Back in My Day

Moving from NY to San Antonio in 1993 was a major lifestyle change for me & my family (my wife, Laurie & our 9 y/o daughter, Heather)… …in, oh, so many ways!!! The “pace” was perceptibly slower down South, which I actually found to be a welcome change after 37 hectic years in the Big…

Back in 1987, when I was running the CitiPhone Unit that served the Brooklyn/Long Island/Staten Island Region of Citi (both its customers as well as the branches), we were enjoying a wildly-successful year. As it turned out, we were experiencing our best performance EVER…in terms of quality, productivity, efficiency, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, staff retention, attendance…

Probably the most fun I’ve ever had on Halloween, especially at work, was back in 1987 when I was with CitiPhone on Long Island. We had an incredibly-talented & (while generally young) experienced group of outstanding people. We were enjoying probably the greatest year of my entire career & more than likely, the greatest year…

I remember the incredibly-uneasy (that’s code for 🤮) feelings I had after the Citi-Travelers merger in the late 1990s. I hated the thought of combining our company with that snake oil salesman, Sandy Weill! I had done considerable research on him & the manner in which he gobbled up, then spit out, different firms along…

Our “C-I-T-I Reunion” Facebook group – -!over 2,000 people strong & still growing – -!has afforded us a wonderful opportunity to reminisce with so many of our great Citi friends. For me personally, I’ve made several new ones as we all share that special common bond! (Bondage?  🤪) People often post stuff on the FB…

The recent infestation of grasshoppers in Las Vegas reminds me of the times when Mother Nature would play games with us here in San Antonio. Every so often, we’d get besieged with butterflies. A few years ago, it was the snout nose butterfly as they migrated from up north into Mexico for the winter. A…

I once went to counseling after my Laurie passed in ’01. To be perfectly honest, I never really believed in it – – FOR ME, that is! I fully understand exactly how helpful & beneficial counseling has been to millions & millions of people in helping them deal with life. Hey, I like liver & onions.…

Once, in early ’07, I went on a 2nd interview with Capital One in New Orleans (for a Director position in their regional retail banking operations center). Yes, they’re more than just credit cards! (Note: Ironically, that’s EXACTLY how most people around the country, especially in San Antonio, felt about Citibank when I relocated here…

It was late September, 1985 when everyone in NYC & on Long Island were bracing for the onslaught of Hurricane Gloria. The Northeast hadn’t been hit with a hurricane in more than a dozen years & as expected, people were pretty frenzied. Gloria was actually a Category 4 hurricane as it made its way northward…

I clearly remember, back in the mid-80s, when Citi decided to move from a 35-hour workweek… 🎶“…working 9 to 5, what a way to make a living…”🎵 …to a 40-hour workweek. But ONLY for those businesses physically located outside the boundaries of New York City!!! Inside the 5 boroughs of NY (Brooklyn, Manhattan, Bronx, Queens…