I’ve been fortunate enough to have a partner who supports my creative endeavors and does everything he can to allow me space and time to write weird novels about fertility cults and so I can perform in operas. He’s a mensch. Sam wins the trifecta at the Nice Hippodrome de la Côte d’Azur as her man looks on in disgust c. 2003 There did come a time in recent years though where I felt myself spread too thin. My girls are young and I wanted to be there for them, and even starting

Guys, I get it. I really do. Science and medicine are not comforting. Interacting with medicine is often emotionally cold and physically unpleasant. I was thinking about the appeal of all those “alternative medicine” and “holistic treatments” and how often I’ve been suckered into trying them because the trappings are so cozy and appealing. I have some dry feet and over the years I have amassed a collection of attractive tins full of sweet-smelling salves. They’re pretty on t

There are a lot of physicians in my family and perhaps that’s why I’ve befriended doctors, their children, and worked for a number of them. Doctors are amazing people. Most of them take self sacrifice and community service to an extraordinary height. I’m in awe of people who can manage the grueling physical and mental gauntlet required to become a doctor. For the average person, their family doctor or specialist represents the voice of education, experience, and science. Unfo

There were times when my anxiety crippled my ability to live my life. I learned to manage my anxiety and one of the main tools I use for that is skepticism. When I believed something that caused me anxiety–for example that my college dorm might be haunted as it was reputed to be by almost everyone in Boston–I used skepticism on myself and examined the facts instead. It wasn’t too long before I stopped believing in ghosts as I always found a rational explanation for the weirdn

Something people learn about me is that I am a skeptic. This usually comes as a shock since artistic types are automatically expected to believe in all sorts of mystical blather. I did grow up in a family that believes in a lot of that stuff so my skepticism is hard won. I credit my love of science and math for giving me a healthy dose of skepticism. When I was really young I was a little bit obsessed with the mystical stories around the legend of the crystal skulls. At one p