News
Don’t Save the Whales Still Going Strong
I wrote a blog post entitled Don’t Save the Whales over six years ago in April, 2005, and it is still going strong, for obvious reasons.
The Dinner Party to End All Dinner Parties
I have a little corporate apartment in Berlin, in an unfashionable neighborhood called Moabit, right across from the main train station, Berlin Hauptbahnhof. My business partner, Mark, also spends half of his year—the warm months—in Berlin. He fell for the city while an exchange student in high school and he’s fluent in German.
A Meeting With Swiss Billionaires in Zürich
It was a rare time—my business partner, Mark, and I were in Berlin, and we had scored a meeting with the Zurich-based investment company that had funded two of our clients.
Finding the Native Accent
Perhaps you’re like many Americans who get so bummed out when they spend a lot of time learning a second language, and then they go abroad, excited to use their new language, and foreigners look at them perplexed.
Top Sieben German Language Films
Movies are one of the most fun ways to get an ear for a language while also experiencing some of that country’s popular culture, scenery and history. I went over lists of top German cinema, and also asked folks via Facebook and Twitter, and came up with a short list of some of the movies you should really check out.
Listen to Reinforce Your Comprehension
I’ve learned that the only way to really learn a language is to soak yourself in it. I try to maximize my exposure to everything German as often as possible. One of my favorite ways to do this is to catch as much native content as possible.
Third Time’s a Charm
In the middle of my German language learning travails, Rosetta Stone reached out to me and asked me to blog about my language-learning process in light of being able to try out their new solution, Rosetta Stone TOTALe. So, here I am.
Learning German – Round 2
I arrived in Berlin, terrified of sounding like a toddler and a moron while trying to speak German. So, I just didn’t — I spoke English. After a while in Berlin, I signed up for another language course, again starting at the beginning. This time it was serious: three hours a day, five days a week, for four months.
Failing with Language Classes
I have been struggling with learning German for years in spite of lots of classes both in Washington, DC, as well as in Berlin, Germany, a city I moved to over Halloween 2007 through Christmas 2008. While I know a lot about the German language I still don’t feel comfortable as a German speaker.
Officially Almost Tourist Season in Berlin
When the tour boats rife with rooftop tourists on white plastic chairs glide along the Spree, when the pale-flanked Europeans in tank tops quaff beer on makeshift bar beaches, when the sky is blue and not low clouds of steel gray, when the Fernsehturm glints and glimmers in a bright spiritual cross, then it is surely approaching tourist season in Berlin, Germany.
Church and State in Berlin
I fancy this photo of the Fernsehturm in juxtaposition to this well-patinaed church tower with the background of the clear blue Berlin sky.
Concrete Alexanderplatz is like a Reptile Solarium for Berliners
On a Sunday in Berlin, even where there are loads of proper green parks, Biergartens and Tiergarten in this green city, Berliners cannot help themselves. If they’re walking about, looking around, and the sky clears, they’re transfixed. Even in concrete-laden urban jungle Alexanderplatz. They fall to their flanks onto the pavement, tilt their heads up, maybe don their shades, and just expose their alabaster shins and forearms to the sun. If you’ll notice, the youngins use the teps and the proper adults are allowed to enjoy the tons of concrete and tagged public benches.
Map of the Berlin U-Bahn and S-Bahn
A convenient map of Berlin's famous Berlin U-Bahn and Berlin S-Bahn
Guten Morgen Berlin!
When you're in Berlin, Germany, to learn German from the famous Goethe-Institut in Germany's capital, life is good. Blue skies!
Off to School with my Schoolbag Over My Shoulder
My daily life in Berlin was pretty great when I was there in 2010 to attend a full course at the Goethe-Institut in Berlin, Germany--here's what it looked like for me.
Alexanderplatz is a Gorgeous Space
I must say that this austere public space, historic Alexanderplatz, is very beautiful, graphic, powerful, and I love to just walk around here in the early morning or evening. There are always tons of people around — tourists, locals, workers, business people, and young ne’er do wells all. And it doesn’t hurt to have a super-beautiful day with a beautiful sky as well.
Fernsehturm Berlin und Neptun
The vicinity of Alexanderplatz is one of the most photogenic of all of the districts of Berlin, including the iconic Berlin TV tower, known as the Fernsehturm Berlin.
This morning in Berlin in Moabit near Bellevue on the Spree
I arrived in Berlin, Travis picked me up at Tegel, and then we tried to get into my apartment here to no avail. All of our elaborate”where’s my key” backup systems broke down so I have been working a little, taking a serious nap, and waiting until I hear from the upstairs neighbor.
In 'Poor but Sexy' Berlin, Brands Need to Understand Casual
To Market Successfully, You Need to Know the College-Kid Mentality
The Freezer Might Have Unfogged My Seiko 6309-7040 Diver
If you have a problem with your dive watch or any other watch and there’s water in the watch and you’re getting all fogged up, give the freezer a try.
Mein Fahrrad Was Stolen Last Night
I received an email from my business partner, Mark Harrison, at 0500 this morning that I saw when I woke up this morning: ":-( All three bikes got stolen last night. Fuck."
Jonny Goldstein Was Poor But Sexy in Berlin
I was lucky enough to be a part of Jonny’s German Par-Tay.
So, Where Do You Live in Berlin, Chris?
I don’t know how many people have actually been to Berlin — and with my friends, I am sure most of them; however, everyone always asks where I live. I guess you can say I live in Moabit, Berlin, or Tiergarten. Heck, I think it is important to just show you… you’ll get a much better idea.
Berliner Fernsehturm and Galeria Kaufhof
I was hanging out on Alexanderplatz and caught this lovely view of two of the most famous structures in the former East Berlin, the Berliner Fernsehturm and Galeria Kaufhof. What a lovely evening.
Partying on Alexander Platz
I escaped the mad and mad-making (and shame-making) cleaning of my apartment to Alexanderplatz, which is famous in Berlin. On a Saturday evening, it is also popular as a place to listen to live music, in the background, as well as drink some beer, laugh your ass off, take some pictures, and enjoy the relatively warm weather.
Chris Abraham as Quoted in The Atlantic
"Chris believes that women are far too picky: everyone knows, he says, that a single middle-aged man still has appealing prospects; a single middle-aged woman likely doesn’t. And he’s right. Single women are painfully aware of this. I hear far more women than men talk about getting married as a goal to be met by a certain deadline."
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