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October 17, 2008
Here's To Our Future
My heartfelt thanks to all of my fellow Brownstoner addicts who showed up last night and made our gathering an absolutely fantastic event. It was wonderful meeting new friends and being reacquainted with old friends. To those who wanted to attend but couldn't, hopefully we'll have another party somewhere down the road. Special thanks to you Mr. B for allowing me to announce the event in the Forum and for joining us in the celebration. And I promise this is my last Forum post for awhile!
Comments
that was fun. you're a great group of people.
-rob
Posted by: PitbullNYC at October 17, 2008 9:32 AM
thanks for organizing it, Biff. It was great fun meeting all.
Posted by: bayridgegirl at October 17, 2008 9:34 AM
Nice meeting everyone. Here's a post about the event on Reclaimed Home: http://reclaimedhome.com/2008/10/17/v-spot-and-what-not/
Posted by: brownstoner at October 17, 2008 9:35 AM
It was a great party. Loved meeting everyone. The world as we know it has not ended!!!
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at October 17, 2008 9:37 AM
A really nice gathering. It was great to meet everyone. I think it did bring our little community a little closer. I will enjoy reading everyone's posts with knowledge of the people behind them. Sorry I didn't get to say hello to Mr. B before he left. And I'm glad Wasder got spousal approval to hang out longer.
Thanks, Biff.
Posted by: slopefarm at October 17, 2008 9:44 AM
It was really great to meet you all, shake hands, see your faces and talk a little! Everyone was very welcoming, and warm. "Better Half" really enjoyed it too!
Posted by: cobblehiller at October 17, 2008 9:48 AM
Aw is this nice or what? Nice "kiss and great" after the warn circle jerk How wonderful..
The What
Someday this war is gonna end...
Posted by: what at October 17, 2008 10:08 AM
My pleasure re: organizing it. A few people posted afterwards in an older Forum thread - I'm pasting it here.
Home in one piece, even after a few stop off points. Had a lot of fun tonight.
Posted by: Adam Dahill at October 17, 2008 1:38 AM
did it turn into a pub crawl?
Posted by: dittoburg at October 17, 2008 8:38 AM
Good to meet so many Brownstoner regulars.
The place was pretty crowded when I left early, at 8:30.
Posted by: Bob Marvin at October 17, 2008 8:39 AM
Posted by: Biff Champion at October 17, 2008 10:11 AM
Yes, The What, in fact it was exceptionally nice. I see you're having a bit of a hard time getting your Forum Posts to stick around for more than 10 minutes. Try a little tenderness mon ami.
Posted by: Biff Champion at October 17, 2008 10:14 AM
I had a great time, and enjoyed meeting everyone, as well. Now I can put faces to some of the names I see every day. It was fun to see how different people are from their web names. I had totally pictured some people differently, as I know they did me.
Thanks, Biff, for organizing this, and I hope you will do it again sometime. Maybe a holiday party, or a 2009, beginning-of-year party?
Not to get all mushy, but I think the event was one of the better by products of the internet - good folk with similar interests who might never had met otherwise, meeting, sharing a beverage, and sharing ideas, laughs and even business cards. The people I met help me to believe that Brooklyn is a good place to be.
Posted by: Montrose Morris at October 17, 2008 10:15 AM
Brooklyn is the BEST place to be!
Posted by: bayridgegirl at October 17, 2008 10:24 AM
Montrose, you are such a sweetie. I know some posters prefer to stay anonymous and feel it's odd that we meet and actually consider ourselves friends, but I think the crowd last night proved there is a real bond between many of us and I'm very appreciative of that. And talking to a poster or two that we may have had previous run-ins with is a humanizing experience.
I'm happy to pass the reigns on to whoever wants to organize the next one. A holiday party or a Start of The World party in 2009 is a great idea.
Posted by: Biff Champion at October 17, 2008 10:27 AM
very nice to hear that the event went well. if i didnt have to work so late, i would have liked to stop by, perhaps next time. nice job Biff - but somehow someway we have to get the what to appear, lets keep workin on that...
Posted by: bktycoon at October 17, 2008 10:27 AM
Biff:
Thank you for putting this together. I'm sorry I did not attend, but I needed to go to the Bed Stuy Townhall Meeting to discuss the shelter issue on Putnam and Marcus Garvey (we're supposed to get the brunt of the homeless as Atlantic Men's Shelter seems to have sucessfully lobbied against it). It took a lot longer than I thought, but hopefully it will be worth the investment in time and energy. Note: Fingers crossed that Bed Stuy will be able to come together like Crown Heights did, and a special thanks to the Crown Heights folks who offered to share the infrastructre they have already put into place with us.
Glad to hear you all had a lovely evening, and I look forward to that next holiday party,
MacD
Posted by: MacD at October 17, 2008 10:28 AM
Yes, Montrose, for some bizarre reason I thought you were a guy. Sorry I didn't show up in overalls, work boots and a CAT hat.
