What to believe?
Got the early morning flight to Long Beach, California. Its a 5.5 hour flight from Boston. Spending this time on a JetBlue Airplane is actually really convenient. Lots of legroom and 41 channels of in-seat video.
Long Beach is close to Anaheim which is the home of Disneyland. Right now I am staying at the Disneyland Hotel as I am going to attend a conference for the next two days. Walking through the Disneyland Park is like walking through an articial world - its a segue between our real world and the world that was created by Disney.
The reason why I chose the title of my diary entry is however not the articial world of Disney that sometimes makes you wish that this is the real world. It was an interesting conversation that I had during dinner. As you all know by now - the american presidential elections are coming up. I want to be neutral and objective with my judgement about the two candiates. As I havent been living in the states for too long I dont know all of the details of the two parties and what the candiadates stand for. But - I am very interested and I am eager to listen to both sides. Tonight I had another chance to listen the Republican side. Comparing it with all what I've heard from the Democratic side its now hard to find out what I should actually believe. The presidential debate which took place last friday was the first live discussion between the two candiadates. I really hoped that it would be more like a passionate debate between the two guys - finally discussion those topics where I always hear different things from both sides. Unfortunately the debate was not as energetic as I've hoped. But - there are more to come. My point however is that its always good to listen two both/multiple sides - then make up your own mind.
The night ended with a nice reunion. Didi - my former colleague from Linz - is also here for the conference. He had some troubles with his traveling so he came in a bit late - but - we at least had time for a good night beer.
Now its time for bed. Here are some pictures from today.

One of the pools of the Hotel at daylight	Disney all over the place - even in my bathroom
Sunset	In front of the Disneyland Hotel
One of the many shops on the premise	The same pool at night

A very active sunday
Yesterday morning I didnt think about actually doing all the activities that I did today. I was laying in bed with fever. Now its sunday evening - just finished a 10k run in Rhode Island and helped Raj to move to his new place.
Bet lets start from the beginning. Stephan and I got up at 6:30 - hitting the road by 7 - quick stop at a local StarBucks to get our shot of coffein. Drove down to Rhode Island to a city called Bristol. The event took place in the near by Colt State Park. Stephan did the 5km Walk and I did the 10km run at the Alyssa E. Correira Memorial 10k Run and 5k Walk. Our times should soon be up online but I can tell you that I am happy with my 44:48 for the 10k. I ended up 5th in total. But here it comes - the only people that were faster than me were people that were at least 20 years older than me :-)
After the run we went back to Boston (its about a 1,5 hours drive) - checked out two houses that Stephan is looking into. Then I helped Raj with moving the rest of his stuff to the his new place in Medford.
Thats basically it. Now I am sitting here with Stone IPA.
Tomorrow I will be back in the office before I head out to California on tuesday morning. cheers

I played Navigator to bring us from Boston to Rhode Island	Before the Race
The red guy is me: in my 2nd round on the track	Finisher - really sweaty and wet :-)
Finisher - not so sweaty and not so wet :-)	The Boys with Sharon - she was one of the organizers of this great event
Final results	Me with my official T-Shirt and my Medal
In the U-Haul truck. I was not wet because of the rain - I was sweating like hell	And again - me and Raj - he is the guy moving

Two sick guys watching two other guys
What is that supposed to mean? Unfortunately both Stephan and I seem to have a cought a cold. I think I actually also have high temperature. I already felt it coming last night in Toronto. Today in the morning it was obvious. Stephan - always taking good care of me - went to the pharmacy and got different things to bring me bak to health. Hopefully it helps - we have our 10k charity run on sunday.
So - what is it about we watch to other guys? Well - the first Presidential Debate is taking place today. Obama and McCain are going to debate live on television. Looking forward to this event. Being away from home - where we also have elections this sunday - I think I am fortunate to be here in the states at this interesting time - living through the complete election period.
Thats the news. Looking forward to the debate and the race on sunday. bye

Toronto at Night from the Panorama Cafe	Boki, Milena and I at the Panorama Cafe
Easy floor choice - 2 or 51 :-)	Lots of medicine - looking forward to the Weihenstephaner :-)

Last Day In Toronto
Unfortunatelly there is not much to say about my trip. Its been a good show where we have been - but it was also exhausting. The show startet at 7:30 every morning and lasted till late afternoon. Tomorrow morning is another day of getting up early - in order to catch our flight back to Boston. If everything goes right we should be back home by noon.
Although I dont have pictures - Boki sent me a link to the pictures he and his wife took on tuesday night: Pictures from Tuesday night.
The plan for the weekend:
* Jazz Festival in Boston on Saturday
* Charity Road Race on Sunday for Stephan and me
Cheers

