Alan C. Fox's Blog, page 5

Kindness

When I was growing up I was afraid of policemen.  As far as I was concerned they were only there to give people traffic tickets.  Actually, I found many adults scary back then.  Parents, teachers, school principals – they had the power, they knew it, and many of them used it.

During the past few years I’ve discovered the small town of Kihei on the Hawaiian Island of Maui.  I recently spent a week there with my daughter and her family.  They rented snorkeling equipment for the week. “The snork...

Why Do We Call Them “Apartments”?

They are usually stuck together.

If you smiled you can give me credit for quoting the comedian George Carlin.  If not, then I guess he wasn’t very funny.

I was reminded of Carlin’s ironic observation in a roundabout way.

Earlier this year there was unexpected turmoil in my life.  As a result I spent a week living with my son Craig and his family, and several months living at my Dad’s house.  Both were new experiences for me – and quite positive.

At Craig’s I enjoyed our late night conversatio...

There Is No Glass

Is the glass half full or half empty?  That is the proverbial question.

My dad raised me to be a contrary thinker.  When the stock market has been going up for three or four years he’ll say, “Be careful.  Nothing goes up forever.”  This is why, for me, the glass is not half full.  But it’s not half empty either.  It’s just a symbol.  There is no real glass.  Your perceptions are in your mind, not in the glass.

This brings me to my favorite quotation which is from Shakespeare’s Hamlet.  “There...

Your Priorities – Make Them Clear and Conscious

What will you eat for breakfast in the morning?  Or is breakfast a meal you skip entirely (along with the thirty million other Americans who don’t eat a morning meal), because it isn’t a priority?

Actually, at the moment I’m not really thinking about breakfast.  I’m thinking about choices.  And when I think of choices, I automatically think of priorities.  Consciously or not, we all have them.

Suppose you’re having a great conversation with your teenager.  Your cell phone rings.  Is it more i...

The Fault, Dear Brutus, Is Not in Our Stars

I was introduced to Shakespeare in my ninth grade journalism class when we studied the play Julius Caesar.

I still remember the famous “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” oration by Brutus, but the speech that sticks most in my memory was the one spoken to Brutus by a nobleman.

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.”

“The fault…is…in ourselves.”  Hmmm.

This means it makes no difference if the dog really did eat your homework.  You, and you alone, are...

Invest in Yourself — It’s Magic

Last Sunday afternoon I enjoyed five hours with my family and friends at the Magic Castle in Hollywood.  Though I have visited the Magic Castle many times since it opened in 1963, last Sunday’s visit was special.  First, because we had two young children with us, enjoying magic for the very first time, and second because on weekends the “junior” magicians perform live in the three Magic Castle theaters.

On the “Close Up” stage a seventeen year old entertained us with his excellent (though not...

Ripples

My mother and my father were both professional musicians.  In fact, they met as teenagers in an all-star high school orchestra. My mother played the trumpet and flute, my father the French horn. As you might expect, as a child I was encouraged (I might say required) to learn to play both piano and French horn.

At thirteen, my parents signed me up to study composing with Joseph Oroop, a passionate man with an unusual name.

The best part of the lesson was the streetcar ride to and from Mr. Oroo...

Gratitude, an Attitude

Santa Ana winds.  Wildfires in Southern California.  Mandatory evacuation of the entire city of Malibu.  A 7:30 am phone call from my son on Saturday morning.

“We are evacuating now, and we’ll be at your house as soon as we can get there.”

This was how I found out about the Woolsey fire last Saturday. In less than three days, it has burned more than a hundred square miles and destroyed more than one hundred and fifty homes.

Four hours after his phone call my son, his wife, their three young s...

Should I Tap Them on the Shoulder?

Last Thursday evening I was seated in a theater waiting to see the stage production of World of Dance, a show I enjoy watching on TV.

I was there with a close friend, one of my daughters, and her husband.  We had all enjoyed a wonderful dinner at a nearby Indian restaurant (one of the best in Los Angeles).  Our seats were toward the front of the orchestra section, though not quite in the center. There were several preshow “warm-up” acts that were reasonably good.  After an intermission the ma...

Different Preferences – Do We Agree?

There are two major areas in which you are unique — your memories and your preferences.  Your memories, of course, strongly influence your preferences.

For example, when I was a boy our family ate dinner at 5:30 pm on the dot.  I still like to eat dinner early.  I also like to begin meetings on time. My reasons are tied to my memories.

When I was travelling in Spain I was shocked that dinner customarily began after 10:00 pm.  When I ate dinner that late it was difficult for me to sleep.  Alth...