Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[RED-DOG]

Ty Tom.

A link to the song though please😁

I thought there was a link to the song at the bottom of the post that I linked you to. No?

[RED-DOG]

A slight change of direction now, & few will be excited or exercised by this, but last night I found myself up in London with half an hour to spare before a function, & so took a little wander around the nearby area, & chanced upon what struck me as, perhaps, the most perfect London street I have ever seen.

So many beautiful places in this country ,so many on our doorstep ,astonishing how few we realise are there ,its almost as if we walk round with blinkers on.

If we go on holiday, at home or abroad, we walk around pointing at things and going ooh, ahh, isn't it amazing / beautiful etc. Well everywhere is like that if you look peppery.

For years I've been campaigning for people to use their 'tourist's eyes' all the time. Try it, you will be surprised.

[tikay]

You talked about being me being a Buffett fan in an old post. You're quite right- not sure whether it was you that made me interested or someone else , but it was definitely your suggestion that made me read "The Snowball".

Anyhow, it's the most wonderful time of the year....

http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/2015ltr.pdf

I always feel bad when I don't reply to posts, & most especially ones like this, as it was a beaut, & reading that BH Annual Letter was an absolute delight, as always. I've had a very challenging 3 months, under it in so many different ways, so my apologies for not replying earlier, but my Diary had to be temporarily abandoned in favour of more pressing & stressing matters. Fingers crossed, but much of it is behind me now, though Sod's Law came into play, & just as I got myself sorted, I got hit by another double whammy which currently sits atop my "to do but I don't know what to do yet" pile. 

Anyway, back to Warren & his letter, which, as always, I savoured, & I could full this Diary with extracts.

Here's a few which caught my eye. No Shareholders Letters in the world speak in this sort of tone & language.


With the PCC acquisition, Berkshire will own 101⁄4 companies that would populate the Fortune 500 if they
were stand-alone businesses. (Our 27% holding of Kraft Heinz is the 1⁄4.) That leaves just under 98% of
America’s business giants that have yet to call us. Operators are standing by.


Our many dozens of smaller non-insurance businesses earned $5.7 billion last year, up from $5.1 billion in
2014. Within this group, we have one company that last year earned more than $700 million, two that
earned between $400 million and $700 million, seven that earned between $250 million and $400 million,
six that earned between $100 million and $250 million, and eleven that earned between $50 million and
$100 million. We love them all


Though we sold no Kraft Heinz shares, “GAAP” (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) required us
to record a $6.8 billion write-up of our investment upon completion of the merger. That leaves us with our
Kraft Heinz holding carried on our balance sheet at a value many billions above our cost and many billions
below its market value, an outcome only an accountant could love.

 

If you want to guarantee yourself a lifetime of misery, be sure to
marry someone with the intent of changing their behavior.


Berkshire, however, will join only with partners making friendly acquisitions. To be sure, certain hostile
offers are justified: Some CEOs forget that it is shareholders for whom they should be working, while other
managers are woefully inept. In either case, directors may be blind to the problem or simply reluctant to
make the change required. That’s when new faces are needed. We, though, will leave these “opportunities”
for others. At Berkshire, we go only where we are welcome.


And that only covers the first 10 of 30 pages, more will follow.

Think I love Warren more than I loved The Queen Mother, or Robbie Williams.  He seems not to have any hate in him, he majors in liking & loving. Not sure he'd enjoy blonde's Sports Betting Boards, where we see all too much hate towards sportsmen & women, & particularly football managers. Seems somehow unhealthy, to my mind, for young men to be proud to hate people they don't even know.


Anyway, enough for now, & I leave you with a lovely photo of two old buffers who, despite their avuncular looks are the two best businessmen in the world, & it's not even close.

[tikay]

I only have a passing aquaintance with Jeff but am very friendly with his mate "Tall" Alan who can also tell a few interesting tales.

Poodle-permed prancer = Jeff Lynne

Ha, Jeff Lynne. When I need cheering up, I watch a Jeff Lynne documentary I have recorded, a regular guy who, despite his immense success & wealth, still pinches himself every day, hardly daring believe he is living the dream. He does not posses an ounce of arrogance either, & is self-deprecating in every way. Like that.

Jeff's mate "Tall Alan"? Not sure I know him, but he did refer to a running mate known as "Ginger someone". (Can't recall his surname). 

As it happens, convo went around to my trip to Oceanside with Gill last year, (Jeff was abso made up I'd got engaged & urged me to take the next step), but, Jeff being Jeff, the topic returned to gambling, & it seems that he was aware of a poker game in Oceanside that ran for many a year, big, BIG Omaha game ran there all the time. Until it came out on top that the game was bent. And of course my mind shot back to the many "warnings" you gave me, which, of course I ignored, to that bent cash game in Gala Notts all those years ago. What a fool I've been down the years.

When we were in Oceanside, walking the streets, we spotted a poker club called, of all things, "Oceans Eleven", though whether it's the game of which Jeff spoke I have no idea.

[tikay]

Morning Mr T.

Thanks for the song suggestions, I am always looking for new groups to get into. However I feel that you must be pulling my plonker. That " shoop" song. It took me less than 5 seconds to know I loathed it and I struggle to believe that you can actually get pleasure from it. Are you pretending so that you can feel you are one of the cool guys? I am sorry but I can't even bring myself to play anything by a band called " House of pain " I just know it will be pointless.