Seriously, it was a pleasure meeting you and everyone else there last night. I hope we do it again.
Posted by: slopefarm at October 17, 2008 10:28 AM
bktycoon, we'll hopefully catch you next time.
MacD, we missed you. I apologize the party conflicted with the Bed Stuy Townhall Meeting yesterday. I didn't realize that was happening at the same time until Mr. B posted the thread on the meeting yesterday.
Posted by: Biff Champion at October 17, 2008 10:34 AM
I had fun! My only regret was that I didn't eat beforehand. Had I done so, I wouldn't have run out before 9pm and therefore, would've been able to mingle more.
Thanks for hosting, Biff. I was taken aback that you and DIBS are suits, but you seem like great guys regardless, so I'll overlook that.
Thanks for posting my link, Mr. B. Over dinner, my husband and I acknowledged your influence on the Brooklyn community. For us personally, this blog aided us in our decision to move to Bed Stuy and as a flea market vendor....well, I'm happy about that. My husband wishes he had his Sundays back. But the real question is: Have there been any Brownstoner hook ups???
Mr. What, we missed you! Some schmuck was trying to impersonate you.
Posted by: rh at October 17, 2008 10:39 AM
" What, we missed you! Some schmuck was trying to impersonate you."
What part of "I'm not coming" that you didn't understand?! I knew some Asshat was going to try to impersonate me...
Now it's my turn....
The What
Someday this war is gonna end..
Posted by: what at October 17, 2008 10:46 AM
Well as it turns out, I'm not the party animal I intended to be. It seems you all had a great time even so. Dave, I'll be doing the Bed-Stuy house tour tomorrow, so if you're in Butternut I'll say hello. Glad it was such a success!
Posted by: Susan Elkins at October 17, 2008 10:48 AM
Oh you go right ahead, get a little mushy MM! It was a really great event! You're a dear heart, and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting you and everyone else!
What, you old misanthrope you, I think you might have had a hard time 'hating' on this group. Oh, I know you would try, determined as you seem, but it wouldn't be easy.
Posted by: cobblehiller at October 17, 2008 10:49 AM
Oh, no! Outed! Montrose Morris wears a dress!
Slopefarm, good to meet you, too. I'm disappointed you didn't have a stalk of organic, heritage, artisanal hay harvested by Bhutanese nuns between your teeth. You are in Park Slope, after all.
MacD, I wish I had known about the meeting before I saw it on Brownstoner, but I really needed to socialize. Working at home can give one cabin fever. I know this issue will be with us for a while, and we will be working together to stop both projects. Please keep me informed and I will do the same. I did miss ya, however.
rh, you are a hoot. That poor schmuck, indeed.
Aw, Biff, shucks. You're a sweetie, yourself.
What, you might have actually enjoyed yourself. There are good people in the world, and some of them were at Union Hall last night. Quit being such a cynical Scrooge.
Posted by: Montrose Morris at October 17, 2008 10:57 AM
It was great meeting everyone last night. Thanks for the warm welcome. My friend was so impressed with everyone that she may turn into a B-stoner regular herself.
Hey PitBullNYC - did you drink that water I gave you? Always a good idea after an evening of boozing.
Posted by: Turtlejam19 at October 17, 2008 10:58 AM
Cobbblehiller, you and your better half are great. I enjoyed talking with you, and hope to do it again.
Posted by: Montrose Morris at October 17, 2008 11:00 AM
rh, you're such a pip! I was contemplating changing into jeans and a t-shirt after work but I didn't have time. Plus, I have to keep up my image as a totally respectable member of the community :-)
It's so hilarious that The What doesn't get the inside joke regarding his namesake at the party. Thanks to you for the Reclaimed Home party summary post.
Posted by: Biff Champion at October 17, 2008 11:00 AM
"What, you might have actually enjoyed yourself. There are good people in the world, and some of them were at Union Hall last night."
MM That's why I keep missing with the Uzi!!! You're a woman OK good, Blow me!
"What, you old misanthrope you, I think you might have had a hard time 'hating' on this group. Oh, I know you would try, determined as you seem, but it wouldn't be easy."
Cobblehiller, actually it makes my hate much easier! I'm recalibrating all my weapons right now! It's my turn...
The What
Someday this war is gonna end..
Posted by: what at October 17, 2008 11:05 AM
Here allow to show the shape of things to come...
U.S. October Consumer Sentiment Falls Most on Record (Update2)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aimfV3MF.imA&refer=home
"Oct. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Confidence among U.S. consumers fell by the most on record in October, raising the risk that spending will slump as job losses mount and financial markets crash."
You think every thing is peachy right?
``Even gasoline-price decreases were overpowered by the massive destruction of wealth,'' said Michael Feroli, an economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in New York. ``Things are pretty awful in the economy and that should make itself felt through weaker consumer spending.''
