Reflecting on 2005 - Q1
Thursday, December 29th, 2005About to leave for a New Year’s weekend trip - one night in Massachusetts and two in Vermont at Sugarbush - so it’s time to reflect before the year is through. It’s been a crazy year.
- Starting to formalize plans to move to China and invest in real estate with Dave Weishaus; picked out the city; started to put together the investor list, etc.
- The plan was to get everything organized while wrapping everything up at GT Advisory for a move in June.
- Elsewhere,
- The world is still trying to organize aid for the countries hit by the tsunamis of December 26, 2004 and Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush get involved;
- There is a debate over the election results in Ohio with a full investigation and report - I continue to believe that there was fraud and that it goes at least as high as Karl Rove;
- George W. pissed off the entire city of Washington, D.C., with his over-the-top second inauguration and declares that his victory says that the war in Iraq is justified - I didn’t watch;
- U.S. officials announce that the search for WMD’s has ended - and the explicit reasons for the war change;
- Apple introduces the Mac mini and the iPod Shuffle at MacWorld - I look forward to the 2006 announcements especially re: Mac mini as home theater PC and to what extent HDTV is integrated; and
- Iraq holds the countries first multi-party election in 50 years, previous single-party ballots looked like this.
- Art Chang throws in a very positive curve ball by deciding it was time for him to leave which basically forced me out of a job. This was somewhat surprising as I had been assured I could stay on, but in the end it saved me from wasting three or four months of my life.
- A few days later, after discussing my ideal internship to prepare me for moving to China, Art introduces me to Jim Runsdorf and Ken Cohen at Pantheon Properties. Pantheon and the opportunity fit the ideal: a small development firm where I could get involved in the entire deal process from sourcing to close to asset/property management and everything in between.
- I leave GT Advisory and begin at Pantheon on February 15th.
- I grew up asking my dad, a commercial and industrial broker, all kinds of questions about the real estate business never thinking I would be working in the industry. Based on that small platform, my somewhat-more-formal education in the business was exponential.
- The work environment is comfortable while encouraging ambition. If you get stressed out, there’s a hatchet and some wood to take it out on; there’s the terrace for an outdoor meeting or late afternoon drink. It’s a tight-knit group and a great place to be.
- Elsewhere,
- The New England Patriots win Super Bowl XXXIX over the Philadelphia Eagles with a hurt Terrell Owens (who played very well) and a “sick” Donovan McNabb (who didn’t);
- The Michael Jackson child molestation trial begins - my interest is minimal except that the parents letting their kids spend the night at Neverland are crazy;
- Carly Fiorina resigns as Chairman and CEO of HP;
- The US balance of trade deficit exceeds the previous record by 25%, even as the dollar continues to strengthen as the market views interest rate spreads as more important than other fundamentals; and
- Gary Bettman announces the cancellation of the NHL season which I can’t say I regret.
- March:
- My plans for China continue as does my real estate education.
- Zhenning Guo gets involved in the China partnership.
- We start to finalize Pantheon’s acquisition of our parking lot in the Bronx.
- I go to the ACC tournament in Washington, D.C. with Amnon Meiri. Great trip, great basketball, just a shame that Duke won.
- Elsewhere,
- China started human testing on an AIDS vaccine;
- US Rep Henry Waxman accuses the Bush administration of withholding an audit on Halliburton until after the election (but is anyone surprised?);
- In what I believe will become THE biggest focus of attention (over oil, gold, foodstock, or anything else) over the next 50 years, NGO’s meet at the 3rd Annual Alternative World Water Forum and decry water privitization;
- MGM Studios v Grokster goes to the US Supreme Court;
- Terry Schiavo dies, which I think is a good thing no matter how crazy her husband was; and
- Doctors implant a microchip into a paralysed man’s brain - the chip “reads his thoughts” and allows him to “think his TV on and off, change channels” and more - the line between humans and androids continues to blur and society seems to accept it, as I do for the most part.
