Philharmonic. Absolutely stunning. I can think of no better introduction to Wagner's the ring.

Conspicuous in Orange

 

May 26, 2012

First friend visitor. Strangely most of the day was spent with the three of us on laptops in the kitchen. (How nerds travel.) We ventured shopping for a bit to KaDeWe and then dinner at Little Otik.

Prater

May 25, 2012

One of the top Berlin beer gardens is 100 feet away from our apartment. Good beer. Eat beforehand.

Outback

May 24, 2012

All winter this was the icy nether-region of the apartment. Now it's been reborn as the Summer weather is here. A dry Riesling out here on a hot summer night hits the spot.

Am fried

May 23, 2012

I think I've hit my fill of traditional German food. Here's fried potatoes, with fried meat on top and then some fried egg over the top for ever more cholesterol and fat.

Good company though!

Loafing

May 22, 2012

Two things I never thought I'd own. A bread box and a breadboard. With the crusty breads here, cutting on anything else is just a mess.

Now when I play 20 questions I'll finally have an image in my head when someone asks if it's "smaller than a bread box".

Manchester Manhattan

May 21, 2012

So many stories shared. Need a cocktail. Finally equipped to make Manhattans. Sacred spiced vermouth and Bob's bitters (Abbotts blend) lend a decidedly English flair to the evening libation.

Shaping up to be another good week. I could get used to this.

Not so easy

May 20, 2012

Too nice and comfortable in Manchester. End with a family game of charades and lots of laughs. Time to head back. Packed week. Grateful for the rejuvenating break.

Made it home safely, if not all that comfortably.

A pair of 40 year olds

May 19, 2012

And I'm not referring to myself and my friend.

Feels good to put aside the stresses of the year and truly unwind. And try something decadent, like a blind side by side tasting of 40 year old ports. (Portal beat Taylors)  It doesn't get much better than watching soccer in the English countryside with a dear friend while while nibbling on cheese, celery, with sips of port.

Classic Friend

May 18, 2012

Spontaneity strikes. Good friend lives near Manchester. A call finds him available for a weekend visit. A Virgin train makes short work of the trip. 2 hours later we're giving each other a long overdue hug.

This is the friend that even after years of not seeing one another we both greet each other with the same magazine in our bags -- to give to one another.

Herringboned

May 17, 2012

There's a different fashion ethos in London. The kid with his red pants, blue deck shoes, scarf, and hat far too similar to mine brings back a memory from long ago when my 18 month old son was in the elevator in my arms wearing the same trendy sunglasses as another guy in the elevator. His girlfriend made the connection.

Elated about the day. Knockout meeting. On to the next round...

Blue Carpet

May 16, 2012

Plenty of meetings but the big one is moved out a day.  Invited to join team outing. Come across the opening of MIB3. The carpet is blue.

Late night dinner with tomorrow's audience. They will be tired but they like me.

Crunch time

May 15, 2012

Finland passes in an exhausted blur. Energy conserved for 30 minutes of showtime. For the briefest moments things become almost confusingly clear to the audience.

England bound. On a roll.

Finland Bound

May 14, 2012

A new week. An new opportunity to showcase the new material. It's off to Finland.

Forcing myself to wander new streets for a quick bite before the plane. I strike gold. A fast food salad restaurant. Just blocks from the house. The perfect antidote to the endless meals of pork.

A model Sunday

May 13, 2012

Reading the paper at Bonanza Coffee Heroes when an impromptu photo session starts up across the table.

Nice to have a day of down time. Although ebay.de and "jugendstil karaffe" turns up far too many tempting objects at truly bargain prices.

[Maybe staying in Mayfair rubbed off on me a little bit.]

Too many pounds

May 12, 2012

Struck by the materialism and consumerism of London. After three months of acclimating to the anti-materialism of Berlin, London feels a tad obscene. Ferraris, Bentleys, and the like are everywhere. My cab driver told me that in the month before Ramadan (June) the middle eastern moneyed class ships over their fleet of exotics and even further changes the landscape of the district.  According to the driver, a Rolls does not look right when completely chromed.

Picture Perfect

May 11, 2012

Big day. Presenting to define the future of Nokia advertising for 2013. The products under my purview need to come out on top.  2 for 2 this week.

Loved this Victorian motif monitor in the main waiting area.

Deep under

May 10, 2012

Nailed the day's presentation. Was the warm up act for Elop. Felt good to be telling our new polished story. Rehearsed so much I nearly lost my voice. (Not good)

Heathrow Express. Big day tomorrow.

Sunny Finland

May 8, 2012

24 hours of Helsinki. Most all of them daylight. It's a different country than the winter Finland.

Strip mall haircut is the lesser of two evils in preparation for the week's presentation.

