Zig Ziglar Says…

“Confidence is going after Moby Dick in a rowboat and taking the tartar sauce with you.”

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful today for friends and family, and especially my dear readers…you make life a joy! To those who will be celebrating, I hope you and yours have a wonderful day recalling your blessings and you don’t over-stuff yourselves. Even if your turkey doesn’t come out looking like Norman Rockwell’s, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Epictetus Says…

“The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.”

The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_motivational.html#stQPjbZGMYpRzLyK.99

 

Benjamin Franklin Says…

“The U.S. Constitution doesn’t guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself.”

What I Am Reading: Nov 12, 2013

In honor of Veterans Day, yesterday, I started reading Richard Rubin‘s The Last of the Doughboys: The Forgotten Generation and Their Forgotten World War (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013). I purchased this book approximately 2 months ago after seeing Mr. Rubin speak about his work on C-SPAN‘s Book TV but also because I just don’t know that much about The Great War, World War I.

Rubin spent 10-years tracking down and interviewing our remaining few dozen World War I veterans, aged 101 to 113. All of them are gone now, but through their remembrances we gain an understanding of the sacrifices they made in the defense of our great Nation. I have only read the first few pages and I can already tell I am going to love this book!

Being a Gentleman

I was thinking of doing a post about being a gentleman because we men have lost our collective way when it comes to acting properly and exhibiting social graces. We see this phenomenon more and more in younger men today and it is quite disturbing. I believe this lack of manners is due in part to changes in cultural norms and expectations but also because younger men often lack positive role models to follow. Muscleheaded is a man who “gets it,” and I could not put things any better than he did. I am not perfect, mind you, but I strive daily to achieve “gentlemanliness.” The rules are very basic and not difficult to follow, but they require conscious effort and practice. No matter the time and place, it is always proper to be a gentleman!

 

NaBloPoMo #7: Opera in the Corn Fields

The Redhead and I attended a live performance of the Metropolitan Opera in New York today. However, we enjoyed it from the wonderful Hettenhausen Center for the Arts (“The Hett”) on the campus of McKendree University in historic Lebanon, Illinois, about 5 miles east of us. The Metropolitan Opera has been simulcasting live performances for several years now as part of their award-winning Live in HD series. Here is a preview of their 2013-2014 season:

Today’s offering was Giacomo Puccini’s famous work, Tosca, starring soprano Patricia Racette as Tosca and tenor Roberto Alagna as Cavaradossi. Set in Rome in 1800, Tosca, an opera signer, and Cavaradossi, an artist, are lovers. Scarpia, sadistic chief of the secret police, has designs on Tosca and offers to spare Cavaradossi’s life in exchange for her love. Scarpia promises Tosca his men will only pretend to execute Cavaradossi and offers the two of them safe passage out of the country. Tosca reluctantly agrees but kills Scarpia when he makes a move on her. Upon learning Scarpia’s men have executed Cavaradossi anyway, Tosca kills herself by jumping out a window overlooking the Tiber River.

Here is a clip of Patricia Racette performing Tosca’s most famous piece, Vissi d’arte:

I have heard the music of Tosca many times, but this was my first opportunity to see it performed live. There are several humorous moments but Tosca is a tragedy, after all, and by the end everyone was dead. The music was phenomenal, and with excellent performances by the entire cast The Redhead and I thoroughly enjoyed Tosca! We counted about 55 people in attendance at The Hett, a strong crowd considering the turnout for other performances we have attended. People of all ages were enjoying the performance live in New York; however, in our theater only 5 of us appeared to be of working age. I am sure The Met Opera enjoys a diverse world-wide audience, but here in southern Illinois it is almost completely comprised of retirees. Not a good indicator of things to come.

If you enjoy opera, or if you just want to find out what it’s all about, attend a Met Opera Live in HD performance. Ticket prices are reasonable, and you just might become an opera lover!

NaBloPoMo #6: My Current Ink Collection

I snapped this pic of my current ink collection a few weeks ago for one of the photography threads on the Fountain Pen Network. Prior to this I had never counted my inks or even put them in one place at the same time. I was surprised to find I have more than I thought! I am kind of boring in that I prefer to use primarily black, blue, and blue-black inks, but I have seen many other colors that I would like to try.

Here’s the list:
Front, Center: 
Sheaffer Skrip Black
Middle front, L-R:
Private Reserve Ebony Blue,
Private Reserve Lake Placid Blue,
Private Reserve D.C. Supershow Blue
Private Reserve Dakota Red

Middle, 2nd Row, L-R:
Private Reserve Sonic Blue
Private Reserve Black Cherry
Private Reserve Black Magic Blue

Outer Row, L-R:
Private Reserve Fast Dry Ultra Black
Pelikan Blue Black
Parker Quink Black
Parker Quink Blue Black
Noodler’s Bad Blue Heron
Noodler’s Air Corps Blue Black
Noodler’s Borealis Black
Noodler’s Black
Noodler’s Polar Black
Waterman Black
Waterman Blue
Lamy Blue
Vintage Parker Permanent Blue Black

NaBloPoMo #5: The Man in the Arena

I ran across the quote below again today and though it would be perfect for NaBloPoMo. President Theodore Roosevelt delivered a speech entitled “Citizenship in a Republic” at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, on April 23, 1910. Most people remember it as the “The Man in the Arena” speech, however, because of its most famous passage.

T.R. reminds us that the men (and now, women) who deserve our praise are not those who sit idly by and criticize others, but those who are doing big things and who, even if they fail, are “striving valiantly.” I recommend reading Roosevelt’s entire speech here.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong
man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The
credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred
by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short
again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but
who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great
devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the
end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least
fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and
timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Powerful stuff, indeed! Roosevelt’s words are timeless and everyone can benefit from them. If you keep this quotation handy and refer to it often, you will become a better person.

Bizzare Animal Creatures That Actually Exist

Ran across this today while perusing WordPress. I had no idea some of these bizarre, scary creatures existed. Makes you stop and wonder for a moment how nature could create so many unique animals. There are probably scores more that we have yet to discover!