What would you do if you had a Million Bucks?

How many times have you wondered about that? I've done it all my life.

I remember when I was young, I would spend time with my grandparents at their small home in Port Arthur, Texas. I noticed one day a glass doorknob to their bedroom and was captivated.

"Why don't you sell the doorknob, Mamaw?" I would ask increduously.

"Why? It's just a glass doorknob," she replied.

"No it's not! It's the biggest diamond I've ever seen!" I was convinced she and my grandfather were "rich as creases" as they used to say and just not telling me about it!

Well, today I thought about what I would do if I had a million dollars...

Believe it or not, the very first thing I would do (I swear) would be to go to bed and not worry about getting up at any certain time in the morning. (That's my PDiddy talking though).

I would buy a private jet and hire a pilot to fly me, my partner and furry kids to:

• Key West to see Ernest Hemingway's house and watering hole and 9 toed cats.
• Chicago and see the Oprah show
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• Maine to sail around the coast
• Boston to have a drink at where they filmed "Cheers" and to lay some flowers on my friend, Pearl's grave. She was the one who taught me to love vodka martinis. Cheers old girl! (Hallow?)
• New York to have dinner at one of Gordon Ramsey's restaurants and 1 of Bobby Flay's restaurants.
• California - to see San Francisco, Malibu, San Diego and other lovely coastline cities.
• Then, I would have the pilot fly us to Hawaii for a few days.
• After a couple or three days, I would fly to the places I have written about that have captivated me through other's eyes:
• Manila, Hong Kong (I would want to see the fortune tellers I have heard about there), Thailand to see Loi Kroh Road, the most mystical road in the world, and Beijing, China...to look up my good friend that I've never met, Alan Solomon.

The last of my selfish expenditures would be the purchase and creation of my own restaurant.

Called: "The Ghostwriter's Den". It will be furnished with overstuffed couches and chairs similar to Steak and Ale, with rich colors and fancy schmancy fair. All of my books would be framed and hung on the wall and other author friends would also have their books on the wall (but only if they held a book signing during the day there). The vodka martini would be called instead, "Taryn's Tini".

Once people have feasted on the finest of food, steak, chicken, seafood, sushi and more...then there would be the option of retiring to the library to read, browse books etc. while having an after dinner brandy or cordial.

ADJOINED to the "Ghostwriter's Den would be a casual place totally separated called, "The Writer's Pub". It would be a short order food place with tap beers, drink specials with tv's in every corner with either news, sports or some other interesting show.

The Pub would also feature games such as poker every night, cards, bridge, checkers, chess and other games. A great place belly up and get a cold beer and great sandwich or salad.

Who would run this operation? Gordon Ramsey...

Aaahhh, don't you love to dream? I think tomorrow I will go to the hardware store and purchase a glass doorknob to put on our bedroom door. Cause, you never know if you have a diamond or not.

More Musings Later-

Corporate America Rant

This post isn't going to be pretty...ok, I've warned you and I can proceed.

Today while I was running errands, I was listening to Dave Ramsey (as I do anytime I am in the car when his show is on). Now, Mr. Ramsey and I don't share political views, but we do agree about most everything of a financial nature. As he often advertises, "We give you the same advice Granny did, only we keep our teeth in." (What can I say? He's a southerner)

Anyway, a man calls in to his radio show and tells Dave that he lost his job because his paycheck was garnished. Here's the kicker: He is senior management making 6 figures! He states that he was fired because the company questioned his integrity. Dave starts to question him further about it and says, "That's awfully strange that a company would fire you for having a garnishment...are you sure that's why they fired you?" and the man confirms over and over. Eaach time, Dave is saying, No, can't be. The guy on the phone says, "It's Corporate America! they fire who they want!". Dave doesn't go for it.

Normally, Dave and I would see eye to eye on this. But, having been in Human Resources for so many years prior to my writing career, I KNOW DIFFERENT. Corporate America DOES do anything they want. Laws? What laws? They were meant to be bent, misinterpreted and flat out broken. Don't tell me no, I have seen it in progress with my own set of eyes. Not with just one company mind you, but several.

Dave Ramsey probably doesn't run his company like most Corporate America executives...that is why he is successful. And, it's probably difficult for him to imagine others doing business as they do. But Dave, when someone tells you they got fired for a reason like a garnishment, take my advice: BELIEVE THEM.

There's a reason why employees are either being laid off, fired or jumping ship on their own from the land of capitalism. It's called misery.

Here's hoping that everyone that has been laid off or fired, finds a better job soon. Cheers

More Musings Later-

Suze Orman - Livin' in a Van Down by the River!

You heard me. Suze Orman, financial guru and multi-millionaire television host actually used to live in a VW van in her younger years.

No, she didn't live down by the river, that is actually my homage to Chris Farley's hilarious skit about the motivational speaker gone wrong. Anyway, I caught a PBS show where Orman was discussing her meager beginnings and I was just amazed. I would have thought that she went to an Ivy league college and walk all the usual steps to becoming wealthy. Not so. If this gal can do it, we all can. And, she'll tell you that, too. That's one of the reasons I like her so much. She is a bit strange in her communication style, but that is her quirky way.

It turns out that when she was in her 20's, she was a Californian trying to find herself. She didn't have any money and she borrowed enough money from her brother to buy a beat up, VW van and she drove it to San Francisco. She became a waitress at a breakfast diner and lived in her van.

Chris Farley doing his skit as Matt Foley, "Living in a Van Down By the River"

After living life this way for quite some time, she began quizzing one of her regular customers about business and how to make money. Her regular gave her some money to invest in the stock market and he instructed her to have a broker from a well-known brokerage company assist her. That is exactly what she did and became fascinated with the industry. She lost all the money that her regular gave her because the broker invested her money in funds she knew nothing about and didn't take the time to explain the risks involved and so forth.

To him, she was just another "little lady" trying to make a buck or two. Well, she decided to break the "Good ole boy" barrier and apply for a job with this same brokerage. After much determination and selling herself to the interviewer, she was hired and began learning all she could about investments. She learned she could sue the brokerage for not investing her funds based upon her knowledge level at the time. So, she sued her employer WHILE she worked for them.

She won millions of dollars in a lawsuit. She paid her regular back for loaning the money and the rest is history.

One interesting story from a "little lady living in a van down by the river".

More Musings Later-