Friday's drive up north was uneventful except for my oldest complaining he was bored and had nothing to do during the ride. I told him to take a nap or listen to his iPod or some combination thereof. We drove gaily forward (as opposed to straight since that really isn't my case) to mom and dad's house. My older brother had just gotten in from the airport, my younger brother, his wife and three kids were there already. We hung out for a while and I had to run to TGT to get khakis for my oldest as he did not have any that fit. I got back and called the hotel to see what time I could check-in because mom and dad did not have room for the four of us as well. Check-in was 3 PM. I went over there around 3, checked-in and then drove to the airport to pick up the husband. We went back to the hotel, showered up and got dressed then drove to the restaurant for the dinner for dad's birthday. Dinner was nice and my younger brother and sister-in-law got stuck at the kids table. After dinner we went back to the hotel and changed our clothes. Then back to mom and dad's for cake with friends and family.
Saturday morning we did family photos. It was fun. Then the husband and I went and grabbed breakfast while the boys decided Dunkin Donuts with their uncle, aunt and cousins would be more to their liking. My older bro flew back to FLA around noon. My younger bro and sister-in-law left around 2 PM after the grandchildren and grandma made snowmen. That left us and mom and dad. The husband and I went to the mall to T-Mobile to get a new SIM card for the husband's crackberry. Then the adults played cards for a bit while the boys played with all the old Fisher Price toys in the basement.
I uploaded and re-arranged all of mom's digital pictures on her PC. That was fun as she still had 300 pics on her camera. I then emailed a few from the party to my youngest brother who could not make it up do to a sick child.
We took mom and dad out to dinner at the local restaurant. It was ok and then they went home. The husband and I then took the boys to Barnes & Noble so they could each have a book to read on the way home. My oldest picked one form the teen section called Fallen Angles. My youngest picked a fantasy series by Garth Nix. We then all crossed the street to the theater to watch Madagascar 2. By then it was pretty late and it was bed time for all of us.
This morning I wanted to get on the road somewhat early to avoid the big coastal storm coming in. We had breakfast with mom and dad. Then I and the boys got on the road. The husband was flying back later so he and mom and dad went home.
During the ride I got some interesting questions from my oldest as he read the book he got. "Dad, what is a slant?" A derogatory term for an Asian. "Dad, what is a gook?" Another derogatory term for an Asian. "Dad what is a genital?" Your balls. "Dad what is crabs?" Use it in the sentence please. Oh, it's a venereal disease. "Like herpes?" Yes as we quickly accelerated due to my foot hitting the gas.
I dropped them off at their grandmother's house because their mom's flight was delayed due to the coastal storm. The weather sucked and I got home and took a nap as the husband did not beat me home due to said coastal storm delaying his flight as well.
This week will be interesting and hopefully non-eventful after Black Friday. We'll see.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
They are all such cheaters
Last night we got out to the in-laws house around 9 PM. The boys had fallen asleep on the Southern and woke up a bit groggy. The traffic really wasn't that bad. The husband left Hoboken later than I did and beat me there. Once I hooked up the Wii the boys were wide awake. My oldest and his aunt played it for quite some time. My youngest played some anime style game on my laptop. I helped the husband and his mom prep the turkey for today- think lots of fennel, lemons, butter and sage. Thankfully we had some wine while doing it.
Today actually was a very nice and relaxing Thanksgiving. The husband swore he was not doing any cooking and yet once he got up and his mother had the turkey in the oven he decided the menu she was planning was too plain. So we ran to the grocery store and picked up a few things. We changed the mashed potatoes by adding roasted garlic and Dijon mustard. The stuffing got bacon, mushrooms, shallots, onions, sage and fennel fronds. The rest of the fennel went onto the grill on the back porch. My sister in law was a bit late but once we sat down to dinner it was great. My youngest is a total pain in the ass when it comes to eating so he had chocolate chip waffles. The boys know they have to ask to be excused from the table after dinner so when my youngest asked his step grandmother if he could be excused she said he had to eat a piece of turkey. So he ate one tiny piece and that was that.
Pumpkin pie and lemon meringue pie for dessert with vanilla ice cream and Cool Whip. Then the husband and I took a nap and the boys played Wii with their aunt and step grandparents. MarioKart was fun.
Before we left we did the infamous Secret Santa routine. The husband caught everyone else showing names. They were all cheating already! Then the husband turns to me and asks "Did you get me?" I told him he'll never know.
We drove back to Hoboken. Tomorrow morning the boys and I will drive up north to my parents for Dad's 70th. The husband is working a half day and then flying up in the afternoon.
Tuesday night I redesigned the blog a bit and Mr. Barrett noticed right away. He is off to Ireland but Wednesday we were chatting on IM much as we do every day and commented on how he likes the new look. Probably won't be posting again until Sunday night, enjoy the weekend.
Today actually was a very nice and relaxing Thanksgiving. The husband swore he was not doing any cooking and yet once he got up and his mother had the turkey in the oven he decided the menu she was planning was too plain. So we ran to the grocery store and picked up a few things. We changed the mashed potatoes by adding roasted garlic and Dijon mustard. The stuffing got bacon, mushrooms, shallots, onions, sage and fennel fronds. The rest of the fennel went onto the grill on the back porch. My sister in law was a bit late but once we sat down to dinner it was great. My youngest is a total pain in the ass when it comes to eating so he had chocolate chip waffles. The boys know they have to ask to be excused from the table after dinner so when my youngest asked his step grandmother if he could be excused she said he had to eat a piece of turkey. So he ate one tiny piece and that was that.
Pumpkin pie and lemon meringue pie for dessert with vanilla ice cream and Cool Whip. Then the husband and I took a nap and the boys played Wii with their aunt and step grandparents. MarioKart was fun.
Before we left we did the infamous Secret Santa routine. The husband caught everyone else showing names. They were all cheating already! Then the husband turns to me and asks "Did you get me?" I told him he'll never know.
We drove back to Hoboken. Tomorrow morning the boys and I will drive up north to my parents for Dad's 70th. The husband is working a half day and then flying up in the afternoon.
Tuesday night I redesigned the blog a bit and Mr. Barrett noticed right away. He is off to Ireland but Wednesday we were chatting on IM much as we do every day and commented on how he likes the new look. Probably won't be posting again until Sunday night, enjoy the weekend.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Get your turkey stuffed
So we watched the season finale of Tru Blood Sunday. I never read the books but I have to say the actor who portrays Jason Stackhouse is fucking smoking hot. Yesterday I was supposed to have drinks with a friend from college who found me on facebook. She works 2 blocks away from me in Hell's Pantry. I emailed her to conform and good thing I did since she had it on the calendar for tonight. I re-confirmed today and she had to cancel as her budget meeting got to 5 PM. I ended up grabbing a drink or two with the boss, 2 co-workers and our salesman from BOFA. We had drinks in the P.A. at Metro Marche.
Speaking of which I am a bit annoyed about the fact that it is not even yet Thanksgiving and the P.A. is playing Xmas music. The grocery store I went to with the husband after I got home is as well AND our friend PF put his mom's tree up today! Seriously, I guess I am too old fashioned in believing that the Christmas stuff should wait until AFTER Thanksgiving passes.
Since I am on the topic of Christmas, our company "Holiday" party has been held off-site since I have been working here- usually some swanky, hip place. Well you know we are in a recession now since yesterday we were told it is now being held on-site.
I read on the web how male lizards do push-ups to get attention. Well duh! You should see the lizards out on FI.
There are so many acronyms in the market now that one loses track of them. The only one you need to know is QE. That stands for quantitative easing. What the government did today is it folks. They are now directly buying securities in markets that have frozen. They should have just gone right to it once LEH failed. One could even argue that the Treasury taking stakes in the major banks was a stealth form of it but that is neither here nor there.
So QE plus the fact that the yield curve is no longer inverted and is actually normalizing and even steepening AND that the metal with the PhD in economics (that'd be copper) had a ~20%+ day yesterday tells me that possibly we will be bottoming in Q1 and out of the recession by end of Q2. We need to remember that the market is generally the best and most efficient discounting mechanism around.
Tomorrow after work I am picking up the boys and driving out to the in-laws. The husband is coming home and picking up the kids and driving out. My sister-in-law asked me to bring the Wii out with us. The boys are psyched about that because they won't get completely bored. We are all sleeping over there, celebrating Thanksgiving there and coming back to Hoboken Thursday night. Friday morning we are off to my parents in central NY for my dad's 70th birthday party for the weekend.
Speaking of which I am a bit annoyed about the fact that it is not even yet Thanksgiving and the P.A. is playing Xmas music. The grocery store I went to with the husband after I got home is as well AND our friend PF put his mom's tree up today! Seriously, I guess I am too old fashioned in believing that the Christmas stuff should wait until AFTER Thanksgiving passes.
