Posts
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Oct 10, 2018
Why the word "No" is an important word to have in your vocabulary
We're surrounded by yes-men from our very first day on the job all the way up until the point where we become self-actualized (if you're so lucky), where your direct reports are doing your bidding for you. Saying yes helps us get ahead in the work place, it shows respect to our peers, and proves that we possess a "can-do" attitude... assuming you can deliver, but at what cost do we pay?
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Jan 25, 2018
I worked out for 90 days straight, lost a bet, but still learned a lot
As every year comes to an end, people always come up with ways that they are going to make a better version of themselves the coming year. This year I chose a "do more" resolution, specific to exercise. I had made the goal and a bet with a friend (pride not prize) to exercise every day for 30 minutes. The intention was pure cardio, but we'd make exceptions along the way if both parties agreed. As you've realized by reading the title, I lost, but I still took away some important nuggets.
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Jan 1, 2016
Running Year in Review
I started running again somewhat seriously in April this past year. It might have been sparked by purchasing a watch, but it was certainly maintained do to the addition of a new track club. Motivation has been tough the past few years without a group of people to force you out the door each day. Oh how times are changing!
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Dec 31, 2015
Moving from Wordpress to Jekyll
As I was going over my budget for 2016, I was looking at some of my fixed costs each year. One cost that I had considered lowering in the past was my hosting service, which spread out over the year amounted to $107.88 ($8.99/mo). I had considered looking for alternative vendors (S3 Buckets) in the past, but have never made any moves away from GoDaddy, even though I had highly considered doing so after their SOPA debacle.
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Sep 1, 2015
Sustaining Social Responsibility
I had the opportunity to sit down with Peter Buffett and discuss what hopes to be his legacy and how the current generation can be a part of it. From all accounts, Peter Buffett is known internationally as a trailblazer, an activist, a musician, a philanthropist and most notedly, none other than Warren Buffett’s youngest son. But surprisingly, to his own accord, none of his accomplishments were rooted in his father’s money, but were instead founded by his choice of passion over traditional conventions.
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Oct 24, 2013
Win XP Don't Get Left Behind
When Chaucer said that all good things must come to an end, he undoubtedly was not referring to Windows XP’s end of life. However, as XP has just passed 12 years of existence, there are plenty of IT directors and CIOs that would still claim the parallel exists, since support is scheduled to end in April 2014.
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Jul 6, 2011
Ich bin Berliner
Kennedy may have said it wrong, but Dan and I made sure we wouldn't make the same mistake. To even call it a mistake is slighting Kennedy. We were able to see the history and the city where he made one of his most iconic speeches.
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Jun 20, 2011
Differences between Germany and USA
For this blog post, I thought I'd branch out in another direction. I know that before I came to Germany the main thing I was doing was preparing for all the change. I was trying to make sure that my transition would be smooth ... and it has been.
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Jun 15, 2011
Schuetzen Fest
Each year there is a celebration where people gather to witness people compete based on their shooting skills. The winner of the competition in most cases, is the marksman who is able to shoot and hit the wooden eagle. He is then crowned the Schützenkonig and remains so until the next year.
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Jun 14, 2011
Hannover Havoc
When it comes to traveling, it is quite clear that I have a lot to learn. This past weekend, myself and two other colleagues decided to embark on an adventure to the city of Hannover. It is the largest city within an hour of our work, so we found it a fitting trip for our first friday night.
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Jun 12, 2011
Hannover Reloaded, Warburg, and Wine
This story starts on the 17th after I finished work for the day. Since we are able to make our own hours in Germany, I front-loaded the week so that I could get off by 15:00 to head home and pack. I was able to make it to Bad Pyrmont to meet up with Dan and Julio for dinner. Once again, we were planning our weekend last-minute and had no clue what we wanted to do. The only thing we knew was how the Bahn pricing worked, with this information we were able to decide where we could go within our price limit.
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Jun 12, 2011
My First Week in Germany
It's hard to believe that I've already been in Germany for a week. It might have something to do with the fact that I've been half asleep the whole time. Jetlag is a beast of its own and has thoroughly confused my body until recently. My running coach, Coach Falk, told me that every timezone you go through takes about a day for your body to recover, I now concur.
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Jun 8, 2011
Sprechen sie Deutsch?
I've heard that phrase and given that response in countless occasions during the past few days. Another colleague of mine said that my immersion should be likened to more of a drowning rather than a "get your toes wet" kind of ordeal. Right when I arrived in Germany I realized the grandeur of this adventure. I literally hadn't given the trip any thought, I was trying to not get excited. If I wasn't excited, I couldn't be disappointed, that was my train of thought.