Witty Insults

March 8th, 2010

"He had delusions of adequacy."
- Walter Kerr

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire."
- Winston Churchill

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure."
- Clarence Darrow

"I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it."
- Mark Twain

 
George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill:
"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend…. if you have one."
Winston Churchill, in response:
"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second… if there is one." 

"I feel so miserable without you; it’s almost like having you here."
- Stephen Bishop

 
"He is a self-made man and worships his creator."
- John Bright

 
"He is not only dull himself; he is the cause of dullness in others."
- Samuel Johnson

 
"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork."
- Mae West

 
"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go."
- Oscar Wilde

 
"I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn’t it."
- Groucho Marx

"Moms Mabley said you have to say good things about the dead. [I say,] ‘He’s dead. Good.’"
-Kate Clinton
 

"There’s nothing wrong with you that reincarnation won’t cure."
- Jack E. Leonard

 
"He has the attention span of a lightning bolt."
- Robert Redford

 
"He has Van Gogh’s ear for music."
- Billy Wilder

 
Lady Astor said to Winston Churchill, "If you were my husband, I’d give you poison."
Churchill said, "If you were my wife, I’d drink it."

 
"I am returning this otherwise good sheet of typing paper to you because someone has printed gibberish all over it and put your name at the top."
- English Professor, Ohio University 

Show Up at the Door and Wag Your Tail, too.

March 3rd, 2010

by  Tracey E. Bennett, Queen of Conversation

Does your first impression measure up at home? When your loved ones step in the door, do you stop what you’re doing and greet them? Do you make them feel important and valued?

Let’s take a hint from Read the rest of this entry »

Olympic Ice Dancers Know How to Make a Great First Impression

February 24th, 2010

 by Tracey E. Bennett

Do first impressions count in Olympic ice dancing? Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir won my heart from the get-go. Before the first note of their music, even before they positioned their skates on the ice, my heart melted. I awarded them the gold.

Why? 

Did you SEE the way he looked at her? Such appreciation, such love! And they’re not even dating. Were his adoring looks part of the performance? Who knows. Who cares? The judges gave them gold, too. Yeah, I know:  they earned it with every twirl and lift. But it all got launched with a great first impression.

Here’s my Olympic-sized tip of the day:

Do you realize you’re making a first impression every day? Over and over? Yes, even with people who know you. Friends are always checking you out. Are they likely to say, "You look dazzling today!" or "Did you spill your coffee fix?"

And you never know when that stranger you bump today — "Oops! Sorry!" — will become the client who interviews you for a job tomorrow.

Every brick-and-mortar business is making first impressions too, starting at the curb. <Reader alert! Pet peeve coming.> What will you find outside my gym? Power bar wrappers. Plastic water bottles. Litter. Ugh. Faster than you can say "deep knee bend," the staff could clean that up.

When I owned the Mango House Bed and Breakfast, I cleaned all the way across the street. My reward was finding coins, a pint of rum and 5 music CDs. I was proud to have the cleanest cul de sac in Honolulu.

I won’t preach. Now that you know to pay attention to your first impressions, you know what to do.

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What did you think about the Russians’ aboriginal costumes? Got a story about good or crummy first impressions? Leave me a comment.

Lessons from the Library, or, Volunteers Don’t Need Prozac

February 18th, 2010

by Tracey E. Bennett, Queen of Conversation


Volunteering at my local library makes me feel good! Wish I’d signed up years ago when I was depressed. Science says my mood uplift comes from a boost in serotonin. I call it a natural high.

I LOVE feeling useful. I’m a mostly cheery person, but sorting book and magazine donations boosts my spirits even higher. Rummaging through the donation bin is like having Christmas morning twice a week. What bestsellers will turn up this time? Will it be the latest Dan Brown thriller? (YESSS!)

Can I borrow it? Right now? Yes, because volunteers get two extra benefits: 1) we can borrow book donations before they go on sale, and 2) we get first dibs on buying books.

Here’s another reason I get a boost from being a volunteer:

I get paid — not in money but in gratitude, which is the currency of the heart. The library staff and other volunteers appreciate us. Every week my "boss," Clare, thanks me for helping. I don’t need her gratitude, but I like it. I can’t take it to the bank, but I take it to heart. 

If you shop garage sales for books, you’d probably enjoy volunteering at your library, too. Or pick something else that appeals to you. If you’ve been downsized or furloughed, volunteer. A hundred worthy causes are waiting for you to step up to the plate. Call one of them now while you’re thinking about it. 

The Most Romantic Movie You Never Heard of

February 14th, 2010

Blog by  Tracey E. Bennett, Queen of Conversation

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Remember Ravel’s Bolero from the movie "10"? This video is its visual equivalent. It’ll make you want to grab your honey and KISS! Or dance, maybe in the sheets. The music’s great, too.

OK, turn down the lights, turn up the volume, and bring on the most romantic movie you never heard of.

What are your favorite romantic movies? My top one is American President. Remember when Annette Benning came out of Michael Douglas’s bathroom wearing only his white shirt? Hot! Hot! HOT! Santa brought me a shirt just like it (warm, warm, warm!)

Today’s paper nominates these must-see romantic movies: 

  1. Shakespeare in Love Read the rest of this entry »

Calling Customer Service: How to Get a Person on the Phone

February 4th, 2010

 

blog by Tracey E. Bennett

You’re calling customer service. But you land in a maze — or daze. How do you get a person on the phone? You could get your problem handled in a jiffy if only someone would talk to you.

Here are 8 tips adapted from Reader’s Digest:

1. Don’t push any buttons. The computer will assume that you have a rotary phone and send you to a real person.

2. Push zero. Sometimes that sends you to a helpful soul.

3. Press a mess of buttons.

4. Mumble. It confuses the system and Read the rest of this entry »

Good Valentine’s Day Books and Relationship Books

January 30th, 2010

by Tracey E. Bennett

Here’s a list of good Valentine’s Day and relationship books. Two of my very favorite relationship books are:

The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate – by Gary Chapman. You you only buy one relationship book ever, this is the one to get. It changed Read the rest of this entry »

How to Split the Check Without Looking Cheap

January 18th, 2010

"SAVE!"

Have you ever gone to dinner with friends and ordered only a drink or appetizer? But when the bill came around, you got stuck with a chunk of it? How do you pay your fair share — that is, for your smaller portion — without looking or feeling cheap?

Here’s a tip from Ramit from Scrooge Strategy. He’s all about saving money, and he’s got a good tip about saving face, too. Read the rest of this entry »

Can You Top This Inspirational YouTube Video?

January 15th, 2010

Singer Susan Boyle was the most-watched YouTube video in 2009. This video about a dog that failed at her first "job" gets my vote for super inspiration. After months of training, Ricochet wasn’t suited for being a service dog ("Birds!? WOOF! WOOF!"), but she excelled at something else. 

I wonder if there’s a moral in here for us humans, such as chasing birds could cost you your job.

See what you think.

 

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 Blog by  Tracey E. Bennett, Queen of Conversation

I welcome your comments. Tell me, what’s your favorite YouTube video? And feel free to have fun with the moral.

Screw New Year’s Resolutions. Do This Instead.

January 4th, 2010

Every year I make the same New Year’s resolution, which is not to make any resolutions. I blow them by February anyway. Here’s an idea for the new year that doesn’t leave me feeling bad about myself.

    I pick a word for the year.

It’s a guiding star, kind of a Star of Bethlehem for the wise person I aspire to be. 

Read the rest of this entry »