weekend notes

Hope all goes well. Ben Affleck arrived in Santa Barbara. For our famous film festival. And told great stories. Of his bumpy rise. The Bennifer years. That Pearl Harbor bomb. His retreat. Comeback. Directorial debut. And now today’s triumph – Argo. Anyhow, the audience asked how, from such a tough spot, he’d found the confidence to strike out on his own. Ben smiled, remembering the moment, “

Hope all goes well. Been a while. Missed you. Missed this. Anyhow, what’s my status? Happily married, sexy wife, four kids, a dog, hamster, fish and frog. Skiing more. Climbing. Riding too. Professionally? I’m single. Dating around. Perfect dimes. Some racy nines. A few eights with lots of personality. And one frisky fiver that I swear to god looked like a nine after eight vodka tonics – nev

Hope all goes well. You hear the rumor? Yeah, me too. Which makes sense. After all, I started it. So yes, we’re closing Grant Capital Partners. It was ultimately Geoff’s call. Wasn’t an easy one. But we discussed it. He made it. And I support it. Fully. He’s been a terrific partner, a great friend. That’s true for all my partners. Anyhow, we’ve prided ourselves

Hope all goes well. Turned 46 Thurs. No worries, that’s cool, you’ll get me next yr. Mara baked a cake, decorated like a big bulls-eye. With a single candle. Served it up, sporting her most mischievous smile. You see I haven’t exactly been hitting my targets this year. And ever since I returned from stalking deer in the Scottish Highlands, she’s taken every opportunity to remind me that the only t

Hope all goes well. Spent the week walking. Stalking. First in London. Then Scotland. The City’s overrun by bears. Clever ones. Scary ones. Angry ones. They growl the same story; policy response to the global crisis is fundamentally flawed, it can’t work, so it won’t. These beasts are in restless hibernation, conserving energy, biding time. Reluctant to fight the Fed in the open. Till the seasons

Hope all goes well. Poor Mitt got it right, 47% are gonna vote for O no matter what. Of course, 47% vote Republican come hell or high water. And the rest of us vote for the cat we’d rather down tequila-slammers with. Which ain’t a bad reason. ’Cause face it, there’s no difference. They take equal turns at the trough. Democrats been President for 88 of the past 176yrs. After this wk, they’ll get an

Hope all goes well. Strolled through the Four Seasons. To their four-sided bar. Expecting a riotous frat party. You see, Bernanke had just announced open-ended QE. Stocks surged to new highs. CNBC was going wild. And no place loves a bull market like NY. I ordered a VT. The joint was empty. Yeah, it’s been that kind of rally. No one’s celebrating. Most everyone’s been short. Covering into the Fed

Hope all goes well. Summer’s over. Back to school. What a busy term this oughta be. I’m kicking it off tomorrow with a trip to NY. Yeah, the Big Apple is as good a teacher as you’ll ever hope to find. Then London. Scotland. Switzerland. Canada. Chicago. No recess. Theme: Shhh… Quiet… Listen… “Bleep…Bleep…Bleep.” Oh, that’s it: Voyager 1 — miracle of Mankind’s imagination, launched Sept

Hope all goes well. Screw him. Seriously. I was feeling quite pleased with myself, until Harry went wild on the strip, making my vacation seem, well, rather boring, common. Of course, it’s not his fault. Really. That’s what Princes do. Have always done. Will always do. Oh, just imagine Henry VIII in Vegas… Anyhow, I’m back in my seat. At the tables. Doing what I do. And truth be told, I got a grea