Title: The Rosie Project Author: Graeme Simsion

Don Tillman has a brilliant scientific mind, but social situations confound him.  He's never had a second date.  And so, in the evidence-based manner in which he approaches all things, he embarks upon the Wife Project: a sixteen-page questionnaire to find the perfect partner.  Then in walks Rosie Jarman.

Rosie is on a quest of her own.  She's looking for her biological father, a search that a certain genetics expert just might be able to help her with.  Soon Don puts the Wife Project on the back burner in order to help Rosie pursue the Father Project.  As an unlikely relationship blooms, Don is about to realize that, despite the best scientific efforts, you don't find love: love finds you.

Our main character, Don Tillman, is a highly organized and intensely practical man, who is “thirty-nine years old, tall, fit and intelligent, with a relatively high status and above-average income as an associate professor,” who is having a hard time finding a wife due to his immediately apparent lack of social skills. His days are planned out to the minute and he likes things a particular way. We find out he has two friends, another professor, Gene, and his wife Claudia. Gene and Claudia have been trying to help Don with his mission to find a wife. To his dismay, “their approach was based on the traditional dating paradigm, which [Don] had previously abandoned on the basis that the probability of success did not justify the effort and negative experiences... [He] never found it easy to make friends and it seems that the deficiencies that caused this problem have also affected [his] attempts at a romantic relationship.”

One night Don is obliged to replace Gene as a guest lecturer. The topic, Genetic Precursors to Autism Spectrum Disorders. The talk goes well, at least according to Don's observations, which are more than less conventional than the observations from other, less socially awkward individuals. Don decides the whole event is a success as one point sparks an idea so remarkable that he insist on clearing his schedule to develop it.

He has long assumed that he will one day find a wife, but his incredible lack of social manners has thus far made this feat impossible. Since dating doesn't work for him he must find a suitable alternative.

A questionnaire!

He is excited to talk to his friends about his new project. He receives excellent feedback.

'[It] was exactly the sort of input [he] was looking for. Subtle nuances of language that [he] is not conscious of.'

They suggest he test his questionnaire 'in the field' in addition to posting it online.

'[Don] returned to the dating process that [he] though [he'd] abandoned forever. On Claudia's advice, [he] had memorized the questionnaire to incorporate [the questions] subtly into conversation,' instead of bringing the entire questionnaire on the date. The only problem is his lack of subtly. Still, with her advice he manages to put his inquiry to good use and deducts through some strategically offered questions that one, 'very nice,' lady is simply not someone with whom to have a 2^nd or 3^rd date.

It's not very long before women start submitting the questionnaire. Gene inquires as to how many and is shocked and impressed at the volume. 'The actual total was greater than [Don] had told him, as [he] had not included the paper questionnaires. 304.'

Gene insists on choosing some of the women for Don to ask for dinner. Don argues that none of the women are suitable.

'“You don't think you're setting the bar just a tiny bit high?” his friend asks.'

'[Don] pointed out that [he] was collecting data to support life's most critical decision. Compromise would be totally inappropriate.'

Assuming Gene has sent her on account of the Project, Don asks a women to dinner. Her name is Rosie. Surprised at his offer she nonetheless accepts and names a venue. As usual, he arrives on time and finds himself socially incompetent in a bad situation before she's even made an appearance. Luckily, she is adept in handling the situation and they are allowed to leave without the proposed action of calling the police.

Since the dinner plans were ruined Don has no choice but to ask her back to his house for a meal (since eating at home would've been the next scheduled task.)

Back at Don's house Rosie can see how scheduled his organization really is. She takes the liberty to examine and go through his personal belongings. She is amazed at the extent of his meticulous scheduling system. Instead of being intimidated by it she offers him ways to work around the delays. Originally annoyed by her intrusion he begins to welcome her help going so far as abandoning all previously scheduled rules for that Tuesday evening and on top of that even making it seem like a joke.

Even with her variations to his schedule Don see's many flaws with her compared to his questionnaire. At the end of the meal he is almost relieved that he'll never see her again. She caused too much of a disturbance as it was.

In spite of his insistence to never see her again he decides that knowing her may add a benchmark to his Wife Project and since the project has found no matches to date he thinks he could spend more time with her. He also realizes that his expertise in genetics could be beneficial to her quest to find her biological father. He accompanies her to collect a DNA sample from her most likely prospect and takes her back to the lab to test it that same evening. When the results come back negative Rosie is disappointed and insist on going for a drink. Drinks turn into dinner and Don finds that although his Saturday schedule has changed he is surprised to find himself having a good time.

