“Brian was pretty much the stereotype of the American New Yorker…” -Tim

Convinzed is very excited to have its first episode with guest.  Brian and Vinz sit down with Tim H. who is a graphic designer currently living in Bristol, UK. But before his current career path he found himself living in his hometown in North Wales. Having just finished his University degree in London Tim was looking to earn a few pounds to do some traveling.  He took a job working at a bed and breakfast/hostel in Llandudno.  This is where he first crossed paths with an outspoken American dude and his Austrian wife.  This hilarious episode features Tim and Brian sharing stories of their time together trying to “convinz” Vinz of how good friendships can be found from ridiculous situations in life.  We hope you enjoy and as always thanks for listening. 

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Here’s a picture of Tim and Mirjam during a typical hostel evening.

We don’t have a ton of content for this blog post. If we get some more we will update. Here are some links to stuff in the region.

http://www.visitllandudno.org.uk/
http://www.llandudno.com/attractions/

“I lost 1000 euros…”

Unlucky number 13 is an episode about the benefits and perils of online shopping. Vinz, who is an avid online shopper is up this week to “convinz” Brian of the benefits of buying stuff over the internet.  Making the argument tough however is the fact that Vinz recently just fell into a scam where he loss 1000 Euros trying to buy the latest IPhone from a seller online. This leads Brian to share a very entertaining story about getting hustled on the streets of New York City in his youth.  We hope you enjoy and thanks for listening.

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Here’s the picture from the iPhone seller who forgot to cover the IMEI 🤦‍♂️🤥

Good YouTube tech channels we always watch:
Tech Stuff in general
Camera Stuff
Phones, Gadgets, Hardware
– You’ll find a review/comparison for everything on YouTube or Google!

A good example of where online shopping has paid off. In the local media market it would have cost 149 €.
– we got the kit for the podcast for 84,95€!

Thanks for reading that short blog post! Hope you enjoy(ed) the stories in epsiode 13 – and have fun at shopping!

“Incredibly Brutal, and wildly Rewarding”

Episode 10! We made it.  Thank you to everyone who has made it with us to this milestone episode. As brand new podcast hosts and producers we would be lying if we were’t a little proud to have made it to 10 episodes.   It has been a lot of fun learning and overcoming the challenges of podcasting.  This episode Brian is up in the “convinzed” rotation and his topic this week is “Dad Life”.  Its a funny episode as the trials and tribulations of being a new dad are often hilarious. While it can be difficult one thing is clear… Brian could not be more proud to be a dad of two beautiful little girls.  Enjoy, and thanks for listening. 

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Here was the birth of Brian’s first daughter Julia on April 3, 2017

Then came Ella almost exactly 2 years later on March 29, 2019

Now its just non-stop “Dad Life”

“Farm Life Bro!”

Episode 9 is a feel good episode. We recorded this at Vinz’s family farm in Börlas, Germany.  Sitting out on the balcony with our recording setup helped us capture the vibe and atmosphere of the scenic and idyllic little farming village.  This was Brian’s first time in Börlas and after a tour together with Vinz’s incredibly kind and welcoming parents of the vacation rentals, barn, greenhouse, pool, and a bit of background info on how these projects were completed, Vinz and Brian jumped on the mics. Have a listen to discover details about growing up in the lifestyle and culture of an Allgäu family farm. 

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Vinz’s Dad pinball collection:

In the following you can see the billiard room, which Vinz, his brothers and father built out of an attic.

Of course we also show you the crazy self made heating system:

Just a few impressions from the garden (all self-made) and the “Asia-Corner”, where Vinz made his dad freak out!

Also check out the video below featuring:
🤠 Cowboy Vinz (the little boy who runs)
👪 His parents
👩🏽 His girl

“There was actual S&%T coming from the ceiling!!!”

Episode 8 details the 8 month adventure that Brian and his wife Mirjam went on to live and work together in a town called Llandudno, Wales. The couple lived and ran the Llandudno Hostel during that time.  Doing everything from booking, cleaning, cooking, and bed changing.  The challenge was to work and save non-stop to save up for a trip around the world. It was a wild experience and challenge which while difficult at the time is looked upon fondly by the couple.  Listen in as Brian tries to “convinz” Vinz about the United Kingdom country of Wales.

