Alan Fox

This morning I walked directly from my bedroom to the kitchen, started the heat under the frying pan, put a slice of bread in the toaster, took one egg and one slice of Canadian Bacon from the refrigerator, and cooked my breakfast. Then I ate it. Start to finish? Nine minutes.

Success in life is partly based upon your personal efficiency. For example, if you’re driving from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, you will likely not travel by way of Seattle because Seattle is out of your way.

All of this is obvious.

I suggest you think deeply about your own personal efficiency, because the more thought you put into how you use your time the more enjoyment you might have time for in life.

I hope I’ve made my point, because I’m being efficient today, so I’m moving on to my next project – having lunch with my son, Craig – something I very much enjoy.

Alan

I don’t know what you were doing last Saturday morning, but I was busy singing “I’m getting married in the morning” from the musical My Fair Lady.  To be more accurate, I was getting remarried. But now that we have celebrated that happy occasion with family and friends, I can, with a smile, still hum the catchy tune in my head.

Daveen and I were first wed to each other in 1981.  We spent a number of years apart before deciding to try again. Since then, we’ve been happily living together for the past six years.

The wedding was at an outdoor venue, so thank goodness the local weather cooperated, and the heat wave gave us a beautiful respite for the day. I wore the same coat and top hat that I’d worn at our first wedding more than 40 years ago. I’m happy to report that both my body and my head are the same size as they were then. (Though I do wonder how many people would keep a top hat in their closet for almost half a century).

Today Daveen and I enjoyed breakfast together at our favorite morning restaurant which brought back memories of the first time I asked Daveen to marry me. Her reply back then was, “I don’t cook.” Fortunately, that has never been a problem. As a child I learned that if I accompanied my mother to the grocery store, I could shop for and cook whatever food I wanted to eat –  not just the meals my mother made. I still do much of the grocery shopping. My specialty used to be cheese-filled blintzes. But now breakfast most mornings is one egg over easy, toast, and a slice of Canadian Bacon. While it might seem boring, it’s always satisfying and only takes me nine minutes to prepare and eat. (I’m very efficient when it comes to food.)

Today I’m back at my office, working with my team, who are great, and looking forward to married life again. I don’t think it will be much different, except for the added benefit of filing a joint income tax return.

I know.  I know. That doesn’t sound romantic. But what can you expect from a CPA who invests in real estate for a living?

So, I’m sorry, ladies, but I’m off the market. You’ll have to make do with one of the other three or four billion men on the planet.

And gentlemen, although I have the best wife in the world, I’m sure there are plenty of wonderful women still available. And you’ll have no competition from me.

Happy Tuesday to all.

Alan

My dad passed away more than five years ago, and I’ve finally gotten around to realizing that despite our differences he passed on to me many of his core values about hard work and family.

A century ago my dad’s father emigrated from Ukraine. He supported his family as a piece-work tailor in the sweatshops of New York in the early 1900’s.

I suspect that is why my father practiced diligently to become a professional musician by the time he was 18. No sweatshops for my dad, he worked hard to find his niche and master it and while I suspect he wasn’t a great student otherwise, he became an expert at playing the French Horn.

Not only did Dad earn his living from playing—he also wrote a book, “The Essentials of Brass Playing.”  It is still considered one of the best handbooks on brass fundamentals and I believe has been translated into thirteen different languages.

As with other families at that time, ours had certain subjects, such as sex, that we never discussed. That was just understood.  But unlike other families, we did talk about money and investment.  A lot. At one time Dad successfully invested in the stock market, and personally charted the price and volume information from several hundred publicly listed stocks. It took me twenty years, and significant financial losses, to learn that I do not have the talent or the patience that a successful stock investor must have. But what I learned from father about investing and finances has served me very well my entire life.

There are only two areas where I do not share my father’s views — I never spanked my children, though it was a common practice when I was growing up, and I never insisted that my children “finish everything on their plate,” which was undoubtedly Dad’s remnant from the Great Depression of 1929.

Dad, I just want you to know that I share your values, especially keeping the family together. You and Mom had two children, but now have eighteen descendants (eight grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.)

Just like it’s never too late to have a happy childhood, it’s never too late to appreciate your parents and the values lessons they passed on to us.

And for the record, my mother was a Saint.

Alan