Mo Money, Mo Possibilities
Biggie, Mase, Puff Daddy, they had it all wrong. The only problem more money brings, far as I can tell from my humble vantage point, is how to spend it. That’s only a “problem” if you have to consult someone else, let’s say, your wife or husband, before you can spend it. But if you […]
Here’s a tip to help you finally reach that ever-elusive goal
You’ve had a goal in mind for a while, but you still haven’t taken action to achieve it. Your mind races. You think about the money. You don’t know if you’ll be able to afford it, or if it will produce income justifying the work involved. You think about the time. How will you feel […]
When your mom is too cool to hang out with you
Mom and I have had an…interesting relationship, let’s say. Over the years, there’s been periods when we haven’t spoken, spoken too much, or spoken too harshly. As of late, I’ve been trying to schedule a weekend to go visit her (she lives about 4 hours away) with my wife and kids. Couple days ago, I […]
On Being Yourself
Sometimes the universe throws a little somethin’ your way. Like a pattern. A couple days ago in fact, this happened to your old pal, p-denni. I was reading “The War of Art” (Pressfield) and he says, “We’re not born with unlimited choices. We can’t be anything we want to be.” And as one inclined to […]
Affordable Living Trust – Don’t Break the Bank On Your CA Living Trust
Avoid Lawyers Who Charge Too Much for a California Living Trust Lawyers used to charge an arm and a leg for estate plans (and some still do), but now, thanks to technology and other advancements, you can create an affordable living trust without breaking the bank. There’s nothing worse than needing to take care of […]
My top 3 books on money
Just got off of Facetime with my daughter, who lives with her mom in CA. She decided she’d show me her entire sticker collection (took about 20 minutes). T’was an amalgam of Harry Potter, roller skates, Harry Potter, unicorns, heart-shaped sunglasses, Harry Potter, and Harry Potter stickers. I didn’t teach her to be a hoarder, […]
Benefits of a secret life
Every now and again I like to talk a little mess about social media. And it’s not because Facebook lied to me or because it apparently makes teenagers not want to have secks anymore (which would be an odd argument in favor of it, actually). And I don’t crusade against it, or judge people who […]
And I feel, so much depends on the weather
After waiting at the airport for about 4 hours yesterday to fly from OC back to Vegas, my flight eventually got cancelled anyway. And with the holiday weekend, there were no reasonable flights available until Sunday. And because of the cancelled flight I was unable to spend time with family and friends celebrating my daughter’s […]
Cheesy Shark Movie Explains Need for California Living Trust
Last night I watched a movie after my wife went to bed early – “The Reef” – a shark movie made a decade ago based loosely on true events. In the movie, two couples and their boat captain get stranded in the middle of the ocean when their boat capsizes. The prior day, the group […]
I’m gon git you…California Living Trust
I play this game with my daughter, and I tell her “I’m gon git you!” and I chase her around the house. She laughs hysterically when I throw my arms around her and I “git her”. She’s not quite two years old yet so her vocabulary is pretty limited, but she’s getting pretty good at […]
Sometimes we all need a little help
My wife is in her third trimester of pregnancy, and isn’t having the easiest time of it. Thus, my mother in-law is staying with us for a few days to help out a little. As is often the case with mothers-in-law, there are goods and bads about it. I mean, that woman can cook. And […]
The funny thing about death, and how a California living trust can help
Death is kinda funny in a way. And I don’t mean you LOL when grandma kicks the bucket. You’re talking to a family man with many who depend on him – if I bit the dust prematurely, it’d be hard to find much humor in it (although I’m sure there’s a comedian or two out […]
When form matters more than content
I went to the barber shop this morning and this old guy Ray is cutting my hair. Ray has been cutting hair for more than 50 years. And as you might imagine, the guy is really a pro at making small talk. Normally, I hate small talk. And today Ray asks me, he says: “Doing […]
On losing a friend
When you meet someone new, you never really know how long the relationship will last. Could end up being forever, could be a one-off thing. This goes for friendships and romantic relationships alike. With family relationships, you’re kind of stuck, although sometimes even familial relationships sadly become broken too. A while back, around 2012, […]
Why you should heed the advice of ghosts
There’s this really weird movie from the 1980’s I watched as a kid called The Peanut Butter Solution. In a nutshell, this white kid with an asian friend (a classic 80’s setup) sees ghosts in an abandoned mansion and subsequently loses all his hair. The ghosts appear to the white kid and give him this […]
The story you leave behind
My wife is about to give birth to our new daughter, any day now. She will be our fourth, and final, daughter. And it gets me thinking about being a dad and the kind of life I want for my daughters. And I realize, I don’t want any specific “kind” of life for them. I […]