Since I am on the topic of Christmas, our company "Holiday" party has been held off-site since I have been working here- usually some swanky, hip place. Well you know we are in a recession now since yesterday we were told it is now being held on-site.
I read on the web how male lizards do push-ups to get attention. Well duh! You should see the lizards out on FI.
There are so many acronyms in the market now that one loses track of them. The only one you need to know is QE. That stands for quantitative easing. What the government did today is it folks. They are now directly buying securities in markets that have frozen. They should have just gone right to it once LEH failed. One could even argue that the Treasury taking stakes in the major banks was a stealth form of it but that is neither here nor there.
So QE plus the fact that the yield curve is no longer inverted and is actually normalizing and even steepening AND that the metal with the PhD in economics (that'd be copper) had a ~20%+ day yesterday tells me that possibly we will be bottoming in Q1 and out of the recession by end of Q2. We need to remember that the market is generally the best and most efficient discounting mechanism around.
Tomorrow after work I am picking up the boys and driving out to the in-laws. The husband is coming home and picking up the kids and driving out. My sister-in-law asked me to bring the Wii out with us. The boys are psyched about that because they won't get completely bored. We are all sleeping over there, celebrating Thanksgiving there and coming back to Hoboken Thursday night. Friday morning we are off to my parents in central NY for my dad's 70th birthday party for the weekend.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
He KO'd me three times in a row
Friday the parent/teacher conferences went well and as expected- no surprises which as a dad you are always thankful for. The boys only had a half day so I picked them up form their mom's house and we went back to Hoboken. Their mom told me they needed new sneakers. They also needed button down collared shirts for the housewarming cocktail party Saturday evening. We stopped at TGT which is great for that stuff. The shirts were easy to get- on blue and one white oxford cloth shirt. The sneakers however were not as my oldest is in 6th grade and becoming conscious of this stuff. TGT did have Nikes. So off to Modells next door. The oldest found a sweet pair of Nikes that were on sale. The youngest picked out a kicking pair of D&C black faux suede laces ups. They were also on sale.
Friday also happened to be my birthday. So the husband got home and had the boys help wrap the gift he got for me. We then went out to dinner at this awesome German restaurant in town. We got back and I got to open my gift. The husband got me a Wii!!! They boys had been begging for one for as long as it has been available. I had been adamant about we didn't need one since they had one at their mom's house and a PS2. Secretly I was more concerned that I would end up playing it waaaay too much. He said "You have insisted you had to have one since the system came out." I think someone was projecting- actually I know someone was since I also got MarioKart- with two steering wheels.
Friday my parents called to say due to the snow they had gotten and the forecast for more they were not coming down for the party. I told them at their age I thought it was a smart thing they didn't drive in severe weather. Saturday morning at 9 my cell rang- it was mom saying it had stopped snowing so they were on their way. I guess I hit a nerve.
Saturday was a busy day. We spent the day cleaning up getting ready for the party. My parents arrived around 1:30 and I asked them if they would take the boys out to lunch so the husband and I could finish up our last minute shopping.
The party was a success I think. IT was actually good in that the boys did a great job. My oldest decided he'd rather handle the coat check duties than take pictures. So I was working the door and greeting guests and he would come out and ask if he could take coats. MY youngest would then come over and snap a picture of the guests. It was great.
Our home was packed. I almost told everyone to spread out and move towards the windows as they all congregated near the kitchen. I ended up giving a bunch of art tours. Thank God I know who all the artists on the wall are but I have no clue how to expound on influences and what not. The last guest were gone by 9:30, the boys played Wii and a couple who are friends showed up late due to a family event. They are the ones who's wedding we went to a few months back. We had a few drinks and caught up. When they left it was near midnight. I put the boys to bed and we cleaned up a bit and then went to bed.
This morning we finished cleaning and then played Wii. I suck at tanks, did ok with laser hockey, bowling and golf. Boxing however my youngest kicked my ass- he knocked me out three times in a row. MarioKArt was fun.
Thanksgiving means I will be travelling a lot this week. We are going up to my parents the Friday after Thanksgiving for my dad's 70th birthday party.
Friday also happened to be my birthday. So the husband got home and had the boys help wrap the gift he got for me. We then went out to dinner at this awesome German restaurant in town. We got back and I got to open my gift. The husband got me a Wii!!! They boys had been begging for one for as long as it has been available. I had been adamant about we didn't need one since they had one at their mom's house and a PS2. Secretly I was more concerned that I would end up playing it waaaay too much. He said "You have insisted you had to have one since the system came out." I think someone was projecting- actually I know someone was since I also got MarioKart- with two steering wheels.
Friday my parents called to say due to the snow they had gotten and the forecast for more they were not coming down for the party. I told them at their age I thought it was a smart thing they didn't drive in severe weather. Saturday morning at 9 my cell rang- it was mom saying it had stopped snowing so they were on their way. I guess I hit a nerve.
Saturday was a busy day. We spent the day cleaning up getting ready for the party. My parents arrived around 1:30 and I asked them if they would take the boys out to lunch so the husband and I could finish up our last minute shopping.
The party was a success I think. IT was actually good in that the boys did a great job. My oldest decided he'd rather handle the coat check duties than take pictures. So I was working the door and greeting guests and he would come out and ask if he could take coats. MY youngest would then come over and snap a picture of the guests. It was great.
Our home was packed. I almost told everyone to spread out and move towards the windows as they all congregated near the kitchen. I ended up giving a bunch of art tours. Thank God I know who all the artists on the wall are but I have no clue how to expound on influences and what not. The last guest were gone by 9:30, the boys played Wii and a couple who are friends showed up late due to a family event. They are the ones who's wedding we went to a few months back. We had a few drinks and caught up. When they left it was near midnight. I put the boys to bed and we cleaned up a bit and then went to bed.
This morning we finished cleaning and then played Wii. I suck at tanks, did ok with laser hockey, bowling and golf. Boxing however my youngest kicked my ass- he knocked me out three times in a row. MarioKArt was fun.
Thanksgiving means I will be travelling a lot this week. We are going up to my parents the Friday after Thanksgiving for my dad's 70th birthday party.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
It's Friday for me...
So I saw the hottie in the BBERG fleece again this morning on the bus. That was a good start to the day. It is also Friday for me since I am off tomorrow because I have two parent/teacher conferences. So I had that going for me as well. All I needed was total consciousness on my deathbed and I would have a hat trick.
To bad the tape was going to ruin my shot at the hat trick. In case you missed it it is no longer "real quiet" on the technical front since we went right through the 770-775 level. What scares me most is that on a technical basis we have a sliver of what some might call support at 650 but there is a vacuum to roughly 400. This is really the first time I am concerned about the future of my career. No one is safe in my industry in this environment.
If that happens I will be forming a criminal organization with my bond manager friend. The problem is we need to come up with name that inspires both fear and awe. His suggestion with the qualifier that it has been used is SPECTRE. I am thinking if we pluralize it we might be okay in regards to not violating any trademarks or copyrights.
I see Rep. Waxman has successfully made his power play for the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Is it just me or does that guy look really porcine? Have you seen the guy on t.v. at all?
So Shitigroup is finally admitting defeat it appears and saying they might have to split the company up.
There is this really cute blond, meathead looking guy in our office sporadically. He works for corporate and I always seem to lock eyes with him as I go to the bathroom.
I have to make a new playlist on my iPod for the cocktail party. That should be easy though since it is full and I'll just mix and match.
To bad the tape was going to ruin my shot at the hat trick. In case you missed it it is no longer "real quiet" on the technical front since we went right through the 770-775 level. What scares me most is that on a technical basis we have a sliver of what some might call support at 650 but there is a vacuum to roughly 400. This is really the first time I am concerned about the future of my career. No one is safe in my industry in this environment.
If that happens I will be forming a criminal organization with my bond manager friend. The problem is we need to come up with name that inspires both fear and awe. His suggestion with the qualifier that it has been used is SPECTRE. I am thinking if we pluralize it we might be okay in regards to not violating any trademarks or copyrights.
I see Rep. Waxman has successfully made his power play for the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Is it just me or does that guy look really porcine? Have you seen the guy on t.v. at all?
So Shitigroup is finally admitting defeat it appears and saying they might have to split the company up.
There is this really cute blond, meathead looking guy in our office sporadically. He works for corporate and I always seem to lock eyes with him as I go to the bathroom.
I have to make a new playlist on my iPod for the cocktail party. That should be easy though since it is full and I'll just mix and match.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
I have no idea what your wife/girlfriend should wear to a cocktail party
Funny how all our straight married friends or the ones with girlfriends seem to think because two gay guys are hosting a cocktail party they should also know what their significant others should wear. Hello? I definitely do not have the fashion gene and the husband has it but for men.
