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| Sunday, April 6th, 2008 | | 12:53 pm |
| | Saturday, April 5th, 2008 | | 12:29 pm |
Words, you say?
This is from a Southern New England perspective
1. A body of water, smaller than a river, contained within relatively narrow banks: creek
2. What the thing you push around the grocery store is called: grocery cart
3. A metal container to carry a meal in: lunchbox (older folks: lunchpail)
4. The thing that you cook bacon and eggs in: frying pan
5. The piece of furniture that seats three people: couch (occasionally davenport)
6. The device on the outside of the house that carries rain off the roof: gutter
7. The covered area outside a house where people sit in the evening: porch
8. Carbonated, sweetened, non-alcoholic beverages: Coke (you get the occasional Moxie person, just being different)
9. A flat, round breakfast food served with syrup: pancakes (hardcore Yankees refer to them as johnnycakes)
10. A long sandwich designed to be a whole meal in itself: sub/submarine (grinder/hero/Italian, occasionally)
11. The piece of clothing worn by men at the beach: bathing suit
12. Shoes worn for sports: gym shoes (occasionally, P.F. Flyers or "Chucks")
13. Putting a room in order: clean up
14. A flying insect that glows in the dark: firefly (occasionally, glowworm, I suspect from folks who remember the 1940s song)
15. The little insect that curls up into a ball: pillbug
16. The children's playground equipment where one kid sits on one side and goes up while the other sits on the other side and goes down: teeter-totter
17. How do you eat your pizza? generally by hand, though New England pizza tends to be thicker than New York pizza, which is thinner.
18. What's it called when private citizens put up signs and sell their used stuff? a garage sale/yard sale/tag sale (about equal)
19. What's the evening meal? dinner
20. The thing under a house where the furnace and perhaps a rec room are? the basement
21. What do you call the thing that you can get water out of to drink in public places? water fountain (occasionally, a "bubbler") | | Saturday, March 29th, 2008 | | 10:30 pm |
| | 10:15 pm |
*test*
Boy, only saw one post today. | | Sunday, March 23rd, 2008 | | 3:27 pm |
Financial History Geeks
The a-e, in his first firm job, did a lot of work for Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation, including a good deal of work related to some adjustable-rate preferred stock that they had issued back in 1983 (long since redeemed -- the initial dividend rate on this was 11%). The a-e was given a "deal toy," one of the "tombstone" ads in Lucite that are common for this sort of thing. He found it again when tidying up this weekend. He mused on the list of underwriters (traditionally, some were always listed at the top, hence the occasional nickname "bulge-bracket firm"...the a-e remembers how some firms would get really prissy if they weren't in their correct position):
Kidder, Peabody & Co. Incorporated -- Long gone, sold off by GE after the Jett scandal
Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. -- Bought by Morgan Stanley, name gone now
Bear, Stearns & Co. -- Being bought by JPMorganChase after nearly going bust
The First Boston Corporation -- Gone, I think.
Blyth Eastman Paine Webber Incorporated -- As Paine Webber, bought by UBS, I think
Alex. Brown & Sons -- Bought by Deutsche Bank
Dillon, Read & Co., Inc. -- Not sure, I think gone.
Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corporation -- Bought by Equitable many years ago
Drexel Burnham Lambert Incorporated -- Ask Mike Millken
Goldman, Sachs & Co. -- Still very much with us.
E.F. Hutton & Company Inc. -- Went bust in check kiting scandal
Lazard Freres & Co. -- Not sure, think still around
Lehman Brothers Kuhn Loeb Incorporated -- Still around, after a whole lot of reorgs, as Lehman Bros.
Merrill Lynch White Weld Capital Markets Group -- Employers of the a-e!
Prudential-Bache Securities -- Gone some years, I think
L.F. Rothschild, Unterberg, Towbin -- Long gone, I think.
Salomon Brothers Inc. -- Nearly went bust, got rescued by Buffett, merged
Shearson/American Express Inc. -- Merged with a bunch of other, long since gone.
Smith Barney, Harris Upham & Co. Incorporated -- Now part of Citigroup
Warburg Paribas Becker -- Don't know
Wertheim & Co. Inc. -- Don't know
Advest, Inc. -- Bought by Merrill Lynch
A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. -- Just bought by Wachovia
First Albany Corporation -- Gone, I think.
Moseley, Hallgarten, Estabrook & Weeden Inc. -- Never heard of 'em.
Oppenheimer & Co. -- Not sure, think gone
Thomson McKinnon Securities Inc. -- Not sure, think gone
Tucker, Anthony & R.L Day, Inc. -- Not sure, think gone
Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated -- Not sure, think gone
Doft & Co., Inc. -- Not sure, think gone
Fahnestock & Co. -- Not sure, think gone
Legg Mason Wood Walker Incorporated -- Bought out by some Canadian bank, I think
There you have it. In 25 years, barely two of this whole list are operating under their same name and independently. Curious. | | Friday, March 21st, 2008 | | 11:38 pm |
I've put up for sale on eBay a large batch of Keuffel & Esser drafting and lettering implements I had collected about 10 years ago, for some reason I forget. $200 starting price, no reserve, $500 will get it. URL provided if anyone cares. | | Saturday, March 15th, 2008 | | 2:35 pm |
And there is no joy in Mudville...
