While packing for moving to a new desk (a somewhat redundant exercise as I shall explain shortly) I found a pile of my old code review papers. With “UNSAFE” written in big red letters against around 50% of the functions. I’m gonna miss this place when its time to move on…”this isn’t the funniest job I’ve ever had, but nearly”.
Neil Hopcroft
A digital misfit
We got back to Sweden to find a foot of snow, congratulations to the 9000 for starting first time despite being left for a month in temperatures down to -20C.
…of course theres more catching up to do.
The cold shock is still with us. Returning from 32C in Bangkok to find a foot of snow burying the car in Sweden leaves you feeling a little…cold.
And the jetlag. Thats still here too. And the catching up with everything. Only 257 mails awaiting my return at the office, I think I got off lightly. I’m guessing they’ve saved the major panics until next week. I hope I’m awake by then.
Next is going through the pictures from our travels.
When I said I’d try to update more often this isn’t quite what I had in mind. We’re now 35 minutes into a 10 minute journey across Bangkok to a cabaret show. This is an experience we call living like the locals.
(written in a minibus last night but not sent since my Catalina isn’t talking to DTAC. As it turned out the total journey time was just over an hour and they gave us seats for the next show after the one we had booked)
Last updated 9 weeks ago
Hmm, thanks Livejournal.com, remind me that I’m useless at keeping in touch won’t you?
A new year, seen in with fireworks across the bay. It will be a year that will contain some big changes, another new future. My time in Sweden is going to come to an end, so we’ll likely be moving back to England. Where I don’t know yet, nor when exactly.
Maybe now is a good time to try to start journalling again?
A proper update is going to have to wait until next week, this entry is just a quick note scribbled between the hecticness of Bangkok. If you’re lucky I might even post some pictures from our travels.
Good things in life: meeting your mechanic at a street car festival where he’s showing off his 650bhp big block engined DeTamaso Pantera, just a little street car he keeps for the weekends…he saves his serious stuff for the track, apparently.
(Of course, that is meme_me, not my mechanic)
Jet merry-go-round or C5 – Caution: these may kill you.
Museum of questionable medical devices
Large Mounted Bearded White Tiger Head with Swarovski Crystal Encrusted Features
Theres a bang and something is spinning in the air between me and the sun, I can’t see what it is but its not good. Its a piece of engine, that much I know, because the Volvo hasn’t moved, I duck because I can’t tell if its coming my way, something did. After a moment I realise the air filter is missing and theres a little fire in the hole in the bonnet, the chromed filter now 40 feet directly above the car, whirling, casting its shadow over me.
Book review: The Last Tycoons, by William D. Cohan
The Last Tycoons, a secret history of the Lazard banking empire.
This book takes you on a tour of the history of the Lazard Frères banking empire, starting from its origins supporting merchants in the American gold rush through to its eventual IPO. For such a hefty volume it seems to rush through much of the early history up until the escape from occupied France of the partners, who reconvene in New York where they rebuild their empire having abandoned much of their wealth and former lives back in France.
There is a lot of information on some of the machinations behind the scenes during some of the highs and lows of the post war years, including some of the scandals that threatened to bring the bank down and how they supported the Franc during some difficult times and so escaped nationalisation at a time when most French banks got nationalised.
Overall, this was rather more book than I really needed, spending a lot of time on minutiae which will be relevant to anyone joining the modern Lazard, but seems wholly unnecessary outside the context of the company. An abridged version would have been a better choice.
(audio book, unabridged)
Wuthering Heights in Semaphore
Bacone – breakfast in a handy cone