I had an interesting couple days in Atlanta that paired play and work beautifully. On the flight down, I was amused seeing Boston Herald sportswriter Michael Felger reading the Boston Sunday Globe sports section. Is that irony or merely a humorous sight on a Sunday morning? He was heading to see the Patriots play a very tough Atlanta Falcons club, and so was I, but I probably had the better seat. My long-time pal Tommy “Tank” Kimmel has 4 season tickets on the 30 yard line, eleven rows from the field. Sweet! The Pats won a great game 31-28 with Adam Vinitieri having just another day at the office. I spent most of the game chatting with Tom’s 13 year old son, Jared. Jared is a very cool kid. He’s smart, well-mannered and he’s a catcher, proving those are not mutually exclusive. His Dad and mom Patty should be very proud.

After an exhilarating win (for me), we listened to about half the Braves-Astros game 4 tilt while waiting in the Georgia Dome parking lot traffic. The game turned into an epic 18 inning struggle finally won by the NLCS bound ‘stros. Tough day for Tommy and Jared in the sports department, but a great day otherwise for a son and his dad. From there it was on to the Emory Hotel and conference center…

This conference was a mix of corporate and field folks getting together to kickoff a new fiscal year. It’s a time of renewal and optimism. After seeing (4,352 powerpoints) and hearing presentations from our different groups, I’ve never been more confident about our future.* I am very fortunate to work for a truly great company. Not that we don’t have our challenges, but the people we have just always get it done. It’s fun to be part of that.

*Safe Harbor Statement
This blog contains forward-looking statements that are based solely on my expectations of future events as of the date of this posting, and I assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events or developments. Actual results could differ materially from my expectations, but I doubt it.