Thameside

I am in Paris for the night and stay at my usual.  Yes, the Super Investor conference going on with the Good and the Great in the 75008 but I am here to see Astorg and have a few meetings on the side.  What is clear : pessimism in the air : private equity investors look at Europe and think : WTF? The bad times will be good for some and brutal others . Astorg, for her part, viewed as the #1 buyout firm in France and last week ranked 6th globally of all pe firms by HEC-Dow Jones for the vintages covering 1998 to 2007 by performance.

Astorg are dudes who know how to make money and not everybody, most in fact, does. As the founding partner once told me, in broken English: "Astorg a system that allows ze best ideas to reach the top for a decision by ze Investment Committee."

Eitan at the Attack Rugby Festival representing his local primary. He reports that "we won three, lost three, and drew one. We were one point away from reaching the semi-finals. We could have done better."


Madeleine: "Dad, what do you think would happen if we strapped one of your rockets to Rusty with duck tape?"
Me: "Um, I've not thought of that before."
Madeleine: "I bet it would take a lot of his fur off."
Me: "Yes, it probably would."
Pause
Me:  "Don't get any ideas kid."

Me: "Hey, Madeleine, stop doing the dishes and come over here and listen to one of my favorite songs : "Just Like Heaven", by The Cure."
Madeleine: "Okay. . ."
Me: "I used to listen to this in college, you know, on a Friday night by myself thinking about some girl . .."
Madeleine: "Hold Rusty. I want to do 'the worm.'"
Madeleine does 'the worm' on the kitchen floor.

"You
Soft and only
You
Lost and lonely
You
Strange as angels
Dancing in the deepest oceans
Twisting in the water
You're just like a dream "
-"Just Like Heaven" by The Cure