Visiting Toronto
Getting up at 5 - at the airport at 6 - on the plane at 7 - in Toronto at 8:30. Thats been my start of the day. 3 customer meetings later I was meeting some old friends in a bar on the 51st floor in a nice bar in Toronto. I met Boki and his wife - he used to be a colleague of mine about 7 years ago. He moved to Toronto in 2001. I met them this May in Austria when they were visiting - now - 4 months later - I am here with them in Toronto - what a small world :-). I have taken several pictures - unfortunately I forgot my camera cable at home - so I wont be able to put up pictures till friday - thats when I will be back in Boston.
Whats the plan this week? Well - mainly work. We are here for a conference. We are exhibiting and I am going to have a talk tomorrow at 3. The flight back to Boston is on friday morning.
Thats the update so far - time to go to bed

Back in Boston
The Red Eye Flight back from Seattle to Boston was not as good as I hoped. The first thing that happened was that I took the wrong exit on the Interstate - driving 20 miles in the wrong direction. I felt that something was wrong but I didnt realized it earlier. When I finally made it to the Airport I went straight to a bar - having two wheat beers - and then hopping on the plane. Its been a 5 hours flight on which I hoped to sleep a bit. Well - the beer didnt make me sleepy - it just made me go to the bathroom :-). And then - when I finally dozed off the guy next to me needed to go to the bathroom :-(
Anyway - in total I probably got one or two hours of sleep. Coming back home it was time to celebrate - I finally got my social security card - allowing me to be employed in the united states and it will also help me to get a Massachusetts ID (Personalausweis).
Spent saturday in the sun - it is soooo beautiful here right now. We have between 20 and 25 degrees with blue sky right now - just perfect. At night it was time for some cocktails and then salsa in havanna club.
After a short night I made it to soccer in the morning. Now its time to go out again. Stephan and I will check out a place in the sun where we can enjoy food and drinks. Later at night I am going to the last Salsa Cruise. Its a great salsa event on a boat that takes a tour through the Boston Harbour.
Whats comming up this week? One day in the office on monday - then 3 days in Toronto - coming back friday morning. Jazz Festival on Saturday and our charity road race in Rhode Island on Sunday.
Thats the update. bye

Proud to have a US Social Security Number :-)	Great Cocktails at Michelle's place

Riding the Segway
As part of the evening program of this weeks conference we could try riding a Segway. It was a great experience - funny little vehicle - easy to ride. After that I made my way to the next salsa club in town: Century Ballroom in Seattle. I have to say that it was one of the best salsa events I've been to. Great venue - great music - great dancers.
Tomorrow - well - actually today (its already friday) - is my last day here. A couple of more meetings - a conference - and a dinner - then I am heading back to Boston with the so called Red Eye Flight.
thats it - good night.

Riding the Segway	The instructor giving hints about how to use it
We got Pizza that was prepared on the parking lot	Famous Public Market Center in Seattle
Salsa Lessons in the great ballroom	Party later at night

Salsa in Redmond
I was very fortunate tonight to find a place in Redmond for salsa dancing. It actually seems that Seattle is as crazy in salsa as almost every town that I've been. Thanks to the WWW I found plenty of opportunities - and I am glad I took this one tonight - DanceWorks Studios.
Other than that I have to say that I have a strange day schedule right now. Getting up at 6 to have my meetings with Linz - then going to the conference at 9 - back to the Hotel at 6 - getting some work done that I havent managed during the day - ending the day somewhen at night. But I cannot complain. I am fortunate to have a gym a pool and a hot tub in the hotel :-) - use it almost every day.
But now its time for bed - cheers

The Auditorum in the Microsoft Conference Center	Salsa 1
Salsa 2	Salsa 3

Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle
As part of the evening program of the conference we went out to the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle. Its a nice big park on the waterfront - viewed by tourist and used by residents to walk and exercise.
I will keep this entry short as there is not much more to say than good night and enjoy the pictures.
P.S.: Stephan just reminded me about a big big mistake from my last diary entry. The capital of Washington State is not Seattle - its actually Olympia.
bye

Olympic Park	A water statue
Sundown at the Waterfront	A sculpture and the Space Needle in the back
Beautiful - isnt it?	You are sooo right about that :-)

