Exercise Your Mind (Mind/Matter)

Today I finished Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki. I actually read it in ebook (a pdf) on my computer in two days. I like the ideas presented in it and I see a similar trend in most of these books which is investment, specifically in revenue generating real estate. While my father was a commercial real estate appraiser in Memphis, he never really invested in real estate with one exception. That one exception had at least a 2000% return. Why he didn't do more of that, I will never really know. He said he wasn't interested in it, but clearly he had the knowledge to be able to do it... and successfully.

I, in my quest for knowledge, have been picking up more and more books and reading them faster and faster. I started The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell two days ago and right after that I started and finished Rich Dad Poor Dad. I also downloaded several audio books that I can listen to in my car on the way to and from work and to and from midtown including Freakonomics by by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss, and Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. I am also looking for 16 Percent Solutions by Joel Moskowitz and Beating the Street by Peter Lynch. I think I've become a little obsessive, but that's ok. There are much worse things to be obsessed with like Unreal Tournament, Grand Theft Auto, or drinking.

All of this talk of reading made me think of the time when I told my mom, "I hate reading." That was the dumbest thing I've ever said. I'm pretty sure I meant reading subjects that I'm not interested in, but that is still stupid. Now I love reading.. especially those subjects I'm interested in and some that I'm not. It exercises your brain and makes you want to read more and more. I'm just hoping I can implement some of these principles that I'm learning. That's when the real learning starts.

Memorial Day Weekend

Friday, May 25, 2007

Diana, Elek, and I had a couple people over for a relaxed cookout. This may have been apparent to everyone but me, but you're supposed to season the hamburger meat then mix it all together and grill it. That way the meat is seasoned on the inside. I feel like somewhat of an idiot since I can cook... at any rate, I'll know how to do it better next time.

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Diana, Elek, and I left Memphis around 10:00 AM and drove toward Jonesboro, AR. We got to Lake Thunderbird around 1:30 PM. Jake Mohundro (friend of Diana's family) has two lake houses and a couple of boats. We rented our own house and got to ride in a pontoon boat and do some tubing. This was Elek's first time in lake water. We bought him a little turtle floatie. He didn't really know what to think. It was also his first boat ride and he HATES the life preserver! Going to the lake was very relaxing.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Diana and I dropped off Elek at my mom's house so we could go eat at Bluefin at 6:00 PM with Connie and Adrienne. It was really good. We also went to see India Arie at the Orpheum at 8:00 PM. It was an awesome show. I wasn't really a huge fan of her music, but I really enjoyed her show and I became a bit more open to her music. After the show we went to Celtic Crossing for a bit and hung out. Finally we retired about 1:30 AM. So far, it's been a fun filled, excellent weekend. Tonight is the Jolley's house at 6:30 PM or so and I'm really looking forward to that. :D

The Meaning of Life

So I dropped off the face of the planet (in the blogosphere) pretty much since my son, Elek was born. I finally decided to pick back up.

My friend Chris and I were talking the other day about what we want to do with our lives. Currently, the one bad thing about my life is my job. Chris currently doesn't have a job (lucky him) and doesn't want one similar to the kind of dream job I'm hoping to secure. He wants to promote the freedom of information through a serious of papers and lectures, somewhat following in the footsteps of Richard Stallman, who some consider somewhat crazy. This is beside the point. Chris brought up the fact that he doesn't really want to work, but to discover the secrets of the universe, study quantum physics, and try to extract the meaning of life from life itself. That got me thinking and I don't think I've stopped since he said that. In the back of my mind that question has been there for quite some time as it is for many people. "What is the meaning of life?"

I think for each individual the meaning of life can be quite different. I recently discovered the meaning of life while feeding my 7 and a half month old son. It is simply him. He is the meaning of my life. He is the reason I strive to be better. He is the reason I want this country to turn itself around. And he is the reason I named my business Elek Technologies. While I was thinking this, I took one step back and thought that perhaps the meaning of life for all of mankind... the real meaning of life is life itself. To live life. To create life. To enjoy life.

Tonight I rewatched one of my favorite movies American Beauty and was reminded of what really matters in life when Lester shouts "It's just a couch!" followed by "This isn't life, it's just stuff." Money is not the answer, though I can see how someone could easily slip into that mindset. Happiness is the answer. Living life is the answer. And preserving that which makes us happy is the answer.

Mind Dump

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should step down for firing nine of the U.S. Attorneys for political reasons, lying under oath, and being incompetent. Hopefully there will be a no-confidence vote and he will be forced to step down.

The RIAA is evil and will eventually self destruct and implode. The reason I say this is because they are attacking everything that helps spread the music that pays their bills, from internet radio to regular radio. There is only one path that I see them taking and it's straight down the drain while more 'indie' music replaces the mainstream. Since equipment and the such is getting cheaper, then more bands can afford to go without a large record company. Their position is being phased out and they're helping to do it. Bravo!

In other news in the great state of Tennessee, a pornstar was pulled over and found to have illegal drugs in her possession and the TN state trouper accepted sexual favors in order to turn a blind eye.

Investing 2nd Edition

So now that I've read books like All About Asset Allocation by Richard Ferri, The Bull Hunter by Dan Denning, Rule #1 by Phil Town, The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, The Five Temptations of a CEO by Patrick Lencioni, and Creating Wealth by Robert G. Allen. One of the better ones for me was The Bull Hunter. The others market themselves by making the consumer think by reading them, the consumer will somewhat automatically become a millionaire. This is not the case. While that may be obvious to some, it's not nearly obvious enough to many. Not to say that these books can't help you understand more about how to create, build, and maintain wealth. They can, but they're not going to give you the exact recipe to do so.

I have discovered, at least for me, through reading these books that I do NOT want to spend my time investing in individual stocks. In my opinion, it's a waste of time for me and I don't enjoy it that much so it's not really worth doing. Of course to every rule there is an exception and mine is MySQL. When MySQL goes public I will be investing in it. I believe in Open Source and free software AND I've used it so much that I want to have a stake in its future. At any rate I'm done for the most part with individual stock investment. edit: I am much more interested in Mutual funds for their increased diversification and security. There is a lot of potential there. /edit