Friday's Laugh . . . And Then Some!

A little girl had just finished her first week of school.  "I'm just wasting my time," she said to her mother.  "I can't read, I can't write, and they won't let me talk!"

Laugh Like There's No Tomorrow: Over 2,000 jokes from the Internet

From our upcoming book compiled by Richard L. Weaver II
Laugh is setup with just over 4 jokes a day, all 365 days, and can be read in any order!
Expected Release Date: Fall 2010

Romantic notions help us maintain balance—a stable, steady footing—in our lives

All my life I have held a romantic notion about living in a remote location with my computer along with a subsistence level of survival—just enjoying the wilderness, a “green” existence, and the essentials of survival and nothing more.  After all, I am a writer.  It is a lonely profession in which I need solitude, great chunks of solitary confinement, and license to exist by myself out of reach of civilization. 

A recent cruise to the Inside Passage of Alaska began to shake some of my romantic notions.  I talked, for example, to some of the residents of Skagway, Alaska, just to see why they choose to live there year round.  Skagway was once Alaska’s most populous town.  Now only four blocks wide and just over twenty long, it is nestled into a cozy and picturesque setting between the 7,000-foot Coast Mountains (Canadian boundary).  Many summer residents, of course, only live there during the tourist season when as many as eight cruise ships at a time, may add from 15-20,000 people to a permanent village population of only about 841 people. 

One employee of a small tourist shop said he had chosen to live in Skagway year round because it is a great place to bring up your children.  He said he had three kids.  The schools were great, with lots of individual attention for students, the atmosphere is clean and healthy, and, he said, you can leave your kids outside all day to play without supervision.  He said the crime rate in Skagway is negligible.  (He suspected that whatever crime rate there is, is a direct result of the tourist industry, but it disappears as quickly as the ships slipping away from their dockside ports after only several hours of being in town.) 

Interestingly, the shop employee said that the only time he and his wife had to be outside with the kids was at dusk and after dark.  That is the time the black bears come into town from the surrounding forests.  He said it wasn’t unusual to see one right in the middle of the road outside his shop.  They scavage for food in the town’s outside garbage containers, but they are as scared of humans as humans are scared of them; they are just more imposing. 

Our female guide on our Skagway shore excursion, an extroverted, humorous, single writer for the local Skagway newspaper published with local news only every-other-week, and who looked and sounded like Barbra Streisand, had stayed in Skagway for three years and had an interesting view of life there.  She was waiting for her boyfriend to come home from Iraq and, originally, had decided to give Skagway but six months as a live-in trial. 

She said that life there was definitely unique.  Everything in town (including cars) had to be shipped in by barge.  When the barge arrived (usually once a month), the townspeople would flood the local supermarkets for the freshest fruits and vegetables they could find.  What the food barge brought in was what was available for the next month or so. 

There was no doctor, dentist, health-care professional, or hospital in town.  Those with serious health problems had to be flown to another town. 

During the six months of winter, it was dark most of the time.  At the height of the winter months, there was a mere twenty minutes of sun, and that was like dusk.  Also, being part of a massive temperate rain forest system, during the summer it rained almost every day, and if it was not raining, it was overcast much of the time.  Talk about gloomy weather!  Alaska, and Skagway contributes its fair share, has the highest suicide rate of any state in the nation, and one can easily see why that is true. 

There is a third feature of the weather in Skagway that makes that location unusual.  During three weeks in January there is an intense, non-stop wind.  Skagway is located just on the other side of a long mountain range that separates the town from Canada and the inland.  During the winter, air pressure accumulates on the Canadian side of the mountains, and as it builds it pushes the clouds up vertically toward the top of the mountain range.  Our guide said that when the clouds begin drifting over the mountains in January, that is the sign that everyone in Skagway must go out and purchase provisions to supply themselves for three weeks and then go home and batten down the hatches. 

Located in a large U-shaped groove between the 7,000-foot mountains, fashioned thousands of years ago by a massive glacier, Skagway provides a conduit for the air from the buildup on the Canadian side of the mountains to reach the water—the glacier-carved Lynn Canal fjord.  Our guide reported that winds maintain a constant speed of 60-70 miles per hour, nonstop, for three solid weeks when you can’t even open an exterior door to your house. 

