After a lot of consideration and a ton of snow, it simply
makes sense at this point for us to push February's Investment Forum off to a
sunnier and more traffic friendly day.
We simply don't have the parking space available for 40 or 50 cars and with yet another snow fall expected early next week, we just
don't know what is likely to happen.
Your safety in simply walking to the front door far exceeds any
discussion of investments or prosperity.
A new date will be set and we will resume in the near future. Those who paid in advance are all set for the next event and if you can't make it, you'll receive a full refund.
In the midst of this record snowfall, I have really gotten
my head around this concept called quality of life. When the first snow fall came a few weeks
ago, I high tailed it to Miami's sunny South Beach
to observe convertibles with the top down and short sleeve bandits cheering for
the ProBowl. There were no signs of
winter whatsoever. The next snowfall
came days later and I once gain left for warmer climate in the sunny Carolina's. As this third snowfall came, I drove through treacherous
conditions to get out of the DC metro in route to Charlotte for a nonstop flight to LAX. So here I am at the St. Regis hotel in Monarch Beach California observing what is clearly, in my
little mind, the most gorgeous hotel with the most breathtaking views I've ever
seen. It's not like I yearn for posh
travel, but it was actually through the study of the markets and incorporating some of their architecture into my new home is what brought me here.
About a year ago, the AIG executives came under fire for
spending nearly half a million dollars in one weekend at the luxurious St.Regis. According to one of the parking attendants
last evening, that trip had been planned and paid for two years in advance so
they had no other choice but come because they were not about to get their
money back. It's just that their timing
couldn't have been worse. After a sun
filled ride down the Pacific Coast
Highway and observance of all these quaint little
towns like Hunnington Beach tucked away on the mountain sides observing breath taking ocean views, it
hit me that the harder you work, the harder you HAVE to play. If you don't, somebody else will enjoy your
labor long after you're gone. My
architect brought that to my attention during dinner last night as he lives
nearby and says that most of these people don't do anything during the day
except live off inherited money. I got
news for my family.
I'm not suggesting everyone needs to budget six hundred
dollars a night for some gluttonous hotel room as there is a Best Western
just down the way from here with very similar views for a lot less money. The point isn't where you stay but more so
that you can get away. It doesn't really
take all that much but getting away at the worst of the weather times is
something that I'm cherishing for the moment and I never had any intentions of
doing it. Incidentally, a trip by the
helicopter factory yesterday says that the new R66 (which is a great vehicle
for getting away) is so much of a winner that they sold 25 in last week's debut
for all my chopper enthusiasts.
It's now onto Reno
to present my DVD so we'll convene on the East Coast. A tank of gas can carry you away from the
snow and there's nothing like your favorite CD and a little fast food down 95
South for budgeted pleasure. It just
doesn't take a lot. A close friend lost
a loved one to a massive heart attach this week as he was simply looking to maintain
his status quo of getting to work at the post office on time in any
weather. He was thinking of doing an
early retirement and had purchased a few bikes for his forecasted new life
after the 9 to 5 ends. Unfortunately, he
will never get the chance to ride his bike or see those sunny days. I've heard countless stories of handsomely
paid executives who try to unwind from 16 hour work days by building colossal
mansions on some southern beach only to die within one year of retirement. Whether it's business or pleasure, find a way to get away every now and then or risk meeting life's end saying I wish I would have (fill in the blank). Remember, nobody can love you like you.
Anthony "Von" Mickle
-From the mobile home to where moguls roam
