Earthquake

Just had an earthquake out here - a 5.8 about 33 miles away.
Everything's cool over here, so I'm going to get back to work...

Socrates

"Wisdom begins in wonder."

-- Socrates

Existing Job Update

This is an interesting time to be working in the financial sector. I'm fortunate that (at this moment) our company, our bank, and our team are all strong financially. I remember in the fifth or sixth grade I did a report on the Great Depression (yes, I am a nerd) and had trouble comprehending exactly why stockbrokers were jumping out of windows on Wall Street. I'm not sure if I know that answer, but I can see many similar trends existing in today's economy. Let's hope things turn around in the near future.

I'm not an expert on any of this stuff, so please don’t use my anecdotal observations to influence your financial decisions - I'm not that well-qualified.


The first motivator in this economy is fear. Fear makes us do many things that ordinarily (or in hindsight) would be labeled overreactions. Most recently, IndyMac Bank here in L.A. defaulted and had to be taken over by the Federal government. Lines are stretching around the block for people trying to get their money back.

I have news for you people: the outcome has already been decided. If you have less than $100k in checking/savings accounts, why would you waste hours of your life in line? A lack of understanding of the rules and regulations leads to irrational activity. The government has your back, and you can draw on it anytime you wish. Your accounts at (now) IndyMac Federal Bank are guaranteed. It’s business as usual. Waiting in line won’t change much.

On the other hand, it’s ridiculous how the “big” financial players can change things immensely. I recently read an article in Fortune Magazine that Bear Stearns went belly up when an internal email circulated around Goldman Sachs that GS wouldn’t extend any new lines of credit for Bear Stearns. Once this vote of “no confidence” got out, no one had any confidence in Bear Stearns and all their clients pulled their investments. Again, the Fed (with the help of JP Morgan) stepped in and buoyed Bear Stearns stock price.


On the other hand, I'm a little concerned with the “talking points” that have been circulating our email boxes -- for internal use only, of course. Even before these "reassuring" emails I was pretty confident in our bank's position, but actual facts only go so far because of the fearfulness and irrationality displayed these days. One wrong word by a so-called “analyst” can turn the public tide of perception. While many folks are moving their money to our bank (due to our solid reputation and performance), one of our bank clients wants to move their investments away from our bank and into Fidelity. Only problem is, they’re both managed by the same brokerage clearinghouse, Pershing. It’s like worrying that Chevrolet will stop manufacturing cars, so you go out and buy a Cadillac -- they’re both General Motors, and if you’re that concerned, you might want to do your homework first.

Even though our bank’s position is healthy, I wonder how many other, less fiscally sound institutions around the country are circulating similar “talking points” to their front-line folks while the suits sit in board rooms and discuss how to sell off divisions and raise capital through foreign investment. It reeks of disingenuity, and I’m not a fan of bank tellers playing the part of PR specialists.



The last reason why this all matters? People are holding on so tightly to their stuff. Whether that stuff is their cash, or their houses (remember those sub-prime mortgages?), or their job security, or their retirement, they’re trying to cheat disaster. I'm oddly thankful that I'm searching for a new job right now, because if (heaven forbid) something crazy goes down I'm already establishing my network for a new position. I want to invest in people more than “stuff” so that I don’t start swearing if investments or company stock prices tank (you should hear some of the women around the office these last several months!).

The successful people are those who value personal relationships. There are many folks at Bear Stearns who just took their existing clients (and their investments) to Citi or JP Morgan or Goldman Sachs because they were heading there anyway. Lo and behold, when those firms needed extra brokers to handle all their new accounts, these brokers had a new job and all their same clients.

Maybe I'm just inherently skeptical, but I'm not putting all my eggs in one basket. While my job is good, with good coworkers and good pay, I know if one (or several) of our clients get hairbrained ideas and start walking, someone’s job is in trouble. But I want to continue building my relationships with people -- in good times and bad, quality relationships yield good results!

Fyodor Dostoevsky

"Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys.
If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has
enough happiness provided for it."

-- Fyodor Dostoevsky

When the Director tries to be a bit character

My mind works in silly ways sometimes.

I'm not entirely certain why, but I have to remind myself repeatedly that I need to take a leadership role in positively affecting my circumstances. It's like I'm a bit character in a play, and I'm a bit frustrated with my small role. Oh, how my heart would soar if I was promoted to a larger part -- I would learn my lines, capture the essence of the main character...

and then I look at the Director's chair, and my name is on it.

Rather than portray a flat character in a minor role, I have the ability and power to change the scenery, alter the players, switch up the music...heck, I can start writing another whole script!

And yet, here I sit - a part of me holding back. What exactly is it that I'm afraid of? Fear itself? What is so unconquerable? What other skills or talents am I missing to make a successful transition? None that I'm aware of.

What's more appalling, I want to congratulate myself for properly enunciating my one line in the scene...when I should be Directing another play altogether. There is still a large portion of myself that clings unwaveringly to "safe and easy" - and I'd like to jettison the part of myself that values comfort, because laziness quickly crowds out the chance for growth and change.

Public transit, take one

So I'm actually on a bus here in Southern California, which is quite a
big deal given the suburban nature of things out here. We'll see how
this goes, but experiencing the beauty of public transit in Boston and
$4.50 gas is prompting some behavioral change for this guy. It gets me
out of the house early, and I have to walk a mile or so to the office.
But I don't have to concern myself with crazy drivers, leaving my mind
free to think and write -- a good tradeoff, I hope.

Memorable Weekend

Some reflections on my time in Boston that made it one of the best
weekends in many moons:

The "Star-Spangled Banner". My sole requirement factor for performing
this in public is the goosebump factor. There are many ways to
accomplish this, and Boston nailed it...God did His part by throwing
up a full palatte of sunset colors over the Charles River, the Boston
Pops provided the appropriate orchestral accompaniment, and the song's
crescendo was punctuated by a pair of F-18 jets cruising by low and
loud with their afterburners blazing.

