I normally write about fun stuff, mainly wine. Today, a slightly more serious topic. You see, Moxie and I have four children. The oldest is 16, full of himself and

was

armed with a fresh new drivers license….. Until last night. He got busted doing 87 in a 55- Reckless Driving in our state which requires an adult accompanied trip to the Juvy court. I have not been this angry in a long, long time. He was warned, several times. But, kids will be kids, and they continue to push the folks. So, I decided to hit him where if hurts. You see, at 16, they only know two things. Peer pressure and your own set of wheels (freedom).

Easy fix. I took his license for 62 days. 30 for the ticket, and a day per MPH over the limit.

Next up, peer pressure. We both posted the picture below on our Facebook pages where I tagged him. Now, all of his friends know what a bozo move he made. Too harsh? Too lenient? You be a judge, keeping in mind he will also be paying any fees etc.

This past weekend was quite a busy, yet rewarding weekend. Our best friend’s son graduated from Medical School as a newly minted Doctor. I could go into detail but will give you the quick bits. We have known him since he was a shy 8 year old, watching him go on to GW University, a stint at Oxford and back to DC to enroll in Georgetown. Quite an accomplishment and something to be proud of.
His family all came into town so we hosted a party for 20 on Saturday night. I delved deep into my cellar and you can read about those gems later. Meanwhile, Moxie got busy making her own version of Operation Cake. Yes, the nose lights up and buzzes. I’m really proud of her artistic talents. BTW we served up some awesome Beef Tenderloins that I grilled on the trusty Weber, cause red meat is what I needed for the massive amounts of fine Bordeaux we drank!

Several weeks ago, the inevitable happened to us.  My 16 year old son got his driver’s license.  Much to my horror, I signed the temporary permit and he shot across the street to show his still-dripping ticket to freedom to his mother (who was visiting the neighbor).  I immediately called the insurance company to add him to our policy and nearly fell over when they told me the new rate. Alas, 16 year old male, newly minted and highly inexperienced means that you will pay through the nose.

He did not even have to ask, as I handed him the keys to the “toaster”, a boxy looking black Honda Element.  He stated his desire to visit Max, his friend, so off he went.  Unbeknownst to him, I was watching, well tracking really.  His mother and I immediately launched the Find Iphone app on my Ipad and watched his progression, not to Max’s, but to Jacob’s house first.  We refreshed every three seconds to make sure he was okay like some expectant father, and worried ourselves sick until he returned home an hour later.  When asked about his circuitous routing to Max’s house via Jacob’s, he looked puzzled, perplexed like a deer in the headlights. “How did you know where I was?”, “Dad knows a lot of things, sonny boy”.  I left it like that until his curiosity got the better of him an hour later and he quizzed me on my knowledge. I confirmed his guess when he stated that it was his new Iphone that gave it away, but I did not reveal details, only to say that we were watching his every move and would be on of him like stink on a gorilla.

This past week was Spring Break, so Moxie and I bundled our four kids, two friends and a dog into the venerable Toaster and the Suburban for a few days of R & R in the mountains.  At one point, we split off as she wanted to go shopping while my only desire was to return to our friend’s cabin where the luxury of an indoor pool beckoned alongside a cold Chardonnay.  Well, Moxie is a smart girl, but directionally challenged, especially in the Toaster as it lacks any creature comforts nor a GPS unit.  She is, as I said, a smart girl, and used the Find Iphone app again to track my position at the cabin so she could find her way home, well done Moxie!

Last night was the epitome of the App’s usefulness as Nick had to drive me to the airport.  I made him repeat the directions of how to get home; stay in the right lane, North sonny boy, etc.  So it was quite a surprise when I was disrobing for the TSA at our local airport that he called me in tears and proclaimed that he was lost, missed the exit and had done the right thing by pulling over and calling dad.  I immediately activated the mighty “Find” app, instructed him on how to proceed and re-assured him that I was going to follow his progress.

Wouldn’t you know it, in those next few minutes where the fearsome agents defending our nation’s airports strip me of phone, wallet and dignity was when he failed in an epic fashion.  Heading south instead of north, our swashbuckling youth was off on another adventure.  I did not call him, as he has been instructed not to talk or text while driving, but waited impatiently for his next plea for help.  When he did call, I advised him that he was once again heading to Disney World, and needed to proceed North.  Several agonizing minutes later, he called again with an update.  I asked if he was headed north or not, to which he had no clue.  “Is the sun in the left or right window?” I asked as it was 5:00 pm.  He answered correctly that it was in his left window and I reminded him of his compass bearings.

