My Last Visit With Myron

Recently I wrote about my last remaining uncle, Myron. It took weeks but I finally heard from his niece, Adrianne, on his wife Connie’s side.  Adrianne has become the conservator and has overseen all aspects of Connie and Myron’s life for almost a year.  

Last Sunday, I drove up to Salisbury, CT to visit Myron.  I was shown to the dining room and was pointed to a table in a corner where a man with long stark white hair sat in a wheelchair facing the wall.  I couldn’t believe my eyes.  One of the attendants announced that he had a guest. I walked around the table so he could see me.  Myron looked up with rather vacant eyes but I could tell, somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind, he was trying to figure out who I was.

I sat down at the table and asked Myron if he recognized me.  I didn’t want to push him and really saw no recognition.  One of the effects of his stroke several years ago was that he speaks in a barely audible whisper and the ‘words’ don’t generally make sense. I left him for a minute and asked the nurse about his condition.  He had not been eating or drinking very much and the nurse felt that he was close to the end. It was difficult to hear those words in such a matter of fact way.  But I guess when you’re in that business professionally it’s different than when you look at someone who you’ve known your whole life and realize what close to the end means.  It’s a sad realization, about Myron, about all of us… 

At one point Myron randomly said, ‘San Francisco.’   That made me smile slightly as for all the years I lived in Napa, CA he never got it out of his mind that I lived in San Francisco.  Those two whispered words made me realize that he may actually know who I am! 

After a while I left him to himself.  I drove back to New York wiping tears from my eyes and thought about the interaction - or lack thereof  - that I have had with Myron over the years.  I am pretty sure that he’s actually my godfather.  I’m not certain what that relationship represents but as my mother’s only sibling, he always had a special place in my heart. 

As I was finishing up this column, I was notified that Myron passed away, peacefully, early Thursday morning.  I hope he’s in a better place.

Myron and his sister, my mother, Lorna (1936)

Republishing with WTC Photo: Sound Counsel / World Trade Center-NYC / The Marketing Brilliance of LInkedin

Sound Counsel

Last weekend a bunch of folks who, like me, count music as an important part of their lives, gathered in a rehearsal studio in New York.  All are musicians from varied backgrounds – jazz, school bands, choirs, blues and rock and roll.  The common thread includes love of music and membership in The Counselors of Real Estate (CRE).   

In many bands, the foundation is the rhythm section (Walt on drums, Ray on bass).  The next layer is the guitars (Anthony, Jay and Noah) and keyboard (me).  Add in vocals (Mary, Noah, Jay, Greg, Anthony, John and myself), horns (Buck, Jim and Neil) and harmonica (Greg) and on this day you have Sound Counsel.  Boy did we have fun - playing songs like Moondance, What I Like About You, 25 or 6 to 4, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, Stormy Monday and other rock and blues classics.  The key was teamwork. There was no ‘star.’  No one was seeking the spotlight.  It was simply a group of individuals who loved music and wanted it to sound great.  

The concept of teamwork is also critical to business success. While Sound Counsel gets together only twice a year, business teams congregate in one form or another every working day.  Both band and work team members should appreciate each other’s talents and contributions – the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Whether it’s the lead singer or the chief honcho, the importance of teamwork cannot be over-emphasized.  

Rock on Sound Counsel!

World Trade Center-New York

In mid-August 2001, my son Kevin and I took in a live music performance on the plaza between One and Two World Trade Center.  It was a beautiful summer night and I remember us tilting our heads back, looking up at the buildings and commenting on how tall and massive these structures were.  

A few weeks later, on September 11 I was driving to work in California when my wife called me; my father had just called in a panic, “Where is Steve?!?”  She told him I was not flying that day. My Dad was relieved and said that there had been an airplane crash.  I turned on the radio and heard the newscaster say, “A plane has hit the World Trade Center tower.”  I thought this was referring to the radio tower at the top of the building.  A little while later I learned what really happened.  It was simply unfathomable.  And still is today.

Earlier this week I participated in a very special tour of the World Trade Center site in New York thanks to the generous invitation of Clarion Partners.  Walking inside the construction fence was a bit surreal.  I took the picture below from the 43 floor of the under-construction 4 World Trade Center.  The photo shows the almost complete ‘spire’ that will bring the height of One World Trade Center to 1776 feet. (Note:  the spire was topped-off this week).

When the tour was finished, I headed for the subway and noticed how dusty and dirty my shoes had become. Stopping to wipe them off, the ashes of the remains of the buildings flashed through my head. I couldn’t help thinking about the people that innocently went to work that day and never came home.  They just never came home again. But the dust and dirt on my shoes this week represented rebuilding and hope for a more peaceful world.  

