What I'm Up To
​Volume 99

Hey friends,
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Life's been life-ing and this volume is late. Hope you don't mind. Here’s what I’ve been up to since Vol. 98…
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1. September Happenings
​Last month, someone went into cardiac arrest at our event, and I pulled a woman from a burning car. This month? I launched my first solo book, Rookie Real Estate Agent, poorly managed an active shooter situation in my neighborhood, and lost three consecutive battles to a skunk. Life has not been boring. 🎢
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For a small book, our team crushed the “Rookie book” launch with over 7,000 sales in the first month! The reviews have been amazing, but my favorite comes from Caroline Huo: This book is not just for rookies, trust me. It is so good that I ordered a case and am gifting The Rookie Real Estate Agent to a group of seasoned pros I am meeting this week. The ideas, strategies, mindset, and foundation inside are timeless, and the new ideas built upon them are powerful. Even after 22 years in the business, I have learned so much and have been reminded even more. Every few pages, I punch the air and say, “Yes!” Pass the vapors! I may just swoon.
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Speaking of vapors, a skunk has invaded our neighborhood. 🦨 The current score: Skunk 3, Taco 0. Two neighbors are in the same boat. How do you train a dog to avoid these things? Taco basically gets a spa day every time he's sprayed. Driving home one night, the skunk ran in front of my car. My instincts kicked in, and I swerved instead of hitting the gas. Some days it doesn't pay to be a good person.
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On the 10th, Wendy and I were drinking coffee after our morning workout when a helicopter kept buzzing overhead. I hopped on Twitter and discovered a woman and a police officer had been shot near Zilker Park—about a mile away. The shooter was still at large.
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Quick huddle with Wendy:
Should I get out a gun? No, we don't want to be part of the problem.
Should we get the dog in and lock the doors? Yes!
Plot twist: Our dog had escaped the backyard. 🤦‍♂️

Wendy started knocking on doors while I drove around. I counted five police cars. A dog walker shared that he’d been told to shelter in place. Then another neighbor: "You didn't find a dog by chance?" "Yes, he's swimming in my pool." Got Taco home just as the neighborhood texts started flying.
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Long story short: The shooter was spotted at a nearby elementary school trying to blend in with parents. He fled, broke into a home a block away, where the homeowner shot and wounded him. Said homeowner was one of our friends. Thankfully, our friends were shaken but unharmed and the shooter was arrested. We are MORE than ready for a quiet October! 🙏
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Wendy and I travelled to Vail for the Rocky Mountain Summit, a regional real estate event. Colorado showed off: aspens turning gold, temps sliding from the 50s to 70s, and our hotel stream lousy with trout. Near-perfect trip. We're heading back soon (with a fly rod!). 🎣

I also took a quick trip to Kansas City to mastermind with coach Jordan Freed. We’re exploring a destination mastermind for The ONE Thing. Jordan fed me delectable barbecue and I introduced him to SummerMoon coffee.
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In the category of fun and unexpected, a reel from my podcast with Liz Bohannon has gone viral. It’s at 1.5 million views and counting after three weeks. 📈

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​2. What I’m Reading
​First time in 99 months I've only finished one book. But it was a gem: The Art of Spending Money by Morgan Housel. Spending money is the clearest window into what you value most. Mountains of literature exist on making and investing money, almost nothing on what to do with it once you have it. Housel fills that gap beautifully.
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I'm deep into a few long reads—more to report next month!
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3. What I’m Watching
​The Bear Season 4 (Hulu) bounced back from an uneven Season 3 and is inching toward a conclusion. Alien Earth (Hulu), a prequel to the original Alien, introduced fun new xenomorphs, humans, cyborgs, and a killer soundtrack—hard rock classics straight from a GenXer's mixtape. 👽
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​KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix) was surprisingly top-notch. It seems destined to be the Frozen for a generation of tweens. My friend Val joined me to catch Stephen King’s The Long Walk (in theaters). It’s definitely one of the better adaptations of his work. Worth seeing if you can catch it.
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Finally, our friend’s daughter, Ella Glasscock, directed and wrote the comedy short AMSR HR (YouTube). Hilarious. Only 10 minutes. Give her a follow—Ella's going to make great art! 🎬
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That’s it for this month. Please reply back and let me know what you’re up to!

Be well, do good deeds, and eat tacos!
Jay

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