Last Commented Lifestyle Blogs (2,466)

Have you once in your life thought of making your own "bucket list"?
Collection of goals,dreams and aspirations that you would like to accomplish within your lifetime.
Keeping track of your goals and aspirations in achieving these goals and to take steps in order to maximize
the incredible experiences in your life.

A few weeks ago I documented one of my remodeling projects of pressure cleaning the sidewalk. That was the easy stuff. Yesterday, we were up on the roof! Literally, it was planned earlier abut other obligations got in the way.

The pressure washer was a 10 year old electric 'off brand' with 1800psi. I own a 3500psi gasoline engine model but it's got some carburetor trouble that I'm unable to resolve... and it's too large to bring on the roof.

We borrowed a small electric 1700 unit and were 'double teaming' the project but the 1800 was shutting down with a burning smell. I went to Home Depot and picked up a 2000psi unit as my goal was to finish the roof on Saturday. It was nice that my daughter stopped to show me her research on house prices in the neighborhood, but that put us behind schedule. It was dark but we got most of the barrel tile part finished.

The roof was last washed about 4 years ago and the pressure washing with only water (no soap or chemical cleaners) brought it back to it's original color.


Those are my boots she's wearing!





Up on the roof!

I suspect that everything that has ever happened to us...or has yet to happen to us...we have asked for it.

Through decisions we have made throughout our lives.....

these decisions have put us in certain situations/environments/places/relationships


if true, why?



....perhaps our destiny.



Happy Saturday




the only exception I can think of....is our birth. But, as I have been informed, Buddhist would argue even that we have asked for



Maybe we need to be smart enough to understand the full extent of our decisions.

Here in Denmark, we aren't big on luxury. For us, luxury is anything good! It can be sleeping in or getting a meal for free.

But, we do have luxurious hotels. Not Dubai-levels of luxury, but more of an old school kind of luxury. One such luxurious hotel is called d'Angleterre. It is one of the first deluxe hotels in the world, and it is located on Kongens Nytorv, in the heart of Copenhagen. The location is opposite Charlottenborg, the Royal Opera and Nyhavn. While its history dates back to 1755, a fire damaged it beyond repair. The current building was finished in 1795. From 1872 to 1875, the building was significantly extended and refurbished by the architects, Vilhelm Dahlerup and Georg E.W. Møller. The hotel has long been considered the most prestigious and elegant hotel in the city. Its name is French and means the "England Hotel".

The Hotel d'Angleterre re-opened in May 2013 following extensive restorations. The new d'Angleterre has 30 rooms and 60 suites. It also has a 1-star Michelin restaurant, "Marchal", led by executive chef, Andreas Bagh, a cocktail and champagne bar as well as a spa and health club.

Noteable guests, who have stayed in the hotel, are as follows: AC/DC, H.C. Andersen, Morten Andersen, Cecilia Bartoli, David Beckham, Dogukan Nas, Karen Blixen, Bono, Victor Borge, Mariah Carey, José Carreras, Helena Christensen, Sir Winston Churchill, John Cleese, Bill Clinton, Michael Davitt, Cameron Diaz, Walt Disney, Barbara Hendricks, Alfred Hitchcock, Whitney Houston, Henrik Ibsen, Julio Iglesias, Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi, Juan Carlos I of Spain, Grace Kelly, Diana Krall, Madonna, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Brigitte Nielsen, Connie Nielsen, Ozzy Osbourne, David Rockefeller, Rolling Stones, Claudia Schiffer, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Justin Timberlake, U2, Lars Ulrich, Robbie Williams, Oprah Winfrey and Angus Young.

Condé Nast Traveler has included the Hotel D'Angleterre on its Gold List 2015 of the best hotels in the world.

The most expensive room is $2586 - per night! They also have a champagne bar, with champagne from 42 different houses. Price for that: Well.. You have to buy a bottle, since there is no menu as such. The cheapest bottle will set you back $115, while the most expensive one is an eye watering $7400.

The website for the hotel is:

But the thing I am doing, is attending one of their Sunday brunches. It's $96, and it is quite possibly the most lavish thing ever - it even includes oysters, caviar and a glass of champagne. If you want an extra glass of champagne, you're gonna have to pay $18 - per glass.

So I am just gonna stick with the brunch only. One glass of champagne on a Sunday afternoon is plenty!

In case you are wondering how it looks, have a look at this picture here:

I sometimes encounter ex-students.
It seems that I made a good positive impact on them.
They always thank me and tell me how I've inspired them.
Many times what they say truly touches my heart.
Sometimes they went on to further education in the biological sciences
and sometimes they've become teachers, professors, nurses, doctors
or other related health or science fields.

I've also edited a number of biology, genetics and microbiology text books
and have signed copies of those books with notes of thanks stating how
I improved their books,making them much better.

While all very nice, it was due in part to my job at a major university.
I'm sure many of the other professors had similar experiences.

But tonight I received something totally different.
Nine years ago, I was out in nature taking photos of wildlife in the Princeton, NJ area.
A fairly young lovely blonde gal walked up to me and stated that she had been watching me for some time, and that I seemed to be a very happy person.

I smiled and said something like "life is a terrific experience, much better than the alternative, why not be happy ?"
She then asked, if it would be OK to interview me. So, she asked me a bunch of questions
(most I have forgotten at this point) about what especially makes me happy, happier, and happiest.
At the end, she asked for my email address in case she thought of any other questions.
If I remember correctly, she did email me about a month later.
However, I have heard nothing else from her for about 9 years.

