CURRENT EVENTS

Valentine Day

This Coming Sunday, Feb. 14

SELF-HELP BOOKS

Don Juan DeMarco

by Jean Blake White

This week I am recommending a book that is based upon a movie.  How superficial am I?  Usually, movies are based on books.  Still, it is a fantastic and entertaining love story fitting for Valentine Day.  Plus, as usual, it is an easy read.  The hardest part about reading this book will be finding it, but I believe it will be well worth the hunt.  Or you can go the even easier route and simply watch the movie.

PHYSICAL TRAITS – YOUR HEALTH

Your thinking can have  an impact on your health.

SOCIAL TRAITS

LEARNING TRAITS

In chapter 40 I talk about seeing and hearing what is there, rather than what we want to be there.

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

Love Actually

Although technically, a Christmas romance film, I believe it is still a good film to watch for Valentine Day.

Love Actually is a 2003 British Christmas-themed romantic comedy film. The screenplay delves into different aspects of love as shown through ten separate stories involving a wide variety of individuals, many of whom are shown to be interlinked as their tales progress. Set primarily in London, the story begins five weeks before Christmas and is played out in a weekly countdown until the holiday, followed by an epilogue that takes place one month later. (Source: Wikipedia)

LAST WEEK’S POLL – Groundhog Day

Last week’s poll asked if you were doing anything special for Groundhog Day.

It turns out that 59% of us are not going to do anything special for Groundhog Day; however, 27% of us have done something special in the past.  Regarding the  film Groundhog Day, 9% of us watched it, and 5% of us closely follow the weather predictions of a large rodent. None of us plan to do anything special for Groundhog Day this year.

The weather was so nice here in the Detroit area that I could help thinking if the weather would have been a bit more cooperative in the past I would have continued holding my Groundhog Day Happy Hour parties, but the weather was always so iffy and I recall once I even had to cancel the party.

THIS WEEK POLL – Valentine Day

This week’s poll is about your plans for Valentine Day.

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Some my disagree, but I think this is the best love song of all time.  But perhaps I should sleep on it  🙂

Paradise By The Dashboard Light

by Meat Loaf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C11MzbEcHlw

ART OF THE WEEK

The Lovers

by Rene Magritte

This is a painting that I actually saw at the MOMA in NYC.

The Lovers is a painting by [ ] surrealist Rene Magritte, created in 1928.

The painting depicts a veiled couple embracing and kissing. Obviously symbolic, many have speculated about why the couple is veiled. Many have also interpreted the painting in different ways – the common interpretation being “Love is blind”.

The Lovers can be viewed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. (Source: http://www.Artpromtivate.com).  

EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE

Lord Byron

Portrait of Lord Byron by Richard Westall

George Gordon Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), commonly known simply as Lord Byron, was an English poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement. Among Byron’s best-known works are the lengthy narrative poems Don Juan and Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, and the short lyric “She Walks in Beauty”.

Byron is regarded as one of the greatest British poets, and remains widely read and influential. He travelled widely across Europe, especially in Italy where he lived for seven years. Later in life, Byron joined the Greek War of Independence fighting the Ottoman Empire, for which many Greeks revere him as a national hero. He died one year later at age 36 from a fever contracted while in Missolonghi.

Often described as the most flamboyant and notorious of the major Romantics, Byron was both celebrated and castigated in life for his aristocratic excesses, including huge debts, numerous love affairs with men as well as women, rumours of a scandalous liaison with his half-sister, and self-imposed exile. (Source: Wikipedia)

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

A woman was walking along the beach when she stumbled upon a Genie’s lamp. She picked it up and rubbed it and lo-and-behold, a Genie appeared. The amazed woman asked if she got three wishes.

The Genie said, “Nope, due to inflation, constant downsizing, low wages in third world countries, and fierce global competition, I can only grant you one
wish. So what’ll it be?”

The woman didn’t hesitate. She said, “I want peace in the Middle East. See this map. I want these countries to stop fighting with each other.”

The Genie looked at the map and exclaimed, “Gadzooks lady! These countries have been at war for thousands of years. I’m good, but not
that good! Please make another wish”.

The woman thought for a minute and said “Well, I’ve never been able to find the right man; one that’s considerate and fun, likes to cook and helps with the housecleaning, is good in bed and gets along
with my family, doesn’t watch sports all the time, and is faithful.”

The Genie let out a long sigh and said, “Let me see that map again.”

BLOG

I always appreciate those that leave comments on my weekly posts, since it encourages me to continue these posts.  Thank you Carolyn.

Leaving a comment is easy, just click on “Leave A Comment”, which is immediately below the title of this week’s post.  And if instead of seeing “Leave A Comment”, you see “# Comments”, just click on that and scroll down to leave your comment.  

If you think this blog has any merit, please pass it on to your friends, as well as liking my Facebook page.  Thank you M.J. Shepard for liking my Facebook page.

I appreciate Joanne,  who shared my post last week on Facebook.

MY BOOK

If you have any interest in changing your life for helping someone else change their life, please consider my book.

Again, for those of you into reading books on a Kindle, I reduced the price of the Kindle version of my book down to $4.95.

My book can be purchased on-line from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million.  It is also available in a ebook format.  And if you have read my book, please leave an evaluation of it on Amazon.  Thank you.

http://www.amazon.com/Tired-Being-Ordinary-Are-You/dp/0990388697

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/im-tired-of-being-ordinary-are-you-wm-allen/1120528064?ean=9780990388692

http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Im-Tired-Being-Ordinary/Wm-Allen/9780990388692?id=6429711012885