I’ve created an audio version of my blog post over at An Army of Ermas (Click the ‘play’ arrow below to start it or click the nearby link to download it). If you are listening and like it, then ‘Like’ it on to your Facebook page (see the button above?) or give the link to a friend. Be sure to tell a friend about An Army of Ermas. Enjoy!

As much of a fan that I am of social media connecting one another, I’m a bigger fan of the right human connection. I also believe one leads to the other.

For example, there’s a restaurant I frequent in Garmisch called La Baita. It’s fantastic Italian food and I recommend it. However, the reason I recommend it is because of the wait staff and the management. They make me feel like I should be eating there. And every time I see the owner standing there watching over the dining room, and then going into to shake hands with regulars and say “hello” to new customers, that makes the experience worthwhile.

Now, eating at La Baita didn’t start because of a social media transaction, however my meeting with my friend Jamie did. She’s a writer and someone I met as a fellow member of a writing forum. We chatted through several threads which drew both of our interest. Over time, we figured out that a.) we lived close to one another and b.) it would be nice to meet at some point. That chance came up when Jamie attended a writing forum in Atlanta. At the time, I lived about two hours away and I just happened to be in town (visiting in-laws) that weekend. We met, ate sushi and I’m proud to call her a friend (she and my wife have the same birthday).

There have been other exchanges like this that have led to human interaction, some for the better and some not as good. I could tell you about a spontaneous road trip from Macon, Georgia, to northwest Tennessee to Columbus, Ohio, and back that was a mixture of both. Again, a social channel made the interaction possible.

Now, there are plenty of people who are not a fan of the social. And I don’t think I like what the social medium is becoming (a continuous avenue of adverts and some other corporations news; more on that in another post), which means the Internet may slowly be losing its charm as the place to have a private, social conversation that goes uninterrupted. Still, 200 million Facebook users, 20 million Twitter users and millions of others scattered across platforms other than those are discovering that the right conversation can lead to something bigger. And it’s what’s happening right now.

Further, not every human interaction is a winner. For instance, I’d rather not be “sold” at dinner. That’s exactly what happens at almost any chain restaurant whose servers sport 3,179 pieces of flare, crouch down and prepare to sell you a time share in bacon cheddar wedges. If the attempt is to clear the table quickly AND get a good tip, I’ll look around (about clearing quickly) and judge your service (for the tip). Beyond that, keep the coke in my glass filled and cold. I’m sure you can think of others.

As my friend Alan is find of saying, because he’s right, the social should lead the human. For clients and consumers, both experiences should be sterling. Otherwise, why would you buy/rent/ lease or do whatever the transaction calls for? Sure, you must have some things in your life (electricity, insurance), and you’re sometimes forced into a one-vendor solution in your market (cable television, Internet, garbage collection). But why create animosity when it’s unnecessary?

Yes, I know. There’s a whole collection of people who’d prefer not to interact with a human to complete their transaction. In some cases, I’m one of them (ATM). However, there are times when the human interaction enhances the experience ten-fold.

La Baita succeeds at this every time.

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The orthopedic surgeon looked at the CAT scan, looked at me, then pointed. “You have the knee of an 85-year old man,” he said, laughing afterward. Three surgeries later, I’m not sure what an 85 year-old man feels like when his right knee hurts. Probably something like taking a Land Rover and smashing it repeatedly into my kneecap.

I tell you that to tell you that I tried to snowboard for the first time Dec. 12. I did this with some trepidation, knowing how the torque on my knee might affect the day overall (more on that in a minute). Mostly, I worried that I’d fall down and look like a buffoon a lot. As I already look like a buffoon (or is that baboon?),  I also realized everyone who learns falls down a lot, I managed to really look forward to the chance to go.

The morning started at about 8 a.m. I rented the board and boots and got a lift pass from the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort (it rocks) for about 87 bucks. I failed to bring my own helmet. However, figuring the slope would be about the same as a Kansas highway, I felt comfortable without it. We drove to the Zugspitze ski area, about 10 minutes from my house.

I cobbled together a decent outfit with my orange snow pants, red jacket and 74 layers underneath. Still, I stayed warm in 31-degree temps. I’d tell you that the area between my lower back and butt cheeks got exposed while sitting with the snowboard on the ground. However, I reshuffled my clothes at lunch.

Going up the mountain took less time than expected, though the ice blurred the windows on the gondola ride up. At the top, we took another gondola into the “bowl.” The bowl is the massive ski area inside several mountains in the Alps including the Zugspitze. Skiers and snowboarders were everywhere, dressed in more colors than a rerun of “Fantasia.” I figured a Giants Stadium sized crowd. Fortunately, the numbers let me down and space to run abounded.

From the lodge in the bowl, we made are way down a steep hill to a small area near the T-bars. At this point, it’s important to note that I was the only person who’d never been snowboarding. The others varied in experience. Vernon served as the Jedi for the day.

Lessons begin
From the top of the hill to the flat spot couldn’t have been more than 25 yards. If I could have simply stood on the board and gone, I would have and done fine. However, I had to get into my bindings. At something close to 9,000 feet up, the air is scarce. And being inflexible and out of shape trying to reach down and secure bindings in 30-degree weather. I panted more than Paul Reubens at a Santa Monica Boulevard theater.

Attaching and reattaching binding became the most time consuming task of the day. Still, I blame the thin air and my poor physique. However, listening to Vernon became the easiest (and best) part of the day. A fantastic teacher, he pushed postive notes through every step and, on my first three runs, I didn’t fall down. As all my friends told me, Vernon proved an exemplary teacher and snowboarding mentor.

