The Montanan (University of Montana Alumni magazine) did an interview with me a couple of weeks ago, which has now been published.  It's a very nice piece and I am super thankful for both Brianne Burrowes who did the interview and my good friend Adam Steffen who made the connection. I have a very special connection with the state of Montana, so being in the Montanan means more to me than just about any other publication out there. Click on the image to download the pdf of the full interview.

Shameless University of Montana propaganda. Passed along by Adam Steffen. Let's do this.

On Saturday, Jen and I went to the University of Montana Homecoming Football game. Well, we were going to go to the University of Montana Homecoming Football game. That was before Jen lost our tickets on the way to the business school tailgate party.

I am not sure who ended up sitting next to the business school dean and his wife, but it wasn't us.

To Jen's credit, she immediately conquered to buy two new tickets, which were in the North End Zone, next to some guy named Dave and his wife Becky. Dave was the ultimate griz fan from Lincoln Montana, who knew everybody and made sure nobody had to go for too long without sipping on his peppermint schnaps filled flask.

Going back to Montana is always a very special occasion for me. Considering I only spent one fifth of my time in Big Sky Country, the impact it has had on my life is much more significant. Most of that is thanks to the people who live in Montana, many of who made this trip so remarkable.

- Thank you Vick and Jean for letting us stay at your place and for being such wonderful hosts.

- Thank you Jakki and MaryEllen for continuing to let me speak to your classes.

- Thank you Dean Larry for getting us those Football tickets that Jen lost.

- Thank you John and Diane for letting us stay on the ol' Sleeping Child Ranch.

- Thank you Rob and Katie for filling us in on the brawl with the county commissioner's husband in the bathroom of a casino.

- Thank you Scott for what I am not allowed to thank you for.

- Thank you Darby for the pizza and for reminding me that somewhere someone is enjoying a beet pickled egg right now.

On Friday, Jen and I went to see Elton John at the Adams Center in Missoula. Before I babble on any further, let me just tell you that Elton John is someone who I consider to be an absolute superstar. Seeing him live in Missoula, Montana was a rather surreal experience.

A few things to note about the concert:

Elton John played for 2 1/2 hours straight. No breaks, just occasional gulps of hydration. If anyone left the concert unsatisfied, then it's because they were stupid. Including the lady I had to sit next to at the Staggering Ox.  I mean, come on, how often do you get to see a 60-yr old knight rock out for that long.

Jen immediately offended all the senior citizens who were sitting around us. She was trying to tell me that this probably one of Elton's last shows, as he's just getting really old. Turns out being 60 wouldn't be half bad for the crowd of elderly surrounding us. 

Nice Jen.

I'm in Billings, Montana, now. My luggage, however, is not. When I went to Missoula a few weeks ago, I didn't bring a coat. This time I put a thick jacket in my suitcase, which is flying around somewhere over America. Tonight I am heading up to Red Lodge, which is a really nice ski town. There I'll definitely be the only without a coat.

I am always cold in Montana.

My trip to Montana was awesome, as I was able to see a lot of friends. Not all but many.

The trip started off kind of crazy as Pat and I didn't get to Missoula until about 4am on Wednesday. Normally this wouldn't have been so bad, if it weren't for the fact that I had to present at nine in the morning. Here are the most irrelevant highlights of what happened thereafter:

• I presented to a couple of business school classes. Note to self, sleep more next time. I attended a day of board meetings. It was humbling yet motivating to be the youngest and least successful voice in the room.
• In the order that follows I slept next to a somewhat overweight Basset Hound,  a quiet mix of lab and Basenji and then an overgrown chocolate lab. Couch surfing a la animal planet. Fortunately none of my friends had snakes.
• I froze my butt off at most times of the trip. Partially because I didn't remember how cold 20F really are, but mostly because I didn't bring a real jacket.
• I saw the Griz beat the Bobcats (Thank you Vickie & Nick). It was a great game but I don't understand America's obsessions with fighter jets flying over stadiums.
• I had dinner at my buddy Russ' house which turned into a five hour brainstorming session with the guys' behind Missoula's coolest new startup – grupthink.com
• I ate at my favorite hamburger and breakfast joint in Hamilton, MT. Thanks John.

