07/10/22 – Don’t Wait Too Long

CURRENT EVENTS

Don’t Wait Too Long

BOOK OF THE WEEK

If you have an interest in the American Wild West, I strongly recommend this book. It is easy reading and loaded with pictures of interesting characters.

Gunfighters (2016)

By Al Cimino

In the remote parts of the West where law and order was unheard of, a man’s best friend and main hope for salvation was his gun. It was an integral part of his life, and most men who lived and died by the gun were a breed apart. In their own time, they were generally called gunfighters — part man, part myth. (Source: Amazon)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

Ireland: County by County

I’ve been to Ireland and really enjoyed it. However, I wish I had seen this series before I made the trip. 

It is hard to watch this engaging show without wanting to visit Ireland or make a return visit.


MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Soak Up The Sun

By Sheryl Crow

Song’s Background

Soak Up the Sun” is a song by American singer Sheryl Crow. She and her longtime co-worker Jeff Trott wrote the song following a conversation they had during a plane flight, when they discussed the changing weather as they flew to New York City from Portland, Oregon.

Crow was recovering from surgery at the time, inspiring her and Trott to write a happy song that would cheer her up.

In the song, Crow has no money to afford any luxuries or necessities, but she decides that wallowing in her sadness is not a productive activity, so she reflects on what she currently has and “puts on a happy face” that she plans to spread to others.

ART OF THE WEEK

An Artist with a Sense of Humor

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON  OF THE WEEK

Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoic philosopher. He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good Emperors (a term coined some 13 centuries later by Niccolò Machiavelli), and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace and stability for the Roman Empire lasting from 27 BC to 180 AD. 

Meditations, the writings of “the philosopher” – as contemporary biographers called Marcus – are a significant source of the modern understanding of ancient Stoic philosophy. They have been praised by fellow writers, philosophers, monarchs, and politicians centuries after his death. (Source: Wikipedia)

  JOKE OF THE WEEK

As you become more aware, you will see that there are more illusions than just the red dot.

PHYSICAL TRAITS

CHARACTER TRAITS

SOCIAL TRAITS

LEARNING TRAITS

Learn to Save

One of the smartest things you can do is to put away 10% of everything you make. Later in life, your savings will work for you, instead of you working.

MISCELLANEOUS

Book

If you have ever been curious about this book, 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.

My Final Cover

This book can be ordered from Amazon or Barnes & Nobles.

 

 

06/06/16 – Ireland

CURRENT EVENTS

Ireland

This week’s post is coming to you from Ireland.  Here I am at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin, having a pint of Guinness.

At Guiness

PHYSICAL TRAITS 

Honor Thy Temple

Wk 24 anxiety drugs and antidepressants

CHARACTER TRAITS

The Foundation for Being Extraordinary

A parent fails to watch their child at a zoo and preventing her 3-year old from crawling into a gorilla exhibit and the Cincinnati Zoo fails to create a barrier that can prevent a 3-year old from getting into that exhibit.  

Extraordinary people are responsible, be responsible.

Wk 24 Gorilla

SOCIAL TRAITS

Getting Along with Others

I thought it was wonderful that Elena and Steve, went out of their way to find some time to meet with Carol and I, while we were in Dublin.

Elena y Steve

Find Time

LEARNING TRAITS

Growth Keeps You Extraordinary

Plato, in his “Republic”; recommended his “philosopher kings”, do nothing but study math for ten years to improve their thinking.  Most of us don’t want to be “philosopher kings”, especially if we have to study math for ten years.  However, that does not excuse you from developing some math skills.

Wk 24 Count to ten

MISCELLANEOUS 

The Odds & Ends of Being Extraordinary

Wk 24 Do something tu have never done

SELF-HELP BOOKS

Rules for Aging

By Roger Rosenblatt

Wk 24 Rules for Aging

I first read this book 15 years ago and I continue to review it every so often.  It has a lot of good and easy to digest advice, regardless of your age.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

 King Kong

Wk 24 King Kong 1933

Given what happened at the Cincinnati Zoo last week, I thought I would select the 1933 version of King Kong for this week’s film.  I saw it years ago when I was very young and the last time I saw it about ten years ago on a big screen.  You may want to keep it in mind for your Halloween viewing.

LAST WEEK’S POLL – War

Wk 23 War Peace

How close to home has war touched you poll results:

28% – I was never in my country’s armed forces

24% – A member of my immediate family (Spouse, parent, sibling or child) served in a hostile fire zone

20% – No member of my immediate family (Spouse, parent, sibling or child) served in my country’s armed forces

16% – A member of my immediate family (Spouse, parent, sibling or child) was in the military, but never served in a hostile fire zone

4% – I served in a hostile fire zone 

4% – I was in the military, but never served in a hostile fire zone

4% I or a member of my immediate family was injured in a hostile fire zone

0% – A member of my immediate family died in a hostile fire zone

THIS WEEK POLL – Boxing

Wk 24 Boxing

For the first poll, please check all that applies

Check just one for the poll below

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

“The Skye Boat Song”

(AKA Outlander Theme Song)

by Kathryn Jones & Raya Yarbrough

ART OF THE WEEK

Spire of Dublin

Wk 24 Dublin Needle

The spire was designed by Ian Ritchie Architects, who sought an “Elegant and dynamic simplicity bridging art and technology”

The first section was installed on 18 December 2002. Five more 20 m (66 ft) sections were added with the last one installed on 21 January 2003. The spire is an elongated cone of diameter 3 m (9.8 ft) at the base, narrowing to 15 cm (5.9 in) at the top.

Construction of the world’s tallest sculpture was delayed because of difficulty in obtaining planning permission and environmental regulations. It is constructed from eight hollow tubes of stainless steel and features a tuned mass damper, designed by engineers Arup, to counteract sway. The steel underwent shot peening to alter the quality of light reflected from it.

The pattern around the base of the Spire is based on a core sample of earth and rock formation taken from the ground where the spire stands. The pattern was applied by bead blasting the steel through rubber stencil masks whose patterns were created by water jet cutting based on core sample drawings supplied by the contractor.(Source:  Wikipedia)

me y needle

EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE

Muhammad Ali

Wk 24 Muhammad Ali

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

I learned this joke last week in Dublin.

What is the difference between God and Bono?

God doesn’t think he is Bono.

BLOG

Thanks to Judith & George, for commenting on last week’s post. I urge you to let me know what you are thinking via a blog comment.

My thanks to the 68 people who are  following my blog and the 66 people who liked my Harmony Books & Films Facebook page.

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 Toni, Cindy, Mary Ann, Nadini, Victoria, Carol, Barbara, Phillip, Sandra, Norma, Susan, Claire, Susan, Carolyn, John & Joanne, 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.

My Final Cover

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