It isn’t any single factor—the dependency on the barges, the lack of medical-service personnel, or the weather—that made me second-guess my romantic desire for isolation.  It is the total picture.  When you’re accustomed to having many choices—fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and poultry, and all brands and kinds of products—it is difficult to make a decision to give all of that up. 

When we were in Australia for 6 months, our choices were limited, but we discovered that it doesn’t take long to become accustomed to it.  When we returned home, we even discussed the possibility of limiting what we needed to live comfortably, but it isn’t long until the supply catches up with what you want—not what you need, but what you want.  Soon, once again, you begin to appreciate all that you have and all the choices you have in order to have more! 

I still retain some of my romantic notions regarding living in a remote location; however, I now know for certain it won’t be in Alaska—specifically, Skagway.  It is like many places we have visited throughout our travels.  It is a great place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there. 

So often, I think, the romantic notions we have about how we would like to live are just that—romantic notions.  There is no need to prove them, live them out, or fulfill them in any direct manner.  They are pleasant, comforting, and adequately soothe our idyllic, picturesque, fairy-tale side.  They offer, too, more than just a reason for living; they are, indeed, a placid, warm, snug, and cozy place where our thoughts can reside in a calm and peaceful manner without agitation, distress, or upset.  We need romantic notions to maintain a balance—a stable, steady footing—in our lives. 

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At Askville.com (sponsored by Amazon.com) , the question posed is: “Have you ever thought about becoming a hermit/recluse?”  The readers responses are varied, interesting, and worth a read. 

At Success From the Nest , there is a post called, “Are you becoming a home-based hermit?” by Jon Morrow, that offers a number of useful tips.  The 24 reader comments on Morrow’s post are also fun to read. 

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Copyright September, 2010, by And Then Some Publishing, LLC.
    
    

                                 

Day #209 - Support your government, but remain skeptical.

SMOERs: Words of Wisdom

"No man undertakes a trade he has not learned, even the meanest; yet every one thinks himself sufficiently qualified for the hardest of all trades---that of government.  ---Socrates

Day #209 - Support your government, but remain skeptical..

SMOERs: Self-Motivation, Optimism, Encouragement Rules! - Daily Reminders for Outstanding Living
An everyday guide full of quotations to uplift your spirits.
Free 30-Day sample: smoers.com

Edgar E. Willis website changes and Romatic Notions

And Then Some Publishing News

And Then Publishing hopes everyone had a safe and happy Labor Day. 

This week we expect to see the new prototype for EdgarEWillis.com. We are very excited to be working with Kinetica Media to help redesign the website. Their professionalism and knowledge has been instrumental in our growth. We expect amazing, and we know we won't be disappointed. 

This coming weekend Anthony Weaver is shooting a new set of videos. Are subject is toilet paper tubes and turning them into fun craft projects. The projects are a car, a spider attacking a city, and a peacock. The projects were picked by McKenzie, Lindsay, and Austen who are Anthony's nephew and neice's. We expect to release the videos a few weeks after they have been shot.

Thursday's And Then Some Essay preview:

Thursday’s essay is called, "Romantic notions help us maintain balance—a stable, steady footing—in our lives."  Romantic notions are pleasant, comforting, and adequately soothe our idyllic, picturesque, fairy-tale side.  They offer, too, more than just a reason for living; they are, indeed, a placid, warm, snug, and cozy place where our thoughts can reside in a calm and peaceful manner without agitation, distress, or upset.  We need romantic notions to maintain a balance—a stable, steady footing—in our lives---and, thus, they are worth discussing.

Romantic notions help us maintain balance--a stable, steady footing--in our lives
by Richard L. Weaver II

Excerpt:
When we were in Australia for 6 months, our choices were limited, but we discovered that it doesn’t take long to become accustomed to it.  When we returned home, we even discussed the possibility of limiting what we needed to live comfortably, but it isn’t long until the supply catches up with what you want—not what you need, but what you want.  Soon, once again, you begin to appreciate all that you have and all the choices you have in order to have more!

And Then Some Works!

Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle

Book Club... And Then Some!

Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle         

by Chris Hedges



Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

“The sky is falling, the sky is falling,” said Chicken Little.  In Hedges’ book, one reviewer—Jiang Xuequin of Toronto, Canada, says, “Chris Hedges writes in the lucid and cogent manner of a powerful intellectual who has become disgusted and contemptuous, angry and frustrated at the lame and stupid culture he finds himself suddenly imprisoned in.  Unfettered market capitalism, corporate interests, and America’s oligarch have conspired to create a ‘brave new world’ of lies and stupidity that everyone hold dearly to be truth and wisdom.”  Now, doesn’t that just sound like Chicken Little—"’The sky is falling,’ has passed into the English language,” says Wikipedia, “as a common idiom indicating an hysterical or mistaken belief that disaster is imminent.”  I am not suggesting that Hedges is mistaken, but what I am suggesting is that his plea is intense and, perhaps, even hysterical.  (Actually, I love it!)

Hedges includes five essays here: “The Illusion of . . . 1) Literacy, 2) Love, 3) Wisdom, 4) Happiness, and 5) America.  Within these categories, Hedges draws his examples from industries as diverse as entertainment, wrestling, pornography, education, testing, wellness, celebrity, news, defense, armaments, health care, infrastructure, transportation, finance, and more.

The overall conclusion by Hedges is captures well by Xuequin in his review, and it’s a position I fully support as well: “People have chosen, and given a choice they have proven to everyone that they will do what human nature dictates and choose to live lives where they can enjoy their laziness and stupidity, and ignore critics who are trying to get them to read books and criticize.”

This is a well-written, meticulous, shocking yet honest, thorough analysis of how the American public is being seduced by advertisements, reality television, infotainment, and the “social” Internet, and how they are pathetic slaves to what they hear (and believe) on television, radio, and the Internet.

Hedges writes, “A public that can no longer distinguish between truth and fiction is left to interpret reality through illusion.”  The book is a relevant, real, sombering wake-up call that everyone should read.  Yes, “the sky is falling,” and Hedges offers a wonderful, captivating, well-researched and documented explanation of where and why it is happening and how everyone will be affected.  Read it.

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This book is available from Amazon.com: Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle

Friday's Laugh . . . And Then Some!

I was driving with my three young children one warm summer evening when a woman in the convertible ahead of us stood up and waved.  She was stark naked!

As I was reeling from the shock, I heard by five-year-old shout from the back seat, "Mom!  That lady isn't wearing a seat belt!"

Laugh Like There's No Tomorrow: Over 2,000 jokes from the Internet

From our upcoming book compiled by Richard L. Weaver II
Laugh is setup with just over 4 jokes a day, all 365 days, and can be read in any order!
Expected Release Date: Fall 2010

Learning how to fly

When I was nineteen and living in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) with my parents, I worked at the United States Information Service (U.S.I.S.) making an enormous amount of money and having no way of spending it all.  The choice to take flying lessons occurred because I had the money, time, and interest.  The plane was a single engine, dual-open-cockpit, bi-wing, Tiger Moth—the same kind flown by Snoopy — and lessons took place weekly on a remote, unused concrete airstrip outside of Dacca, the capitol city.  It was, by far, one of the most exciting, risky, and adventurous events in my life. 

Why would my lessons in learning how to fly merit an essay?  Because, I feel, the requirements that go into learning how to fly are similar to those that signal when a little bird is ready to leave its nest — or, when a child is ready to leave home.  Not to fill the basic prerequisites is likely to create major problems if not disaster. 

What I was told as I began my lessons was, first, to take a trial flight just to see what it would be like.  It is similar to sticking your big toe into the bathtub to make sure the water isn’t too hot before getting in.  That trial flight whet my appetite like nothing else could.  The wind, noise, and speed charged-up my engines like only adrenaline could, and it took just one circle around and above the runway to know that I was ready to begin. 

Having a skilled (English-speaking) and knowledgeable instructor was important, and after that trial flight we were not back in the air for another week while I read about the instruments, learned the rules, regulations, and laws, and took a very basic medical examination.  Admittedly, the instrumentation in the old Tiger Moth airplanes was simple compared with airplanes today, and the rules, regulations, and laws governing our flights (and any future flying I was to do in East Pakistan) was uncomplicated.  My physical health turned out to be excellent, and not being prone to heart attacks, effects of heights, or weaknesses in either sight or hearing, my clear bill-of-health allowed lessons to begin at once.  My teacher was both patient and understanding, and he relished the opportunity of teaching an American.  I was an eager and willing student. 

