Lone Sloane

space traveler © 2026 respective owners

[thewul]

PDF Host read free online - HUGO BOSS, The Banker -

And we are done, all 9 chapters so far, with some minor edits

So from now on 3 chapters that are all uncharted territory, for which we have some ideas

These things become easier to complete when you put the bulk of it behind you which we did

Thank you for having followed the redaction of The Banker, our 7th HUGO BOSS novel

[thewul]

The Banker

An office with a view

Philippe Winter arrived early for his meeting and sat a bench in Bryant Parks between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and 40th and 42nd Streets, also known as Midtown Central Park, contemplating the newly built 1BN Dollars Bank of America Tower, 55 storeys and 1,200 ft tall for a 2.44 million square foot area, by Architects Cookfox and interiors by Gensler

With its crystalline form de multiplying its facets where it could have been monolithic, BoA's tower stood out boldly against the surrounding developments, over the two upper thirds of its height the corners were splayed slightly inwards, making its volume appear lighter and more profiled extending the visual axes from the interior, which would normally be restricted by the typical block grid of New York

Tilting the facade slightly towards the sky meant more daylight entered the offices, the rectangular, seven storey plinth structure with extensive spaces was reserved for traders who occupied the entire area of the block, while new subway exits and a public garden diagonally opposite Bryant Park as an extension of it created many links to surrounding urban spaces

After the Empire State Building at the time it was the second highest skyscraper in New York, standing almost alike a shard of glass or a crystal piercing from the ground with an all glass facade and slanted faces, iconic by all accounts, and symbolizing many things for a bank that aspired not just at national recognition, but to be perceived as one of the largest banks in the world, which it hadn't always been but became through a string of mergers and acquisitions spanning continental U.S.A

[thewul]

On to the tower's description, we have formatted this new chapter already

[thewul]

And... we have it refined to 2180 words, next we can flesh out BoA description a bit more, and update the ebook, so closing all loops today

[thewul]

Chapter IX, Gang of Five

A bag of chips

You had a gang in school before Trinity didn't you? Who told you? Someone who knew you well They're not too many And it's on purpose? If too many people say they know you well it's because of two things, either you're a crook or a church pastor So you did It wasn't much but it opened my eyes On what exactly? You can play by everyone's book and lose Or? Make your own rules and win That comes at a cost doesn't it? There is no greater cost than putting up with things You've been bullied at school, why you formed a gang I've been told Just once, see if it happens to you once it's what life is, if you let it happen to you twice that's on you And it stayed, became way of being from what I can tell For better or worse we are the choices we make Do you mean we can't change? That too is a choice Trinity was another world almost for you Oh yes, those theater classes really saved the day How What do you have in theater classes Roles, role play, repetitions, improvisations, acts And you could be anyone you wanted So you became a banker You can't tell So Bank of America was your big act It's many acts and still playing

Ridgewood High, in the evening

Hey Winter let me see that potato chip bag What? No way Not sharing the wealth? Give me that! Give it back Nolan! In your dreams Winter, now if you don't bring me a bag like this one every other day am gonna beat your ass up when school is out

Later on

Philippe what happened to you, your shirt is thorn out I don't want to talk about it Yes you do, someone did this to you? A crazy guy at a bus stop I told you never to get near those crack heads! I told you! Okay okay it won't happen again

Handle your own, rule number one, although gang was maybe a big name for five 12 years olds and a kid that was 10, Axel's brother, we just didn't want to be bullied by other kids, but in life in general, rule number two if you can't handle it on your own don't say it

Life has a tendency to throw things at you, and you can't always run for cover, maybe even if you do it once that's all you'll end up doing, somehow you keep that thin shell for life

If you keep repeating it without fixing it that's all you'll get, if someone fixes it for you than you're just bringing your own troubles and putting them on someone's else's plate, nevermind if it's your parent we all have stuff to deal with

If you still find the means to enjoy your childhood while taking care of your own good for you, if you don't that's also life, if you cannot relate to any of this it's because you and I have very different stories, mine is made of growing poor in a broken New Jersey suburb, 80's recession and drugs epidemics in New York you know that part, losing my father at an age where the fact he died a hero only made sense much later in life, and definitely of what would have been a career in teenage crime if there wasn't the Trinity scholarship miracle

So you may say I failed at being a gangster, but I got to learn the ropes quick, taking no shit from no one, you hit us once we hit you twice and so on

Now in retrospect I don't think anyone of us knew what a gang was, a white kid, that was myself, two Vietnamese American that was Axel and his brother, Easton, a fat black kid, and Isaiah a skinny Jewish kid with round glasses who seemed to float in his clothes and would later become the brains of the organization

