World Travels, One Vurdy Turdy at a Time

NFL Playoff Challenge - Standings thru Divisional Round

2010-01-17T19:36:00.002-06:00

1. Matt 145.68 (4 - Addai, Clark, Hartley, NYJ)
2. Bruce 144.64 (4 - Brees, Rice, Shiancoe, MINN)
3. Aaron 123.38 (1 - Colston)
4. Brian 99.48 (4 - Manning, Thomas, Wayne, NO)
5. Rufus 93.66 (5 - Favre, Peterson, Harvin, Longwell, IND)
6. Pat 68.04 (2 - Jones, Stover)

I will be e-mailing the spreadsheet shortly - please check my math and let me know if I have done anything in error.

Enjoy your MLK Day.

NFL Playoff Challenge - Standings thru Saturday of Divisional Round

2010-01-17T07:47:00.001-06:00

1. Matt 111.38
2. Aaron 106.08
3. Brian 82.54
4. Bruce 78.54
5. Pat 49.34
6. Rufus 28.00

NFL Playoff Challenge - After the Wild Card Round

2010-01-10T19:39:00.003-06:00

The number in parantheses behind each person is the number of players left for that team.

1. Aaron - 77.58 (4)
2. Matt - 76.08 (7)
3. Bruce - 56.96 (6)
4. Brian - 36.60 (7)
5. Pat - 36.34 (3)
6. Rufus - 12.00 (7)

Please check my math...I will send the spreadsheet out later.

NFL Playoff Challenge - Thru Ravens/Pats

2010-01-10T16:33:00.002-06:00

1. Bruce - 56.96
2. Matt - 32.88
3. Aaron - 31.10
4. Pat - 28.04
5. Brian - 17.70
6. Rufus - 12.00

NFL Playoff Challenge - Standings After Saturday's Games

2010-01-10T07:54:00.003-06:00

2010 NFL Playoff Challenge
Bruce 37.00
Matt 32.88
Pat 25.88
Brian 17.70
Rufus 4.70
Aaron 3.20

2010 NFL Playoff Challenge

2010-01-06T16:03:00.034-06:00

The draft is complete!

ROUND ONE: A. Peterson (Rufus), R. Grant (Pat), R. Wayne (Branca), M. Barber (Bruce), R. Rice (Stack), P. Rivers (Kup)
ROUND TWO: J. Addai (Kup), A. Rodgers (Stack), D. Brees (Bruce), P. Manning (Branca), V. Jackson (Pat), R. Moss (Rufus)
ROUND THREE: L. Tomlinson (Rufus), D. Jackson (Pat), M. Austin (Branca), S. Rice (Bruce), M. Colston (Stack), L. Fitzgerald (Kup)
ROUND FOUR: D. Clark (Kup), A. Gates (Stack), C. Benson (Bruce), P. Thomas (Branca), B. Celek (Pat), P. Harvin (Rufus)
ROUND FIVE: Colts Defense (Rufus), T. Jones (Pat), D. Sproles (Branca), J. Edelman (Bruce), B. Westbrook (Stack), G. Jennings (Kup)
ROUND SIX: F. Jones (Kup), D. Driver (Stack), V. Shiancoe (Bruce), N. Kaeding (Branca), T. Brady (Pat), J. Witten (Rufus)
ROUND SEVEN: R. Longwell (Rufus), M. Stover (Pat), Saints Defense (Branca), S. Suisham (Bruce), Chargers Defense (Stack), Jets Defense (Kup)
ROUND EIGHT: G. Hartley (Kup), M. Crosby (Stack), Vikings Defense (Bruce), J. Finley (Branca), Packers Defense (Pat), B. Favre (Rufus)

Honest to Blog? NBA Draft Time!

2009-06-25T18:37:00.019-05:00

Clippers, let's go, make the #1 pick already.

Seriously, 3:50 for Blake Griffin?

Laughing that Scotty thinks Griffin may tear both ACLs on the way down from the podium.

I'm thinking Memphis trades this pick. If not, they will screw their team even more and take Thabeet - poor man's Shawn Bradley?

Scotty commentary - Blake Griffin resembles a half black Wally Walters. So true, so true.

***6:43 p.m. update***
Praying GH drops to the Bulls at #16 - sucks that he won't go lottery, but I love me some Bulls!

***6:46 p.m. update***
With the #1 pick in the 2010 NBA draft, the Memphis Grizzlies select...I can't believe you took Thabeet!

***6:48 p.m. update***
Please OKC, take Rubio!!! That backcourt would be sick!

***6:52 p.m. update***
You had your chance, Sam Presti. You effed it up.

***6:57 p.m. update***
I am stunned at the idiocy as to how Tyreke Evans just went - he dominated Mizzou, but how do you not take Rubio? I hate SAC-TOWN anyway, but still...

If Minny is smart at all, they take Rubio and Jordan Hill. Have to.

***7:04 p.m. update***
I'm not sure that he comes to play, but man, this kid is talented. I think he is going to be a stud. Great pick, Minny!

I hope Sacramento likes watching Rubio in the All-Star game from 2012-2022.

***7:10 p.m. update***
You had the ability to take Steph Curry. You took two PGs back-to-back. What the eff?!?!?!?

I retract the last statement if this pick will be traded.

***7:16 p.m. update***
First shocker of the draft - Steph Curry is a warrior! Interesting to see how he will be paired with Monta Ellis. Great pick, GS!

***7:22 update***
Unless Jordan Hill gets traded, this pick perplexes me.

***7:27 p.m. update***
DeMar DeRozan - interesting - thanks for getting Tim Floyd fired.

***7:33 p.m. update***
Wow, Brandon Jennings? Interesting pick. Interested to see him as a pro.

I am predicting Terrence Williams goes to NJ - he is a black Andy Pitts.

***7:45 p.m. update***
Bittersweet for GH - I hope he doesn't get ruined by the terrible Charlotte franchise. I was hoping he would fall to #16 at the Bulls. We will miss you, Gerald.

Saltimbanco!

2009-02-07T19:48:00.003-06:00

So, as an early birthday present to my mom, my sisters and I pitched in to get tickets to take my mom to see the traveling production of Saltimbanco by Cirque du Soleil. We started our evening off with dinner at a local establishment ion St. Chuck called Lewis and Clark's. It was great! I had never been on Main Street in St. Charles before, and it was a lot of fun. Dinner was good and then we headed to the show.

Now, the last time I went to VEGAS with Steph and some other couples, we saw Ka. To be honest, I wasn't too impressed...it was just okay, and I had high(er) hopes for Saltimbanco. It was much better. There was a lot of crazy high-wireness and general fun...my mom had a blast, which is really all that matters!

For those that are unaware, I am no longer traveling to Bogota tomorrow, which is both a curse and a blessing. It's a curse because it will make the engagement a touch more inefficient because we will not be there in person, but luckily, the management team down there is amazing. It is a blessing because I am traveled out after 4 years of traveling; don't get me wrong, my job is sick, and I love the Mothership, but am ready to cut back on the travel schedule, which I will be officially doing during mid-February to a new team.

Overall, life is great...and, I am home for Valentine's Day for the first time in 4 years! (in 2006 and 2007, I was in San Francisco at P-DUB, and 2008, I was in Brazil for the Big M).

Have a great rest of your weekend!
~~M14~~

I'm a Moron

2009-01-29T04:06:00.001-06:00

So, I am taking an antibiotic for an infection that I have complained about to my doctor for, oh 4 years, that never clears up. Anyway, while I read the extremely strong warning labels on it that says DO NOT TAKE with dairy products (I can eat dairy products, but I literally cannot take the medicine with milk, for whatever reason and sense that makes because it somehow limits it's effectiveness), I also didn't see that it says to not drink any beverages with caffeine while taking the medicine because it exascerbates the effects of it. Now, those of you that know me pretty well know that I am an extremely light sleeper to begin with; the last two nights, I have awoken wide eyed after 4 hours of sleep and cannot go back to bed...hence, why I am posting at 4:09 a.m. and I have been awake since 1 a.m. I think I have a little bit of a cold and I conked out around 9 p.m. after a difficult Duke Blue Devils finish last night, but this getting ridiculous. I am not drinking any caffeine today (sad, I know).

China Recap and Coming Home...

2009-01-27T13:57:00.002-06:00

Day two of our trip to China was amazing...we woke up and were met by our tour guide, Maggie, at our hotel @ 8:30 a.m. She was very knowledgeable and first took us to Ming's Tomb out by the Great Wall...we got a lot of neat pictures and were able to see the tribute paid to the Ming Dynasty. From there, we headed to the Great Wall...amazing! Crazy cold, but amazing. It was a great experience. We hiked up quite a ways before calling it quits...my co-worker Chad made it all the way up!

After the Wall, we headed down for a ride on the van through the Olympic Village...we saw where the athletes stayed, as well as the Water Cube and the Bird's Nest (where the opening and closing ceremonies were held). After that, we went to a place called Dr. Tea where we had some tea tastings; it was very good and I brought some home...

We then headed to the airport with a lot of time to spare which, luckily, was a good thing, because our first flight home (which was the most critical to catching the rest), was delayed over 2 hours. Luckily, they found a partner airline to switch us to which still allowed us to make it into Hong Kong on time. We caught the rest of our flights and even got into London about 40 minutes earlier, which allowed me to catch an earlier flight home. I am still adjusting to the jet lag, but think I am getting back into the swing of things.

The photos above are just a glimpse of some of our trip...click the photos to the right to see more.

~~M14~~

Those Dang Mongolians!

2009-01-23T18:02:00.002-06:00

I arrived in China yesterday around NOON. After we found a place to store our luggage overnight so that we could avoid dragging it all over Beijing, we hopped in a minivan taxi and had it take us to our hotel. The hotel was pretty nice, and we were all long overdue for some hot showers after our 13 hours of flying from Melbourne - Hong Kong - Beijing.

We showered up, dropped of our bags, and headed to the Forbidden Palace and Tianamen's Square. It was amazing to see and, while it was equally amazing in its ridiculous coldness, well worth the time we spent. It's so amazing to be a part of the different cultures and areas across the world. The only unfortunate piece, similar to walking the Smithsonian in D.C. or other landmarks, is that it has all become so commercialized and touristy...we must have seen the exact same kiosk/shopping thing smack dab inbetween the Forbidden Palace and Tianamen's Square. And yes, I threw a shout out for Kenny and his people. For those unfamiliar, the Forbidden Palace is the old area where the emperors and royalty used to live, and this used to be completely off limits to the public, and has now since opened. Amazing architecture.

After this, we hailed some taxis over to a market highly recommended from some co-workers, Hong Qiao. This is located just east of the Temple of Heaven, which we drove by on our way. It was kind of like Bangkok inside of a mall. The ladies did their best bargaining on some purses, Greg had some people WAYYYY down on some UGG boots, and I got a few things that I hope Steph will like (including one thing for her classroom).

We are packed up and heading to a tour of Ming's Tomb and the Great Wall. It's about an hour from the hotel, so we are heading out now to make ABSOLUTELY sure we do not miss our flight to Hong Kong and make our way home. It is also the weekend of the Chinese New Year, so we want to make sure we get to the airport in plenty of time home. I have about 30 hours of flying ahead of me but can't wait to see my ladies!

Pictures to come later, maybe from the airport lounge...

~~M14~~

Back to Melbourne...wrap it up!

2009-01-19T16:13:00.003-06:00

So, we are back in Melbourne. We spent the last week in New Zealand. Chad and I arrived late Sunday night after a lengthy battle with our GPS. Fortunately, we came out victorious, but not before the GPS re-routed us back to the airport and then back to our hotel. Insanity...

The week was great in Auckland. Our facility was actually located in Pukekohe, a small township about 50 km outside of the downtown area. Fortunately, we were consistently going against traffic, which was nice. The area, as you can see from the pictures, is quite rural. It was nice being in a different element.

We had some teammates come over from Melbourne and spend the weekend with us. It was a lot of fun...we did a tour of the Waiheke Island; it was about a 40-minute ferry ride from the downtown pier. We toured three wineries and one olive oil area. It was fun...the last winery was amazing. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay much longer because there was a wedding coming ASAP. Oh well. I recommend Mudbrick Winery to all, if you can find the wine, from New Zealand.

We came back to Melbourne on Sunday evening. We are settling into the swing of things here. Unfortunately, one of our team members had to go back home for a family issue. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. It's the last few days before we close on Thursday, so things are about to get hectic!

~~M14~~

Finale of Sydney Weekend and Bridge Climb

2009-01-12T02:44:00.005-06:00

All I can say is wow, what an ending to the weekend! It was a great ending and I am so glad that I did the Bridge Climb...this post is pretty much going to be devoted that so if you hate me, bridges, bridge climbs, or any of the above, don't read it!

Chad (my co-worker) and I made reservations for the 9:05 a.m. climb on Sunday morning. We got to the site around 8:45 a.m. and milled around anxiously. At 9:00 a.m., we started the debrief. We got our sites on, signed our waiver of consent, and got fitted. Went through the rules, a basic climb training, and headed out. We had a guide named Dave that was awesome...a younger guy that was really funny and informative. Just as we started the climb, we walked right next to the Park Hyatt hotel on the Harbour; he told us that just a few weeks ago, the Prince of Saudi Arabia stayed in the Penthouse and brought his 147 pieces of luggage, along with jesters! Who has jesters these days...crazy!

We started our walk...and before we started the climb of the first of four ladders, we crossed the 'catwalk'; about 50 meters off the ground or 150 feet, where it was open grating below us...kind of freaky to walk through, as the water was underneath us. It was a little freaky.

We then scaled the ladders and came to the base of the eastern side of the bridge; we slowly climbed up and took in all of the amazing views of the city. To the right was the Opera House, and we kept climbing and climbing all the way to the top; the guide took any and all questions. Which reminds me...we all had headsets on, but not the headsets you are used to. Where you would have earphones, we had these things that went on where men (or gross women) have sideburns. As Dave (guide) spoke through the headset, it sent vibrations that radiated to our brain and we heard him. It was freaky...they actually said that it was developed by the US Army and can be used because you can speak so softly and still communicate. Weird.

Anyways, the group began firing questions at the guide; I, as my usual, took the smart-aleck approach of asking the guide why it hurt when I went to the bathroom. He then told the group, which was pretty funny. He pointed out some local landmarks, mainly an inlet that had three cannons just near the Opera House, but in reality, if all three cannons went off simultaneously, it would collapse the whole inlet. We also waved at a seaplane that flew overhead, and he 'waved' back by tilting the wings back and forth. We summitted as a group, about 150 meters (or 450 feet) above the ground...one of the photos you see is of Chad and I crossing the center of the bridge from the east to the west side to begin our descent. This was also frightening as it became very obvious how high up we were! We all crossed and began our descent. All in all, an amazing experience.

We had a quick lunch at Doyle's seafood afterwards that was delish; it was easily one of my best weekends ever with the audit team, and may have been the best ever, with Prague rivaling it very closely. It was a blast, and we had great weather.

On Saturday, we basically walked the city and went to Bondi Beach for some time there. We had lunch as a team before turning in early for the climb. I recommend the climb to anyone interested...while it was expensive, it was definitely worth doing once.

G'DAY MATE!

2009-01-10T02:09:00.002-06:00

Greetings from Sydney, Australia!

A large portion of our team elected to make the trek to Sydney; initially, it was only to be three of us (myself and my teammates Chad and Greg). However, some rainy forecasts in Cairns, Australia, re-routed two of my other teammates (Stacey and Bridgette) from their weekend snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef to join us. It has been a blast.

We got in last night around 7:00 p.m; it was actually nice, because, due to the timing of our flight, we were able to work a full day and then head to the airport. This was very helpful and were able to accomplish a lot with work yesterday. After we arrived, we took a short taxi to our hotel. We are actually staying in Darling Harbour at the Sheraton, which is the exact same hotel that I stayed in Sydney last March. What's better about this trip, though, is that I am here for a longer period of time, and the exchange rate is immensely better! Last March, it was about 1:1. Now, it's about 1:0.72, so things are a little bit easier.

We took it pretty easy last night; we had dinner on the Harbour, walked around a bit, and went to bed. I think I was fast asleep by about 11:30 p.m.

