La Casa Nostra: An Introduction

The following is an excerpt from my upcoming essay (and potential new book, “La Casa Nostra”). I have over 12,000 more words to release in the La Casa Nostra series. If you like this excerpt, please share it on your social networks. Note, the names of some individuals may have been changed to protect their identity…That’s how it goes in LCN.

I’m dressed the part. Black button down shirt. Blue jeans. Allbirds on my feet. Nothing that screams attention. Yet at the same time I don’t look out of place. That’s exactly how I want it.

For most in midtown Manhattan, it’s quitting time. The markets have closed. Once upon a time this would be considered rush hour and a frenzied descent of humanity would spill out from skyscrapers onto the city streets. A generation ago that crescendo was at 5pm, more recently it happened at 6pm. Then along came COVID. There’s no longer a manic mad dash to the exits. Now, it’s a scattering of souls.

Not that it matters when people leave their offices. The work day doesn’t really end anymore. It’s a 24/7 world. Forget WFH (work from home). It’s now WFE (work from everywhere). Office. Home. Subway. Street. Toilet. It’s all basically the same.

My job is one of those that can’t be completed in the computing cloud. It requires face time; the real kind. And that’s why I find myself standing on a…