I was still the leader, I mean it was my idea to have each other's back at school, as each of us was picked on every now and then, but we didn't have the muscle, it's Isaiah who figured out we could buy that, for soda pops, bags of chips, baseball caps, a pair of jeans, you name it

And soon enough we started bullying the bullies, although it came with payoffs to about a dozen other kids who were only too happy to have extra stuff just for showing up and roughing some feathers every now and then

Baseball caps and tickets to the games that was on me, my old man's best friend worked at the Yankee stadium and I could have as many of those as I wanted even when he passed and maybe more because he did, Easton's father worked in jeans retail he could have all of those that didn't pass inspection, Axel and his brother worked the crowds, Isaiah kept the books, we had something

Kids came to us they wanted in, we went from the measly week into the untouchables, the thing had kind of snowballed, enough to bring us to the attention of the school's board, as the gang of five, the wiseguys who traded comics books, Marvel, Spiderman if you're into the stuff that provided a fantastic escape from the projects, and above all we felt we were more, more in life than to be robbed of our bags of chips

But you have to believe in yourself, no one will give you that, and when you do you have to believe in others, because no one can take that away

Six of Diamonds

Six of Diamonds this morning while having coffee, on a box of glasses I never paid attention to, lucky money now out of the blue, I remembered the King of Diamonds at the coffee place, same suite

I guess they go in pairs, action and retribution, I felt I was badly in need of a break, but the usual seat at the coffee table had been robbed from me, this card came on its own, didn't even have to take a walk to get it

Sometimes often we wait for things, or we seek them here and there, almost forgetful of how all meaningful things come of their own, not that we do not have to pursue them, but very much they come in their own due time, not sooner or later and only when it makes sense

One of the hard earned truths of life is we are not to say when things happen, and it is almost always when impatience had run out that the cards of life play themselves, as much a work of cunning as patience, card games, and the deck of cards that is life itself

The other hard earned truth of life is all hard earned truths, the ones that matter, are well hard earned, you can start life by being dumb but it doesn't mean that's where you end, eventually feathers grow back and you have something

I never truly felt the need to prove myself and so I didn't, or only to myself, and I have met many people who resented me for it, not knowing I didn't share their resentment, being content with your lot is the greatest gift in life, and those who don't know it are often the first to reproach others, for not sharing the collective guilt of being in the shoes next to those of John Gadsby

Black coffee, no sugar, well life has taken the sugar off me I guess, I do fancy myself as sugar coated every now and then, even sprinkled with glitter, just like John

The things he had no use for every time since I first saw him at Hugo Boss Marrakech Ryadh during my first novel, looking visibly younger than his age and shrouded with the careless glory of youth, I wondered what was his secret

I suspected behind the appearances were more somber things which he had inevitably overcome, as if all the rest, the money, the looks, the success, the women, was dues getting paid

But what I couldn't explain to myself is how he considered him as mere occurrences of life the things anyone would have done anything for, as if he was in all more interested in knowing the person he had in front of him and knowing life, not like most of all of us would consider knowing life but knowing its difficulty same as its ease

And staying whole that is the thing, or maybe he had been shattered more than once, had splintered of anything that wasn't his true self

The other time I saw him at La Mamounia Casino playing Black Jack, with quite a crowd around this table, he won with ease and he lost with style, the things which applied to everyone else didn't seem to apply to him, and we may argue his vast wealth provided him that life, but no, he was the same painter making a living for himself by painting the scenes of Casablanca's Medina

I had begun piercing the veils of a multifaceted existence, and different personas in different parts of the world, the people he could afford to be, that he sometimes suffered to be in the slums of New Delhi, as so many lives he pieced together as one, not content with having a single life, not content with being a single person, which he still was behind his characters, for I haven't found another word to describe them

Why, why not would be the unfounded light headed answer, we can only understand why if we could fathom, which we can't, his drive or even obsession at knowing life, of being not just another of its stories but many of them put together, and winning life's favor, at his own risks, beyond what we unfailingly consider as reasonable

He would be the man who abandoned the life of a New York heir and magnate to pursue the meanings of existence in a life of hard labor, for what outcome we do not know, what was his business of changing a life for another when all we know is clinging, hopefully, desperately, to what we have

Block C2

40 years later

Time had passed, but the projects had stayed the same, the worst had passed, but they still managed to remain as shabby as they had always been, maybe even since they were built, maybe they were meant to be that from the day fresh paint had expired

Emily had woken up at 5AM, just in time to make breakfast for her kid and hitch the commuter train to the coffee place where she worked as a waitress, only returning after long shifts to get her child from daycare and pursue her passion for journalism during online courses