The Consumer/Taxslave is assed out! This will have a devastating effect on asset prices.
"A government report earlier today showed housing starts in the U.S. fell more than forecast in September as construction of single-family homes plunged to the lowest level in a quarter century."
Yep keep making merry...
The What
Someday this war is gonna end...
Posted by: what at October 17, 2008 11:14 AM
Sorry, What, I've never liked cocktail weenies. But feel free to keep your little soldier on duty. Far be it from me to keep a man from his imagination.
All the best,
MM
Posted by: Montrose Morris at October 17, 2008 11:15 AM
you are a f'ing loser the way you talk to people, what.
-rob
Posted by: PitbullNYC at October 17, 2008 11:17 AM
Montrose, you're the best!!
What, we know your world ended last night, and are now trying to forge a new one. Maybe in this next life, you can have a little more humility.
Posted by: bayridgegirl at October 17, 2008 11:23 AM
It's one thing to tolerate the what's nasty, vulgar invective posing as argument. Or even his glee at the imagined hardship of others. It's another when there are intimations of actual violence.
What, in the end, the event was not about you. It was about a good community of people getting together. Please take it down a notch, and if you can't, get some help.
-----
Montrose -- handpicked hay from Bhutanese nuns is so 2007 here in the South Slope. We're all locavores now. We grow our own hay in our cellars with sunlamps, and if the crop fails, we buy from a collective in Red Hook. Sorry for the outing.
Posted by: slopefarm at October 17, 2008 11:30 AM
Thank you Biff!
Sorry I didn't get to talk to everyone. I have to admit that it felt weird to be there, but I am glad I made the effort and met a few people.
MM: Great bitch slap to the what! (Yes, what, you are our bitch.)
I hope the B'stoner lurker I met last night registers and joins our family.
Hope to see some of you tomorrow on the Bed-Stuy house tour. (I'll bring my Arab friend, Dave, if you stay in town.)
Posted by: 11233 at October 17, 2008 11:38 AM
Hey What, when are you going to admit that you didn't call the "Mutant Asset Bubble", and admit that your so-called "Mutant Real Estate Bubble" in NYC is showing far more signs of actually being "Frothy Real Estate Head" more than an actual "Mutant Real Estate Bubble"? Admit it dude, you sound like John McCain and have no clue what is actually happenin'.
Posted by: DarkStar at October 17, 2008 11:38 AM
"Sorry, What, I've never liked cocktail weenies. But feel free to keep your little soldier on duty. Far be it from me to keep a man from his imagination."
Great to drag you from your element MM. Makes my feel good.
"you are a f'ing loser the way you talk to people, what."
rob or is it Rob Ok let's go. You just go around here and you do not understand the crap I had to put up with. I know you''re feel all warm and fuzzy from you little circle jerk last night. Don't worry it gets better...
"What, in the end, the event was not about you. It was about a good community of people getting together. Please take it down a notch, and if you can't, get some help."
RRRRRIIIIIGHHHHHHHHHTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!! Then what was it "about"? You Asshats swore up and down that I was wrong. I was wrong, I underestimated the force of the imploding of the Mutant Asset Bubble! WQhen the wheels started to fall of of the MAB, that bitch Biff had no choice but to go thru with that bullshit party! Damn you had to get back the G building before 10:00 PM, LMMFAO!!
Now Boys and Girls I would like to call this period of time "The What strikes back"!
The What (The Reason!!!)
Someday this war is gonna end..
Posted by: what at October 17, 2008 11:39 AM
"Hey What, when are you going to admit that you didn't call the "Mutant Asset Bubble""
Hey where in the hell you picked up this guy from??!! Was he lying on the sidewalk or something?! Someone please give this asshat a primer on you man The What, detox this fool and send him back!
The What (Now it's the new Asshats I have to deal with)
Someday this war is gonna end...
Posted by: what at October 17, 2008 11:43 AM
My mistake, slopefarm. May I call you Slopey? We don't have hay here in Crown Heights, this being the urban wasteland everyone says it is, although I'm told there is locally grown herbage in every neighborhood.
Posted by: Montrose Morris at October 17, 2008 11:44 AM
"You just go around here and you do not understand the crap I had to put up with."
Awwwww, can someone please get The What a tissue. We know you're a delusional, misogynistic homophobe. But I underestimated the extent of your egocentrism. Sorry to break this to you buddy, but it wasn't about you.
And the next time anyone thinks we obsess about you, we'll have to point out the fact you're up to six posts on my thread and it's not even noon yet. And nobody mentioned you here until you showed up.
Posted by: Biff Champion at October 17, 2008 11:47 AM
Homes here are still selling What. And not at any big discounts as you were predicting. There is no depression and life goes on. There will be little or no inflation next year either.