Moments ago, I got an email from her. She wrote a book based on her 'art of happiness'
interviews and got it published.
Apparently, my interview is included in that book.

I just emailed her back to congratulate her on her book.

One truly never knows what happiness the new day will bring.
Cherish it, while you can.

News story on these usurious businesses, much worse than traditional pawn shops, located exclusively in areas where the poor live, got me a blogggin'---AGAIN. Interest rates on these unsecured cash short term loans, would make the worst mafia loan sharks jealous, and they are legal. Well, for now at least, and there's a ban on their loaning to active US military personnel. We hear of a young lady, single mom, who borrowed under USD 200, and over 6 months, at around 200% interest, paid back over a thousand. As with the lottos, if not played frugally, and cigarettes, the poor take it again up the back side. And government wastes time on the fake coup.

I have often been asked what my religion is. The short answer is just as it is listed on my profile, ‘Spiritual but not religious’. If I’m pressed further I will inform people that I live by the ‘Laws of the Universe’ and not by any man-made religious sect, either mainstream nor minority.
Once a person understands the ‘Laws of the Universe’ it becomes quite obvious that several of the (10 biblical commandments), not all, are also covered, such as thou shalt not steal, kill etc.
Below I have a list of the main 12 Spiritual Laws of the Universe... they are not of my writing however enjoy reading them...

12 Spiritual Laws of the Universe

1. The Law of Divine Oneness
The Law of Divine Oneness is the foundational law, according to which absolutely everything in our universe is interconnected. In other words, every choice, word, desire, and belief you have will also have an impact on the world, and on the people in your life.
Sometimes this impact will be immediate and obvious. At other times, it may take a while to manifest, or you may never even discover that it has occurred. Try to think of yourself as part of everything around you to live in accordance with this law. We are all one, and awareness of this makes us more powerful as well as more empathetic.

2. Law of Vibration
According to the Law of Vibration, every particle in the universe is in constant movement and constantly carries energy. This applies to enormous parts of the universe, like the planets and stars. However, it also applies to the chair underneath you or the table where your computer sits.
In addition, everything has its own specific energy frequency. High energy particles are naturally attuned to other high energy particles, and the same is true for those that have low energy.
If your goal is to live a more productive and full life, consider what you would need to do to heighten your energy frequency.

Continued in comments below...

Men have been told to do that since....well since awhile ago.

You can't do that to me.
You can't say that to me.
Honey, don't let him/her do that to me/you.
Be a man.

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with protecting yourself.
There is nothing wrong with defending yourself. However, I think there is a certain extent.

For example, this past weekend. I was having a great time out at the local bar's Halloween party. There was a Korean lady there that seemed to be rather interested in me. We had flirted with each other the whole night. Things were going rather well.

I was sitting at a table away from the bar with a great friend of mine. We were sitting there pretty much the whole evening, near the pool table, talking, and playing pool. The Korean beauty was also playing pool with us as well.

It was getting late, alcohol has certainly taken its effect. I put my quarters in the table, the balls were released. Immediately, the Korean lady ran over, to steal my game. I knew what she was up to...just her way of flirting. I am like, okay...I will just grab some more quarters from the bar, and I will get the next game.

Fine and dandy...but my friend I was with, was not okay with this. I didn't know what he said to her. But, she was gone shortly after their talk. Should I have stepped in....I wonder....but, realistically...given the complete circumstances of the situation, I knew I really didn't have any right to.

The way I looked at it....it was only fifty cents and a couple of minutes before the next game would start. I am a very patient man....so overall...it really was not a big deal.

I was not angry or upset with my friend as I explained to him my philosophy in life when it comes to situations like these...non-threatening...in particular. I told him, I believe in free-will. You hope for people to do the right things, but you cannot be in control of their free will. Especially, with this Korean lady...we had that sort of playful vibe going on all night.

His stance was, you cannot let people take advantage of you like that.

Well....

He does have a point. I am a man. A man is suppose to be in control of the situation. A man should not let anyone disrespect him. True....as it has been taught to us men.

But....before going down this whole principled path...the macro of the whole situation was not even worth taking a "manly" stance. It was in the whole scope of life...nothing.

With that said....after hearing about some guy dying in line getting a chicken sandwich....I wonder if he wouldn't be still alive today if he didn't do the whole macro prospective with the situation he was in. I heard he was with a woman....perhaps he was just being a man.

At least, that is what we are told. Technically, that statement is correct. There are birds, trees, grass, air, ground, water....maybe even love too. Maybe....I suspect.

On my trip up to a pool tournament, my mind got thinking about money. And without money, one would not be able to do a whole lot. Virtually everything revolves around money. It is getting so you need to pay for water to drink...in some cases...you need to.

Now, what about that old saying, money cannot buy love.

Let me think about how love develops.

The clothes I wear cost money.
The comb I use cost money.
The soap I use cost money.
The shoes I wear cost money.
The razor I use cost money.
The car I drive cost money.
The insurance cost money.
The gas cost money.
The safe tires on it cost money.
The heat in my house cost money.
The electricity cost money.
The food I eat cost money.
The house itself cost money.
The full mouth of teeth cost money.
The haircut cost money.
The scissors cost money.

So....directly...yes...I agree....money don't buy love.

But it sure as hell facilitates in it developing.