Every lesson I took began with a briefing, and the first one was no exception.  The first one included what to do in emergency situations like engine failure or rapidly deteriorating weather, and the first instruction was simulated only.  In other briefings, my instructor explained in detail principles behind the forthcoming flight and what I could expect to make sure that I understood what I was about to learn.  In every case, too, he gave me plenty of time to ask questions.  He knew I couldn’t remember everything, and that much of what he covered would become clear once in the air.  The briefings were simply overviews. 

My instructor obviously had confidence in me for he let me take control of the instruments the first time we were in the air, and after a number of air maneuvers that helped me understand how the plane moved in response to what I would do in the cockpit, we began to do take-offs and landings, which are—by far—the most difficult part of flying.  I found take-offs and landings to be the best part of flying because there were so many variables involved in trying to get them perfect, and, yet, there was such a tremendous sense of satisfaction when everything came together to yield a perfect take-off or landing. 

Usually your first solo comes between 10 and 20 hours of time in the air.  My first one came between 5 and 10 hours because my instructor felt I was ready.  He wanted to know if I thought I was ready, and my reply, as a cocky, confident, and self-assured teenager was, “Definitely.”  It was, to be sure, one of the most exciting moments of my life.  I’m not certain I would have been ready to handle an emergency situation at that early stage in my training; however, the goal of my instructor — on that very calm (no wind at all) and beautiful day — was to instill greater confidence and certainty in my skills and abilities.   

Given the same situation, if I had been the instructor, I don’t think I would have been as willing to turn that Tiger Moth — one of the sources of my income as the instructor — over to a brash and arrogant American 19-year-old! 

I remember it well.  The take-off went smoothly, and there was a wonderful sense of command and control knowing that I was in charge of this airplane.  I rose from the end of the runway out over the lush, uninhabited, green of the forests below, and once I leveled-off at about 500 feet off the ground, I banked into a comfortable left turn, and I could look down on the runway not far below.  I could even see my instructor standing and watching me.  I made a big arc, and I gave myself plenty of room as I made the final left bank to line myself up with the runway out ahead of me.  There was no center line because this was a very old, unused airstrip, so I just centered my plane as best I could and slowly began to push the yoke (or stick) away from me to lose altitude.   Fortunately, I was right on target gauging from the number of practice runs I had taken with the instructor, and as I came closer to the runway, I adjusted my flight altitude by pulling the yoke toward me to bring the nose up, up, and further up until I felt the wheels hit the runway.  It was a perfect landing, and I simply used the rudder to control my path down the runway, ever so slowly beginning to brake my speed until I came to a complete stop.  What a thrill that was. 

There was no computer screen, no auto-pilot, and no bells and whistles.  There was a great deal of control over everything that happened, and my confidence was rewarded. 

There really isn’t a great deal of risk in learning to fly.  It is, instead, depending on what you have learned, practicing the fundamentals, and relying on yourself — your knowledge, your experience, and your skills and abilities.  If you do what you know you will be successful. 

Learning how to fly — becoming independent — is much the same as learning how to fly.  Learn the fundamentals, gain as much experience as possible, then rely on yourself.  Many people say it requires a willingness to let go; however, I would contend that it requires use of all your resources.  Your instructor — just like your knowledge and experience — stay with you and, mentally, continue to provide suggestions and guidance.  You never “let go.”   If you have the commitment and the patience, you, too, can learn to fly. 

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At the Silver Express website, in an essay from the 1996 Flight Training magazine, “Twenty life lessons I learned from becoming a pilot,” Susan E. Paul said she learned patience, the need to keep a step ahead, how to communicate effective, clearly, and concisely, conserve and control your energy, be thorough and precise, relax, face your fears, take care of yourself physically and mentally, use all of your senses, know yourself, focus, practice and be proficient at the basics, be light at the controls, accept responsibility, know your priorities, follow through to the end, be courteous, persistent, flexible, and to keep it simple.  In the essay Paul discusses each of these elements.   

At the Lessons From the Cockpit website, Christopher Laney writes an essay, “White-Knuckle Living: How to Succeed by Letting Go,” (really just a post on his blog), where he talks about the lessons he learned from learning how to fly: 1) give yourself permission to make mistakes, 2) recognize that you know more than you think you know, and 3) let go (which is the best entry and includes five separate items that tend to hold people back).  Also, Laney has included 22 reader comments to his post. 

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Copyright September, 2010, by And Then Some Publishing, LLC.

Day #208 - Do not strive for genius.

SMOERs: Words of Wisdom

"Genius is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration." ---Thomas Alva Edison

Day #208 - Do not strive for genius.