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The trip started out with a train ride in the car underneath the English Channel. A very interesting experience.

Here is a video shot and edited by Brian which was meant to promote both the hostel and the town of Llandudno in Wales. Keep an eye out for a cameo of Mirjam in the first few seconds walking out of the hostel. The video will give you a nice impression of the area.

Here is a picture of the hostel and Brian at the check in.

Hostel work life….. Tim working hard waiting at 2 am for the last check in. And Mirjam trying to kill time by playing X-Box 360….. which she hated.

You can see here a bunch of images of Llandudno here. Don’t let the pictures fool you. The weather was rarely this nice. It was mostly rainy and windy. A very interesting place to spend 8 months.

The surrounding area was nice as well. Cities like Chester, Manchester, and Liverpool were just a short ride away and Brian and Mirjam visited often. Also nearby towns in the Snowdonia mountain regions were frequent stops. Conway, Caernarfon, and the town with longest name in the world… llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch were also visited.

In the end it was all worth it. Below is Brian getting ready to start his trip around the world from the place where he and Mirjam earned the money to do so. But that is another episode entirely… Hope you enjoy this tale of living in Wales.

“The furthest possible distance away from where I was living…”

Episode 6 is titled China.  Brian is up this week and trying to “convinz” Vinz about China.  Brian has had the fortunate advantage of being able to travel the world multiple times over.  One of the places he is able to visit frequently is China.  From his first trip back in 2007 to his frequent trips over the past 3 years Brian has some very interesting insights and impressions in one of the largest and most powerful countries in the world.  Much of the stories and input shared by Brian is completely new and foreign to Vinz but his questions steer the conversation in a bunch different directions.  This episode should be interesting to listeners who know a lot or a little about China.  

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Brian’s first trip in 2007 was do produce a Television Show called Nomads for RUSH HD. The episode was eventually called “Wheels up in Shanghai” and it featured pro street skateboarder Dayne Brummet and the SMP Skatepark in Shanghai.

Another thing talked about on the episode is food in China

Brian also mentions Traveling from Beijing to Shanghai via High-Speed Train

“Up-rooting your life completely”

This weeks episode talks about the topic of making a “Big Move”.  Brian will “convinz” Vinzent by telling his “backstory” relating to his move from New York to Tirol, Austria.  This “big move” was more like a “HUGE MOVE” for Brian at the time.  After falling head of heels in love with his now wife, a 1 year long distance relationship, and many hours of Skype calls, Brian decided to change his life completely by moving across the planet. A new country, new language, new culture, new everything basically made for an exciting and challenging experience for the “American Boy”. 

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Brian met Mirjam in the summer of 2007 as she was in Cold Spring Harbor, on Long Island New York working as an “au pair” or nanny.

Brian had a lot of support from family and friends before making the big leap. The photo below is from his going away party. Brian was 24 at time.

Brian was quickly accepted in the small village of Bichlbach. Even becoming a member of the traditional band.

Brian had at least the prospect of job before moving. The Swatch TTR World Snowboard tour was headquartered in Innsbruck, Austria. The capital of the Alps.

In the end the “Big Move” has paid off and Brian now lives happily in Austria. He enjoys visiting “home” back in New York multiple times a year which is possible due to the generous amount of vacation days which employment in Europe offers. (30 days a year).

“Shoe-Slappin’-Dance?”

Today’s episode is about shoe-slapping (ger. “Schuhplatteln”). Sounds weird, ye? It is weird! But – Vinz has spent a part of his childhood in a traditional club – with costume and all the trimmings. Everything about the topic in the podcast – let’s go!

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That’s how the classic “Bergstätter Börlas e. V.” looks (with outfit):

The “Club”-Badge on a classic hat:

Just the boys on a competition:

Classic “Schuhplatteln” with the girls:

D’ Bänkler (eng. “The Benchler”)

D’ Ambosspolka (eng. “The Anvil Polka”)

Börlas (that’s the famous village, where Vinz was raised!)