Alan C. Fox's Blog, page 8

Phrasing

My father worked for many years as a professional musician.  He played the French Horn in orchestras for movies made by Disney, 20th Century Fox, and Paramount pictures.  He also taught French horn lessons in our home, and that meant as a young boy I had to be quiet part of the time.  Being quiet was hard for me.  At times it still is.

My father also required that I take piano lessons.  The lessons were okay, but I hated practicing. In retrospect, I have to admit that I learned a lot, especia...

Make It Easy for Me

Last week, I tried, to buy a shirt online.  I was directed to one page after another on a web site I’ll call “ShirtsToYou.”  It took me almost five minutes to find the shirt I wanted.  Then I was trapped on the site trying to complete my purchase.  When the checkout page refused to take my credit card for the third time, I gave up.

Then I tried Amazon, and bought the same shirt in less than a minute.  One reason Amazon sold me a shirt and “ShirtsToYou” didn’t is because Amazon makes purchasin...

The Use of Grief

I recently read a beautiful note written by my friend Trudy. When I receive something I appreciate from a friend, they can only know my delight when I tell them. So I immediately emailed Trudy to tell her I was touched.  She then shared a memory I found quite helpful.

“Alan, I’ve always listened to your advice and appreciate your perspective…

This is a page I scanned for you…”

It was from a 2015 edition of Rattle in which I interviewed the poet Jan Heller Levi.

Trudy wrote, “…loving what you...

I Ask for Help

I’m writing this blog to memorialize one of the best weeks of my life.

It shouldn’t have been a good week. After a personal crisis that I won’t elaborate on, I arrived at my son Craig’s home at 8:30 am Saturday morning.

Craig and his wife welcomed me and carried all that I had brought with me up to their guest room where I settled in.  The next day my daughter Jill drove down from her home near San Jose to spend the week with me.

I am a man who likes to take care of others.  I seldom ask for...

If at First You Don’t Succeed

Should you “try, try, again”?

Conventional wisdom says “yes.”  I say, “Trying again is just one option.  There are others.”

First I should mention that I regard any conclusion I reach in my life as a working hypothesis. For example, I believe that Los Angeles, where I was born, is the best city in the world for me to stay. That’s why I’m still here.  But I’m open to the idea that my rock-solid conclusion, which I have acted on for seventy-eight years, is subject to review and change.

Circumst...

Profit Is Not the Answer

We’ve all heard it said, “Money can’t buy happiness.”  But I’ve also heard it said that, “Money is way ahead of whatever is in second place.”

I’ve been in business for more than fifty years. Had you asked me during my first ten years, “what is the goal of your business?” I would have answered, “profit.” Back then my goal was profit, pure and simple.

Over the next forty years, however, my views have gradually changed.  I’ve met many people who have focused their lives on the pursuit of profit,...

A Gift

Shortly after I opened my law office more than fifty years ago I bought a carved oak bookcase that I treasured.  It remained in my offices until last week.

Times change. When we moved to a new building fifteen years ago my lovely bookcase didn’t fit into my personal office at work, and its style didn’t fit in with the décor of our home.  So I moved it to Ed’s office where I enjoyed seeing it once or twice a week.

Now Ed has become a consultant, which means he’s semi-retired while I am not.  I...

Do You Have B. O.?

Now that my pogo stick resides in the trunk of my car and the memory of it dwells in the file folder of my mind, I feel a bit at loose ends.  What will I write about this week?

Last night I lay in bed musing and just as I fell asleep it came to me.  A question.  Do you have B.O.?

No, I’m not talking about body odor.  Do you have Boundless Optimism?

I founded my company, ACF Property Management, Inc. on March 1, 1968. We will celebrate our fiftieth anniversary this coming Thursday, March 1, 20...

The Pogo Stick Finale

It seemed like a great idea: get some exercise by jumping on a pogo stick. But it expanded into a series of blogs in which I’ve tried to explain why I have not yet bounced to the moon on my professional-style pogo stick. Last week I promised this week would be the do or die. (Poor choice of words, perhaps.)

I will now answer the question that all of you are asking. Did I actually bounce on my pogo stick?

My answer is a hearty YES. And a feeble NOT REALLY. To paraphrase President Bill Clinton,...

Happiness from Lowering Your Expectations

I created an equation years ago: Happiness equals expectations minus perception of reality.

This means that if you are expecting a bonus of $100.00 and receive only $50.00, you will be disappointed.  If you expect a bonus of $25.00, however, and receive $45.00, then you will be pleased even though the absolute amount of the bonus is $5.00 less.

So, for increased happiness, my advice to you is don’t expect more than you think you will receive.

At the Winter Olympics Red Gerard, 17 years old, w...