I love Montana.

I'm still in Montana and might even write an extended entry about some of the events surrounding this four-day weekend. But here's my "in a nutshell" summary.

• I flew in, was picked up and went straight to a brewery to meet up with all my friends. It's amazing how you don't have to pay for beer in Montana as long as you are "tasting it."
• I took part in bachelor party that lasted  about sixteen hours.  To see the bachelor tied to a pole, getting spanked and beaten with a belt by a stripper on a stage in front of a crowd of drunk roaring men makes me wonder about our next bachelor party this September. Considering that this is our group's first bachelor party and assuming that we'll only get better at celebrating them, I would like to get married sooner than later.
• I got to go tubing on a river right after my friend Alisha applied sun tan lotion all over my back. My unwarranted confidence in being able to apply sun tan lotion to the front of my body by myself led to a rather spotty sunburn up front.
• I had dinner with my friend Megan and barbecued with the Applegates and Papa Lakes. Not to forget, I enjoyed many great meals prepared by host dad McGillis.
• Then there is the wedding. I was fooled into believing that such would be any less crazy than the bachelor party. Too much drinking, too many dances and too many good friends who hadn't seen each other in years resulted into one crazy party. At one point of the evening, I led a group of men to sing "My best friend is not just anyone" (a song I made up while sitting in a hot springs, way back in the day) to the groom.  I am 95% postive that the video of that performance could be detrimental to me ever holding a high-level public position.
• For myself and my host brother Rob the wedding was a 17-hour ceremony which ended at 9:30 in the morning. I'm happy to report that we topped our very own bachelor party performance.

Anyway, I am flying back to Portland in a few hours. Needless to be said, this trip has been a blast. I'm happy as a clam for my friends Matt and Marci who'll make a great couple forever.  Also, it was fantastic to see so many good friends make their way back to Montana. Last but not least, thanks to all who hosted me this weekend...especially the McGillis family.

I am joining the international speaker's circuit. Starting in Montana. I will be giving a presentation on new business development at the Montana Associated Technology Roundtables on September 28th. Join me if you can.

Click here to learn more.

Well, time is starting to come to an end for me here in Montana. Time to say goodbye to a lot of friends and acquaintances. Through the development of communication tools like email, I will be able to stay in contact with almost everyone. When I first came to the US (1997), things were quite different. Letters were the only way to communicate with my friends in Germany. Well, I received 130 letters my first year, 45 letters my second year and about 5 letters a year ever since. This is not only due to the use of email etc. , but mostly due to my incapability to follow through on the process of writing a letter. Writing it, finding and envelope and address, putting a stamp on it and then sending it off is just too long of a process for me. Well, the use of email has sure changed things in the past few years. My family realized that I will respond to emails and the constant misplacement of my cell phone has insituted instant messenger as the easiest way to get a hold of me.

Anyway, Friday night was spent mostly spent at the Depot. First I met a few girls that I used to work with for dinner. It was a lot of fun to see all of them again, and I sure appreciated that they took the time to say goodbye to me. Later on that night, I met my friends Steve, Joe and Ken for drinks at the Depot. Usually, the Depot would be a little too upscale for us, but ever since we learnt about their $2 Grizzly Gin and Tonic special, this has changed too. We had a great time, and I will sure miss those "Montana last calls".

Saturday was spent packing and slowly getting ready for the move. I planned 4 days of packing, as usually I can't pack for more than 5 minutes at a time (without getting distracted). I went to dinner with Megan at "El Cazador" (great mexican restaurant). Afterwards we caught "Treasure Island" at the $1.50 theater. My dating life really would have been pretty lame without that place.

Superbowl Sunday was spent packing and saying goodbye to some more friends. I went over to Megan's house for dinner, and was lured into playing card games with her, her sister and her mother. I quickly realized that a powerful alliance with her sister would be the only way to succeed within that group. She played and I distracted the opponents. It worked. We won.  At some point, I am planning to lose my extreme competitiveness. Maybe then I can consider a game of cards as a friendly get- together. Until then, game on...

I am sure going to miss a lot of things about Missoula.  At this point I would not be able to name one particular, but there will be many.