Greetings from Washington State
Washington State is not Washington DC - just a reminder for those of you that didnt know that. I remember that I didnt know that these are actually two totally different places. So - I am in Redmond right now. Its a city north of Seattle which happens to be the capital of Washington State. Redmond is "The Home" of Microsoft where I am attending a conference this week. I think its my 3rd or 4th time here and it always amazes me how big the Microsoft Campus is.
The north west is known for its rainy weather. Fortunately this week seems to be perfect out here. Its sunny with about 25 degrees - and its supposed to stay that way for the remaining week.
The non-stop flight from Boston to Seattle took 5.5 hours. The plane arrived 30 minutes earlier than expected. Unfortunately nobody seemed to told the airport ground staff that we were early. So we had to wait 30 minutes on the plane waiting for a gate to become available :-(. Got my rental car around 10:30 - arriving at the hotel around 11PM. Seems that the close by pool or any other close by machine is making quite some noise at night - keeping me awake for half of the night - hope that this is going to be better tonight.
Whats the plan for the next days? Besides the conference during the day I have 2 evening activities which are part of the conference - leaving wednesday evening for other activities: I am still looking for salsa opportunities in the area.
Current events in the US:
* Tina Fay as Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live
* Destructions caused by Hurricane Ike
* Black Monday on Wall Street
* Wins for Boston Sports Teams: Red Sox and Patriots won their games
Some pictures from this beautiful area in the northwest will follow shortly.
Good night

Mole in Town
As always - when interacting with Martin (aka Mole) - you can expect an "interesting" experience. Martin is one of those guys that view the world a bit more critical than others. But I hope that - in the end - he and his girl friend enjoyed the day in Boston. They took the Fung Wah Bus up from New York in the morning. We then walked all the way from South Station via Water Front - Faneuil Hall - Boston Common - Newbury Street - Mass Ave - Long Fellow Bridge - Kendall - Harvard to Porter Square. Martin is a guy that doesnt like pictures to be taken - especially not with a "crapy" like mine (compared to his). But I got some shots of him taking shots from sights in Boston. The better pictures will probably posted by him on his blog.
Later at night I went out for salsa. And now - its sunday. Sitting here with a coffee - updating my website - waiting for the laundry - looking forward to some Open Houses starting at noon. In the evening I am heading out to Seattle - taking a non-stop flight from Boston. Looking forward to that trip. One week on the Microsoft Campus.
thats the update . cheers

Martin chasing a squirrel	Martin taking pictures of the swan boat
Martin taking pictures of the Hancock Tower	Martin taking pictures in the Public Library Garden
Longfellow Bridge towards Boston	Building at the M.I.T Campus
Same building - different angle	Martin and Polaroid - seemed to be a former Polaroid Factory
Taking a picture of John Harvards Shoe	Seems that there are people that like me :-)

Back to Reality
It only lasted 4 days - the euphoria about our austrian soccer national team after beating france 3:1 last saturday. Lithuania - another european soccer dwarf nation (just like we) - brought us "back to reality" - lost 2:0 this wednesday. So it seems we just have to wait for the skiing season to start in october - thats the sport that we really dominate :-)
Its been another sporty week for me - with ups and downs. "The Ups" are that I could take my bike to work every day, I played soccer on wednesday and went out dancing twice this week already. "The Downs" are that I had my first troubles with the bike - chain was totally jammed after I hit a pothole. Fortunately it happened near a gas station and I got some tools to help me fixing it. The other thing that happend was that I was partly involved in an injury during the soccer game - well - it wasnt me who got injured - but I may have committed a foul that lead to it - sorry for that.
Today - as you may all know - is September 11. Its been 7 years since this tragical historical event happened. America is in remembrance today.
The other big topics these days here in Boston/USA:
* Tom Brady - the Quarterback of the New England Patriots is out for the whole season after an injury in the opening game last sunday
* Hurrican Ike is threatening the coast of Texas and Louisana
* Political battle between Democrates and Republicans: will it be Obama or McCain to become the next president? We will know in November.
* Havent been to Christophers since the weekend :-(
The last thing for todays entry is a movie tip: Tropical Thunder. This movie was in the news for some controversal statements. But I can tell you - it is a MUST SEE - its hilarious. Hope you can watch it in english - not sure if all jokes translate very well.
Thats it. Weekend is getting closer

Its a rainy day
I knew that it is going to rain today - despite that knowledge I chose to take the bike to work. Now - looking out at the window I am not so sure whehter it was a smart decision - its pouring :-( - but - I will be washed when I am home - not all that sweaty as usual :-)
The amount of biking that I do these days is more exhausting than I originally thought. Its 35km each day on the road with my mountain bike - which is probably a bit harder to do compared to a real road-bike. On the other side - the roads here in Massachussetts are about as good as some of our roads at home - that means - having a mountain bike on the road is a good thing :-)
The plan for the next days is to enjoy as much salsa as possible as I will be out in Seattle next week and I doubt I will have the time to dance there. Also - my first visitor is going to arrive this saturday. Martin (aka Mole) is in New York right now. He is coming to Boston this saturday. I will try to be a good tour guide.
Bye Bye

