Visiting the lady tomorrow!

Yay!  I'm all packed for my flight tomorrow to see my wonderful wife and attend her TJAGLCS graduation!  We also put together and submitted our moving paperwork.  While I still have a lot of cataloging to do, it's a big step forward.  I also got started on the POV shipping process.  Now, I can start putting a little more energy into getting the dog all set for the move and sorting our taxes out.

I've also started a few farewell meetings.  I'll be meeting up with D-Rok to see the movie The Grey, and I'm sure I'll see K-Borg at least one more time before I head out.

I'm also re-connecting with my German acquaintances.  Two of them have already offered to meet us for Easter!  Since we need to be in Germany the very next day, we will likely be able to honor that request, but we first have to get our flight tickets before committing to any events overseas.  They are all also helping me out with my German.  Mein Deutsch ist swach.  As such, I need to get some major practice in.

I have been forewarned that getting employed in Germany is tough, let alone if you don't know the language that well.  It apparently is a lot harder for German employers to fire their employees as compared to America, so they are a lot more careful about whom they hire.  I think I may start focusing on completing my Chemistry degree and maybe get a grad degree in a Biology-related field...possibly biotechnology or even medical school.

Short blog today.  Got a busy day tomorrow.  I will probably also have some pictures to show tomorrow!

Moving paperwork continues...

So, after revisiting the paperwork again this morning, I realized that, on paper, the only thing that is required regarding the items in the house is a simple tally of what we want shipped in bulk and what we want shipped with us when we go.  There are weight restrictions, of course.  Together, we got most of it done: I did the first pass, and together we went through it all again, minus a few lines.  The bad news is we will be submitting this in a few days later than preferred, so we hope this won't screw things up too much.  However, it is DEFINITELY something that the both of us needed to go through.  I anticipated as much, but it always helps when your partner in crime feels the same way.

I got so hungry afterward that I ate an entire Bernatelli's thin crust pizza and a 2L of Fresca.  I didn't even bother cutting it into slices.  Holy moly!  Pop (soda/coke) is expensive now!  Retail price for a 12 pack of anything is $5.19!  I swear only 5 years ago it was $2.89.

I also will start kennel training Etsy tonight.  I've been dragging my feet because, as you can see below, she had no problem going in the very first time I brought it home.

However, I do need to get her used to being in it for possibly greater than 8 hours...that's how long the flight will be.  Doing this overnight won't be a problem.  I'll have to try doing that to her during the day too.  She is at home by herself for around that long while I'm at work anyway.

In other news, the clues for the treasure hunt are pretty vague this year.  Usually by Clue 7, the actual location is pretty obvious.  This year, most people still have no idea which park it is in.  I have resolved that it is hidden underneath a park bench, but I can't decide which park it could be.  Based upon the chatter online, most people don't seem to know either.

In the little spare time I had today, I discovered Freddie Wong on YouTube.  Wow.  Totally the next generation in film-making.  Infectious energy and fun...at least to the online, action, and gaming communities of the middle age and younger demographic.  They also appear to be genuinely nice guys who are doing what they love to do and have recently begun to get paid for it.  They are very inspirational in that regard, and every person's dream.  I, at least, very much appreciate them as I would consider myself very much in their target audience.

To end this post with a bang, I received a late wedding gift today.  One of my wife's good friends made us a quilt.  I didn't completely unfold it because it is quite sizable and I had to pretty much pack it back up again.  Nonetheless, the color selection is wonderful!  I can't wait to use it in Germany.

New Plates, Cataloging Commence...

I got the plates for our new car today!  Pretty sweet random letter pick if I say so myself...

At least my plates will be easy to spot now :)  Honk if you see me in traffic!

Today, I worked on cataloging all of the items in the house for the big move.  My sister-in-law helped out.  With the two of us, we catalogued roughly 160 items in 5 1/2 hours.  Granted, she ran into scheduling complications and was only able to help for a couple hours, this indicates how brutal this process will be.  Thus far, all of the DVD's and VHS's are catalogued as well as 3/4's of one kitchen cabinet.  Put into perspective, though, the dining room will have few items, as will the garage and most of the living room.  The killer is in the little stuff...and the basement.  My wife and I have a LOT of CD's.  All of the kitchen items are proving to be intensive as well.  The basement...TONS of little things all boxed up.  I'm already starting to designate items that will not come with us.

I'm attempting to label everything with a sticker or a tie-on tag when I can.  Some things, like towels and linens may have to go unmarked.  I am also taking pictures of everything, so that should help.  I'm choosing to catalog using webcams connected to laptops and desktops to take pictures.  The resolution is not as good as a regular camera, but the image goes directly into the computer and can be immediately cataloged and noted in excel.  I cannot think of a faster way to do it.  Based upon today's progress and how mentally exhausting it gets, I will get done by next week at the soonest...IF I catalog every day until then.  I'm still not sure about the best way to catalog paperwork.  I'm thinking I'll put them in enclosable folders or something like that.

