blog.zgraggen.name  All-day insanity or I have a blog too!

After the experiences this season and considering the goals for next year. I decided to get professional support from a coach. Starting December 1st, I will have a personal coach which will help and guide me trough the next season. He has successfully completed 10 Ironman’s and is a much better cyclist and swimmer then I am.
I got to know Douglas through a mutual friend at UBS. This friend convinced me to join the training group for some track workouts. Shortly after that I was not only attending the track workout, but did also some bike interval training and swim trainings. I really enjoy training with Douglas and his group and look forward to many more trainings together. I hope that with Douglas experience I can improve the effectiveness of my training and bring my triathlon fitness to the next level!

More information about Douglas and his coaching can be found on the Multi Sport Partners website.

At least for a long time…
I started this post over a week ago and added more and more stuff to it, because there is a lot to write about here around…

I will start with the bad news:
Verizon
I am trying get internet for about 7 weeks now. A tip for anyone who is looking for a internet connection in USA. Do not choose Verizon! NO-GO! STOP! I had so much trouble with them, and their service is really, really bad! Believe me, Cablecom seems to have the perfect service when compared with Verizon.

That’s it! Now all the good news:
Heads up on some more stuff David and I did last weekend.
Rib Festival & Baseball
his PGR experience
The 1st week er month is over
If you want some more insights what is going on at the CMU, you should check the blog from David regularly.

MSE/MSIT Wins Team Championship
This is a quote of a CMU which was sent to all CS students.

On the team championship front, the MSE/MSIT team of Guido Zgraggen, Harrison Strowd and Ryan Miller finished 3, 11 and 15 respectively to make it to the winner’s circle. They also had a lot of support on the trail with almost a third of the entrants from MSE/MSIT. Congratulations to Guido, Harrison and Ryan and the rest of the MSE/MSIT team!

Business Dinner with the eBusiness Program
David was kind enough to invite me to his business dinner in return for the MSE picnic. It was a very nice evening with good food (yes, as in Switzerland). Some pictures…
Thanks to David!

Loads of Work…
I was expecting a hard time around here, but… let me put it this way: My undergrad study at the HSR was a piece of cake compared to the CMU
And I am not the only one who is working all day… the CMU campus is as busy at the weekend as during the week with the exception of less faculties walking around.
The biggest advantage of this is, I will not get homesick. I really have no time for it =)

Anyway, I like my program and I am sure that I have made the right decision! As a result to the time management I will cut down in blogging… sorry guys!

Career
CMU has its own “Career Center” which can help by finding a job, preparing for an interview, and you can even borrow a suit there for a job interview.
At the moment I receive a lot of emails about companies who will come on campus and offer a information session. Mostly it is in combination with free pizza and drinks.

I also went to an etiquette dinner to learn how to behave at an “Job Interview Dinner”. But I did not learn much… most of the things I already knew. But for the American people most of the things were new

TOC - Technical Opportunities Conference (Job fair). I took this chance to speak to several companies (Google, Microsoft, Facebook, CIA, IBM, EA, Mitre, DrwTrading, Timken, Palantir, etc.)
Yes, you read it rite… I tried my luck and spoke to the CIA! After I told the “Agent” I have only a visa. He told me that they do not employ foreign people. =)

Extreme Energy Rush I am not sure how healthy this is… but it works Working hours

Record-Breaking Class
This is a quote of a MSE Mail which was sent to all MSE/MSIT students.

Students entering the MSE program in the fall broke a record even before setting foot on campus. The graduate software engineering professional programs received a record number of applications for the 08-09 academic year, and for the first time in history, a waiting list was established to accommodate the overflow of highly-qualified candidates.

CMU movie screening
Yesterday, I took some time off to see the “new” Indiana Jones - The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The screening was in a big auditorium with a good sound system.
Each weekend they show different selection of movies. Some of them are more recent like Wall-E. And this for just 1$ per movie =)

Have a nice one!

Für einmal auf Deutsch… aber gewöhnt euch nicht daran!

Nachdem ich nachfolgenden Text an alle meine Mailkontakte und auch div. Facebook-Freunde verschickt habe poste ich das schreiben hier trotzdem nochmals. Eventuell ist mir ja doch noch jemand entgangen