The loss of lives on September 11, not only in New York but in Washington, DC and Shanksville, PA was horrific. 2,996 people died that morning.  That number is simply a statistic. The reality is that all of these people were in exactly the wrong place at the wrong time.  Who can figure these things out?

Many have experienced tragedy in their lives.  When it happens, we are turned upside down.  We suffer.  We mourn.  At some point, we do our best to carry on.  This week, walking on that property in Lower Manhattan, the reminder of not taking anybody, or anything, for granted flooded my mind… To cherish every moment we have on earth.  To let those close to us know we love them and are thinking about them.  To be kind to each other.  To hug.  And never forget that the victims of September 11 didn’t have a chance to reflect on such things.  

The Marketing Brilliance of Linkedin

How many of us are on LinkedIn?  Overnight it seems to have become a global, cross-industry standard for making business connections.  As we watch it evolve, some of LinkedIn’s marketing and business development techniques may be helpful to companies looking to bring more traffic to their websites.

Linkedin has mastered the art of increasing visits to their site. First, we were offered an irresistible way to post a profile. Free!  This was coupled with the means to connect with others - those we already knew and those we wanted to know.  Also free! That was pretty cool although I have only recently overcome my resistance to accept invitations from those I don’t know. To increase traffic further - bring on the “Recommendations” – a feature where anyone can ‘recommend’ someone else in a testimonial-type way.  Free. This offers ample opportunity for multiple site visits from the recommender and the person recommended. Then LinkedIn got even smarter and realized that it was taking people too long to complete the Recommendation.  Could they engage more people with a simpler process??  Bring on the “Endorsement.”  Free.  We could then ‘Endorse’ someone for a ‘Skill or Expertise’ simply by clicking a word.  How brilliant is this?? It’s easy and it ‘promotes’ someone else as that person’s network gets to see a new posting announcing the endorsement.  Along with that, the endorser’s photo is posted in the endorsement section, and the endorsee gets to feel good about themselves.  Talk about win-win-win!

The moral of this story is that Linkedin.com continues to do a brilliant job of creating an environment that pushes an emotional button and creates an addiction of sorts.  All social media aspires to achieve this.  The more traffic to the site, the more advertisers are willing to pay.  That’s where the money is.  It’ll certainly be interesting to see the next feature that LinkedIn offers.  Until then……

Congratulations…

Rob Bilse who joined IPD (Investment Property Databank).

On The Road…

May 16:  Annual meeting of The Hoyt Fellows, North Palm Beach, FL

May 29 – 30:  IMN (Information Management Network) U.S. Real Estate Opportunity Fund and Private Fund Investing Forum, New York, NY 

June 4 – 5:  PERE Summit (Private Equity Real Estate Magazine), London, UK 

Disclaimer  

All content in this blog is created for informational purposes only. Content, which includes all text, photos, video and graphics is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company or individual.  Steve Felix makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or other information as a result of following any featured link to or from this site.  The intention of this blog is to do no harm in regards to injury, defamation or libel. What is written or shown is not to be taken as fact or absolute.  Steve Felix will hold himself harmless for any errors or omissions in this blog’s information; including but not limited to external link information, translation or interpretation of content or incorrect grammar or punctuation. 

RCA U.S. Capital Trends / Park Avenue Sculpture Tours / You Never Know!

RCA (Real Capital Analytics) U.S. Capital Trends

RCA’s U.S. Capital Trends First Quarter 2013 reports were just published.  Here are some of my takeaways: 

Hotels

• Sales of significant hotel properties are up 84% from a year ago
• The hotel sector is increasingly becoming dependent on CMBS (Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities) as its primary source of debt capital
• Sales volumes rose significantly in secondary and tertiary markets

Apartment

• Sales of significant apartment properties totaled $31.7Bn, a new record high although this included the sale of Archstone properties in two portfolios sold to Equity Residential and Avalon Bay
• Senior housing is also off to a strong start in 2013 with transaction volumes doubled from a year ago

Retail

• Sales of significant retail properties were down 30% versus last year
• Positive trend in strip center transactions

Industrial

• Sales of significant industrial properties were up 16% compared to the same period in 2012
• Sales volumes in tertiary markets rose significantly

Office

• Sales of significant office buildings up only 2% from a year earlier
• Acquisitions in secondary markets posted positive trends with volume in tertiary markets up the most 

RCA’s data mirrors what several industry friends mentioned to me just this week.  They and their partners are seeing prices starting to over-heat, even on ‘so-so’ properties in secondary and tertiary markets.  They have been out-bid by as much as 33% and don’t understand how the winning bidders can underwrite to those prices.  While sellers are benefiting, this is another indication of the next real estate bubble starting to inflate.  