This causes him to want to help her further. There are two more men who might be her father. However, finding a DNA sample proved much harder than Don anticipated due to his lack of social skills. The duo is forced to three counts of petty theft to gain a sufficient DNA sample from each of the two men. Don is shocked at his actions and can't believe what he is going to help this girl.

As he continues the Father Project with her he is beginning to understand certain truths about human interaction, satisfaction and the comfortable companionship he clearly lacks. When the next two DNA samples prove negative he tries to convince Rosie to keep trying, all the while wondering why he cares so much.

Unwilling to leave a problem so unfinished Don is compelled into researching the other potential candidates for the Father Project. He has the fortune of good luck when he discovers a picture and the names of the attendee's at the party the night Rosie's mother got pregnant. His luck continues when he sees a 30 year reunion scheduled in the next three weeks. He convinces Rosie to get a job as a bartender at the reunion so they can easily continue to collect DNA.

Rosie gives Don 'The Complete Bartender's Guide' and tells him to memorize it for the event. He spends hours doing so only to find that his bar-tending knowledge far surpasses the other staff at the event. Not only does he have a complete list of cocktails in his head, but the recipes to accompany them as well as room to remember every drink ordered in the entire room. He becomes a huge success even as Rosie is flustered by it all. Yet they continue as planned and collect all of the necessary DNA samples. Don gets to work on analyzing the data with no success in finding a match.

One night, over pizza, Don makes the mistake of asking Rosie about the Wife Project to which she knows nothing about. She reveals to Don that she is a student in Gene's class. She had originally come to Don to settle a bet. This compels Don to explain his motivations with the Wife Project leaving both parties under the realization that they had met and gone for dinner under false pretenses and miscommunication. Rosie is unimpressed, even angry at Don for the whole charade and demands to know whey he continued helping her. Without a good explanation Don says nothing. Frustrated and angry Rosie storms out to return the next day with an apology right before Don mentions one, perfectly suitable, candidate of the Wife Project, which Rosie is still annoyed about.

Not fluent in social interactions Don goes ahead and asks this new candidate, Bianca, to the upcoming faculty ball. She says, 'yes.' Gene advises Don to ask Rosie to the ball instead saying she's already going alone.

'“Rosie and I discussed the question of a relationship explicitly. Neither of us is interested.” Don explains.

“Since when do women discuss anything explicitly?” Gene asks.'

Regardless of his friends advice Don meets Bianca at the ball under the guise that he can dance. He finds himself siting near the dance floor at a table with Bianca, Gene, a few other members of the University and Rosie. It does not escape Don that she is absolutely stunning. Before he knows it he is alone with Bianca on the dance floor. He proceeds to embarrass and then alienate his perfect candidate. She abandons Don there on the spot with Rosie, trying to help the awkward situation. She succeeds and they proceed to have an amazing evening, without Bianca.

Later, Don and Rosie share a cab, but before Don can get home Rosie asks him upstairs to her house.

'[He] needed to make sure [he] wasn't misinterpreting her.

'“Are you suggesting I stay the night?”'

Even with clarification Don's complete lack of social understanding ruins the moment and he continues home alone.

The next work day Don finds Rosie with her friends at the University during study hall. He tries to reconcile the situation but only manages to thoroughly embarrass her. He leaves vowing to contact her later only to find she is avoiding his calls.

'“These things happen,” said Claudia. “You get involved with a woman, it doesn't work out...”

So that was it. [Don] has, in [his] own way, become 'involved' with Rosie.'

He thinks that maybe she will be friends with him again if he continues the Father Project and follows it through to a successful conclusion. Why only nine more samples to go Don manages to collect seven of those samples even if it means picking used tissue from the trash.

With the samples all coming out negative Don feels he has no choice but to fly to New York to collect the samples from the remaining two candidates. He somehow convinces Rosie to go with him. Shortly after they arrive they successfully meet the first candidate and his wife. leaving them with a few days to explore New York.

Rosie demands the first two days be under her schedule with the last two days for his. She takes him for breakfast, they see a play and enjoy a traditional Japanese meal. She takes him to a baseball game and back to a sports bar for drinks after. Don finds himself enjoying their time immensely. They spend his two days at the Museum of Natural History where Don does his best to give Rosie the 'guided tour' as was suggested by Claudia. They also manage to collect the remaining DNA sample and soon find themselves ready to go home.

