The suitcases were unpacked, the clothes washed. The paperwork was put away and sorted. The mail was reviewed, bills were paid, and letters were sent. E-mail and phone calls were placed. Meetings were scheduled and chores completed.
Isn’t it great to be home?
Global Crossing, a telecom firm in which I had invested money back in the 2000 – 2002 timeframe, reached a settlement earlier this year. I received the paperwork in the mail last week, informing me I was entitled to an average payment of $0.042 per share I held during the interval in question. This might yield about $2.50 – $5.00 if I’m lucky, which is still better than the MBNA check I received a few months ago for $0.03 cents.
Lest you think I seek out these class action lawsuits, they instead appear to find me. In the past two years I’ve received notice of multiple suits, including the one over Global Crossing, and others for Verizon Wireless, PayPal, MBNA, WorldCom, and CD distributos/retailers. Most of the alleged activites occurred during the 1999 – 2002 timeframe, when external pressure to meet revenue and profit forecasts led companies to engage in many shady schemes.
If only the media would finish doing it’s job and clear up the Swift Boat “controversy”, when the only controversial item is outing the liars.
If you want a sense of the degradation of the Haight/Ashbury area of SF, the stores at the intersection provide a superb indication. On one corner, GAP, the quintessential American clothing venture. Across the street, a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop, the faux-hippie enterprise devoted to satiating overweight Americans. The hippie panhandlers decry the very people they seek money from. All in all, a fall from the ideals it once represented.
Not that that should come as any surprise, as the free-love crowd came to seek commercial success. And they have generally found it, as living standards have increased beyond imagination in the past few decades. A fair trade, for some at least. And those flowing skirts and peasant tops make for some very pretty women.
Despite my lack of enthusiasm for the beatnik downtown, I absolutely love the city. The young life, the relatively well integrated populations combined with their cultural and linguistic diversity are all elements that make SF such a unique place relative to so many other urban areas. Sure, the city has its marks. The high rate of panhandling and the expensive cost of housing come to mind instantly. But on the whole the positives far outweigh the negatives.
Which is why, in a few months’ time, I’ll be back here again.
It’s been a long last day with family here in San Francisco, and boy are my dogs barking. Ok, ok, couldn’t resist the bad line.
It was a fascinating day, waking up at a beautiful bed & breakfast in Napa, with the vineyards just a stone throw away. Couple that with drinking by 10 a.m., a generous set of relatives and a delicious lunch at the Mondavi winery (with photos of the main man, himself, at a spry 91 years old), and you have the makings of a great day. Toss in a return to SF to visit Alcatraz and you really can’t ask for more than that.
In just a few hours I return my family to the airport, then spend the next two days enjoying the area for myself before returning to my “home”. Too bad my heart’s here, not there.
We headed south down the pennisula today, to see sunny Monterey and the popular aquarium. The ride along scenic route 1 between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz was incredible and worth the additional time, along with the several stops along the way to enjoy the pounding surf and sandy beaches. The photos will no doubt be spectacular. And Santa Cruz still strikes me as a fun town.
On an unrelated note, I keep meaning to start writing more on politics, but it’s been hard to motivate. Despite my strong feelings on the topic.
Today marked the arrival of my aunt and uncle and their “adventures” around the city. Suffice to say, with all the family around my patience have been a bit worn down. I’m looking forward to the arrival of Tammy and Scott tomorrow.
We arrived yesterday night and (relatively) uneventfully made our way to the hotel. Today we ventured up to Reyes Point to the lighthouse, a thrill for my father whom particularly enjoys that kind of thing. Between the scenery driving and the place itself I tend to believe that the family’s having a good time.
Oh, and getting a room separate from them was definitely the best idea. After a full day, they do drive me a little crazy.
Farewell from the CO President’s Club. See you in a week.