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at October 17, 2008 11:51 AM
You all left way too early. I couldn't escape from work until almost 10, and by the time I got there I couldn't find anyone.
Posted by: lechacal at October 17, 2008 12:00 PM
Hiya Dave!!! How is everything? Great I hope, NOT!
Hedge-Fund Clients Pulled $43 Billion Last Month,
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a3VqxSmtq6mQ&refer=home
Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Investors withdrew a record $43 billion from hedge funds in September as they fled distressed-securities and stock funds because of poor performance, TrimTabs Investment Research said today.
You said that your Hedge Fund is down only 3% right?
Hedge-Fund Assets Fell 11% in Quarter on Record Withdrawals
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aZSJ_OmpZ03c&refer=home
"Hedge funds, largely unregulated private pools of capital, have lost an average of 17 percent this year, according to the firm, as the U.S. subprime-mortgage meltdown ignited a global financial crisis."
You said that your Hedge Fund is down only 3% right?
Hedge funds in grip of vicious selling cycle
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/50f06824-9bbc-11dd-ae76-000077b07658.html
"The problems in the sector have set in motion a vicious cycle in the markets as hedge funds sell holdings to return money to worried investors, triggering further price declines and prompting more withdrawals."
You said that your Hedge Fund is down only 3% right?
Hedge Funds May Cut 10,000 Jobs, Options Group Says (Update1)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=apFudrCA_kJs&refer=home
"Oct. 16 (Bloomberg) -- Hedge funds may cut as many as 10,000 jobs this year as they struggle with their biggest losses in almost two decades, according to estimates by executive search firm Options Group."
You said that your Hedge Fund is down only 3% right?
Dave you are lying sack of shit. The drops in most asset prices is largely due to Hedge Funds getting Assraped margin calls! How long before your Hedge Fund implodes?
The What (Bloomberg is full of lies)
Someday this war is gonna end..
Posted by: what at October 17, 2008 12:04 PM
lechacal, I'm really sorry. There were still a handful of us left until past 11, including BRG and slopefarm (we were sitting by the fire in front of the bocci courts). I was wondering where you were.
Posted by: Biff Champion at October 17, 2008 12:09 PM
"Hiya Dave!!! How is everything? Great I hope, NOT!"
That's brilliant, The What. I wonder what other witty zingers you've overheard from the Lodi elementary schoolyard.
Posted by: Biff Champion at October 17, 2008 12:15 PM
Hey Biff have Dave pull out of you and let him answer his own posts, thank you..
The What
Someday this war is gonna end..
Posted by: what at October 17, 2008 12:20 PM
Thanks, you just answered my question!
Posted by: Biff Champion at October 17, 2008 12:29 PM
Just got here today. Thanks to Biff for organizing and to everybody who showed up. It was awesome to meet you all in person, if a little strange (good strange though). Nobody looked like my minds eye picture of them, which I guess is no surprise. But the event did confirm my suspicions that we are a diverse group of people from different walks of life and with differing interests and takes on the world of Brooklyn. It was cool to hear about everybody's lives and neighborhoods etc.
Shout outs to Biff, Dave, cobblehiller, slopefarm, Montrose, johnife, Adam Dahill, bayridge girl, denton, pitbull, mopar, Bob Marvin and everyone else who came.
Thanks to Mr. B for showing up too. That was cool.
What, you were sincerely missed. If you showed up to something like that imagine the greater impact you could have on the board. Plus wouldn't it be nice to understand that we are not DEMONS!
Posted by: wasder at October 17, 2008 12:38 PM
Very enjoyable to meet you all and hear about other neighborhoods.
Posted by: mopar at October 17, 2008 12:41 PM
Demons! LOL! the very thought makes me laugh even more now that I've met you all!
Right back atcha wasder!
Gotta run for now, other parts of my life are beckoning...
Posted by: cobblehiller at October 17, 2008 12:54 PM
wasder, what a pleasure to meet you in person. We definitely have to do it again.
mopar, as with 11233, for some reason I didn't get a chance to speak to either of you. I'm so sorry for not saying hello but certainly hope to next time. Thank you so much for attending.
Posted by: Biff Champion at October 17, 2008 12:58 PM
Biff, You can't hand off the next outing to somebody else. You Championed this. You were so good at organizing it.
Posted by: bayridgegirl at October 17, 2008 1:08 PM
What, you just can't admit to being wrong, can you? You spend all this time telling everyone how wrong they were to buy their homes (real estate), and harp all about a "Mutant Asset Bubble. Have anyone in Brooklyn's homes gone down itn value 40% in the last year like the Dow? You stole this whole "Mutant Asset Bubble" thing from MSNBC after it already started.