Why being original is irrelevant to your creativity
If you’re anything like me, you get a little rush when you create something new. It could be something simple, like a little sketch you drew, or a business idea. But your desire to create runs deep in your bones. And you can see how creativity comes naturally, even to children. Sadly, as some of […]
How minimalism can make you wealthy
Minimalism is the philosophy of gaining “more” by owning/ pursuing/ acquiring “less.” Ever since I started reading blogs about minimalism when they started springing up a decade or so ago, I became fascinated with the idea. Getting rid of extra stuff that clutters up your life is psychologically and emotionally freeing. Plus, it helps you […]
I said a prayer but it was dust in my mouth
The title of this email is a line from a book called Ask the Dust, written by one of my favorite authors, John Fante. I’m not really sure what it means, but the feeling it evokes is that a longing, wish, or hope can sometimes go unfulfilled. I used to be more spiritual, pray a […]
The busy man’s guide to becoming wealthy
I read this in the book Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki: The poor and the middle class work for money. The rich have money work for them. What he means is, instead of shedding blood, sweat, and tears by the hour to earn money, you can invest your money (“put it to work”) […]
3 ways a living trust can simplify your life right now
3 ways a living trust can simplify your life right now Not everyone, and especially young people, can see why it’s important to set up a living trust right now. I’m not talking about the people who have already advance-planned every day to the minute for the next three years. I’m talking about the majority […]
How to stop worrying about money
I recently heard on a popular podcast that the number one thing people worry about is money. That’s pretty odd, when you think about it. Money is weird because money is just a tool. And yet, we still glorify, despise, ignore, obsess over, covet, shun, love, and hate money, sometimes all within the same day. […]
My bizarre interest with abandoned places
A while back I fell into this habit of watching videos on youtube of twenty-somethings filming their exploration of abandoned places. I don’t know why it’s always twenty-somethings who make these abandoned places videos. Maybe compared to others they have the time, the tech-savvy, the risk aversion, or just haven’t found real jobs yet. Nonetheless, […]
Cops can’t snatch these crops
Back in law school, I learned about how the law was shaped around owning stuff. What does it really mean to “own” something anyway? For most, it means that you have total control and ultimate say over what you do with your property. Even a child feels indignant when his mom takes his toy away. […]
You never know when a snake will cross your path
I like to get the day started off right by doing a workout first thing in the morning. Over the years I’ve experimented with working out at different times of the day, but getting it done first thing in the morning is nice because then it’s done, you feel a sense of accomplishment first thing […]
A word about crybabies
As I write this, my daughter cries from the other room, given she was just put down for a nap. I hate hearing her cry. It rips me apart from the inside out. Sounds dramatic maybe, but that’s how it feels. And that kid cries every time I put her down for a […]
Why this horror writer is probably turning over in his grave
HP Lovecraft is a writer who published horror stories in the early 20th century. He has an extremely literary, descriptive, almost pedantic style of writing. As his name suggests, he evidently “loved the craft” of writing, and took great pains and care to tell horror stories with a descriptive style matched by few other […]
Begin with the end in mind
A long while back I read Franklin Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” One of the habits is “begin with the end in mind,” aka be forward-thinking. I like this habit because it applies to almost anything on a macro or micro level: your career, your family, a conversation, or your next meal. What […]
What’s a burrito got to do with it?
I know it’s been trending for social media influencer types to talk about how much they love tacos (mostly skinny white chicks), but I’m more a fan of the burrito’s fat uncle, aka “the burrito.” Similar to tacos, yet more robust, the burrito can’t be pigeon-holed into being consumed during a certain time of day: […]
What an old cartoon from the 1930’s oddly teaches about progress
There’s this old, bizarre Betty Boop cartoon made in 1933 I came across on Youtube called The Old Man of the Mountain. Summed up: a creepy old man with a long beard tries to molest Betty Boop while dancing to upbeat jazz-swing music sung by Cab Calloway, until a coterie of forest animals jumps the […]
A word about old guys who wear hip sneakers
In Orange County, and probably LA, you see a lot of old guys wearing ultra hip sneakers. These might be bright colored Nike’s, or some unknown chic European brand with crisp, white laces. I don’t know whether the sneakers keep them young, or if there’s just an abnormal ratio of ultra-fashion-conscious older men making their […]
