A little bit about a Sydney Sunday . . .

It was supposed to rain in Sydney this morning so I got out early thinking that was the best way to get some k's under the belt before the weather turned. Of course the rain never came and I feel a bit cheated that I cut my ride short in anticipation. Anyway today's ride was the reverse of my weekday special, which means the highlight is the segment between Bondi Beach and the Gap. It's definitely easier than the standard direction and given that I was a little disappointed in my segment times. Sometimes it's easy to let your mind wonder and you kind of just get in an easy rhythm instead of mashing out at a higher cadence.

 I guess the main thing is that I enjoyed myself and feel great and ready for the day.

Sydney Fish Markets have grown a lot from the time my dad first took me there at some ungodly early hour on the way back from watching horses do track work at Rosehill Racecourse. In Switzerland I could always get good seafood, but the prices were outrageous. I miss some of the European varieties, but John Dory / St Pierre  is what t is where ever you go and even though you can't get Seabass here you can get the local speed predator king fish, so you adapt a little and all's good.

Living in Sydney means you'll probably be able to finish the northern hemisphere's finest newspapers long before you're friends in Geneva, London and New York see them. I'm not sure it's an advantage but it does mean you get time to digest the news before any catch-up calls with friends.

Trending news this morning is either about the economic compromises needed in the US, the Petraeus saga or the fallout from the child sex scandal at the BBC. It's all fairly muddy. In no particular order:

1. Petraeus: You always get found out. A man in a lesser position could soldier on (no pun intended). As the Director of the CIA how can you run an illicit affair and not be open to some form of blackmail? People having affairs always think they can get away with it and I guess people in power who have affairs are the most arrogant of the lot. Sadly chalk this one up to self-delusion.
2. BBC / Jimmy Saville: The first lesson of risk management is get it all out in the open and neutralize it. You can try like Jamie Dimond at JPM to deny it, cover it up and then blame someone else. Sadly the BBC's top management lack JD's skills or clear scapegoats, therefore go you must. Chalk this up to a lack of moral conviction.
3. US economy: Stay short the stock market for now. The compromises that the POTUS is looking for will drain money, confidence and stability from the system. We won't fall off the fiscal cliff as much as run smack into it.

So that's Sunday. Enjoy it where ever you are. Remember to get out and ride.



Ciao!