SMOERs:  Self-Motivation, Optimism, Encouragement Rules! - Daily Reminders for  Outstanding Living
An everyday guide full of quotations to  uplift your spirits.
Free 30-Day sample: smoers.com

Has anyone seen our Book Club? We need to learn how to fly

And Then Some Publishing News

Have you checked out the And Then Some Publishing Book Club? Every Monday we review books based on the And Then Some Philosophy: Give more, get more, want more from life. We've had reviews from our family of readers, however most of our reviews are written by Richard L. Weaver II. His analysis of each book will let you know if this is the book for you.

Visit our Book Club... And Then Some!

Thursday's And Then Some Essay preview:

Thursday’s essay is called, "Learning how to fly."  Why would my lessons in learning how to fly merit an essay?  Because, I feel, the requirements that go into learning how to fly are similar to those that signal when a little bird is ready to leave its nest — or, when a child is ready to leave home.  Not to fill the basic prerequisites is likely to create major problems if not disaster.

Learning how to fly
by Richard L. Weaver II

Excerpt:
Learning how to fly — becoming independent — is much the same as learning how to fly.  Learn the fundamentals, gain as much experience as possible, then rely on yourself.  Many people say it requires a willingness to let go; however, I would contend that it requires use of all your resources.  Your instructor — just like your knowledge and experience — stay with you and, mentally, continue to provide suggestions and guidance.  You never “let go.”   If you have the commitment and the patience, you, too, can learn to fly.

And Then Some Works!

Nothing Was the Same: A Memoir

Book Club... And Then Some!

Nothing Was the Same: A Memoir          

by Kay Redfield Jamison



 Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

This is a touching, deeply moving, difficult to read (yet difficult to put down), love story in which Jamison, a professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and co-director of the Johns Hopkins Mood Disorders Center and author of the national best seller, An Unquiet Mind and Night Falls Fast, writes about her 20 years with Richard Wyatt, also an important researcher in the area of mental disorders.  As Shalom Fradman, from Jerusalem, Israel, writes in his Amazon review, “She tells the story with taste, restraint, feeling, and unfailing intelligence and wisdom.”

The book is written with care, precision, honesty, reflection, and in beautiful prose. 

Jamison writes about grief, sickness, and dying, but in a profound, simple manner.

How two well-educated, intelligent people could sustain their loving bond through all their adversity is remarkable.  How their passion was sustained through the days and moments of sickness before his death, and how their celebration of life sustained them is amazing.  What a joy!  What an unbelievable testimony for the bond that true love can offer.

As one reviewer said, “‘Drs. Wyatt and Jamison found happiness not in idealized illusions, but in living—with as much integrity and joy as possible—their own imperfect lives.”

This is a unique book that will touch you deeply, move you with passion and intensity, and, thus, will impress you forever. 



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This book is available from Amazon.com: Nothing Was the Same: A Memoir

Friday's Laugh . . . And Then Some!

TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America.

MARIA: Here it is.

TEACHER: Correct.  Now class, who discovered America?

CLASS: Maria.

Laugh Like There's No Tomorrow: Over 2,000 jokes from the Internet

From our upcoming book compiled by Richard L. Weaver II
Laugh is setup with just over 4 jokes a day, all 365 days, and can be read in any order!
Expected Release Date: Fall 2010

Get Organized

 I’ve never been convinced that “organization skills” can be taught; those who are organized can become better organized, and for those whose natural inclination is chaos — disorganization — you can offer guidelines, suggestions, and recommendations and, if you’re lucky, some may penetrate and get used, but in the end, I think, disorganization tends to win out because of the habitual penchant toward disarray.  I have no evidence of this, just an observation based on teaching organization skills for 30 years.

I wonder whether those whose lives — at least behind the scenes — tend to be messy and haphazard might be encouraged to make changes if they knew the benefits of getting organized.  The key to remember is, “Organized minds make successful people.”  At Life Organizers.com, Maria Gracia, in an essay entitled, “10 Little-Known Benefits of Getting Organized,” lists ones that I have discovered in my life as well.  The first one is that becoming organized will give you more time to relax.  When things are in their proper places, you can find them quickly, but you must remember to put them back for the next time.  Remembering to put them back is difficult, especially for procrastinators who will always claim, “I’ll do that later.”  Just that little act — remembering to put them back — is likely to be a key to lowering blood pressure and stress. 