I am starting to worry about China now. The whole Mandate of Heaven thingy has a lot of historical heft behind it in China. I read there are riots occurring in some cities. That and the flood and the earthquakes make me wonder if and when the central government is going to crack down on the civilians. I also wonder if it is too late for them to put the genie back in the bottle. If they determine it is then if there is a crack down it could make Tianamen Square look like a picnic. It would also have severe consequences for the global economy.
I see Iran says they will have a nuclear power plant operational by 2009. That should help reassure the global community that they really are pursuing it just for peaceful use.
Apparently al Qeda wanted McCain to win the election. The second in command has called our President-Elect a house negro. Apparently nothing we do short of all converting to Islam, helping destroy Israel and then implementing Shiria globally will make them happy. Ha- yeah, good luck with that list.
The tape was not pretty in the last hour. The CMBX is now the index de jour and the perpetrator. Corporate bond spreads are blowing out. You'd think the dollar would be getting smoked as well but since the rest of the world thinks we are ahead of them is is the least offensive smelling piece of shit so it is holding in.
We are done with all of our touch up painting. All we left is some tidying up to do between now and Saturday and we are a go.
The husband and I went to the gym tonight and there were a lot of serious hotties there, some new ones and some of the usuals.
I am starting to worry about China now. The whole Mandate of Heaven thingy has a lot of historical heft behind it in China. I read there are riots occurring in some cities. That and the flood and the earthquakes make me wonder if and when the central government is going to crack down on the civilians. I also wonder if it is too late for them to put the genie back in the bottle. If they determine it is then if there is a crack down it could make Tianamen Square look like a picnic. It would also have severe consequences for the global economy.
I see Iran says they will have a nuclear power plant operational by 2009. That should help reassure the global community that they really are pursuing it just for peaceful use.
Apparently al Qeda wanted McCain to win the election. The second in command has called our President-Elect a house negro. Apparently nothing we do short of all converting to Islam, helping destroy Israel and then implementing Shiria globally will make them happy. Ha- yeah, good luck with that list.
The tape was not pretty in the last hour. The CMBX is now the index de jour and the perpetrator. Corporate bond spreads are blowing out. You'd think the dollar would be getting smoked as well but since the rest of the world thinks we are ahead of them is is the least offensive smelling piece of shit so it is holding in.
We are done with all of our touch up painting. All we left is some tidying up to do between now and Saturday and we are a go.
The husband and I went to the gym tonight and there were a lot of serious hotties there, some new ones and some of the usuals.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
I can't abide Billy Mays
I swam this morning. The dark haired hottie I have seen a few times was there again. Mr. Barrett would have swooned- not over the swimming hottie but over the scruffy hot married guy who was there as I was leaving- he was very cute and had the full beard. I chuckled to myself because Mr. Barrett came to mind when I saw his beard.
I caught the boss checking out the you, nubile operations girl. It was really funny. He sits across from me. I looked up and saw saw him kind of staring at someone coming down the stairs that are behind me. I turned around and saw her. I looked back at him and said, I see what you are looking at. He blushed a bit.
I am not a fan of reality t.v. in any form. However I saw an article today about one that is all about flipping houses. The star of it- one Jeff Lewis- is actually pretty hot, lol. I am sure he flips a lot...
The NAHB hit an all time low today. I still don't agree that forcing banks to take losses only to keep people in houses they couldn't afford to begin with and still can't afford.
The debate of whether or not to bailout the automakers is a raging one now. There was a great editorial in the WSJ yesterday saying they should file for reorganization. I agree. If you look at the whole process the Big 3 all have the same costs as most other automakers. The rub is all the others do not have these liabilities to their retirees. That is what is causing them all the pain. If the Big 3 could just get out from under the weight of those and reorganize them they most likely could produce cars and make money.
Again what keeps echoing through my mind is the technicians saying it is real quiet until 770 on the SPX.
I was supposed to have drinks after work today with a guy I went to college with who is a fixed income trader. He had to cancel because he had a coaching meeting for his kid's basketball team. I told him no problem but going into the holiday season I said it will have to be after the new year for the beers.
I really can't stand Billy Mays- the OxyClean guy. He is now shilling insurance on the business channels.
We finished painting tonight. Tomorrow night it is all touch up work and then Thursday we have plans. The husband is starting to get stressed about the party. He will be a nervous nellie until 9 PM Saturday when the party is over.
I caught the boss checking out the you, nubile operations girl. It was really funny. He sits across from me. I looked up and saw saw him kind of staring at someone coming down the stairs that are behind me. I turned around and saw her. I looked back at him and said, I see what you are looking at. He blushed a bit.
I am not a fan of reality t.v. in any form. However I saw an article today about one that is all about flipping houses. The star of it- one Jeff Lewis- is actually pretty hot, lol. I am sure he flips a lot...
The NAHB hit an all time low today. I still don't agree that forcing banks to take losses only to keep people in houses they couldn't afford to begin with and still can't afford.
The debate of whether or not to bailout the automakers is a raging one now. There was a great editorial in the WSJ yesterday saying they should file for reorganization. I agree. If you look at the whole process the Big 3 all have the same costs as most other automakers. The rub is all the others do not have these liabilities to their retirees. That is what is causing them all the pain. If the Big 3 could just get out from under the weight of those and reorganize them they most likely could produce cars and make money.
Again what keeps echoing through my mind is the technicians saying it is real quiet until 770 on the SPX.
I was supposed to have drinks after work today with a guy I went to college with who is a fixed income trader. He had to cancel because he had a coaching meeting for his kid's basketball team. I told him no problem but going into the holiday season I said it will have to be after the new year for the beers.
I really can't stand Billy Mays- the OxyClean guy. He is now shilling insurance on the business channels.
We finished painting tonight. Tomorrow night it is all touch up work and then Thursday we have plans. The husband is starting to get stressed about the party. He will be a nervous nellie until 9 PM Saturday when the party is over.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Ugh- I thought we were done painting
The tape continued it's volatile, low volume action today which I would have to guess is going to be the norm for the rest of the year. There are some good things I can see though. First is most hedge funds that have survived this far have made it past last call for any redemptions for the year. I am not saying all are going to be around come JAN1 but they probably won't have to be selling much more. The second and more telling thing I saw was the Philly Fed Board of Forecasters have said we entered a recession in April and it will be a fourteen month recession- the longest since the one in the late '70s-early '80s. If they are right then that means we should be exiting said recession by the end of Q2 '09. Assuming this is a normal type recession that means the tape will start discounting that come January. If we are not in what most who are in the markets now think of as normal then I have no idea when this ends.
I read President Bush said he will not be going back to Congress to ask for the roughly $350 billion still not used in the bailout. I would have to say that is a prudent political move. He is out of there so why ask for something you can't use to your advantage and if it blows up your successor will bear the brunt of it.
There has been a good amount of bitching that President-Elect Obama is surrounding himself with and choosing a lot of old hands for top posts in his incoming Administration. Well that was quick. As I said, I did not vote for the guy but shit, at least give him a chance. He could actually live up to the idea of change for the better. I also noticed he has met with his former Presidential opponent Senator McCain. The real mindbender would be if he tapped him for his Administration. The left would howl and scream bloody murder but it would actually show he really is post-partisan and maybe does want to do things differently. I also see HRC is a top contender for Secretary of State. The cynic in me says he is doing that not to appease her supporters but to prevent her from making another run at the nomination in 4 years. If I were an idealist I'd have say it is similar to trying to be a different type of politician and President.
JP's grandfather passed away last week. He was working out of town and his current employers were kind enough to let him out of the last week of his obligation/contract. I exchanged emails with him because we had not heard form him in a while when he told me what had happened. He knew his grandfather was not doing well and said he had been prepared for it but I know that even when you see it coming, losing someone so important and a large part of your life still hits really hard.
I caught a later bus this morning than usual and there were several cuties on there. I took the seat in the back and just checked them all out while reading emails and listening to Katy Perry. I have her on my iPod because my oldest asked for it to be put on his- well really just her two hit "I Kissed A Girl" and "Hot And Cold." IT is complete bubblegum but fun for the morning bus ride.
The husband decided we had to do some painting in the boys room. I was hoping it could wait until after this weekend but nooooo. So we hit the gym in our building and then put the first coat up. We'll finish it tomorrow evening and then do some touch up painting in the apartment before the big party this weekend.
I have Friday off because I have two parent/teacher conferences down in central Jersey. It will make for an earlier than normal Friday evening when we have the boys as they have no school that day so once I am done with the conferences I can bring them home.
I read President Bush said he will not be going back to Congress to ask for the roughly $350 billion still not used in the bailout. I would have to say that is a prudent political move. He is out of there so why ask for something you can't use to your advantage and if it blows up your successor will bear the brunt of it.