Park Avenue Sculpture Tours

Last week I wrote about Alexandre Arrchea’s “No Limits” exhibition along Park Avenue.  Two OTR readers took me up on my offer to view the abstract real estate artwork together. It was such a nice experience to stroll the streets and hear different perspectives.  The weather was beautiful and sharing with others is what made this special for me. 

The real estate person in each of us chose to notice how the artist dealt with the scale of each building and the sense of animation attached to inanimate objects. There is no right or wrong way in which to experience the arts:  it’s all our individual appreciation. The exhibit is located on Park Avenue between 54 and 67 Streets and runs through Sunday, June 10.  My offer to join you on the tour is still open! 

Outdoor Public Art in New York

On a similar note, a friend forwarded me this link which is a terrific roadmap to ‘discovering NYC’s range of al fresco art…from expansive graffiti murals and obscure 19 century statues to iconic public artworks and secret New York treasures.’  Looks like a great spring / summer adventure is unfolding!

You never know….

(Note:  An apology to those of you who think baseball is boring!)

On Thursday a long-time real estate friend took me to Yankee Stadium to watch the Yanks play the Toronto Blue Jays.  There had been some excitement early on but nothing like what happened in the seventh inning. Yankee Ben Francisco was called out on a close play at first base.  There was no dispute of the call yet a few minutes later the umpires gathered for a conference.  The outcome of the pow-wow was a reversal of the call!  No one seated around us had ever seen such a thing. The crowd cheered wildly.  The Toronto manager argued with the umpires to such a degree that he got tossed out of the game.  You can read all about it here.  

Why do I mention this??  Simply to suggest that we never know when something totally unexpected and unusual will happen.  Perhaps the unexpected should be something we actually expect from time to time…  Hopefully the unexpected occurrence will be a good one but that’s not always the case.  When something bad happens we need to choose how to manage the situation.  It’s all about our attitude.  We can argue, like the Toronto manager and get ‘tossed out of the game,’ or just accept what has happened and deal with it in a positive way.  I think that embracing the unexpected and making the best out of the situation is often the healthiest response for us.  Don’t you think?

Congratulations…

• Jaap van der Bijl, Director Investor Relations, Syntrus Achmea Real Estate and Finance. 
• John Bottomley, Executive Vice President - Capital Markets, Berkshire Group.
• Drew Butler forming Butler Global Partners.

On The Road…

May 16:  Annual meeting of The Hoyt Fellows, North Palm Beach, FL

May 29 – 30:  IMN (Information Management Network) U.S. Real Estate Opportunity Fund and Private Fund Investing Forum, New York, NY 

June 4 – 5:  PERE Summit (Private Equity Real Estate Magazine), London, UK 

Disclaimer  

All content in this blog is created for informational purposes only. Content, which includes all text, photos, video and graphics is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company or individual.  Steve Felix makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or other information as a result of following any featured link to or from this site.  The intention of this blog is to do no harm in regards to injury, defamation or libel. What is written or shown is not to be taken as fact or absolute.  Steve Felix will hold himself harmless for any errors or omissions in this blog’s information; including but not limited to external link information, translation or interpretation of content or incorrect grammar or punctuation. 

Hot Air or Helium? / "No Limits" Real Estate Sculptures / Over-thinking / Five Fruit Feedback

Hot Air or Helium?

From far and wide capital is flowing into U.S. commercial real estate. My long-time friend, Ed LaGrassa, of Chilton Realty in New York said, “I’m concerned that a bubble is once again forming. Prices for individual properties are really heating up.”  

Whether it’s hot air or a helium bubble really makes no difference.  Prices for prime properties in gateway cities are pushing cap rates down.  Availability of cheap debt is also contributing to the current state of affairs.  Many people I speak with are looking deeper into secondary and even tertiary markets for ‘sensible’ deals and those areas are benefiting from the appearance of previously absent brand names in real estate. As a result, these markets may experience a bonus of new job creation and the reestablishment of their economic foundation. ‘Wouldn’t that be loverly?’ (From Wouldn't It Be Loverly by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, written for the 1956 Broadway play My Fair Lady).