Another benefit is that getting organized will give you more time to do other things.  I am often asked, “How do you get so much accomplished?”  The simple answer is organization.  I always wish I could be more organized, but if you are a workaholic, the pay off is clearly in the bottom line — quantity.  Quality occurs in how you go about getting the results.  More time to do other things includes more time for yourself, loved ones, family, and friends. 

For me, Gracia’s fourth benefit is especially important: feeling good about your environment.  Often, just before beginning a new writing project, I will clean up my entire study and try to get rid of all the excessive and unnecessary pages or manuscripts.  My problem is clutter, it is true, but what is most important is that I know where things are when I need them. 

Professional improvement and being a role model do not concern me as much as Gracia’s final, tenth, benefit: “You'll achieve more. When you're disorganized, there are always barriers that keep you from reaching your goals.  But organized people find ways to eliminate tasks that aren't necessary and to streamline those that are taking too much time. This leaves plenty of time to work on achieving all of those goals on your list.” 

It may be that none of these are sufficiently enticing, or it may be that even though they are, you may still wonder how you — personally — can get organized.   My suggestions are incredibly easy and, for me, successful.  Often, the primary problem boils down to one thing: you!  You are likely to be your own worst enemy.  There are four overall characteristics that will guide you in following each of the suggestions: 1) commitment, 2) self-discipline, 3) eliminate procrastination, and 4) ignore distractions.  If just a little push is necessary to start the process, then here is that push. 

My first suggestion is to begin using a planner.  This is more important for those who have a lot of appointments or for those whose days are so varied that it is difficult to keep track of the schedule.  You can do this the old-fashioned way with a pocket-sized notepad, or use a PDA, Blackberry or palm Pilot.  With a PDA, if you back it up at least once a week, and back up your computer at least once a month, you will always have a copy of your address book, calendar, and task list. 

Closely related to using a planner is the “to-do-list.”  I like daily lists, then those items not completed are simply carried over to the next list.  When very busy, it helps to free your mind so you can concentrate on what you’re doing right now: you just don’t have to think or worry that you might forget to do something.  PDAs hold lists, prioritize items, and assign each a due date. 

Making a “to-do-list” is also useful for combining similar activities.  For example, I have a list for everything I want to do when I get in the car to run errands.  Order on this list is important for saving time.  Completeness is important for finishing everything in a single trip.  You can get organized in much the same way by doing things at the same time: making your phone calls, paying your bills, and getting your e-mails answered. 

Another simple suggestion is to organize your work space.  The space I work in is extremely important.  Give everything you use and need a separate, convenient, and clearly designated space.  Everything I need is at my fingertips — paper, dictionary, thesaurus, pens, pencils, markers, scissors, rulers, tape, stapler, a clock, telephone, and supporting books and documents.  What is unnecessary is thrown out.  Examine how you use your space and design it to be efficient and convenient. 

Related to space concerns is the aphorism, “A place for everything and everything in its place” to which I just referred.  Find a specific place for your keys, cell phone and charging station, checks (if you use them) and bills.  I also have a place for my wallet, daily journal, dark glasses, pen, single blade knife, lip balm, and change.  When leaving the house no time is spent looking for essentials. 

Another simple suggestion for getting organized is multi-tasking.   Technology has assisted.  Organize your study, a drawer or cabinet, or do dishes while talking on the phone.  Fold clothes or towels while watching television.  Listen to books-on-tape while driving

Realize that making these changes overnight — as small as some of them are —  is almost impossible.  Change cannot take place that quickly.  Disorganization is as much a habit as getting organized, once it is accomplished.  Make little changes, starting for example, with one small area of your life or living area — papers, computer files, clothes, linen closet, kitchen, mail, children’s room.  When successful there, move on to another area.  Now, reward yourself for the completion of each goal you set — a night at a favorite restaurant, a movie, or a relaxing walk in the park.  Getting organized may be tough, but the rewards make it worthwhile; it is an important area for self-improvement. 

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At WebMD, there are at least 16 tips on how to get organized in the essay there, “How to get organized—Finally!”—an essay by Hara Estroff Marano reprinted from Psychology Today.  Just enter “Get organized” into the Google search window, and you will get nearly 20 million hits. 

At WikiHow, there is so much information in the essay, “How to be organized,” that just reading it or clicking on the additional resources icons will keep you busy for a day or two.  This is an excellent website. 