The Ursas came out today. Zippo for the mink a-e individually, though I do wonder if somehow they fiddled with the rules mid-stream defining what a novel and what a short work is. And, ugh, another Tai-Pan Universe story got in, in the short category. (Alas, doesn't look like Tony got one, either.)
One or two bright spots, including Spontoon itself getting a nomination. | | Monday, March 10th, 2008 | | 6:01 pm |
*facepalm*
Lovely little bit of news today out of Albany. Governor Eliot "I'm a ____ing steamroller!" Spitzer has been identified via federal wiretaps as being "Client #9" of a very high-priced call girl outfit. Now, normally I'd just roll my eyes, but this jerk came to office promising to clean up Albany. Instead, we get this. Grrrrr.
Right now, I'll bet the ex-heads of the NYSE and AIG are probably laughing like hell. | | Sunday, March 2nd, 2008 | | 12:21 pm |
Note to Groat
Don't get the Elite/US Home Front 1941-5 or Campaign/Vienna 1683 books. The former is totally disorganized and dull, and the latter isn't written very clearly. Neither up to Osprey standards. Oddly enough, Sevastapol 1942 and Royal Navy that I got last month were excellent. | | Tuesday, February 26th, 2008 | | 7:52 pm |
Ursa Major Awards Nomination Round Over at www.ursamajorawards.org, you still have until the 28th to vote for the nomination round... Don't forget to vote for Tony Greyfox and myself. From my earlier bleg... "Bright Lights," by E.O. Costello, Spontoon Island, in the Anthropomorphic Short Fiction category (I've also voted for "Blood Bonds," by Tony Greyfox) "Valentines Dazed," by M.M. Marmel, W.D. Reimer and E.O. Costello in the Anthropomorphic Novel category "Spontoon Island" for fanzine (I also voted for Anthro, partly for Tony and partly for another chum of mine who does reviews) What you do is go to www.ursamajorawards.org at this URL: http://www.ursamajorawards.org/nominations.htmand click on the link for enrolling, which leads you to: http://www.ursamajorawards.org/nominations/From there, you'll fill in a few boxes, email in, get a login code emailed back, and then you go there again and vote. | | Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 | | 9:31 pm |
Timmo, I noticed you made a note (a funny one) on Hobotopia. I wonder how notes are made...I even joined Teh Foundlings group, and the note-making appears to be a closed book to the mink. How is it done? I don't see a little icon to click for note-making. | | Monday, February 18th, 2008 | | 2:08 pm |
A pawful of you out there know about how I constantly talk up Cosi, which is a sandwich chain that's mostly in the Northeast. (www.getcosi.com). Their general specialty is sandwiches made from flatbread baked on the premises, which is both fresh and very good. (When they square off the bread, they put trimmings in a bowl for folks to munch on...mmmm.) Some of the larger ones have coffee bars, where they make good hot chocolate.
New York City has a number of them, alas none in my neighborhood, so I usually eat at the one at 700 6th Avenue, which is usually near the end of my long weekend walks. I'm almost always there at least once on a weekend, sometimes twice, just at 11 when lunch starts. Currently, Cosi has a seasonal sandwich, a turkey alfredo, that's superb.
The manager and counter-staff have started to recognize me, and they know from past chats that I'm a stockholder in the company. (One reason I try to get others hooked on Cosi...I think I've semi-converted Frosty, for example.) I also have a habit of going back to the counter and giving a thumbs-up to the folks behind the counter, the ones who make the sandwiches. This has engendered a level of goodwill, to the extent I get a bit of extra cheese in my alfredo sandwich (which has the pleasing effect of sealing everything in; I've suggested they do that regularly), and they'll bring it to my table, which really normally isn't done.
I did something earlier in the week I've been meaning to do for a while, which is to go to the company's website and talk up the outlet, saying what a good job they've done.
So, I was in the Cosi for the third time this weekend, and the manager, who I've seen many times before, smiles and rings up the usual. I noticed the price wasn't the normal $9.85, but $8.01, and I pointed this out. He smiled, and indicated the drink today was on the house. And thank you for the email, sir. The counterguy also gave me a wide grin later on...he'd been clued in on the email. Evidently corporate had passed on the email. Since I had mentioned turkey alfredo in the email, the folks there made one or two shrewd guesses as to who was responsible.
Peter Lynch often said invest in companies you know and like (though he lost one time investing in a sandwich chain he loved). Cosi stock hasn't done much over the years, but I love the chain anyway. | | Monday, February 11th, 2008 | | 9:26 pm |
Just call the a-e Johns Manville...
...'cause he's got shingles, baby. Oooer. | | Sunday, February 3rd, 2008 | | 10:05 pm |
Oh, well.