“No Limits” Real Estate Sculptures

While walking down Park Avenue this week I was stopped dead in my tracks by a unique structure; I paused for a moment to figure out exactly what I was looking at.  There was a building incorporated into a piece of art.  Once home I did an Internet search and must share the results with my real estate community.

The “No Limits” exhibit is found on Manhattan’s Park Avenue, between 53 and 67 streets and is totally mesmerizing. Ten sculptures are based on well-known NYC buildings.  I shot the photo below on Wednesday, April 17 and plan to walk the entire ‘show’ very soon.  

The artist is Alexandre Arrchea.  Mr. Arrechea says he's tried to position his representations as close as possible to the actual building.  Taken from his website, “The Seagram Building sculpture, like the Chrysler one, appears to unravel from a giant coil, a fire hose with sinuous lines, and looks like it's almost dancing in front of the building itself.”

If you are in the New York area, and especially if you are in the real estate industry, this is a ‘must see.’   The exhibit runs through Sunday, June 10.  Hey, if you’re going to do the tour - let me know…I’d love to walk it with you!

Over-Thinking

Dr. Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, a psychologist and writer, died at 53 on January 2, 2013.  She conducted work that helped explain why women are twice as prone to depression as men.  This resonated with me. 

Her studies, first in children and later in adults, exposed a pattern of rumination - the natural instinct to dwell on the sources of problems rather than their possible solutions. “The way I think she’d put it is that, when bad things happen, women brood — they’re cerebral, which can feed into the depression,” said Martin Seligman, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, who oversaw her doctoral work. “Men are more inclined to act, to do something, plan, beat someone up, play basketball.”

“We are suffering from an epidemic of over-thinking,” Dr. Nolen-Hoeksema wrote in 2003. 

As a man, I can relate to the concept of 'over-thinking.'  I’ve seen this in myself at times. Sometimes it drives me crazy.  I’ve found it helpful to go out and play – tennis, music, take a walk. These things feel good and help get my mind off thinking for a while.  I can then refocus brain activity with a healthier outlook later. I’m wondering if anyone else uses a different technique of distracting your mind from over-thinking…

Five fruit feedback

Many thanks to those who sent me helpful suggestions for increasing my daily fruit intake. The most popular suggestion was, by far, the fruit smoothie.  Now that I own a serious blender, I will be experimenting with this drink (or is it a food?). This is just one facet of me taking better care of myself.  I believe you will agree that knowing what to do - and actually doing it - are two completely different things.   But, I’m working at it.  As I like to say, we are all works in progress.

On The Road…

April 27:  Noon to midnight jam session with Sound Counsel comprised of fellow Counselors of Real Estate (CRE) members, New York, NY

May 16:  Annual meeting of The Hoyt Fellows, North Palm Beach, FL

May 29 – 30:  IMN (Information Management Network) U.S. Real Estate Opportunity Fund and Private Fund Investing Forum, New York, NY 

June 4 – 5:  PERE Summit (Private Equity Real Estate Magazine), London, UK 

Disclaimer  

All content in this blog is created for informational purposes only. Content, which includes all text, photos, video and graphics is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company or individual.  Steve Felix makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or other information as a result of following any featured link to or from this site.  The intention of this blog is to do no harm in regards to injury, defamation or libel. What is written or shown is not to be taken as fact or absolute.  Steve Felix will hold himself harmless for any errors or omissions in this blog’s information; including but not limited to external link information, translation or interpretation of content or incorrect grammar or punctuation. 

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PERE Global Investor Forum / Sleep / A Tree Grows in Manhattan

PERE Global Investor Forum

PERE (Private Equity Real Estate) Magazine held its global investor forum on April 9-10 in Los Angeles.  Because PERE believes that a bigger crowd is not always better, attendees found time and space for substantive discussions.  Participants also had access to numerous sources of institutional capital.

There is a recognizable ‘buzz’ when a group of people is fully engaged with one another and the topic at hand. That buzz was evident at all networking / schmoozing breaks as well as during meals.  This is a dramatically different environment than the ‘din’ I have experienced at larger industry events. 

Immediately following the conclusion of the forum, PERE offered an ‘Emerging Manager Workshop.’  In a roundtable format the group openly discussed the challenges faced by emerging managers and were then treated to enlightening solutions offered by consultants, placement agents, and those already successfully raised capital. Numerous participants told me they were leaving the PERE Forum with valuable takeaways. 

