Book Review - A Gift to My Children

OK, so I'm a Sellout.  But hey, Free Book!

I've been asked to write a review for A Gift to My Children: A Father's Lessons for Life and Investing.

When I was asked to do so, I was a bit intimidated.  As the Author of Daddy I Want, I write predominantly humorous accounts of my own ineptitude as a Father and Husband.  Jim Rogers, on the other hand, provides solid advice on how his daughters can grow both their wealth and their characters.

I am somewhat behind the curve.

I know zilch about Investing.  I dabbled in tech stocks before the Dot.Com went Dot.Bust.  By then, I was as lost as everyone else on the planet who bought IPO's of companies they'd never heard of and drooled over 3 for 1 stock splits.

I pulled what was left of my money from the market and invested in tangible things, like Dining Out and stocking the Wine Cellar.

I had doubts about reading the book as well.  I didn't think I'd like it.  But I did.  A Lot.

I can honestly say that when I reached the end, I wanted to learn more.  And not just about the Chinese economy.  The wisdom he imparts on his young daughters may seem like Common Sense, but as Voltaire wrote - "Common Sense is not so Common."

He encourages his daughters to question everything.  Conventional Wisdom reflects the past, and Truth lies in analyzing the present.  The Future cannot be predicted, but History and its context with Current Events can make predictions quite reliable.

Jim Rogers is a Cowboy.  He is a Rogue.  He ran left when others ran right.  He's motorcycled around the world earning Fortune and Fame.  And now that he's retired at the ripe old age of 37!, his higher calling of raising two daughters.

Again, you can't predict the Future, but I wouldn't bet against these young girls.

They are going to be armed to the teeth.

Now if only I had a little money to invest in the Chinese economy.

New Years Eve - Take 2

As always - The Cast of Characters

Me (The Daddy)
The Bean: Age 8
The Butterfly: Age 6
The Darling Wife

OK, so now I'm officially old.


For the first time in recent memory, the DW and I had no New Years Eve plans.  Our typical festivities generally involved going to our friends Mountain House, drinking a lot of bubbly, and making big explosions with Contraband Fireworks in his driveway.


This wasn't on the table this year.

Instead, we had no plans.  Thus, we attempted to make the best of it.


The Bean and The Butterfly made pizzas.  They kneaded the dough, glopped pizza sauce, and covered it in cheese.  They make a mean pizza.

OK, they make horrible pizzas, but they like them all the same.  Or at least, pretend to.


I try to make Omaha Steaks.  I mess these up pretty bad.  Apparently, you're supposed to thaw them first.


I also try to make Omaha Steaks' Potatoes Au Gratin.  Apparently, you're not supposed to thaw these.


The DW and I open Big Time Wine.  A 15-year-old Napa Cabernet.  The DW turns her nose up.  


We watch a movie with the kids - Shrek XVII, I think.


When it's time for the ball to drop, The Bean and The Butterfly are screaming.  At each other.


The DW makes us watch the Times Square Ball drop on Fox News.  This I cannot explain.


The Bean is in hysterics.  As the time winds down, she has locked herself in the pantry, desperately trying to find party hats.  She emerges, finally, with leftover Tinkerbell hats from one of her birthday parties.


I snap one on.  


We have TIVO'd the ball coming down, so The Bean and The Butterfly shout Happy New Year at around 12:07.


The DW misses this.  She is fast asleep.

Bean Day

As always - The Cast of Characters

Me (The Daddy)
The Bean: Age 8!
The Butterfly: Age 6
The Darling Wife

OK - I'm back.  Sorry for the delay, holidays and all.


8 years ago on Christmas Day, the DW and I had agreed to host Christmas dinner.  This was no small undertaking for us, considering that both sides of our family along with aunts, uncles, and sundry friends would be in attendance.

And the fact our house could probably qualify for Government Aid as a National Disaster Area.



But somehow, we had the house and the cookin' ready with a couple of hours to spare.


So, we decided to have a talk.


Did I mention that the DW was 7 months pregnant at the time?


Would she go back to work after The Bean was born?  Would I try and get a job that didn't send me all over the world for extended periods?  Could we even afford a baby?


These questions were left, predicatively, unanswered.  Guests arrived.  Pleasantries exchanged.  Meals served.


The DW was feeling sick.  Probably something I cooked.


She went to lie down.


Did I mention that the DW was 7 months pregnant at the time?


She didn't just lie down, of course.  She went into labor.  On Christmas Night.


An emergency C-Section was performed on the next day and the Bean came into the world at a stark 3 lbs.  She had ten fingers and ten toes and was already perfecting the glare that only a little girl with the world's worst birthday could have.

Princess Paparazzi

As always - The Cast of Characters

Me (The Daddy)
The Bean: Age 7
The Butterfly: Age 6
The Darling Wife

Apparently, you can get Disney Princess autographs.