Betref: Neuer Lebensabschnitt
Nun ist es schon bald soweit, am nächsten Donnerstag (31. Juli) nehme ich den Flieger in die USA, um dort mein Master Studium an der Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh zu beginnen. Was bis jetzt noch in ferner Zukunft lag und zuvor nur ein (Wunsch)Traum war, wird nun Realität. Die Vorfreude ist nun wieder etwas gedämpft wegen den vielen Sachen die noch zu organisieren sind und ich mir zudem auch bewusst werde, das ich die Schweiz (mit all meinen Kollegen, der schönen Natur und der Vertrautheit) zurücklasse, um einen neuen Lebensabschnitt zu beginnen. Falls Ihr interessiert seid, wie es mir in den nächsten 1.5 Jahren so geht, schaut doch mal auf meinem Blog (http://blog.zgraggen.name) rein. Neben all den technischen Berichten und den Bücher-Reviews gibt es sicher ab und zu mal einen persönlichen Bericht. Wer mehr an Fakten in Form von Fotos interessiert ist, hat die Möglichkeit den Wissensdurst auf meinem Webalbum (http://picasaweb.google.com/zgraggen) zu stillen.
Falls ihr zukünftig mit mir Kontakt aufnehmen wollt, geht das am besten per Mail. guido@zgraggen.name

Ich wünsche euch alles Gute!
Tschüss, ciao en schöne…Guido =)

Some of you might have noticed that I published the last pictures on the web gallery of Picasa:
http://picasaweb.google.com/zgraggen/

This will also be the place where you will find my future pictures from America. Of course I will announce a new album with some additional information on this blog.

Please do not hesitate to leave a comment on any picture you want!

Yesterday, I had a little farewell party at the pampelonne. It was a comfortable, lovely and funny afternoon.
Thanks to all the attendees for showing up and the good time we had

Some impressions can be found here.

Today I went to the US embassy in Bern to apply for visa.
My appointment was scheduled for 09:00 and I arrived as in good Swiss manner a little early at 0830.
After waiting for 1.5 outside of the embassy I finally was allowed to enter the (security-check) building. First they did a detailed security check. Whereas I had to walk three times through the metal detector (without a beep) and then the woman scanned me additionally with the hand detector. After this check I took my documents and a book to read (thanks to David for the tip) and left the first building to walk to the second building. Even this pathway is behind fences they did another security check when I entered the main building.
Then I went to the allotted desk (#7) and deposed my documents and took place in the waiting area. After only one minute they called me to desk #6. There I had to make finger prints off all my fingers (electronically… nothing with ink and dirty fingers :-D). It took about 1 minute. Then I had to wait for a few more minutes till a voice announced that I should go to the desk #8.
There a very friendly man asked me (after finger print check) how long I would stay in America. I answered for about one and a half year. Then he told me a few things about Pittsburgh with all the Universities and that it is a great city. He told me that my visa will arrive at the beginning of the next week and wished me good luck and fun for my study.

After waiting for 1.5h hour which I assume is normal I had a brief, friendly, and pleasant visit at the US Embassy to get my visa. So now I really looking forward to meet more Americans.

What I did not mention till now was that I certainly was well prepared and had filled out every document clean and truthful including all the confirmation they needed.

Today is my last day at the Institute for Software (IFS). I am a little sad and at the same time also happy…

I am sad because I have made many good friends at work. I also will miss the outstanding location near the lake wherein I often went swimming around lunch time. I look back with satisfaction on two and a half years I spent at this Institute of the Hochschule für Technik Rapperswil HSR.

I am happy because finally I have the spare time to prepare everything to leave Switzerland for my Master Program in the USA. To which I am really looking forward…

So thanks to everyone at the HSR for their help, friendship, and the good time we had.

After reading the The Pursuit of Unhappiness I discovered that Paul Watzlawick has written a Guide to America?
Not before long I will go to this country myself so why not broaden my horizon a little.

The book itself is relatively old, it was first published in 1987 and in 2002 the sixth renewed edition was released. Even though I think it hasn’t lost its actuality. But to be absolutely sure I should judge this book after my stay in America.
Anyway, I would like to say a few things about this book:
First of all this book is not an all you need to know guide. It just shows certain differences between Europeans and Americans. For example that our first floor is the second floor and that Americans start finger counting with the forefinger. Moreover he also gives insight to the American way of life which might help my getting used to their habits more easily.

Although I can not give a final validation on the book I still would recommend it to people who plan to go to America.

Edit: I forgot to mention that the author recommends taking a prescription for the glasses with you. Because in the USA you can not get new glasses at the optician without a recipe from an oculist. Even though with an recipe from an European optician you will get glasses =)

I received another email of acceptance from the University of Florida.
Funny about this admission information was that I first received a reminder to report my decision to the University and one hour later I received the mail with the congratulation and the admission information.

Slowly I get used to be accepted =)

At lunch I got a message from my brother that the new Lenovo laptop has arrived at home
When I arrived at home after the training I saw the package. Although I had paid half a fortune I started to feel happy. With this positive feeling I checked my mail as always when I get home. One of them said:

Congratulations! It is my great pleasure to inform you that you have been admitted to Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) to begin your Master of Science in Computer Science in the 2008 fall term. Your official admission letter will be mailed soon, if you have not already received it.

It is already the third school which accepted me =)

So now I have to configure my laptop…

<sing interpret=”Irene Cara”>What a feeling…</sing>