Mostly about my amusement

Month: November 2007 (page 2 of 2)

Chuck Prince is resigning

Lily subscribes to the Wall Street Journal and today there is an article online that reads “Citigroup CEO Plans to Resign As Losses Grow”.

That was not hard to see coming. The article shows that the stock price is currently at $37.73. Last year when I worked at Citigroup the conversation was if it would stay above $50. Having some of my retirement in Citi stock does not concern me; retirement is a long term investment and Citi’s a good company.

But I wonder what his successor will do? Citigroup is a monster because of its size. One, two, or five businesses within it could not drive the stock in any direction. It took a major industry wide hit to drive the stock down that far. The challenge was not (well till recently) keeping the stock from plummeting, the challenge was to get the stock to grow. It just did not move. It was like seeing a group of people say “We’re going to move that glacier with tablespoons”.

I can’t wait to see what happens next. Wonder if my old workplace is going to change dramatically? Getting paperclips was a minimum 6 month exercise and projects were 18 months of paperwork and meetings. It would be cool to hear that global IT gets a fire about so high to make them move.

To the pain

This came up in conversation at work (today it’s applicable).

Prince Humperdinck: First things first, to the death.
Westley: No. To the pain.
Prince Humperdinck: I don’t think I’m quite familiar with that phrase.
Westley: I’ll explain and I’ll use small words so that you’ll be sure to understand, you warthog faced buffoon.
Prince Humperdinck: That may be the first time in my life a man has dared insult me.
Westley: It won’t be the last. To the pain means the first thing you will lose will be your feet below the ankles. Then your hands at the wrists. Next your nose.
Prince Humperdinck: And then my tongue I suppose, I killed you too quickly the last time. A mistake I don’t mean to duplicate tonight.
Westley: I wasn’t finished. The next thing you will lose will be your left eye followed by your right.
Prince Humperdinck: And then my ears, I understand let’s get on with it.
Westley: WRONG. Your ears you keep and I’ll tell you why. So that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness will be yours to cherish. Every babe that weeps at your approach, every woman who cries out, “Dear God! What is that thing,” will echo in your perfect ears. That is what to the pain means. It means I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery forever.
Prince Humperdinck: I think your bluffing.
Westley: It’s possible, Pig, I might be bluffing. It’s conceivable, you miserable, vomitous mass, that I’m only lying here because I lack the strength to stand. But, then again… perhaps I have the strength after all.
[slowly rises and points sword directly at the prince]
Westley: DROP… YOUR… SWORD!
[mouth hanging open, drops sword to floor]

The Princess Bride, what a classic.