Who I Am And What I Do | Prosperity66's About Me Page

I'm uncrossing my fingers to start typing this about me page. Well, where should I start? My home country...

So, my home country is Belgium; a country which capital city is also the European capital. Although I have origins in France and the Netherlands, I was born and raised in Brussels and, although most of my family speaks Dutch, I'm a French speaker by choice.

Regarding my career, let's say that I'm a secretary and also an accountant.

My personal motto isn't personal at all - even while I don't like to make someone else's motto mine. Therefore, I'd say that I'm "Free as a bird" like John Lennon's tune claims. However, I mostly never rely on celebrity to base my life, lifestyle neither my views about the world. I only base my views on personal experience and... logic.

As much as possible, I keep my private life secret, it's someting I love to protect. So, regarding this, I'd just say that I've a wonderful child who I raised alone as his father remained a child himself for many years.

Although I loved my home town very much, I left it ten years ago. Brussels was, in my opinion, not made for being the European capital. It's a small town, it was lovely, it became horrible, noisy, crappy, and whenever I go to the town once or twice a year, I don't recognize the districts I grew up. This is not my home town any more. I now live in the countryside and enjoy each and every day I spend on there. I wake up to the sound of the birds, I smell the delightful perfume of nature... I'm just happy here.

I'm not ecologist but I've never liked cars, airplanes, manufactures and other stuff that pollutes the environment. However, living in the countryside has its advantages and disadvantages. My biggest problem was that the area where I live lacks of public transportation and, therefore, I had to pass my driving license and buy a car in order to keep going to my work.

Because I'm a dreamer, I'd like to do many things in life and have a bucket list long as one day without bread nor water. My biggest dream would have been to live in New Zealand. Why on the other side of the planet? I don't know, I just know that New Zealand is an attractive country with a very low crime rate; which is something that's most important to me.

My American friends often told me I am different from my other fellows as my American dream relates to Phoenix, Amarillo, Brusselstown and other small or not so known places rather than New York, Frisco and Los Angeles.

My biggest passion in life is History and more particularly history of France; which I study and re-study for more than 30 years. I've read tons of books, biographies, memoirs, facts, etc. related to the kingdom of France and have never been able to focus on a particular period neither particular facts; therefore, my "area of expertise" covers more than 10 centuries (between 450 and 1750).

France influenced many other countries whether through royal alliances or conquests. This allowed me to learn a bit of other countries' history such as England, Scotland, America, etc. I know that history might look like a boring hobby, however, I'm one of those that thinks history is an art and not a science, therefore, when I speak about historical facts, I always try to make them entertaining instead of just putting fact after fact on a sheet of paper.

Don't think that I only read books that you would find boring. I enjoy reading entertaining books such as Agatha Christie, Martha Grimes, Stephen King and Joseph Conolly (i.e. his wonderful book called "Summer Things") novels.

My other hobbies are gardening - I eat my own courgettes (zucchini), beans and pumpkins and enjoy hosting a barbecue party to which I invite my friends in my flower garden. I also enjoy managing my sites and blogs.

French movies are my favorite movies ever. Although I won't be running to the cinema each time a new movie is released, I appreciate a high quality film. Sadly, I noticed that nowadays quality French and American movies are very rare and I'd say that only 1% of newly released movies attract me; no matter their origin. However, I enjoy watching a good old fashioned French movie as well as a well done old American film!

As said above, French movies are my all time favorites. More particularly French comedies starring actors such as Louis de Funes, Fernandel, Bourvil and Jean Marais but I also like many American movies made between the 1950s and the 1970s. Here are some of those I consider top French and American movies and that I like to watch over and over again:

• "The gendarme from Saint-Tropez" series (6 films) and all movies starring Louis de Funes
• Bourvil's "Le Trou Normand" and "Le Passe-Muraille"
• Fernandel's films
• All the President's Men (Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman)
• Gone with the Wind (Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Olivia de Havilland)
• Grease (Newton-John and Travolta)
• Saturday Night Fever (Travolta)
• Fame (from David De Silva)
• West Side Story (Nathalie Wood)

I watch television each and every day. Like anyone else, I enjoy a well prepared (cooked?) TV show and/or TV series! Since I'm fond of history and culture in general, I'd say that my favorite TV programs are tied to history and culture.

