Eric Keller's Father, Frank Keller, passed away this morning. His health has been getting worse for the past month, and the complications were just to much for him.
He was a very generous and kind man...someone that we should all strive to become one day. My Prayer's and thoughts are definitely with the Keller family. Eric, I'm sorry that I can not be there
in your time of need of good friends. I will especially miss watching UT or Tennessee Football with "Pops".
June 22nd
White Water Rafting in Interlaken...what an amazing experience. Nine other American ticket guys joined me today for some great times.
Pics are Below
June 21st
Almost done out here. The final is in 8 days. I'm heading to Vienna on Tuesday morning and will be there until the day of the Euro 2008 Final on June 29th. I'm scheduled to fly out of Zurich
the following morning, June 30th. Can't wait...this has been a long and exhausting event.
Tomorrow will be my first day off in over a month...there are about 8-9 of us Americans going White Water Rafting in Interlaken tomorrow. There is a river there which is home to the best White Water in all of Europe.
I'm told that the rapids are class 4+, so it should be fun and challenging.
Joanie was out here for a week...she left yesterday morning and is now back at home with our dogs in VA Beach.
We didn't really do much but work...she kept me company working until the wee hours of the morning on a few different occasions. Last Tuesday, we rented a car and drove to Basel to pick up tickets...we
didn't get them until 1:20 in the morning, and by the time we drove back to Zurich and finished distributing the tickets, it was 3:00am. She's definitely a trooper...didn't even complain.
Well, I'm exciting to be coming back to Texas on July 3rd...can't wait to get some real Margaritas and Mexican food.
AB
June 11th
Wow, June 11th already. No, I'm not dead...just been having a busy day or two over in Europe...and that is def an understatement. Things have started to calm down a bit, but there is still over 2 weeks to go.
So, I'm getting ready to head out for a couple of meetings today. My day's typically go something like this these days:
6:30am - Phones start ringing, but I don't answer
7:00am - Phones still ringing, I see how important they are
7:30am - I'm up, on the phone
8:30am - I go get coffee and a low-fat Rasberry Muffin from Starbucks
9:00am - Wake up Jonathan, and he starts shipping
10:00am - Buy and Sell Tickets over the phone...Walk about 10 miles back and forth to the Train Station
2:00pm - Grab a quick Bratwurst and bread for lunch...has to have German Mustard
9:00pm - Phones start to die down, and usually there are a couple of last meetings until around midnight
12:00am - Grab Dinner and a drink
1:00am - Crash
This is literally how every single day last week went...Brutal, let me tell ya. I did go to bed by 11:00pm last night, so I am feeling great today.
Joanie is coming out here this weekend, and we're going to the Switzerland v Portugal match on Sunday in Basel. Next week, we'll find out which teams are heading to each Quarterfinal,
and I'll have another load of tickets coming to push out to the brokers. Then, it's to Vienna on around the 25th of June for the Semifinal and Final Match.
I'm flying back to the states on June 30th, and should be in Texas on July 3rd. Joanie and I will be heading to Stamford and Kerrville over July 4th weekend. We'll be on the water in Kerrville with some BBQ and Beer probably that Sunday and Monday, so come join us if you're around.
AB
May 29th
Sitting, Waiting, Wishing in Paris...I came to Paris on Tuesday to pick up some tickets from a Supplier, and I'm still waiting...will probably be here until Saturday.
This Sucks...I mean this place ain't exactly Shangri La. I had enough of Paris last year when I was here for 9 weeks.
So, whoever said "making money isn't easy"...I hear ya. Waiting for a supplier to deliver you tickets is the worst feeling in the world. I would rather be at the dentist getting teeth pulled. You have clients whom want tickets, calling you every 5 minutes; you
have suppliers that get upset when you call them 5-10 times per day getting updates, and then the guy pulling the "purse strings" always has something to add as well. It's just not easy.
Hopefully, I'll be done here sometime on Saturday and can get back to Zurich and get some work done finally.
AB
May 26th
Happy Memorial Day! I'm glad all of you in the States have a holiday, but I'm working...for some reason, the rest of the world
doesn't seem to celebrate the US Military. I'll be on the computer most of the day, with possibly a trip to the Swiss/French border town of Basle later in the
day to meet a supplier with tickets. But, because my office in Virginia is closed, I won't have too much to get done today.
So, I've been eating a ton of awesome Swiss-German food this week. Schnitzel, Bratwurst, Rosti (Swiss Hashbrown Potatoes), Cordon Bleu Schnitzel,
German Potato Salad, and of course, really nice beer. Jonathan and I had lunch at one German Bierhall yesterday, came back to the apartment to play poker with some guys,
and then had more German food at a Bierhall just next door to the previous. This stuff is hard to beat...or maybe it's my small bit of German heritage aquiring a long-lost likeness for the stuff.
So, tomorrow should be the busiest day for me yet. I should have a ton of tickets to process and ship tomorrow, as well as a few very large clients coming to Zurich to pick up tickets.
This tournament is going to be like a little World Cup...but better, cause it only lasts 3 weeks, only 16 teams, and very small stadiums. The European economy is kicking-ass right now, so this is
a breath of fresh air after dealing with horrible events in the US recently, i.e. the cheapest Kentucky Derby in recent History. Ticket prices should stay high, and new orders should be flowing in steadily.
AB
May 16th
I'm back in Europe. Zurich is great. Beautiful weather, good German beer, awesome food, another European Soccer Tournament...Life is good.
The only down part is no Joanie and no dogs.
I'm heading to Paris tomorrow to visit with a supplier, and will just stay with Christophe for the weekend. Then to Portugal on Monday, back to Paris on Tuesday, Zurich on Wednesday, and Geneva on Thursday.