Etsy was very chill today.  I honestly think she's better when she spends more time with me.  From here on out, I'll be diligent about walking her for 20+ minutes twice a day.  I had recently fallen to once a day as my parents were walking her before I pick her up from work.  My new thing with her is to train her to fetch my keys when I leave each day for work.  I'm hoping it will give her a sense of contribution as she often paces or stands by and watches when I get ready for work.

At the end of the day, I redeemed some Stripes rewards for TGIFriday's and ate like a hog whilst working on my genealogy project.  Being that my last name is Jaeger, very German indeed, I figured I could try to hunt down the family line when I'm in the motherland.  My mother's side also has a good slug of German, but my maternal extended family paid for a real genealogist to trace that down.  Her father's side is actually pretty well publicly documented too.  My father's paternal side, though, is a bit of a mystery because the Jaeger that emigrated from Germany died when his children were younger than 10, and their mother died about 6 or so years after that.  He did not talk about his life in Germany, and did not immigrate with any relatives.  At best, he had a few friends in Milwaukee, where he immigrated to for work.  I'm still working on this, and after interviewing my grandfather I have a lot of leads to follow through on.  A mystery is always exciting :)

That's all for now.  Gotta sing at church tomorrow, so time for bed.

Videos and prep for cataloging

Hey!  I figured out how to download my pictures and videos from my phone!  Here are a couple of gems from last month.

Tobias is the tabby colored cat.  Aviva is the grey and white one.  Etsy is the dog.  The cats, despite their cuteness are not presently in my possession.  However, if we play our cards right, they will be with us in Germany.  Until I see the kitties again, I'll just have to settle for these videos.

Tomorrow, I get to face the daunting task of cataloging everything that is getting shipped to Germany.  My sister-in-law, who's probably even better than I am at cataloging, will be helping me out.  Even with the two of us, I still don't expect us to get more than half of the house done.  Other ideas to help this process along will be recording and taking pictures using webcams and laptops and putting non-repeating numerical tags on everything.  Don't get me wrong...I love to organize.  However, this is a little extreme.  I'm thinking I'll be getting rid of a lot more than I planned on.

All the gearing up for the move is starting to get to Etsy.  These past two nights she's been restless.  I think she actually is starting to miss the company of the cats too.  They would try to play with each other, but Etsy's 75lbs to their 7lbs didn't really add up to wonderful times.  Aviva would taunt every now and then, and would jet after Etsy would move.  Tobias was always held in check by Etsy because Tobias is flat out annoying at times and Etsy would simply get in his face, returning the annoyance favor.  Tobias and Aviva play and snuggle together all the time.  It was a well rounded group of playmates.  We plan on a reunion soon.

I'll contact my friends in Germany soon.  If I need to get anything before the move, now's the time.  It's funny how my friends in Germany and Austria all know me from the University of Minnesota, but have never met each other.  Christian is in Austria, so he has an excuse.  Jan and Iris, however live only an hour or so apart. Funny how the web of friends connects.  I wonder if that works the same for me.  I'm so glad that I'll have some local references over there.  I know they won't be able to hold our hands per se, but at least if I'm in a desperate situation I might have someone to go to.

So much to do.  The moving papers have to be done ASAP because the move can happen no sooner than 3 weeks after the paperwork is approved.  Also, the move generally takes months to complete.  They pack everything in a day or two, but the transportation is what takes time.  I wonder if they send it by boat.  We could realistically be in Germany for weeks before our stuff arrives.

After the moving papers, I gotta get our taxes figured out, I have to sort out an endocrinologist in Germany for myself as I am Type I Diabetic (military Tri-Care insurance will make the transition easier), I have to get Etsy's travel paperwork taken care of, I have to learn German, and I have to figure out if I'm doing more school or working in Deutschland.  One thing at a time.  Because of this move, our taxes should look crazy next year with all the donations and moving expenses involved.

Ok.  Bed time for now.  I'm sure I'll have plenty to post about tomorrow.  I would love to hear from anyone else who has eaten Pummelo before!

Blog initiation

I admit, for a long time I was opposed to blogging.  I dunno...seemed unprofessional.  I can honestly say, however, that times do change and time can heal some biases.

For those who choose to sneak a peek at someone else's journal, here's one opportunity for you :)  This blog is going to function as an unwind of sorts for me.

"JA" stands for "Judge Advocate."  If you've ever seen or heard of the TV show "JAG," it's the same thing except for real in my case.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, look up a synopsis online.  Hollywood sometimes explains the basic jist of things more quickly.  My wife has been accepted and is presently undergoing training as a JA officer for the US Army.  Why blog about this?  Because our lives have gotten so crazy, loaded with adventures, and flat out exciting now that we are starting this new chapter in our lives that it's kind of hard for me NOT to write it down.  