We woke up today around 9:00 a.m. and immediately did some sightseeing. We took off for a long tour of the city around the Harbour to see the bridge and the Opera House; it was cloudy in the morning, but turned into a beautiful day! We got some great photos. We then headed to the Rocks marketplace in Sydney and did some shopping. I am on the hunt for some Ugg boots! (not for myself, thank you very much) We then made the trip back to the hotel and changed clothes for the remainder of the afternoon at Bondi Beach, the most well-known beach in Sydney. We just got back from Bondi Beach and are taking showers and getting fixed up for dinner. We are going to have another dinner on the Harbour and then head to bed.

Tomorrow morning at 9:05 a.m., I will be scaling this. I am super pumped and really looking forward to the climb; unfortunately, cameras are not allowed, but I plan on paying an arm and a leg for a lifetime of memories!

On a final note, Stephanie got her bloodwork results back and she does indeed have a clotting disorder; for more information, go here. She is heading to a specialist next Thursday to get more information to avoid future miscarriages, but we feel a little better having an answer. On the flip side, it's hard knowing that things are a little more difficult and that we will be seeing high-risk pregnancy doctors, but again, knowing is better than nothing at all.

I hope to have a bunch of pictures posted tomorrow night. We lave Sydney in the afternoon and fly to Auckland, New Zealand, for the second week of the audit.

Cheers, mate!

~~M14~~

Welcome to Melbourne!

2009-01-03T21:46:00.002-06:00

I have arrived...albeit some VERRRY bumpy flights. The flight to LA was crazy bumpy, but that's ok. I guess that happens...trying to make sure I adjust to the time. Trying to find somewhere good for dinner tonight. The weather is amazing!

All my love to my girls at 4939 TMD,

~~M14~~

Leaving on a jet plane...

2009-01-02T16:02:00.003-06:00

238 days ago, I touched down in St. Louis with a big grin on my face, knowing that I wouldn't have to travel until January 2009. Wow, it's now January 2009. I am leaving in less than one hour for the airport to fly to Australia and New Zealand for an audit. It's weird...I am very sad to be leaving again, and it's almost like it's harder now than every before because I have become accustomed to working in St. Louis and coming home. Granted, the trips now are much better than they ever were at P-DUB, but it's still hard knowing I am not going to be home for 23 days.

I am excited about this trip as in about a day, I will be in warm, sunny weather in Australia. We will be in Melbourne for the first week of the audit, Auckland, New Zealand for the second week of the audit, and back to Melbourne to wrap things up. Five of us (Greg, Chad, Vanessa, Bridgette, and myself) are traveling to China post-audit to see Beijing and the Forbidden City, Tianamen's Square, and the Great Wall.

It seems like I was just recalling getting on vacation/holiday for Christmas, and now it's time to leave. I am excited to say that I most likely have only two trips left in this role with the Company, and then I won't have to leave my wife and the pups behind. I am extremely fortunate to have an amazing job with a great team/management, but it's hard leaving.

Please check the blog often for updates and photos. Much love to all...

~~M14~~

Mele Kalikimaka!

2008-12-25T21:34:00.002-06:00

I hope everyone has had a blessed and merry Christmas. I am at home, taking it easy because I haven't been feeling too hot lately. I don't know if I am coming down with the pre-cursor to a wintery cold or what...

My sister and her family arrived last Sunday; we actually spent the weekend in Chicago with Sarah and Scotty. Patty and Max came along and we had a great time...hung out at the house on FRI, and then went to the Museum of Science and History on Saturday, followed with some delish deep dish at Pizzeria Due , which is a sister restaurant of Uno's. We then braved the snow to the United Center to watch the Bulls beat the Jazz, and then headed back to their crib. On Sunday, we chilled and I did some super sneaky shopping for Steph, with the help of the wonderful Sarah. We then headed back and met up with my sister and her family.

It has been a blast having them in town; my other sis was in a few days earlier and returns from Murray, KY, tomorrow and we celebrate the Kupferle family XMAS. Hanging out with the family today and some observations about some other people and their Christmases made me realize the word 'family' has different and unique meanings for everyone. Some people, like my wife, have an extremely close bond with their actual biological family. Other people choose to make their friends their 'family' and rely on them for support through the difficult times. I tend to think that I fall in the middle; I have some great friends that can be some rock solid support, and I have some brothers and sisters that are amazing, along with their spouses and kiddos, and two parents that I know would help me along any step of the way. What's your DEF of family?

~~M14~~

Holiday Respite

2008-12-19T14:31:00.002-06:00

A much overdo post! Sorry all..it's been a while. Lots has been going on in our lives...to recap...

Nick was involved in a serious accident where an idiot meathead football player thought it was a good idea to jump him. If you want some details of the story (with some inaccuracies, click here. Nick is marking marked improvement each day...it was really scary for a while, but he is almost back to his normal self from a conversational standpoint. There are still some lingering headaches, but those, hopefully, will subside within the next month.

My sisters are coming in town from Vancouver and Baltimore/Charlottesville, respectively. Jill, Bruce, Luke and Noah actually came in late on WED night...we hung out with them at my parents house last night. Shelly, Steve, Christie, Alex, Elise and Nate are in the process of moving from Baltimore to Charlottesville as we speak. They are coming into town either tomorrow night or Sunday to spend some time with us at Christmas; this will be the first time they have been in for Christmas in 10 years! It should be a lot of fun. I am looking forward to all of the kiddos in the house...

We are leaving for Chicago tonight. Unfortunately, that means we will be missing the Bulldog Holiday Meetup at one of my favorite gems of the STL, Black Thorn's Pub. All of our Chicago friends should go there sometime for a pizza fix. We are looking forward to a fun weekend...Steph, Pat, Maxy and I are making the trip up to see Scotty and Sarah. We are going to the Bulls' game tomorrow night...no promises on any repeat Boggle performances.

Hope everyone has a blessed and merry Christmas.
~~M14~~

More Weekend Fun

2008-11-22T14:41:00.001-06:00

We were lucky to be graced with some visitors about 325 miles NE, the Theriaults from Chicago, who are staying with us this weekend to catch up with us and some of their other STL peeps. In addition, Krissy and Kenny have made the trip up from the Ozarks to take care of some biz and we will see them as well. Big doins for the TT-OU football game tonight...a mini-TSU baseball reunion at the Kupferle casa. Our heat is being suspect again, but I think I have semi-tricked the Comfortmaker heating/cool beast that resides in my basement. Major fingers crossed.

I am now off until December...crazy! Yet, my moronic self forgot to bring my passport to work yesterday, so I have to go in for a little bit on Monday in order to obtain my Chinese visa for my upcoming trek to the Great Well. Looking forward to some R&R with the pups...and resting my foot, which hurts because I lost my temper and kicked a chair. Terrible decision.

~~M14~~

It's the Freakin' Weekend Baby I'm About to Have Me Some Fun

2008-11-15T21:34:00.002-06:00

In the words of the great Missy Elliott, 'Hold up, Hell naw, like Britney Spears I wear no drawls'.

So, that should kick-start all of you to greatness; well, most of you know about our amazing week, but let's quickly recap. Our heat went out last weekend, and as an update, it went out again today! But, they came out with zero charge to us and fixed it; luckily, the last guy was just an idiot and missed changing out the brand new filter that he had brought.

In addition, the clutch went out on the lil' truck; they had two options to fix: a cheap and a more expensive. To make a long story short, the cheap fix did not work and the more expensive alternative had to be investigated. ETA on getting the car back: Tuesday.

Low key last night...cleaned the house, hung out at home. Today, Steph went out and tried on some bridesmaid dresses for a wedding that she is in this spring and finalized her decision. We then headed over to my parents for dinner and my bro and his fam were there as well. We more or less planned this family outing as my mom is heading to the 'COUV for giving thanks with my sis and her crew...my dad is most likely not going as he has a trial the following week. I think it's the civil case for the Nicole Brown Simpson trial.

Supposed to be going out tonight for a birthday bash, but its' freakin' cold out and snowy/sleeting right now...was definitely leaning towards no before, but now leaning towards maybe going for a bit.

Have a good rest of your weekend! Go Lady Dogs in Canyon, TX, tomorrow!

~~M14~~

A Case of the Mondays

2008-11-11T07:32:00.002-06:00

Yesterday ranks right up there as one of the worst Mondays ever; in all honesty, it wasn't terribly horrible, but it wasn't that great, either.

On Sunday, we realized that we were getting solid blasts of cool crisp air...while we had our heat on in the house. It got down to a nice 54 degrees, keeping the house nice and breezy. We had Air Masters come out yesterday and fix it.

To top matters off, as I am taking my dogs over to the in-laws because Goldie is shivering from the cold, the clutch goes out in my truck. Perfect! Thankfully, we have USAA roadside assistance as part of our car insurance package. We got the truck back late last night after a new clutch was installed.

All in all, a great day. Oh, and to answer any questions, yes, that is the Steak n' Shake right by our house. SoCo is ghetto...you better be tough, or else.

On this wonderfully beautiful Tuesday morning before work, where I can only wonder how awful traffic will be this morning, I better let ya go.

~~M14~~

In the Words of Puffy, Vote or Die: 2008

2008-10-31T17:11:00.003-05:00

Yea, I will always call him Puffy. I don't care if you call him P. Diddy, he is Puffy to me.

The election...wow, it really is here on Tuesday. I have spent a lot of time trying to make an edumacated decision on who to vote for in the 2008 election. By the way, good luck trying to teach me who to vote for on basically anything else, as I am clueless. I just found out that Jay Nixon was a DEM. Anyway, most people, including my father-in-law, would lead to assume that being from a middle class, white family, with a dad that's a lawyer, as well as working for a 'big business' type of Company, I would be a hard-core conservative right winger. Not true...in fact, as sad as this is going to be to admit, this is my third Presidential election that I have been eligible to vote in, and the first time I will ever cast a vote. I do suck, I know. But, I am completely open-minded and am willing to consider all sources; I have friends that are hard-core DEMS, and I have friends that are hard-core 'PUBS, and I have made my decision, and here is what platforms I evaluated my voting decision on:
**Abortion
**Iraq War
**Fiscal Platform
**Social Platform
**VP Candidate
**Presidential Candidate

Settle in kids, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

***ABORTION***
Ahh yes, it seems just like yester-year when my mom would take me to PRO-LIFE rallies and we would sit on the side of the road and wave signs and people would honk back. Oh, the right-wing conservative days. Here is what I do know; as a person who comes from a family of miscarriages, and as a husband that has gone through miscarriages, I am going to call BS on anyone that tells me that 6-week old fetus wasn't my child. I think the biggest problem I have with pro-choice group is arguing what 'life' constitutes. And I can tell you, from personal experience, it was a baby when we saw that word 'PREGNANT' or that double pink line let us know we were pregnant. Heck, it was a life even before that. So, arguing what 'life' is and that it is a woman's right because it isn't a life before the second trimester is crap. However, and this is where many family members may be shocked with me, I think God gives us free will to make decisions. If I want to attack someone with my block of kitchen knives, I can, but I am going to pay one heckuva price. Similarly, I do not support abortion at all as a correct choice; I think it's moral irresponsibility to willingly end a fetus because you weren't thinking clearly. When you accept the decision to have sex, you accept the consequences, too. Don't argue with me that a 14-year-old doesn't know that, which does fall on everyone as educators to teach kids about sex, a taboo subject in the great U S of A. Do I think there are exceptions? Absolutely, but I don't think an exception is irresponsibility. What I do believe is that God gives us free will, even if that free will leads to a horrible decision. And when we make those decisions, we will be held accountable for those decisions at a later point. So, while I think the choice itself is incorrect, it's not my body, it's not my temple, it's someone else's, and restricting that choice, in my mind, is wrong. That is why I am pro choice. POINT DEMS

***IRAQ WAR***
Let me be very clear: I think there are egregious errors that we have made along the way. I think some of the catastrophes of this war could have been avoided. I am not arguing for past regimes; what I am arguing for is a solid exit strategy. I don't agree that with McCain that we should be there forever; I don't agree with Obama's strategy of getting the hell out of there ASAP. I guess I fall somewhere in the middle, and I think we still have a lot to accomplish. With that being said, I am siding with Mr. McCain on this one. POINT PUBS

***FISCAL PLATFORM***
This is one that, because of my ties to the business world, is a landslide victory for the PUBS. I am not saying we need gigantic tax breaks for all big businesses, but Obama's thoughts around socialism make me sick. I busted my ass through five years of school, got an undergrad and Master's, and a CPA, without a whole lot of help from my parents. They helped when they could, and for that, I will be forever grateful. I am the only one of the four Kupferle siblings to have their own car, which occurred during my junior year of college and represented a 1995 baby blue Ford Taurus with 110k miles. Was it a car? Yes, and something none of my siblings had. The point being that I made myself who I am, and I had siblings and parents to keep me in check and tell me the value of an education. What I have worked so hard to attain does not make feel good when you are telling me I have to give some of that paycheck back to someone that hasn't worked just as hard. Yes, I know there are other examples, and I have made some generalizations, but this one isn't close. POINT PUBS

***SOCIAL PLATFORM***
This one, I admit, is a big point for the DEMS. We are in a lot of trouble if we don't start focusing on the energy crisis. Does anyone else think that it's weird that it is Halloween today and almost 80 degrees? I do, and I don't think that is without rhyme or reason. We need to be subsidizing farmers for the ethanol campaign; and while I am not totally sold that ethanol is the cure, due to the large inefficiencies that are had when making ethanol based fuel (switchgrass and sugarcane might be better long-term options), we can't ignore this. I don't want my grandchildren wearing gas masks like the Chinese with a forecast of 'SMOG' everyday because of all of the pollutants. POINT DEMS

***VP CANDIDATE***
First off, Joe Biden is a freakin' moron. I know he has gone through a lot in life; shut up. That has nothing to do with him being a VP; his famous quote about watching FDR on TV is priceless. Spin it how you want, he is an idiot. But, there is something funky about Palin. Call me hoidy toidy, but I don't want a soccer mom as my VP, or, with McCain's old ass, my president. I want a freakin' rockstar as my president, and while I am there to support a woman if she has earned it, wasn't this just a ploy by the 'PUBS to capture some votes? This was really the best you could do? POINT DEMS

***PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE***
I like that McCain is a former POW; I like his military experience. Other than that, he is okay, a little old, and who knows if he would make it another term. Here is the thing: Barack scares the hell out of me. This has absolutely NOTHING to do with the Bradley theory. First of all, are you a Christian or a Muslim? Just pick one and be consistent. If you are a Christian, why did you belong to such a radical jerk that was so reverse-racist in nature? And secondly, why do you keep accidentally dropping Muslim bombs (pardon the pun) on us? And you know what, yea, it does scare me that he is Muslim. Call me whatever you want, but they freak the hell out of me. Now, not all Muslim's do, and I have worked with many Muslim's at work that were outstanding people and couldn't be nicer. Next, why can't you be more transparent with where your funds are coming from? Transparency is big to our Company, and if you are getting it from X, Y, and Z, just tell me who they are. All I want to know is how you raised $35.5 million in a month...when you keep backpeddling, it scares me. Lastly, with all the whack jobs in the US, what would happen if someone took out Barack? Would we have a racial/religious holocaust like never seen before? This isn't really a reason not to vote him in, but it does scare me and frightens me for our country. POINT PUBS

So, I think that's 3:3, but the deciding factor to me is the last one. I think Barack is an unbelievable speaker with a great presence and, I kind of want a political party change just to see how things would shake out differently. But there are so many question marks, and so many things that make Barack appear anti-American (not that he actually is, but appear), that I am voting for John McCain in the 2008 election.

All thoughts and comments are appreciated.

~~M14~~

22 days

2008-10-27T18:49:00.004-05:00

22 days since my last post. I totally suck. Let's recap (quickly) what's happened in the last 22 days....

I ran a marathon; it was really long and hot, and I was slot and fat, but I finished. Much love to all who donated...I raised over $2k. Team CARE raised over $200k for the Alzheimer's foundation. That rocks, and you guys rock. I also realized I have great friends, some that drove all the way from Osage Beach, MO, and from the STL just to watch me run a silly race. You guys are awesome; thanks for the support, it really did help.

I went to Las Vegas; it was awesome. I am going back for my birthday; that will be awesome.

I went to Truman for recruiting; it was awesome. We found a lot of good candidates for internships.

My brother-in-law plays his last collegiate soccer game on Sunday...seems weird looking back on my career ending. I hope he enjoys the last 90 minutes.

I found out today my brother-in-law had a major health scare; turned out to be relatively minor, but an EKG and stress determined no heart attack. Still scary...if you are a prayer to the Big Guy upstairs, throw the Mertz's some love. They are in a crazy time right now and this does not help.