There has been a good amount of bitching that President-Elect Obama is surrounding himself with and choosing a lot of old hands for top posts in his incoming Administration. Well that was quick. As I said, I did not vote for the guy but shit, at least give him a chance. He could actually live up to the idea of change for the better. I also noticed he has met with his former Presidential opponent Senator McCain. The real mindbender would be if he tapped him for his Administration. The left would howl and scream bloody murder but it would actually show he really is post-partisan and maybe does want to do things differently. I also see HRC is a top contender for Secretary of State. The cynic in me says he is doing that not to appease her supporters but to prevent her from making another run at the nomination in 4 years. If I were an idealist I'd have say it is similar to trying to be a different type of politician and President.
JP's grandfather passed away last week. He was working out of town and his current employers were kind enough to let him out of the last week of his obligation/contract. I exchanged emails with him because we had not heard form him in a while when he told me what had happened. He knew his grandfather was not doing well and said he had been prepared for it but I know that even when you see it coming, losing someone so important and a large part of your life still hits really hard.
I caught a later bus this morning than usual and there were several cuties on there. I took the seat in the back and just checked them all out while reading emails and listening to Katy Perry. I have her on my iPod because my oldest asked for it to be put on his- well really just her two hit "I Kissed A Girl" and "Hot And Cold." IT is complete bubblegum but fun for the morning bus ride.
The husband decided we had to do some painting in the boys room. I was hoping it could wait until after this weekend but nooooo. So we hit the gym in our building and then put the first coat up. We'll finish it tomorrow evening and then do some touch up painting in the apartment before the big party this weekend.
I have Friday off because I have two parent/teacher conferences down in central Jersey. It will make for an earlier than normal Friday evening when we have the boys as they have no school that day so once I am done with the conferences I can bring them home.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Oh- Indian not Indian....
Thursday we had a meeting at work with an analyst from a sell-side firm. I had a question and got to use some excellent alliteration- conundrum causing concern to be exact. Afterwards the husband and I had dinner at our local favorite place and finalized the bar tender we are having for our housewarming cocktail party this Saturday.
Friday the tape was dead. One of the portfolio managers, I and the kid who sits next to me took the boss out for a belated birthday lunch. We went to a great burger place by the name of 5 Napkin Burger. The boss ordered a beer so I followed suit. The one I saw that immediately had to order was Hoptimus Prime. It was pretty damn good and the classic burger I had was great- would definitely recommend the place for lunch- oh and they have more than just burgers.
Friday the husband and I had a date- movie and dinner. We went and saw Max Payne and I have to say the movie totally sucked. The plot was thread bare, the main actress was terrible as at her job and Mark Wahlberg did not even get shirtless!!! However the villain Lupino was very hot and was shirtless a lot.
Afterwards we went down to Chelsea and had dinner at a great little Italian place we had not been too since our second date. We then had coffee and banana-chocolate crepes for dessert at a French cafe and then met up with Ragnar and his boyfriend at Barracuda. I forgot about the smoking hot bartender there- dark haired and dark eyed- totally dreamy and in a red tank top. There were a lot of cute guys there too.
Saturday morning we drove down to central Jersey, picked up a rental moving truck and pocked up the last piece of art we are putting on the walls in the apartment. We also got to see our friend ST's pack of puppies. We got back showered up put our tuxedos and got into the car and drove into the city for our friend's wedding. It was an interfaith marriage- the bride is a Sikh and the groom is a Hindu. The ceremony was very nice but nearly as long as a full Catholic ceremony with Communion. We had never been to an Indian wedding before and we both had a blast! The reception was basically all dancing broken up by the meal. I even got pictures of the husband dancing with the bride and doing the Indian version of line dancing. It was a blast. We got home relatively early too and went to bed.
Today we hung the art we picked up yesterday and then went and got the booze for the party, all of the horsederves, cups and napkins. We also picked up the recent Star Wars Clone Wars dvd. The boys saw it over the summer but said they would watch it again and we want to watch it too.
This week will be interesting at work as now both Japan and Germany are officially in recessions. The sense of the markets is we are 3-5 mos. ahead of the rest of the world which by that logic means we have been in one for awhile now. We'll see.
Friday the tape was dead. One of the portfolio managers, I and the kid who sits next to me took the boss out for a belated birthday lunch. We went to a great burger place by the name of 5 Napkin Burger. The boss ordered a beer so I followed suit. The one I saw that immediately had to order was Hoptimus Prime. It was pretty damn good and the classic burger I had was great- would definitely recommend the place for lunch- oh and they have more than just burgers.
Friday the husband and I had a date- movie and dinner. We went and saw Max Payne and I have to say the movie totally sucked. The plot was thread bare, the main actress was terrible as at her job and Mark Wahlberg did not even get shirtless!!! However the villain Lupino was very hot and was shirtless a lot.
Afterwards we went down to Chelsea and had dinner at a great little Italian place we had not been too since our second date. We then had coffee and banana-chocolate crepes for dessert at a French cafe and then met up with Ragnar and his boyfriend at Barracuda. I forgot about the smoking hot bartender there- dark haired and dark eyed- totally dreamy and in a red tank top. There were a lot of cute guys there too.
Saturday morning we drove down to central Jersey, picked up a rental moving truck and pocked up the last piece of art we are putting on the walls in the apartment. We also got to see our friend ST's pack of puppies. We got back showered up put our tuxedos and got into the car and drove into the city for our friend's wedding. It was an interfaith marriage- the bride is a Sikh and the groom is a Hindu. The ceremony was very nice but nearly as long as a full Catholic ceremony with Communion. We had never been to an Indian wedding before and we both had a blast! The reception was basically all dancing broken up by the meal. I even got pictures of the husband dancing with the bride and doing the Indian version of line dancing. It was a blast. We got home relatively early too and went to bed.
Today we hung the art we picked up yesterday and then went and got the booze for the party, all of the horsederves, cups and napkins. We also picked up the recent Star Wars Clone Wars dvd. The boys saw it over the summer but said they would watch it again and we want to watch it too.
This week will be interesting at work as now both Japan and Germany are officially in recessions. The sense of the markets is we are 3-5 mos. ahead of the rest of the world which by that logic means we have been in one for awhile now. We'll see.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The KLI sounds kind of interesting
Today was a dead day in the markets. It felt like a summer day in terms of activity. The only reason I knew it wasn't was because I could see my breath this morning and it got dark very soon after the close.
It was so slow that at one point a position trader sent out a BBERG asking if Dire Straits should be considered a top 50 rock and roll band of all time. It was an informal, unscientific survey. I replied duh, Sultans of Swing? Hello McFly? Apparently one of the other traders on the desk said no way. I said he was not a good sample as he is a Dead Head and that automatically disqualifies him in a clean and sober state. We (myself and and the MSCO trader) proceeded to have quite a pithy exchange in which I am sure I offended him by insulting Dead Heads everywhere by commenting I did not miss Gerry in the least. He proceeded to use the word fierce at which point I said totally Sasha like. That led to a discussion of music and the fact that I had just happened to read that Aretha Franklin was named the #1 rock and roll singer with Elvis coming in at #3. I think Aretha is great and one of the best but not one of the best rock and roll singers. He agreed and that led to me lamenting that John Lenon beat out Mick Jagger in the rankings. I can't stand the Beatles mainly because every baby-boomer raves about them and how they were he second coming. I personally think the Beatles sucked, they were the Back Street Boys of the '60s and the only good Beatle is a dead Beatle and we are halfway there to them all being good. he was stunned and I said if you tell a baby boomer that they get red in the face and near sputtering in anger. The follow up to that just when they are about to start about how every act after them owes them you quickly say "And did you know the moon landing was faked?"
I was a bit freaked out by what GE did today. In case you missed it their GE Capital division can now access FDIC insurance backing. This is a complete end run. The official reason is that GE Capital owns two banks already. Why would they need it? It is a bit scarier than AXP becoming a bank holding company. AND- where the hell is the FDIC going to get the $139 billion they said GE could access? I am starting to get a bit concerned that the r-word is not enough to describe what could be coming down the pipe.
I love wikipedia. I stumbled upon the KLI, also known as the Klingon Language Institute. It got me discussing Klingon with Mr. Barrett. He commented that I would probably like studying Klingon and he actually said a few words but deftly evaded answering if he was fluent in it. That lead to him revealing to me that Glen Larson- the creator of a bunch of hit shows such as Magnum, P.I. and the original BSG. The thing with BSG was it had tons of Mormon theology worked into it because Mr. Larson was a Mormon.
There was a really cute guy on the bus home today and he got off on the same stop as me but went the opposite direction.
I hit the gym this evening. There was the really hot dark haired guy with seriously sculpted face- and his body aint bad either. He is now called Waiter because we saw him working as one at a restaurant near our old apartment. He was on the elliptical in front of me and holy shit he has got a really hot ass. I had a very nice view.