Not much else going on yet...just traveling. Anyway, I'm gonna finish up working now and go hit the local pub. Have a great weekend.
AB
May 13th
Happy Mothers Day, a little late.
I'm heading to Europe tomorrow. I land in Zurich Thursday morning, then over to Paris on Friday, Portugal early next week, Geneva on Tuesday/Wednesday, then back to Zurich for awhile.
It's a busy week of travel from the very beginning, then mostly office work afterwards...computer and phones, shipping etc. It's definitely not the ideal way to spend your summer, but then again, I'm not 18 any longer. I am
looking forward to some good German Food and Bier though...the highlight of Zurich. Visiting Paris for a day or so will be nice as well....I can hit up some of my old stomping grounds from last year...this one restaurant, can't remember the name, but it's near my old apartment,
has the absolute best Wild Boar Pate. You put that on some fresh baked bread, some good French Red Wine, and you're set.
Joanie was going to come out towards the end of May, but we've pushed that back until June 16th when I'm a little less busy with things.
Now, I've got to go home and finish packing, get my paperwork together, etc. Next time you see me post, I'll be in Switzerland.
AB
May 7th
Back from the Kentucky Derby Finally...boy, that sucked. Ticket sales were awful, and the weather was just as bad up until Derby day itself. I'm just glad to be back now, for a week at least, then it's off to Switzerland next week for the summer.
So, come Derby Day, the company only had a few seats left, and with the good weather, we sold them all early that morning. I still need 6 seats for myself, and the Employees, so we waited until about 1:30pm to buy tickets and go into Churchill Downs.
At first, we found a 3rd Floor Clubhouse Box for less than face value, so we bought that, and went to the race. About 30 minutes into sitting down on the 3rd floor, I found a table that wasn't being used on the 4th Floor Millionaires row for cheap, so we all upgraded at that point.
Millionaire's row is a great because you have a few of the entire track, as well as being situated right on the finish line, and waiter/waitress service throughout the day, gourmet food, etc.
Well, I'm in the States for another 7 days, then it's off to Zurich next Wednesday. Come visit if you have a spair weekend in May or June...I have an apartment you can crash at. Otherwise, JD and I will be back in Texas for 4th of July weekend.
AB
April 25th
So, I got a phone call last Saturday from Chris, my sisters Boyfriend, and he let us know that he was going to surprise my sister, Courtney, with a marriage proposal the following day. This wasn't really a surprise except for the timing...we were
expecting him to do so this summer when they head to Europe. So, Great News, and Congrats! My sister and Chris are now engaged.
I'm slammed today in the office...Derby and Oaks are off the wall! Gotta Run!
AB
April 24th
Man, I've been bad about posting lately. I have a good excuse though...I've been traveling all over from Augusta, to San Antonio, Baltimore, and now heading to Louisville on Monday, then to Zurich for the Summer beginning May 14th.
I'm working longer hours than ever right now, but it should all pay off after the summer. Well, if you can't wait til I post, you can always visit Joanie's Blog at JoanieDuggan.com to see what I'm up to...she posts a little more often these days.
We got back Monday from a brief trip to Texas...we spent 2 days at my folks house in Ingram/Hunt. We had about 20 people over for a 2-day long BBQ, fishing, Beer Drinking, Washer-pitching, Waver Runnering Party. Then, on Saturday, we went to New Braunfels for the wedding of
Michael and Kara Guerra, friends of mine from San Antonio. We stayed at the Haunted Faust Hotel in downtown New Braunfels, and met up with a ton of friends at the Uptown Piano Bar after the wedding...what a blast. Then, on Sunday, we visited with Joanie's folks and Aunt/Uncle/Cousins, and drove on to San Antonio afterwards.
We stayed at the Marriot RiverCenter hotel, ate some great Mexican food down on the riverwalk, and flew out at 6:00am Monday morning. It was just the trip I needed to get reengergized after the Masters.
I'm heading back to Louisville Kentucky for the Kentucky Derby and Oaks on Monday, and will be there for a week. Joanie is coming down with Jonathan and Michelle on Wednesday. Then, I come back home for just about a week, and get ready to head to Zurich on May 14th - June 30th. I might even go to Moscow for the UEFA Champions League final, which would be cool...I haven't been to Russia since 1995.
I'm leaving work now, and heading to the house to grab my bike, ride down to a cool bar, have a couple of drinks by the beach and watch the sunset. Stompeli Spurs@!
AB
April 4th
So, it's that time of the year again...Joanie and I arrived in Augusta on Wednesday, and the Masters begins next week. I love this event...one of my favorite southern towns to work an event.
Masters Badges are going for crazy money this year, and we're right in the middle of it making $$$.
Joanie's Birthday is today...Forever 27. I've got an associate coming to pick us up in a Limo tonight, then we're heading to a nice restaurant for dinner, and a night out on the town.
Gary Marshall, my newest employee arrives tomorrow, and I'll have him, Joanie and Jonathan working for me this week. We'll all hit up Augusta National on Monday, and I have some great meetings and parties lined up all week.
Other than that, things are going great. I'll be in Texas on April 17th - 20th...plan on kicking back on the river with my folks, Joanie's folks, Zach and Rebecca, maybe Ronny, Luke, Anna and Lauren. I think we plan on eating a ton of Mexican food (can't get that in VA Beach),
fishing, swimming, sitting by a bon fire, and drinking margaritas. If you don't have plans, come see us!
Oh, and I finally set up Joanie with a blog...one of her B-day presents. Visit her online at JoanieDuggan.com. I don't write that much these days, but I'm sure she'll keep everyone up to date.
AB