The DW and I took The Bean and The Butterfly to Disney this Thanksgiving, eschewing extended family responsibilities.  


The Bean and The Butterfly loved it.  Particularly Epcot.  


You can drink beers from around the world at Epcot.  I did nothing to discourage their fondness of what was once considered the dullest of the theme park.


The Disney princesses would stand and people with their excited daughters would wait patiently in interminable lines for their turn to gather hugs and photo ops.


Pretty straight forward, right?


Wrong.  The princesses worked a schedule with specific, hard-lined cut off points.  You could wait patiently in the aforementioned interminable line, only to be cut off seconds before the hugs and photo ops could take place.


Ouch.  


So what is a Superdad to do?


Wait 15 minutes in a line to see Sleeping Beauty, of course.  


Here's the kicker, though.  I was waiting in a line without a Princess.


She'd be right out, I was assured.  So I waited in a line for no Princess at all.  


For Sleeping Beauty, no less.  

And she hated me.



But The Bean and The Butterfly got to see their Princess, and the DW brought me a beer from France.


Sometimes I love being Superdad.

Sleeping Beauty Woke Up on the Wrong Side of Bed

As always - The Cast of Characters

Me (The Daddy)
The Bean: Age 7
The Butterfly: Age 6
The Darling Wife

The DW and I took The Bean and The Butterfly to Disney this Thanksgiving.  The girls, of course, had a blast.  They met all of their favorite characters had them sign their autograph books.


My next post will address some of the Princess Stalking that we did, but for now, let's focus on Sleeping Beauty.


That wench.


Well, it's not like I didn't bring it on myself.


I stood in an empty line (again, more on that next week), and ushered my girls up to the front.


The Bean whispered something into Sleeping Beauty's ear.

Sleeping Beauty glared at me.


The Bean giggled.


Sleeping Beauty pointed at me.  "I heard you downloaded a copy of my movie.  And that it didn't work in your DVD player."



I had no response to that.  "I have no response to that," I said.


The immortal words of The Alarm raced through my head.


I don't know why, no I don't understand
why you Sold Me Down the River...


I like that song.  Maybe I should download it.


Just kidding RIAA.

Getting Mad About the Mouse

As always - The Cast of Characters

Me (The Daddy)
The Bean: Age 7
The Butterfly: Age 6
The Darling Wife
The Buffett Puppy

The DW has gotten a bee in her bonnet that we are blowing off Thanksgiving this year and going to see the Mouse. 


The Bean and The Butterfly will be so excited!  They will jump up and down!  They will give us three cheers!  Hip, hip, hooray!!!


Right?


Right?


No.


Not right.


The Bean immediately asks if we can bring Buffett.  We tell her "No, Buffett will be staying at Grammy's house.  The Bean's eyes swell.  She starts to cry.


The Butterfly is confused by the arrangement.  She thinks we are leaving right then.  She disappears upstairs to pack.


We explain that we won't be leaving for, like, a week.


"NOOOOO!!!!!"


The Bean is now over the dog and is concentrating on the number of days we'll be there.  We say 3 and she's furious.  She wants 5.


Grammy has an expression she likes to toss around - "Ungrateful wretch".  Fitting, no?


The DW has had about enough of this.  She collars up Buffett and disappears into the night rain.  The storm outside is nothing compared to the one brewing at our dinner table.


And I'm left with two "ungrateful wretches".  I send them to their respective rooms.  It's Monday and I have football to watch.

Drop Dead Gorgeous Part II

As always - The Cast of Characters

Me (The Daddy)
The Bean: Age 7
The Butterfly: Age 6
The Darling Wife
The Buffett Puppy
Guest starring Grammy and Grumps


The DW and I convinced The Bean to wear the pretty polka dot dress for the Nordstrom Fashion Show.  She looked, of course, amazing.  The Butterfly looked amazing as well.


Now would there be any unexpected catastrophes to unhinge the festivities?


Not really.


Many of the children had issues with the Catwalk.  Some cried.  Some hid.  Some were too frightened to prance along the Red Carpet.  One wouldn't leave the Red Carpet until she'd strutted her stuff 3 times.


The Butterfly in her Blue Cheetah dress was all business.  She marched up and back down, blowing a single kiss to the DW as she returned behind the curtain.


The Bean walked out slowly, arm-in-arm with a crying girl.  She hugged her and essentially drug her along the path.  She did manage more than a few hair flips and and executed a perfect U-Turn at the end of the carpet.  Her companion ceased her tears and wiggled along to the safety of the curtain.


So, nothing funny happened.  A shame, really.


I was in a state of shock.  How did The Bean manage to smile and wave at the crowd without pitching a fit?


The Bean learned a valuable lesson about being a child runway model.  "You don't have to be happy," she explained.  "You just have to pretend to be happy."


In the end, she liked the dress.  And Grammy and Grumps were there to make sure she got to keep it.