Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Casey Serin in Seattle

I've had these photos for a while, and I figured I would post them up here at some point.  This is for the sake of the cult of Casey Serin hagiographers and historians, who may document this for future generations yet unborn.

I have the dubious honor of being perhaps the last person to see Casey alive before he returned to Sacramento to face the music last summer.  When I heard that he was returning from Australia via Seattle, I contacted him to ask if he had time for breakfast or lunch, my treat.

On the morning of July 4, I picked him up in West Seattle, where he was staying with an investor contact of his (whom I did not meet).  I would have offered him my couch, but my wife shot that one down.  Even though we had both read his blog religiously from the very beginning, she was disturbed by having a semi-stranger stay with us.  OK.

I took him to Lowell's in the Market and bought him breakfast.  The Athenian was closed for the holiday.  He ordered a Dungeness crab omelette and some green tea.  I felt bad that I forgot to bring him a coupon we clipped for a free 12 oz juice smoothie at Jamba Juice.  I meant to help him out with that one, sorry, Casey.

It was a little spooky, like spending time with a man on Death Row.  He was going home, to family and financial turmoil, which we both knew was grim.  I didn't bust his castinets at all, my plan was to give him the hospitality due strangers, for the sake of meeting a 'net celebrity.  We talked about tech startups and how the RE bubble would wind down (me: apocalyptic, of course).  Aside from the foreclosures, and the obvious fraud, and his various other known sins, he's not a bad guy, really.

I dropped him off at SEA-TAC, where he somehow got his hands on a rental car and headed to Oregon and Sacramento.  I made sure to photograph him with my "hoopty", my loyal 18-year old BMW ragtop.  She was enjoying the July sun that day.

Casey, if you're reading this, I have to commend you for appearance on the "Dr. Phil" show, and for not breaking down.  That is the whole point of these shows, the lurid displays of pathos and maudlin personal confessions.  Dr. Phil beat you down -- of course -- and you took it like a man, no tears.  Good work, sir, you're on the mend.

9 comments:

Casey Serin said...

Thanks again for letting me mooch off you! I'm still hard at work, napping on my parents' couch every day until noon. Mommy and Daddy pay for all my expenses. It's sweet!!

Galina and I finalized the divorce last month, and now I play for the other team, if you get my drift. It's all good...

christiangustafson said...

Anytime, Casey, anytime! We're cheering for you like the crowds on the overpasses were for O.J.

It was especially touching how you ordered the most expensive item on the menu once I reminded you that you were my guest.

What a perfect moment.

Lou Minatti said...

OMFG.

Anonymous said...

I stumbed across your blog, and once I was there I stumbled across this thread. Who is "casey serin" and why should I care? Yeah, I know there is a nine-volume treatise out there, but could you spit it out at me in 100 words or less so I decide whether I want to spend any more time on it?

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Belay (cancel) that last request. I clicked a few more times and saw the story in digestible form. casey is a common scumbag. Unfortunately, the system was set up to enable him

Unknown said...

FYI there's a 3-bldg. townhouse development near 156th Ave SE & SE 11th St. in Bellevue that looks about 50% finished & abandoned. I've seen no work on it for a month. It's also right next to the Lake Hills Greenbelt, which is swampy; the units couldn't be more than a few inches above the water table. You might wanna take some pix for your blog.

Unknown said...

Sean,
That would require Christain to come down off his high horse and go to the Eastside.
Highly unlikely.

Disappointed in U.S. said...

The funny thing about this dude's story is that if he had gotten into "specu-vesting" on houses two years earlier he'd probably have been rich (if he knew when to cash in). Thus is life in a bubble economy. We need a real economy like the grown-up countries. Check this out, great plan to create jobs, lower fuel costs and lower the deficit:

www.AmericansForJobsAndEnergy.org

But we will probably just end up with another silly bubble.

JohnDiddler said...

you out-offered me! i offered drinks. he doesn't drink. here you're setting him up with Real Food!

with those specs, you shoulda set him up in some classic Kurt Cobain poses.