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...

There are advantages to being in such a low-ranking position in my gigantic company.  When vendors reach out to me trying to partner with us for their services, I can tell them, "I'm nothing more than a lowly customer service agent. I don't have the power to make those sort of decisions.  No, I'm too unimportant in the company to know who the right person would be. " ### Me at 4AM:  I am wide awake. I can’t sleep anymore. I have to wake up in an hour to do my workout. I might as well get out of bed and start my day early. Me at 5 AM:  I am so tired. I want to go back to bed. I can’t because it’s time for my workout.   ### Baby swans are not particularly ugly. Where did that fairy tale come from? ### TV executives keep wanting to reboot old TV shows instead of making new ones. I think if they are going to reboot a show, it should be Mel and Susan Together .  ### Revelation in a recent dance class:  “I was today years old when I realized the connection b...

    Are you looking forward to the elections of 2024?  Why or why not?  Do you think the country is on the right path, and you hope the next round of elections will keep us on that path? Do you think the country is on the wrong path and you hope the elections will change all that?  Do you fear the lack of change?  Maybe you fear the next elections will change the world for the worse if we don't stay on the current path.  Maybe you fear the world will fall apart if it we do.  No matter what happens, it's scary for someone .   To me, the scariest element of the elections next year is that nothing can be known. Nothing is guaranteed. Nothing stays the same anymore, and situations can change in the space of one short news cycle. Let's use the most recent Congressional election as an example. Pundits predicted a "Red Wave". After all, it's natural for Congress to flip to the other party when there is a new president in office. There was a sub...

Before I start, I will remind my dear readers of my tendency to hyperbole. Hate is a strong word. I don't hate these things.   Also, this post is all meant for fun. I am not here to denigrate your preferences (except for those of you who insist on taking photos of your feet🤮😀).  I am not trying to make some sort of “I’m not like other girls” statement. Of course I am like other girls in many ways. I don’t automatically dislike things merely because they are popular.  I simply bore easily and don’t find repetition of the same concepts enjoyable. I think this post also deals with the way social media throws the same concepts and images at us and we don’t always realize it. I am the type of person who tends to notice the small things and remembers so much of what I saw in the past. The repetitive nature of social media posts seems to be something I can’t escape from.  Ever since I first made my tentative steps into online communications (and I am a huge nerd who ...

I came across a prompt recently: Describe your style I do occasional posts about style and makeup here on S&C, but I don't think I have ever tried to describe what my style is and how I express it. Style is a tricky subject.  Many women wrongly feel style is something you have or you don't.  Style sense is something one is born with, rather than something one develops over time.  Some women view style as something static, rather than something that evolves as their lives and needs change.  Women can feel trapped in a look, or feel hopeless they can't do better when their outfits no longer look good or reflect their personality.  One phrase I feel hinders most women when it comes to finding their own best look is the phrase, "Effortless Style."  It implies that some women can put together outfits without thinking.  Again, it gives the illusion of style being innate rather than learned.   That is a lie.  Style takes effort - and we sho...

Meme of the day.  People like to argue their unscientific points on the internet using anecdotes. I like how this points out anecdotes aren’t evidence : ### Question for all you parents out there.  When your kids start talking about an imaginary friend, how do you tell if it’s only a harmless fantasy, or a  demon trying to entice your child to kill you in your sleep? ### Is there anything quite so beautiful as opening a Danish butter cookie tin and finding actual cookies inside it? ### There is something so unique about being American and having to deal with the American viewpoint of the world, although that's not always positive.  I was in a meeting at work where an analyst specializing in technological disruptors was talking about the importance of focusing on climate change.  He is British.  He said, "If we don't focus on it, we'll all be dead."  It feels strange, and yet refreshing, to hear someone tell the truth.  In the US, at worse we hear ...