Those beginning runs went something like this: hike to the top of the slope. Get into the bindings (Oy). Flip over. and this is where my 85-year-old knee comes in. The torque from rolling over to face forward, then push myself up hurt a bit. Doing it over and over put extra pressure on it. The hike up and down steep slopes capped it.

Actual riding
However, what I noticed about snowboarding is what I learned about riding a Segway: it’s all about heels and toes. And, with snowboarding, hips. And, as mentioned, the first three times, no problems. However, the fourth and fifth times, I tried to crouch like a baseball hitter covering his strike zone. And that was major FAIL. I fell forward once and backward twice.

As the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy said, “Don’t Panic.” And that’s a big part of the lesson. Stay upright. Look where you’re going. Be cool. However, when I managed to gain a little speed in the later runs, my mind went, “OhmygodI’vegotalittlespeed [BLANK} [BLANK] annnnnnnd, we’re live … Jason? Jason? You’re on.” That space of panic (about half a second, really) caused me to shift the board around and get disoriented, but when I did get my mind back, I righted the ship.

Turns were more sensitive than I expected. That edge grips quick. But I managed turns keeping the Segway theory in mind.

Lunch and leaving
We had lunch in the lodge. My knee gave me some good pain sitting. When we got down to our spot again, we were in white out conditions, but I still managed two more runs and that was that. Given the time and the conditions, and that my knee had said “enough was enough,” although I eyeballed actually riding the T-bar up the hills and attempting to come down the slope. However, I would have needed my helmet for that.

A few of us hiked back to the first lodge (and this steep hike UP the hill back to the lodge REALLY did my knee in), caught both gondolas and managed to get off the mountain in less than 30 minutes. That’s a little like getting in and out of the worst DMV in New Jersey in about seven minutes with whatever you needed. It’s just not done.

I LOVED the feeling of being upright and riding the board. I get the rush. However, everything else I did was a wreck. I’d bet with time, I could cut the in between times down to nothing. Thanks to Vernon and the others who provided a few cheers and applause along the way. Despite what my knee and my orthopedic surgeon might say, I’ll need to try at least one more time.

In between house hunting and work, I’ve been experimenting with High Dynamic Range photography.  I’ve been using my Panasonic DMC-FS5 (Lumix) point and shoot camera with some satisfactory results.

I’ve been shooting around the area, trying to catch the sun at the right time.  I haven’t focused on any one thing.  Mostly I’ve been playing with the Photomatix Pro 3 software, which does most of the processing work.

I ran a few through post, started a Flickr photostream with an HDR set and have them posted.  Take a look and tell me what you think.

(Originally published by DefenseLink.mil April 15, 2009)

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany, April 15, 2009 – Rare will be the occasion when the U.S. military will operate by itself. Instead, it will rely on partnerships with other nations going forward, the U.S. Army in Europe’s top officer said here today.

Gen. Carter F. Ham, commander of U.S. Army Europe and 7th Army, told about 150 students at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies that the United States taking action unilaterally would be a “highly unusual” circumstance.

“Building partner capacities” is one of the tenets of how the Army operates in Europe and beyond going forward, the general said, talking about operations and conditions across the theater.

U.S. forces operate with 41 countries in Afghanistan, 32 countries in Kosovo and 25 in Bosnia.

“We will go forward with our allies and partners, developing common tactics, procedures and policies,” Ham said. “We do it because we cannot conduct operations as a single nation any longer.”

The U.S. Army presence in Europe is growing smaller, slashed from a Cold War high of 200,000 to a current size of about 70,000 soldiers. Ham indicated the goal for troops in Europe is about 32,000, which he said presents numerous challenges. Those include NATO Article 5, which says an armed attack on one member nation is an armed attack on all; operations in Iraq and Afghanistan; activity in the Balkans; theater security cooperation; and training exercises in Europe.

“The challenge is this: How I can accomplish the mission with less people and capability while operating with the same capacity?” Ham said. “We’re concerned about sustaining the level of commitment to joint exercises throughout the theater. And we think we can sustain it by building partner capacity.”

In building partnerships, the 33-year Army veteran said, the relationship between the United States and other countries is not senior to junior. “That’s just not the case,” he said. “We will learn as much from our partners as they will learn from us.”

When asked about the “why” of building partnerships, Ham offered three reasons.

First, he said, “the more nations involved, the more legitimacy it has, along with involvement from organizations like the United Nations.”

The second is geographic proximity. “Some nations are very difficult to access,” Ham said. “For example, we rely on Afghanistan’s surrounding neighbors for support.”

Third, as other nations are willing and able to contribute, he said, “that means less U.S. personnel that have to be part of that fight.”

In speaking with the students gathered from 45 countries such as Afghanistan, France, Ukraine and others, Ham talked about keys to success during disputes and discussed the role a military plays in the plan.

“In most cases, the military is an essential, but nondecisive, aspect to success,” he said. “It is the rare circumstance where the military is the decisive instrument.”

In building partnerships, there will be pitfalls, Ham acknowledged. For instance, he said, U.S. and partner militaries work “great” on an operational level, but face challenges on the tactical level. Exercises and education are keys to success, he said, but he added that time, money and resources are precious because of war and struggling economies.

“We have to be persistent about developing tactical relationships,” he said. “There are great challenges, but the U.S. is not alone.”

By Jason Tudor
Special to American Forces Press Service