You do have some favourable groups there, but a little tweeking is in order. Blondie is a great choice, but " Shayla " is her best song. Pulp is a band that I never listened to much, but I seem to remember liking " sorted for e's and wizz". I am going to investigate them this morning. I like Robbie a lot - who doesn't. But " Come Undone " is my song of choice. I can however find no fault with " Pure " by the lightening seeds, simply an outstanding choice.

Most certainly not hector, try again, you might be very surprised. And House of Pain is worth another try, too. It's not Doris Day, I'll give you that, but it's top rate, & should be on everyone's play list.

Here's the lyrics from Shoop, & adore this, & listen to it time after time. I sing this myself, all the time.


How can you not love lyrics like these?


Don't know how you do the voodoo that you do



On your mark, get set, go, let me go, let me shoop
 To the next man in the three-piece suit
 I spend all my dough, ray me, cutie
 Shoop shoop a-doobie like Scoobie Doobie Doo
 I love you in your big jeans, you give me nice dreams
 You make me wanna scream, "Oooo, oooo, oooo!"
 I like what ya do when you do what ya do
 You make me wanna shoop

[RED-DOG]

On your mark, get set, go, let me go, let me shoop
 To the next man in the three-piece suit
 I spend all my dough, ray me, cutie
 Shoop shoop a-doobie like Scoobie Doobie Doo
 I love you in your big jeans, you give me nice dreams
 You make me wanna scream, "Oooo, oooo, oooo!"
 I like what ya do when you do what ya do
 You make me wanna shoop

I lolled.

[tikay]

A slight change of direction now, & few will be excited or exercised by this, but last night I found myself up in London with half an hour to spare before a function, & so took a little wander around the nearby area, & chanced upon what struck me as, perhaps, the most perfect London street I have ever seen.

So many beautiful places in this country ,so many on our doorstep ,astonishing how few we realise are there ,its almost as if we walk round with blinkers on.

The sad thing is we don't realise this until most of our life has passed us by.

That little street I "discovered" last night made my day. There are a zillion other things out there, too.

Why is it that we only realise these things too late?

Even Norfolk must have some interesting places & people.

OK, enough waffle for today, I gotta go take my daily walk. That's another belated discovery. Don't think I'll ever quit the daily walk now. The diet, yes, as always, boom to bust to boom, but love the walk, it's good both physically & mentally.   

[tikay]

On your mark, get set, go, let me go, let me shoop
 To the next man in the three-piece suit
 I spend all my dough, ray me, cutie
 Shoop shoop a-doobie like Scoobie Doobie Doo
 I love you in your big jeans, you give me nice dreams
 You make me wanna scream, "Oooo, oooo, oooo!"
 I like what ya do when you do what ya do
 You make me wanna shoop

I lolled.

Good, 'innit?


I like what ya do when you do what ya do

Anyway, never mind shooping, what about those horses with coats I asked you about?

[Karabiner]

"Tall" Alan is Alan Vinson who I'm sure you know very well indeed.

In the olden days there were a few Alans knocking around the various spielers and legitimate poker games in London. There was "French" Alan, "Black" Alan, "Coloured" Alan aka The Captain and "Tall" Alan that spring to mind.

All of those guys are legends in their own right for one reason or another.

[RED-DOG]

Anyway, never mind shooping, what about those horses with coats I asked you about?

Eh?

[tikay]

Anyway, never mind shooping, what about those horses with coats I asked you about?

Eh?

So dormant, even you don't read your Diary these days. It's all that poetry shite, see?

http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=30601.27825
 

[tikay]

"Tall" Alan is Alan Vinson who I'm sure you know very well indeed.

In the olden days there were a few Alans knocking around the various spielers and legitimate poker games in London. There was "French" Alan, "Black" Alan, "Coloured" Alan aka The Captain and "Tall" Alan that spring to mind.

All of those guys are legends in their own right for one reason or another.

Ahh yes, I know Alan Vinson very well indeed. Not entirely sure, but somehow I doubt he ever worked behind the butter counter at Sainsburys. 

[vegaslover]

Most is not for repeating here, but a few bits & bobs can be mentioned in general terms. He still has a house in Vegas, purchased some 7 years ago.

I was aware of the startling drop in Vegas property prices, but the extend of the fall surprised me. Yikes.


       

I presume he bought just before the crash. Last time I looked prices were a lot more than say 5 years ago

[tikay]

Most is not for repeating here, but a few bits & bobs can be mentioned in general terms. He still has a house in Vegas, purchased some 7 years ago.

I was aware of the startling drop in Vegas property prices, but the extend of the fall surprised me. Yikes.


       

I presume he bought just before the crash. Last time I looked prices were a lot more than say 5 years ago

Yes, he did. As of now, prices have increased by a multiple since they bottomed out, but still not regained their peak by some way.

[Kev B]

A slight change of direction now, & few will be excited or exercised by this, but last night I found myself up in London with half an hour to spare before a function, & so took a little wander around the nearby area, & chanced upon what struck me as, perhaps, the most perfect London street I have ever seen.

Only some 100 to 150 yards in length, but just immaculate, in every way. Beautifully designed & maintained buildings, with perfect scale, a very old church indeed. The road is gated, &, oddly, it has no gully gratings, which struck me as somewhat odd, but the road is on a gentle incline, so rainwater will drain away to the adjacent main roads.

Once I returned home, first job was to consult Mr google, & there I found that this little piece of paradise was called Ely Place, & is, in some way or form, the only privately owned street in (central?) London.

Allegedly, Mr Shakespeare penned his "this sceptre'd Isle" thing as being said in Ely Place.

If you are ever in the Farringdon area, go take a look, it's quite outstanding in every way.


 

Cracking find Tony. What price to live in that gated community?