--I’M JUST DAMAGES AND GAUZE

…The year 2014 was the deadliest year yet in Syria's four-year conflict, with over 76,000 killed, activists say.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 17,790 of the dead were civilians, including 3,501 children.

Meanwhile more than 15,000 died in conflicts in Iraq in 2014, making it that country's worst year since 2007...

…On a lighter note, 2014 saw Taylor Swift sell nearly 3 million albums, tops of all artists.

…Ed Sheering had a staggering 850,000,000 Youtube views.

…45,000,000 people watched the NFL Draft

…$115 million was raise to fight Lou Gerig’s Disease via the ice bucket challenge.

…And that’s all I know about that…

…But here are some things I like for a rainy Monday:

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”  Robert Brault

“To get the full value of joy you must have somebody to divide it with.”  Mark Twain

“For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.  For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.  For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.  For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.  For poise, walk with the knowledge that you'll never walk alone.”  Audrey Hepburn

“Compromise:  The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got the biggest piece.”  Sherry Rothfield

“The entire sum of existence is the magic of being needed by just one person.”  Vi Putnam

“I'm not happy, I'm cheerful. There's a difference. A happy woman has no cares at all. A cheerful woman has cares but has learned how to deal with them.”  Beverly Sills

“Happiness is essentially a state of going somewhere, wholeheartedly, one-directionally, without regret or reservation.”  William H. Sheldon