It was so slow that at one point a position trader sent out a BBERG asking if Dire Straits should be considered a top 50 rock and roll band of all time. It was an informal, unscientific survey. I replied duh, Sultans of Swing? Hello McFly? Apparently one of the other traders on the desk said no way. I said he was not a good sample as he is a Dead Head and that automatically disqualifies him in a clean and sober state. We (myself and and the MSCO trader) proceeded to have quite a pithy exchange in which I am sure I offended him by insulting Dead Heads everywhere by commenting I did not miss Gerry in the least. He proceeded to use the word fierce at which point I said totally Sasha like. That led to a discussion of music and the fact that I had just happened to read that Aretha Franklin was named the #1 rock and roll singer with Elvis coming in at #3. I think Aretha is great and one of the best but not one of the best rock and roll singers. He agreed and that led to me lamenting that John Lenon beat out Mick Jagger in the rankings. I can't stand the Beatles mainly because every baby-boomer raves about them and how they were he second coming. I personally think the Beatles sucked, they were the Back Street Boys of the '60s and the only good Beatle is a dead Beatle and we are halfway there to them all being good. he was stunned and I said if you tell a baby boomer that they get red in the face and near sputtering in anger. The follow up to that just when they are about to start about how every act after them owes them you quickly say "And did you know the moon landing was faked?"
I was a bit freaked out by what GE did today. In case you missed it their GE Capital division can now access FDIC insurance backing. This is a complete end run. The official reason is that GE Capital owns two banks already. Why would they need it? It is a bit scarier than AXP becoming a bank holding company. AND- where the hell is the FDIC going to get the $139 billion they said GE could access? I am starting to get a bit concerned that the r-word is not enough to describe what could be coming down the pipe.
I love wikipedia. I stumbled upon the KLI, also known as the Klingon Language Institute. It got me discussing Klingon with Mr. Barrett. He commented that I would probably like studying Klingon and he actually said a few words but deftly evaded answering if he was fluent in it. That lead to him revealing to me that Glen Larson- the creator of a bunch of hit shows such as Magnum, P.I. and the original BSG. The thing with BSG was it had tons of Mormon theology worked into it because Mr. Larson was a Mormon.
There was a really cute guy on the bus home today and he got off on the same stop as me but went the opposite direction.
I hit the gym this evening. There was the really hot dark haired guy with seriously sculpted face- and his body aint bad either. He is now called Waiter because we saw him working as one at a restaurant near our old apartment. He was on the elliptical in front of me and holy shit he has got a really hot ass. I had a very nice view.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Sidney Rigdon
"We will never be the aggressors, we will infringe on the rights of no people, but shall stand for our own until death."
The above statement is a pretty powerful statement. It is from a speech Sidney Rigdon made in the months leading up to Missouri Executive Order 44 being signed and that executive order was not rescinded until 1976. If you go to wikipedia you will see that Sidney Rigdon spoke those words in 1838. Missouri Executive Order 44 is also known as the Extermination Order. It dealt with Mormons in the state of Missouri. Apparently it gave the Mormons fellow citizens the ability to kill them if they were found in Missouri because they were viewed as a threat to the public order and society in general. If you do a little more digging you will find that Sidney Rigdon was part of a schism in the Mormon church- apparently he was too liberal even back in 1838.
Funny how quickly the oppressed can turn the tables and become the oppressor. I am not equating the passing of Prop 8 with Missouri Executive Order 44. I am just trying to make the point that denying a minority all the full civil rights accorded to American citizens has a long history in this country. Hell, slavery was still legal when the order was signed and African American slaves were only viewed as three-fifths of a human. My point is that at some point the country realized the deny any citizen the right to pursue life, liberty and happiness was inherently wrong and rectified. I doubt there will be actual armed conflict or that it will take close to 140 years but it will occur. It will not be easier but hopefully those who were denied their inherent civil rights as Americans prior to this will realize that by deny us our rights and hence our humanity that they are betraying the people who fought for theirs in the past.
It's Veterans Day. Regardless of what your position is on the current wars, you should thank anyone who has fought for this country or currently is fighting. It's their blood that allows all of us to actually debate the finer points of who counts as a legally recognized couple with all the rights, privileges and responsibilities.
Speaking of Veterans Day you'd think the NYSE would be closed for the day. Seriously- the bond market and banks are closed, why not equities?
Ok AXP had access to the CPPF already but apparently that was not enough money. Late last night the company announced it was becoming a bank holding company. That means they can now tap the Fed for all sorts of cash. One has to wonder how bad things are that AXP decided they were better off becoming a bank.
The auto makers. I say let them file and reorganize, shed their massive liabilities that make them slow and unprofitable. If they become nationalized who's to say the government won't tell them what kinds of cars to make and how many? Didn't the Soviets try that? I can't recall if that was successful or not...
I often wonder what I would do if I lost my job on the Street. Well I figured it out today after catching an ad on tv about a professor who will sell you a dvd on how to buy and sell things on eBay. I am sorry but I thought that was all pretty self-explanatory. Apparently it is not. so my idea will be selling booklets on how to do your own garage sale. I am so confident it will work that I know the next time you can't figure out how to switch a light bulb that I will be able to sell you a booklet telling you how...
Had drinks after work with an old co-worker, RK. He is doing well sort of but getting ready to make some big steps at the work place. I told him what I would do but also qualified the statement that I am a natural risk taker whereas he is risk averse. I hope it all works out for the best for him. I also put the hard sell on him about coming to our house warming party next Saturday. We met at a bar I had never been too but it was actually pretty nice.
It was the boss's birthday today so I made sure a lot of people knew- because I knew it would embarrass the shit out of him. It did especially when a mutual friend of ours arrived at the office late in the day with a birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to him. He texted me later this evening saying thanks for embarrassing him. My reply was that he needed to remember he was part of a team not just the team captain. He told me payback is a bitch. I said I imagine it is but I have to take my birthday off as I have to go to two parent-teacher conferences that day- HA!
The above statement is a pretty powerful statement. It is from a speech Sidney Rigdon made in the months leading up to Missouri Executive Order 44 being signed and that executive order was not rescinded until 1976. If you go to wikipedia you will see that Sidney Rigdon spoke those words in 1838. Missouri Executive Order 44 is also known as the Extermination Order. It dealt with Mormons in the state of Missouri. Apparently it gave the Mormons fellow citizens the ability to kill them if they were found in Missouri because they were viewed as a threat to the public order and society in general. If you do a little more digging you will find that Sidney Rigdon was part of a schism in the Mormon church- apparently he was too liberal even back in 1838.
Funny how quickly the oppressed can turn the tables and become the oppressor. I am not equating the passing of Prop 8 with Missouri Executive Order 44. I am just trying to make the point that denying a minority all the full civil rights accorded to American citizens has a long history in this country. Hell, slavery was still legal when the order was signed and African American slaves were only viewed as three-fifths of a human. My point is that at some point the country realized the deny any citizen the right to pursue life, liberty and happiness was inherently wrong and rectified. I doubt there will be actual armed conflict or that it will take close to 140 years but it will occur. It will not be easier but hopefully those who were denied their inherent civil rights as Americans prior to this will realize that by deny us our rights and hence our humanity that they are betraying the people who fought for theirs in the past.
It's Veterans Day. Regardless of what your position is on the current wars, you should thank anyone who has fought for this country or currently is fighting. It's their blood that allows all of us to actually debate the finer points of who counts as a legally recognized couple with all the rights, privileges and responsibilities.
Speaking of Veterans Day you'd think the NYSE would be closed for the day. Seriously- the bond market and banks are closed, why not equities?
Ok AXP had access to the CPPF already but apparently that was not enough money. Late last night the company announced it was becoming a bank holding company. That means they can now tap the Fed for all sorts of cash. One has to wonder how bad things are that AXP decided they were better off becoming a bank.
The auto makers. I say let them file and reorganize, shed their massive liabilities that make them slow and unprofitable. If they become nationalized who's to say the government won't tell them what kinds of cars to make and how many? Didn't the Soviets try that? I can't recall if that was successful or not...
I often wonder what I would do if I lost my job on the Street. Well I figured it out today after catching an ad on tv about a professor who will sell you a dvd on how to buy and sell things on eBay. I am sorry but I thought that was all pretty self-explanatory. Apparently it is not. so my idea will be selling booklets on how to do your own garage sale. I am so confident it will work that I know the next time you can't figure out how to switch a light bulb that I will be able to sell you a booklet telling you how...
Had drinks after work with an old co-worker, RK. He is doing well sort of but getting ready to make some big steps at the work place. I told him what I would do but also qualified the statement that I am a natural risk taker whereas he is risk averse. I hope it all works out for the best for him. I also put the hard sell on him about coming to our house warming party next Saturday. We met at a bar I had never been too but it was actually pretty nice.
It was the boss's birthday today so I made sure a lot of people knew- because I knew it would embarrass the shit out of him. It did especially when a mutual friend of ours arrived at the office late in the day with a birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to him. He texted me later this evening saying thanks for embarrassing him. My reply was that he needed to remember he was part of a team not just the team captain. He told me payback is a bitch. I said I imagine it is but I have to take my birthday off as I have to go to two parent-teacher conferences that day- HA!
