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jitterbug-perfume-review

Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins: The Review [Best Book in Your Life?]

Richard Cummings

jitterbug-perfume-reviewJitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins may be one of my favorite books of all time.

Tom Robbins combines profound and playful in perfect proportion.  Also, he teaches you how to live forever.  Two of the remedies are:  lots of sex and lots of baths.  Two things I love!

Every Tom Robbins book is similar in this respect: expect the unexpected…like utensils having a conversation or a love story that takes place inside a pack of camel cigarettes.  I usually would not be a fan of such absurd notions, but with Tom Robbins, it all just works.

Have you ever seen an author speak?

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The-Unbearable-Lightness-of-Being-review

The Unbearable Lightness of Being Book Review: One of the Best of All Time?

Richard Cummings

The-Unbearable-Lightness-of-Being-reviewThe Unbearable Lightness of Being is an outstanding book and a horrific movie, unless you like depressing European movies with little dialogue that slowly plod along.  (If so, make sure you also see 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days). 

But really, one of the challenges of life is to live lightly, but not too lightly.   Montainge mentions that in his essays:

“The most manifest sign of wisdom is a continual cheerfulness; her state is like that in the regions above the moon, always clear and serene.”

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Magical-Thinking-book-review

Magical Thinking by Augusten Burrroughs: A Review

Richard Cummings

Magical-Thinking-book-reviewThe book Magical Thinking by Augusten Burrroughs may not be his first book, or his most popular, but it’s definitely the best!

The first Augusten Burroughs book that I read was Running With Scissors.  This was more of a novel and I enjoyed it.  However, after this book, all of his other books have been filled with short stories about his life.  I have enjoyed all of them but my favorite is Magical Thinking.

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The Century: Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster [A Review]

Richard Cummings

The-Century-Peter-Jennings-and-Todd-Brewster-ReviewIf you want to read one of the best books about the 20th century, pick up a copy of The Century by Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster.

When the change of the century occurred, many books came out chronicling the 20th century.

One of the most popular was Tom Brokaw’s The Greatest Generation.  My parents have this book on their shelves and I’m sure they enjoy reading the stories of selflessness and patriotism that embodied America back then.  I too have read many of these stories and enjoyed them immensely.

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tuesday at work

Why Tuesday Sucks

Richard Cummings

tuesday at workIf you’re in a bad mood today, let me tell you why. It’s Tuesday.

Tuesday has no raison d’être. If your unfamiliar with that term, look it up. It’s Tuesday after all and you feel like shit…might as well learn something.Read More

The-Fountainhead-Ayn-Rand-Review

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand: A Review

Richard Cummings

The-Fountainhead-Ayn-Rand-ReviewYou will not often find me endorsing books of an overly serious nature but The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, and Atlas Shrugged, for some reason, defy my usually aversion to topics of seriousness and self-absorption.

The Fountainhead is written by Ayn Rand and many of you, yes you, were suppose to read it in one of your college courses.  But you didn’t!  So, now it’s time to go buy it on Amazon and see what all the fuss is about.

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The Best Poems of the English Language: A Review

Richard Cummings

The-Best-Poems-of-the-English-Language-ReviewIf you’re not familiar with the book The Best Poems of the English Language, you may be missing a chance to drastically improve your love life!

I always have a book of poetry by my bed.  Ok, yes, that me seem a completely prop, a ruse.

But, I swear, it’s not.

In college, my teacher challenged me to memorize 10 poems of substantial length.  If I did, I would get no lower than a B.  Perfect, I thought, I will do this and nothing else.  I’m comfortable with a B.  I’m an English major after all, who cares what my grade point will be when I graduate?

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Why I Love Southwest Airlines: The Southwest Rap Video

Richard Cummings

This morning I was checking out the latest Top Rap Songs and came across a rap video performed on…Southwest Airlines?

How great is Southwest Airlines for allowing their employees to exercise creativity like this?

Let’s see…small seats, old airplanes, no assigned seating…but I always enjoy flying Southwest because of things like this. They just do things right.

Clearly the passengers loved this too as they joined in the beat and gave a big round of applause. Enjoy the Southwest Rap Song!
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open iso file with vlc

Open .ISO File With VLC Media Player

Richard Cummings

open iso file with vlcIn this article, we will take a look at why you might want to open an .ISO file directly on your computer and then we’ll look at how to open .ISO files with the VLC Media Player…and even watch them on your home theater system.

I just sat down at my computer to watch a movie that I have in .ISO format.  As you may or may not know, the .ISO format is known as an image file.  These .ISO files contain an exact image of what is found on a DVD.

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tricia-walsh-smith video

Tricia Walsh Smith: In Her Own Words

Richard Cummings

tricia-walsh-smith videoOver three million people have viewed this video on You Tube of Tricia Walsh Smith, the present and future ex-spouse of Philip Smith, a theatre executive worth about sixty million dollars.

In the video, she lambastes her husband for many things: that he is not giving her what she deserves, his sexual ineptitude, his infidelities…basically, his entire character.

This is just not fair for one obvious reason: she is not a first wife!

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Spanish-Pronunciation-rules

Spanish Pronunciation: The Three Golden Rules

Richard Cummings

Spanish-Pronunciation-rulesSpeaking Spanish should be easy.

Normally, they pronounce each letter as it is. With me, the problem often lies in emphasis, in stress. Where should you place the stress on a particular word in Spanish?

In my first month Living In Uruguay, I was off to meet my friends in a salsa club on a street called Rincon. I knew that I was near the place, but I could not locate the street. I saw this amiable older women and decided to put my Spanish learning to the test.

I politely asked:

Me: Dónde está la calle Rincon? (Where is the street Rincon?)

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