Author Archives: Brian

About Brian

Brian is a nice guy who lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Live Theater Performances That I’ve Seen…

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A list of live theater performances that I’ve seen, mostly for my own benefit

Musicals:
Aida
Ain’t Misbehavin’
Annie
Annie Get Your Gun
Anything Goes
Avenue Q
Beauty and the Beast
Billy Elliot
Brigadoon
Cabaret
La Cage aux Folles
Carousel
A Christmas Carol
A Chorus Line
Damn Yankees
Evita
Fiddler on the Roof
The Foreigner
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Godspell
Grease
Guys and Dolls
Gypsy
Hairspray
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Into the Woods
Jesus Christ Superstar
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
The King and I
Les Misérables
The Lion King
A Little Night Music
Little Shop of Horrors
Little Women
Mamma Mia!
Mary Poppins
Miss Saigon
Movin’ Out
The Music Man
My Fair Lady
Oklahoma!
Oliver!
Once Upon a Mattress
Peter Pan
Phantom of the Opera
Pippin
Ragtime
Rent
Seussical
Singin’ in the Rain
South Pacific
Spamalot
Thoroughly Modern Millie
West Side Story
Wicked
The Wiz
1776

Non-Musical Theater:
A FLEA IN HER EAR by Georges Feydeau
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY by Brian Friel
Arsenic and Old Lace
BOMBSHELLS
BORN YESTERDAY by Garson Kanin
CYRANO DE BERGERAC by Edmond Rostand
Death of a Salesman
DOUBT by John Patrick Shanley
EURYDICE by Sara Ruhl
GEM OF THE OCEAN by August Wilson
GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS by David Mamet
KING LEAR by William Shakespeare
LAUGHING STOCK by Charles Morey
Lend Me a Tenor
On Golden Pond
Our Town
SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE FINAL ADVENTURE by Steven Dietz
STATE OF THE UNION by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse
SUEÑO by Jose Rivera
TARTUFFE by Moliére
THE BLONDE, THE BRUNETTE AND THE VENGEFUL REDHEAD by Robert Hewett
THE CHERRY ORCHARD by Anton Chekhov
THE CLEAN HOUSE by Sarah Ruhl
THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR by Nikolai Gogol
THE LADY WITH ALL THE ANSWERS by David Rambo
THE NERD by Larry Shue
THE NORMAN CONQUESTS by Alan Ayckbourn
THE VOYSEY INHERITANCE by Harley Granville-Barker
TRANSLATIONS by Brian Friel
YANKEE TAVERN by Steven Dietz

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Would you like to buy any insurance?

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Sales is extremely difficult. It takes a special person to succeed in sales.

I’ve often thought that all college students should be required to take a 3 credit class during their last semester where they just make cold calls as part of the class. No syllabus or exams…just a room full of telephones and phone books.

It would not matter what they are calling about…perhaps asking for donations to the school would be appropriate…

The learning will come from the experience of handling rejection and learning to successfully persuade others.

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Our Favorites on Sanibel Island

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We put together a list of our favorite spots on Sanibel Island, Florida. Enjoy.

Restaurants
Grandma Dots
Jacuranda – The Jac Bar (Happy Hour Specials)
Beachview
Island Cow
The Sanibel Bean

Sunset Spots
Bowman’s Beach
Mucky Duck

Outdoor Activities
Kayaking in Tarpon Bay & Sanibel River (for the adventurous types)
Jogs on the Beach

Religious Services
St. Isabel Catholic Church

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Flax Banana Walnut Muffins Recipe

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I make the Breakfast of Champions nearly every morning.  As such, we tend to have a lot of bananas in the house.  Recently we had three extra bananas that had turned a dark brown color.  It was decided that making a banana bread was the best option.  There were two main problems with making a bread.  First, we didn’t have a bread pan and second, I tend to eat a whole loaf of bread in one sitting.  At the same time, we also really like having muffins around.  They are great snacks or an alternative to a dessert, etc.   H also enjoys muffins as a breakfast option.  If you haven’t tried the Apple Walnut Flax Muffins, you are missing out.

We came across a recipe and tried it with a few modifications.  Here it is for your enjoyment:

Ingredients
* 1-3/4 cups Wheat Flour
* 3/4 cup Flaxseed Meal
* 3/4 cup Sugar
* 1 tsp Baking Powder
* 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
* 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
* 2 Eggs
* 1/3 cup Canola Oil
* 2-3 Medium Very Ripe Bananas

Topping
* 1/2 cup chopped Walnuts-Baker’s Pieces
* 1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar (packed)
* 1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon, Saigon (Premium)

Directions
Preheat oven at 350. We use the paper muffin cups and spray the inside with an olive oil cooking spray.

Mix together flour, flaxseed meal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs and oil. Add dry ingredients and mashed bananas alternately to egg and oil mixture, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into prepared pan. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over batter in loaf pan. Pat down firmly into batter or swirl topping into batter with knife.

Bake 12-15 minutes.  (Might need more time, check with a fork.)

Yield: 18 muffins

ESTIMATED NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

One muffin contains: Calories 180, Calories from Fat 80, Total Fat 9g, Saturated Fat 0.5g, Cholesterol 20mg, Sodium 110mg, Total Carbohydrate 25g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 12g and Protein 4g.

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Achieve a Healthy Work / Life Balance

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My Grandma got me a book called “The 4-Hour Workweek” for my Birthday in 2007. It’s a great book that has been a major influence to how I think about the role of work. Even though I am still working more than 4 hours a week…this book has been an excellent resource as I have built my business and lifestyle. This is my favorite story from the book.  I’d be interested to discuss your thoughts and reaction to the story next time we get together. 

—
An American businessman took a vacation to a small coastal Mexican village on doctor’s orders. Unable to sleep after an urgent phone call from the office the first morning, he walked out to the pier to clear his head. A small boat with just one fisherman had docked, and inside the boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.

“How long did it take you to catch them?” the American asked.

“Only a little while,” the Mexican replied in surprisingly good English.

“Why don’t you stay out longer and catch more fish?” the American then asked.

“I have enough to support my family and give a few to friends,” the Mexican said as he unloaded them into a basket.

“But… What do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican looked up and smiled. “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Julia, and stroll into the village each evening, where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, senor.”

The American laughed and stood tall. “Sir, I’m a Harvard M.B.A. and can help you. You should spend more time fishing, and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. In no time, you could buy several boats with the increased haul. Eventually, you would have a fleet of fishing boats.”

He continued, “Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the consumers, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village, of course, and move to Mexico City, then to Los Angeles, and eventually to New York City, where you could run your expanded enterprise with proper management.

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, senor, how long will all this take?”

To which the American replied, “15-20 years, 25 tops.”

“But what then, senor?”

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions.”

“Millions senor? Then what?”

“Then you would retire and move to a small coastal fishing village, where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, and stroll in to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

—

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