Monday, November 10, 2008
No title
Thursday evening we had friends over for dinner- PF and DR. The husband made dinner and we ended up going through a few bottles of wine. Before dinner though I grabbed a quick drink with my friend from the fly over state- mine was alcoholic his was not as he is now with the program. Sadly he is also going through a divorce and having been there and done that I know how much is sucks.
The boys were with us this weekend. My oldest plays tennis down in central Jersey every Saturday morning. So this Saturday morning we got ready to go. I pulled up to the cross walk at the exit to the parking lot at the building. Looked right, nothing, looked left and there was a car down the way so slowly started to pull out when two runners ran in front of my truck. I hit the brakes and stopped immediately and came to a full stop with out hitting either runner. They both jumped and one fell- well more tumbled as she was rather large and should be running- and sprained her ankle. She started crying and couldn't get up. I was immediately out of the truck and calling 911. (As an aside 911 sucks.) Three fire squads, two ambulances and two cop cars later I told my oldest no tennis. He was psyched because he said before we left the apartment. My oldest also used some choice swear words which I scolded him for afterwards.
The car that was down the way saw the entire thing and I believe corroborated my recollection of events. The husband was also walking on the sidewalk to my left and saw the whole thing but the police officer did not take his statement once I told him he was my partner.
I called the insurance company after I parked the truck. Told them everything. The weather sucked so the rest of the day we vegged out. The husband did a bunch of stuff. When he got back he asked if the boys had gone outside. I looked at him and asked when he started smoking crack since it had been raining all day. I did run into the hot neighbor when I went out to pick up lunch. He actually introduced himself. I said to him you must work on the Street since you seem to keep the same hours as us. He said he did and he works at a rather large hedge fund. He is a fixed income trader which means he has had more interesting times than us equity guys have.
Saturday evening JW and JD came over ostensibly for pizza and wings- which always makes me laugh since that was the line the brothers in my fraternity used all through hell night and it was a total mind fuck as a pledge to think pizza and wings were on the way and then half way through the ordeal and realize no pizza and wings were showing up but I digress. We and our guests had sushi instead.
Sunday the husband took a bunch of stuff out to his parents house to store in their basement. My oldest and I went to the gym in the building and did cardio for 25 minutes. There was a really cute guy on the tread mill who lives on the third floor who watched the runner-truck incident the day before from his window and the husband pointed him out to me as I was being interviewed by the police officer, lol.
I then had the boys shower up. My youngest decided to run a little experiment in the shower apparently that almost ended badly. He covered up the drain to see how much water would fill up the shower. When I checked in on him I saw water covering about two thirds of the bathroom floor. Thankfully it did not go further. I tried to scold him but after he explained it all I could only laugh.
I dropped them off at their mom's house and told her we missed tennis and why. She was non-plussed. Looked at her bf Bob the Builder and said gee, at least he didn't hit anyone. My youngest whispered into my ear as he hugged me good bye "Dad I thought you hit her?" I said no.
The tape was sort of quiet today. The intraday swing was only about 350 bps. I was a bit shocked by the fact that AIG came back and said we really need $150 billion not the $85 billion we originally thought. Oops.
GM and F both seem to be headed for zero on their equity prices. Think I have heard that somewhere before.
I maybe overreacting but I have to complain about the lack of etiquette a lot of our friends seem to have. We are having a cocktail/housewarming party a week from this Saturday. We sent out invitations with my email to RSVP to. No one- not even my parents or brother- seem to think that is how we expect you to RSVP. They all think telling us on the phone or IM are acceptable.
Speaking of the party we also have the boys that weekend so I told them they are going to be our photographers for the party. It is really just a way to get them involved in the whole vent so they won't sit there and watch t.v.
Also I ran into the hot neighbor tonight and told him we are having a party and we are inviting everyone on the floor. I believe he will be coming. The husband said did you happen to say you can bring your girlfriend as a way to find out if he has one, lol. I did not.
The boys were with us this weekend. My oldest plays tennis down in central Jersey every Saturday morning. So this Saturday morning we got ready to go. I pulled up to the cross walk at the exit to the parking lot at the building. Looked right, nothing, looked left and there was a car down the way so slowly started to pull out when two runners ran in front of my truck. I hit the brakes and stopped immediately and came to a full stop with out hitting either runner. They both jumped and one fell- well more tumbled as she was rather large and should be running- and sprained her ankle. She started crying and couldn't get up. I was immediately out of the truck and calling 911. (As an aside 911 sucks.) Three fire squads, two ambulances and two cop cars later I told my oldest no tennis. He was psyched because he said before we left the apartment. My oldest also used some choice swear words which I scolded him for afterwards.
The car that was down the way saw the entire thing and I believe corroborated my recollection of events. The husband was also walking on the sidewalk to my left and saw the whole thing but the police officer did not take his statement once I told him he was my partner.
I called the insurance company after I parked the truck. Told them everything. The weather sucked so the rest of the day we vegged out. The husband did a bunch of stuff. When he got back he asked if the boys had gone outside. I looked at him and asked when he started smoking crack since it had been raining all day. I did run into the hot neighbor when I went out to pick up lunch. He actually introduced himself. I said to him you must work on the Street since you seem to keep the same hours as us. He said he did and he works at a rather large hedge fund. He is a fixed income trader which means he has had more interesting times than us equity guys have.
Saturday evening JW and JD came over ostensibly for pizza and wings- which always makes me laugh since that was the line the brothers in my fraternity used all through hell night and it was a total mind fuck as a pledge to think pizza and wings were on the way and then half way through the ordeal and realize no pizza and wings were showing up but I digress. We and our guests had sushi instead.
Sunday the husband took a bunch of stuff out to his parents house to store in their basement. My oldest and I went to the gym in the building and did cardio for 25 minutes. There was a really cute guy on the tread mill who lives on the third floor who watched the runner-truck incident the day before from his window and the husband pointed him out to me as I was being interviewed by the police officer, lol.
I then had the boys shower up. My youngest decided to run a little experiment in the shower apparently that almost ended badly. He covered up the drain to see how much water would fill up the shower. When I checked in on him I saw water covering about two thirds of the bathroom floor. Thankfully it did not go further. I tried to scold him but after he explained it all I could only laugh.
I dropped them off at their mom's house and told her we missed tennis and why. She was non-plussed. Looked at her bf Bob the Builder and said gee, at least he didn't hit anyone. My youngest whispered into my ear as he hugged me good bye "Dad I thought you hit her?" I said no.
The tape was sort of quiet today. The intraday swing was only about 350 bps. I was a bit shocked by the fact that AIG came back and said we really need $150 billion not the $85 billion we originally thought. Oops.
GM and F both seem to be headed for zero on their equity prices. Think I have heard that somewhere before.
I maybe overreacting but I have to complain about the lack of etiquette a lot of our friends seem to have. We are having a cocktail/housewarming party a week from this Saturday. We sent out invitations with my email to RSVP to. No one- not even my parents or brother- seem to think that is how we expect you to RSVP. They all think telling us on the phone or IM are acceptable.
Speaking of the party we also have the boys that weekend so I told them they are going to be our photographers for the party. It is really just a way to get them involved in the whole vent so they won't sit there and watch t.v.
Also I ran into the hot neighbor tonight and told him we are having a party and we are inviting everyone on the floor. I believe he will be coming. The husband said did you happen to say you can bring your girlfriend as a way to find out if he has one, lol. I did not.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
No I am not upset
I am an independent (note the lower case i not a capital I) and I voted for who I thought was the best choice yesterday. Most of my friends knew who that was because they asked me. A lot of them also asked me this morning if I was upset because who I thought was the better choice did not win. My response is plain an simple- no. How can I be upset that the democratic process actually worked the way it is supposed to and has for over 210 years now? I understand not everyone agrees on issues but that is the whole point of this country- you can disagree and not get killed for it- for the most part. The people have spoken, so be it. I can live and will live with it. I support our President-Elect because that is what the majority wants. My deepest fear now is some right wing whack job(s) go and override what the people have chosen. We are supposed to be a land that abides by the rule of law. For someone to take it upon them self or selves to decide otherwise would make us nothing more than the hypocrites those who don't like us or fear what we represent believe us to be.
Speaking of our new President-Elect, I hope he is the pragmatic megalomaniac I think he is because most megalomaniacs want to be remembered as great and that means they have to govern from the center. My guess is circumstances will force him to the center regardless of what he said to get elected. It happened to our current President; he basically got elected as a near isolationist, disengagement, non-nation building, "we are not the cop for the world" platform and was forced to do a 360 because he had no choice.