Posted by: DarkStar at October 17, 2008 1:23 PM
P.S. What, that doom and gloom you predicted (in real estate, not equities, regardless of what you say now)? It ain't gonna happen. Banks are already starting to loosen up their lending:
http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/17/credit-squeeze-loosens-as-key-rate-drops/
Posted by: DarkStar at October 17, 2008 1:25 PM
11233--how did we not meet? That's a bummer for me.
Posted by: wasder at October 17, 2008 1:26 PM
I arrived late & couldn't find a name tag but had some good chats. Especially enjoyed talking to Peter of the cool Bed Stuy Reno. Maybe you and G. could write a new entry to update everyone on your progress? Sounds like you are approaching the finishing line.
Posted by: NeoGrec at October 17, 2008 1:35 PM
"What, you just can't admit to being wrong, can you? You spend all this time telling everyone how wrong they were to buy their homes (real estate), and harp all about a "Mutant Asset Bubble. Have anyone in Brooklyn's homes gone down itn value 40% in the last year like the Dow? You stole this whole "Mutant Asset Bubble" thing from MSNBC after it already started."
Ok Darkshit, let me help you out. Go get a Mortgage Matrix from any lending institution and look at the rate sheet and look at the guidelines. Mortgage lending is dried up and they are not loaning any more money to dipshits to buy overpriced housing.
You are to be a troll but there are not many stories that support your thesis. Go back to the hole you came from and get Dave. Tell him to explain about what I wrote earlier about Hedge Funds.
Darkshit=Fail..
The What (The Crown Holder)
Someday this war is gonna end...
Posted by: what at October 17, 2008 1:37 PM
Here let me leave you with this little diddy from PAUL KRUGMAN.
Let’s Get Fiscal
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/17/opinion/17krugman.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
"Now the housing bubble has burst in turn, leaving the financial landscape strewn with wreckage. Even if the ongoing efforts to rescue the banking system and unfreeze the credit markets work — and while it’s early days yet, the initial results have been disappointing — it’s hard to see housing making a comeback any time soon. And if there’s another bubble waiting to happen, it’s not obvious. So the Fed will find it even harder to get traction this time."
The What
Someday this war is gonna end..
Posted by: what at October 17, 2008 1:48 PM
"Then what was it "about"?"
Oh, he tees it up for me! It was about proving to ignoramus misanthropes like you that life is about a lot more than money.
Posted by: wasder at October 17, 2008 1:50 PM
Lot's of fun last night everyone. I usually don't get involved in the "what" conversations but I can attest that he wasn't really the subject of any of the conversations that I was a part of.
Posted by: Adam Dahill at October 17, 2008 1:54 PM
Adam, shhhhhh, please don't burst his MREB (Mutant Real Ego Bubble). It was a pleasure meeting you; you're a great guy. It's interesting to have a picture now of various posters. What places did you hit after Union Hall?
Posted by: Biff Champion at October 17, 2008 2:03 PM
What is definitely in the midst of the MUTANT RUNAWAY EGO BUBBLE, MREB, the bursting of which will be more explosive than any asset bubble.
Posted by: wasder at October 17, 2008 2:19 PM
Rates may be dropping, but are banks doing any lending? Signs seem to point to "no":
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Banks Are Likely to Hold Tight to Bailout Money
- http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/17/business/17bank.html?em
"Lenders have been pulling back on credit lines for businesses, mortgages, home equity loans and credit card offers, and analysts said that trend was unlikely to be reversed by the government’s money."
Posted by: SnarkSlope at October 17, 2008 2:20 PM
Thanks again Biff for organizing this. It was, indeed, good to see such a group after envisioning what hey might look like during all these months of posting and reading.
Only regret...will this make it harder to be snarky to someone I've met in person? ;)
Hope to see y'all again!
Posted by: cmu at October 17, 2008 2:26 PM
Clearly holding on to the money is not in the spirit of the plan. I wonder what pressure the Obama administration will be able to put on them to get that money back into the system.
Posted by: wasder at October 17, 2008 2:28 PM
Hey Biff, sorry to have missed you. Thanks for organizing and catch you next time!
Posted by: mopar at October 17, 2008 2:31 PM
will this make it harder to be snarky to someone I've met in person? ;)
Hopefully it will make it easier in that the person will probably get where you are coming from more now. But I don't think the fact that we have met each other should change the way people post---snarky asides are fun so long as it is not intentionally hurtful. I think that ribbing people you know a little is more fun than complete strangers.
Posted by: wasder at October 17, 2008 2:37 PM
cmu, I would hate to think we can't continue to have spirited discussions now. And I couldn't live with myself knowing I was responsible for a drop in the snark-o-meter. Although who knows? Your kind and gentle demeanor and enjoyable conversation has thrown me off somewhat!
Since we're getting into a discussion of the economy, I'll post something I just posted on the main page that I received in the email today:
Stock Market: Normally I avoid discussing any advice regarding buying or selling of stocks, but I felt this is important enough to share and warn you since this explosive situation might prove to be yet another ENRON.