I eased myself into the delights of a five hour flight relieved in the knowledge that my son was home safe and sound.

That’s right, I picked the wrong teams two weeks ago against my buddy, we’ll call him Reming, or Mr. Flix (if you are not familiar).  The payoff was a ‘decent’ bottle from the cave.  So, I presented the Cantemerle 2001, which I had previously raved about.  I also took along the Hermitage La Chapelle 1999, hoping I had at least one bottle still going strong.  My pick of the Bordeaux was spot-on, the Hermitage confirmed my fears.  It was an enjoyable tasting that ended up with several additions from the local shop, including the now delectable Trivento Syrah, and two bottles of rotgut.

Vengeance is mine though, as we meet again tomorrow for the payback.  I can’t wait to see what little gem he has dug out from his cellar.  No doubt I will be harsh when critiquing, pictures to come!

The winner and loser

If you have been following my blog at all, you will notice that I write about wine mainly.  I add a few stories about stuff in general and try to plug my website.  By the way, it’s doing tremendously well, thanks for asking.  Moxie’s brick-and mortar store has been humming along nicely since mid November, it’s time to make the money folks- Black Friday is exactly what it sounds like, retailers finally turn the corner and start to make profit.  Everyone relies on sales to get the thing started and this year was no exception.

In fact, they didn’t wait until Friday, nor did they limit it to Friday.  In sheer desperation, fueled no doubt by the media, big boxes offered discounts for days, weeks- extending Friday to the weekend, Cyber Monday is still running on many a site.  Everyone wants a piece of the action, sales on the internet are way up, credit card companies are touting robust numbers and people are tired of scrimping and saving.  Our business is finally doing what it is supposed to be doing, providing customers with great gifts that are unique, packaged properly and serviced by a great group of salespeople who take customer service to heart.

Time for the rant-  it’s four letter symbol is GRPN.  Down 50% from it’s opening day high and trading well below it’s release price, the stock is getting crushed, and it’s only been around for 5 minutes (three weeks actually).  Serves them right.  Serves the foolish investor who bought at 30, perhaps I could buy some of the $30 shares, minus 50%  and let them get the 50% of that take.  In other words, 25% of the total take ends up in pocket.

That is what Groupon thinks is fair.  You got it, 25% of the value that a merchant should be getting is actually deposited in their account, perhaps as much as 60 days after the event.  They were kind enough to offer us a ‘deal’ of only taking 25% if we signed up for a deal with them.  Such a bargain….  can I get two?

Seriously folks, Groupon is not going to be around for ever, their business model is flawed in conception.  They offer a service to businesses who are either new, or dead, and then screw them hard.  A competitor just ran a Groupon, and then posted it on her Facebook page.  Real smart lady, offer a 50% discount to your current customers.  It’s about getting NEW customers, or maybe she needed some 60 day cash flow.  Who knows, but the genius ran it again 4 weeks later.  By my simple math I figure she lost a bundle.  How many new customers did she get?  Who knows, but I can almost guarantee you that they won’t be repeats at full price.  You see, the people that actually buy the Groupons are one-timers.  They move on to the next deal, the next day.  You have not bought loyalty, nope.  Just an expectation that you will have another deal soon.  Very bad business practice.  The Deal a Day addicts don’t generally come back unless they can get a deal, it’s in their genes.  Try and get an extreme couponer to buy a loaf of bread at regular price, not going to happen.  So, as a businessman, I refuse to fall for the pitch they sell.  I rely on superior customer service, excellent product mix and good old fashioned loyalty to run my biz, am I too 1999?  We will see in a few years.  Rant over……

As you may know, Moxie (the little lady) owns a gift store, which happens to sell all kinds of neat things in addition to Vera Bradley and Christmas goodies.  Every year she throws down a huge Holiday Open House, complete with awesome Christmas trees, treats and some bubbly.  The event was last night and it was a huge success.  In the end, I was walking around and found some of my old bottles of the good stuff, in large format no less.  Having never taken pictures of them, I seized the opportunity to capture them forever, and write about them (what I remember anyway).  In the next day or so, I will post about the more memorable ones and hope you enjoy.  Meanwhile, here is a collection of photos from the event……

They love wine, which really annoys me. Seems there is a problem in our neck of the woods and everyone has them. We have resorted to putting everything into the fridge and cleaning up everywhere- still, thousands of the buggers. So, Moxie, being the clever little gal that she is, figured out a new defense. Vinegar. That’s right folks, they love it. We just replace the glass every few days and bingo!