“Listen, learn, be empathetic to all those involved…” – Brian

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The boys are back! Our long hiatus was brought on by a number of issues. Closed borders, technical issues with recording quality, full-time jobs, and just the general disruption to normal life which everyone is feeling these days.. However we intend to keep Convinzed rolling and will be bringing out more regular episodes.  This episode is however also a departure from the norm for Convinzed.  The topics we choose for each episode are generally not controversial and are usually things that both Vinz and Brian are comfortable in deep diving into. However Brian being an American living overseas with extremely close ties to home felt the need to address the critical issues currently overwhelming the United States of America.
Brian –  I do not presume that my opinion matters to anyone on this issue. I also do not presume that our small audience is a platform for which I can implement change or anything like that.  I am certainly NOT an activist or an expert on the complex situation my country is facing. I just felt the need to express my opinion and sadness at the current state of affairs. Even if I am just talking into the void and self-reflecting. I also want to thank Vinz for allowing me to vent my feelings and asking him to speak on a topic for which he felt uninformed and overwhelmed with.  

Convinzed will be back in full swing with its regular style and feel.  Our goal is to simply bring some hopefully entertaining and informative conversations from the two unique perspectives,  

As always thanks for listening and reading.

Click below to listen to this episode on:

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Thanks for listening & checking out the blog!

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“Skype is actually a huge part of my life” – Brian

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Episode 23 is a unique one. We wanted to record an episode to help people get their minds off the Corona virus and Covid-19 but it would not be authentic to not mention a bit how the situation is affecting our lives and the lives of those around us.  So we chose a topic that is relevant in many peoples lives these days and that is Video calls.  Brian, being an American living overseas, has been an avid video conferencing user for more the 12 years. From getting to know his now wife in a long distance relationship, to keeping in touch with friends and family back home, plus working for a large global organisation Brian spends loads of time on video calls.  Tune in to this episode to get some insight from the boys and here briefly their take on the global pandemic affecting all of our lives.  We are by no means experts and will leave the real Corona talk to experts.  We want to wish all of our listeners well during this wild time and hope everyone is staying as safe and healthy as they possibly can. Thanks for listening!

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Thanks for listening & checking out the blog!

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“Shisha is like a vibe” – Brian

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Episode 20 is a deep dive into the world of “Shisha”, also known as “hookah” for smoking tobacco. This traditionally middle eastern cultural ritual has made its way through Europe over the years and has been adopted warmly in particular by German and Austria cultures. The water pipe is a social activity that creates a chill atmosphere and relaxing vibe.  Vinz is well experienced having purchased and customized is own Shisha pipe together with is brother.  Brian learns all the ins and outs while enjoying a real time Shisha experience while recording.  Enjoy this chilled out episode with lots of smoke blowing and maybe you can learn a something about this cool activity.

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Some pics from our recording session:

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Thanks for listening & have a good hookah!

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“Each and every pore on your body feels refreshed” – Vinz

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Episode 18 of convinzed is about Sauna.  While this may seem like a cut and dry topic where Vinz has a lot of detailed information, because of course…. his Dad built one, Brian breaks down the cultural experience of going to the enormous sauna and spa facilities available around Europe from an American perspective. BE ADVISED…. this is not a kid friendly episode.  Brian talks about his own experience of going for the first time to the “textile free” saunas. Enjoy the hilarious conversation that ensues.  Thanks for listening!

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Check out the awesome Sauna facility that Vinz’s Dad built with is boys on their farm in Börlas Germany.

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Here is a couple of links to some of the more popular sauna and spa facilities in the area in which we live:

https://www.therme-erding.de/en/tropical-spa-sauna/spa-area-saunas/
https://www.aqua-dome.at/en/thermal-spa/
https://www.therme-badwoerishofen.de/vitalbad-saunen/?lang=en

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Thanks for listening & take care!

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“I was a grown adult man… and I was absolutely terrified” – Brian

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Episode 17 describes the rich holiday traditions surrounding Saint Nikolaus day which is celebrated in many parts of the world. While this holiday and the wild traditions are not celebrated in the United States parts of it may seem familiar as Santa Claus is in fact derivative of “Old Saint Nick”.  Brian and Vinz share their experiences with the cultural phenomenons and explore some of the interesting traditional ways in which the holiday is celebrated in Austria and Bavaria Germany..  From Krampus to Clausen and from Angels and Santa’s little helper this is a very fun and entertaining episode.  As always… thanks for listening

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Read more about St. Nikolaus & the “Krampus.”

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Here’s a representation of 1896

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Brian with his fam in Bichlbach
(05th of December 2019):

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There you can see how the Krampus in austria looks like:

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And there you can see the difference… That’s from Vinz’ region:

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Brian mentioned these weird hay dudes… Check it out:

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Here are some crazy videos to see how crazy the tradition is:

Thanks for listening & take care!

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