My Whiteboard: September 2012

26.9.12

New Nikon

Since I've been using sub-par cameras I made an upgrade to the Nikon Coolpix S8200. I was in the market for something with some decent zoom and a good price point. It's got some nice features to it and it's a little bigger than most of the compact cameras out there. But that's fine with me - It makes sense to walk around with a backpack/messenger bag around here anyway. So after some back and forth between buying it in the United States or Austria I decided to get it here. I didn't want to hassle with the plug adapters. Funny thing is, when I opened up the box the charger had a regular 110V us plug, but included an adapter! So it was two birds killed with one stone. Additionally, it was 179 euro instead of 250 dollars (not including tax) from Fry's in CA. Turned out to be cheaper here with the currency conversion. Probably one of the few things I've found cheaper than at home!

B&W Macro (Yes, I brought the toy's)

23.9.12

Week Recap

It's time for another update.

Since leaving home and arriving in Vienna (my home away from home) we've been really busy with the finding a place and settling in. I say my "home away from home" because neither of us are citizens here. Anyway, we managed to lock down an apartment late August after an unexpected difficulty with a move in date of September 12th, the same day I arrived back from my family reunion trip. A trip which had been organized & booked way in advance. So it turned into a nightmare and I'll just give you the cliff-notes. It involves cats, negotiations, contracts, and said contract falling through. Finding a plan "B" in 24 hours, almost loosing our plan B, but ending up with it. Now it's our residence. That was half the battle.

360 panorama of our street

Finding it was a pain. Moving in has been a pain too. It's difficult enough moving within the United States. It's a even bigger pain moving to another country. Conditions for rent are different and the process is very different. The plugs are different and we didn't bring enough. The bathroom was "new and remodeled" but unfinished (they never sealed the shower) - oops. The shower had no Faucet head. The water heater was set to scalding hot. Apartments don't come with washer/dryers. Previous residents take their lighting fixtures with them so we needed to buy lighting. There are no closets. My US drill wasn't shipped for two reasons 1) It needs to stay in my Baja pit box and 2) the plug/voltage converter likely wouldn't have worked with it. No drill made making repairs/hanging pictures difficult. Some furniture was broken. And to top it off we fried some electronics due to voltage differences - a TV and a stereo receiver. It's been way more than simply moving furniture and hanging some pictures. And apparently this is the "norm" around here.

Our Apt. Complex

Apartments here are easily 100+ years old. They are kept up "ok" but clearly were not built around a 21st century lifestyle, nor an American one at that. There are no studs to anchor to (it's brick). Wire routing is suspect. Bathrooms double as laundry rooms. And Euro's love cheap plastics and laminates so the "remodeled" kitchens lack quality.

"The cellar"

With flash, kinda creepy down here

So we have to make this place livable and it's been a bit of an effort. We got the internet up and running which was a huge hurdle. NFL season is going on and I'm missin' it! At least I'll be able to catch a few of the weekend games, netflix, pandora, and Skype/Google voice. So It's like being at home in regards to TV and communications. It really can be a bit confusing with the time change. For instance: Watching NFL Sunday morning games at 7pm. Yeesh!

I don't want to say everything about the move-in is bad. It certainly beats living in a hotel room, which we had been doing on company dime for the last three months. We live in an awesome neighborhood with great accessibility. We have a bank, grocery store and the D tram within a two minute walk. The D tram is a really convenient line to have as it runs between Karlsplatz and the vineyards of the 19th district. We have a bike path near by, a park, and we can walk to downtown easily. The main rail station is also close, so we can skip town easily if we want. We aren't directly facing the street so our place is very quiet.

Main hall looking into kitchen

10.9.12

Mammoth Lakes

So I've been in the Eastern Sierra's with the family for the last 3 days. We plan to head back to Carp tomorrow with a stop off in Manzanar. Anyway, here are a few cool pictures I've taken! We've had a lot of good Mammoth Brew, seen some cool scenery, done some cool hiking, fired off a few rounds, relaxed by the pool & stream. But generally enjoyed the great outdoors! Too much to do here and too little time! Can't wait to be back!

However, next time I find myself here in the summer I need to bring my Kayak, DH bike, and Dirt Bike! Winter? Just my Arbor!