Picture it: I had to do a favor for my brother. Aaron goes with me. We walk into Barnes & Noble after said favor is complete. As I make my way through the aisles on the upper level, I approach a near empty table with an Angry Bird plush ceremoniously placed in the center. Right over the opening to the lower floor. It took every ounce of my not inconsiderable self-control not to pick it up, yell the Angry Birds sound, and hurl it over the abyss.
For longer than I can remember, I have come across Community Coffee, a family-owned coffee roaster that is famous in the Southern United States, particularly the Louisiana area. I have always intended to order their coffee to try it for myself but it would slip my mind. During a recent episode of True Blood, I noticed it…
I’ve spent a big part of today doing investment research on synthetic gemstones vs natural gemstones. Following the recent reading foray into the world of jewelry retailing, distributing, and mining, I kept coming across a company called Chatham. They had reportedly perfected the art of manufacturing gemstones such as rubies and sapphires inside of a…
That is the average lifespan in the United States today: 27,375 days. If you are typical, that is what was deposited in your “time bank” when you were born. Every day, whether or not you want to, you make a withdrawal of 1 day. When the days run out, you die. Game over.
Have you ever met someone, or seen someone on television, who has insane, completely irrational beliefs? These beliefs could be scientific. They could be religious. They could be political. They could be racial. They could be philosophical. The particular manifestation doesn’t matter. An example would be the stoning to death of a woman accused…
The atmosphere at the Country Club Plaza feels like a celebration tonight because the best baseball players in the country are staying at The Intercontinental for the 2012 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The fountains have been dyed blue, in honor (we presume) of the hometown Kansas City Royals, it looks like there is going to…
This fourth of July, I started the day at a family dinner pool party, spent the early afternoon watching BBC’s Sherlock with my grandmother who instantly fell in love with it, and tonight, I will be in my home study playing Civilization V Gods & Kings probably until 4 or 5 a.m. However, I have discovered…
Following the 25-year case study of Tiffany & Company, I have been thinking a lot about diamonds. From the economic pricing model to the cartel that controls diamond prices, not a day has gone by since that post when I have not studied gemstones, or the jewelry business, in some capacity, often for several hours at…
It’s long been said that it is more important to avoid bad investments than it is to find good investments. “A single bad deal can wipe out a lifetime of work,” or so the sentiment goes. There is a great truth in that. It was the first thing I thought of this morning when I read the Wall Street Journal coverage of the Bank of America / Countrywide Mortgage merger four years ago.
Texas knows cattle. Yesterday, I had the best cheeseburger I have ever had in my life. Literally. This evening, we did dinner at Bob’s Steak and Chop House in the Omni Hotel in downtown Dallas, Texas. Two of us went with a New York Strip and two with the filet mignon and I have to…