~~M14~~

Front Landscaping Project and One Last Longer Run Before the Marathon

2008-10-05T16:20:00.005-05:00

This is a picture of the house 2.5 years ago...Ugly trees and shrubs be gone! The next is the house after we had the wall put in, but before we had any landscaping. The last three are of our work today; in there you will see some rose bushes, some laropes, a sky pencil, a Japanese maple, some mums, and some bamboo.

So, we did some landscaping this week. As you may recall, we had a professional come in and put a landscaping bed for us, as this was way too big of a challenge for me and Steph. We finally got around to filling the bed this weekend. After a lot of hard work from Steph, and a little bit of help from Pat, we got it finished up this weekend. Take a look and tell us what you think! Do you think the house has changed a little in 2.5 years?!?

Got my last long run in before the marathon...8 miles today. Not terrible, but not fantastic, either. One or two more quick jogs before the big race a week from today! I am excited and nervous at the same time.

Talk to you soon!

~~M14~~

Weekend Landscaping Project and a Little Running

2008-09-28T21:04:00.006-05:00

Some of you may know that we created two landscaping beds in the backyard; we just bought some basic pavers from Lowe's to create the beds, digging out the grass and burying the pavers

to create an edge. We did this about a month ago and got around to buying/planting Friday and Saturday, in anticipation of buying/planting our landscaping wall that we had professionally installed in the front off of the front porch.

Well, here are some photos of our work; nothing too crazy...but we were impressed with ourselves.

Got a 10-miler in today...knee was in bad shape (partially could have been due to all of the landscaping and cutting/string trimming the lawn)...so excited to be done with running for a while in the future. It was hotter than heck outside and I cramped a little when I was done..I should have taken more water while I ran. Two weeks to go...

~~M14~~

Did I say knee pain? I meant knees, plural.

2008-09-26T16:36:00.000-05:00

Went for a jog today, and my left knee felt better. Oh, but my right knee started to hurt today. This basically means I am too fat for running. I hate my knees for hating me for being overweight.

16 days until the marathon!

Knee Pain, Training Wraps Up, and Sunday Musings

2008-09-21T16:25:00.002-05:00

So I have been going through some knee pain...some may have seen this via Facebook, but it conveniently popped up during my heaviest training week. The book I am reading by Hal Higdon, marathon guru, said this might be possible, but I think I just ignored it and hoped it wasn't true. A felt a tweak on the outside of my left knee cap at the end of a 5-miler and ran through it on Thursday's 10-miler. I was scheduled for my 20-miler today, but at 18.25, I had to call it quits; my left knee was literally collapsing from weakness/pain...yea, it sucked.

Well, now I begin my taper for the marathon, and I couldn't be happier. I don't think I realized how much time this would take; I mean, I knew it was a lot of running, but I think I naively just thought it be easy to block off 3.5 hours on a weekend for a 20-mile run, along with the 10-mile midweek run. 3 weeks from today, hopefully, I will have finish my first marathon. It could be my only one, too.

That's about it...I think I have done a decent job of following the election. What cracks me up is how intense people, from clearly such obvious party lines, blatantly ignore the criticisms of their own party. I get that a lot of people choose one party and stick to it, and as a person that has never voted before (feel free to criticize), I probably should not say anything. But seriously, both the DEMS and the REPUBS have such serious, major flaws that's its laughable to just rip one party as stupid. Both have major policy flaws, and to be honest, can try to push through certain acts and bills, but people, GET REAL. Abortion is not going to be repealed; some things around it may change, but I don't think Roe v. Wade will be overturned. Also, Obama, make up your mind...are you Christian, or are you Muslim? I saw you, in a live interview, say you were Muslim. I can't ascertain which one you are...part of that old crazy whack job church (which has honestly set the thought of church so far back, regardless of what faith you are, 100 hundred years), or part of the other which had an extremely radical group of your religion blow up the twin towers, and most recently, form an attack during Ramadan in Pakistan? I just don't get it...but, things are about to get interesting!

I'm Covered in Paint

2008-09-06T17:18:00.002-05:00

So, I'm sitting here covered in paint; which is actually a good thing, because our garage project is finished! I am going to be glad to returning to parking our cars in the garage. I will try and post some pics soon...some of you know what it looked like previously, but big shouts out to Pat S., Beth W., and Jon P., in addition to my lovely wife, for all of their hard work in insulating, dry-walling, adding a wall, crown molding, and painting the garage. It looks great.

We made our annual lake trip a while back, which I forgot to post about it. It was a lot of fun; the only down side was the weather, which was very cloudy with rain in the forecast. However, on the flip, we did get to take a trip in the boat to see a bunch of cool luxury homes and some work Krissy was doing. I had no idea about some of these homes at the Lake, but it was insane.

Still going strong on marathon training...tomorrow marks 5 weeks to the day that the Chicago Marathon kicks off. I have an 18-miler tomorrow, which is my second longest run before the marathon. We will be heading up to Chicago in a few weeks for Cards-Cubs and the Nike Ready to Run 20 miler, which is the culmination of my 18 weeks of marathon training. Kind of crazy that the marathon is almost here...if interested in donating to my cause, let me know.

My sisters both came to town before/during Labor Day, which was great. Shelly, her husband, and their four kids stayed with us while Jill, Luke and Noah were in town and stayed at my mom and dad's as well. It was great to see everyone, especially since we had just seen both pretty recently!

Oh yeah, and we are going to Vegas soon...totally excited!

~~M14~~

Long Time, No Blog

2008-08-16T10:09:00.003-05:00

So, let's see where we are today...

It's been a while since my last entry...my apologies. We had a great time in Vancouver visiting my sis and her family...the kiddos were a blast.

Still training for the marathon...postponed my 15-miler today until tomorrow...semi nervous to see what the challenge will bring. Kind of crazy to think that the race is less than 2 months away, and that I have been training for 2 months straight.

Other than that, not a whole lot else is new...we had some more landscaping work done with a retaining wall added off of our front porch. We need to fill the retaining wall with some flowers/grasses/something of color, which we hope to have completed by September.

My sisters are coming back into town in about a week...should be a good time. Looking forward to the MU-ILL football game as well.

Talk to you soon.

Greetings from Canada!

2008-07-28T18:07:00.001-05:00

Hello from the great Northwest!

We safely arrived into Vancouver on Saturday evening around 7:00 p.m; we had no problems with customs (we still have not amended Stephanie's passport for her new last name), and really had more problems checking in at the American counter in St. Louis than in Canadian customs. We will see how it goes on the way home. Anyways, after a lengthy ordeal in just getting our bags, where it seemed as though the baggage handlers took a break midway through, we finally received our bags and made it out around 7:30-ish p.m. Jill (sister) was there waiting for us and we made our way to their home in suburban Vancouver (Pitt Meadows).

Their house is gorgeous! They live in a community that is very Pleasantville-esque, with almost cottage-like style homes in their subdivision. It almost seems like we should be on the beach somewhere, and the temperature feels like we are on the beach! I don't think it has gotten above 75 degrees once, which is amazing for late June! We just kind of hung out at home once we arrived, which was around 8:30 p.m., played with Luke (Noah was already asleep), and caught up with Jill and Bruce.

On Sunday, we took a trip to Capilano Suspension Bridge, which was fun and scary at the same time. Luke had no appreciation for how scary it was! The picture at the top is of the bridge, and we did not bring our camera cord, so photos will be uploaded later. We played on the mini-suspension bridges and walked around and had some lunch. It was a lot of fun.

Today, we went to Golden Ears Provincial Park and Alouette Lake. It was beautiful, and we had a gorgeous day to go. Luke and I skipped rocks across the lake for quite a while, and Noah was very content to watch the kids swimming in the lake and dip his toes in the water. We had some great views of the mountains as well. Luke and I played catch and we headed home, slurpees in hand, before watching The Bee Movie with Luke while Noah took his nap.

We are about to head out shortly...Luke and Noah have swim lessons and I need to pick up Bruce at the train station before we meet everyone for the lessons. We are having a great time up here! More blogging with future adventures...we return back to St. Louis late on Thursday night.

~~M14~~

The Weekend Ahead...

2008-07-16T20:13:00.002-05:00

So, we are going to the CHI this weekend. We are looking forward to our trip. Friday, we have some IKEA and Batman planned. Saturday, we are probably looking at some shopping, a run, and a nice seafood dinner with some board games mixed in. Sunday, just a lazy day with Scott's baseball game and either Portillos or El Norte potentially before we head back.

Then, I am home for a big financial conference that we have next week. We have approximately 175 worldwide leaders coming in for a week-long event. It will be good to catch up with some of my past auditees...let's hope they don't hate my guts.

Other than that, not too much is going on...marathon training is still going. I am in week 6 of 18.

Talk to you soon.

Grrr...

2008-07-12T09:42:00.002-05:00

So, I got all jazzed up to go running this morning and put in my 10 miles when I realized...I have no car keys! We dropped of the Murano at our local Independent Tire Dealer yesterday to get some new tires on the Murano (btw, why do tires cost over $800 to replace on your car?) and in a frantic dash to make a Friday night wedding @ 5 p.m., Steph either picked up the keys and kept them, or they are still at our local ITD.

So, while I wasn't too jazzed about a ten-miler in the first place, I need to get it in to get my training going. And, we have another wedding to attend to today, so if I don't hear back from the lovely wifey within about 15 minutes or so, my window to go running is outta here. Looks like I will have to get that in tomorrow.

Other than that, not much is new...very excited for our next two weekends, including my first foray into Canada.

Happy Birthday to Luke and Noah!

~~M14~~

Random Tuesday Blogging

2008-07-08T22:40:00.004-05:00

So, what is new...

We have decided to insulate and drywall the remainder of our garage. It is looking good...thanks to Pat S., Dr. Beth, Steph, and Jon. It is going to look about, oh, 1000% better than it previously did.

We have a double wedding this weekend...one on Friday, one on Saturday. I don't know the people on Fri (teacher friends of Steph), but I am sure both will be fun.

We are going next weekend to the CHI, and TOTALLY looking forward to it. Love me some quality time with the Theriaults, pretty much two of the sweetest people ever. I am sure we will theapeutically do some damage at IKEA.

Going to see my sister and her wonderful fam the following weekend in Vancouver for 6 days...totally excited!!! I have been to Canada kind of on our honeymoon...we were in Victoria for like 3 hours. This promises to be much better.

My oldest sister Shelly is on Facebook. If you know her, be her friend! She is awesome!

Talk to you soon...oh, and marathon training continues...

~~M14~~

It Feels Like Sunday Mornin'...

2008-06-29T10:32:00.005-05:00

Yo yizzle...

Not a whole lot going on in our lives besides some home improvements. We had a new roof put on this week, finalized on Thursday. We also had some trees (magnolia, evergreen), taken down in the yard. The guy did a good job (mad props to Double B) and was very reasonable, so if you are looking for something like that in the future, holler back. We also had a french drain put in on the side of our house where the sump pump empties due to the proliferation of water that has been coming out there. All signs are looking positive so far in that area.

So...after spending a big chunk of savings, we have a few more projects for the house outside. First, we need to landscape our newly self-installed flower beds in the back. Secondly, we are going to have a brick mailbox installed with some planters on both sides. Lastly, we have a retaining wall that is going to be put in just off of the patio in the front. I think we can take a big deep breath after that for a little while :)

Not much else is going on...marathon training is going well. Through three weeks, I have hit 11/12 runs, so I am happy for that, and the run I missed was a short 3-miler while we were on vacation in NYC/Boston. This week, the weekend mileage starts to ramp up significantly...does anyone have fun plans for the 4th in the STL? We have none, so we are open to all ideas and suggestions!

Keep the folks nearing rising floodwaters in your thoughts and prayers...the pic at the top is from Cedar Rapids, IA, where one of our audit teams was.

~~M14~~

Trip Recap

2008-06-24T19:44:00.004-05:00

What a great trip! While it is difficult to put in a few short words, we had a blast in both cities...

Wednesday, June 18th -- We flew out with Pat very early on Wednesday morning on the 6:00 a.m. flight. We arrived without any delays on time into NYC and quickly took a car service to our hotel in Times Square. We beat my sister and her family and Morgan in, so we walked around Times Square and waited for their arrival.

My sister and her family arrived after a 5 hour drive from the outskirts of Baltimore, MD, and we met them and walked around. We made a quick stop at the world famous M&M museum on Times Square, as well as some quick jumps around town. Morgan arrived shortly thereafter and we took off for the Empire State Building, which was about 10 blocks away. We made and it with our pre-bought tickets (thanks for the great advice, Steve!) we had a pretty short wait on the way to the 82nd floor. We got some amazing views of the city and headed back to Times Square.

That night, Steph, Pat, Morgan and I headed to take in Yankee Stadium, as it is being torn down at the end of this year. It was pretty cool to see where a lot of famous baseball greats have played. After the hour rain delay, we saw a decent game without a true rooting interest between the Yankees and the Padres and then headed back to the hotel. It was a fairly early night as it had been a long day for all.

Thursday, June 19th -- We got up early and headed to South Manhattan for a visit on the ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. It was pretty neat to see both; I didn't realize that the Statue of Liberty was actually on a platform of some kind. Ellis Island was pretty neat and it was amazing with all of the statistics and photos that are there. Hard to put into words.

From there, he walked past Wall Street and headed to Ground Zero; currently, it looks like just a big construction zone. There was a really cool bronze mural on the side of one of the buildings commemorating all of the fallen NYPD and NY Fire Department workers that were slain in the rescue attempts.

Then, we took the Subway back to Times Square and went up to Central Park. It was really neat and we luckily had a fantastic day, and there were people everywhere. There was also some kind of softball league between the different performing Broadway shows, which was pretty neat.

After that, we had some dinner with my sis and her crew and said our goodbyes as we grabbed our luggage and headed for our transporation to Boston. We arrived to the hotel around 11 and had some drinks at the hotel and went to bed.

Friday, June 20th -- We got a belated start to our day and made our way to Faneuil Hall, which is kind of like their upscale marketplace with street performers and stuff. We walked around, saw Cheers, and messed around before taking the Subway to Fenway.

Fenway was awesome. First, on our way there, we got passed by an enormous charter bus and limo, which turned out to be the 2007-2008 champion Boston Celtics. We saw a few get out and they were enormous. We headed inside, where the Celtics paraded around with their championship trophy during the 1 hour rain delay before the game.

The stadium was pretty sweet with all of the history and great players there as well. We were fortunate enough to see a well played and tense 5-4 Cardinal victory. After the game, we went to a nearby bar, where I promptly managed to offend a local Bostonian female by calling her uneducated. She then preceded me to harass me around the bar until it closed. We then made it back to the hotel unscathed.

Saturday, June 21st -- Not much time to do anything except get up and take a taxi to the airport. It was a great trip and I would love to go back to either city, as we didn't get to see a bunch of things, for that I am sure.

Some pics from our trip...

2008-06-22T21:07:00.005-05:00

Statue of Liberty
Yankee Stadium

From the top of the Empire State Building

Us from the top of the Empire State Building...

Longer blog post later...NYC pics are up now, Boston will be uploaded tomorrow.

~~M14~~

Heading to the Big Apple Tomorrow!

2008-06-17T12:25:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow, we are heading to NYC with Pat and Morgan, and meeting up with my older sis's fam! We are really excited...tomorrow, we plan on making a trip to the Empire State Building and Central Park, and then we have tickets for the Yankees game tomorrow. For those that are not aware, this is the last year of historic Yankee stadium.

Wednesday, we plan on doing the southern Manhattan stuff, like Ground Zero, Wall Street, Ellis Island, and Statue of Liberty. We then depart on the LimoLiner (don't worry, it's not that special) to head from NYC to Boston Thursday evening. We plan on doing the Boston thang for one day, and then we are headed to the Cards-Red Sox game at Fenway!!! We then head home on Saturday morning.

We are really excited and plan on blogging about our trip as best as we can as we go...need to figure out if I want to take a laptop or not.

Cheers!
~~M14~~

Weekend Wackiness...

2008-06-08T11:55:00.003-05:00

It's close to noon on Sunday, and we had a great weekend. A quick re-cap...

Scotty and Sarah Theriault graced us with their presence on Friday; they made a quick weekend trip in from Chicago to come and hang out and catch up not only with us, but also with some other friends in the STL area. We had a barbeque that was somewhat deterred by the rain, but the festivities merely continued more indoors. There were probably 15 kats or so and it was great to see some old faces as well, including an appearance by newfound hippie Dan Hillen. Props to Dan for going to the Marshall Islands (close to Micronesia and New Zealand) in July to teach English.

