Shipwrecked & Comatose

That's a rhetorical question.  These life update posts have no schedule and probably have little to no audience, but I'll publish one anyway, because I like to hear myself talk (and see myself write). I haven't done a post like this since the end of December.  I suppose that's because not much has gone on.  It's not that nothing has happened.  It's more about quality versus quantity.   I spent the early part of the year in rehearsals for my most recent play, William Inge's Picnic .  When I was reading the script to prepare for the audition, I knew what part I wanted and what part I didn't want.  It was the part I dreaded being cast in.  It was the role of Christine, an occasional walk-on character with no defined personality, no interesting lines, and no major relevance to the story.  I saw the play in the Broadway revival in 2013 and I barely remembered her, because she was not a memorable character.  Of course that was the role I ...

I believe even the best skeptics are known to have the occasional irrational belief - a "pet woo"- now and then. (Is it irrational to even believe all skeptics have such beliefs?)  I think a bit of magical thinking is part of what makes us human.  To believe that there is some form of order in the universe, that we have control over events, or at least an idea of what is to come, brings a sense of order to a chaotic universe.  It's not enough to believe in natural laws.  We want supernatural laws. I admit to not being immune to such trains of thought.  I did a recent blog post about my zodiac chart .  Logically I know it's all made up, and logically I know there are better explanations for why my personality is what it is, but I still will chalk up my hypersensitivity or love of cooking to being a Cancer, and my stubborn nature is due to being Taurus ascendant.  It's easier than taking complex dives into my psyche.  It's also a way to makes excuse...