Please review any holdings you might have in the following stocks: American Can, Interstate Water, National Gas Company, Northern Tissue Company. Due to uncertain market conditions, I advise you to sit tight on your American Can, hold your Water, and let go of your Gas. You may be interested to know that Northern Tissue touched a new bottom today, and millions were wiped clean. It's a tough market out there. Be careful!
Posted by: Biff Champion at October 17, 2008 2:38 PM
What, I have a 700 credit score and just closed on a super- super jumbo loan. I am paying a normal interest rate. Maybe in Lodi New Jersey you are having problems finding a mortgage for your Mother / Daughter that you bought with a sub-prime loan, but out here in Brooklyn-Land, we're doing fine.
Posted by: DarkStar at October 17, 2008 2:51 PM
DarkStar, you should sign back in as sebb. It will be easier to keep track of you that way.
Posted by: lechacal at October 17, 2008 2:58 PM
Biff, My Snarkiness should go off in regards to your 2:38 post. But your such a likeable guy, I'm going to reserve myself.
Let's just say, I rolled my eyes at your financial advice.
Posted by: bayridgegirl at October 17, 2008 2:59 PM
wasder: I promise to talk to you next meet up.
OK, I have to admit that I did talk about someone here last night ......
Bayridgegirl!
Yes. I am starting to look for kitchen appliances and I have BRG in my head as I snoop around. It drives me crazy! I vented to Pete. (No harm done, BRG, I just think about you all the time.)
Posted by: 11233 at October 17, 2008 3:07 PM
Lechacal, if I were Sebb, I'd be talking about how housing never goes down in NYC. I never said that, I just said I haven't seen the "end of days" The What was predicting happen in Brooklyn real estate. He even stopped talking about it once the "Mutant Asset Bubble" started tanking and he saw the opportunity to claim that decline as something he predicted.
Posted by: DarkStar at October 17, 2008 3:08 PM
He knows I'm right about his bullshit, so he doesn't even try to refute it. He just calls a Troll and sulks back to Lodi.
Posted by: DarkStar at October 17, 2008 3:12 PM
BRG, thanks for sparing me.
I'm assuming lechacal was kidding, but anyway, I think there's a distinct difference between DarkStar's posts and sebb's posts.
Posted by: Biff Champion at October 17, 2008 3:23 PM
Hey all I had a great time meeting everyone too nice to put faces with names! And I learned CMU stands for Communist Mutant Urger, and here I thought he was a concrete masonry unit.
Posted by: Smokychimp at October 17, 2008 3:55 PM
Biff, I'm only sparing you this one time. Under any other circumstances I wouldn't spare you.
'Yes. I am starting to look for kitchen appliances and I have BRG in my head as I snoop around. It drives me crazy! I vented to Pete. (No harm done, BRG, I just think about you all the time.)'
11233 - Negative or Positive thinking? Have I become the appliance snob on this site? For all my talk about appliances, I'm embarrassed to say what I have, and I won't. It came with the apt. and I'm not changing them at this point. I'm not a cook and I know when and if, I redo my kitchen I would select an appliance for decorative reasons not function. The lines of the appliance and the look of the knobs and pulls matter to me more than whether I can cook a stew in the oven.
11233 - If your doing your kitchen for yourselves and not for resale, than pick the appliances that are going to function for you. Heck, you're going to live with this kichen for the next 10-15 years, at least.
Red knobs on a range are pretty!
Posted by: bayridgegirl at October 17, 2008 4:08 PM
"Now Boys and Girls I would like to call this period of time 'The What strikes back'!"
What,
I underestimated you. I hadn't realized that YOU personally engineered this whole mess. As far as I'm concerned anyone who could give the Reagan revolution the coup de grâce it's needed for so long is a real hero--congratulations!
Posted by: Bob Marvin at October 17, 2008 4:13 PM
Good point Bob. We might as well give What credit for the good aspects of the current calamity as well. Bringing the dominance of the Reagan/Bush coalition to an end is certainly a welcome development and if the What wants to take credit for that well then more power to him. Its not like his ego can get any more over inflated.
Posted by: wasder at October 17, 2008 4:18 PM
Must watch until the very end!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjX6aKLy2N4
Posted by: Biff Champion at October 17, 2008 4:25 PM
A real pleasure to meet you all last night, thank you Bif. looking forward to the next outing!
Posted by: gab at October 17, 2008 4:33 PM
gab, great to meet such a warm and friendly person like you too. Hopefully you'll hang out even longer next time. Beautiful child you have, by the way.
Posted by: Biff Champion at October 17, 2008 4:40 PM
Hysterical video...thanks for sharing.
