What I'm Up To - Vol. 66

1. Here Come Old Flat Top

Turns out Paul McCartney recorded the harmonies for “Come Together” on the day I was born. When you google “introverts’ anthem to get them through the holiday party season,” you never know what you’ll find. After all the holiday socializing, I’m pretty sure I’ve got “joo joo eyeball” now.

With COVID over, our neighborhood gang revived our “progressive dinner” but without the progressive part. Staying at one house is much more convenient! It’s crazy. Most of us met when our kids were in first or second grade and now our kids are mostly off to college.

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Our company also hosted a company party at the Trail of Lights for the first time since 2019. So nice to have everyone together again! I can remember when Keller Williams was small enough for everyone and their kids to gather at Gary’s house! Wendy also hosted her real estate team holiday party and a charity event for Heroes for Children that provided gifts for 144 kids dealing with cancer. Yay, Wendy! Finally, to cap ten days of festivities, our “Hot Millionaires” investor club gathered in person for the first time in ages for a fabulous year-end dinner at La Condesa.

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2. He Got Walrus Gumboot

I joined a group of old pals for our annual fishing trip on the Texas coast. I believe this was my 16th or 17th “Fishmas.” The weather was mild and the fish were active. Everyone landed a keeper speckled trout or redfish. And for one spectacular hour, we found a massive school of trout. We stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the bay hooking up on virtually every cast. Cries of “fish on!” resounded in my dreams that evening. Good times!

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At close to dusk our hubris caught up with us. My boat’s GPS had failed and we tried to navigate by iPhone. We managed to beach the boat at high speed. It took a good hour to dig it out as night fell. The other boat had to come to the rescue. Together we plowed the boat through a good hundred feet of mud and shell. And then we had to navigate the bay in the dark to get home. Needless to say, we all offered to chip in on a new GPS! I’d say never again but we’ve said that before. These misadventures are a part of “Fishmas” and will be retold over whiskey and wine for many years to come.

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3. Come Together, Right Now, Over Me

Wendy flew her sister, Heidi, down to Orlando for a KW Kids Can event and they enjoyed a weekend at Disney while I was fishing. Her dad, Milt, joins us in Austin every year for a month or so. It was nice to have Wendy’s whole family – Linda, Heidi, and Milt – for Christmas at our home. We played Farkle, opened presents, ate brunch, and celebrated Gus getting accepted at two different universities. He’s still waiting to hear from a few more before deciding.

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The day after Christmas, we were scheduled to fly to Memphis to celebrate with my family. Like thousands of other families, Southwest Airlines let us down. Wendy and I opted to leave the kids with Milt and drive the 10 hours to Memphis in a rental. We made it a day late but in time to celebrate my sister’s birthday and a belated Christmas. This was our first holiday without my dad, so it was understandably bittersweet. The day before flying home, we spread some of his ashes in a few special spots. He was a big part of making Shelby Farms, one of the largest urban parks in the US. So we found a pond there and my brother-in-law, Brent, heroically offered some words and a prayer for us.

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4. What I’m Reading

With all the traveling I had a lot of time for reading. For fiction, I read Gone Baby Gone by Dennis Lehane after waiting 14 years. It’s book four of the Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro series about two private detectives in Boston. Back in 2007, I saw the movie not realizing it was next in the book series. I decided to wait to read it and then forgot all about it. So good! I also enjoyed Good as Gone by Austinite Amy Gentry. For a debut novel, it surpasses all expectations. Finally, I read Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, which won the Booker Prize this year. It’s a short about a grown orphan in Ireland searching for a connection to his past. I highly recommend all three books but be warned. They all have themes about abducted children. This was nothing I planned. I probably should read the book descriptions more thoroughly from now on.

For nonfiction, I loved Quit by Annie Duke. It will certainly make my “Best Reads” list for 2022. Duke smartly decodes why we’re so averse to quitting when quitting is often the smart play.  I also adored The Happiest Man on Earth by Eddie Jaku. A Holocaust survivor, Jaku published the book at age 99. It will make you smile as often as it will make you cry. Lastly, I powered through The Power of One More by Ed Mylett. It was one of the best-selling business books of the year but I found it underwhelming. After two years of COVID, books admonishing me that I just need to try a little harder kinda get under my skin.

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5. What I’m Watching

Wendy and I powered through seasons 3 and 4 of Formula 1: Drive to Survive (Netflix). I really enjoyed our deep dive into the world of Formula 1. And I’m also glad season 5 is months away. I need a break. While Wendy was at Disney, I watched All Quiet on the Western Front (Netflix), Bullet Train (Netflix), and Emily the Criminal (Apple+). All Quiet on the Western Front is one of my favorite books. The German film was excellent but failed to evoke the book for me. Brad Pitt was fun to watch in Bullet Train.  If you like Tarantino films, you’ll enjoy it, too. Aubrey Plaza was electric in Emily the Criminal, a short, tense film about a financially struggling artist who turns to a life of crime.

Some pals from work took me to see Violent Night. It’s basically Die Hard with St. Nick doing a turn as John McClane. The whole family watched Avatar before seeing Avatar 2 in the theater. Google “when to pee” before you go. It’s over three hours long but worth seeing on the big screen.

Wendy and I binged the first season of White Lotus (HBO). Chekhov once declared, “If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there.” In the opening scene, we learn that someone dies. And Chekhov’s line echoed in my head as I tried to figure out which of the delightfully quirky characters was doomed to die. We loved it and can’t wait to watch the second season!

Finally, this NPR story about a snow plow naming contest had me laughing out loud. I love a good pun. The “Big Leplowski” was my favorite!

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That’s it for this month. Please reply back and let me know what you’re up to!

Be well, do good deeds, and eat tacos!

‍Jay