Hello sports fans. It's been quite a long time since I have posted anything. Moving to Switzerland for a new job has kept me a little busy. So, last night I was able to attend my first European Pro League game. I currently live near Lugano, Switzerland and the just so happen to have a pretty good hockey team. In fact HC Lugano (in black) is probably the winningest team in the Swiss professional league. The Panthers have captured seven national titles and seen five other finals appearances since the 1985-86 season. There are 12 teams in the Swiss A league. Each team is only allowed four foreign players. Lugano has brought on former NHL-ers David Aebischer, Randy Robitaille, Jeff Hamilton, and Petteri Nummelin.

The game is pretty much the same with a less checking and a little more finesse. Don Cherry would love it. Ha ha!
Last night the SCL Tigers came to town from Langnau. The Tigers lack any big names. The only person on the roster is Oliver Setzinger, from the Austrian National Team. [Yes, I am a hockey nut.]
HC Lugano jumped out to a two goal lead 0:21 and 0:48 into the game and looked as though they were going to run away with it. But, the Tigers roared back with two goals before midway through the first. Lugano scored at around the 14 minute mark and took a 3-2 lead into the first intermission. The home team came out on fire and scored five goals in the second period. Lugano won 8-3.
Here are some things I took away from the game:
David Aebischer is not the goalie he used to be. I'm guessing his pride is getting in the way of his play. He just doesn't look like he is playing with any heart.
While I was watching the game, I notice each team had a player with a little different outfit. Well, it seems that each team's leading scorer gets to wear a "top scorer" jersey and helmet with flames included. It reminded me of the Super Nintendo sports games where your hot player would have flames coming off of him.

Below are some videos I took during some Lugano power plays:

Let the Adventure Begin

I have arrived safely in Switzerland. Things are going pretty well. My days have been filled with lots of meetings and gatherings to get to know the school, the people, and the area. I have been here a week now and it is starting to feel like home more and more everyday. I of course miss everyone but, with the view from my balcony (see picture), I am not missing the States at all.
Now that my internet has been unlocked I have access to writing in the blog. I will do my best to try to keep up with things.

Ciao!

New Music

Thanks to Pandora internet radio I have found another new band that would fall right into my love for shoegazer or dream-pop music. While listening to my Asobi Seksu playlist, Pandora played a fantastic song by the band minipop from San Francisco. So, along with Asobi Seksu and Exit Clov on the east coast (see earlier post), there is good music coming from both coasts. I think all three of these band go very well together. I would love to see them all perform together.

Listen to minipop at myspace music. There is a really great cover of the Flaming Lips' Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots. My favorite song from the list has to be "precious." Well, because it just is. Enjoy!

A New Job And A New Adventure

I have just recently landed what may be one of my ultimate dream jobs. Starting in mid to late August I will be moving to Switzerland to teach at The American School in Switzerland, or TASIS.

I have dreamed about moving to Switzerland since I first visited this beautiful country in the summer of 2003 to do my Masters Thesis research at CERN. This dream was further kindled when I traveled there during my Austrian-Swiss Adventure in the summer of 2005. Of the many places I've been to in Europe, Switzerland is has to be my favorite. I love the combination of cultures: French, German, and Italian. While the three regions have certain similarities to these cultures, they are also distinctly Swiss. Along with the medley of cultures there is another thing that has drawn me to this enchanting country. That is the landscape. To be more specific it is the beauty of the Alps and the gorgeous alpine waters, the steams and falls that are filled with glacial runoff. The valley of "loud waters," the Lauterbrunnen Valley, is one of my favorite area. Many who know me know of my love for Gimmelwald. This small enchanting village is located half way up a mountain in this area, which is a bit north of where I'll be.
TASIS is located in the south of Switzerland, just outside of a town called Lugano. This is the Italian area of Switzerland and it is very near the Italian border. The middle picture shows a wonderful view of the town along with Lake Lugano. The bottom picture shows a view from Lake Lugano. The school is about 1.5 to 2.0 Kilometers from Lugano.

TASIS is a very diverse school, having students from 42 different countries. This is far more than the boarding schools I've worked at here in The States where there have been only around 10-12 different countries represented. There are also a multitude of cultural learning opportunities outside of the classroom and away from campus. TASIS has a few different weeks where small groups of faculty and students travel to different European countries to learn about history, art, culture, and more. There are also travel weekends like this as well. And, the whole school goes skiing somewhere in Europe the week before the second semester begins. This is not a part of winter break. Its actually built into the schedule.
There are many more amazing aspects of TASIS, Switzerland, and Europe. I will try to write about as much as I can as I learn more and my adventure progresses.

May Day

Read about the origins of May Day.

Laziness and New Music

So, it takes all the energy I can muster just to get out of bed and go to my soon to over job. I have a terrible case of senioritis.


My will to do anything but work has led me to come across some new music.

Asobi Seksu has a new album out.

I rediscovered a nice avant-pop band from Hong Kong called Primary Shapes.

My friend John told me to check out a cool kaleidoscopic pop noir band from the DC area called Exit Clov (see picture).

To Blog or Not To Blog...

This blog is on its way back. Now that I have decided to to sell all my possessions, leave the country and travel the world, I need a way to let friends and family know what I am doing. I hope it will also allow you to live vicariously through me.