John, Paul, George and of course Ringo

I remember the Beatles as nothing short of transformative. I remember hearing them for the first time as kind of a throw away on the Rick Shaw show.

Then of course there was Ed Sullivan's three shows, they filmed one in Miami, my home town.

We were so hip!

I still think the Beatles were a fantastic Rock and Roll Band, Rubber Soul and Revolver are two of my favorite albums of all time.

Fame and fortune seem to be flames many, maybe all of us, seem to be drawn to. For those who have really gotten close to the flame, the heat ... it seems to consume almost everyone.

I haven't read You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup yet but is going on my reading list today. I have attached a wonderful review http://www.newsweek.com/2010/06/04/a-hard-day-s-night.print.html

I guess reading it is akin to watching a car crash ... I can't look away.

The Beatles changed my life forever.

I recently had the opportunity to have dinner with some musicians who have achieved a wee bit of success (3 Grammy's). They were talking about a contemporary of theirs who had achieved hyper stardom. They referred to it as "they took the blue pill and went down the rabbit hole, we didn't". That said there lives are different than the average guy and always will be because they have touched the flame.

One of the things I have enjoyed about Face book is that some of the people I lived those times through with are back in my life and for that I feel that I have been truly blessed.

If you haven't listened to Revolver or Rubber Soul in a while do your self a favor on this fabulous Sunday and turn them on, they'll return the favor. JD

Goodbye Coach

One of histories greatest sportsman and philosophers died today at age 99.

the great John Wooden is a legend. His success as the coach of the UCLA basketball program has never been equaled.

His example of how to live your life is more important.

I'm a wrestling fanatic and have always disliked basketball, we had to compete for space, time, recognition and funding with them.

That said, I have always admired and respected John Wooden. He has inspired generations and as the earth will be less with him gone, heaven will have one more great angel today.

Here are some words from the Coach that I have always loved;

"Be true to yourself, help others, make each day your masterpiece, make friendship a fine art, drink deeply from good books -- especially the Bible, build a shelter against a rainy day, give thanks for your blessings and pray for guidance every day."

advice from Coach John Wooden

The Emperor wears no clothes!

Author and blogger Virginia Postrel, in an interview in the June issue of Reason magazine:

"Glamour is a particular form of illusion. It's an illusion that tells a truth about the audience's desires, and it requires mystery and distance. During the campaign people projected onto Barack Obama whatever they wanted in a president or even in a country. Lying is usually a bad thing, but they would project onto him that he was lying about his positions because he secretly agreed with them: 'Anyone that smart has got to be a free trader at heart. He's just saying this to pander to those idiots. He can't really mean it.' . . . There is always this capacity for disillusionment. People have projected so much of what they think, including things that are sort of impossible, onto a glamorous figure, that when any flaw shows up the glamour is dispelled and suddenly he becomes terrible."

Just Breath

Do these seem like crazy times to you?

Maybe it's just that we are so connected, what happens on the other side of the world is instant news to us.

What happens in New York is news in little old Gainesville, not in the time it took for news to be hand delivered but in the instant it happens.

I know that in the investment business it is probably the worst thing that could have happened. We have gone from investors to traders.

In my experience people don't get rich overnight.

The overnight success has been at it for 15 years. there is always the exception, the person who inherits a fortune or wins the lottery (maybe there the same thing?)

As a respected friend recently said to me, "If I were king I would only price stocks once a year and maybe even not that often".

The feedback is causing most of us more problems than it is solving.

Maybe it's time to take a step back and catch our breath.