February 16, 2012

Whitney, Burnout, Books, Art, and more

Valerie Smaldone and Liz Smith are both remembering Whitney Houston today. And as Liz Smith says about her death "the shock of it is that it is not shocking." Sad but true. Another great talent lost to drugs and alcohol.

If being connected 24/7 is starting to burn you out, maybe it's time to kick your smart phone out of bed.  We've got some expert advice today on trading in your "to-do-list" with your "want-to-list."Among the things on our "want-to-list" is time to read more books, and time to explore NYC's great art galleries. So in that spirit, we've got a steamy, romantic book recommendation, and  a wonderful art exhibition at Fischbach Gallery in NYC. And we had a very fun interview yesterday with singer and entrepreneur Ellen Kaye (whose family owned the Russian Tea Room.) Listen in at your leisure.  Read on.

"If you like history and steamy romances" you'll like Brownstone & Ivory a charming book by Peter Stephen Benton," writes author Agata Stanford in her review of this new novel. Set in the late 1800's, Brownstone and Ivory tells the story of a New England town's division, both in terms of class distinction and financial viability, the struggle of the laborers in the brownstone quarry,  and the struggle of two young people from not only different parts of town, but from different social worlds.  This coming of age tale of self-discovery and ambition, circumstance and opportunity, takes the protagonist from the brownstone quarry of his divided New England town and away from his forbidden love, to New York City where he rises to his full potential both as a man and artist."  Read the full review. 

"Art is like turning corners". Artist and reviewer Bascove is back with a wonderful review of the selected works of MILTON AVERY: Curated by McWillie Chambers, now on exhibit at Fischbach Gallery in NYC.  Her posting today also includes a wonderful interview with artist McWillie Chambers who quotes Avery on what it means to be an artist, "Art is like turning corners. One never knows what is around the corner until one has made the turn."  Read the full review and interview.

Keep Your BlackBerry out of Bed. Tired of ending the day feeling like you didn't even come close to getting the right amount of work done? Jason Womack, author of  Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More offers up a few easy tips for creating the habits that will help you knock out your to-do list-so you can focus on your want-to-do list. ...read his simple steps to a more productive, more gratifying work day.

Cheers,

The Three Tomatoes

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