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NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta, Part III

Saturday, 26 January 2008 23:34
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No Challenger with Garrettdriving today… today I was a fan.  After relaxing with the family all day, we headed down to Philips Arena for the Skills Competition and Young Stars game.

We got another look at the 2008 Dodge Challenger.  It was the same car from last night, but there was light… and a crowd.  The second best news of the evening was that my son LOVED it… I knew he had good genes.  The Challengers will be rolling off of the line in May, and can be ordered in April, although most dealers are taking deposits.  These things are hot.

Dodge is the title sponsor for the skills competition.

Yesterday, the Atlanta Journal Constitution had some “not nice” things to say about the NHL All Star Game.  Crowd in CNN Center

They have pulled the article behind the “gotta pay for it” curtain.  The highlights were that the MLB and NBA All-Star games will have a higher economic impact than the NHL All-Star game.  They also mentioned that there were more hotel rooms dedicated to the Poultry Convention than the NHL ASG.  But, while saying all of this, I think there is something that isn’t being accounted for… as many as 2/3rds of the fans were local.  They didn’t get hotel rooms, because they live here.

Looking around at the crowd in the event, at least half of the jerseys were from the Thrashers.  Let’s face it, people aren’t coming in from Montreal and New Jersey to wear Thrasher’s jerseys… but they are wearing Oiler’s and Lightning jerseys and coming from Lilburn and Marietta.  So, I know that the number of hotel rooms doesn’t tell the story.  I also know that the AJC won’t report on the economic impact if they are wrong and the numbers come in high.  Accuracy competition

So, what about the event?

It rocked.  The 3 on 3 Young Stars competition was a hoot .  These kids knocked out some goals.  13 goals in 12 minutes of play.  Two of them had been passengers in my van from the airport.  It was fun to watch them.

The skills were exciting as the Eastern team dominated.  Despite the AJC reporting LeCavalier winning the hardest shot, Chara actually did the feat… 103.1 mph.  It was quite exciting watching the shootout, obstacle course and other events.  Even Garrett was cheering for Hossa and Kovy.

So far it has been a great event.  I’m looking forward to tomorrow and driving again.

NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta, Part II

Friday, 25 January 2008 21:28
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Day two… not as busy as I’d hoped, but there was a great surprise at the end… and it didn’t haveAll-Star 2008 Caravan anything to do with hockey.

I got to the Westin around 8:40 tis morning for my 9:00am to 3:00pm shift. I was quickly assigned another Dodge Caravan, and on my way to the staging area near the airport, awaiting my first pick-up. The St. Louis Blues players were coming in and Erik Johnson was my first ride of the day. We talked a little bit about snow, and the great traffic in Atlanta on the way to the players’ hotel.

I grabbed a little lunch and got back down to the staging area.

Next up was Brian Campbell. When I got to the secret pick-up area at the airport, one of the greeters let me know that we needed to move until the elevator was fixed, so the three vans that were there all packed up and moved out. Dispatch hit me on the radio to say that he was running late (waiting for his brother) and that I should just chill for a few minutes… then I was tapped to take Ken Bethea of the Old 97s to his hotel. They are playing the Wycliff Jean show tonight at The Tabernacle. He was a nice and really laid back guy. He’d been having a rough day, and was ready for a trip to DisneyWorld… seriously, after the show he was heading to WDW to meet up with his family. We chatted a bit about WDW, his kids, my kid and hockey (specifically kids playing hockey). This marked the end of my shift, and things had been moving pretty slow, so I headed back to the Westin to pack it in and head home.Challenger

So, I parked in the garage and headed up to the Transportation Center… and…

I got the nod to pick up Marian Gaborik. Off to the staging area I went. But, apparently there were issues at the airport with baggage getting down in a timely manner from some flights, so Marian was picked up before I got there and I was told to hang tight.

6.1 L HemiUp walks Patrick LaForge, President and CEO of the Edmonton Oilers. He was a very pleasant guy, and we talked about a few different things on the trip. He had some nice things to say about Don Waddell. He has also spent some time around race tracks, so we talked about racing a bit.

The grillI dropped off a bag that had been left in another van, and then it was back to the Westin… this time it stuck. But, in the Motor Lobby, there was a new surprise. It wasn’t there before, and I WOULD have seen it. Seriously. I’ve seen the picks, but this thing is bad @$$ in person. It is a bit bigger than I expected, but since it is built on the Charger platform, I should have known…

**Edit**  I meant to add something when I wrote this last night…

Alyssa Milano is in town for the game.   A couple of people from the Motor Pool have shuffled her.  I haven’t… but I would be happy to help.  So, Alyssa, if you are reading… feel free to make a request.  My wife is a big fan.  I should just say that it didn’t break my heart to watch Charmed every Sunday.  I’ll be driving Sunday and Monday.

NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta, Pt. I

Thursday, 24 January 2008 21:28
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For those that aren’t following, the NHL has brought the All Star Game to Atlanta this year.  It is a big deal.  Several downtown hotels have been taken over by the NHL and the 5,000 guests they have brought, as well as the players, former players, staffs, Board of Governors and those lucky enough to get the remaining tickets.

Since we have season tickets for the Atlanta Thrashers, we were able to score tickets for the All Star Game as well as the Young Guns game and Skills Competition.  We passed the All Star Game tickets to our season ticket partner, but we will be going to the Young Guns game and Skills Competition.

But, what is cooler is that I volunteered to help the NHL put on the events.  Along with several hundred of my new closest personal friends, I am working the next several days… and playing, too.

My assignment is the Transportation Department, Motor Pool.  We have 37 Dodge vehicles and we are picking up the NHL VIPs, players, owners, friends, as well as some of the all-time greatest players in the game.  The NHL doesn’t send limos and uninterested drivers.  They send fans.  They also send us to pick up others…  The Tabernacle Interior

Today, the Motor Pool was pretty quiet.  It was fun to sit around with the other volunteers and talk about hockey and our favorite teams.  We also got to hear who had been picked up by some of the other drivers.  One of the drivers had already picked up Tony Esposito, and was going to pick up Bobby Hull.

When my first turn came around, it was to take a few members of One Republic to The Tabernacle in order set up for a private concert.   They are really down to earth guys.  The ride was short, but we got to talk a little about the Georgia Aquarium, as well as cars (surprise).

I wasn’t able to take pictures of the guys.  I did, however, shoot a shot inside The Tabernacle when we carried a little gear inside.  I hadn’t been in previously.

After that, I grabbed a little lunch, and then did a dry run to the airport and the staging area we have set up.  Like I said, it was slow today.  Tomorrow will be a different story.

The posts over the next few days will be primarily about this experience, volunteering for the All Star Game.  Tune in Tuesday for something more normal for my blog…

Cashflow 101… interested in a little financial gaming?

Wednesday, 23 January 2008 19:46
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I ran across a review of the game Cashflow 101 by Robert Kiyosaki (of Rich Dad/Poor Dad fame).  Basically, many investors are using this game to learn about various types of investments and investing strategies.  The investments are real estate and stocks.  There are also oopportunities to buy toys like boats and expensive sunglasses, etc.

The goal of the game is to escape the rat race and have passive income surpass expenses.   At that point, the second phase of the game begins, where players work towards their goals.

the game teaches a few things.  Overall, it teaches the proper mindset to build long term wealth.  But, of even more interest to investors, it teaches investment analysis.  And, because the lessons are incorporated directly into the game, they are reportedly more easily learned.

The big question is this:  If you had the opportunity to play the game, without having the spend a couple hundred dollars to buy it, would you want to?  The game takes several hours to play (game site says 1-3 hours, some players have said a bit more).  In order to really learn the lessons, one should expect to play the game several times.

There is also a follow-up game called Cashflow 202.  It adds volatility as well as options strategies into the game.

If I knew that there would be enough interest, I might be willing to get a couple of copies of the game and secure a location to play it.  I think it would be a great way to introduce prospective investors to real estate investing, while giving them an opportunity to play without risking real money.

What do you think?

Cub Scout Car Guys…

Tuesday, 22 January 2008 22:46
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Tonight I had the pleasure of visiting a Cub Scout Den and talking cars with the guys. Another local real estate agent, Katy Kassam, needed a speaker for the Den and this month’s focus is on cars. Never one to pass on the opportunity to talk cars, I gladly accepted.

We talked specifically about racing and sportsmanship, as well as teamwork. We also watched a few videos… The only thing more fun than talking cars is looking at them race. We started with a short film called “Climb Dance” which has won several awards. It is about Ari Vatanaan racing a Peugot up Pikes Peak. The many camera angles accentuate the altitude and danger.


To contrast this, we watched a short clip of the Pikes Peak Hillclimb from 1919.

At the beginning of the meeting, the kids each got to name a car. One of them said Corvette… I came prepared with a short film about Corvettes racing at LeMans on the 50th Anniversary of their first race there.

The final video was one of the coolest.

There are a couple of reasons that we ended the videos with this one. Aside from being really cool (anything that weighs 10 tons and flies like that is seriously cool), they also represent one of the best examples of teamwork and sportsmanship. They are the support vehicles for the other racers, and do all of their maintenance and repair. But, they are also committed to making sure their competitors finish as well. During events like the Dakar, these competitors help each other if they get stuck or break.So, thanks fellas… and Moms, Dads, Sisters and Brothers.Cub Scout Pack

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