Todd Lohenry

On this day in 1977, Memorial Day weekend opens with an intergalactic bang as the first of George Lucas’ blockbuster Star Wars movies hits American theaters. The incredible success of Star Wars—it received seven Oscars, and earned $461 million in U.S. ticket sales and a gross of close to $800 million worldwide—began with an extensive, coordinated marketing push by Lucas and his studio, 20th Century Fox, months before the movie’s release date. “It wasn’t like a movie opening,” actress Carrie Fisher, who played rebel leader Princess Leia, later told Time magazine. “It was like an earthquake.” Beginning with—in Fisher’s words—“a new order of geeks, enthusiastic young people with sleeping bags,” the anticipation of a revolutionary movie-watching experience spread like wildfire, causing long lines in front of movie theaters across the country and around the world. With its groundbreaking special effects, Star Wars leaped off screens and immersed audiences in “a galaxy far, far away.” By now everyone knows the story, which followed the baby-faced Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) as he enlisted a team of allies—including hunky Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and the robots C3PO and R2D2—on his mission to rescue the kidnapped Princess Leia from an Evil Empire governed by Darth Vader. The film made all three of its lead actors overnight stars, turning Fisher into an object of adoration for millions of young male fans and launching Ford’s now-legendary career as an action-hero heartthrob.

With George Washington presiding, the Constitutional Convention formally convenes on this day in 1787. The convention faced a daunting task: the peaceful overthrow of the new American government as it had been defined by the Article of Confederation. The process began with the proposal of James Madison’s Virginia Plan. Madison had dedicated the winter of 1787 to the study of confederacies throughout history and arrived in Philadelphia with a wealth of knowledge and an idea for a new American government. Virginia’s governor, Edmund Randolph, presented Madison’s plan to the convention. It featured a bicameral legislature, with representation in both houses apportioned to states based upon population; this was seen immediately as giving more power to large states, like Virginia. The two houses would in turn elect the executive and the judiciary and would possess veto power over the state legislatures. Madison’s conception strongly resembled Britain’s parliament. It omitted any discussion of taxation or regulation of trade, however; these items had been set aside in favor of outlining a new form of government altogether. William Patterson soon countered with a plan more attractive to the new nation’s smaller states. It too bore the imprint of America’s British experience. Under the New Jersey Plan, as it became known, each state would have a single vote in Congress as it had been under the Articles of Confederation, to even out power between large and small states. But, the plan also gave Congress new powers: the collection of import duties and a stamp tax, the regulation of trade and the enforcement of requisitions upon the states with military force.

Tempesttours’s image http://fb.me/OU162pb7

Expectations and being ‘right’ http://fb.me/1B2e5PAqD

Sleep Better: Separate Covers for Blanket-Hog Partners #30DaysofGOOD http://bit.ly/KKtN6w

Chill… A Delay Is Not A Denial, OK? :o) http://bit.ly/JPvaEP

Should Your Workplace Ban Facebook? http://bit.ly/KKtKI3

Which nations consume the most water? http://bit.ly/JPvd3g

On the Road to Surrender http://bit.ly/JPv8wz

It happens for a reason… http://fb.me/1EYcoyHyt

♫ Various Artists – Bach: For Relaxation And Meditation http://spoti.fi/JPzbJi #Spotify

Channel Surfing http://bit.ly/KKtFnG

The Garden Provides More Than Food http://bit.ly/JPv14c

creativedreadhead: from my Language of Letting Go (by melody… http://bit.ly/Jxr2VZ

BBC http://bit.ly/LuecGJ

8 Ways to Feel Good at the End of the Work Day http://bit.ly/Lxpwp8

Meta Widget Turns Nearly Any Web Page Into a Widget on Android [Video] http://bit.ly/JwTUgW

The Instagram-ish Facebook Camera App http://bit.ly/JwTVBN

Quiet Your Mind and Just Play http://bit.ly/JXo69M

Put Your Pants On Without Your Underwear Bunching Up http://bit.ly/K2JjNM

Sitting her nest… http://bit.ly/JWJn3t

Sitting her nest… (Taken with instagram) http://bit.ly/Mx6miw

Number of people filing for 1st-time US unemployment benefits dips 2,000 to 370,000 in latest week, US says - @CNNMoney

Brooklyn Bridge opens — http://History.com This Day in History — 5/24/1883 http://fb.me/1srz3yWoK

Do every act of your life as if it were your last. Marcus Aurelius

It took me a long time to realize that when I hate somebody it doesn’t hurt them. Only me.

