anecdotes

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

I’ve got a soft spot for big countries with small populations. They’re great to trade (and fun to visit) but you need to keep an eye on the exit. Australia’s got 7.5 people per sq/mile and Iceland 8 (US 178, China 361, Germany 594). This wk I went to Canada for some treasure hunting; they’ve 9 per sq/mile and I liked ‘em all. Those chilly Quebecois have a lot of fighting spirit: every other home has a swimming pool.

Bolinas California is a tiny spot with big ideas. A rural village 1hr north of San Fran, it was overrun in the ‘60’s by brilliant young dropouts. Most stayed, some smoked their way to oblivion, a few changed the world. Bolinas fuses political rebellion, sexual revolution and creative genius all under the banner of “rage against the Machine”; I love it. It’s where Mara grew up and where we drop out now and then. Lucas

Larry is one of the great American’s. Born a bastard, given up for adoption, he was raised by a Russian Jew who took the surname Ellison in honor of Ellis Island, our welcome mat. Little Larry grew up poor in Chicago, wrote some damn good code, stayed a step ahead of the pack, and now at age 65, the Oracle has a $28bln treasure pile. Never finished college. Made in America. Couldn’t have happened anywhere else. Anyho

An old buddy owns stakes in the top clubs in NY & Vegas. Works his tail off. He’s an astro-chemist. Finds the perfect combination of rap stars, sport stars, porn stars, movie stars and Ford models then BANG, the young Sheiks, Trustafarians and 2/20 crowd (those of us without 4 kids) pull out their Amex Black. Bono, Gaga and Jeter don’t carry wallets; someone’s gotta foot the bill. The A-list loves him, so he sees

Spent the wk touring monuments. The ones in NY get built by boys who make money. The ones in DC by boys who spend it. The former is gritty, dirty and electric, just like the business that foots the bill. NY monuments make money, just take a deep breath at Rockafeller, you can smell it. I love it. I’m biased, I know, it’s my hometown. Anyhow, went for a sunrise jog in DC. Empty streets, that city sleeps. Circled Georg