The New York Times, John Lanchester called it an “elegant, bleak, desolatingly sad first novella” and added, “The prose here is sometimes flat . . . the happy ending feels as if it has wandered in from somewhere else.”
In spite of the above, I really liked this book.
Movie of the Week
Wednesday night I saw this film at a theater. There is nothing like seeing a film on the big screen, but I think you will enjoy this funny film regardless of how you see it.
“Hail, Caesar! (2016)
Hail, Caesar! follows a single day in the life of a studio fixer who is presented with plenty of problems to fix. (Source:http://www.rottentomatoes.com)
Goodall’s work challenged prevailing scientific views by showing that chimpanzees make and use tools, hunt co-operatively, and display complex emotions and social structures once thought unique to humans. (Source: Wikipedia)
Art of the Week
Portrait of Sylvette
By Pablo Picasso
Sylvette David was the daughter of a Parisian art dealer who, during the summer of 1953, met 73-year-old Picasso at his pottery.
Finding her appearance appealing, Picasso asked her to be his model and subsequently created 60 works inspired by her over the course of two months, including drawings, paintings and small metal sculptures.
This was the most concentrated series of works that Picasso produced of a model in his lifetime. [Source Wikipedia]
Joke of the Week
Physical Traits
Character Traits
Social Traits
Sometimes True
Learning Traits
Communication skills are so important
You’ll do better, if you get better at communicating.
The Kindle version of this book is free, and the paperback version is $10However, I must warn you that this book will not change your life, only you can do that.This book can be ordered from Amazon
CURRENT EVENTS Happy St. Patrick’s Day BOOK OF THE WEEK Since St. Patrick’s Day is this coming week, I thought perhaps a book on the Celts may be appropriate. Oh, and it has lots and lots of pictures. A Dark History: Celts By Martin J. Doughert MOVIE OF THE WEEK Hail, Caesar! (2016) Also since this […]
GOP candidates at the CNN GOP presidential debate in Houston, Texas on February 25, 2016.
Every so often I have encouraged you folks to watch the Presidential Debates. In case you missed last Thursday’s debate, I thought The Skimm http://www.theskimm.com/?r=66879149did such an extraordinary recap of the debate that I wanted you to see it, so here it is:
WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOUR CO-WORKER COMES IN WITH A HEADACHE…You watched the debate too? Last night was the 10,000th GOP debate, and the last one before Super Tuesday next week. CNN refereed. And even though five candidates were on stage, it was a three-man fight between frontrunner Donald Trump, Sen. Marco Rubio (FL), and Sen. Ted Cruz (TX) .
They went at it on immigration. Rubio hit Trump for allegedly employing undocumented workers in the past. To which the Donald reminded the stage that he’s the “only one” who’s hired people before. They went at it on healthcare. Rubio repeatedly asked Trump ‘what’s your plan.’ To which Trump finally said ‘Plan. You can’t handle the plan.’ And didn’t elaborate.
Then the Ghost of Mitt Romney appeared and made everybody say when they’re releasing their tax returns. Soon, Mittens. Soon. They talked Apple. And Cruz thinks the Constitution wants the Fruit to take a bite out of that iPhone for the FBI.
Gov. John Kasich (OH) wants everyone to stop yelling and use their quiet voices. And then Dr. Ben Carson asked “Can somebody attack me please?” End scene.
PHYSICAL TRAITS
Honor Thy Temple
Which came first, the chicken or the egg is an age-old question. Sometimes we think if we just changed our look, our life would change. Perhaps, if we changed our life, our look would change.
CHARACTER TRAITS
The Foundation for Being Extraordinary
In chapter 18 of my book, I talk about the importance of detachment to both objects and relationships. Sometimes you just have to let things go to allow space for new things to come into your life.
SOCIAL TRAITS
Getting Along with Others
In chapter 29 of my book I talk about the importance of communications in getting along with others. Here is something to think about.
LEARNING TRAITS
Growth Keeps You Extraordinary
It is common to buy items that call for assembling before using. The manufacturer of these items include a strategy for putting the item to gather. It is important for you to study these assembly directions before you begin putting the item together. For almost every item I have ever tried to put together, I found I needed a screwdriver as pointed out below.
Miscellaneous
The Odds & Ends of Being Extraordinary
In the last chapter of my book I stress the importance of enjoying the journey and don’t be overly concerned about the destination.
SELF-HELP BOOKS
Fit From Within
by Victoria Moran
This isn’t your typical diet book, which is why I am suggesting you read it if you have any interest in changing your body and your life.