Just as a brief orientation, my wife and I got married this past May.  She got accepted as a JA in July.  She quit her job and started training in October on the east coast, and is still there now.  Mind you, she didn't just get accepted in a manner of days, or weeks, or actually even months.  It took about a year and a half between submission of the application to actual acceptance.  They're pretty picky, accepting only about 6% of their applicants, so make sure you're ready for it if you do apply.

We still text and call each other, but we very much look forward to being with each other again, which brings me to the next part.  When she's done with her training, she gets stationed on the western border of Germany and I get to go along!  We'll be there for roughly 3 years.  They have not told us that, mind you.  We're guessing based upon other people we've talked to who have been stationed there in similar circumstances.  Being as large as the military is...and it is HUGE...the information is there, but you have to know where to look.

Fast forward to present.  Here is where I'll start weekly to daily posts about my day's activities.  Why is this relevant?  Being a newly married husband who is around 1,500 miles away from his absolutely wonderful wife, there is a lot of hurry-up-and-wait we both have to deal with in order to complete this transition into a new life together.  New jobs for both of us, new part of the world to live in, and a new family...it is a rare opportunity of almost a completely new start.  Being in my young 30's, I never imagined that I would have such a chance as this!  Also, I'm a little old school.  I actually hand-wrote fountain-ink pen and wax-sealed letters to my wife on a daily basis, but she asked me to stop as her final phase of training is about to start and she doesn't know if she'll get them there.  So, I'll blog instead.  Also, when we leave the country, this will be my little Harry Potter owl letter back stateside.

Today, with the 5th clue for the St. Paul Winter Carnival Treasure Hunt posted, I still believe that the medallion is actually hidden in the park 1/2 mile away from my house this year.  

Here are the clues thus far...

Clue 5:

If it's treasure you're trackin'

Stop chattin'. Get crackin'.

As the sun will lighten up your day,

This clue will brighten up your way.

Clue 4:

"Woof" says the dog. "Babble" says the brook,
And here is wisdom on which to make book:
When in Rome you should do
Exactly as a Roman should do

Clue 3:

Crack the nut and find the treasure.
There's a place to cook and a place for leisure.
A road there is that's interfacial.
Bag the treasure if you are able.

Clue 2:

It's time to get this off our chest: 
Mix treasured lore into your quest. 
Triple score provides a clue; 
So do the colors red and blue.

Clue 1:

The time has come around again
For using all your cunning and ken
To unravel Boreas' befuddling clues
Circulated in the PiPress news.

Within our realm explore and search. 
No private properties besmirch.
The treasure rests in a public park.
On a course for golf, please leave no mark.

Having done this a few years, I translate it as the following...

Clue 1: It's in a public park with a golf course. It's not on the golf course. "PiP..." may be a code for something.

Clue 2: Ignore it for the most part.  It's describing this year's custom emblem on the medallion.

Clue 3: It's hidden where there are trees, grills, and park benches.  "Cook" may also be in reference to the street.

Clue 4: Dogs can be around.  There is a small brook nearby. There is also an amphitheater nearby.

Clue 5: The writer is getting frustrated with the people chatting on the discussion boards about the clues and not actually looking for the medallion. (People often complain about how they can't find it, and yes, this happens every year.) "Crack" comes up a second time, which leads me to believe the medallion is in some sort of crevice.

I took our dog, Etsy, along as I knew she would need the exercise and I could use the company seeing as how I could only go after work when it would be dark outside.  No luck, as expected.

Coming home, I made another loaf of bread for lunch at work tomorrow.  I also put taxes aside to work on moving paperwork.  The military will move all of the stuff in our house to Germany for us for free unless we exceed weight restrictions, but we have to have the paperwork filled out first.  The goal is to get our stuff out of the house by mid-February.  The fun part is that I don't know what I'll do with myself once nearly all of our stuff is gone.  While cataloging everything to be shipped, I'll have to sort out what I'll be keeping behind for the next month or so.  We won't leave for Germany until mid-March at the absolute earliest.  She's due to report early April, so that would be the latest.  Fortunately, work's being flexible with me through all of this, so I'll be able to work up until the day I leave.  That makes things a little easier.

Etsy has been pretty antsy and needy today.  Being half-collie, she is sensitive to changes in the weather...and today was very unusually warm (~40F, norm is usually 18F) with the first clear skies in weeks.  She also may be missing the cats.  We can only bring two pets at most to Germany, so we chose to leave the Cornish-Rex cats with my wife's mother.  I'm not much of a cat person, but those kinds of cats really almost act like dogs.  They have grown on me, and I will miss them.  When we're stateside again, I'll try to get them back with the family.  I have also gone on the record of supporting getting another Cornish-Rex if my wife should so desire.  I think Etsy misses their shenanigans now too.  They have only been gone for two weeks now.

Tomorrow, I have a doctor's appointment and I'll try to start cataloging items for "The Move."  Oh boy, this will certainly take a while.  Even with my sister-in-law's help on Saturday, I still don't think we'll get it all done by the end of the weekend.  I, however, will try nonetheless.

For future posts, I will try to include pictures.  It's my first blog post...cut me some slack :)