BoSPoker.net Starting 15th

Well it was a great day for qualifying for the BOSPoker.net No. 37 Dodge Charger (do I sound good or what LOL) as the team qualified the car 15th for Sunday's race. It was a trip to be around the garage area on Friday and seeing all the workings of a team on a non-race day.

R&J Racing, the team we race with, is based in the Charlotte area but their owners or from Georgia so we have gotten some good press from that over the last day and have some more stuff lined up today and tomorrow with the good qualifying run.

It was kind of bittersweet though as our car qualified Mile Wallace's No. 4 car was sent home, they, like us, must qualify on time and they couldn't get the speed to make the race they needed.

I took a ton of pics yesterday of all the action, and some off the track stuff too. I haven't had a chance to edit them or sort them out, but if you want to check them out click below:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/celticcommunications/slideshow?.dir=/97af&.src=ph

Race Fans Ascending on Atlanta

Well been in Atlanta now for two days and can say that the racing community is making is presence felt.

Went to the track today to get a lay of the land and make sure I know how to get there and am excited about the opportunity to work with the BoS racing Nextel Cup team.

Spent part of this evening downloading three days worth of photos off the digital camera so I should have some links with the next post to show some of the devastation from Wilma.

Speaking of storms, please keep all the Ticos in your thoughts and prayers. Tropical Storm Beta is bearing down on Costa Rica and Nicaragua and is scheduled to reach Cat 1 or 2 status when it his CR in the next few days. Unreal is all I have to say. And seeing the reports on CNN of how things are still a mess in Florida with people trying to get food, water and fuel for their cars, I am glad I got out of there when I did.

Cheers

Wilma's Aftermath Felt Firsthand

Well what a few days it has been to say the least.

The wrath and aftermath of hurricane Wilma were felt firsthand as I was in South Beach as the storm hit. I can honestly say it wasn't the scariest thing I have ever been through but the sound and noise that accompanied the storm were certainly new experiences for me. Lost power at some point during the height of the storm. I woke up at 3 a.m. and the winds were howling in hard, and being on the 11th floor added to the sound I think. Was able to fall back asleep but when I woke up a few hours later there was no power. Reports were that more than 3 million people in South Florida were without power.

I tried to stay busy for a day in the hotel, did a lot of reading and just chilling after the storm but it became clear there would be no power for days, maybe even weeks. Airport was still closed so my only option to get to Atlanta and ensure I got there on time was to rent and car and drive the 11 hours from MIA to ATL. . .Made in late last night and I can tell you driving the entire length of Florida was an eye opener.

Devastation (ripped signs, privacy fences, broken windows, trees limbs and other debris on roads), stretched from Miami all the way up to about 50 miles south of Daytona. Gas stations were a mess along the way as people needed fuel and power is out all up and down the peninsula.

Lots of photos will be updated later. I took a detour on the way up here to Daytona International Speedway and got to hang out in Victory Lane there, that was pretty cool.

A drastic weather change here in Atlanta as it is very cold, I am going to have to make a run to a mall today to get some warmer clothes, as I have none.

The BoSPoker.net car has a new driver this weekend for the race in ATL. Mike Sinner will be taking over the wheel (our fourth driver this season, part of being a low budget team though). The funny ting is that one of the first NASCAR Truck races I covered in my sports reporter days was one by Skinner in STL, so I am looking forward to talking to him about that.

Lots of updates will come now that I have A) POWER, B) a reliable internet connection and C) time (although I do have some work related matters to tend to first. But I am OK and glad to be out of the story path and a little closer to home!!

Cheers

A Day at the Beach

Well today was a nice day at the beach and strolling around South Beach.

You do get the feel that it is the calm before the storm though as the hotel is others in the area are at about 10-15% of capacity, according to the papers and TV.

Took some photos of the area that will be up for posting later this week.

Came across a Walgreen's in my walking around and what a treat, it was so nice to be back in the the states and seeing things that were familiar to me. . .bought some food rations in case I am holed up in the room for a few days.

Stay tuned for more!

In a Holding Pattern . . .In SoBe

Well, good news bad news as they say.

The Public Relations Society of America conference I was to attend this week in Miami has been canceled. To bad for me though I didn't get the news until I was already in Miami, so now I am in sort of a holding pattern. My schedule was such that I am going to meet with some other BoS members of the management team here in Miami later this week with a firm we use. The meetings are still on so I am going to hang in Miami and see what happens. We, the BoS group, were then going to from Miami to Atlanta for the NASCAR race next weekend. If I can hold out through the storm I will just meet up with the guys when they get to Miami, if I have to leave of course I will.

The bad news is that the weekend I was to have with Kelly in South Beach has been cancelled as well, we both felt it was in her and our better interest to just hold off and we can see each other when my hectic Oct. Schedule calms down in November.

The good news is that the storm appears to be weakening, in terms of its affect on South Florida, as it hammers Cancun and other parts of Mexico. The other good news, if you are going to be stuck somewhere waiting out a storm South Beach isn't all that bad of a spot, and the resort I am at isn't bad either. I was upgraded to a one-room suite (photos to come tomorrow), and from what I can tell of the place so far it is pretty good, haven't seen it in daylight, but here is the link:
http://www.fontainebleau.com/index.php

The Dolphins/chiefs game was played tonight instead of Sunday due to the impending storm, I was hoping to catch the game, but of course our flight out of Costa Rica was delayed so I didn't land and make it through customs until halftime, so I just came to the hotel.

I do have a plan "B" if needed while down here. One of the co-IT Directors for BoS lives in Miami while he is not in Costa Rica and by chance we were on the same flight together today, so while we were driving from the office to the airport we had a good discussion about what lies ahead and I will call him if Miami is put under an evacuation order, not sure where we will go, but it is nice to know I have a Floridian to lean on if that is what it comes to.

It is good to be back in the states though, the room has AC, a bath tub, and I can get ESPN in English. . . Prayers go out to everyone in Mexico getting hammered by Wilma right now.

Natural Disasters Week

Well I stole the above headline from one of the cable networks, I can't remember if it is the Weather Channel, Discover, or National Geographic, but I know one of them will do a whole week were each night is a different show about a natural disasters.

That is kind of how I feel today as I make preparations to head to Miami to be there the same time that hurricane Wilma will hit. I am trying to gather as much information as possible, communicating with the airline, hotel, and the conference organizers (my main reason for going was a Public Relations society of America trade show), and others to see the best course of action.

Will probably have a better idea Friday when I get there in terms of what course of action I need to take (should I fly to STL and hang low until Wilma passes over or will it be safe enough in Miami to wait it out at the resort.

One thing is for sure, I will be glad to be back in the states and out of a third world country, even if I have to contend with Wilma.

Cheers

A Farewell to Busch

Well the ride has officially ended for the Cardinals and Busch Stadium.

I am still puzzled at how, for two years in a row, the Cardinals can lay such an egg in the post season and end with their offense showing no signs of life, an offense that seemed to be at such a higher level than everyone else. Yes, Houston has good pitching, but we handled good pitching all season long.

Other than the lack of results from the Cardinals things are looking up here, I will be back in the states this weekend, and possibly as soon as Friday. I might have some slight hurricane conditions to deal with in Miami, but it sounds like the brunt of Wilma will hit elsewhere, but I am staying on top of the situation and might get in to Miami on Friday instead of Saturday just so my travel isn't all whacked up over the weekend.

Things are certainly picking up in terms of the work load, but that is certainly OK for me, lots of exciting projects that I hope to be able to share with everyone in the next few weeks.

Sounds like the Rams season is going to be a wash too.

Cheers