I am truly disheartened by Prop 8 getting passed and even more bummed by a quote I read in the WSJ this morning. The quote is: "...voters like Christopher Miracle of Oakland, a 19-year student at nearby California State University Hayward. Mr. Miracle voted for Barack Obama, but voted to support Prop 8. "Look at the bible." he said. "It's not a man and a man."" Hello Mr. Miracle? The same Bible tells you what price you can and should pay for slaves, the prostitutes would be stoned to death (not the 420 kind), that if you wear clothing of mixed fibers you should be killed and that women with "familiar spirits" (aka witches) should be killed and if you have sex with one of your slaves they need to be "scourged." I guess civil rights are only for straight people- non-straights need not apply? Seriously, you'd think African-Americans would understand the plight of the GLBT community yet exit polls show they voted by a 2-1 margin for Prop 8. Support Obama for President and then it's see ya, wouldn't want to be ya? Gays have no friends on either side of the aisle. At least the GOP is honest about not liking us.
I am definitely not the norm for a gay man but this is the first time I have really felt betrayed and disenfranchised from my fellow Americans. What change did everyone vote for? As I said to a good friend this morning who was asking if I was upset- so now that there is a new Administration, does this mean "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"s gone? He said no. Ok so when is the change coming?
I was emailing with JW and he said the next time there is a battle for a similar Prop 8 issue he was going to volunteer to do work. I think he has the right idea.
It also got me thinking about our Christmas vacation. We are going to Utah with TK to go boarding. As I told Mr. Barret this morning, it's funny, I never thought this way before but I told the husband I think we need to bring either our certificate of civil union or a copy of it with us in case one of us gets hurt and ends up in the hospital. He of course said if that happened he would go ballistic and demand he get to see me. I asked why do you assume it would be me in the hospital? LOL.
One of my co-worker in the SF office is pretty liberal. I said I can't believe separate but equal still exists in this country.
We had the husband's co-workers over for dinner. It was fun. We went thru a couple bottles of wine- not the magic wine that give you +1 to your hp but good wine nonetheless.
The boss was in meetings all day today. At 5 PM he asked me ok why did the tape get crushed today? I replied tell me why it was up huge yesterday. He laughed and said good point. Volume sucked both days so I am not that worried about the tape's action. What I am worried about is November 15th because that is the supposed deadline for all the hfs to have their cash in hand for any redemptions they have for year end.
Having DR and PF over for dinner tomorrow night. The husband is cooking since I made dinner tonight.
Hope there are some hotties on the bus tomorrow morning.
Speaking of our new President-Elect, I hope he is the pragmatic megalomaniac I think he is because most megalomaniacs want to be remembered as great and that means they have to govern from the center. My guess is circumstances will force him to the center regardless of what he said to get elected. It happened to our current President; he basically got elected as a near isolationist, disengagement, non-nation building, "we are not the cop for the world" platform and was forced to do a 360 because he had no choice.
I am truly disheartened by Prop 8 getting passed and even more bummed by a quote I read in the WSJ this morning. The quote is: "...voters like Christopher Miracle of Oakland, a 19-year student at nearby California State University Hayward. Mr. Miracle voted for Barack Obama, but voted to support Prop 8. "Look at the bible." he said. "It's not a man and a man."" Hello Mr. Miracle? The same Bible tells you what price you can and should pay for slaves, the prostitutes would be stoned to death (not the 420 kind), that if you wear clothing of mixed fibers you should be killed and that women with "familiar spirits" (aka witches) should be killed and if you have sex with one of your slaves they need to be "scourged." I guess civil rights are only for straight people- non-straights need not apply? Seriously, you'd think African-Americans would understand the plight of the GLBT community yet exit polls show they voted by a 2-1 margin for Prop 8. Support Obama for President and then it's see ya, wouldn't want to be ya? Gays have no friends on either side of the aisle. At least the GOP is honest about not liking us.
I am definitely not the norm for a gay man but this is the first time I have really felt betrayed and disenfranchised from my fellow Americans. What change did everyone vote for? As I said to a good friend this morning who was asking if I was upset- so now that there is a new Administration, does this mean "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"s gone? He said no. Ok so when is the change coming?
I was emailing with JW and he said the next time there is a battle for a similar Prop 8 issue he was going to volunteer to do work. I think he has the right idea.
It also got me thinking about our Christmas vacation. We are going to Utah with TK to go boarding. As I told Mr. Barret this morning, it's funny, I never thought this way before but I told the husband I think we need to bring either our certificate of civil union or a copy of it with us in case one of us gets hurt and ends up in the hospital. He of course said if that happened he would go ballistic and demand he get to see me. I asked why do you assume it would be me in the hospital? LOL.
One of my co-worker in the SF office is pretty liberal. I said I can't believe separate but equal still exists in this country.
We had the husband's co-workers over for dinner. It was fun. We went thru a couple bottles of wine- not the magic wine that give you +1 to your hp but good wine nonetheless.
The boss was in meetings all day today. At 5 PM he asked me ok why did the tape get crushed today? I replied tell me why it was up huge yesterday. He laughed and said good point. Volume sucked both days so I am not that worried about the tape's action. What I am worried about is November 15th because that is the supposed deadline for all the hfs to have their cash in hand for any redemptions they have for year end.
Having DR and PF over for dinner tomorrow night. The husband is cooking since I made dinner tonight.
Hope there are some hotties on the bus tomorrow morning.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
I am glad the election is over
So the ex's mother has cancer and started her chemotherapy today. I have been concerned for several reasons. My main concern is if it ends badly, my sons will be devastated. She lives one block away from them and is a major part of their lives. I am also concerned about the ex herself.
Things between us did not go well for about a year and she actually took me to court saying my "gay lifestyle" was causing irreparable harm and damage to them. Thankfully New Jersey is very forward looking and she got spanked by the judge- figuratively speaking. Ever since she went through with that the only thing I have felt for her is the general compassion I would feel for any other human being. I understand she was still very angry and hurt from the whole coming out and divorce ordeal but to take me to court and say I was causing irreparable harm and damage to my sons was not the right thing to do to get back at me. But I am human and I still do have feelings for the mother of my children and would not wish this upon her.
My mom found out because my brother can't keep his pie hole shut. She asked if she could and should call to express to talk with the ex' mother. The ex said no, her mom doesn't want to be treated differently, felt sorry for or pitied because she has cancer. I can understand that and I think I would probably be the same way if I had cancer. I asked the ex if I could call and wish her mom luck with everything and surprisingly she said yes. I had always had a good relationship with her but there is a lot of acrimony from her family to me.
My brother who told my mom is also a doctor and when I told him he said find out what stage the ovarian cancer is in. I found out this morning that it is stage 3. I emailed my bro the info, that the ex mother in law will be taking three drugs for a cycle then hopefully the tumor has been shrunk enough that it can be surgically removed and then another round of chemo. He has not come back with any info. He told me to find out which drugs she would be given which I do not know yet.
This morning on the bus there was a hottie in a hoodie asleep on the bus. Mr. Barrett would have been all over him because he was bearded and it was ginger.
I was IMing with PF today about the election. My call is whoever wins tonight I bet will end up being a one term President. I just really think the new President will be completely sunk by the economy. I still think both candidates are bad options to choose from but I did vote after work.
This week is busy. We fixed the lighting fixture in the living room last night. Tonight the husband is at a biz dinner. Tomorrow we have friends who also happen to work with the husband over for dinner. Thursday we are actually having DR and PF over for dinner- DR used to work with the husband and he and PF spent a weekend out at the beach with us this summer. the we have the boys this weekend.
I am not watching the election returns tonight since I am pretty sure who is going to be the winner. Right now it's time for Family Guy reruns and then Heroes from last night on the dvr.
Things between us did not go well for about a year and she actually took me to court saying my "gay lifestyle" was causing irreparable harm and damage to them. Thankfully New Jersey is very forward looking and she got spanked by the judge- figuratively speaking. Ever since she went through with that the only thing I have felt for her is the general compassion I would feel for any other human being. I understand she was still very angry and hurt from the whole coming out and divorce ordeal but to take me to court and say I was causing irreparable harm and damage to my sons was not the right thing to do to get back at me. But I am human and I still do have feelings for the mother of my children and would not wish this upon her.
My mom found out because my brother can't keep his pie hole shut. She asked if she could and should call to express to talk with the ex' mother. The ex said no, her mom doesn't want to be treated differently, felt sorry for or pitied because she has cancer. I can understand that and I think I would probably be the same way if I had cancer. I asked the ex if I could call and wish her mom luck with everything and surprisingly she said yes. I had always had a good relationship with her but there is a lot of acrimony from her family to me.
My brother who told my mom is also a doctor and when I told him he said find out what stage the ovarian cancer is in. I found out this morning that it is stage 3. I emailed my bro the info, that the ex mother in law will be taking three drugs for a cycle then hopefully the tumor has been shrunk enough that it can be surgically removed and then another round of chemo. He has not come back with any info. He told me to find out which drugs she would be given which I do not know yet.
