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Things I have already done:
The following things I have already done (since I
started this list):
- Attend a U2 concert
- Climb the Eiffel Tower in Paris
- Climb the pyramid in Chichen Itza
- Climb to Native American cliff dwellings in Arizona
- Come face-to-face with a Crocodile in the wild
- Come face-to-face with an Aligator in the wild
Cruise in Alaska  Cruise in Alaska 
Description:
Take a cruise down from Alaska and see things like calving glaciers.
Dive in a cave Dive in a cave
Why I wanted to do it:
Because it is one of those things not a lot of people experience, and the experience should be out of this world!
When/how I did it:
I have done this at the Taj Mahal Cenote in Quintana Roo, Mexico (about 1 1/2 hours south of Cancun). I have kinda done this before with snorkel in the Dos Ojos Cenote nearby, but doing the real scuba experience, was quite a bit more exciting.
- Dive to a reef in a submarine
- Drive a Lamborghini
- Drive down Route 66
- Drive to Key West
- Eat at Fisherman's Warf in San Francisco
- Enable a child to be educated and have a life it couldn't have without me
- Encounter an extremely venomous animal in the wild
- Enjoy some good Jazz and Blues in New Orleans
- Enjoy the view at the Grand Canyon
Fly in a helicopter Fly in a helicopter
Why I wanted to do it:
It's just one of those things that someone who travels a lot should have done, I think. And it just is very cool.
When/how I did it:
My first trip in a helicopter was to a glacier in Alaska, where we went dog sledding.
Fly in a hot air balloon Fly in a hot air balloon Description:Ellen and I did the balloon ride in the Austrian Alps. It was a present I got for my birthday. Needless to say, it was incredible! Doing it in the winter in the Austrian Alps was a great call. Seeing all the snow-covered mountains up in the balloon was excellent! When/how I did it:We did this in the Austrian Alps in March. Doing it in the winter in the mountains was an excellent decision. Seeing all the snow-covered mountains from up in the balloon, and having the clear air on a brisk winter day worked out very well. - Gamble in Las Vegas
- Give a lecture at a major university
Go on a cruise Go on a cruise
Why I wanted to do it:
It's just one of those things... :-)
When/how I did it:
The very first cruise we ever went on was from Galveston (TX) to Mexico. It was decent, but not great. A little while later we went on a cruise in Alaska and that was very cool.
- Go to Monument Valley
- Have a back yard with a pool and palm trees
- Have a cup of tea in London
- Hike in a dessert
- Hike in the Red Rock Country around Sedona
- Hike into Canyon de Celly
Hike through a jungle Hike through a jungle
Why I wanted to do it:
Jungles are one of the few places in the world that are still really remote and untouched. I want to see that.
When/how I did it:
I have been to the rain forest and similar areas before, but the first time I really was out in the jungle and hiked around for several days was in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
- Kayak down the Ardege river (France)
Kayak in Alaska Kayak in Alaska
Why I wanted to do it:
Kayaking is one of those things that really puts you in the middle of things. You aren't just going to a place and visiting it. You aren't just standing on a road or a beach or a bridge to see a sight, but instead, you are right in the middle of it all.
When/how I did it:
I did this on a cruise in Alaska. It was an awesome day in Kethikan. We went out to an island in the Pacific, to a point where one couldn't hear or see anything man made. Eagles soaring overhead. Seals in the water. And we kayaked around it all. Awesome!
- Meet a Voodoo priestess
- Own a bar
- Own a dog
- Own a home in Europe (Austria)
- Own a home in the US
- Own a software company
- Party at a private event at the SkyBar in L.A.
- Party in the country that has just won the soccer/football world cup
- Plant a tree
Play a hockey game in a major stadium Play a hockey game in a major stadium
Why I wanted to do it:
It's just one of those cool things that not everyone has done. Just the whole thing around getting ready and walking out through the tunnel into the stadium and then playing in a huge place (even if there is nobody watching) is just plain awesome.
When/how I did it:
I played at a hockey tournament (which we won) at the Toyota Center in Houston (which is where the Houston Aeros as well as the Houston Rockets play). Stadium capacity: 20,000.
- Play Poker in Las Vegas
- Present at a major conference in Europe
- Present at a major conference in North America
- Present at a major conference in South America
- Publish my own magazine
Pyramids in Egypt Pyramids in Egypt
Why I wanted to do it:
Because it is one of the greatest sights there are.