There are 13 suggestions in the essay, “How to get organized,” at the eHow.com website.  I have discovered—as I’m sure you know already—that organizing skills at home or at work, carry over nicely into all other areas of your life; thus, putting these ideas into practice will assist you in a wide variety of areas. 

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Copyright August, 2010, by And Then Some Publishing, LLC.

Day #205 - Control your desires.

SMOERs: Words of Wisdom

"Our desires always increase with our possessions.  The knowledge that something remains yet unenjoyed impairs our enjoyment of the good before us."  ---Samuel Johnson

Day #205 - Control your desires.

SMOERs: Self-Motivation, Optimism, Encouragement Rules! - Daily Reminders for Outstanding Living
An everyday guide full of quotations to uplift your spirits.
Free 30-Day sample: smoers.com

Baby Memories Books and Get Organized

And Then Some Publishing News


Folks, we have put a pause on Edgar E. Willis' Shakespeare series. I know we promised Part 2 of Who Wrote William Shakespeare? this week, however, in September 2010 EdgarEWillis.com is going through a massive revision and we are waiting to release the rest of the videos in the Shakespeare series so we can adjust the website properly. Until then, there is no reason why you can't find out How to be Funny on Purpose and Edgar's World War II memoir.

We are excited to introduce you to BabyMemoriesBooks.com. This is a new website with the specific focus on Special Delivery: A Baby Memories Scrapbook for girls or boys. Do you need a baby shower gift? This is perfect... and after you visit the website you will know if this is the right gift. Watch videos, find out how to print your own affordable pictures.... and then some!

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Thursday's And Then Some Essay preview:

Thursday’s essay is called, “Get organized."  I’ve never been convinced that “organization skills” can be taught; those who are organized can become better organized, and for those whose natural inclination is chaos — disorganization — you can offer guidelines, suggestions, and recommendations and, if you’re lucky, some may penetrate and get used, but in the end, I think, disorganization tends to win out because of the habitual penchant toward disarray.  I have no evidence of this, just an observation based on teaching organization skills for 30 years.  But there is so much available on how to get organized, what you need to know are the benefits, and that is what this essay does---clearly explains the benefits. 

Get Organized
by Richard L. Weaver II

Excerpt:
Realize that making these changes overnight — as small as some of them are —  is almost impossible.  Change cannot take place that quickly.  Disorganization is as much a habit as getting organized, once it is accomplished.  Make little changes, starting for example, with one small area of your life or living area — papers, computer files, clothes, linen closet, kitchen, mail, children’s room.  When successful there, move on to another area.  Now, reward yourself for the completion of each goal you set — a night at a favorite restaurant, a movie, or a relaxing walk in the park.  Getting organized may be tough, but the rewards make it worthwhile; it is an important area for self-improvement.

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And Then Some Works!

Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son

Book Club... And Then Some!

Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son        

by Michael Chabon



Book Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

There are several things I truly enjoyed about this book.  First, I loved the author’s willingness to be open, frank, and personal.  This is a collection of short autobiographical stories.  If you’re just looking for an enjoyable and sometimes intriguing look into someone else’s life and thoughts, this is an entertaining read. 

The second thing I enjoyed about this book is Chabon’s use of language.  He uses the English language well, and his fluent writing style is delightful.  Although his writing tends to be a bit formal and crisp, his humor and wit shine through and charm you.  Thus, if you’re seeking a well-written book, this would be an excellent choice.

The third thing I enjoyed about this book is that it offers a peek into another man’s life.  One reviewer summarized the content of his essays in this way: “Chabon takes us on a journey through his childhood: the unflagging support of his mother; the inability to connect with his father despite the love between them; the joy and privilege of being able to explore, unhindered by adult supervision, the world around him and, the ache of realizing one is losing it all.  From his childhood to adulthood and then to fatherhood we follow the unique tale of a man’s life, one who is gifted enough to share with his readers all the joys and disasters that a life lived carries with it.”

Chabon’s descriptions are rich in detail, replete with the emotions experienced at the time, and full of charm and wonder—almost as if it is a child discovering a whole new world one experience at a time. 

Clearly this is a well-written, candid, funny, thoughtful, self-disclosing, witty, informative, wise, and totally captivating book designed for all to read—not just men, fathers, and fathers-to-be.

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This book is available from Amazon.com: Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son