If I love to watch a good TV document about historical architecture or facts, it doesn't mean that I don't enjoy a good and fun TV series such as Friends or Catherine, for example. So, when it comes to list my favorite TV series, I'd say that I definitely dislike violence and that series such as "CSI whatever" (which, in addition, are totally irrealistic) I enjoy watching a funny TV series instead of a good hard dark thriller. Here are some of my favorite TV programs:

• Des Racines et des Ailes (culture - French TV)
• Secrets d'Histoire ("Secrets of History" - culture - French TV)
• Friends
• Catherine (Canada, Quebec)
• Bewitched
• Family Affair
• Get Smart (TV series)
• Cosby Show

Although my favorite band ever are the Beatles, in a group and separately, which is a group I'm fan's number one; I also like more styles of music. For example, years ago, I've been touched by a music that was born in the bayous, raised in the USA and crossed the ocean to become my favorite music ever. Yep... I'm fond of... blues and many derived types of musics such as Rhythm and Blues, Rock and Roll, Motown, Soul, etc.

So, here are a few of my favorite singers, bands and musicians:

• The Beatles
• Jacques Brel
• Django Reinhardt (Belgian gypsy jazz musician)
• Toots Thielemans
• Johnny Hallyday
• John Lee Hooker
• Elvis Presley
• The Four Tops
• The Four Seasons
• Gloria Gaynor
• Dionne Warwick

My favorite books are, obviously, historical chronicles, accounts, biographies, studies, memoirs, etc. If you arrived here, you surely already understood this.

But I also enjoy reading other types of books, such as thrillers when they're well done; comedies, comic strips, and some novels.

Among my favorite authors' list, you'll find Georges Simenon who was a Belgian writer. Simenon lived in the USA for some years and wrote the well known Commissaire Maigret series. I also enjoy reading a few Belgian comic strips such as Tintin, created by Herge. Tintin was the first person who walked on the Moon and watched a color Television. Another Belgian comic strip author I enjoy reading is Willy Vandersteen, creator of Spike and Suzy.

Here are a few other types of bookds and/or authors I enjoy to read:

• Agatha Christie (Poirot - my fellow citizen - and Marple series)
• Martha Grimes (Richard Jury/Melrose Plant series)
• Joseph Conolly for his wonderful "Summer Things" novel
• Patricia Cornwell (I know, I dislike violence but she's a wonderful writer!)
• Stephen King/Richard Bachman (and his frightening novels)
• Maurice Denuziere for his wonderful chronicles of Louisiana (Louisiana, Fausse-Riviere, Bagatelle, Les Trois Chênes, L'Adieu au Sud, Les Années Louisiane - this 6 books series is a history of beautiful Louisiana)

Four years ago, I knew next to nothing regarding Internet. But I learned. Firstly by clicking on links included into mails and then by having an eye here and there, discovering the incredible power of the Web.

On one day, I joined MPAM and created my very first website (European Love History) thanks to their wonderful step-by-step guide. But I wouldn't stop there and made another one related to Christmas. I enjoyed writing on the holiday season so much that I made a site for Valentine's Day and another one for Halloween then for Easter.

I learned the hard way as I focused on the English speaking market and English isn't my mother tongue. Writing in this language wasn't an easy task! I thus took English trainings and improved my writings.

I joined the 30 Day Challenge in 2006 and learned more; in February 2007, I eventually joined Squidoo and built my very first lens. I was highly frustrated by the results but my sites did very well. So, I focused on them and left Squidoo aside while keeping on making a few lenses.

I'm a Tarot cards expert as well as have to keep an eye on my waistline and thus made lenses relating to those subjects.

Two years ago, I made a decision on giving Squidoo a new try and built up to 150 (and counting) new lenses. It was a good decision as I wasn't frustrated at all and definitely enjoy Squidoo-ing!