Torstein Tranoy

Hi.  When I started on my entrepreneurial journey in early 2008, I looked at some really cool office space down in Tribeca.  The "incubator space" project was one of an eleven point initiative started by the Bloomberg Administration to help unemployed financial services professionals reinvent themselves.  I spent a couple of really fun hours with the owner of the space on Debrosses Street and he advised me not to sign up until I really knew that I was going to start my own business.  Later on that afternoon I got a call on my cellphone from a European caller.  At first, I thought, "Great.  Here I am unemployed and I am receiving wrong numbers from Europe".  But the caller told me he was actually looking for me.  He was a Norwegian journalist who was writing an article on the Bloomberg program and he was downtown talking to the owner of the Debrosses space who suggested he talk to me.

Torstein Tranoy met me a couple of days later at Bouchon Bakery in the Time Warner Center.  He had a stringer photographer and I felt like a true celebrity as Torstein interviewed me and the photographer snapped dozens of photos.  We had a wonderful time and Torstein was one of the important people who encouraged me to continue on my journey.  He was kind, funny, enthusiastic and extremely interesting.  And shortly thereafter, he sent me the article, complete with my photos, which ran in the Norwegian equivalent of the Financial Times.

I don't know what made me Google him a few days ago.  But I did.  And it was in Wikipedia that I learned that Torstein died very suddenly in September of 2008.  He did not know the many times that I have told the story about receiving his call.  He did not know how much I enjoyed getting to know him although so very brief.

And so, I write about my sadness about the loss of Torstein Tranoy.  Rest in peace, my friend.

It's Raining Cats and Dogs

It was raining cats and dogs in NYC today.  Roads were flooded and it was unusually warm.  Had a near miss on the Henry Hudson.  Huge tree fell on the highway blocking any travel north.  If I had left twenty minutes earlier, I could have been under that tree.  Wow.

It is amazing to me how the world obsesses about Brangelina and the state of their marriage.  After a week of coverage of the poor people in Haiti, we are back to Brangelina and how Elin caught Tiger.  Things never change.

Stuck in the Albuquerque Airport with some Perspective

Hi.  I am sitting in the Albuquerque Airport waiting to see if the next flight out of here is available.  I already tried for one flight.  No luck.  I am confirmed on a flight that is about four hours from now.  Ordinarily I would be frustrated and upset.  But as I sit here comfortable in a seat with my laptop plugged into one of multiple outlets I have my ipod playing with the album from Hope for Haiti Now.  The music is beautiful and the message is extraordinary.  I am well fed, well rested and healthy.  There are relatively clean restrooms in this airport and free wifi.  I am safe.  The weather is good.

So, my perspective is very different than when I have waited endlessly for delayed or cancelled flights in the past.  It really is not that important.  I am blessed.

But when months go by like they did with Katrina and I revert to getting upset about meaningless things, I know that my perspective will revert back again.

Boyfriend?

Hi.  It is Saturday and I was just thinking about how weird it is to call my "boyfriend" of almost 16 years a "boyfriend".  He certainly is not a boy, although he frequently acts like one.  And "significant other" makes my skin crawl.  Whoever thought of that one should be proud it became a standard but must be laughing away all these years.  Can't call him "my old man" because he is not my Dad, although once again he often acts like that and the word "old" has other connotations that he does not like.  I am stumped.  I once heard someone use the term "pseudo spouse".  Not a winner for me.  Anybody have any ideas?

Manfriend - awful
Partner - not really

Hmm.

A little more about me and my blog

In October, 2008 I and many of my remaining colleagues at Lehman Brothers (then Barclays) lost our jobs.  As a typical Boomer I have always been a workaholic and an overachiever and have found prior jobs through referrals, including my more than 11 year position at Lehman.  The world has changed dramatically for me and my daughter in both bad and good ways.  Who would have thought I would be writing a blog??

For me, the past fifteen months have been filled with adventures.  I am writing this blog to share those adventures and to provide and receive support from my fellow Boomers who have lost jobs, are dealing with the health issues of their parents, have boomerang children returning home and who really do believe that 60 is the new 40 (or in my case even younger).

I hope you read my blog and comment often.  Have a great day, Boomers!!