MOVIE OF THE WEEK
Hail, Caesar
Four-time Oscar (R)-winning filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men, True Grit, Fargo) write and direct Hail, Caesar!, an all-star comedy set during the latter years of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Starring Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Channing Tatum, Hail, Caesar! follows a single day in the life of a studio fixer who is presented with plenty of problems to fix. (Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com)
LAST WEEK’S POLL – Clutter
Last week’s poll asked you if you were conscious of and if you make an effort to rid yourself of various types of clutter.
Twenty-three percent of us try to rid ourselves of harmful habits and toxic relationships.
Another 21% of us try to rid ourselves of beliefs that are no longer right for the world we live in today.
Eighteen percent of us try to discard physical objects that no longer serve a purpose and another 14% try to rid themselves of electronic files that no longer serve a purpose.
When it comes to grading our efforts, 53% gave ourselves a C, noting we have less clutter than many, but still have work to do.
Another 26% of us gave ourselves a D, knowing we have a lot of cutter but unable to get rid of it.
Eighteen percent of us gave ourselves a B, saying we have a minimum amount of clutter and are working of getting rid of it.
Five percent of us gave ourselves an E, saying everything is a mess
And no one gave themselves an A, saying it is rare that they find clutter and if they do, they are quick to eliminate it.
THIS WEEK POLL – Encouragement
What you send out to the world. often returns to you. This weeks poll is on encouraging others and being encouraged yourself.
MUSIC OF THE WEEK
Here is something a bit different from what I usually suggest. I hope you like it.
Kristin Andreassen is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, dancer, old time musician and educator. Currently based in Brooklyn, New York,[1] she started her music career as a professional clogger with Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble and in the early 2000s joined the folk bands Uncle Earl and Sometymes Why as a vocalist, dancer, songwriter, guitarist.
In 2007 she released her first solo album, Kiss Me Hello, which was produced by Mark Schatz (Nickel Creek). The opening track “Crayola Doesn’t Make a Color for Your Eyes” won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest in the Children’s Category,[2] also becoming a hit on children’s radio despite the fact that the overall album was intended for adult listeners. (Source: Wikipedia)
Leonard Slain, in his book, Art & Physics, Our Western mind [ ] has never yet devised a concept, not even a name for the union of opposites through the middle path …
Sky and Water I is a woodcut print by the Dutch artist M. C. Escher first printed in June 1938.
The basis of this print is a regular division of the plane consisting of birds and fish. Both prints have the horizontal series of these elements—fitting into each other like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle—in the middle, transitional portion of the prints. In this central layer the pictorial elements are equal: birds and fish are alternately foreground or background, depending on whether the eye concentrates on light or dark elements. The birds take on an increasing three-dimensionality in the upward direction, and the fish, in the downward direction. But as the fish progress upward and the birds downward they gradually lose their shapes to become a uniform background of sky and water, respectively.
According to Escher: “In the horizontal center strip there are birds and fish equivalent to each other. We associate flying with sky, and so for each of the black birds the sky in which it is flying is formed by the four white fish which encircle it. Similarly swimming makes us think of water, and therefore the four black birds that surround a fish become the water in which it swims.”
This print has been used in physics, geology, chemistry, and in psychology for the study of visual perception. In the pictures a number of visual elements unite into a simple visual representation, but separately each forms a point of departure for the elucidation of a theory in one of these disciplines. (Source: Wikipedia)
EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE
Richard Chacon
I suspect everyone is extraordinary to someone. I met Chacon at work back in 1981, and it turned out that we were both training for the Detroit Marathon.
He was in my view an artist and an extraordinary person. A few years later, he returned to NYC. I recall my last telephone conversation with him sometime in the mid-1980s. He had cancer, had checked himself out of the hospital and went home and tried curing himself by watching funny movies.
He died, but he died with extraordinary style. Thirty years later, I still occasionally think of him.
THIS WEEK’S JOKE
This one is for those of you that enjoy history or furniture 🙂
BLOG
I always appreciate those that leave comments on my weekly posts, since it encourages me to continue these posts. Thank you Spiritual Journey, Carol, Judith, Carolyn and Tania for commenting on last week’s post.
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.
Currently, I have 38 people who are following this blog, thanks to Renxkyoko, who started following this blog last week. It is easy to follow, just click in the side bar area where it says “Follow Harmony Books & Films, LLC”.
I also have 61 people who have liked my Harmony Books & Films Facebook page. Again, it is easy enough to like my Facebook page, just click in the side bar area where there is a little photo of the cover of my book.
If you think this blog has any merit, please pass it on to your friends. Thank you Valda, Melisa, Nandini and Viswarupa for sharing last week’s post on Facebook. Hopefully, more of you will continue to share this blog with others.
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.
The Kindle version of this book is free, and the paperback version is $10
However, I must warn you that this book will not change your life, only you can do that.
This book can be ordered from Amazon
Harmony Books & Films, LLC 