Posted by: bayridgegirl at October 17, 2008 4:44 PM
BRG: I only jest. And you are not an appliance snob by any stretch. I have always kept the possibility of resale on my mind when I have made any changes to my house. That said, I make the changes I want and live with the potential re-sale issue later. Since I have never ever had to buy an appliance before in my life, I feel really odd about the task of shopping for one. I would rely on my parents, but they never bought an applicance either. (Perhaps it is a genetic aversion to stoves?!) So I default to the people I know who have ever made their opinion known. I have gotten some feedback from various people and, of course, think about what would make me happy. Given that I only have leftovers and alcohol in my fridge and I nuke or reheat everything I eat, my needs are few. Your thoughts stick in my mind. Not in a bad way. They are just there. THL and others have commented about appliances, but your comments were the first for me and I remember them more strongly.
Wait, did I just go off topic and talk about a house?! This thread is about socializing. How dare I?!
Second thought: If this thread is about being social, shouldn't the what be banned from posting?
Posted by: 11233 at October 17, 2008 4:56 PM
11233, you're free to talk about whatever you want in my thread. Permission granted. Gee wiz, I really wish BRG and I spoke to you last night! We have to do it again and mingle. I did see you talking (to Dave I think?) but you left before I had a chance to schmooze with you.
Posted by: Biff Champion at October 17, 2008 5:11 PM
There's little concrete about me, smokychimp; if anything I like playing devil's advocate.
Guess I can dial-up the snark-meter in due course.
Posted by: cmu at October 17, 2008 8:21 PM
Wow Biff sounds like the party was real nice and you guys had tons of fun. Sorry we couldn't make it ( no coverage @ work) but thanks for the effort and hopefully next time..
MM sorry we've always thought you were a dude and referred to you as such :) From now on its dudette ma chere.
The WHAT: we've always given you credit for your predictions but you are really starting to go from rude to plain schizophrenic. We mean this sincerely: Have you tried lithium? Zyprexa? Or are you taking Ketamine recreationaly? Again these are serious questions since you definitely seem to fit the diagnostic criteria for moderate to severe psychosis. Now on the slight chance that you are indeed mentally intact then we are left with a simple answer: shpos.
Posted by: pierre de taille at October 17, 2008 9:57 PM
"What, I have a 700 credit score and just closed on a super- super jumbo loan. I am paying a normal interest rate."
Thanks Darkshit. Now I understand why you are acting like this, you has Wasder disease. I'm the voice that says "you made a mistake" but you attack me to justify your own madness. But that's OK because now you are paying on my side of the yard.
We are in a full crash red alert! This is the last days of the "Happy Happy Joy Joy" circle jerk. The force from the implosion from the Mutant Asset Bubble is going to be huge!
You see Darkshit I don't talk about Real Estate no more because that is so 2007.. This year we are talking about Wall Street, CDO, Federal Reserve, Derivatives, Mortgage Backed Obligations and Global Finance.
I'm glad you brought into the Mutant Asset Bubble, FOOL!
Here suck down some of this.
Difficult Times, Difficult Decisions
http://www.zillowblog.com/difficult-times-difficult-decisions/2008/10/
"This week we are reducing our workforce by 25%. This was an incredibly painful decision for me and the leadership team, but, in the end, we concluded that we had no choice but to securely batten down the hatches as we sail into a major economic storm.
The unprecedented economic events that are playing out on a global stage began in our own industry and have made a prolonged recession likely, in our judgment. We are a young company that is not yet making a profit. Despite having sizeable cash reserves, we deemed the responsible course was to meaningfully reduce expenses, so that Zillow emerges from the other side of the recession in a very strong position, even if the recession lasts many years."
You see the Asshats think this is a joke or something. This shit is very real...
The What
Someday this war is gonna end...
Posted by: what at October 17, 2008 10:02 PM
"Have you tried lithium? Zyprexa? Or are you taking Ketamine recreationaly?"
hoe did you know??!! We have the same Doctor..
The What
Someday this war is gonna end..
Posted by: what at October 17, 2008 10:05 PM
wasder disease=an acute illness defined by relentless reasonability and chronic neighborliness. Very dangerous stuff. Avoid at all costs.
Posted by: wasder at October 17, 2008 10:25 PM
I going to paste the whole MoFo in here. This show the geniuses running everything! Kinda like you..
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aVUE96d.HKyw
Lahde Quits Hedge Funds, Thanks `Idiots' for Success (Update1)
By Katherine Burton
Oct. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Andrew Lahde, the hedge-fund manager who quit after posting an 870 percent gain last year, said farewell to clients in a letter that thanks stupid traders for making him rich and ends with a plea to legalize marijuana.
Lahde, head of Santa Monica, California-based Lahde Capital Management LLC, told investors last month he was returning their cash because the risk of using credit derivatives -- his means of betting on the falling value of bonds and loans, including subprime mortgages -- was too risky given the weakness of the banks he was trading with.