Once back at the University Don prepares to analyze the last two samples when he finds out what Rosie is planning on doing with the information.

'“You're planning to expose him?” [Don] asked horrified.'

He refuses to continue if it means bringing someone pain. Rosie is infuriated and again storms out and proceeds to ignore his calls. In the days after her departure Gene points out that Don might be in love, which would explain the sadness that had fallen over him since Rosie had left. He asks Claudia for help with social skills as a way to impress and win Rosie back. Claudia helps him and he learns many new skills that he is eager to try out. He also gets a haircut and buys new clothes in an effort to look more like someone Rosie would want him to look like. He does many things to try to impress her and win her back all to seemingly disastrous effect. In the end though, this story is simply stunning in it's straight-forward depiction of a man, like Don Tillman, in love. You'll be astounded at how awkward, yet perfectly sensible Don is towards everything but will have you wishing for his 'happily-ever-after' in spite of his being weird and wired wrong. 

Click here to order 'The Rosie Project' from Amazon.com 

Title: The Secret Author: Rhonda Byrne

It has been passed down through the ages, highly coveted, hidden, lost, stolen and bought for vast sums of money. This centuries-old Secret has been understood by some of the most prominent people in history: Plato, Galileo, Beethoven, Edison, Carnegie, Einstein – along with other inventors, theologians, scientists, and great thinkers. Now The Secret is being revealed to the world.

This book poses the question, 'what do you want?' or more correctly, 'why aren't you living out what you want?'

Bob Proctor, “The Secret gives you anything you want: happiness health and wealth. The Secret is the law of attraction.”

Which is the most powerful law in the Universe.

'The law responds to your thoughts, no matter what they may be... unfathomable magnetic power is emitted through your thoughts.'

Bob Proctor, “If you see it in your mind, you're going to hold it in your hand.”

Mike Dooley, “Thoughts become things.”

Think of it like a TV. You might not understand exactly how it works, but you know that each channel has it's own images and stories. You have the power to change the channel. The images and stories you see are what make up your life. You have the power to change your thoughts, which is the power to change the channel. Every thought attracts more thoughts like it. What channel are you tuned in to? What thoughts do you have in your head?

John Assaraf, “Here's the problem, most people are thinking about what they don't want, and they're wondering why it shows up over and over again.”

'What you think about most is what will appear in your life. Your life is a mirror of the dominant thoughts you think.'

Michael Bernard Beckwith, “... it has been scientifically proven that an affirmative thought is hundreds of times more powerful than a negative thought.”

'However, if you persist in thinking negative thoughts over a period of time, they will appear in your life.'

Dr. Joe Vitale, “You want to become aware of your thoughts and choose your thoughts carefully...”

'To become aware of your thoughts, you can set the intention, “I am the master of my thoughts.” Say it often... and as you hold to that intention, by the law of attraction you must become that.'

Dr. J. Vitale, “Everything that surrounds you right now in your life, including the things you're complaining about, you've attracted... This is one of the hardest concepts to get, but once you've accepted it life transforms.”

'You have a choice, and whatever you chose to think about will become your life experience.'

Bob Doyle, “Most of us attract by default... our thoughts and feelings are on autopilot, and so everything is brought to us by default.”

Marci Shimoff, “It's impossible to monitor every thought we have... our feelings let us know what we're thinking.”

'It's impossible to feel bad and at the same time be having good thoughts. If you don't make any effort to change your thoughts you are in effect saying, “Bring me more circumstances that will make me feel bad.”

Jack Canfield, “our feelings are a feedback mechanism to us about whether we're on track [to our desires] or not...”

'When you're feeling bad it's communication from the Universe saying, “Warning! Change thinking now. Negative frequency recording. Change frequency (thoughts). Counting down to [negative] manifestation.” In that moment you are blocking your own good from coming to you because of the negative frequency of your thoughts. Change your thoughts and think about something good, and when good feelings start to come you will know it was because you shifted yourself on to a new frequency, and the Universe has confirmed it with better feelings.'

Bob Doyle, “If you start out having a good day and you're in that particular happy feeling, as long as you don't allow something to change your mood, you're going to continue to attract, by the law of attraction, more situations and people that sustain that happy feeling.”

Michael B. Beckwith, “It means that whatever thought has done in your life, it can be undone through a shift in your awareness.”

Dr. J. Vitale, “... the more you can feel good, the more you will attract the things that help you feel good.”