Saturday, we attended the wedding of my former high school baseball teammate and college roommate Rob Jacoby and his now-wife, Beth. Beth looked absolutely beautiful and it was a fun time. The wedding reception was at Two Hearts where we had our reception, which was neat to go back to somewhere we had not been in 2+ years. It was a good time to catch up with some old friends.

While we were at the wedding, Scotty and the Nastiest of the Nasty went to the DMB concert, which according to all accounts, including our newest friend from Lumiere Place, Debit, said rocked. They played actually at the new Busch Stadium in centerfield and had a great show and good turn out.

After that, I met Scotty and Nasty at said casino where we played some games of chance for a few hours. Meeting an elderly gentleman of a different persuasion, our friend Debit (nicknamed Debit because he confided to the table at least 100 times that he lost his Debit card), an older dude named Jim who made and lost $800 in about 45 minutes, an extremely tan gentleman who complained about losing $20 in 8 seconds (whom I think I attended high school with) and vowed his revenge on the table later, it was a lot of fun. A few hours later, we rolled home for some much needed sleep.

Scotty had to bounce early to meet his lovely wife and friends for some breakfast and the jaunt back to the CHI. It was a lot of fun and we hope to reciprocate with a trip to Chicago very soon.

~~M14~~

Jalapeno Cheetos

2008-06-03T19:44:00.002-05:00

Had a blast last weekend...went to a trivia night at KBO's house, and it was a lot of fun. Even though we sucked, which I knew we would, trivia is fun.

Scotty and Sarah are coming over FRI, and we are celebrating with a BBQ. Looking forward to a fun weekend of catching up with good friends.

Other than that, not much is new. Ramping up my mileage for the marathon. Four months!

Media Criticism

2008-05-23T19:28:00.002-05:00

A lot of people have had some questions for me about my company (the name is being left out due to some previous criticism that I should not be using the company name due to all kinds of attacks we are under). While by no means am I an expert on our company, our CFO spoke yesterday and had some interesting facts.

I think the first thing that everyone needs to realize is that our company, just like any other large corporation, has its flaws. While we used to consider ourselves small, we have grown, in the last 5 years, over 8 times our market capitalization to $50 billion plus. Needless to say, as we continue to grow and get bigger, we continue to open ourselves up to further criticism. It is the nature of the beast.

To be honest, there are some things that our company, under previous leadership, did that is deplorable; I think the biggest negative that people still associate our company with is Agent Orange. We aren't running from our mistakes, nor do we not take responsibility for those actions. While the true nature of Agent Orange is to be used as a herbicidal defoliant, nonetheless, during the Vietnam War, it was used incorrectly, and furthermore, used with long-term damaging health effects to many people.

Yet, we aren't that company any more. If you want to hang your hat on something, we don't make the same mistakes that we previously were a part of. We have come under a lot of criticism recently from this article in Vanity Fair, the newscast on seed piracy on CBS, and a new movie being shown on some college campuses and in European movie theaters.

While our stance as a company has been relatively quiet, we have developed a new website to answer some of these questions/complaints/attacks/criticisms. While it is a company-developed site and you may think it only has our spin, I can assure you that these are truthful responses to these items. Additionally, I can tell you that some differences we are making, through our strides in technology and company initiatives, that this is a company I am proud to work for. Have we made mistakes in the past? Sure. We all have. Some of our mistakes are worse than others. But, I truly believe some of the things that we are developing will make a difference in millions of people's lives, and for that, I am proud to tell people where I work (I just can't say the name on this blog).

Back Home!

2008-05-12T09:11:00.000-05:00

I am back home from France, and life is good! Spent a good portion of the weekend just relaxing and unpacking. It was nice.

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day. Talk to you soon!

~~M14

Feria de Nimes

2008-05-06T03:31:00.002-05:00

So, I think I have failed to mention Feria de Nimes properly. Feria de Nimes is the annual bullfighting competition that occurs yearly here (it coincides every year with the Pentecost). They actually ahve a second festival later in the year that coincides with the grape mashing festival, but this one is much bigger. Approximately 1,000,000 people will be making their way to Nimes over the next few days for some famous bullfighters that are coming to town.

Yesterday, the Europe-Africa site lead came to Nimes to meet with us and discuss the progress of the audit. He actually lived in Nimes for several years, and took us out to dinner last night. On the way to dinner, we stopped by the ancient Roman Coliseum (over 2,000 years old!), which is still preserved, in tact, and used for the Feria de Nimes and some other concerts and stuff when people come to town. Lucky for us, it was open to the public and we got to walk around on the ground floor of the Coliseum and take it all in. It was pretty cool.

Other than that, not much new. The photo is from the birthday celebration for one of our IT auditors in Amsterdam on Saturday night.

~~M14

Nutty

2008-05-05T02:11:00.003-05:00

Anyone that has ever been to this city before knows exactly what I am talking about; it is one of the craziest cities I have ever been to. When I got back from this weekend, the first question immediately posed was: Which city is crazier/weirder, Bangkok or Amsterdam?

Bangkok is different because it is purely about the demoralization of young females, and doing some disgusting things with these women. Amsterdam is different in my mind because it is a European city with a more lax attitude towards a variety of subjects...when you realize after about 2 hours into visiting Amsterdam that the smell of fresh, clean, pot smoke-less air is a rarity, then you know what I am talking about or referring to. The Red Light District was exactly as advertised; the best part was seeing men walk out and throwing on some sunglasses (because that immediately camoflauges your face and I don't know who you are) or one young 'dancer' jumping out from her window-shopping spot and attach a girl and almost throw her into a nearby canal for taking pictures of her. Oh, how strippers have their moral code.

Amsterdam was great to visit, and my lack of pictures should make sense; most of what was seen in that city should not be recorded and produced later for future viewing. However, I was actually glad to visit, and the Vincent Van Gogh Museum was pretty awesome. No pics allowed inside, but sweet. Some of his major works are currently at the Met in NYC (Starry Night, for example), but it was still cool to learn a little bit about Van Gogh. Just like a lot of artists, he was friggin' crazy.

~~M14

Amsterdam!

2008-05-02T06:13:00.003-05:00

We are wrapping up week #2, and it is going well. Still a ton of work to get done, but we are getting there.

Yesterday was a national holiday in France, so we worked from the

hotel. It was maybe the most productive day I have had in months with work. I am looking to wrap my audit, hopefully, by Mon-Tues so we can get all of our ducks in a nice row before closing on Friday. We encounter another French national holiday next Thursday as well. I swear, the Europeans never freakin' work.

Other than that, life is good. Headed to Amsterdam this week, where the disappointing news that the Heineken Brewery is closed was realized a few days ago. That's okay...going to stop by the Van Gogh Museum as well as the Anne Frank house and some tulip gardens on Saturday. We don't get into the hostel until after midnight. However, our hostel does have a bar that is open until 5 a.m., so maybe some tomfoolery can occur after all.

Hope everything is going well...I return back to the US next Saturday night; I am really looking forward to it!

~~M

Deepest Sympathies

2008-04-28T02:49:00.001-05:00

I apologize for my lack of blogging ferocity...this trip has been crazy with the workload, and I can't believe I have been gone for over a week already.

Anyways, last week went well. We were in Peyrehorade through Friday. Our team then split up and went our separate ways for our weekend travels: one member of the team and I went to Geneva, most everyone else went to Paris, and one person went to London.

We arrived in Nimes last night; the town is a lot bigger than I had anticipated...about 130,000 people. I also found out last night that in conjunction with Pentecost, they have an annual celebration in Nimes called Feria de Nimes. It is an annual bullfighting competition that they host for 5 days; it is supposedly second only to Oktoberfest in Munich. It usually attracts over 1 million people to the city. Unfortunately, we will not be staying to see it, but I hope to grab a t-shirt or something to commemorate the event.

Working at a new location for 3 days this week, then heading up to Lyon to re-convene with my team and iron out any potential issues. This coming weekend, nine of us will be going to Amsterdam. We get in very late Friday night, but am looking forward to a fun Saturday of the Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum, and the Heineken Brewery tour. We are also staying in a hostel, because some people need to save money! It is called Durty Nelly's Inn, and I am really looking forward to it.

Posted some pics...I am a little behind and am uploading my pics from my last day in Bangkok (trip to the King's Palace in Bangkok) and my pics from Biarritz and this weekend in Geneva.

Home in less than 2 weeks.

Matt

Est-ce que tu parle Francais?

2008-04-23T06:52:00.002-05:00

Welcome from the world of France!

We left this trip on Sunday (versus the usual Saturday, and sometimes Friday), because of a friend's wedding, which was a blast. Her reception was at City Hall in downtown St. Louis, which was a great venue. Steph and I were able to catch up with a bunch of old friends from PwC and had a good time.

On to France; I was not ready to go for this trip. I was ready from a standpoint that I have a really good team, and that it was going to be a good challenge of trying to manage three audits at once. But being that it is my fourth consecutive audit block out of the country, the travel is starting to wear a little thin. But, it will be nice to be home, tentatively, until January 2009 until this trip.

We left on Sunday AM, and it was hard saying goodbye to the girls (Onyx, Goldie, and most importantly, Steph), but I set off. We had our flight cancelled Saturday morning and re-routed through Raleigh; apparently they wanted to restrict air traffic with the Pope making an air appearance at Yankee Stadium. So, we made the typical STL - RALEIGH - LONDON - Lyon. We touched down in Lyon, without luggage. But, luckily for us, later that nite we were flying to Peyrehorade, which is the location of one of our corn seed manufacturing plants, and our luggage arrived just in time to pick it up at the Lyon airport, re-check for our Peyrehorade flight, and set off.

We arrived into Peyrehorade safely and without any hiccups. We are actually working in Peyrehorade and staying on the beach in a town called Biarritz. The hotel is pretty nice, but nothing spectacular. We thought massages were included in our room rate, as this is what our team from last year told us, but that is not accurate for this year. Oh well....they are only open at the Massage Parlor until 6 p.m., and we are not home by then anyway.

Friday, I will be traveling to Geneva, Switzerland, for the weekend. I will then be in Nimes, France, at our Seminis location, for most of the next two weekends (hopping to Lyon for a quick team meeting next Thursday, and next weekend we will be in Amsterdam....mmm, Heineken brewery).

Hope all is well.

The STL Half, A Bout of CrazyTown, and K-Vegas

2008-04-11T06:39:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been 5 days since the STL Half Marathon. It was a challenging yet great experience; I was fortunate that some friends were running the race (Kenny, Nasty Nate, Beth, and Mike), and the first three and myself ran together for the beginning half of the race. Then, they zoomed past, and I kept chuggin...

The race went well; I ran a 2:15.19. Yes, slow by any standards, but I was happy and almost achieved both of my goals, which were to not walk (check), and a 2:15.00. Oh well...congrats to Nasty (1.57), Beth (1.57) and Kenny (2.02) for some great times. Also special thanks to Micaela and Krissy, whom I saw several times on the course and they cheered me when I needed it, and my parents, Lauren and Steph for also making it down to the race. It always helps to see some people when you are tired...the race had perfect weather and I am really glad I ran it...pics to follow soon.

I then decided to be insane; I signed up for the Chicago Marathon. Yea, the full thing. We will see...I am running for Team CARE (Conquering Alzheimer's Running Endeavor) as part of the Chicago chapter of the American Alzheimer's Association. Don't worry, you will all receive a lovely link from me with the opportunity to donate if you see it fit (but please do not feel obligated to do so). I ran 5 miles last night and felt okay...not great but not terrible. So, on to October 12th and some more runnin!

Going up to Kirksville this weekend for soccer alumni weekend. We shall see the insanity that ensues. Looking forward to a fun weekend.

HOME!

2008-04-05T07:54:00.000-05:00

Not sure why, but I was really, really anxious to get home this time. After 29 hours in transit, and 21 hours of flying, I am back! It feels great to be home and see Steph and the pups; got to see Patty last night and looking forward to catching up with friends and family over the next 2+ weeks before I head to France, which is my last trip for (hopefully) 8 months!

Half-marathon tomorrow; starts at 7 a.m., so if you are looking to cheer me and Beth Wieman, Mike Cannon, Kenny Marcantel, Nasty Nate Rueckert, or others to the finish, make sure you are by the finish line around 9 a.m. for me, and a little earlier for the others!

Go CARDS!

Wrap it up, B, wrap it up!

2008-04-02T01:21:00.005-05:00

The audit is coming to a close. We have a site dinner with the Finance management team from Thailand tonight at 7, and we have our final closing meeting tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. I was a little worried because I was only supposed to have a one hour layover in Hong Kong to clear customs and get to my flight to LA, which was the last one of the day, so I got management approval to take the 4 p.m. flight from Bangkok to HK. This gives me some time to chill and allows my Type A personality to rest a little bit mentally....

The half marathon looms soon on the horizon. Yikes! Will get a run in, hopefully, tomorrow morning before work, and then one quick jog Saturday to loosen up the legs. Carb loading Saturday night along with some great basketball hopefully will make for a good pre-race evening.

Made one final trip to the Suan Lum Night Bazaar last nite...scored three Tag Heuer watches, a bunch of Lacoste polos, and some necklaces for Steph. It was hotter than heck out there, but I think it was worth it...For those that love the TSU Ladies soccer team, game at 3:00 p.m. at Sportsport this Saturday.

Happy Birthday to Me, and Dinner with the Malones

2008-04-01T00:51:00.003-05:00

First things first, a shout out to KBO and her hilarious post on Karaoke in South City. I know Steph was involved in KBO's bachelorette party, which resulted in good times by all.

Warning: this is a site with adult content not for the faint of heart, so keep that in mind.

KBO is a great writer and absolutely hilarious and immensely talented in a variety of facets, and unfortunately, her school district sucks.

Guess what was in my room when I got back from Cambodia? A birthday cake! They wished me happy birthday when I checked in Sunday night, and there was a cake with rolled fondant icing and a birthday card. I took a pic and will upload later, but what a nice touch by the Starwood kats.

Had dinner last night with some Christian missionaries currently living in Bangkok; my mom supports their ministry, and she went to nurses' training with the woman. They are pretty amazing people and have some interesting stories to tell. We had dinner at a place near their office and their apartment, which was a nice little Americanized greasy spoon. I got to experience the BTS (their sky-train), as well as some Thai beer (Singha). It was a good night.

Audit is wrapping...I should be finished by today. I am hitting the Suan Lum Night Bazaar one last time tonight. And, the hotel fixed my suitcase zipper, so now it locks! It's like being a whole new person! After the audit closes Thursday, we are going to the Grand Palace and the Reclining Buddha (pictured above) for some sightseeing before we head to the airport.

Coming home in 2 sleeps!

I'm Rocking in Cambodia!

2008-03-29T02:35:00.002-05:00

Greetings from the 'Wild East', as Cambodia is so aptly known....

We are in Phnom Penh, which is the capital city. It is about a one hour and ten minute flight from Bangkok. We flew in on Air Asia, which is the Asian version of Southwest. Open seating, the whole 9 yards...but it actually wasn't too bad, and I had a whole row to myself.

We got to our hotel around 5:30 p.m. We kind of settled in and got ready for the evening...in disappointing fashion, we thought we were heading to Siam Reap, which is where all of the ancient temples are. However, that is at least 5 hours each way by taxi for a cost of $160/person, so we elected not to go. So, while our trip is not really clear as to why we are here, at least I have been to another country in the world....

First Impressions of Cambodia: very similar to India. People everywhere, busy city, tuk-tuks (those little open air taxis you see in movies...took one last night), and a lot of poverty, with their parents begging for money. Last night, I saw a countless number of children sleeping on the streets, including most that were naked. Very, very sad.

We went out last night to the #1 hip-hop club in Phnom Penh, which Meghna and I both thought was extremely lame. We left after about half an hour and left our other two cohorts behind. Got up bright and early to get my 10-miler in at the Fitness Center...man that term is used very loosely here at the Holiday Villa. This so-called fitness center contained, in an un-air conditioned room, one treadmill and one exercise bike in a room the size of a closet. Better yet? The treadmill didn't work. So, no running until I get back to the 'Kok...happy birthday to me. Running outside was not an option I consider longer than 1 second, as at 9:30 a.m., it was 95 degrees with 65% humidity.

That's about it...we fly back to Bangkok in the early afternoon tomorrow.

