The Bombay Club -- A British Oasis in a Francophile World

Tucked away in the Prince Conti Hotel in the heart of the French Quarter you will find a wonderful little restaurant and bar called The Bombay Club.  Dark-wood paneling and luxurious leather fill the room.  Pictures of Churchill and other British iconography abound.  The feel of an old world British Colonial outpost permeates the atmosphere.  The ambiance is punctuated by the lofty sounds of a piano singer playing classic Americana. 

So if you find yourself in need of being wrapped in civilization after over exposure to the French and Spanish cultural history of the Quarter, step into The Bombay Club for a little refresher on civilization.

Write Down Your Thoughts

Half of our thoughts in life are fleeting.  We have a good thought and it is forgotten.  Stop forgetting your good thoughts and get in the habit of writing them  I recommend a Rhodia pad No. 11, 2.9" x 4.1".  It fits nicely in your pocket and is always handy.  You'll also need a cover to go with it to hold a pen. Available at http://www.rhodiapads.com/ I also use a Zepbra Telescoping pen available at Office Depot.

SUNDAY: FOR CHURCH AND RELAXATION

First things First:

Then this:

The Return of the Gentleman

I was reading about the efforts of a growing group of women on college campuses called the Network of Enlightened Women.  enlightenedwomen.org This group has raised the troubling prospect that gentlemen may be an endangered species on college campuses.  To encourage men to be gentlemen they have started the Gentlemen's Showcase on campuses around the country.  The group takes nominations of students who have shown gentlemanly qualities and honor them with a competition and recognition for their efforts of etiquette, politeness, respectfulness and chivalry.  So hats off to the ladies of the Network of Enlightened Women.

I found the below video on You Tube. While it is not associated with the enlightened ladies in anyway, I thought that it captured gentlemanly virtues in a motivational way.  Enjoy!

LABOR DAY

It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things.   -- Theodore Roosevelt

To work is to do. Theodore Roosevelt referred to the group of people who got up daily and worked as the "Fellowship of the Doers." As he stated he had a "great admiration for men who were fearless and could hold their own in the world." He had a great desire to be like them. Dietrich Bonhoeffer likewise saw Christianity as a the call to to be in action, to be a "doer," and not just a person who embraced the notion of Christ as the Son of God as a mere idea which had no effect on our lives. As Bonhoeffer saw it we were to be transformed into action by our faith. 

But what is it that stops us from going out and doing the work. Too often it is the fear of doing, the fear of the critics who will judge our work, and may ultimately judge us as a failure. We must be aware though that it is not the critics who create the world, it is those who see the work and get it done. So on this Labor day weekend 2011, look around in your world, see the work to be done, pick up your jack hammer, and join the "fellowship of the doers." Best to you in all of your endeavors.