Friday, February 09, 2007

THE STORY OF THE RICHARD JENI MOBILE


Here you see a picture of my favorite car of all time, my Dodge K car.I made the decision to buy it and get rid of a late model Honda Accord (and the payments that went with it) in order to help lower my expenses. It had low miles and made it possible for me to get in a better financial position. The ownership of it turned into somewhat of a social experiment for me. It is not just a stereotype that Californians place a lot of value on the type of car one drives. My daughter would request I drop her on the corner, rather than in front of her school and I grew to love the challenge of visiting a friend in a posh "OC' neighborhood and getting out of this beauty!

One really fun evening was at the Improv in Irvine. My friend LR and I went to see the comedian Richard Jeni, right after I bought the car. He is a regular customer at my airline and my friend has volunteered as a hostess when he does comedy benefits in LA. After his show, he asked if we would give him a ride to where he was staying. Excusing myself to visit the ladie's room, I took the picture you see here (above), which was an 8x10 off the Improv wall and ran to my car and taped it on the rear window of the K car. I ran back into the Improv and said I would drive him and then drop LR back to her car. We are walking and he asks "What kind of a car are we looking for?" I said it was a specialty celebrity limo. LR had not yet seen my "new" car, either. We arrive and I announce "Here it is!" LR yells "It's a "June Cleaver" car and Richard, your face is already in it!" It was known ever after as "The RICHARDJENIMOBILE!" It is no coincidence that one of my favorite songs is the BareNaked Ladies "If I had a Million Dollars". The lyrics say "If I had a million dollars, I'd buy you a Dodge K Car!" At the time I didn't really realize how fortunate I was that I already had one, even if I didn't have a million dollars.

WARREN BUFFET HAS HIS OMAHA, DEMI HAS HER HOBBS





Both Warren & Demi used to own properties in Laguna Beach, CA. They weren't exactly neighbors but Demi heard Mr. Buffet decided to sell his property. She was having a little remorse for having done the same but took some comfort in this tycoon's proclamation that the timing was right to do so. When asked why this man who could afford to live anywhere chose Omaha as his base of operations, he replied that there in other areas, there was "Over stimulation". He said in New York City, for example, he would get 15 great ideas proposed to him by noon. "All you need is one great idea in a year" and that's why Omaha suits him. I knew exactly what he meant and feel it is easier to focus on what is meaningful when there is less hustle-bustle.