When/how I did it:
Visited the 3 (well, 6 really) pyramids on the Giza Plateau (Cairo). Went inside the great pyramid of king Kheops (Kufu). This is the biggest pyramid in the world. I even laid inside of Kheops' scargophagus inside the great burrial chamber.
Ride a camel in the african dessert Ride a camel in the african dessert
When/how I did it:
I did this in Egypt
- Ride a gondola through a canal in Venice
- Sail a sailing boat in the Greek islands
- Sail on a steamboat on the Mississippi
Scuba dive Scuba dive
When/how I did it:
I have become NAUI scuba certified on 6/6/2010 (together with Ellen). I ended up taking the NAUI test for no particular reason. It just happened to be more accessible to me than any other certification (such as PATI). In the end, I feel like I learned more than I would have learned with PATI, so I am pretty happy about how things turned out.
- See a Formula 1 race live
- See a live MLB game
- See a live NHL game
- See a PGA golf tournement live
- See a traditional Luau
- See a whale in the wild
- See an IndiCar/Kart race live
See Niagara Falls See Niagara Falls
Description:
The Niagara Falls are voluminous waterfalls on the Niagara River, straddling the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. The falls are 17 miles (27 km) north-northwest of Buffalo, New York and 75 miles (120 km) south-southeast of Toronto, Ontario, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.
Why I wanted to do it:
Because it is one of the greatest natural wonders in the US.
When/how I did it:
We did this by driving from NY state to the Canadian side of the falls. I def. recommend that side over the US side. It just is much more spectacular. We went to see and photograph the falls. Then we went behind the falls (there are tunnels dug) and you can stand right below the falls, which is truly awe inspiring. One of the things we didn't do was the Maid of the Mist boat trip that goes almost into the falls (or certainly into the mists). This seems like something worthwhile, but we just didn't have the time. We also went to the iMax theater (which was OK, but not great) and the associated dare-devil museum which shows many of the contraptions people tried to go down the falls with. This is def. worth seeing.
- See pro windsurfers in Ho'okipa, Maui
- See the Mona Lisa in the Louvre (Paris)
- See the Oracle in Delphi
- See the place where Jesus was born, lived, and died in Israel
See the Space Shuttle Launch See the Space Shuttle Launch
Why I wanted to do it:
We saw the Space Shuttle Discovery lift off at Cape Canaveral. We watched from Titusville. This was the last ever scheduled night-launch of the Space Shuttle. There are 2 (or so) regular Shuttle launches left total.
- See Zion National Park
- Shop at the Fish Market in Hamburg
- Ski in the Alps
Speak at TechEd Speak at TechEd
Description:
Present a session at the Microsoft TechEd conference.
Why I wanted to do it:
Because it is a great career step and something not that many people ever get to do.
When/how I did it:
My first ever TechEd session was on Expression Blend for Developers. The session went very well. I did it on day 3 of a 4 1/2 day conference. At the end of the day, the session was tied for 8th place with Anders Hejlsberg's C# session for 8th place. It fell a little further the next 2 days, but it remained in the top 30 or so sessions overall, and I believe it is in the top 10 developer sessions for TechEd. So as you can imagine, I am more than happy with it, as it was the very first TechEd session I ever presented.
- Stand on top of the Arce de Triomphe (Paris)
- Stroll through the Red Light District in Amsterdam
- Summit a mountain in the Alps
- Surf in Hawaii
- Swim in the Dead Sea
Swim with dolphins Swim with dolphins
Why I wanted to do it:
Because it is just plain awesome :-)
When/how I did it:
We did that at the Delphinus facility at the Riviera Maya in Mexico, near Playa del Carmen (think 'Cancun'). It was incredible. What I really liked about it was that the groups were small. There were only 4 of us in the water with 3 dolphins (for about 45 minutes).
Link to some photos: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2036830&l=78fc573638&id=712522168
- Touch the Stanley Cup
- Tour ancient Pompeij
- Tour the Colosseum and ancient Rome
- Visit Alcatraz
Visit an Egyptian tomb in the Valley of the Kings Visit an Egyptian tomb in the Valley of the Kings
When/how I did it:
I visited the tombs of Ramses II., Ramses III., and Tutmosis the III. (Tutmosis' was the best)
- Visit Biosphere 2
- Visit the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, AZ (place of the famous shootout)
- Visit the Space Center in Houston
- Visit the Vatican and see the Sistine Chapel
- Walk on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood
- Walk through the Petrified Forest
Watch a glacier "calve" Watch a glacier "calve"
When/how I did it:
I saw this on a cruise in Alaska. We went into Glacier Bay and resided at the Glacier for about 2 hours or so. This was a great way to see it all. After all, how else would you get to go there to see this?