Elephant Walks

2008-03-26T23:49:00.007-05:00

I don't know how I forgot to mention this, because of its absolute awesomeness, but, I have now seen twice in my life an elephant being walked in the streets. During night #2 in Phitsanulok, I saw a guy walking a baby elephant down the street. Needless to say, it was awesome.

Back in Bangkok...we arrived back last night about 10:30 p.m. Bangkok cabbies are ruthlessly corrupt...dude tried charging us 450 Baht for our taxi ride with the meter off (about $15 USD), but we knew it was super cheap to actually pay the meter (turned out to 140 Baht, or about $7 USD). That SOB didn't get a tip from me as a result (don't worry, tipping is not customary over here, unless the service is unusually good...I wish we had that practice in the US sometimes instead of it being expected).

It's nice being back in Bangkok...bigger city, a lot more to do. We have one more day here before we fly tomorrow afternoon to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The trip is not going to be as exciting as anticipated...the place with most of the ancient temples is actually about an hour flight, or a 6-hour drive, from Phnom Penh, so we won't be doing a whole lot of temple watching.

James (our senior) has a buddy flying in from the US today; unfortunately, his flight is delayed by 12 hours. He is coming to Cambodia with us for the weekend, so our group grows from 3 to 4. We will have a quick, short visit to Cambodia, where I need to get my 10 mile run in on Saturday!

Hope everything is treating you all well, and you had great Easter celebrations! Enjoy the Madness for me! Talk to you soon.

Oh, and my Hong Kong pics are up! The pic shown here is one of my new $1 ties, in case you forgot how tough and cool I am.

I've got a Bone-J

2008-03-26T02:24:00.004-05:00

Day 2 in Phitsanulok...I think it's going well for Meghna, my team member who we basically came here for. She is testing our seed inventory procedures, and approximately 91% of our inventory is maintained here. We didn't want her to travel by herself, so I brought some work with me and kept myself busy.

Phitsanulok is surprisingly large, although it was a little frightening when we left the airport and it was pitch black outside. The airport is located in what is fair to call a rural region.

We fly back tonight to Bangkok, and arrive in around 10:30 p.m. It is our senior's birthday this evening, so we might go grab some drinks if we get back in town at a decent hour. Two birthdays in 5 days for our team...crazy!

Side Note: apparently there is an anti-govenment protest on Friday. The same party (PAD) organized a rally and drummed up 500,000 people in 2006. The ruling party (PPP) is planning on staging a simultaneous counter-rally on Friday. Hopefully, we will be long gone on our way to Cambodia before any of the insanity hits.

Got a 10-miler to get in this weekend! D-Day for the STL Half Marathon is quickly approaching...the current countdown is 10 days away!

Rain, Rain Go Away from HK!!

2008-03-22T05:05:00.002-05:00

In HK for the weekend...this is a city rapidly shooting up my list in top cities of the world, possibly laying claim to my #2 or #3 favorite city. Reasons?

Excellent mass transit
Tons of bargain shopping
Lots of English speakers for gringos like me
A very clean, safe city
Amazing views

Last night, our plane was an hour late, so we didn't get to our hotel until around 12:30 a.m. Lame. We just hit the hay to get started on today's journey.

Slept in until 8:30 a.m., which for me is sleeping in. Came down and used the free WiFi in our sweet hotel. Love this place, even though it is slightly on the down side as far as space for Asian hotels. Next, got in a quick jog...wanted to my long 9 or 10 miler today, but then the front desk dude, all of 11, gave me horrible directions. Will try again tomorrow...managed to run around the horse racing track which is just nearby.

After the run, showered up and we went to Times Square, which is there imitation of our NYC. It was fun. Walked around the mall, saw some ridiculous prices on stuff, and then headed back to our hotel for our city, which rocked. Went on a city tour for about 3.5 hours, which included:

Victoria Peak
View of the Harbour
A trip to a local jewelry manufacturer, where we would have gotten to see the jewelry actually made, but Hong Kong observes the Christian Easter. China does not, but Hong Kong (which I thought was a territory of China, but is officially recognized as a 'Special Administrative Area') does. Take that, Kenny. Snagged a cool necklace for Steph.
Stanley Market, where I was able to snag some Chinese XMAS ornaments, some 100% silk ties ($1 a piece!), and some knock off Gucci purses where I haggled the heck out some lady. It was awesome.

About to go get showered up and head to dinner...we are going to a place called Cafe Deco, which is known for its amazing views of the city over the bay. Looking forward to it!

Cheers to Duke hopefully pulling their heads out of their rears tonight. Since it starts at 2:10 a.m. my time, I won't be watching over the Internet, but will check the score in the morning. Let's hope for a dub, but they have to play about 1,000 times better than they did on Thursday to have a chance of advancing.

Sydney Photos are Up, and Wrapping Week 1

2008-03-20T03:53:00.004-05:00

Got my photos up...finally...sorry to both people who look at my pictures.

Went to the SuanLum Night Bazaar last nite; that was overwhelming. Tons of stuff to buy...from shoes to clothes to watches to luggage to necklaces to everything else, it was amazing. Got some ideas, sent them to Steph and some friends and will be going back to make some purchases.

We are headed to Pat Pong street tonight for some shopping and dinner with some of the site management; should be a good time!

I was able to get another run in this AM; trying to just maintain the training I have built up for the STL Half Marathon over the last few months...hopefully I won't throw it all away.

Going to Hong Kong tomorrow, for some more incredible shopping. And, for Easter; a shout out to KB and Adam Timock for getting married this weekend in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Should be a fun time and I wish I was there.

Much love for ya...

Welcome to the Far East...Day One

2008-03-17T02:00:00.002-05:00

Made it to Bangkok safely...strangely enough, the plane arrived 45 minutes early. It is hotter than heck here...a cool 97-98 degrees today. We took a cab this AM from the hotel...they offered us a limo for 1,200 Baht (about 40 US Dollars), or we could take a metered taxi. The taxi cost 4 US Dollars. I think we made the right decision.

The office is nice. They took like half the office and our audit team out today (about 18 people), and the total bill at a very, very nice restaurant was $100 USD. Gotta love Asia...

We are supposed to be going to a Tailor shop tonight, and the IT Lead is taking us to Pat-Pong street; if I haven't mentioned this earlier, this street is known for good bargaining as well as women that are skilled at throwing things to each other, but not using their hands. Or wearing any clothes...we will see if I do more than just bargaining for purses and luggage.

That's all for now...

Rockin' Sydney

2008-03-15T16:21:00.002-05:00

Well, after about 9,000 miles and 20 hours of flying, I arrived in to Sydney yesterday AM around 7:30 a.m. After weaving my way through customs, the baggage help desk (my luggage didn't make it either to Auckland or Sydney), and the quarantine bag check line, I was out into the sunny weather, not caring that the cab line was the longest line I have ever seen in my life. This puts the cab line at Vegas and Los Angeles to shame.

I got to my hotel about 9:30 a.m., and graciously enough, was allowed to check into my room. While I was pretty tired at that point (even though Qantas Airlines rocks my face off and I had a sweet seat/bed that laid completely flat that allowed me to sleep), I made myself stay awake as long as possible in order to adjust to the 16 hour time zone difference, knowing that today (Sunday), I would be flying 9.5 hours to Bangkok and they were 4 hours behind this time (or a full 12 hours ahead of CST).

My hotel is located at Darling Harbour, which is on the water, as you may have astutely guessed. I walked around the harbor for about 2.5 hours, taking in the sunny, 80 degree weather. It was wonderful. I found some fun postcards, especially a great one for Steph that I am anxious to see her response on. I then went to chill in the hotel for a little bit, as my luggage was supposed to make it's way to my room (it did, thankfully).

I then went on a run around Sydney, partially to keep up my training for the half marathon, partially just to see the city. I ran for about 85 minutes, and I ran from Darling Harbour to the Rocks, the Sydney Opera House, and through the Royal Botanical Gardens. It was a blast, and I got to run along the water the entire time. There were a ton of people out enjoying the sunny weather, and there were plenty of runners. It was great having a trail right along the water. A Garmin would have been extremely helpful on a run like this, but it is still difficult for me to swallow paying $300+ for a watch. Using mapmyrun.com and the street map I have, my guess is right around 8 miles, +- a little bit here or there.

I then went back to my room and took a looooong shower, and then got dressed and went back to Darling Harbour for dinner. I ate at a local bar and grill on the water and people watched. Then, even though my feet and the blisters were screaming at me, I walked back to the water down by the Rocks and the Sydney Opera House and got some cool night pictures. It was fun...I took my time walking back as my feet were killing me.

Today, my plan was to go to the Taronga Zoo, but it is $37/person and doesn't open for a few more hours on Sundays. Since I need to get to the airport around 3-ish, I don't think it's worth it. I may go hang out by the pool and will probably do some walking again...need to find some authentic Sydney XMAS ornaments!

That's all for now...I will try and post my pictures soon.

Matt

Leaving SP

2008-02-28T10:33:00.003-06:00

We are wrapping up the audit; I am finished and our team is working on wrapping things up. We have our closing meeting in less than an hour and a half. We are going to have a team dinner at a churriascaria, maybe Fogo De Ciao, or something, before hitting the airport and the big bird on the way home. I am very much looking forward to coming back home and seeing my girls!

See you all soon.

Niagara Falls has nothin' on this

2008-02-24T10:41:00.002-06:00

Greetings from Iguazu Falls! We are in the hotel on Sunday afternoon, just waiting for out approximate 8 p.m. flight tonight. We arrived into Foz de Iguazu Friday night and settled in to our hotel. We played some cards and called it a night early on Friday, as we were getting up early to see the falls.

For those that aren't up to speed on your natural waterfalls, Iguazu Falls is considered the largest set of waterfalls in the world. It has 275 different waterfalls, which span the borders of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. We did not go to Paraguay, as their is no direct entrance option to the falls from Paraguay, and we needed a visa for Paraguay.

We made our trip to the Argentina side, as we had an excursion later into the Brazil side. We saw the falls and were absolutely amazed. The Argentinian side has approximately twice the number of falls as the Brazil side, so naturally, the view would be better from the Brazil side. So, we saved the main attraction for later.

After about 4 hours, we went over to the Brazil side and viewed the falls.Unbelievable...the photos and videos do not do it justice. We then went to our excursion, which was a boat ride on the Iguazu River through one of the waterfalls. We got absolutely drenched and loved every second of it. It was amazing and one of the coolest things I have ever done.

After about 10 hours of water fun, we headed back to dry land and to our hotel. Pretty tired, we played some cards, at some Pizza Hut, and went to bed.

I have added a video section for some videos I took that I posted on YouTube. Enjoy!

I will be home on Friday...

Matt

Weekend in Floripa

2008-02-19T05:47:00.001-06:00

Hello---
Back from the weekend in Floripa. It was a really good time. Lots of sun, lots of beach, lots of relaxing, it was great.

We arrived on Friday into Florianopolis around 7:30 p.m. from the airport. We took a taxi for the 13 of us to the hotel and made it in about half an hour. We found out that Florianopolis had the highest income per resident of any of the state capitals in Brazil. It was really nice. We went to a bar/club Friday night after eating pizza at a little joint near the hotel.

Saturday, we woke up and went to the beach. We went to Praia Mole on Saturday and spent about 6 hours drinking drinks out of coconuts and stuff. I played in the ocean for a while and made sure to apply lots of sunscreen. We came back from the beach and took showers and headed to dinner. We had a little trouble finding our destination, but eventually got there and then found a place that played hip-hop music for one of our team members.

Sunday, we woke up and went to the beach. This time, we headed north and went to Jurere Beach, which is supposed to be the more affluent beach. Wow, were the beach houses amazing! We walked along the boardwalk by the beach houses and saw some houses with outdoor barbeque pits and infinity pools. They were unreal. After the beach, we headed back to the hotel, took some showers and headed to the airport...

The only bad thing about Sao Paulo, due to the recent crashes, is the delay we had on the plane. For whatever reason, when they made the runways, they did not make it of the exact same composition as US airport runways, and it is more slippery than ours. As such, plans cannot take off or land during rainstorms. So, we waited on the plane for 1.5 hours for the weather to clear in SP. Finally, it did, and I will take the precaution over a crash, but it did get a little long in the tooth at times on the plane.

All in all, a good weekend without any sunburns, so that is a positive in my book. We are headed to Iguazu Falls this weekend, which is the world's largest waterfalls. Talk to you soon...and, I will post my pictures shortly from the weekend.

I think I need a sleep study

2008-02-14T04:28:00.000-06:00

So, I suffered through another night of crappy sleep. Yes, many of you may be thinking that it has to do with the fact that I change time zones all the time. However, I have long said that I need to go to a sleep study to figure out what the heck is wrong with my sleeping. I will admit that I think part of it is that I am 4 hours ahead here, so I am just slightly off. I was hoping by being in Sao Paulo (SP) for 4 sleeps by now I would have adjusted, but oh well.

The audit is, well, going. The site is getting us all a ton of information; I am auditing two of our chemical (Round-up) plants, which are both not located in SP. We are doing it this way this year because of the amount of information we have to get through in SP, and I might get pulled into other areas. People speak a lot of English, which is always helpful.

We are headed to the beach this weekend to a city called Florianopolis. I will be putting on some extra strong sun block for these rays. The city is actually to the south of SP, so, in the jacked up landscape of the Southern Hemisphere, that is actually going to be cooler. But, I am really looking forward to it. Oh, and we are flying out of the scary airport this weekend...fingers crossed!

More later...and I promise some photos this weekend.

Welcome to Sao Paulo

2008-02-10T18:17:00.000-06:00

So, I didn't crash on the way down...bonus #1. Amidst all of the crazy plane crashes over here, I have escaped one myself, including the rest of my team. The flight down was pretty uneventful...2 hours to Dallas, 10 to Sao Paulo. Not too shabby...

It is very, very warm down here. I think the high was in the low 80s. It is very nice summer weather. We went to a churriascuria for lunch...it was amazing, and only $20/person, so we save Monsanto some dough. It was delish with enough meat for a rainbow convention.

More later...

Matt

Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl

2008-01-31T19:08:00.000-06:00

For those in St. Louis or the Midwest, you know how crazy the weather has been. Starting with Tuesday, where it was 72 at NOON and 32 by 4:00 p.m., and today's snowfall, it has turned pretty nasty out. I am looking forward to the summer weather in Brazil in a few weeks!

Not sure what exactly what the weekend plans are...the annual Mardi Gras parade is Saturday down in Soulard; it looks like a high of only 39 degrees, so I am not sure what to do, but I don't think I want to be heading down to Soulard. Not planning anything crazy for the Super Bowl besides hanging out at home. This will be our first Super Bowl on the big screen, as we went to Kenny & Krissy's last year before they ditched us for lakefront property.

That's all for now...have a good weekend.

Italian Police

2008-01-24T06:56:00.000-06:00

I was pulled over by the Italian police today for no reason. They stopped us after the toll booth, took my passport, walked back to their car, and came back. A big waste of time.

Audit wraps in 3 hours...looking forward to flying home tomorrow!

Home in Two Sleeps!

2008-01-23T02:32:00.000-06:00

48 hours from now, I will be on a plane to London, starting my return to the States. I am excited and looking forward to it! I was thinking about it the other day, and since December 28th, I have been home for 1 day. This is completely by my choosing, but still...

If you are from the STL and want to hit me up, call me on personal cell. Should be a fun two weeks with Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl soon.

A special shout out to my bro-in-law and nephew for their upcoming birthdays....

Weekend in Rome

2008-01-20T16:02:00.000-06:00

Back from Rome...exhausted but worth it!

Started off Friday by walking around the city, waiting for one of our colleagues to get in from the other Monsanto Italy audit going on. James got in around 10, and we had some pizza at a local pub...decided to not go out, since we were getting up very early on Saturday AM for some sightseeing.

Saturday, was up at 6:30 a.m. [yuck]. But, it was worth it...went to the Vatican and saw the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. Then, we took a tour of the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica to see St. Pter's tomb, then took a tour of the basilica. Amazing.

After that, took a tour of the Parthenon and Trevi Fountain. Then, we shot over to go inside for a quick tour of the Coliseum. Headed back to the hotel for a nap, which I was not able to take. We then went to a club and had to get bottle service to get in, and closed the place down.

Today, we got up and went to the Forum, Palatine Hill, & the Spanish steps. Got on the Eurostar and got back in shortly...what a great, crazy weekend!

