It was quite a struggle getting to Munich. We finally (but almost didn't) got on the flight to Frankfurt Sunday afternoon, thanks to the greatest United employee Deborah Borrow (have a picture, will post later) who managed to get us on the flight!!! Then we spent 3 hours at the Lufthansa ticket counter buying our RTW tix, then a 3.5 hour train ride to Munchen. This doesn't sound all that bad but it was hell yesterday since i didn't sleep on the plane and had to watch the ticket agent manually write out the tickets for my 20 travel segments.
Oktoberfest was quite a sight, i am surprised I am not hungover today but i don't feel great, but mostly because i have a cold and could not sleep last night and having to deal with the three boys snoring. It was a definitely a fun night, other than almost punching this drunk german guy trying to grab my ass.

Anyhow, go check out the FestPest blog and you'll see that we have dropped the bike trip :( because of the rainy weather. We rented a car for a week and are now trying to figure out where to go. We'll probably go through Austria and head down to Northern Italy, maybe some hiking in the Dolomites? oh, there is now talk of going to Lichenstein...

Well, we were supposed to leave for Frankfurt yesterday but of course, as luck would have it, we have to stop through cursed Chicago which was getting hit by thunderstorms and would have missed our connection to FRA. You would think that we could probably just get on another flight but no, all possible flights and connections that would get us to Germany are sold out, overbooked. So instead of taking the risk of sitting around at the airport for 3 days, we opted to take the next available flight where we could get a confirmed seat and that would be Sunday. Can you believe that?
Anyhow, it worked out alright other than the fact that we would be missing out on Okterberfest and we lose out on one day of biking, I am sure we'll be alright.
I blame this on Nick (sorry Nick). I have yet to go on a trip with Nick and not have airline problems, albeit that fact, things usually turn out alright in the end and it's not the end of the world, we will get there.
How anti-climatic. Now i don't know what to do with myself for the next two days, probably just hang out with my parents who are in town.
Oh, by the way, Nick put together a blog for the bike trip so go check that out for the next 2 weeks.

I went to the Carson City post office yesterday, in a slight lull in the madness that has been work. I had approached the post office in Reno the pervious night (9/16/2002) - with the intention to mail my quarterly federal income tax. When I arrived at the Reno post office at 9:30 pm, I realized I had no return address on my tax return envolope. Furthermore, I realized I had no address - besides a hotel I leave every week. Hmmm.... I retreated to consider my options.

Here's the dilemma - 8.25% California state tax. I live in Nevada right now, and will for the next several months. I don't have a home in California - and therefore don't want to pay the taxes - but there is no official way to transfer out of state residency into migratory/homeless status. Ed Pinto (my accountant) said I had to at least an address/drivers license to transfer... I figured the best I could come up with is a PO box. The guy at the counter seemed surprised when he asked for my address and I said I don't have one... suggested write "homeless" in the address line and I did.

I want to find out if I can register a Nevada drivers license as a homeless person? I doubt it...maybe I'll take this up as a cause.

Go ahead and write me a letter - though I'm not planning on checking the box for a long time: PO Box 20170 Carson City, NV (not sure of the zip code)

Can't believe we will be leaving in 36 hours! The last week or so had been mostly spent packing, cleaning, running errands, yet my room still looks like a junk yard and I still have tons of things to do. I guess you'll never really feel ready for a trip like this, I should just throw a few things in the backpack and be done with it. There seem to be an endless amount of things to be taken care of, but thanks to my sweet brother, Eugene, I don't have to worry about my mail, bills and taxes, etc.!

I did get to do most of the things I wanted to do in SF before leaving. I know i will be back so I am not feeling too sad. As a matter of fact, I think I will be back for a few days at the end of January.

Nothing too inspiring to write, I think I am a little too tired.
by the way, it's 1:22am PST on 9/18/02 (the date on this thing is wrong)

Drove through the washoe valley from Reno. Sun setting, green fields dotted with cows .... a sandy bottomed valley, hard scrable, sand and weeds and grass. water from the winter snow pack fill up the shallow lake on the valley floor - which is pumped to irrigate grazing land for walking hamburgers. I'm red eyed , cruising in a dodge neon - really between work and hotel in a semi mindless state, not at work, not at "home". I live in world of emails, spreadsheets, lines of code, databse tables, electonic networks. ah, verily, this is life, the eternal momement, which is also scheduled in my outlook calendar, repeating itself at 1:30 pm every week day.