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| 21 Dec 2007 12:59:30 am |
 Babymoon |
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| December 15 - 21, 2007: Yes... that is what it looks like. Baby-moon. This is billed as the last bastion of relaxation before the baby arrives and we decided to enjoy the mountains of Colorado in Steamboat. We were joined in the first few days by Big Chris and Jenni and Jeremy and Wendie. We ate tons of antipasti and caught up the first night and were up early for some skiing on Sunday. That evening saw a little hot tubbin' and then mexican at the Rio. The rest of the week was just Lisa and I and we enjoyed some massages on Monday and a homemade crap cake dinner that evening. Skiing was the plan the next day but with foggy conditions, we spent some time touching up the condo and just relaxing and a movie. Wednesday was Lisa's BIG 30... and we again hit the massage and Lisa added a peticure and we topped it off with a river side dinner at the Cottonwood Grill (Pacific Rim Cuisine). Thursday back to Denver and some Indian food with friends. Not sure what a Babymoon means but a lazy week in Steamboat is just what the doctor ordered and Lisa's Birthday turned out just right! |
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Posted By : John
| Category : News |  Comments[104] |  Trackbacks [0]
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| 06 Dec 2007 10:31:39 pm |
| Brazilian Tour |
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Nov 26 to Dec 3, 2007: IBM was the catalyst for my trip to Brasil and in true IBM spirit... booked me in 3 different cities in 4 days with non-stop meetings. The meetings went better than expected and were very valuable but the people were the main reason this trip was special. Our first stop was Belo Horizonte in the middle of Brazil. Octavius (aka Guto) is the GM for Global Value Services Brazil and was our host for 3 days. Great guy and lucky for me, he enjoys food almost as much as I do. We enjoyed traditional Brazilian BBQ serving endless slow cooked meats of all types one day, a home cooked meal with his family another, and the typical local cuisine from BH on the last day. We also met his team and were welcomed by Rodrigo, Antonio, Mucio, Murilo, Carlo, and others. We even got to see a local soccer match with Atletico (aka Gallo) playing Goias. The futbol was average but the atmosphere was amazing. One of the best ever! After BH we traveled to Campinas to visit the IBM "Mega Center". An impressive facility and with 6000 people with an average age of 26... very similar to a college campus and very "un-IBM like". After a half day of meeting we drove the 100 km to Sao Paolo to finish of the work day with a meeting with the GM of IBM Brazil. We a successful work week behind us, we needed to enjoy the city and relax and luckily for us... we found just the guy. My friend Janiana is from Brazil and now living in France. I contacted her and she hooked us up with her old friend Alex for a night on the town. Now, not knowing what to expect, our expectations were low but Alex was fantastic and we hit it off instantly. We ate some slow cooked "porkie meat" and enjoyed the cold Brazilian beers. On Saturday our friend Paolo scheduled a quasi-tour with a driver. It did not exactly turn out as expected with this being our driver's very first day on the job. With 20 million people and lots of traffic... he seemed a bit overwhelmed and we directed him to the food (our main priority anyway). We landed at Bolinha for their famous "feisoada" lunch. This is a black bean, rice, and pork dish originally made by the slaves. Wow is it good and the most filling single dish I have ever eaten. I literally could not eat until the following day at 3 pm. We then hit some shopping and called it a day with full bellies. Sunday was our flight but not until 10:20 pm so we got up early and walked through the central park. 30 degrees and sunny and tons of people and activities in the park (just like NYC). Alex and his wife Esther called and invited us to enjoy some jazz music and a nice lunch and we could not refuse. Another wonderful day and new friends for life! Brazil was an excellent combination of wild, modern, cultural, raw, hectic, relaxing, and friendly. Put it on your list... a great place!
Click on here for more pics! |
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Posted By : John
| Category : News | Comments[101] | Trackbacks [0]
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| 02 Dec 2007 01:24:38 am |
| Winner Winner Turkey Dinner |
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November 28 - December 2: Sherrie kept with our new Thanksgiving tradition and came down from Germany to Turin with an Army Base Butterball in hand. We celebrate our feast on Friday... as noone has ever heard of Thanksgiving in Italy so it does not really matter. This year was a bit complicated with a forced trip to the Brazilian consolate in Milan for a visa (as I was traveling to Sao Paulo on Monday) but Lisa stepped in beautifully and thoroughly buttered, salted, and stuffed the 13 pounder. Bird came out perfect with the highlight being my "way better than Grandma's" stuffing (a chunkier version this year) but also a nice potato dolce (sweet potato) dish surprise from Sherrie. Ok... the real highlight was another great day with family and friends and we were joined by our friend Kimo and the Duse's (Dario, Georgio, and Annalisa). This was their 1st Thanksgiving and hopefully it did not disappoint. Great DAY!
I hope everyone out their enjoyed my most favorite of holidays with friends and family and gave thanks to everything special in their lives....
Click on here for more pics! |
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Posted By : John
| Category : News | Comments[103] | Trackbacks [0]
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