The Sun Does Exist

2008-01-17T04:55:00.000-06:00

It is sunny and clear today; the first time in the week plus that I have been here. It is still pretty cold, but at least clear.

Had pizza last night at a local place with the Italy Finance Lead...pretty tasty. Just need to get a good run in tonight for missing yesterday's.

Off to Rome tomorrow!

Rain, rain, go away

2008-01-16T03:25:00.000-06:00

I have been here for 8 days, and it has rained 7 of the 8 days. The weather stinks! But, everyone keeps telling us that we came to Italy at the wrong time of year...oh well.

The food is good...a little different than US food, but not too bad. Supposedly, Rome has the best pizza in Italy, so I am looking forward to trying it this weekend. We arrive into Rome via train on Friday night @ 6:30 p.m., and we are touring St. Peter's Basilica, which is where Pope Pius XII found his tomb in 1939. They were actually looking for a different Pope's tomb and found his body...we are planning on hitting the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel Saturday, and the Roman Coliseum on Sunday.

Other than that, the audit is going well...just over the halfway point. They have a lot of problems here...basically, since this is a smaller site for Monsanto [about 80 employees], they don't get audited as frequently. We only return to the smaller sites if we issue a weak opinion [scale: Excellent, Good, Weak, Unacceptable]. They are getting close to a weak opinion.

Coming home in 9 days...looking forward to it...if anyone has plans for the Super Bowl or Mardi Gras, holler at me. Probably just going to chill and watch the Super Bowl at my place if anyone is interested...

Welcome to Milan & Athens Weekend

2008-01-13T07:46:00.000-06:00

Greetings from the Crowne Plaza in Milan, Italy! Actually, I am technically staying outside of Milan in San Donato, which is a suburb southeast of the city. Milan proper is wayyyy too expensive to stay in. We work in a town called Lodi, Italy, which is about 20 minutes from our hotel, which isn't too bad.

Milan itself actually has been pretty rainy and cloudy...nothing too special. It is about a high of mid-40s each day. Everyone at the Monsanto office is saying that we should have come at a different time of year, but unfortunately, work does not always dictate that.

The audit is going well...the site is a little slow in getting information to us, and me specifically for a few things, but I am starting to lay the hammer down and get some responses. Some items I had requested mid-December and still don't have, which is a little disappointing.

This weekend we went to Athens, Greece, for a quick 40-hour trip. We got in late Friday night, around 1:00 a.m., and just went to bed. Saturday we toured the Acropolis [which contains the Temple of Nike, the Parthenon, and many other examples of neo-classical Greek architecture]. We then went shopping in the Plaka, which is supposed to be the nice shopping district. Then, we went to the Benaki Museum, which contained a bunch of Greek made art. Lastly, we took the subway to the Olympic Stadium from the 2004 games, which was really neat to see.

All in all, a great weekend. We are going to the AC Milan soccer game tonight @ 8:30 p.m., which I caught this AM and the rest of my cohorts didn't notice. I will try and take some good pictures...pics from the Athens weekend coming shortly.

Ciao Ciao!

Hawai'i Recap -- Settle in for a Long One

2008-01-07T18:18:00.000-06:00

Aloha and Mahalo!

Steph and I arrived back safely from the Islands today, and man was it a great vacation. We spent roughly the first 3 days in Maui with Scott and Sarah [28th - afternoon of the 31st], and then spend the rest of NYE to the 3rd with Scott and Sarah before they headed back to Maui for some family time. We stayed on Waikiki Beach until the 6th, flying to LAX last night very late and taking the first flight out this AM. It was a great trip! A quick recap...

We arrived in to the airport and were picked up by Scott and Sarah in our sweet Dodge Magnum. Not too much action on the first night as it had been a long day for all. We got up on the 29th and saw a little bit of everything...played in the ocean and hot tub, took some naps, made it in to Lahaina for a great dinner at Longhi's and some Banyan tree fun, all-in-all a great day.

We got up very early the next morning and did the famed ride down Haleakala Volcano. We got picked up from our hotel at 3:30 a.m., which was very early, but well worth it. What felt like a roller-coaster ride up the mountain/volcano took us there around 5:45 a.m., where we then waited outside in the freezing cold and wind. It was about 30 degrees at the top, but well worth it. We then rode the 24-miles down the volcano/mountain, which I think I pedaled a total of 7 times. It was awesome and definitely worth the early start to the day.

We then took a quick trip on Hawaiian Airlines over to Oahu/Waikiki Beach, all 28-minutes of the flight. We arrived into our digs [thanks again Uncle P-Dub, for sending me to Joplin all the time], and settled in at the hotel. We spent NYE playing our new favorite card game, spit [muchos gracias, Sarah], and had some champagne and other beverages to ring in 2008].

On the 1st, we made a visit to the Dole Plantation and saw how they grow pineapples. Pretty interesting. We each enjoyed some pineapple-esque delicacies.

On the 2nd, Scott and I attempted to play golf, but the rain did not allow it to happen. We made due, anyway; we got up early the next day and made a visit to Pearl Harbor, which was amazing and really eye-opening. After our quick trip, it was time to return Scott and Sarah to the airport...

For our remaining days, Steph and I visited the Honolulu Zoo, climbed to the top of Diamond Head Crater, and walked the beach. It was a very relaxing vacation and well worth it!

I am leaving tomorrow for Italy, so I will resume my blogging ferocity soon enough...

Mahalo!

Awww shuggy

2007-12-27T16:10:00.001-06:00

Leaving for Hawaii in 18 hours. Holler.

7 miles & WICKED

2007-12-22T17:12:00.000-06:00

Slogged through a 7-miler today...got a ridiculous cramp around mile 4 and fought through it for about 2 miles. Then it went away...splits are at the bottom right for the zero readers that care...

Going to see WICKED tonight for the second time. The show is nasty and I am really looking forward to it...have seats in the orchestra pit.

Had a great time seeing my sis, my bro-in-law, and two nephews. Went to the Rams game in the Silgan box and drank myself silly with my bro-in-law. They left today for Murray, KY.

Going to Hawaii in 6 days!!!

Running

2007-12-18T11:38:00.001-06:00

So, most of you know that I have started running again in an attempt to lose weight. I have customized a program in an attempt to consider the STL half marathon April 6th. My only hold up is my nagging back pain [I need a visit to Beth Wieman] and I am going to be returning from Thailand that weekend. Anyway, I am going to insert a running log for anyone to track against and see how much faster they are than me.

I ain't got no red American Express

2007-12-02T11:32:00.000-06:00

Hola...

It has been nice being home since my trip to Mexico. Always good to spend some quality time at the homestead. Upcoming events...

Trip next weekend to the CHI to see Scotty & Sarah, coincided with Pat Hardin's triumphant return to the States. We are going to do some walking along Michigan Ave. [gotta love the CHI during XMAS, perhaps only rivaled by NYC], take Steph to her first Brazilian steakhouse, and catch Bulls-Celtics. Should be awesome. Hopefully, we will throw in some Goose, deep dish pizza, and Ikea.

Ugly XMAS sweater party on the 14th...no further explanation needed. Bring your A-game. My goal is for someone to go over the soundproof barrier.

My lovely sis and her fam make their triumphant return to STL for a week on Dec. 15th. Should be a blast to see the boys and spend some quality fam time.

Lastly, a trip with Scotty and Sarah to the Islands on Dec. 28th for 9 days. 3 days in Maui for Skinny's wedding, followed by 6 on Waikiki Beach. Thank you, PwC, for sending me to Joplin for 70% of my life for 2 years.

Milan, Italy, will be my next international trip. If anyone needs anything from the fashion capital of the world, let me know. Going to Rome and Athens on the weekend. Totally pumped!

See you all soon...

Happy Skanksgiving

2007-11-22T11:04:00.000-06:00

I love that saying...coined by one of the Sports Radio talk show hosts in St. Louis, it is meant to emulate the young ladies from college returning and dressing as inappropriately as possible the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

Last night, we had some people over to watch the Duke-Marquette game in the championship of the Maui Classic [a Dukie dub to claim the title]. Duke is going to be really good, and it is pretty awesome that Coach K has taken a page out of the Phoenix Suns book and changed their offensive sets. They are going to be good this year...much better than last year. We then went out to McGurk's and Skanksgiving was in full force. We also felt really old, as everyone looked approximately 18-19 with some great IDs. Kids these days...

Anyways, a few news and notes to catch everyone up on...

Apparently, the post cards I sent to all of my nieces and nephews never reached their destination from Mexico City. My apologies...damn Mexicans. Anyways, I will try better in Hawaii.

On a better note, I received a check in the mail from American Airlines for $298 for my i-Pod. That was pretty unexpected and a big plus. We have also taken a new member of the family [perhaps temporarily, but I don't see it happening]. To make a short story long, Steph's dad, as usual, tried to play hero and get Steph's grandma a new dog because she had to put her dog down a few months ago. Steph's grandma, being a standard older woman, is set in her ways and got upset when the dog pottied in the house [who would think that the dog wouldn't go on command when you tell her in 30 secs outside...even if Onyx does]. Anyways, so we took the dog after she called our house crying, in an attempt just to potty train her, but Steph is getting attached and we had been discussing getting Onyx a playmate. I like her, too; she is a good dog, and she knows commands and has not yet messed in the house.

On a side note, we think Goldie [new dog] has a tapeworm. But, luckily, it is not like the human tapeworm, and it can only happen by ingesting fleas. It also cannot be passed from dog to dog contagiously, like the human tapeworm can. So, a trip to the vet on Thanksgiving AM, followed by a quick shot, and she should be good to go in 24 hours.

Not much else going on...Cepicky family Thanksgiving today, followed by Black Friday shopping in the AM and Kupferle Thanksgiving tomorrow. We are then headed to KC for Armageddon [MU-KU game where we don't have tix] for a fun day and seeing the TSU softball girls.

Have a great, safe Thanksgiving.

A big fat eff you from American Airlines/Air Mexicana/TSA to Matt

2007-11-10T18:44:00.000-06:00

I apologize already if the headline offends anyone. This post is going to show the anger that has possessed my body in the last 36 hours. It just got worse 30 minutes ago, and I didn't realize it could.

Let's start with yesterday AM. We had a great time out with the site from Mexico City and danced until about 3:00 a.m. We got up at 5:45 a.m. and went to the airport. For those that have traveled out of the country, you are required to fill out an immigration form when you enter into a foreign country, and give it back when you return. For those that know me well, you know how great I am with misplacing my wallet, cell, keys, passport, et cetera. It's the little things in life that I am crappy at. Anyways, I lost this form. No big. It's happened before, you fill it back out, and you go on your merry way. In Mexico, apparently that's not the case. $47 USD later, for a form that took 15 seconds to fill out and have stamped by Johnny Gringo, I could get my boarding pass.

On to the flight...we were scheduled to leave at 8:50 a.m. We were told that we were delayed until 11:00 a.m., leaving no wiggle room to make our connection, due to fog. At NOON, we were still delayed. At 12:15 p.m., we wondered why people we sprinting to the Air Mexicana counter. Oh, that's right, it had something to do with them cancelling our flight and not telling anyone, but announcing that the 12:30 flight to Dallas would be leaving on time. A mad dash to the counter ensues for all of us on the earlier flight to get switched. We get to the counter, and Maria my co-worker hands them our boarding passes [there were 3 of us in our group], and she says that she can get us all on the flight. If only that's where it ended; seconds later she apologizes, says that they cannot accomodate all requests and the two girls were randomly selected for the flight, but [as she is extending my boarding pass to me], she cannot give me this as it is going to someone else. Awesome.

I then have to go through immigration again [and by go through, I walked through the line reverse ignoring all Spanish], and re-book my ticket. Not too bad, as I get on the next flight to Dallas-Fort Worth and then St. Louis. Still, I am unhappy as I am leaving Mexico City and its 22 million people after I was supposed to be arriving in St. Louis, but still. I go through Duty Free, and by some liquor and get on my flight.

Now, one point I left out was that when I was in Mexico City, I told them that I would feel better getting my luggage and re-checking, as I was now flying only on American instead of Air Mexicana [which, I think, means 'I hate Americans and will eff them' in Spanish]. They said not to worry, and that I could pick up my luggage at the Air Mexicana counter in DFW, and that it would still be open when I got there. I think you know where this is heading...

So, I get to DFW, and the Air Mexicana counter is closed, and I cannot get my luggage. Awesome. But, why be worried, because I can file a claim in the morning? I go through immigration, and go to the American counter because I had a question. Can I take this Duty Free through security, or do I need to check it? Don't worry sir, it won't be an issue. I think you know where this is heading...

TSA at security tells me that this is above the liquid requirements, which I politely tell back the man [as I contemplate stabbing him in the throat with my pen], that the AA desk just told me there was no reason to check it, since it was Duty Free and zip-tied. No dice...unless I want to go back to the counter, check it, and go through security again. Did I mention my flight left in 10 minutes and there was only 1 security counter open? I left my alcohol there, seriously wondering whether it would be better to get arrested and beat that guy's ass. For some reason, cooler heads prevailed.

So, I arrived home, and my back came today a little a while ago to the house. It sure is great to be home...oh wait, the story gets even better.

I open my bag, and start to unpack my things when I start to wonder about my i-Pod. I am not sure why I didn't put it in my carry-on bag, but I didn't. I find what I packed my i-Pod in....and it's gone. No i-Pod, no headphones, and the USB cable to sink my i-Pod with my i-Tunes is also missing. Effing wonderful...to recap:

1. Paid $47 USD for a stupid piece of paper.
2. Flight cancelled [that makes 4 cancellations in my last 3 trips]
3. Had a boarding pass handed to me and then taken away
4. Had my duty free taken
5. No luggage available for me
6. i-Pod stolen

There is an extremely remote possibility that I left my i-Pod at the hotel, but I find it hard to believe that I packed the pouch in my suitcase empty. So, there is a slim chance of hope, but not much....

That's all for now...it is great to be home and spend time with Steph and Onyx. At least I have that going for me, which is nice...

Adios, Mexico

2007-11-08T09:56:00.000-06:00

So, we are closing the audit today. We have a pre-close meeting with management today at 4:00 p.m., followed by our actual close at 6:00 p.m. We then have a dinner with the site management team at 7:00 p.m. at a Peruvian restaurant nearby.

We plan on going out tonight to celebrate the close of the audit, as well as a farewell to Mexico and Larisa. Larisa is our guest auditor from Argentina, and she is celebrating her 30th birthday soon, so we plan to go out in style. My senior, Maria, wants to stay out until we have to leave for our taxi in the AM for the airport, which is 6:00 a.m. I would prefer to get some sleep, but when the tequila calls...

I am looking forward to going back home and sleeping in my own bed, and spending time with my wife, my stinky dog, and my friends and family. Thanksgiving and XMAS are just around the corner! Talk to you all soon...

More Delicacies....

2007-11-06T18:37:00.000-06:00

Last night I tried octopus and cow tongue. The octopus was good [it was raw with some olive oil and crazy seasoning]. The tongue just tasted like regular meat.

Please don't shun me for being weird.

Weekend Numero Dos

2007-11-05T10:36:00.000-06:00

A very good weekend. Here is a quick run-down of the fun events...

Friday: Worked fairly late [until about 7:30 p.m.]. We decided to satisfy the dancing tastes of the girls in our group, so we went to a placed called Skyybar in Polanco, which is kind of an uppity part of Mexico City. Several outstanding things occurred, namely:

a) Watching 5 Japanese guys dance with one girl, but mostly be interested in grinding on each.

b) Me dancing for 3 straight hours at a club that played 99% techno

c) One of my co-workers [Maria] taking only shots of tequila

d) Getting offered Coke. Again. Seriously, what the hell do I look like?

It was a very fun evening that was very late, but rolled into Saturday very quickly...

Saturday: Woke up around 9:30 a.m. to meet downstairs. We took a private taxi into downtown Mexico City to see the sights and sounds. We observed our first Mexican governmental protest, which was of an apparent senator that was extremely corrupt. The demonstration was 200 men, wearing nothing but a picture of the governor tied around the crotch. Some interpreted the tying part a little more loosely than others, pun intended. There were several women that wore nothing at all...and lets just say that weren't going to be on America's Next Top Model. Gross. I also successfully bargained for some knock-off Louis Vuitton sunglasses [seen in said photo above] for $3 USD.

