Street to Road and Cassowary… A Girl Searching for Relevance by Romulo Perez-Segnini

Street to Road; Triumphs and Struggles of an OTR Trucker After a Lifetime in Finance

Book Synopsis

What is a former Wall Street Managing Director doing behind the wheel of a big rig crisscrossing the country for 400,000 miles in three years?

This story offers a unique look at two contrasting realities: the opulence of Wall Street versus the harsh blue-collar life of the trucking world. The narrative spans decades, blending humorous anecdotes and poignant stories. It recounts the journey from college in South America to suburban New York City and then to life on the road.

Romulo’s father, a prominent Venezuelan politician and ambassador who served 20 years in seven countries, shaped his character. This memoir covers many topics: the embassy life, golf, underwater adventures, triathlons, wealth, struggles, and much more. There are reflections on parenting, watching his children compete in sports from a young age through college. Then, like sand slipping through fingers, his finances and marriage crumbled until there was no more.

Stories traversing 30 states showcase America’s diverse natural beauty—snow-peaked mountain tops, sparkling turquoise lakes, and vast, open plains. Nashville’s bubbling night life with live music joints side by side. The majestic images of Mt. Rushmore and the impressive fountains of Sin City’s Bellagio Hotel & Casino, as seen in the movie Ocean’s Eleven. There are frequent, relaxed inclusions of movie, song, and book references, reinforcing the narrative in a more colorful way.

Louisiana is renowned for their Cajun seasoning, and Texas for their steaks. New York has heroes and bagels, while Indiana has hoagies and Philadelphia is famous for their cheesesteak sandwiches. The Southern states compete for the most mouthwatering BBQ. America’s cuisine is as diverse as its people. It’s a culinary journey of Michelin restaurants, diners, and easy-to-follow personal recipes.

High commissions and heated arguments, ringing with foul language, fuel the frenetic energy of a trading floor—a whirlwind of activity punctuated by jovial moments to lower the tension. Life on the road brings its share of friction and heated disagreements, but mostly it’s full of the fun-loving spirit of the supply chain workers.

Wall Street and the trucking industry are not one-size-fits-all workplaces. A wide spectrum of people, from high school dropouts to those holding PhDs, make up both groups. There are huge disparities among the characters that are the backbone of the U.S. economy, the bankers and the life insurance agents, but all seemliness interact well among themselves.

Music, podcasts, audiobooks, and other distractions help the trucker stay focused on the road for 10 hours or more. These long hours of mindless driving are an opportunity for self-reflection that was the inspiration for this book. Truckers see countless accidents, some tragically fatal, leaving a sobering impact, like losing friends too soon. There are wind farms, solar farms, or traditional cattle ranches.

The cornfields of Iowa and other Corn Belt states create a vast, undulating landscape of green, the stalks swaying in the wind like waves on the Caribbean Sea, a sight reminiscent of the ocean view from a cruise ship. Sunsets and sunrises put in perspective the diminutive importance of whatever troubles we face. Memories of past relationships surface, like lines from a novel, while driving through the peaceful countryside. Skyscrapers distinguish the major metropolis from smaller towns, whose routines seem stuck in a bygone era.

This is a story of perseverance in the face of adversity. Professional commercial drivers face grueling workdays. Complex DOT regulations govern their jobs, affecting their activities. The book addresses FINRA’s requirements for Wall Street employment and challenges faced by life insurance agents. It is not a Trucker’s Manual or a Guide for Financial Prosperity. It’s a puzzle.

The book questions the traditional metrics of success. It focuses on the immeasurable value of emotional fulfillment nurtured by a father’s unwavering devotion to his kids.

Cassowary… A Girl Searching for Relevance By Romulo Perez-Segnini

Book Synopsis

Cassey had a distinguished military career, serving her country honorably for six years. She is a hardcore patriot, like most Texans, but it came out of necessity rather than a long-ago dream or desire.

She is a child of promiscuous high school seniors, who quickly married and eventually divorced. The mom remarried and started another family, to which Cassey was foreign. The dad worked long hours and was on the road for weeks, though he was very close to her. Despite all that, Cassey was a typical teenager who worried about what party to attend, who was going to be there, and who would not be.

She had dreams, but she just was not sure what they were and where she would end up. Being part of the elite Special Forces Unit and facing life-or-death situations in remote parts of the world was not what she had expected, but that’s where she found herself. Her world collapsed after a botched robbery killed her father when she was 15.

The army was a way to pay for college, as her stepfather refused, and she needed a powerful support group to help with her grief. After her father’s passing, she spent a lot of her free time at her uncle’s ranch, where she perfected her marksmanship. She loved to run, and that was another relief valve, so her endurance was top-notch. That and her tenacity caught the attention of the Special Forces Unit colonel. Being a woman was an asset as she would play a pivotal role in covert operations.

Civilian life was a harsh contrast, and she found herself unable to adapt after the fact. College kids wanted to party and get drunk. She had seen close friends die in the field of battle, so she could not relate. Her love life was a rollercoaster of losers.

As life continued its course and she went from one thing to another, there was one constant. She kept seeing all-terrain SUVs with two to four individuals at the most inopportune moments. I mean, who doesn’t own an SUV nowadays, but these were different. They were Humvees, elevated-suspension Jeeps, wide-tire Explorers, and others. They had a military feel to them.

Was there something in Cassey’s past that had brought attention to her, or was she just being paranoid? Soon, those worlds would collide, leaving many casualties in their wake and Cassey as confused as ever.