Not too bummed about the result, since I like the Giants. Only negative is going to be tomorrow's Post, which will be insufferable. If they'd hit Manning on that 25 yard play, they almost got him, dif't result. | | Saturday, January 26th, 2008 | | 2:38 pm |
The Annual Nominations Bleg Yes, I'm still at it for the Ursa Majors. This round is for the nominations... "Bright Lights," by E.O. Costello, Spontoon Island, in the Anthropomorphic Short Fiction category (I've also voted for "Blood Bonds," by Tony Greyfox) "Valentines Dazed," by M.M. Marmel, W.D. Reimer and E.O. Costello in the Anthropomorphic Novel category "Spontoon Island" for fanzine (I also voted for Anthro, partly for Tony and partly for another chum of mine who does reviews) What you do is go to www.ursamajorawards.org at this URL: http://www.ursamajorawards.org/nominations.htmand click on the link for enrolling, which leads you to: http://www.ursamajorawards.org/nominations/From there, you'll fill in a few boxes, email in, get a login code emailed back, and then you go there again and vote. Hopefully for my stuff! I'd at least like to end up as a nominated finalist. Ego thing. Current Mood: Bleggy. | | Monday, January 21st, 2008 | | 4:25 pm |
All sorts of jolliness this weekend!
First and foremost, Kjartan Arnorsson (alias Karno) came through town this weekend, and stayed over two nights. I think he was generally resting up after his travel, since he turned in rather early one night, and somewhat early the other. We spent some time meeting up with his friends/my acquaintances (ironically, some of the other folks involved in the Nairobi Trio thing from AC a few years ago), and Karno spent a good deal of time noodling around my bookshelves. He read one hard-to-find Bill Mauldin book (Back Home), and I gave him my copy of the easy-to-find "Up Front," which he had not read before. He also got a duplicate of an 1853 volume of Punch that I had. In addition, assorted feeds, up to and including lobster benedict at the Blue Water Grill. Karno left in a cheerful mood. Mission accomplished! (I got a sketch of my Spycraft character, too, plus a copy of his Boon Show volume -- the latter signed, natch.)
I showed Erika's "paw" sushi to my brother, who loved it (and promptly passed on the pictures to the a-eSister in Law, who no doubt will enjoy it, too).
And, of course, I got the Super Bowl I wanted (and many other folks wanted), Patriots v. Giants. Yes, folks don't like the Pats much, but the Giants gave 'em fits in the last regular season game, so it should be a good match up. | | Sunday, January 13th, 2008 | | 5:21 pm |
Ursa Majors Bleg (part I) The a-e keeps trying, even if every year he seems to lose to something from Tales of the Tai-Pan Universe. His candidates this year are: In the category: Anthropomorphic Short Fiction "What Goes Up...", by E.O. Costello, published February 18, 2007 at Spontoon Island: http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwBrus1.html"Bright Lights", by E.O. Costello, published June 13, 2007 at Spontoon Island: http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwDrM01.htmlIn the category: Anthropomorphic Novel "Valentines Dazed", by M. Mitchell Marmel and E.O. Costello, published August-December, 2007 at Spontoon Island: http://spontoon.rootoon.com/SPwVaDCnt.htmlHe just sent them in for the recommended list. In due course, he'll work to get 'em nominated, and perhaps voted in. www.ursamajorawards.org is the site, by the way. | | 2:10 pm |
The a-e has been moderately pleased with himself, the last few days. He was 184 1/2 on December 26th, the result of some extravagant eating over the Christmas holiday, and he was getting worried about going up to his record weight of ca. 210. So, he clamped down fairly hard. This morning, he was 176 pounds, and dropping moderately quickly (about 1/2 pound a day). Fairly strict portion control, and timing of meals on the weekends. Usually a good, filling sandwich at Cosi. They've introduced a new turkey alfredo sandwich there that while quite mucky, is exceptionally tasty. Cosi is one of the few places that consistently beats Quizno's in terms of quality, at least in the a-e's view (and Quizno's is very good, indeed). | | Saturday, January 12th, 2008 | | 12:57 pm |
Curious-fun
On occasion, I'll go into a bank and make their day a little more surreal by asking for $2 bills or half dollars. I went into my local Bank of America branch today, and made the request. Much to my surprise, they had $12 in half-dollars, probably the most I've seen in one spot outside of my house in some years. Even more of a surprise, 3 of the half-dollars were the silver type, and two were Franklin half-dollars. I don't ever recall seeing Franklin half-dollars (which they stopped minting in 1963) in circulation, since silver coins have, for the most part, vanished from circulation. When I was a waiter, on rare occasions I'd see a silver dime or quarter, but I think only twice before have I snagged a silver half-dollar in circulation, always the '64 Kennedy.
(For that matter, only rarely did I see Eisenhower dollars in circulation, maybe only 2 or 3 times, the last time, oddly enough, when there was a small stack of them at a subway booth here in New York City.) | | Friday, January 11th, 2008 | | 8:08 pm |
Happy birthday, Wuffie!
Following Tony's lead, but what the hey. Happy fill-in-the-secret-number here. |
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