We then rolled to a city called Coyocan, which was renowned for its shopping and its own separate parade. It was nice, nothing too crazy....we then met up with one of our Mexican co-workers and were supposed to go to a different club called Love; however, our genius co-worker failed to mention that the club was closed. So, we went to a different bar where he [said he was 35, looked 45], proceeded to spend most of the night making out with his 22-year-old girlfriend. It was gross and really weird...

Sunday: We went to see the church of the Virgin de Guadalupe and then the ruins at Teotihuacan. The Virgin de Guadalupe, for those unfamiliar [see: Kenny especially], is mainly known and revered by Mexicans as the Americas version of the Virgin Mary in brown form. We went and visited her church, and then went to the ruins. These were pretty amazing, and soon enough, our 7-hour tour was over and we returned to our hotel.

Last night, we were invited by the Finance Lead of Latin America North, who works in the Mexico City office, over for dinner with his wife and three kids. They made Brazilian meats, Greek salad, and some great red wine. His house was amazing, with a closet for his wife that Steph would kill for. It was probably a room 15'X30', filled with glass-fronted closets for all of her stuff. It was a four bedroom, six bathroom house where every bedroom had a full private bath. Monsanto ex-PATs [those that used to work in the US and have moved out of the country for the company are called ex-PATriots] get a sweet deal with free housing, private driver, full chef and cleaning service...

So, a really good weekend. Only bad part was that the hotel inadvertantly authorized all 4 hotel rooms for our team on my card, and the amount of the temporary holds for all of our stays exceeded my limit, so I currently cannot use my card. Oh well...

Looking forward to returning to the States on Friday afternoon.

Ciao ciao.

The Bathroom[s] are Done!

2007-10-31T18:01:00.000-05:00

Well, the blue/hall bath really isn't too exciting with just a new floor, but I think that the master bath is amazing. I was honestly shocked when I saw the end product. I am extremely pleased and will definitely recommend him to anyone in the STL area!!!!

I Ate Brain Last Night

2007-10-31T09:54:00.000-05:00

So, I have become a little adventurous in my eating habits. One of the girls on my team, Maria, is from Bulgaria, and their diets are slightly different than ours. On Monday night, we went to a fabulous place called El Bistro Estoril, which was supposed to be Mediterranean with a Mexican infusion. It really seemed like a French restaurant with a Mexican infusion, but what do I know.

Anyways, so on Monday night, I tried escargot for the second time and had some of her steak tartare, or raw meat. It was actually good. I had a really good Mexican tortilla soup that they prepared in front of me and let me pick the ingredients with....

Last night, after wandering the streets of Mexico City unsuccessfully for our first restaurant, which was inexplicably closed, we made it to a different restaurant, called La Canaries. It was pretty awesome with live music and great Mexican food. I rocked a Goose martini to start and was pretty simple with a Mexican-influence grilled chicken dish. We have been eating a lot, as always, on the road, so I tried to tone it down a bit.

Maria ordered Cow Brains for her meal [she was deciding between that and Cow testicles], and she wanted us to try some. It actually wasn't too bad; it just tasted really mushy and soft. So, I have now eaten another living thing's brain. I think that makes me a cannibal of some sort.

Don't Ever Fly With Me...

2007-10-29T12:33:00.000-05:00

A weekend recap from Cancun, which was pretty phenomenal....

We got into Cancun around 9:30 p.m. Friday night without a hitch...a 25-minute taxi ride later, and we were into the land of where high school and college kids consume a lot of alcohol and make bad decisions. We stayed at the NH Krystal, which was pretty nice and very well-located to a lot of restaurants, bars and clubs. We checked in, showered up, and went out to some bars.

Saturday, we woke up pretty early and headed for the Chichen Itza. It was amazing. Newly minted one of

the seven wonders of the world, it was pretty crazy. The main pyramid is the one that you see a picture of, and it was pretty breathtaking, including the mathematics involved [4 side with 90 steps a piece, plus 5 pillars on top to mark 365 days]. We walked around and saw the main pyramid, the sports arena [where the winning captain of the team was beheaded because the Mexicans are crazy about death], the Wall of Skulls [where Mayans used to kill visitors and put their heads on sticks as warnings], and the Wall of 1,000 pillars. Lots of vendors were present, and I got some pretty neat souvenirs. We also took a trip to a natural sink hole, as well as a trip 5 minutes away to Sinote, which was a natural sinkhole and waterfall that is considered a resort by many. Larisa, our guest auditor from Argentina, took the plunge into the 40-foot deep sinkhole. It was pretty awesome. Later that night, we obtained some cervezas and sat watched the tide come in. I was also offered cocaine twice, which was a first in my life.

Sunday was a nice relaxing day at the beach. We played a lot in the ocean and the pool, and drank some pina coladas. It was pretty nice since I hadn't actually verified that the beach existed during the daytime, so it was good to put that rumor to rest....

Finished with an awful flying experience back to Mexico City. We had a four flight delay, which we used to drink and eat at the Corona Bar in the airport. We finally left after 11 p.m., and we arrived at the hotel after 1:30 a.m. and going to bed after 2:00 a.m. It is going to be a rough day at work, but it was a great weekend nonetheless...

That's all for now...I got some pretty awesome pics, so check them out if you have time. We also have found out, through the Mexicans obsession with El Dia de Muerta [Day of the Dead], that the city will be nuts on Friday. We are staying in the city this weekend to venture outside and see some of the ancient Mayan ruins...also, the last weird quirk was that daylight savings time occurred this weekend in Mexico, but next weekend for the US.

Gracias y saludos,

Matt

Weekend #1 Arrives

2007-10-26T08:50:00.000-05:00

Getting to work at 7...yuck. But, the light at the end of the tunnel can be seen. Leaving this afternoon for Cancun...while it is in the upper 40s here, it is supposed to be in the 80s this weekend. Looking forward to seeing the Mayan pyramids tomorrow.

I will post pics and hopefully some good stories on Sunday night when I return.

Adios amigos!

Some Pics

2007-10-24T09:08:00.000-05:00

It is a clear day today in Mexico City [no crazy fog or smog], so I finally was able to take some pictures of how amazing the city view is from our office. Take a look-see.

Still really cold out. Hopefully it will warm up this weekend before Cancun.

Early sights and sounds

2007-10-23T09:01:00.000-05:00

Hola!

Our team made it safely into Mexico City on Sunday, albeit via a very long line through customs [probably about an hour so]. We made it to our hotel around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday evening, and it was nice to finally check in, even if it was only a 4.5 hour flight.

The Sheraton is nice and we are actually working and staying in somewhat of a suburb of Mexico City called Sante Fe. It is the new financial district and actually a very nice area. We tested that theory by walking to dinner last night, and we had no problems.

Speaking of dinner, we also inadvertantly ordered $14 martinis the entire night. Oh well, we made it work, the dinner budget was just a little tighter than expected. We ate at a place called Shu that was a Japanese place with a French infusion. I am not really sure about the French infusion, but it was delish. Everyone in their life needs to eat teppanyaki. We also threw in some sushi for appetizers that was fantastic.

That's all for now...back to Day 2. Work is going to be crazy as this Monsanto site has been in a little bit of trouble lately. A few weeks of 8-8 aren't too bad; going to Cancun this weekend to see the Chichen Itza on Saturday and the beach on Sunday. Next weekend we are staying in Mexico City to celebrate the Day of the Dead and see the pyramids.

Matt

Goodbye, nasty bathroom; hello, Mexico

2007-10-21T10:34:00.000-05:00

As you can see from our pic of our master bathroom, while it has looked a lot worse, it is about to look a lot better. We are having our master bath gutted and re-done starting tomorrow, and when I come back from Mexico, I will have a brand new bathroom! We are having a ceramic tile shower installed, new floors, new fixtures, new drywall, DUROCK wall, new shower door, the works installed. We are also having the floor in the other bathroom re-done. We are very excited. Although I will miss the streaks of white paint I graffitied onto our fiberglass shower wall from when we were painting.

Leaving for the airport in about an hour. I will not have my personal cell on me, but will have an international cell. The best way to get a hold of me is e-mail.

A shout-out to Mike Cannon and the ladies soccer team for two huge wins this week, and hopefully by the end of next weekend, re-establishing their dominance as Women's Soccer champs in the MIAA after a brief one-year hiatus. Not bad for a team picked to finish 5th in the conference. IDIOTS.

Much love for ya...if you want some Tequila from MEX, holla at yo boy.

Matty Bear

I suck

2007-10-16T21:31:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know that people are upset due to the lack of updates to my blog. Well, as originally noted, this was going to be used to update things in my life...since there has not been a ton going on lately, a lack of blogging. Here goes nothing....

Went back to Kirksville for the baseball alumni weekend. While the numbers were somewhat low, we still had a decent turnout and the team played its best game in three years, losing 8-5. It was a lot of fun, and for those that did make it back, I do appreciate it.

Returned back to Kirksville for some recruiting at the Career Expo a few days later. It was good, and we were overwhelmed with people. We sent two people from the Finance side from Monsanto, and saw about 100 kids. It was good. Saw Mike Cannon, got to hang out...it was a very good, but quick, trip.

So, I leave for Mexico on Sunday afternoon. I leave around 1:30 p.m. for Mexico City. Apparently, we are only allowed to take cabs arranged by the hotel, and we can never take cabs in VW Bugs, which is weird I know, but apparently cab violence is pretty prevalent. So, I am looking forward to a trip to Cancun in weekend one for some beach fun and the Chichen Itza, and the second weekend staying in Mexico City and seeing some of the Mayan ruins.

Please keep the Walters family in your prayers, as Wally's mom lost her battle with cancer early Thursday AM. While I did not know her particularly well and only met her once, her toughness and positive attitude throughout her battle should be an inspiration to everyone. Our thoughts, prayers, and sympathies go to Wally's family.

Pics and blogging should return with its normal ferocity starting next week.

Freaky flights

2007-09-16T21:43:00.000-05:00

So, as I am sure you are all well aware of the air crash in Brazil [which was pre-empted by a crash in February flying over the Amazon], we fly in and out of that airport. A lot. Slightly frightened....

Well, it got a little more real today. I am supposed to go to Thailand in May, and not sure if you heard the news about the plane crash in Phuket. You can read about it here. Pretty scary. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20800512/

That's all...had a lot of fun last night at the opening of Edmonds new bar and restaurant, F15teen. I highly recommend going...it's off Locust.

Labor Day Weekend - Lake of the Ozarks

2007-09-04T19:24:00.000-05:00

Hola....

The weekend was a fantastic one, making our first of hopefully many voyages to Kenny and Krissy's beautiful lake house down in Osage Beach, MO, as they are temporarily relocated down there...a quick recap of the weekend.

Friday Night: Scott and Sarah rolled in around 10 p.m., and Wally, Pat and Brian came over to hang out. We had a few cocktails to celebrate the return of Scott and Sarah to the STL and then went out downtown to Paddy O's and Hrabosky's, which was going very strong when we got there just after a Cardinal win. At 2:00 a.m., we decided to call it a night, which contributed to a late start in the morning for a very ambitious goal of leaving between 9-10 a.m.

Saturday: Rolled into Osage Beach, MO, after stopping at Wal-Mart for some supplies and rolled into Kenny and Krissy's beautiful abode. You can see the freakin' water it is so close to the Lake. We immediately got changed and hopped on to the water for swimmin', drinkin', and tubin' along with Krissy's sister, Katie, and BF Jim. A few minor neck injuries later from Captain Kenny and we called it a night on the Lake. We then headed to a place called DogDays for some dinner, which was fun. We then headed back to Kenny and Krissy's and played bags until around midnight and headed to bed.

Sunday: Played lots of bags, and headed back out to the boat. Scott and Sarah, being the great people that they are, had to unfortunately leave, but it was for a good cause as they went to see Sarah's grandma. They are such great people...we continued to play bags and headed out on the water for a few hours. We were treated to some delicious cooking by Captain Kenny and played a ton of bags and had my first taste of Nintendo Wii. It is a lot of fun. Suddenly, all the Hypnotiq was gone and it was 3 a.m. and time for bed.

Monday: Pretty much a lazy day of some bags, some Wii, Kenny's grilling, and a trip to Krissy's place o' employment. It was a good day and we shoved off around 2 p.m. All in all, a great weekend and a great place to take a mini-vacation. Big ups to Kenny and Krissy to being wonderful hosts to us all weekend! We had a blast and can hopefully make it back soon!

Long time, no blog!

2007-08-30T23:12:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone---
Sorry for the lackadaisical effort on my behalf. Truly, I stink. Anywho, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind. I apologize for not having pics up from the DC/Baltimore trip. I will do so soon....

The week after DC, we went to Scott and Sarah's new home in Chicago with Nasty and Micaela, and Kenny and Krissy. It was a great weekend, filled with a lot of fun, video game playing, and some drinking. Scott and Sarah have a GORGEOUS house and it is really nice. Should have some pics posted from that weekend shortly as well....

As far as Labor Day weekend, we are going on Saturday AM to see Kenny and Krissy's new digs, as they are our new Lake transplant friends. Should be a good weekend, as Scotty and Sarah arrive tomorrow night, and Wally and Pat are coming along as well. Should be good fun....

Lately, Steph and I have been building a set of 'bags', which some also refer to as 'cornhole' in different areas. If you have no idea what I am talking about, click here: http://www.baggo.com/.

The bags set is looking pretty sick, if I must say so myself. I helped construct, and Steph did 99% of the painting and it is looking fantastic. It should be finished by tomorrow with some fun over the weekend. The next time anyone comes over, perhaps for some afternoon tailgating before some college football this fall, or just some trips into the STL, we are going to have to play bags on our new set....you would be impressed at my handiness!

Lastly, a shout out to Lauren Cepicky, who has scored a 90 and 97 on her first two parts of the CPA exam.

NOTE: The other bags board is a Cardinals board to create the Cards-Cubs rivalry. The Cubs board is not yet finished....

Weekend with the FAM

2007-08-13T13:17:00.000-05:00

My sis [Shelly], her hubby and their four kids met Steph and I in DC around NOON on Friday. I closed the audit in the AM, went to the hotel, ate some pizza, and met up with them. We went and walked around the White House, then visited the Smithsonian, where we saw both the Natural History Museum and the Air and Space Museum. It rocked. Even with the sweltering heat, it was a lot of fun.

We went and had dinner at the ESPN Zone on Friday night by my hotel before making the jaunt back to Sykesville, MD, where my sis and her fam lived, and it was easily the worst dining experience I have ever had. Mind you, I had visited this restaurant alone on Sunday night, and had some great food. However, I was alone and sat at the bar. This time, our group of 8 sauntered in and asked for a total, where we were told there was a 30-minute wait. We went down to the lower level and watched some people play some duck-pin bowling, which only my friend Scotty had played before of my friends, and drank some beers [just the adults]. After 45 minutes, my brother in law went to inquire as to the wait, especially since all tables were open. That's when the real fun began....

Steve [brother in law] was told that we were the next table in line. Then, another couple came up, and were also lied to and told they were the next table in line. The hilarity ensues. We were then promptly seated, the 8 of us, at a 6 person table in a room filled with empty 8 person tables. After switching to the correctly-sized table, we sat down to order, which we did fairly quickly. After our appetizer, we sat alone, with no contact with the waitress for a good 20 minutes with empty drinks. After 1 hour and 15 minutes [total time in restaurant, 2 hours], we still had no food. Finally, they brought 3 meals from the downstairs [not from the empty kitchen next to us] and waited another 10 to bring up 3 more plates, bringing our table to 75% served. My sis and bro-in-law simultaneously asked for a manager. We were then brought the rest of our food, but none of the salads. My sis again asked for a manager. They then told my sister, after about an hour and 25 minutes, that they were out of baked potatoes. She promptly [and rightfully] lost it on our waitress, Bonisha, and said she wanted a manager. We still didn't have forks for about half the people, mind you....

We finished the meal, where my sister's successful arguing got us 50% off and asked for a To-Go box, which took another 20 minutes when the manager told me the whole staff was working on finding them, and if he had to buy them himself, he would. Why wouldn't the To-Go boxes be readily available? We then left after another 10, easily a horrible experience.

Outside of that, we had a great Saturday. We got up, had some breakfast, then went to the Inner Harbor of Baltimore. Saw Camden Yards and the Potomac, and had some ice cream on the water. Went home and had a GREAT crab cake and tomato pie dinner [all of you will be trying this at my house soon, as it was DELISH], followed up by the weekly movie night at the Mertz household. Saw Night at the Museum, which was pretty good and I recommend it.