It was good to see The Sabellian and send him off to Portland to
prepare for the wedding. It was fantastic having good conversations on
life, vocation, intermediate career steps, passions, independence and
sacrifice within marriage, wedding preparation, and community -- all
while standing outside of a swanky retail storefront in an upscale
part of downtown, commenting on plastic surgery on passersby and
watching while a couple guys threw the frisbee in the street,
occasionally hitting parked cars.

The sheer magnitude of the fireworks we're pretty astounding. Aside
from the various "I've never seen these type of fireworks before", the
night sky was so illuminated that it required concentrating with your
peripheral vision to absorb the entirety of the performance. It was
like watching one of those group dance numbers at the theatre, only
this stage stretched from the horizon to directly overhead.

The surrounding crowd enjoyment was equally pleasant. Sitting for nine
hours could have been grueling, but we passed the time admirably,
taking turns shopping, people-watching, grazing, conversing, inviting
friends-of-friends to drop by, and listening to the All-American music
soundtrack played throughout the Esplanade. When the Pops played
"Shipping Up to Boston," we we're fortunate to have an Irish dancer
just a few picnic blankets away who danced along for a little while.

While the big firework blowout was on the 4th, The Sabellians'
neighborhood does their big celebration on the evening of the 3rd (as
they say, "before all the tourists roll into town"). Although this
tourist arrived after much of the festivities died down, there was
still signs of merriment, with bonfires aplenty, bongo drums,
spontaneous dancing, and (yes!) a didgeridoo. Nature shuts down the
party around midnight with the incoming tide, extinguishing the fires
and coaxing everyone off the beach.

Of course, no weekend is complete without someone chiming in with some
crazy statistic or quip. It was The Philosophress' turn this time
around, having just read an article that found a chemical in
watermelon could be considered "the poor man's Viagra." Naturally,
that became the running joke in the Sabellian household, prompting Dad
Sabellian to question Mom Sabellian about her choice of vitamin
supplements - labeled "male performance formula" with a picture of the
male pectoral area. A closer inspection of the printed warning
included "do not take while pregnant". If you're confused, so were we.
Suffice to say, I think watermelon will be somehow involved in The
Sabellian's bachelor festivities next month.

Lastly, no great weekend is complete without highlighting the
awesomeness of The Philosophress. Last night, we took one of the last
trains out of the city, and she provided the iPod soundtrack. When the
rest of the subway car emptied 2 stops before ours, that left plenty
of space for me to request a dance. Even with everything mentioned
above, I think the highlight of my weekend was sharing a dance and a
pair of headphones with The Philosophress, singing in an empty subway
car sometime after midnight.

Viktor Frankl

"What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal, a freely chosen task."

-- Viktor Frankl

Into the Wild

"The human soul thrives on new experiences."

-- from the movie, Into the Wild

Central tenet of the Sabellian School of Finance

"Always, always borrow against the power of your future earning potential."

-- The Sabellian

Blast from the Past

So this is a bit dated, but I went swing dancing a couple weekends ago
for the first time in a *long* time. One of the guys in my small group
was going, and I figured these sorts of things are better as a group.

I realized a couple things about myself, and probably about life in
general. Dancing is less about technical skill and more about
enjoyment. I can still remember some fancy turns and such, but I found
myself not connecting with soul of the music and the moment -
literally just going through the motions.

The thing was, nobody else cared if I was on rhythm, but it was a tad
awkward when I was overly apologetic. I quickly learned that most
missteps were easily overlooked with a wink and a sly grin -- one of
those "that was interesting, but I probably won't try that again"
moments.

The last time I danced regularly, I always took pride that I was on
top of my game. Strong, confident, and in control, I felt the rhythm
of the music.

Something happened between then and now, or rather, many things. I
cannot return to the place of innocence, where there was no failure.
Confidence without failure or hardship - what sort of emotion is that?
But while it is hard to feel the music, at least I can still hear it
- and while I no longer can execute flawless and intricate moves, I
need to become more proficient at learning how to smile at my flaws
while still connecting and working with others.

Shipping up to Boston

So I'm in the terminal at LAX, and this mo-blogging thing is pretty
cool. I've realized that airline sevice/atmosphere resembles less
luxury travel and more European train station these days: decreased
service/baggage, more cattle-car feel. Not sure if that's good or bad,
just a change from the way travel's been done in this country, in my
experience.

Also, I've made more than one person at work feel sheepish when
discussing weekend plans. The "what are you up to?" question is
usually met with "well, I think we're going to BBQ, maybe sit by the
pool." Instead I throw out "Oh, I'm spending the weekend in Plymouth
and Boston," which is followed by awkward silence. Yes, coworker, I'm
more All-American than you, returning to the hometown of the first
ancestors to celebrate our nation's independence (even if they aren't
necessarily *my* ancestors).

Stay tuned to see how this experience stacks up against New Year's Eve
in Times Square. The Philosophress will be reprising her role as the
attractive ingenue, and the Sabellian will again play the swarthy, if
not more learned, foil to my dashing good looks and rapier wit.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Men are born to write… Whatever he beholds or experiences, comes to him as a model and sits for its picture. He counts it all nonsense that they say, that some things are undescribable. He believes that all that can be thought can be written, first or last; and he would report the Holy Ghost, or attempt it. Nothing so broad, so subtle, or so dear, but comes therefore commended to his pen, and he will write. In his eyes, a man is the faculty of reporting, and the universe is the possibility of being reported."

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

(I think I like this guy more now than when I read him in sophomore English class...)