The Obstinacy of Blogging In 2007 I got nailed for having a blog which was mostly about movies. I occasionally mentioned other personal issues, but never talked about life or work at Bear Stearns. At a fateful moment and for reasons which were more than a little suspicious, the New York Times sent a 23-year-old Barnard graduate to write a story about my blog. This was in the era of the CEO of Whole Foods…
Dawn in Ithaca The sky has a strange cast to it this morning. It is still rising in the East, so the world is not too disoriented. But the low bands of clouds near the horizon have taken on a pinkish hue. The banding of pale blue and pink creates a beautiful and unusual sunrise. Red sky in morning, sailors take warning. What do the old sailor’s yarns say about a blue and pink striped…
My Name is Patrick Apartment living is great. First of all, living in Manhattan, apartments make up 99% of the residences. Most people are surprised to learn that there are less than 3,000 townhouses in Manhattan, so unless you were lucky enough to buy one years ago for some ridiculously low price like $5 million, forget it, you can’t afford it. With apartments, it used to be all about co-ops or condos since rentals were…
Family Business Like most people, Tony had a quirky family. He wasn’t sure it was any more dysfunctional than others, but it sure was in the running for most whacky. Let’s start with his cousin Dean and his wife Lois. Over the years, Tony and his wife Elvira had grown very close Dean and Lois. Dean took care of Tony’s summer house and the four of them vacationed in various exotic places together almost every…
Healthcare for All Universal healthcare is one of two or three big issues that pervade the thoughts of most Americans. The polls suggest that it is the number one issue facing voters. This is certainly the most non-partisan issue that we face. This morning it is being suggested that it may be the next big Washington battle ground that encompasses all three branches of government. The administration has taken a shifting stance trying to find…
Teaching and Preaching I am an outrageous guy. What makes me particularly outrageous is that I am prepared to tell everyone about my outrageous behavior and turn it into a life lesson for others. For ten years I was a Clinical Professor of Management at Cornell. That gave me the platform to tell over 2,000 students all about the lessons from my forty years on Wall Street and the lessons learned. I reveled in the…
Hot Sauce Burn Milton wore his Afro with pride. He had no choice, that’s just how his hair grew. He wanted to be on the football team, but you had to be able to run at least 100 yards and do a push-up to do that. He wanted to play in one of the high school rock bands, but you had to play an instrument to do that. Even the chess team rejected him. Turns…
The White Horse Tavern I have an interesting relationship with lunch. Ever since I was a kid, I liked lunch above all other meals. When I was in grade school and I had won eight full weeks of summer YMCA day camp (by selling chocolate mints far and wide), we were supposed to bring a bag lunch. My problem was that my graduate student single mother did not have much time for mothering and making…
A Week is a Lifetime This morning I heard Morning Joe say that a week is a lifetime in politics. And this past week was a lifetime for Democrats in a bad way since the Mueller Report was not the condemning document they hoped it would be. For Trump and Trump-following Republicans, this past week was a lifetime in a good way. TO use Trump’s own exaggerated and false narrative, it was a complete exoneration…
The Bank of Dad I have a friend named Tad. Tad has had both an easy and difficult life all at once. I wish I was giving you a made-up name, but I’m not. The name Tad sort of reeks of privilege doesn’t it? It’s not quite Bootsy, but it’s right up there screaming White, Anglo-Saxon and Protestant all at once. I’ve known Tad for thirty-five years now. Since he was twenty-five when we met,…