“Toil to make yourself remarkable by some talent or other. Seneca” http://bit.ly/KsEwEm

♫ Today Is Your Day http://spoti.fi/KQNhG4 #Spotify

You’re still the one http://bit.ly/JTczby

7 Food Blogs to Follow This Summer http://bit.ly/JWpis3

Tracking the trackers… http://bit.ly/KzQd8h

20 Ways to Create a Naturally Restorative Home and Garden http://bit.ly/LAQyif

Why Empathy Makes You More Helpful http://bit.ly/LAQuik

“Is discrimination obscured when the gates of marriage are opened?” http://bit.ly/KcW5qZ I have to think about this one…

Happiness Is About More Than Just Pleasure http://bit.ly/JnWoyc

GPS To A Quiet Mind: 6 Meditative Steps To Freedom http://huff.to/KcTTjc

45 Ways to Really Enjoy a Summer http://bit.ly/LAQkHP

Office Jobs: A Pain in the Back? http://bit.ly/JnWg1Q

whisper http://bit.ly/Kb2CCL

Best Friend Benefits | Psychology Today http://bit.ly/KcN9SF Not ‘friends with benefits’ — just best friend benefits! :-D

Why Birthdays Matter (And Why They Don’t) | Psychology Today http://bit.ly/KcN7Kz

What is the Origin of the Phrase “Caught Red Handed”? http://bit.ly/Kb2Cm5

Readlists http://bit.ly/JPCLUc

Lisa Earle McLeod: How to Get Things Done: Separate Your Work Modes http://huff.to/JPCKzR

Gretchen Rubin: What’s the Most Popular Resolution for Happiness? http://huff.to/Kb2uTy

Why You Should NEVER Take Yourself Off Anti-depressants http://bit.ly/JPCJfd

Love Yourself First! http://bit.ly/L4GFqv

Imagine http://bit.ly/KaZQx8

The 3 Most Important Questions To Ask Yourself http://bit.ly/JPAYyG

20 Quotes from Father Hunger http://bit.ly/KaZMxr

Love Yourself First http://bit.ly/JSnfoS

Are you a natural born closer? Take the Test. http://bit.ly/Kx3SwR

Are You Turned On? http://bit.ly/JnzpmQ

Is There a Problem with Facebook Advertising? - eMarketer http://twy.la/LAlCyG

EAA Video Offers Preview of AirVenture… http://184.172.138.95/~blogjeta/2012/05/21/eaa-video-offers-preview-of-airventure-2012-highlights/

The Docking Station Hosts FREE Event For Business Professionals to Get Started Using Social CRM | e1evation http://bit.ly/JRMqHW

♫ Coldplay http://spoti.fi/J2gI8E #Spotify

Remember… http://bit.ly/JlNx02

It’s a great day to be a ‘gomer… http://bit.ly/Kw1pF7

Just in case you missed this for 5/22/2012 http://bit.ly/MD9qMN

The state of social media 2012 http://bit.ly/L1hHby

Dear graduate http://bit.ly/KuOelJ

Art Break: The Skyscraper Artist http://bit.ly/L1aOXH

Is Nonviolent Communication Practical? http://bit.ly/L1aQii

Another Grave Health Risk Of Sleep Apnea? http://bit.ly/L1aF6E

Facebook roundup for 5/22/2012 http://sfy.co/zC8 #storify

Magnetic Hammer http://bit.ly/L1auIA

‘I Knew I Needed To Get Healthy For My Daughter’ http://bit.ly/L1as3m

Regret http://bit.ly/L1ao3x

Concrete Wallpaper http://bit.ly/L1apVi

A massive wagon train, made up of 1,000 settlers and 1,000 head of cattle, sets off down the Oregon Trail from Independence, Missouri. Known as the “Great Emigration,” the expedition came two years after the first modest party of settlers made the long, overland journey to Oregon. After leaving Independence, the giant wagon train followed the Sante Fe Trail for some 40 miles and then turned northwest to the Platte River, which it followed along its northern route to Fort Laramie, Wyoming. From there, it traveled on to the Rocky Mountains, which it passed through by way of the broad, level South Pass that led to the basin of the Colorado River. The travelers then went southwest to Fort Bridger, northwest across a divide to Fort Hall on the Snake River, and on to Fort Boise, where they gained supplies for the difficult journey over the Blue Mountains and into Oregon. The Great Emigration finally arrived in October, completing the 2,000-mile journey from Independence in five months. In the next year, four more wagon trains made the journey, and in 1845 the number of emigrants who used the Oregon Trail exceeded 3,000. Travel along the trail gradually declined with the advent of the railroads, and the route was finally abandoned in the 1870s.

The current season of Springtime and it varied holidays that have themes of new beginnings, new life, freedom from old bondages and the potential for resurected aspirations provide the external prompts for each of us to self-reflect and re-work our life plans.

I’ve always found it easy to start my day healthy. Greek yogurt and fresh fruit are incredibly satisfying at 8 a.m., punctuated by a carefully crafted cup of black coffee that revs my brain. But by 8 p.m., everything changes. I’m a ravenous satyr, craving the flesh of fatty charred meats and the comforting toasty bite of calorie-laden IPAs. Melted cheese has a particular flare that would nauseate my 8-a.m. self, and the same could be said about anything fried or coated in buffalo sauce.

Your working habits before a deadline? http://bit.ly/L0XUJk

Top 10 Yoga Blogs of the Week. http://bit.ly/L18vnF @jackiedumaine

Why It’s Easier Than You Think http://bit.ly/L0XUch

Ad-libbed………………………… http://bit.ly/L0XG4R

ParadoxicalProductivity: Number 10 http://bit.ly/L0XEtR

Daily Wisdom http://bit.ly/L0XBOL

Get In Shape Fast With This 20 Minute Workout http://bit.ly/KFLROK

The Optimism Bias – Are Optimists In Danger? http://bit.ly/KFLRhE

On ‘counting’ http://bit.ly/Khoaym