Amid a plethora of lists detailing essentials and must-haves, it can be relaxing to entertain a rather frivolous thought experiment: what don’t I need? The following items are not necessary or essential; though most can be considered useful, by and large they lean toward what one might call luxuries. But sometimes it’s the little comfortable …
Author: marieattheintentionalordinary
“The Slipper and The Rose”—Symmetry in Storytelling
Though initially something of a mystery, the title of the Sherman Brothers’ 1976 musical adaptation of "Cinderella" is the primary clue to its value. "The Slipper and the Rose" proposes a symmetry, a duality of attention, in how it treats the main leads and their situations. And it is in these complementary and crossing paths …
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Vintage New Year’s Eve Movies
After the Thin Man, 1936 Set immediately after the Christmastime events of “The Thin Man,” “After the Thin Man” finds Nick (William Powell) and Nora (Myrna Loy) speeding to San Francisco to spend the New Year’s holiday with her family. Between Aunt Katherine’s teetotaling reprimands to Nick, and Cousin Selma’s missing husband, “After the Thin …
MBTI Functions as Fictional Genres
It may well be that certain personality types gravitate toward particular genres of fiction; at the very least, it can be said that some genres embody many of the unique attributes of personality articulated in the functions of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). In this system, each personality type has a dominant preference for either …
Life Lessons from Three Classic TV Westerns
1. "Bat Masterson" | Enjoy being who you are. Masterson, while trapped in a mine: “Well, William Barclay, looks like you’re going to die in the company you love best.” Whether it’s the ever-present half-smile or the satisfied twirling of his infamous cane, Bat Masterson, played by the ever-charming Gene Barry, clearly enjoys who he …
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Review of Gigi (1958)
Gigi, Vincente Minellie's 1958 frolic, uses the color of 1890's Paris and the music of Lerner and Loewe to build to a profound illustration of the equality of love in marriage. High society of that time, and the concept of mistresses for the elite, or courtesans, is treated with veiled humor, particularly in the character …
Booklist Recommendations: Seasonal Reads
There are books where the gradual sequence of seasons is almost a character in itself, a cog of the story turning it forward to new plots and eventual resolutions. The following recommendations all share this facet, but each from a different area and era, making them as unique as they are beautiful. Whether it’s Alaska …
Is Mr. Darcy an ISTJ or an INTJ?
Fitzwilliam Darcy, one of Jane Austen’s most recognizable characters, draws a curious mix of certainty and doubt when it comes to assigning him one of the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) personalities. It’s easy enough to recognize the marked introversion, blunt logic, and preference for order, resulting in introversion, thinking, and judging letters. But, as is …
Tips for Decluttering & Saving Money
Something about the newness of the calendar year begs for a similar freshness in our surroundings, so while it may be too early for a good old-fashioned spring cleaning, a little dedicated decluttering will make that task easier when it comes. There are just about as many ways to declutter as there are ways to …
Five Sensory Ways to Live Intentionally
To live at the speed of being human means to engage the senses. How many times does a day, a week, a year fly by, seemingly remembered as only a continuous blur of digital files, boring snacks, and binged shows. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with any one of those things—in fact, they …
The Intentional Ordinary 