hey there!
Were you able to attend one of the launch events in your home town? They are still going on, so check it out! I discovered a great learning resource: the {online events} part of the launch web site:
Each product has a jump to resources - free training, web casts, etc. For example, I intend to join these web casts for Visual Studio 2008
and take this virtual lab for SQL Server 2008
I particularly like the testdrives; here is a taste...
Windows Server 2008 Testdrive
Visual Studio 2008 Testdrive
SQL Server 2008 Testdrive
Cool stuff and they promise more!