- Watch a match at the soccer/football World Cup live
- Windsurf in Hood River
- Windsurf in Maui
- Work at Microsoft
- Work in New York City
- Write a book
These things I have yet to do:
Here is the list of things I can currently think of (or
had time to enter) that I would like to do, but haven't had a chance to do yet:
- Assist at an archeological dig
- Build a commercial building
- Buy my own boat
- Come face-to-face with a stone head in the Easter Islands
- Compete in a triathlon
- Cross the Atlantic on a ship/boat
- Cross the Pacific on a ship/boat
- Cruise to Antarctica
- Deep-sea-fish
- Dive at the Great Barrier Reef (Australia)
- Dive to a shipwreck in a submarine
Drive a race car (IndyCar) Drive a race car (IndyCar)
Why I want to do it:
Because I am an F1 fan, and driving an IndyCar (probably in Vegas) is the best I can hope to drive myself.
- Eat sushi in Japan
- Encounter a shark from within a shark cage
- Experience Zero-Gravity on the Vomit-Comet
- Explore the Parthenon in Athens (Acropolis)
- Feel galactic in Roswell, New Mexico
- Fly in a fighter jet
- Fly in a helicopter through the Dolomites (Italy)
- Gamble at the casino in Monte Carlo
- Get a first-hand impression of evolution at the Galapagos Islands
- Get a nice camper van to tour Europe
- Get my own cabin in the Alps
- Go above the Arctic Circle
- Go on a safari in Africa
- Hike along the Great Wall of China
- Hike in Buthan
- Hike in New Zealand
- Hike on Mount Fuji
- Hike to Machu Picchu
- Hike to Mount Everest Base Camp 1
- Hong Kong
- House-boat vacation on Lake Powell
- Invent something I can get a patent on
- Learn to speak French
- Learn to speak Spanish
- Meet a polar bear up close and personal
- Open a Brazilian Churrasceria (Steak House)
- Open an Ice Cream parlor
- Own at least part of a professional hockey team
- Partake in the bike race from Houston to Austin
- Party at a private event at the Playboy Mansion
- Party at the Carnival in Rio
- Party at the Edinburgh Festival
- Play an ice hockey tournament in Canada
- Play an ice hockey tournament in Las Vegas
- Present at a major conference in Africa
- Present at a major conference in Asia
- Present at a major conference in Australia
- Renovate and old house somewhere in the Mediterranean
- Ride a bike up the 'Grossglockner' mountain in Austria
- Ride on horseback through the Mongolian dessert
- Run a half-marathon
- Sail a sailing boat in the Caribbean
- Sail around the world in my own boat
- Sail through the Panama Canal
- Sail through the Suez Canal
- Sail up the Rio Negro (Amazon)
- Sail up the Yellow River
- See 'Jedermann' at the Salzburg Festival
- See a game at a major tennis tournement live
- See a live NBA game
- See a live NFL game
- See a play or an opera on Broadway
- See a snake charmer in India
- See an active volcano
- See an opera at the Arena in Verona, Italy
- See the Aurora Borealis
- See the midnight sun in Scandinavia
- See the Nazca Lines in Peru
- See the Stanley Cup Finals live
- See the White House
- See Yellowstone National Park
- Sell one of my companies
- Shop at a floating market in Bangkok
- Speak at PDC
- Start a video game company
- Stay at the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai
- Taj Mahal
- Travel on the Orient Express
- Travel on the Trans Siberian Railroad
- Travel the same route as described in Jules Verne's 'Around the World in 80 days'
- Travel to every continent
- Visit a monestary in Tibet
- Visit a Shaolin monestary in China
- Visit all 50 states in the US
- Visit an island in the South Pacific
- Visit an oil-drilling-platform
- Visit Rejkjavik
- Visit Stonehenge
Visit the Hanging Temple on Mount Heng (China) Visit the Hanging Temple on Mount Heng (China)
Description:
More information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanging_Temple
- Visit the North Pole
- Visit the Smithsonian Institute
Watch the Formula 1 Race in Monaco Watch the Formula 1 Race in Monaco
Why I want to do it:
Because I am a huge F1 fan, and this particular race is the most glamorous of them all. Probably very expensive to go and see, but that is all part of the allure.
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