I love lists. Gatsby had one dated September 12, 1906 written on the fly leaf of a ragged copy of Hopalong Cassidy. His read:

Rise from bed……………………………………………… 6.00 A.M.
Dumbell exercise and wall-scaling…………………….. 6.15-6.30 ”
Study electricity, etc……………………………………… 7.15-8.15 ”
Work………………………………………………………… 8.30-4.30 P.M.
Baseball and sports……………………………………….. 4.30-5.00 ”
Practice elocution, poise and how to attain it…………. 5.00-6.00 ”
Study needed inventions…………………………………. 7.00-9.00 ”

No wasting time at Shafters or [a name, indecipherable]
No smoking or chewing
Bath every other day
Read one improving book or magazine per week
Save $5.00 [crossed out] $3.00 per week
Be better to parents

Here’s a rather more useful one that I ran across in my recent reading.

“To Be a Gentleman - A Real and True Gentleman — A Man Should Be:

1. Of outstanding character.

2. Never late.

3. Always discreet.

4. Never arrogant.

5. Of impeccable manners.

6. Well spoken.

7. Immaculately dressed at all times.

8. Possessed of good social skills.

9. Possessed of genuine concern for others.

10. Forthright enough never to make excuses.”

(From the book: “How to Live Like a Gentleman: Lessons in Life, Manners and Style” by Sam Martin, The Lyons Press 2008. Excerpt used without permission, and will be removed at the request of author or publisher.)

Although Gatsby’s may be the more poignant of the two, both show the importance of vigilance in your quest for an everyday elegance. It is what a whole industry calls “goal-setting.”

Far too often we are sidetracked in our efforts; modern day life almost demands it, we are continuously assaulted with demands and information.

Which is why you should take a few minutes a day to reflect, revise and imagine.

One small change (”I will buy nothing new until I clean out my closet and then only that which is perfectly suited to me.” “I will set the table for dinner every weeknight for two weeks.” “I will exercise for 20 minutes a day, regardless.” Etc.), pursued relentlessly for several weeks can and will make a difference.

Thus endeth the Pollyanna pep talk.

How will you reinvent yourself? With what good habit will you reacquaint yourself? What do you resolve to do and what will be your first step?

(Via Stylecourt, hope that’s OK?)

I’ve given up and rented “A Dance to the Music of Time” on DVD. Somehow I’ve not been able to make the time to read all 12 novels and I’ve had the books (condensed into four volumes) for a number of years now. I am slowly working my way through “Them.” The stack of unread books in my library and on my bedside table is threatening to darken both rooms as they loom ever larger.

And yet, I buy more. Books are an addiction started early for this only child. There is simply no substitute that I find adequate in which I can lose myself. But with a 10 PM lights out policy (I need eight hours of sleep; although that is an ever-shifting target), there just isn’t enough time alone to make a dent.

So, I’m just curious. I’ll live vicariously.

1. When do you read? Do you read before bed? In the afternoon? Commuting by rail? At airports?

2. What genre do you read and what are you reading now?

3. Who is your favourite author?

(available through Amazon.com.)

There are those who take trips and those who travel. Jaqueline and Lee Bouvier were a trip when they traveled. One crazy summer abroad is chronicled by the (then) girls in a book handwritten (by Lee) and illustrated (by Jackie) to present to their parents as a thank you upon their return from a different world.

And what a different world it was in 1951 when the twenty-two year old Jackie and her eighteen year old sister took their first trip to Europe together.

From the dust jacket of the Rizzoli edition which would make a perfect hostess gift:

Join Jackie and Lee for a tantalizing glimpse of a lost world: crossing the Atlantic by ocean liner, visits with counts and ambassadors in Paris, art lessons in Venice, and white gloves in the afternoons. Smile at the social agonies all young women suffer in common — how to politely consume an oversized hors d’oeuvre, the horror of slipping undergarments, and the art of fending off unwanted romantic advances.

“One Special Summer” is summer fun, gift-wrapped for us by two sisters who would become very famous indeed.

P.S. speaking of hostess gifts, LucyInStLou has a fantastic post about the best wines to bring along to the party. Read it here.