She worked all week, rested on a rotating day of the week, and worked overtime for the remainder of her days off, and through it she was many contradictions in one person, an avid listener who answered in few sharp words, with a big heart yet blunt when confronted by anyone, who had learned to stand her ground from very young in life in the concrete jungle New York also was about, where being smart and tough was not a hobby but a way of life

Many visitors of the city didn't suspect this city could even be harsher for women, something other women knew for a fact life for them was more challenging, but being a single woman in New York epitomized feminine independence and the will to achieve in life, and still with all of her toughness and resolve, if it wasn't for the low rent unit she had been granted Emily wouldn't have been able to part of the city she loved more than anywhere else

It wasn't history repeating itself, as much as life in New York with its ups and downs but never easy for anyone writing its own rules, yes you could make it, many did, and many also failed, getting by as a single working mother with the cost of living, of groceries, of daycare, was here in one of the most expensive cities of the world an achievement

But still if you asked anyone born and raised in New York, or it's immediate New Jersey extension, they wouldn't change it for anything else, and for most it is all they knew

The Statue of Liberty stood in the Hudson estuary, the liberty to which others came and which they had to earn, making New Yorkers resent even a couple of weeks away from the city, that had a certain vibe, a certain electricity in the air, which was made of a sheer diversity of people from all over the world, and maybe prided itself as its capital for having succeeded through the years at the unlikely exercise of still being home to all New Yorkers

[thewul]

Ok so nevermind we skipped on 2 goals, tomorrow we have to round that up, no loose ends, writing is many things, and it teaches you discipline, to order your thoughts, it's a fascinating occupation past the famed and daunting white page where at first your keep telling yourself it can be anything I want it can be anything I want, and learning later on that it won't be anything you want but anything you can be, thank you for having followed

[thewul]

It works very well, it sets the stage for Chapter XII, and we couldn't have that necessary part anywhere else in the novel, because what is a novel, you point to a direction and you take the longer road

[thewul]

466 words and we have Chapter IX, Gang of Five as a rough draft, that is minus SlickWrite and minus our ctrl+f "That" trick, which consistently have made our chapters sleeker

[thewul]

I think I have an idea for those 400 plus words

[thewul]

So we have succeeded at the goal of redacting and failed at those 3 other goals, which counts as a win, friend word counts is all what matters in writing a novel, you're redacting you're winning, you're not redacting you're losing, it's a simple zero sum arithmetic game doesn't require deep thinking or philosophy

[thewul]

Hmm no we can't mess with the tone of the novel, we can't having made it thus far take a gamble, so we will have to complete Chapter IX otherwise

[thewul]

This contactless payment card can be yours for a price, anyone who receives it can use it to a specified amount, no less than 100K Dollars

It's valid for everything except at the Casino's bank

Platinum plated lettering is a nice touch

It's one of ADT's products, high rollers, celebrities, and anyone who can afford it, for Waldorf Astoria it's a 100K USD sale, nevermind how it's spent

It could be restaurants, drinks, jewelry really anything

It could be the second hand Ferrari of the day that's a bargain

The Casino puts luxury cars on display, new, second hand in mint condition, of all kinds

It exists elsewhere, prepaid card, maybe it is the range of things you can buy with it, Hostesses present you Hawaii vacations for 2 on tablets for different budgets, amongst the deals that the Casino makes for its Online Boutique

It's a robust fidelity program

Not your run of the mill technological solution, possibly it has 2 chips with different encryption algorithms, on top of the validation chip and its 64 bit key, which has a cost but allows for basically unlimited deposits

Capped at 100M Dollars

[thewul]

We said this case study will explore this project visually, the philharmonic part was not so much unexpected as it had to be there with the rest, on then to the unexpected part

[thewul]

Nottingham Philharmonic Orchestra

The stage is organized as a rhombus that has a 50 length by 25ft width rectangle in its middle above and below the length of the center rectangle are 2 equilateral triangles of 50 ft sides, can you propose an arrangement for a philharmonic orchestra

An elegant and acoustically sound arrangement for this unique 3,415 sq. ft. rhombus stage is a modified American seating style, placing the conductor at the bottom point of the forward triangle to maximize sound projection toward the audience.

Geometric Orientation

To make this work, the stage must be oriented so that one equilateral triangle points forward toward the audience, acting as the front of the stage, while the opposite triangle points backward to serve as the upstage apex. The central 50x25 ft rectangle connects them horizontally.

Orchestral Seating Layout

1. Downstage Apex (Front Triangle - Pointing to Audience)

Conductor & Podiums: Positioned at the very front tip of the triangle.

First Violins: Arranged along the left diagonal edge of the front triangle, fanning backward.

Seconds Violins: Placed immediately behind the First Violins on the left.

Cellos: Positioned along the right diagonal edge of the front triangle, mirroring the First Violins.

Violas: Seated in the center-right wedge, directly between the Cellos and Second Violins.