This morning on the bus there was a hottie in a hoodie asleep on the bus. Mr. Barrett would have been all over him because he was bearded and it was ginger.
I was IMing with PF today about the election. My call is whoever wins tonight I bet will end up being a one term President. I just really think the new President will be completely sunk by the economy. I still think both candidates are bad options to choose from but I did vote after work.
This week is busy. We fixed the lighting fixture in the living room last night. Tonight the husband is at a biz dinner. Tomorrow we have friends who also happen to work with the husband over for dinner. Thursday we are actually having DR and PF over for dinner- DR used to work with the husband and he and PF spent a weekend out at the beach with us this summer. the we have the boys this weekend.
I am not watching the election returns tonight since I am pretty sure who is going to be the winner. Right now it's time for Family Guy reruns and then Heroes from last night on the dvr.
Monday, November 3, 2008
RIF- that way you learn about FTEs
I swam this morning for the first time in quite some time. I only swam for 20 minutes but it's a start to back into the stroke of things. The early bus had one hottie on it but there were none in the pool with me.
I had an issue forwarding the Halloween picture Ragnar took of us and TK. I finally figured it out after Ragnar resent me jpgs. I then posted them to my facebook page but set it up so only certain friends could see them. They were a big hit and many of our friends were in a state of disbelief that we dressed up in our costumes.
Growing up I remember on Saturday mornings there were always these PSAs about Reading Is Fundamental- RIF. I like it better as Reading Is Fun. I read a lot during the day at work and not all boring equity research. I read about flux transfer events. Apparently these things were thought to happen only rarely- much like a beholder in the old school AD&D- but apparently they occur as often as often as every 8 minutes. It occurs when the sun's magnetic field pushes up against the earth's and a tunnel more or less forms allowing all types of fun particles to pass into our magnetosphere. It got me wondering if wormholes are just similar types of events on a large scale between galaxies and/or different space/time continuums?
The ISM hit a 26 year low. I am wondering if we are getting to the end of the recession that I believe we fell into at the end of '07. My guess is we will be out of the recession by the end of Q2 '09, probably a month after the government declares us in one.
The automakers are in serious trouble. I still think GM and or F will file. The idea of the government bailing them out is dangerous but who am I to say what is or isn't dangerous.
Tomorrow is the big day and I have to say I can't wait for the election to be over. My biggest fear is the executive branch and legislative branch both end up under the control of the closet socialists. I am most likely in the minority which is not a big deal. I think the worst thing that anyone in this country could do is shirk their civic duty and not vote at all- that is just complete bullshit for any citizen of the U.S. to not vote for the President.
I had an issue forwarding the Halloween picture Ragnar took of us and TK. I finally figured it out after Ragnar resent me jpgs. I then posted them to my facebook page but set it up so only certain friends could see them. They were a big hit and many of our friends were in a state of disbelief that we dressed up in our costumes.
Growing up I remember on Saturday mornings there were always these PSAs about Reading Is Fundamental- RIF. I like it better as Reading Is Fun. I read a lot during the day at work and not all boring equity research. I read about flux transfer events. Apparently these things were thought to happen only rarely- much like a beholder in the old school AD&D- but apparently they occur as often as often as every 8 minutes. It occurs when the sun's magnetic field pushes up against the earth's and a tunnel more or less forms allowing all types of fun particles to pass into our magnetosphere. It got me wondering if wormholes are just similar types of events on a large scale between galaxies and/or different space/time continuums?
The ISM hit a 26 year low. I am wondering if we are getting to the end of the recession that I believe we fell into at the end of '07. My guess is we will be out of the recession by the end of Q2 '09, probably a month after the government declares us in one.
The automakers are in serious trouble. I still think GM and or F will file. The idea of the government bailing them out is dangerous but who am I to say what is or isn't dangerous.
Tomorrow is the big day and I have to say I can't wait for the election to be over. My biggest fear is the executive branch and legislative branch both end up under the control of the closet socialists. I am most likely in the minority which is not a big deal. I think the worst thing that anyone in this country could do is shirk their civic duty and not vote at all- that is just complete bullshit for any citizen of the U.S. to not vote for the President.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
My husband is a design snob
The past two weeks have been crazy. Last weekend we celebrated my youngest son's birthday even though it was yesterday. I baked a cake and he got to pick dinner for the night. He of course picked chicken fingers. We ate dinner, turned off the lights. lit the candles and sang Happy Birthday. He blew all the candles out and we ate the cake and he opened his gift from me and my husband. He got Sim City Creator for DS.
This past week at work was very interesting. The Chinese had a curse- "May you live in interesting times." It's a curse because interesting times for Chinese historically meant lots of unrest and Chinese culture has valued stability over all else. I wouldn't mind work being boring for 10-15 trading days. Boring for me would be intraday swings of less than 150 bps. I doubt that is going to happen for a while though.
We went to two Halloween parties this weekend. The one Friday was in the city on Central Park West. It was a costume party. We dressed up as pirates. We borrowed proper pirate shirts from JP- he had them for a wedding. I ordered weapons from the internet- I had a proper cutlass, the husband had the dagger and flintlock pistol. We got all of our pirate jewelry from TGT except of the earring. We couldn't find clip on earrings anywhere until our friend PF said I should look at Claires Boutique and he was right.
JP stopped by on his way home to help us with our costumes and took pictures- I think he was taken aback a bit by how much we got into the spirit of the holiday. He was impressed by my boots and said he may have to borrow them some time. The husband asked how we were getting to the party and my answer was a big duh! We're pirates! So we took the ferry. Arrrggghed our way over to the dock and caught the boat. Lotta women were impressed with my boots. We went to TK's place and went up to the party with him. There were some seriously hot and scantily clad boys there.
At the party I was arguing with this major young hottie who was all blue and had a black X on his chest. I asked where is your tail? He said I am Iceman! I said no you are not- Nightcrawler is blue, Iceman is white. He was a bit drunk and was not having anything to do with it.
Saturday morning after it took us almost 2 hours to get home due to issues in the tunnels, we finished the painting in the aprrtment. Then we went to find a coffee table for our home. We went to the DWR Outlet and got a really good deal on a Noguchi coffee table. It was like pulling teeth to get the husband to agree with me on buying it. His concern was it is sooo common place these days. I looked at him and said you are a design snob. If the masses have it and it is a good classic design the fact the masses have it means you don't want it.
We took a nap when we got home after putting the coffee table together and doing some other stuff. We got up, put on the same costumes and trekked into the city again. This time we drove and we got home at a reasonable time .
Today I hung up the new light fixture in the boys and another photograph in there. Then the husband and I spent way too long hanging the new lighting fixture in the living room. It is really fucking cool but took us too long.
This past week at work was very interesting. The Chinese had a curse- "May you live in interesting times." It's a curse because interesting times for Chinese historically meant lots of unrest and Chinese culture has valued stability over all else. I wouldn't mind work being boring for 10-15 trading days. Boring for me would be intraday swings of less than 150 bps. I doubt that is going to happen for a while though.
We went to two Halloween parties this weekend. The one Friday was in the city on Central Park West. It was a costume party. We dressed up as pirates. We borrowed proper pirate shirts from JP- he had them for a wedding. I ordered weapons from the internet- I had a proper cutlass, the husband had the dagger and flintlock pistol. We got all of our pirate jewelry from TGT except of the earring. We couldn't find clip on earrings anywhere until our friend PF said I should look at Claires Boutique and he was right.
JP stopped by on his way home to help us with our costumes and took pictures- I think he was taken aback a bit by how much we got into the spirit of the holiday. He was impressed by my boots and said he may have to borrow them some time. The husband asked how we were getting to the party and my answer was a big duh! We're pirates! So we took the ferry. Arrrggghed our way over to the dock and caught the boat. Lotta women were impressed with my boots. We went to TK's place and went up to the party with him. There were some seriously hot and scantily clad boys there.
At the party I was arguing with this major young hottie who was all blue and had a black X on his chest. I asked where is your tail? He said I am Iceman! I said no you are not- Nightcrawler is blue, Iceman is white. He was a bit drunk and was not having anything to do with it.
Saturday morning after it took us almost 2 hours to get home due to issues in the tunnels, we finished the painting in the aprrtment. Then we went to find a coffee table for our home. We went to the DWR Outlet and got a really good deal on a Noguchi coffee table. It was like pulling teeth to get the husband to agree with me on buying it. His concern was it is sooo common place these days. I looked at him and said you are a design snob. If the masses have it and it is a good classic design the fact the masses have it means you don't want it.
We took a nap when we got home after putting the coffee table together and doing some other stuff. We got up, put on the same costumes and trekked into the city again. This time we drove and we got home at a reasonable time .
Today I hung up the new light fixture in the boys and another photograph in there. Then the husband and I spent way too long hanging the new lighting fixture in the living room. It is really fucking cool but took us too long.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)