Shirts

It's the little chores that remind me most that I'm living overseas.  A duo of talkative dry cleaning owners are pointing and commenting about several shirts in my pickup. I smile and say ok not knowing what I've just authorized, but they seem satisfied and tear the tag off and take my money. A joke is told where I feel I am part of the punch line but it's all in good humor.

I wait for the subway ride back to the apartment, dry cleaning in tow.

NKOTBSB

May 6, 2012

Late night after a business dinner. Walking back and passed a crowded corridor. Seems that it's the Back Street Boys after party. New Kids on the Block were around too. Who knew that those bands (brands) would still be able to draw a crowd. 

Hidden Destinations

May 6, 2012

I worked all day. Not quite 12 hours but close enough. Today's efforts brought a smile to my face. In recognition that Alex and I had created something good.

On the way to grab lunch, we passed a hidden restaurant. Tucked away in a courtyard. Never something you'd notice from the street yet so prominent once you know where to look. I had a colleague tip me off. Even with the power of the internet, word of mouth is the still best local guidebook.

Head swimming from discussions of art and film.

Blumen

May 5, 2012

A day of walking. It dawns on me as I pass the seventh micro-nursery in the space of three hours. These don't exist in San Francisco.

A friend commented that Berlin is a green city in so many ways. Overgrown gardens. And sidewalks brimming with plants.

Speak Easily

May 4, 2012

On Jan 13, I made a decision that has turned out to be far more impactful that I ever imagined.

It was time to visit my local speakeasy, and come bearing gifts. I arrived solo and was led to the last spot by the bar. A standing spot nestled in by the bartenders. I present them with the Rye which I'd brought over.

The looked at it and set it down. Few words were spoken. I asked them to make me something, Anything. Their choice. My hoping that they would crack the new bottle was in vain. They made a traditional old fashioned with the house Rye. It was good, but disappointing too. I wondered what it would have tasted like with the bottle I had brought. I asked for a second drink, this time a special one made with Rye. The Vieux Carrie. I was looked at with what I thought was mild scorn, and soon the bartender begun rummaging around under the counter for liquor not prepped for that evening. Another strike against me. Bottles materialized, and a drink was crafted, again with the house Rittenhouse rye. Holger, the scornful bartender, tasted it and made a face. And then poured it for me.

The drink was sublime. Maybe the single best cocktail I've ever tried. Complex. Savory. Aromatic. It had it all. Looking at the bottles they produced, revealed XO Cognac, Antica vermouth and exotic unknown bitters. When I asked why he made a face, he looked me in the eye and said it was his favorite cocktail in the world. He cracked a slight smile.

Empty cocktail glass in front of me, Holger tells me, "Now, it's time to try." Grappa style tasting glasses were produced, the bottle opened and the liquid sparingly poured into three glasses. The other owner, Goncalo comes over and smiles. "That was the longest hour and a half I've waited in a long time" he said. Holger explained that this bottle is legendary. Friends of friends have discussed it with them.  It's unavailable anywhere in Europe. With the 80 percent rye grain content is is authentic like a speakeasy would have served. He was savoring the expectation of the moment. We taste. He stops. Glasses down. He explains that it still needs time to settle after being opened. He smiles and cradles the bottle like he's rocking a baby. Goncalo sets out three small water glasses and fills them each with beer. The perfect accompaniment to the settling rye. It's time. We taste. They talk about their love for Rye, the good times they have had with friends over different bottles. They smile and laugh and share fond memories. They are beaming from the experience.

It's time for me to go. I've been getting tastes of everything now. Feeling fog-headed but also like an insider on the inside of the bar. It's good to be inside. My bill arrives blank with a large "Thanks" written on the back.  I discreetly fold 50 euro under the paper, we shake hands, and I set off on my short ride home. 

All in

April 3, 2012

Poker night in Prenzlauer.  That time on Zynga poker might actually come in handy.

Who knew losing could be so much fun?

Empty Wall

May 2, 2012

A milestone day. The rack in the hallway with the winter jackets is finally empty. Enjoying the warm Berlin spring weather. Time to unpack the shorts.

It's staying light out till almost 9. Working late doesn't mean biking home in the dark anymore.

Rays of hope

May 1, 2012

Life at work is feeling normal. Understaffed and without budget but normal.

Mom moved into a convalescent home. She plateaued and needed to be out of the short term rehabilitation center. It's nicer but with fewer levels of care. She's still not able to stand or walk on her own. Not sure she ever will.

Jane struggling to carry the load herself. Hard to be away and removed from her care.

In the hood-lems

April 30, 2012

May 1 is a holiday in Berlin. Apparently it's so the malcontents can demonstrate, and in some areas, riot. Here is our neighborhood 'Walgreens' boarded up on the eve of the excitement.