2. Midstage Core (The 50' x 25' Center Rectangle)

Woodwinds (Row 1): Flutes and Oboes seated in a straight horizontal line directly behind the Violas and Second Violins.

Woodwinds (Row 2): Clarinets and Bassoons positioned immediately behind Row 1.

French Horns: Seated on the far-left side of the rectangle, anchoring the left wing.

Double Basses: Placed on the far-right side of the rectangle, stacked vertically behind the Cellos to anchor the low frequencies.

3. Upstage Apex (Back Triangle - Pointing Away)

Brass: Trumpets, Trombones, and Tuba arranged in a horizontal arc spanning across the widest baseline of the back triangle.

Percussion: Positioned deeply into the left rear slope of the back triangle.

Timpani: Positioned prominently at the dead-center rear apex of the triangle for structural rhythmic projection.

Harp & Keyboard: Tucked safely into the right rear slope of the back triangle.

Operational and Acoustic Impacts

Sightlines: The tapering triangles naturally slope the musicians into a wedge shape. This ensures every player has a direct line of sight to the conductor without excessively tiered risers.

Acoustic Focus: Tucking the brass and heavy percussion deep into the rear triangle apex acts as a natural megaphone. It focuses their high-volume sound forward without drowning out the strings in the wider middle section.

Logistics Warning: The far-left and far-right corners where the rectangle meets the triangles will narrow sharply. Use these specific 25-foot corner points for instrument storage cases or emergency walkways rather than seating musicians.

Would you like advice on choosing a specific riser configuration or tiering layout to ensure the brass players can clearly see over the woodwinds?

Yes definitely

To ensure proper sightlines and acoustic balance on this unique rhombus stage, a curved, three-tiered riser system is ideal for the back half of the orchestra.

Because the stage narrows sharply at the rear apex, the risers must shrink in width as they step upward.

The Riser Layout

Floor Level (No Risers): Strings (Violins, Violas, Cellos) and the conductor sit flat on the stage floor in the front triangle.

Tier 1 (8-Inch Elevation): Woodwinds sit on this first step, spanning across the center 50' x 25' rectangle.

Tier 2 (16-Inch Elevation): French horns (left) and Double Basses (right) occupy the outer edges, while the Trumpets and Trombones take the center, pushing into the base of the rear triangle.

Tier 3 (24-Inch Elevation): Timpani sits at the highest point in the very back apex, flanked by Percussion on the left and Harps/Keyboards on the right.

Important Structural Guardrails

Riser Depth: Ensure every riser row is at least 4 feet deep to safely accommodate chairs, music stands, and instrument feet.

Percussion Safety: The percussion tier needs heavy-duty, reinforced risers to handle the weight and vibration of marimbas and bass drums.

Acoustic Shields: Because the rear apex elevates the loud brass and percussion, place clear polycarbonate acoustic shields directly in front of the brass row to protect the hearing of the woodwind players sitting just below them.

Thank you for having followed

[thewul]

It would have been a shame if we didn't really

[thewul]

And so what we are going to see here is how our scene folds out to the back, and again to the front, while the front section results in less seats that is the compromise we have to make to dispose of 1x 1082 sqf and again 1x 1082 sqf for a total of 3414 sqf including the initial 1250 sqf scene

Which can perfectly host a full philharmonic orchestra, making this theater on par with others of the same seating capacity, in New York and elsewhere in the world

Is 3414 sqf enough to host a full philharmonic orchestra, for the orchestra alone effectively

Based on that configuration, 3,414 square feet is an ideal size and will comfortably accommodate a full 100-piece philharmonic orchestra.

Space Breakdown

Musicians & Chairs: ~1,500 sq. ft.

Large Instruments: ~800 sq. ft. (Percussion, harps, double basses)

Conductor & Podiums: ~200 sq. ft.

Clearance & Aisles: ~914 sq. ft. (Safe movement and backstage access)

Crucial Stage Dimensions

While the total square footage is excellent, the physical shape of the stage determines if the orchestra can actually perform:

Ideal Width: 60 to 70 feet.

Ideal Depth: 45 to 55 feet.

The Risk: If your stage is too narrow (e.g., under 40 feet wide) or too shallow, musicians will be cramped, and sound projection will suffer.

So we do not have the 60ft ideal width, but we are not under 40ft width either, we sit at 50ft

Depth wise we are better at 75ft

Key takes, the orchestra is organized slightly differently and more along the depth of the scene

But we have it

[thewul]

That our 50x25ft our theater scene should be enough for most venues but nowhere enough to host a philharmonic orchestra is the question that we have to resolve next, so unexpected all of it yet it is simply not conceivable that a theater of this capacity cannot accommodate such an orchestra while others can