Sleep

For most of my life, even when I was playing rock ‘n roll for a living, I slept no more than six hours a night. That was all I needed - or so I thought.  A few months ago, in a valiant attempt to turn back time, I discovered that my biological age was 55. That made a guy who is, chronologically, a little older than that feel pretty darn good.  Actually - knock on wood - I don’t look, feel, or act my age.  The report included suggestions that may contribute to a longer and healthier life, including sleeping more and eating five servings of fruit every day.  While I love fruit and have been eating more, reaching the daily goal of five has not been easy.  (Feel free to send me your suggestions to incorporate more fruit into my routine.) Of most interest to me is that after taking that report to heart, I’ve been getting more sleep and have been feeling better than ever.  Who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?  

A Tree Grows in Manhattan

The cherry blossoms are blooming, the overcoats almost ready for storage, and the tennis courts in Central Park are open!  Spring has sprung in New York City.  It’s my first spring since moving here last year and it feels great.  Of all the cities I’ve visited, none has the energy of New York.  Outside my window at the rear of numerous apartment buildings is a vigorous tree, barren over the winter and now blooming.  Who would have thought that after so many years living in a home in Napa, CA, with some great old trees in my back yard, that my NYC tree would be so meaningful?   But that’s the feeling I have living here, in my small studio apartment with my name on the mailbox.  It’s very special.

Congratulations

Ville Raitio, now Director, Fund Management with Aberdeen Asset Management.

On The Road…

May 16:  Annual meeting of The Hoyt Fellows, North Palm Beach, FL.

May 29 – 30:  IMN (Information Management Network) U.S. Real Estate Opportunity Fund and Private Fund Investing Forum, New York, NY 

June 4 – 5:  PERE Summit (Private Equity Real Estate Magazine), London, UK 

Disclaimer  

All content in this blog is created for informational purposes only. Content, which includes all text, photos, video and graphics is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company or individual.  Steve Felix makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or other information as a result of following any featured link to or from this site.  The intention of this blog is to do no harm in regards to injury, defamation or libel. What is written or shown is not to be taken as fact or absolute.  Steve Felix will hold himself harmless for any errors or omissions in 

this blog’s information; including but not limited to external link information, translation or interpretation of content or incorrect grammar or punctuation. 

The Viral World / Tennis to the Max / Too many ifs

The Viral World

During the first generation of commercial real estate websites, I offered a service called “Website Scorecard.”  I would click through a company’s website and ‘score’ each page with a 1, 2 or 3.  A rating of ‘1’ meant all was fine; the ‘2’ rating included a suggestion; and ‘3’ was given with the statement ‘fix this fast!’ 

With the Internet, it’s basically figuring out how to get people to navigate to your site.  At this stage there are lots of tools and gimmicks but it’s not really all that complicated; just post a music video that grabs people’s attention and the viral community will take care of everything else.  Case in point:  Taylor Swift’s YouTube video of ‘Back to December’ has had more than 40 million viewers!  Perhaps hard to fathom until you look at her song, ‘You Belong With Me’ with more than 230 million views!!  Clearly none of us in the commercial real estate industry needs to achieve that kind of traffic but there is a lesson here:  if you give people something they want, the word will spread. 

When you are thinking about your own website, it may be a good idea to step back and consider whether you’re giving a visitor a reason to contact you.  Are you offering something they want or need?  Are you providing a call to action? What is your website for?  If you’re not inviting your potential clients to reach out to you, then your website is basically providing information to your competitors.  Why would you want to do that?  I encourage you to take a look at your own information through the eyes of a potential client and make sure your website is meeting your needs.

Tennis to the Max

Tennis to the Max is a unique training program about much more than improving your tennis strokes.  In fact, that’s not the primary focus.  Tennis pro, Fred Sperber, and Sport Psychology Consultant, Tina Greenbaum, have teamed up to teach tennis players how to build confidence, trust themselves on the court and eliminate negative self-judgments. 

On approximately my 11^th tennis comeback, I have benefited from this program.  What I have taken away are self-development tools that can work in all parts of my life.  For example, the concept of focusing on things you actually have influence over is making a big difference for me.

Tennis to the Max has reminded me that exerting energy on things I can’t control is futile.  I’m now focusing on areas in my control, such as how I toss the ball for my next serve and how I walk away from the last point.  If my opponent won that point, I can brush it off and focus on me and not them. But like all habit changes, it will take time.

I anticipate that this program will provide me with long-term benefits both on and off the court.  If you’re in the New York area you may want to check it out!

