I Kill Myself

I have a confession to make. One of my time management techniques:  I deliberately kill myself, trying to reach my goals. The first time I was introduced to any concept of time management was in college. My engineering design team’s assignment:  create a non-conventional passenger aircraft.  A huge undertaking. Our professor drew a bell curve […]

Drug Dealin’ Pimp Mobiles

“Are you serious?” I simply couldn’t believe my ears. Partly shocked. Partly surprised. It’s not every day someone offers to give away an almost brand new car. A short while earlier, I started talking to this gentleman. Mike. Never met him before. We did the usual light chit chat. I made a comment about my […]

Scalin’ a big ol’ pile of doodie

“Zees is going to be big.” He said in his thick French accent. His eyes as wide as saucers. His face deadpan serious. Twenty five minutes earlier, he was scared. Freaked out. If I would have given him permission to leave, he would have bolted for the door. But I sat him down. Hit the […]

They Offer Rewards for Making You Angry

I don’t follow all the traditional ways used by real estate agents to grow their business. Door knocking. Cold calling. Not for me. Now I keep one foot in this world. To see what tactics the real estate world comes up with. I take those and present them to you. Warn you if something shady […]

Tell Me Lies

As I’m writing this, I’m sitting in the French Alps. A small town called Samoëns. A fresh espresso sits in front of me. A crispy, buttery croissant within reach. I share this not to make anyone envious. Well, maybe a little. I share this because it’s the truth. Let me rewind the clock about a […]

Dude Photoshopped His Head Onto a Sheep

When I first got into real estate, a more experienced agent tried to give me branding advice. “You need to do something clever with your name. I can’t pronounce your last name. But your first name. Cliff. Something like “Don’t fall off a Cliff when buying your home.” My first impulse “That’s the dumbest thing […]

All Good Things

Sometimes, the sadness is too hard to hold. I watched this show called “Six Feet Under”. It was the last episode, the series finale, during the last 5 minutes that made me ball like a baby. For those who haven’t watched the show, “Six Feet Under” was a show that focused on a family who […]

80 Year Old Children

“Where are you?” I’m fighting not to scream. “I’ve been worried sick!” When people ask how old my parents are, I always say “In their 70’s.” This year I got a bit of sticker shock. I realized they are in their 80’s. And have been for a few years. 70’s don’t feel old to me. […]

Coq Au Vin. A la Cliff.

I use to be really big into cooking.  Not sure why I gave it up. This recipe is based on Julia Child’s recipe for Coq Au Vin.  Of course it’s not the real Coq Au Vin.  That takes standing by a stove all day and a really, really tough old rooster. Ingredients: 1 Bottle Red […]

Dead Grandmother. And Other Excuses.

“My grandmother died. And I took it really hard.” I can’t even begin to tell you the number of times I hear college students uttered that phrase to their professors. A student does poorly on the final exam. They blame their grandmother passing. They cross their fingers, hoping the professor either bumps their grade or […]