AUSTRIA - FRANCE - 3:1!!! & Sam Adams Brewery Tour
Unfortunately I haven't been able to watch the game on tv - but I am following the last minutes on OE3 (my austrian radio stations). Seems our team played well and has a great start into the soccer world championship qualification.
Now - whats happening on this side of the atlantic? Stephan and I attended the free tour of the Boston Sam Adams Brewery. Sam Adams produces a great selection of beer and won many awards - national and international. They get their hops from bavaria and produce their beer according to the german purity law (Reinheitsgebot).
Here are some pictures of the tour. There is also one from salsa on thursday and I am about to upload some videos I took on our way back from the brewery to Porter Square - just to give you an impression of different parts of Boston.
Well - thats it. The rain from Hanna is just about to start - we are going to expect some heavy downpour over night with some local floodings - but it should all be over tomorrow afternoon.
bye bye

Salsa on thursday - dancing&sweating with Joanna	Sam Adams Brewery in Boston
The tour guide explaining the different ingredients	The beer boilers
The big Sam Adams banner	On our way back to Cambridge - check out my youtube space

Weekend is here!
Weekend is almost here. Its friday afternoon - while my test servers get installed and restart I though I give you a quick update. Its been a very sporty week: 3 times with the bike to work - 2 times salsa dancing - played soccer once.
Seems the weekend is going to be wet. Tropical Storm Hanna is moving north along the east coast line and will bring us lots of rain on the weekend. This almost "cries" for a relaxing weekend - maybe a movie - and for sure more salsa :-)
Talking about salsa. Unfortunately this passion of mine is a bit more expensive than at home. Just to let those folks know that might come over to visit. Be prepared to pay for every salsa night. Its usually between $8 and $15 - even without lessons. But - its a price that I am definitely willing to pay.
Enjoy your weekend

Mid Week Update
Its already wednesday night and the week is getting better and better. After the extended weekend I had a good start back at work. Checked out tuesday night salsa dancing at Ryles which turned out to be a great choice. Not too many dancers on the dance floor - therefore having enough space to shake around. After a short night I got up early to hop on my bike and ride to work. The weather right now is awesome. Sunshine but not too hot - perfect for an early morning ride to work and a ride back in the later afternoon.
I also went back to my soccer place this evening - the one that I found 10 days ago. Seems there are more pick-up game opportunities in the area - so that I dont have to worry about not playing enough soccer :-)
Besides Salsa, Soccer and Biking I am still struggling with my social security number. I hope to get it soon so that I can finish all my paperwork in order to get employed in our US office and in order to get a MassID.
Whats upcoming? Not a whole lot. I am enjoying my time in Boston right now and I am glad that its not too hectic. In 10 days I start my next travel tour through the states - therefore its good to stay in one place and enjoy "my home". Talking about enjoyment - I think its time for a Julius :-)
Bye bye. P.S.: Uploaded a video from our rafting trip on sunday to my youtube space - you might wanna check it out.
Oh yeah - there is one more thing to tell: Stephan and I are going to participate in a charity road race on September 28th. We are going to raise some money for the Alyssa E. Correira Memorial Fund. The race is going to take place in Bristol, Rhode Island. Stephan is going to do the 5k walk, I am going to do the 10k run - looking forward to it.
Bye

Labor Day Weekend
Its been an eventfull weekend. We drove up to Sarahs camp on saturday. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed the late afternoon sun at "hidden" lake. In the evening we joined a group of camp staff members down at the "Jamaican Grill" place. Its basically an open fire place right at the waterfront.
Saturday started early. We left camp at 7:30 to drive to Deerfield River where we made a White Water Rafting tour. I have to admit - I always thought that it is called "Wild" water and not "White" water. But - its always good to learn something new.
After this trip we drove back to a friend of Sarahs. She is getting the roof of her barn fixed - so we helped a bit with cleaning up the old shingels. After that it was time for more time on the lake - pizza in Hillsborough - and a relaxing evening at the camp.
Before heading back to Boston today we went out on the lake with one of the sailing boats. Its been the first time for me - sailing with such a small sailing boat. No engine that could be turned on in case the wind was not blowing strong enough. Its been a great experience - and the weather and the lake were just gorgeous.
Now - after a 1.5 hours bus ride I got back to Boston. The plan for tonight is to say farewell to Andreas who is going back to Linz tomorrow.
Here are some pictures from this great weekend. bye

Hard to guess where we took that picture :-)	On the way up to New Hampshire
Long Trail Ale at the "Hidden Lake"	Nice old farm house
Grilling down at the waterfront	Ready for the Rafting Tour
Waiting for Rafts to pass by on the lake	Here they come
Here they go	We all enjoyed the ride
Doing some work - thats why I dont need a gym :-)	The lake today in the morning - soooo nice