Yes that’s right loyal readers. I have finally made it to the land of the free. I’m posting this from my hotel room in Alpharetta, Atlanta Georgia. I’m staying at the Atlanta Marriott Alpharetta whilst the rest of the project team are staying at the Courtyard Marriott down the road. I had to be the “difficult customer” you see… actually somebody gave me a heads up and said that the Courtyard was pretty basic i.e. it has no bar!
A few observations so far…
- the 14-hr QANTAS flight from Melbourne to Los Angeles wasn’t so bad. I actually managed to sleep most of the way without the aid of sleeping pills (which I didn’t have anyway). I think the 8 hours of sleep in four days in Melbourne thing helped somewhat 
- There was a religious lady sitting next to me on the flight from LA to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport marking a cross on her chest as the plane took off, and again as the plane started its descent. Fortunately (for her) I didn’t freak out and scream “WE’RE GOING TO DIEEE!!”
- on the plane I had my first Dr Pepper (I went with the diet) for the first time in over a decade. Maybe I shouldn’t have gone for the light because it had the diet taste, but I just had to do it
- the drive from Atlanta Airport to Alpharetta is pretty damn far. Fortunately my manager flew in soon after I had landed so I hitched a ride with him, otherwise it would have cost quite a packet. Even though work’s paying they wouldn’t have been happy with it!
- healthy food is not easily located in Atlanta airport. I ended up buying some dodgy Chinese takeaway for $8 USD and it was extremely salty. Why couldn’t there have been a nice little sushi joint?
- Alpharetta, where our ofice is located, is in the middle of nowhere. There’s absolutely NOTHING to do around here. Room service orders need to be made before 11pm, and the bar closes at midnight. At least the “health centre” is open 24/7, not that I’d venture down there at 2am or anything.
- there’s no mini bar in my room! 
- the freeway (?) from Atlanta Airport to Alpharetta had six lanes, and I thought the four lanes in Melbourne were huge!
- The Caesar salad with chicken in the hotel was decent and the best looking thing on the limited room service menu.
I also had a stranger contact today…
Get this, I was in the queue to customs at LA Airport and I had my new book “Feel the fear and do it anyway” by Susan Jeffers in my hand when the lady next to me asks what I though of the book. We started talking and I soon discover that she’s a Transformational Coach and facilitator of the Demartini Method! I tell her all about my spiritual journey and she shares her own story of how two years ago she attended her first Demartini Breakthrough Experience and it changed her life. She was now on her way to Houston Texas to attend a 10-day Demartini event.
The peculiar thing was that I’d been thinking of doing the Breakthrough Experience in Sydney (July 28th-29th) for a couple of days now, ever since a friend contacted me on Friday asking if I wanted to attend. I told him I’d pass but in my head I was still debating whether or not to do it. So this encounter was like a SIGN!
Alright, it’s 1:23am and I’ve got to be up in 6 hours!