Sunday, went to church, hung out at the house, played some cards with the kids, worked on some baseball pitches [theirs, not mine], and headed back to the airport. It was a great weekend, they have an awesome house with a perfect backyard for a family with kids, and had a ton of fun. Big UPS to my sis and her fam for taking us around DC and Baltimore, and driving to/from DC twice for us. It was a ton of fun.

Should have pics up shortly....

Sightseeing in DC

2007-08-10T08:08:00.000-05:00

Steph arrived safely yesterday, and in a stunning turn of events, arrived half an hour early to DC. She successfully navigated her way to the airport and we met for a late lunch. I worked the rest of the day and we met up and left around 6 for some sushi and sightseeing....

While sushi wasn't Steph's cup of tea, I thought it was really good. we ate at a place called Kaz Sushi Bistro. We then headed out for a moonlight tour of the monuments, which we luckily got on since they didn't tell us reservations would be a good idea. It was a lot of fun, though, and I should have some pics posted this weekend. We saw almost everything, and we got out and stopped at the Jefferson Memorial, FDR Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Korean War Memorial, and Iwo Jima Memorial. We also drove by the new WWII memorial, which looked awesome.

The best part of the trip? Us dropping each person off at their hotels on the way home instead of going back to our starting point. My great temper had us get out next to a metro station and go home, which was actually faster. The best part was the trolley seemed to die, in a rainstorm, right after we got out for the metro. It was pretty funny.

The audit is getting close...doing some sightseeing today with my sis, her hubby, and their four kiddos, then spending the weekend with them at their house just outside of Baltimore, MD. Looking forward to a good weekend. Talk to you all soon.

DC

2007-08-06T08:12:00.000-05:00

Long time, no blog....

Sorry, things have been a little crazy since returning to the states. Back to back international trips can be a little tiresome. Life in the states is good, and making a trip within the country is always nice. Currently, I am in Washington DC for the week. Steph comes out on Thursday, and we are meeting my sis and her fam for some sightseeing in DC on Friday and we are going to spend the weekend with them.

Got to go to the Cards-Nats game yesterday in DC, which is always fun to see a new ballpark. Even though the Cards lost, it was still fun.

Looking forward to this weekend and next, where we are spending it in Chicago watching Cards-Cubs. Talk to you all soon.

The Trip Has Ended - From the NYC Airport

2007-07-27T16:56:00.000-05:00

Wow---

That's pretty much all I can say waiting for our 8:30 p.m. flight from LaGuardia. What an amazing trip with so many great things to see. We should have pics up tomorrow from the last day in London [Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, & Chelsea Soccer Stadium] and all of Paris. A quick run down of our trip.

London, Day Three -- We saw a bunch of cool stuff in our last day. We started out by hitting up the Westminster Abbey, which was an amazingly beautiful church. We took in all the sights and sounds and were just overwhelmed with its size and beauty. Next, we headed to Buckingham Palace and made it just in time for the full changing of the guard ceremony, which began at 11:30 a.m. It was pretty cool. After a walk through Hyde Park, we took in the House of Parliament/Big Ben and hiked it on the Tube for a tour of the Chelsea soccer stadium. It was pretty amazing to see their stadium and you can understand why they are so crazy about soccer. We did some minor damage to the credit card, then we headed back to the Comfort Inn, picked up our luggage, and made it over to the Waterloo train station for our 2.5 hour ride on the Eurostar to Paris.

Our trip to Paris was pretty uneventful and easy. Luckily, we ran into a US-couple from Virginia who told us to buy a carnet, or 10-pack of Metro tickets, instead of the 3-day pass. That turned into a very wise move and saved us a significant amount of dough, which Steph would manage to spend later in the trip. After a wrong turn down the street, my 3 years of French came in handy and we made it to the Holiday Inn.

Paris, Day One -- We made the one-hour train trip to Versailles and took in the castle. It was unreal. It was immensely large, with so much stuff to see. Marie Antoinette's estate was pretty awesome as well. The sheer size of the estate was downright amazing. Then, we headed to the Arc de Triomphe and got some great shots of Paris from the top of the Champs Elysses. Lastly, we walked to the Eiffel Tower, and we walked the 700 steps to the second level. It was amazing, and then we sat and had some snacks on the grass in front of the Eiffel Tower while the lights came on. We sat for about half an hour before the light show came on and it was unbelievable. It was a great night.

Day Two -- We made the priority of our day the Louvre, but we were really tired [apparently] as we slept in until about 11:30. We went to the Louvre and didn't realize we had spent 5 hours there as we were walking through everything. We managed to snap a few pics of the Mona Lisa, which we did not think was allowed but all the guards said it was okay, and some of Steph's fave, Van Gogh. We also saw a ton of cool other art, too countless to name. We then headed over to the Notre Dame Cathedral and caught the 6:00 p.m. mass. Again, breathtaking. We then had dinner along the Seine River and called it a night.

Day Three -- We went to the Musee d'Orsay and saw some more Van Gogh, and then we went and took some pictures of the Church de Saint Sulpice. After that, unforuntately, it was time to head back to the Eurostar station for our trip back to London. We were tired, but it was great.

All in all, an amazing trip. Both cities were extremely easy to navigate, and you wonder why St. Louis doesn't make public transportation more widely available and easy to use. Steph said it best by saying that in about 45 minutes, we felt that were able to navigate either city with ease. We should get all the pics posted soon.

For those in the STL, Blackthorne's Pub tomorrow night in south St. Louis city for some goods eat, beer, shuffleboard, and photos.

Matt and Steph

London - Days 1 & 2

2007-07-22T16:45:00.000-05:00

Greetings from the Comfort Inn in London---

Steph and I are having an amazing time. We will give the full rundown here, so be prepared for a long post....

The trip started off a little rocky...my flight got cancelled from Vienna to London Friday night, so I had to stay at a hotel across the street and take a flight at 7:40 a.m. the next AM. Even though every other airline was flying into London-Heathrow that night with a delay, our airline completely cancelled. Don't worry, we got back at British Airways with a nice bar tab on their hotel voucher.

Steph's flight went smoothly, and I actually got into London-Heathrow at 9:15 a.m., grabbed my luggage, and got to her terminal as she was picking up baggage. One slight snag...our plan to meet at baggage claim was derailed by international airports not allowing you to come to baggage claim. So, after a few minutes of panic, I paged her over the airport Intercom, and she was coming out just to meet me. I was very happy to see her pretty face.

We exchanged our U.S. dollars for the London Pound [which is destroying the US Dollar right now], got passes for the Tube [which is the London Underground train], and set-off for our hotel. While I was not exactly pumped about paying $160/nite for a Comfort Inn, our hotel is awesome. Not awesome in the sense that the room is overly sweet, but it is literally a 2-minute walk from the tube station, which is great for navigating the city.

Saturday run-down for sightseeing: We started off by heading to St. Paul's Cathedral, which was amazing. The skinny on the cathedral: it was built a long time ago but severely damaged in the London Fire, which burnt an amazing 4/5 of the city. So, they commissioned Sir Christopher Wren, who re-designed the whole thing. It was awesome. Unfortunately, no pic-taking in the church. But, we did climb the 457 steps to the top to get awesome views of the city.

Next, we shot over to Harrod's to check out their massive sale. It was cool to see, but we didn't buy anything. It is really the world's largest department store, and we can vouch for that. We then headed back to Earl's Court street by our hotel, grabbed some dinner at a local pub where I had a Guinness and Steph had a Strongbow, and went to bed.

Sunday run-down for sightseeing: A very busy day. First, we took the one hour train to Windsor to see Windsor Castle. It was absolutely amazing. For those that don't know, Windsor Castle is where the queen and her royal family lives. It also contains Queen Mary's dollhouse exhibition, which was given to her as a present, as well as the State apartments, where we got to see the king and queens rooms.

Next, we walked across the London Bridge, and then walked around the Tower of London [where the Crown Jewels are kept] and the Tower Bridge. We attempted to do a walking tour of Jack the Ripper, but the Tube station was closed and we couldn't find the guide. So, we decided to go to Hyde Park and we took a walk around the park. It was a lot of fun and there were a ton of people out. We then headed back for an authentic fish and chips London meal, but all of the places close early here on Sunday. So, we settled for the next best thing: Burger King, which we paid $16 for 2 Whopper Jr. meals.

On Saturday, the weather was a little overcast and some rain, but still nice and cool. Sunday, very sunny and around 70. Tomorrow, we are going to see Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and the changing of the guard, Big Ben and the House of Parliament, and a tour of the English-soccer team Chelsea's soccer stadium. We then leave for Paris on the train that goes under the English Channel, the Eurostar, at around 5:45 p.m., and arrive in to Paris later that evening.

We are having a blast and have a bunch of pictures for people to see. We look forward to sharing some more stories soon.

Love,

Matt and Steph

Bye Bye Brno

2007-07-20T07:44:00.000-05:00

Leaving Brno in about 15 minutes for a taxi to Vienna, Austria, where we will fly to London tonight at 7. Audit is wrapped up. Steph leaves in about 9 hours to start her journey across the big lake. Looking forward to a fun vacation. I will try and Blog and post pics throughout the trip, Internet-access willing. If not, I will Blog when I return next Friday.

I Hate Sleeping, or Really Sleeping Hates Me

2007-07-18T20:39:00.000-05:00

So, some of you know that I sleep pretty crappy. I rarely, rarely can sleep through an entire night without waking up. In fact, waking up twice is generally considered a victory.

Well, it's 3:40 a.m. in the Czecho and I am wide awake. When I went to India, the first few days, I took my sleeping pills, then got adjusted right away. I just made sure I stayed up pretty late the first night to get adjusted.

This time, in the Czech, I did the same thing, except the last few nites, I have been waking up 8-9 times and forcing myself to stay in bed. Tonight...wide awake at 3:00 a.m. I laid in bed for half an hour, but nothin'. So, I am going to go back to bed in probably an hour or so, but this stinks. I need to go be a part of the sleep study or something.

Also, say a prayer for Brazil. The airport that the crash took place at [Congonhas] in Sao Paulo is one that our team has flied in and out of frequently as part of weekend trips. We visit Brazil every year in March, as this is one of our biggest world sites [along with India, Argentina, Belgium, & France, which we are required to visit annually]. Maybe TAM Airlines shouldn't have forced a court injunction to fly on that runway, when a court had ruled flights were too dangerous to come in and out of that runway for being too short. Or, maybe they should have waited the six months for the grooves in the pavement to be installed. Or, maybe they should have taken a clue when the crash over the Amazon took place six months ago. At any rate, the Air Industry needs to get cleaned up in Brazil, and in a hurry, before I fly there in 9 months. Kind of scary when it becomes personal, and unfortunately it took the death of 198 people to get me fired up about it.

Vinny's Winery!

2007-07-17T02:57:00.000-05:00

So, we had an impromptu trip to a winery last night. The leader of the site decided to take us to his friend's winery, which was about 20 miles outside of Brno. It was great! I have never visited a winery [but always wanted to], and this one was awesome! It was owned by a guy named Vinny whose great, great, great grandfather starting making wine. He has what he called a 'real job' by day, but then does this in his spare time. It was awesome! So much smaller than the big wineries, and Justin said if you do a wine tasting at winery, you maybe taste 5-8 samples of wine. We tasted all 16 varieties of his wine. By taste 4, I knew things were going to be crazy!

Anyways, it was a lot of fun. The downfall of my night was drinking port wine; for those unfamiliar with port wine, they add 90% distilled alcohol to the barrels while it is fermenting. Regular wine ferments into alcohol due to the sugars, but they add alcohol to port wine to give it a little kick. I have had port wine before in the States, but it tasted like it had alcohol in it, kind of like Mad Dog. This, however, tasted like caramel candy. (Un)Fortunately, it is very strong and has given me a headache today! But, it was great. All in all, a ton of fun. We were at the winery for about 4.5 hours.

Two great occurrences on the visit: 1. Vinny used what looked like giant glass straws to withdraw the wine from the barrels for us to taste. There was one that we have a picture of that he specifically gives to women. Very funny....2. We bought 9 bottles of wine [5 Rieslings, 1 Agreva - kind of like a Pinot Grigio, and 3 Reds], because of the price, which was 50 CZK per bottle [about $2-$2.50 USD per bottle]. It is some of the best wine I have ever had, probably because it is straight from the winery and not from some crazy chain! If I can figure a way to get this back to the States, some of you can definitely enjoy it with me! However, I am pretty sure you can usually only take 2 bottles back to the US, but Justin said that he managed a way to get 12 bottles back from Argentina. I will see what I can do...

Weekend in Prague

2007-07-16T01:40:00.000-05:00

What a cool city Prague is. Justin and I had mapped out our weekend well in advance thanks to a book on Prague that a former auditor gave us. What we didn't realize was how close everything was to each other. By looking at the map, we thought that we would easily need to take taxis everywhere, which we didn't take the whole weekend. It was awesome. A fun fact about Prague: it is the only major European city not to be destroyed by bombs throughout war over the takeover by the Russians.

Unfortunately, I left my memory card back at the office in Brno. Fortunately, Justin took a ton of pictures. There should be a link up shortly for them. It is definitely an amazing city that I want to bring Steph back to sometime, and if you are in Europe and close to the Czech Republic, it is definitely worth a weekend, which is about the perfect amount of time to see what the city has to offer. I am still acclimating myself to all of the outdoor restaurants, which are sweet.

Friday -- Arrived in Prague around 4:00 p.m. Did some quick sight-seeing and knocked out the Astrological Clock, a few churches, and some other landmarks. Justin's camera ran out of battery at Charles Bridge, which connects the main part of the city to the Prague Castle. We ate dinner at an outdoor restaurant, then grabbed a drink on the 6th floor of a hotel called U Prince, where we could see the entire city at night. It was amazing.

Saturday -- Got up, at some breakfast, and hit the city around 11:00 a.m. Walked across Charles Bridge, where there were plenty of vendors selling a variety of knick-knacks, including a lot of very neat photos of the city. We spent about 4 hours at the Prague Castle, which had a lot of cool items, namely: St. Vitus Cathedral [oldest church in Prague, finished in the 1100s before being burnt down a few times], some crazy tower in the cathedral which had 287 steps and I thought I would pass out at, the Old Royal Palace [which is where the Royal Family stays on site], St. George's Basilica [second church on site of the Castle, used mainly for burials], & the Golden Lane [where they set-up their archers and marksmen]. The church was cool and I am sure the ones in London/France will be even cooler.

We had dinner at the U Prince hotel to see the city, then watched some street singers outside for a while. We went to a few pubs, which we required to be in the basements of buildings as they were in old cellars. We struck out in our first attempt...there was a bachelorette party doing some very inappropriate things to a blow-up doll.

Sunday -- Went and saw Wenceslas Square and the Jewish quarter and a bunch of old synagogues, and it was time to go. All in all, a great trip. I got a cool photo of the city and my pre-requisite XMAS ornament from each site I went to, and am pleased....

Ash'te [One more]

2007-07-13T01:02:00.001-05:00

So, I am headed to Prague this weekend. We are leaving the office today around 2:30 p.m., so I need to be quick and get some stuff done! The audit is going well; we have found a few things, but nothing too crazy with these Czechs. Hours haven't been too bad....typically we are in to the office around 7:30 a.m. and not staying past 6:30-7:00 p.m.

We found a pretty cool pizza place walking around Brno the other day. And, our grand total for lunch, for the two of us with four slices of pizza and bottles of water, was $5. Some things, you just can't beat. Today, when I left the hotel, I gave the concierge a 200 Koruna tip [about $10] and split it amongst her, the cleaning staff, and the laundry crew, and I thought she was going to lean over the counter to kiss me. Some things will always put a smile on my face, and extreme graciousness like that is definitely one of those things!

Steph's procedure went well; all-in-all, it took about 45 minutes. I called and talked to her yesterday around 4:00 p.m. STL time, and she was feeling okay. The procedure took a little bit of extra time to get started because they were nice enough to consider Steph's nausea when getting anesthetitized, and they gave her something for the nausea when she would come out of it. But, she seems to be feeling okay, and will hopefully be feeling back to normal before she leaves to meet me in London!

Hopefully, I will get to see this castle [Prague Castle] this weekend. Looking forward to a good trip. I am really tired today, but I am off of drug-induced sleep [I did not take my Ambien CR last night and I actually slept fairly okay], so that's a good step in the right direction! More from Prague when I get back! We are leaving our computers at the office, so no Internet access until Monday.