Marci Shimoff, “Once you begin to understand and try to master your thoughts and feelings, that's when you see how you create your own reality. That’s where your freedoms is, that's where all your power is.”

B. Proctor, “Life can be absolutely phenomenal, and it should be, and it will be, when you start using The Secret.”

'Up until now you may have been thinking that life is hard... and you have experienced life as hard... Begin right now to shout to the Universe, “Life is so easy! Life is so good! All good things come to me!”

Step One, Ask.

Dr. J. Vitale, “It's life having the Universe as your catalogue. You flip through it and say, “I'd like to have this experience and I'd like to have that product, and I'd like to have a person like that.” It's you placing an order with the Universe.”

B. Proctor, “Begin [every thought] with, 'I am so happy and grateful now that I have …..'”

Step Two, Believe.

Lisa Nichols, “Believe that it's already yours... act, speak and think as though you are receiving it now.”

Focusing on your lack of having it only brings more lack of having it. That is why you need to think like you already have it, to make it manifest in your life.

Dr. J. Vitale, “The Universe will start to rearrange itself to make it happen. You don't need to know how it's going to come about....”

Just believe and feel like it's already happened. Cling to the contentedness you'd feel if all your dreams were really happening in your life.

'When you are trying to work out how it will happen you are emitting a frequency that contains a lack of faith.'

B. Proctor, “You will attract the way.”

Step Three, Receive

Lisa Nichols, “The final stop in the process is to receive. Begin to feel wonderful about it. Feel the way you will feel once it arrives. Feel it now.”

Feel it to achieve it. Allow yourself to feel how good it would be to receive your desires.

'When you feel as though you have it now, and the feeling is so real that it is like you have it already, you are believing that you have received it, and you will receive. Imagine life as a fast-moving river. When you are active to make something happen it will feel as if you are going against the current of the river. It will feel hard and like a struggle. When you are acting to receive from the Universe, you will feel as if you are flowing with the current of the river. It will feel effortless. That is the feeling of inspired action, and of being in the flow of the Universe and life.'

Dr. J. Vitale, “The Universe likes speed. Don't delay. Don't second guess. Don't doubt. When the opportunity is there, when the intuitive nudge from within is there, when the intuitive nudge from within is there, act. That is your job and that's all you have to do.”

'Trust your instincts... Remember, you are a magnet...'

Michael B. Beckwith, “You can start with nothing and out of nothing and out of no way, a way will be made.”

How long does it take?

Dr. J. Vitale, “It's... a matter of you being in alignment with the Universe.”

Are you aligned with the things that you want? Check your thoughts; your feelings will let you know.

You might argue that some are luckier than others. Those people simply expect to attract luck, and it works. They often receive good and lucky situations or things to prove that they are lucky, when really it was the belief that they were lucky in the first place that caused them to be lucky.

B. Proctor, “Desire connects you with the things desired and expectation draws it into your life.”

'Expect the things you want.'

Buddha, “All that we are is a result of what we have thought.”

Marci Shimoff, “Gratitude is absolutely the way to bring more into your life.”

'Whether it is jealousy, resentment, dissatisfaction, or feelings of, 'not enough,' those feeling cannot bring you what you want. They can only return to you more of what you do not want. Make it a habit to feel the feelings of gratitude in abundance, for the great day ahead as though it is done.'

Jack Canfield, “Our job is not to figure our the 'how.' The 'how' will show up our of a commitment and belief in the 'what.'”

Dr. J. Vitale, “What's really important to the whole Secret is feeling good... You want to be high, happy, in line, as much as possible.”

Marci Shimoff, “The only difference between people who live [The Secret] and those who don't is that [those who do] made a habit of using [The Secret] all the time.”

'The shortcut to anything you want in your life is to BE and FEEL happy now!'

Lord Langemeier, “I grew up on 'You'll have to work hard for money.' So I replaced that with, 'Money comes easily and frequently.'”

'Any action we take must be preceded by a thought. Thoughts create the words we speak, the feelings we feel, and our actions. Actions are particularly powerful, because they are thoughts that caused us to act.'

'Unless you fill yourself up first, you have nothing to give anybody. Attend to your joy first. When you tend to your own joy and do what makes you feel good, you are a joy to be around... and you will attract more joy. The reason you have to love you is because it's impossible to feel good if you don't love you. When you don't feel good about your, you are on a frequency that is attracting more people, situations, and circumstances that will continue to make you feel bad about you. All you have to do is begin with one prolonged thought of something good about you, and the law of attraction will respond by giving you more like thoughts.'

