Take Two

And a Happy New Year to my Jewish friends, colleagues and readers.

This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.

—FDR Inaugural Address

We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender…

—Winston Churchill

This sucker could go down.

—George Bush

HT: Jeff Matthews

I am following this stuff very closely as a large part of our business is with banks and investment banks.  I think the whole thing is tremendously interesting.  Then again, I’m a bit of a numbers geek.

Side note- very happy the House voted the stinker of a bill down.  Let the markets work and let the banks who made idiotic decisions fail.

Okay, back to your regularly scheduled programming.

So yesterday, I was in New York City and around 1:00 PM I was presented with a couple of choices: a) I could get tickets to a Broadway show, have a nice dinner, stay in my very expensive hotel room and catch a flight home Saturday or b) rent a car, drive 500+ miles, eat at a Burger King somewhere in Pennsylvania, and sleep in my own bed.

I chose B.

I don’t know whether I’m traveled out or New Yorked (if that’s a word) out or what ever but the idea of heading to my house held fantastic allure.  Given the opportunity to choose again, I would still come home.  There is nothing like your own bed, seeing your family, and waking up to make coffee in your own kitchen.  I can sit at the desk in my office and type this post on a reliable internet connection.  Side note- you’d think you could get a good signal on a Verizon Air Card in New York City.  You’d think wrong.  Anyway, I kissed my wife as she left this morning and talked about college with Becky.  These are things New York doesn’t offer.  They are well worth an eight hour drive.

I’m glad to be home sweet home.

I am sitting at Jamba Juice at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue across fron the public library getting something to drink before dinner. As I have mentioned before, I love people watching (sorry no link I’m on my Blackberry). This is like Division 1-A College people watching. The pros, of course, would be the East Village.

Posted via Blackberry

Greetings once again from the Big Apple (also known as my home away from home).  I am writing today from the uber sheik Hudson Hotel.  As you recall, I stayed here about a year ago. It was an experience.  Fortunately, my room this time around is significantly larger. Don’t know why but I’m happy for it.  I only have a few minutes before heading out.  I am dining at Patroon tonight which is a classic Upper East Side steakhouse.  Good times.

So, with the irrational fear.  I was planning on going home tomorrow but there is an enormous storm heading up the east coast so I delayed until Saturday.  The flight out was not fun. You know it’s an ugly flight when the captain apologizes for the ride.  Yeah, not so much fun.  From the airport, I called our car service which brought me to the uber sheik Hudson Hotel.  The ride was nuts as anyone who has ever experienced this particular event can tell you but I wasn’t the least bit nervous.  I note this because you are much more likely to be killed in a car accident versus a plane accident.  It is an issue of control (ie, I can drive a car.  I can’t drive a plane).  The book Freakonomics outlines this beautifully.  It’s worth the read.

Now that my irrational fear is in check I’m going to venture out into New York.  I don’t have any fear about that.

Image via Wikipedia

The stink storm is in full tilt now. The New York Times is reporting that federal agents raided the Long Island office of the Raidroad Retirement Board.  Nothing good can come from this (unless you’re a taxpayer).  As I’ve noted here and here, the Long Island Railroad has an unenviable record when it comes to disability claims; especially those claims posted after the person retires.  It becomes an out of sight, out of mind equation.

This has become my new guilty pleasure. If you don’t live in New York or work in disability or workers’ compensation you probably don’t care.  For you folks, hopefully inspiration will strike soon.

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This is absolutely brilliant.  The picture was taken during Chairman Bernanke and Secretary Paulson’s high colonic testimony before the Senate Banking Committee.

Someone needs to get this dude on the Fail Blog.

HT: Wall Street Fighter

Image by ryaninmtv via Flickr

35 is the backside (no pun) of 30.  Don’t be delusional.  Embrace your oldness.

Today is my sister’s birthday.  My gift to her is sharing her age to all of my blog readers.  Especially since many of you see her more than me.

Happy Birthday, Weeze!