``I was in this game for money,'' Lahde, 37, wrote in a two-page letter today in which he said he had come to hate the hedge-fund business. ``The low-hanging fruit, i.e. idiots whose parents paid for prep school, Yale and then the Harvard MBA, was there for the taking. These people who were (often) truly not worthy of the education they received (or supposedly received) rose to the top of companies such as AIG, Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers and all levels of our government.
``All of this behavior supporting the Aristocracy, only ended up making it easier for me to find people stupid enough to take the other sides of my trades. God Bless America.''
Lahde, who managed about $80 million, told clients he'll be content to invest his own money, rather than taking cash from wealthy individuals and institutions and trying to amass a fortune worth hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars.
``I do not understand the legacy thing,'' he wrote. ``Nearly everyone will be forgotten. Give up on leaving your mark. Throw the Blackberry away and enjoy life.''
Request for Soros
He said he'd spend his time repairing his health ``as well as my entire life -- where I had to compete for spaces at universities, and graduate schools, jobs and assets under management -- with those who had all the advantages (rich parents) that I did not.''
He also suggested that billionaire George Soros sponsor a forum in which ``great minds'' would come together to create a new system of government, as the current system ``is clearly broken.''
Lahde ended his letter with a plea for the increased use of hemp as an alternative source of food and energy that segued into a call for the legalization of marijuana.
``Hemp has been used for at least 5,000 years for cloth and food, as well as just about everything that is produced from petroleum products,'' he wrote. ``Hemp is not marijuana and vice versa. Hemp is the male plant and it grows like a weed, hence the slang term.''
`Innocuous Plant'
He added, ``The evil female plant -- marijuana. It gets you high, it makes you laugh, it does not produce a hangover. Unlike alcohol, it does not result in bar fights or wife beating. So, why is this innocuous plant illegal? Is it a gateway drug? No, that would be alcohol, which is so heavily advertised in this country.''
Lahde said the only reason marijuana remains illegal is because ``Corporate America, which owns Congress, would rather sell you Paxil, Zoloft, Xanax and other addictive drugs, than allow you to grow a plant in your home without some of the profits going into their coffers.''
Lahde graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in finance and holds an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles. He worked at Los Angeles-based hedge fund Dalton Investments LLC before founding his own firm two years ago with about $10 million.
Lahde wasn't available for comment. A woman at his firm, who asked not to be identified, confirmed the authenticity of the letter.
To contact the reporter on this story: Katherine Burton in New York at kburton@bloomberg.net
The What
Someday this war is gonna end..
Posted by: what at October 18, 2008 12:11 AM
biff, and all- so sorry to have missed it. I was hoping to be better but still sick with bronchitis. I did get my personal report from MM who made me sick with envy that I missed meeting so many good people. (sorry MM- you've been outed. Surprised the what, didn't you!) Still laughing over the cocktail weenie comment- remind me never to piss you off.
Hope there is another gathering- Biff, we'll help you put it together. Maybe something for early December? A We survived Bush party perhaps?
Posted by: bxgrl at October 18, 2008 1:01 AM
I somehow never spoke to 11233 either, and hope to next time, and would have enjoyed talking reno with Peter, too, but just got to say hi. It was a great group, all around, and I had a lot of fun.
Pierre, tout est pardonne, mon ami. Dudette? From my opera days, I'm probably more of a dudessa.
Bxgrl, you better show up, next time. A couple of rum toddies would take care of that bronchitis.
Posted by: Montrose Morris at October 18, 2008 9:57 AM
Good article What. This is one that I am in agreement with you on--throw out the blackberry and enjoy life! Love it. And I am very pro marijuana too. Thanks for posting.
Posted by: wasder at October 18, 2008 10:07 AM
Good morning comrades What and wasder,
Now see What, this confuses me...you like a little smokey-toke, but I would think that would make you a little more r e l a x e d.
And you like the hedge funder giving up on the pile o money thing - which I loved reading, btw. Someone with real integrity! There is hope there!
I think you seem to thrive on this 'negative attention' model vs. a 'we're-all-in-a-heap-o-trouble-what-can-we-do-to-make-this-better model. When you could - and having met some of my fellow 'stoners here, I feel somewhat confident in saying this - have been having good conversations with people and building a 'coalition of the willing'.
Just FYI, I threw out my crackberry and the 60+ hour/week job that came with it over a year and a half ago.
Come to the next gathering, make up a new name - Fred, Schmedley or whatever, just come and see for yourself. Or not, stop by and see me on the cheese line either way. [gov't cheese makes a decent grilled cheese sandwich in case you've never had it.]
Posted by: cobblehiller at October 18, 2008 10:51 AM
Sorry for all the grief I caused, MM. I guess I still need work on the social etiquette of cyberspace. Although perhaps not as much as some other posters.
Posted by: slopefarm at October 20, 2008 10:07 AM
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