what I've learned

What I've learned...
by Kai's dad, wine distributor, father

- Appointments with new wine reps are just above rock-bottom on a restaurant manager's priority list.
- Your kids hear everything. Especially when you don't want them to.
- Summer is not a good time to be selling wine.
- It is, however, a good time to be drinking some.
- Mosquitoes will find the one centimeter on Kai's body that we did not slather with insect repellent and bite him. Repeatedly.
- And it seems, there is always that one spot that we missed.
- Having kids definitely changes everything. Especially mommy-and-daddy time.
- Toys may come and go, but Baby Einstein is forever.
- Unfortunately, a lot of restaurants don't take quality into consideration in their wine-purchasing decisions.
- Don't eat at those restaurants.
- If I see a wine on a restaurant list that I can find in a gas station, that restaurant manager is just not trying.
- Competing on price alone is not a game that is worth playing.
- The line between protecting your child from harm and allowing him or her to experience the world and all it has to offer is a wobbly tightrope over the chasm of regret.
- The first time your child wakes up and starts calling for you is sugary sweet.
- Fried chicken is the world's best food.
- Because it's crunchy, spicy, salty, savory and you can eat it with your hands. That's why.
- Fear is the first emotion you learn. Love was always there from the beginning. You don't have to learn love.