The Problem Being Gary Gary has become one of my great friends and advisors over the past four years. Let me describe who he is. Gary is tall and lean with a head full of white hair and the look of an aging Tommy Hilfiger model. In fact, if Tommy Hilfiger decided to launch a line of cool senior wear, I would submit Gary’s picture for consideration as a model. He looks like he would…
Candice the Magnificent Candice is an old friend of Kim’s and she has become a friend of mine as well. She is a retired school teacher who gets more out of life than any five people you can mention. I like that about Candice since I tend to believe that life is way too short to approach it timidly. I like Candice’s moxie and zest for life. The Urban Dictionary says of the name Candice,…
The Luck of the Irish Every year or two my wife and I rent a villa, chateaux or manor house for two weeks. These have been mostly in Europe or Mexico and are intended as a way to offer our extended family and friends a way to enjoy some time in foreign lands at minimal cost. I figure we can do this for two weeks more or less for the price of a high-end suite…
Ooooklahoma! I am going tonight to see the new Broadway production of Oklahoma! that is getting rave reviews. It reminds me of the importance of recognizing and counting my blessings. I am very focused on doing that in my life because I think it is the basis for happiness. If you can see the good things you have going for you in life, I think you have a better chance of getting enjoyment from them…
The Ida Lupino Effect For some reason, an obscure movie that starred Ida Lupino has had a lasting effect on me. The movie is called Women’s Prison and was released in 1955. It tells the story of a brutal women’s maximum-security prison where the guards are charged with being more brutal than the inmates. A young woman reporter named Brenda arranges to go to prison on fake charges to investigate the accusations of guard abuse. …
Sally & Jane Human tragedy takes all forms. Every time you hear a sad story you hear an even sadder one. My old pal Dave is such a story. Dave was not a regular guy in college, he was a superstar. Everything about him screamed success. He had his pick of the girls on campus and he went on to have his pick of the companies he could go work for. We all wanted to…
The Potential of Those Around Us Carly Fiorina is out with a new book and I heard her say something like this during an interview. This is a grand statement that is intended to be very positive. I know how to draw conclusion about my potential, but for those around me the best I can do is assume the best. The question is whether that is a wise thing to do or a not. I…
Sprintered There seems to be a new phenomenon that I missed seeing coming until now. A colleague explained that he was being picked up for a meeting in some heavyweight’s newest toy, a commuter Sprinter van. The Sprinter is a van that has a higher profile and comes in several lengths. It is made by Mercedes, so it is the top of the line van. I have done some online research and I now see…
Diminishing Returns Marvin had been a killer economics student. He had been an engineer who transferred into economics the moment he had finished hearing his fist macroeconomic lecture. He had not gone to one of those progressive high schools that offered courses that went beyond the basic reading, writing and arithmetic courses offered in every high school in the country. None of this Advanced Placement curriculum nonsense. And certainly nothing approximating an economics course. Given…
The Importance of Lunch James was a breakfast guy. He always felt hungry in the morning because he tended not to eat much in the evening after a relatively early dinner. It may have had something to do with his mother drilling into him at an early age that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. No matter, he liked a generous breakfast usually with something savory and a little something sweet. In…