CURRENT EVENTS

Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike

Folks, if you have never experienced live theater other than a school play, I urge you to give it a try.  It is an ancient art form and there is a reason it has been around for as long as the early Greek playwrights. 

I realize most of you don’t live in S.E. Michigan; but for those of you who do, I urge you to see this play performed at the Baldwin Theater in Royal Oak, MI.  I was at opening night and thought it was a terrific play, plus performed so well.

PHYSICAL TRAITS 

Honor Thy Temple

Folks, please don’t be like this dog.  Instead, try to get some exercise and eat properly.

CHARACTER TRAITS

The Foundation for Being Extraordinary

There once was a person who desperately needed to get to the other side of a river so that they could continue their journey.

They made a raft out of the materials at hand and floated across the river eventually reaching the other side.

Upon reaching the other side, they wondered what they should do with the raft.  Should they tie it to their back and carry it on their journey if they met another river?

Should they trudge around with the raft on their back forever more?

No, the raft had served its purpose and they had no need to be fettered to it any longer.

If you wish to be extraordinary, you must ask yourself if you are carrying around things that no longer serve any purpose on your journey through life.

SOCIAL TRAITS

Getting Along with Others

LEARNING TRAITS

Growth Keeps You Extraordinary

The extraordinary person is always interested in learning about the beliefs of others, so to get you started on your journey of discovery I offer the following:  

MISCELLANEOUS 

The Odds & Ends of Being Extraordinary

The extraordinary person appreciates and protects nature.

SELF-HELP BOOKS

A Manual for Living

by Epictetus

At the top of the cover of this book are the words, A Little Book of Wisdom.  This book certainly lives up to that.  It is just 88 tiny pages, written by a former Roman slave, who describes the path to happiness, fulfillment, and tranquility, no matter what the circumstances.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

If Horror Movies Were Realistic

Did you ever wonder what horror movies would be like, if they were realistic.  Well, Logan Paul gives us the answer.  Just click on the link below his photo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRWtgYnMpR0

LAST WEEK’S POLL – Keeping Your Mouth Shut

If we were certain a close friend was making a huge mistake:

     61% of us would hint we had some doubts about their decision

     22% of us would clearly state they are making a huge mistake

     13% of us would support are friend’s decision, although we knew it was a huge mistake

     4% of us would say nothing about the decision

 When it comes to a close friend risking their friendship with you to keep you from making a serious mistake:

     67% of us have never had a friend do that for us

     28% of us have had a friend risk their friendship with us to keep us from making a serious mistake

     5% of us aren’t sure

Of those of use experiencing a close friend taking serious exception to a decision we were making:

     78% of us thanked the person for caring, but were not going to follow their advice

     12% thanked the person and followed their advice

     5% broke off the friendship but later forgave them

     5% simply broke off the friendship

THIS WEEK POLL – Your Favorite Type of Movie

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Come A Little Bit Closer

by Jay and the Americans

I select this song because although it is a classic song, I thought this video by Balbuf was pretty cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d2b4XuAa80

ART OF THE WEEK

Statue of Done Quixote

Last week I showed you a statue that I came across while in Italy.  This week’s statue is one that I came across while in La Mancha region of Spain, where Don Quixote is from.  It appears to be a statue of the famous Don Quixote.

EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE

Miguel de Cervantes

(Image not authenticated – none known)

Miguel de Cervantes (29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616), is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and the world’s pre-eminent novelist.

His major work, Don Quixote, considered to be the first modern European novel, is a classic of Western literature, and is regarded among the best works of fiction ever written.

In 1569, Cervantes moved to Rome, where he worked as chamber assistant of a cardinal. In 1571, he decided to join the Spanish fleet at the battle of Lepanto, a major clash between the Catholic states and the Ottomans for the control of the Mediterranean.

Following this, Cervantes pursued his military career, but it was cut short when he was captured by Ottoman pirates and taken to Algiers, which had become one of the main and most cosmopolitan cities of the Ottoman Empire, and was kept there in captivity between 1575 and 1580.

In 1580, he was released by his captors on payment of a ransom by his parents and the Trinitarians, a Catholic religious order, and he later returned to his family in Madrid.

He worked as a purchasing agent for the Spanish Armada, and later as a tax collector for the government. In 1597, discrepancies in his accounts of three years earlier landed him in the Crown Jail of Seville.

In 1605, he was in Valladolid when the immediate success of the first part of his Don Quixote, published in Madrid, signalled his return to the literary world.

In 1607, he settled in Madrid, where he lived and worked until his death. During the last nine years of his life, Cervantes solidified his reputation as a writer; he published [ ]  the second part of Don Quixote in 1615. (Source: Wikipedia)

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

BLOG

Thanks to Carolyn, Carol, Purpleanais, and Samantha for commenting on last week’s post.  Comments are so encouraging, I urge you to let me know what you are thinking via a blog comment.

Carisa, thank you for following this blog and bringing the total number of blog followers to 55.  

My Harmony Books & Films Facebook page up to 62 likes.  

If you think this blog has any merit, please pass it on to your friends.  Hopefully, more of you will continue to share this blog with others. My thanks to Joanne, Carol, Cheryl, Glenda, Elizabeth, Rose, Octavia, Terry, Theresa, Toni and Carla for sharing my post last week on Facebook.

MY BOOK

If you know someone who is trying to change their life or that needs to change their life, please consider my book.

For those of you into reading books on a Kindle, the Kindle version of my book is $4.95.

My book is available on-line from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Books-A-Million.  

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