'All stress begins with one negative thought. The effect is stress. No matter what you might have manifested, you can change it... with one, small, positive thought and then another. When we think negative thoughts we are cutting ourselves off from our rightful [abundance.] No matter what you have manifested you can change it. Start being happy. You have [to keep] your finger on the 'feeling happy' button. Press it, firmly, no matter what is happening around you.'

Lisa Nichols, “In our society [we fight] against things. Fight against cancer... poverty... war... drugs.. terrorism... violence. We fight everything we don't want, which actually creates more of a fight.”

'Don't try to change the outside pictures. You have to emit a new signal with your thoughts and feelings to create new pictures. Everything in this world began with one thought. The bigger things get bigger because more people give their thoughts to it. If we took our minds off it and focused instead on love, it could not exist. Focus on everybody being in joy. Focus on an abundance of food. Give your powerful thoughts to what is wanted. You have the ability to give so much to the world by emitting feelings of love and well-being.'

Michael B. Beckwith, “Energy flows where attention goes.”

Lisa Nichols, “It's not your job to change the world, or the people around you. It's your job to go with the flow inside the Universe and to celebrate it inside that world that exists.”

'Your ability to think is unlimited, and so the things you can think into existence are unlimited. But you cannot create other people's lives for them. You cannot think for them. So let all others create the life they want.'

Robert Collier, “If you have any lack, if you are prey to poverty or disease, it is because you do not believe or you do not understand the power that is yours.”

Praise and bless everything that is good and beautiful. 'When you are praising or blessing you are on the highest frequency of love. The dictionary defines blessing as, “invoking divine favour and conferring well-being or prosperity.” So begin right now to invoke the power of blessing in your life, and bless everything and everyone. Likewise with praising, for when you are praising someone or something you are giving it love and as you emit that magnificent frequency, it will return to you a hundred-fold. Praising and blessing dissolves all negativity, so praise and bless your enemies. If you curse your enemies, the curse will come back to harm you.'

'Being energy, you also vibrate at a frequency and what determines your frequency is whatever you are thinking and feeling. All things you want are made of energy and when you think about what you want, and emit that frequency, you cause the energy of what you want and bring it to you. All you have to do is hold your mind on the end result and you will call it into being. As you ask and feel and believe you will receive. When you emit the perfect frequency of what you want the perfect people, circumstances and events will be attracted to you.'

All power is from within and therefore under our control.

Jack Canfield, “The real question is, 'what are you going to do now?' What do you chose now? When people start focusing on what they want what they don't want falls away, and what they want expands, and the other part disappears.”

Dr. Fred Alan Wolf, “Every single 'I'm not,' is a creation.”

'Knowing this, would it be a good idea to begin to use the most powerful words, I AM, to your advantage? How about, “I AM receiving good things. I AM happy. I AM abundant. I AM healthy. I AM love. I AM Always on time. I AM eternal youth. I AM filled with energy every single day.”'

Affirmation: I am whole, perfect, strong, powerful, loving, harmonious and happy.

'When you are aware, you are in the present and you know what you are thinking. You have gained control of your thoughts, and that is where all your power is. All of your power is in your awareness of your power.'

Charles Haanel, “The real secret of power is consciousness of power.”

'The truth is that they Universe has been answering you all of your life, but you cannot receive the answers unless you are aware. Take a moment and sit still. Focus on feeling the life presence inside of you.'

Charles Haanel, “[that presence]... the 'I' is perfect and complete; [it] is spiritual and can therefore never be less than perfect. It can never have any lack, limitation or disease.”

Start attracting the things that you want today.

'Erase everything from the past that does not serve you. Do the things that you love and that bring you joy.'

Dr. John Hagelin, “So inner happiness actually is the fuel of success.”

The knowledge of The Secret is being given to you and what you do with it is entirely in your hands.

Morris Goodman, “And then you can do and have and be things that people once said that's impossible for you to do and have and be.”

'The only thing you need to do is feel good now.'

And go buy the book because there are more tricks, tips and tidbits than I could ever incorporate in this blog.

***Please note, single quotations, 'quote,' are meant to signify the authors voice where double quotations, “quote,” are to signify a direct quote from the corresponding speaker in the book.

This does not apply for quotations within quotations in which the reverse will be applied.

Ex. Speaker, “I read this great book once, 'The Secret.' t was powerful. It moved me.”