Poem of the Week

'Too many what ifs'
Written by James McInerney

What if you loved, or if you cared, or even dared?
What if your heart didn't start when you stared?
What if your mind couldn't stop thinking of me?
What if you knew it but you just couldn't see?
What if it happened then how would you feel?
What if the thoughts in your head became real?
What if you loved me if only the once?
And pictured the future being us?
What if I wrote this to remind you of me?
What if it worked?
Then where would we be?

On The Road…

Apr. 9 -10:  PERE (Private Equity Real Estate Magazine) Global Investor Forum, Los Angeles, CA 

May 29 – 30:  IMN (Information Management Network) U.S. Real Estate Opportunity Fund and Private Fund Investing Forum, New York, NY 

June 4 – 5:  PERE Summit (Private Equity Real Estate Magazine), London, UK 

Disclaimer  

All content in this blog is created for informational purposes only. Content, which includes all text, photos, video and graphics is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company or individual.  Steve Felix makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or other information as a result of following any featured link to or from this site.  The intention of this blog is to do no harm in regards to injury, defamation or libel. What is written or shown is not to be taken as fact or absolute.  Steve Felix will hold himself harmless for any errors or omissions in this blog’s information; including but not limited to external link information, translation or interpretation of content or incorrect grammar or punctuation. 

The Myron Violation

Myron Silverman

The only remaining relative from my mother’s family is uncle Myron (Mike) Silverman.  While not very close, we have stayed in touch.  A few weeks ago, anticipating his 89^th birthday, I called to see about visiting he and his wife Connie in Connecticut. I found their phone disconnected.  Some research revealed that both had been moved into a nearby assisted living facility.

The facility manager would not give me any details as I wasn’t on ‘the list.’ They said the estate administrator was one of my aunt’s niece's whom I did not know.  A staff member took my phone number to pass along to Connie’s niece.  To date, I have not heard from my Aunt’s niece and have a gut feeling I never will.

I was told that I couldn’t even visit Mike and Connie unless sanctioned by the niece.  It’s sad when things come to this.  I’m sure many of you have experienced even more challenging and upsetting situations with your family members. They’re rarely easy.

Myron is a fairly passive but creative man. Like my mother, he worked in an office with stuff all over the place.  “I know where everything is,” he once said reminding me of a sign over my mother’s desk that read, ‘A neat desk is the sign of a sick mind.’ 

These events got me thinking: time is a commodity in limited supply.  The tricky part is we have no idea just how much, or how little, we have left. That makes what we do with our time so important. Reflecting on this now, I feel great clarity about my priorities. Things weren’t always this clear.

For many years I was ‘chasing after rainbows’ (from “Most of All You”, Music by James Newton Howard and Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman from the film Major League). But rainbows can’t be contained.  They bring beauty for an instant and then - POOF - they vanish. 

What is important to me?  Finding someone to go through time with who cares about me and whom I care about; my children, their wives and my grandchildren; appreciating every day and never forgetting that once it’s gone we can never get it back; remembering the power of kindness and the gift of laughter.  While not rainbows, they are the colors of my life.

Please permit me to share one Myron Silverman anecdote with you. Many years ago, on a boys-only family camping trip, we noticed that Myron had a tendency to talk about some other meal while he was eating the food in front of him.  It was annoying. Sometime later, we came up with “The Myron Violation.”  This occurs when someone with whom you are dining begins talking about another meal.  So you call them out on it.  But not all situations are clear-cut violations.  For example, what if you’re eating and someone talks about a recipe?  Is that a Myron Violation?  Over the years, my brother, sons, and nephew (and now the extended family) have found amusement in this and the related debates.  At some point, I actually told Myron about it and he laughed.  I realize now that this will be his legacy to us.

I am determined to see Mike and Connie.  Stay tuned.

On The Road…

April 1 – 2:  Client meetings, Chicago, IL

Apr. 9 -10:  PERE (Private Equity Real Estate Magazine) Global Investor Forum, Los Angeles, CA

May 29 – 30:  IMN (Information Management Network) U.S. Real Estate Opportunity Fund and Private Fund Investing Forum, New York, NY

June 4 – 5:  PERE Summit (Private Equity Real Estate Magazine), London, UK

Disclaimer 

All content in this blog is created for informational purposes only. Content, which includes all text, photos, video and graphics is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company or individual.  Steve Felix makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or other information as a result of following any featured link to or from this site.  The intention of this blog is to do no harm in regards to injury, defamation or libel. What is written or shown is not to be taken as fact or absolute.  Steve Felix will hold himself harmless for any errors or omissions in this blog’s information; including but not limited to external link information, translation or interpretation of content or incorrect grammar or punctuation.