I rode my bike downhill, top speed, through a series of banked turns high in the mountains. It’s my favorite stretch ‘cause fast turns raise my pulse – transport me to an earlier life. As I exit the last curve, a large coyote stands motionless, directly in my path. Our eyes lock. I hold my line. He stares intently. I bark. He leaps right. And we avert a horrible crash. Oh, it happened real fast – instinct
Timing is everything. It’s kinda true, but let’s face it, you gotta be pretty smart and work real hard for good timing to arrive at your doorstep. I know lots of guys with good timing; some had to be more patient than others. One’s a blood brother, we grew up at Lehman buying and selling currencies; had impeccable timing from the day a doctor slapped his English arse. Has a magical gift: he knows when other people ar
I swung through Silicon Valley, one of my favorite spots on the planet; it’s where miracles get invented. And make no mistake, it’s miracles that we need if we’re gonna keep proving Thomas Malthus and his doomsday disciples wrong. The Valley boys forgive failure ‘cause they know that without a healthy dose, you’ll never achieve greatness. But they don’t suffer fools gladly. So they forgave baby Bush for his early fai
Switzerland’s the most magnificent country on Earth; it’s a fact. You know, I spent my 30th yr in the mountains high above Geneva, lived alone in a hut — quite literally. I did nothing but climb, and bagged a good many peaks. Left my childhood behind and discovered myself that yr. That’s why we climb mountains, to discover ourselves. Somewhere within the responsibility and vulnerability of being tied to another
I like all kinds of people, rich and poor. But poor people sadly don’t have much money. And of course plenty of rich people are poor in other ways and vice versa, but I’m talking about paper here. So I spend most of my time with rich ones — call it an occupational hazard. They tend to be more interesting but don’t laugh as hard, still though, we have lots of fun. So a buddy invited me to a conference. He was ke
Bumped into one of the big boys at a top 3 US bank. He’s a buddy so I came clean. Told him my story: You see, when your bank got the big bailout my capitalist conscience cried, “Eric, move your accounts from this wounded lamb and give it to a wolf.” But that’s a real hassle and I’m kinda busy, and of course you had that gov’t guarantee; I did nothing. Then without warning you cut my home-equity line of credit from $5
Mara told me to, “Get out, go climb a mountain”. She does that before I jet off to meet lots of people. You see, speaking in front of strangers makes me anxious, always has. It’s part of my karma, it’s just who I am. And it might not make much sense, but that’s how karma works. Climbing helps make it go away. Plus, the more I speak, the better it gets, and I speak a lot these days, so I suck less. Mkts force traders
As a kid I’d gaze up at airplanes and wish I could be in one looking down; wondered how small I musta looked. Careful what you wish for, eh? Nowadays I always grab the window and peer down. Greater NY, seething with endless miles of streets, towers and traffic, boasts 19.1mm dreamers. The LA sprawl quietly creeps up the hills, pressing its luck, as 12.9mm bake in its smog. They’re the top 2 US cities; population 32mm
Mara texted me, “u leave me, I’ll kill ya”. Kinda late, I’d just landed at JFK. She says that every time a friend gets divorced. I got that text once last yr and 3x this mth. All young families, very sad indeed. The recent 3 involve job loss in real estate & retail. Year 3 of the Global Financial Crisis is taking it’s toll. Savings are exhausted, depression’s setting in. For those employed, life is fine. For the
Mortgage broker called me with a deal. Said he’d lend me money at 4.35% for 30yrs. “The government is driving rates lower and now’s the time to refinance”, he said. Told him I had a 25yr mortgage, which gave him pause cause most of us who bought in ’05 are squatting these days. Anyhow, let him finish his pitch which amounted to calling me a donkey unless I took his deal. Not my kinda sale, but didn’t want to be a Jac