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 Read the rest of this entry »
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:
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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 »
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
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?
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.
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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. |
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Here are some New Year’s conversation questions to start conversations and keep them going.
If you’re staying home and keeping the dog company, it’s the perfect time to assess where you’ve been and to chart your course for the new year. |
What does it take to calm an irritated customer, connect people, start conversations, and build relationships? What could do all that? As this story shows, it just takes one person thinking outside the Crayon box.
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – AP – A museum is showing artwork collected by a Delta flight attendant who started handing out crayons to passengers after the Sept. 11th attacks. The Palm Springs Air Museum is showing "Plane Art — Connecting People" through Jan. 25. Several dozen pictures are hanging at the museum, and many others are available for visitors to leaf through in folders.
The pictures were collected by Delta flight attendant Jewel Van Valin. She got the idea a few months after 9/11, when the airline began substituting paper for linens as tray table covers.
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She said one passenger Read the rest of this entry »
Kids crack me up! See if you agree.
