On Singing Your Song

All By Your Lonesome.

Gone are the days when folks are content with time alone with their thoughts (the horror!) or loved ones (even worse!), evident in couples driven to counseling where negotiations hush the nagging blackberry (often during meals, with a clear beginning and end) and managers pass around 'cell phone bowls' to ensure employees are moderately present. But when the phones are switched to silence or temporarily (and resentfully) relinquished, the mind wanders anyway, to what's being missed or waiting urgently for a reply, even though what's actually being missed is often right there in front of their eyes, ears, and fingertips. Enjoy!

On Seduction, in the Most Unusual Places

The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants.

So, what's in a voice, anyway? Apparently, everything, at least at the beginning. Research shows that men can predict the symmetry of a woman's face (which is linked to attractiveness) just by hearing her speak. And likewise for women: a man's voice reveals both his level of attractiveness and body mass index. And the effect is trickling. Men with symmetrical faces, who are deemed 'more attractive,' appear to be more confident and secure, which are characteristics women often look for in men. Not surprisingly, Brad Pitt ranks a 9.3 out of 10 on the face symmetry scale, while his counterpart, Angelina, falls short at a mere 7.6. Despite breaking all the laws of scientific reasoning, we might conclude, then, that Brad Pitt would be a killer navigator on the cross country road, as long as we stay focused on what's important. (The directions? Yeah right.) Enjoy!

On the Perils of Visibility

And Wanting What We Can't See.

It's the allure of mystery that keeps us interested, from grade school crushes more focused on video games than love letters to the fate of the Mad Men for whom all Sunday night plans must be canceled. But when the mystery is unveiled-through tweets, chats and status updates-we're left wanting for nothing. Our intrigue is replaced by a growing need for instant gratification, and patience with insatiable greed. This is precisely why I never watch previews and my crappy cell phone has unreliable reception. It keeps the mystery real-and my relationships alive-when I can't hear or see the people with whom I'm expected to converse on a regular basis. Just leave me a message and maybe I'll call you back, if you're (un)lucky. Enjoy!

On Sibling Symmetry

From Different (Tri)Angles (& Squares).

What balances the rivalry between siblings is their impermeable bond, strengthened by their shared histories and idiosyncrasies which almost no one else (in the world) is privy to. A protector against bullies and a comrade against parental discipline, to understand the plight of the only-child is an impossible feat. This doesn't mean, of course, that torture-fests and fractured bones are not sprinkled upon the ties-that-bind, but almost always it's the assailing sibling who sticks around to pick up the broken pieces and make amends, and will do almost anything for the other. Enjoy!

On Talking to Strangers

Without Fear or Inconvenience.

Striking up a conversation with your travel neighbor-on a train, plane, or automobile-can be a risky decision, not because it's unsafe but because traveling alone is one of the few opportunities in which we are truly by ourselves, and happily so. Until, that is, we're not, and the empty seat next to us, for which we had high hopes of shoe-less travels and maybe even a catnap (who cares if we're not tired-we've got two seats, baby!), is swiped from beneath our backpack/novel/crumpledbagofchips by the devil himself. But then, luck has it that the devil turns out to be an angel in disguise and by the end of our journey, we're exchanging resumes and game boy cartridges, too grief-stricken with sadness to parts ways because we've finally found our long lost love/jobcontact/saturdaymorningcartoonfanatic we've been searching for all these years. Even so, it's a risky business and we're better off feigning sleep as the aisles crowd during pre-departure, just in case this isn't our luckiest day, after all. Enjoy!

On Everything (We Need to Know We) We Learned in Kindergarten

Including Saying Thanks.

In November 2007, a grade school friend (and City employee) forwarded me an invitation to 'Thank a Teacher' in three hundred words or less, which would then be posted on the NYC Board of Education website for all the world to see, and hopefully the teachers who were thanked. I immediately thought of Mr. Franzese, my high school history teacher, who spent tireless afternoons (after school let out) tutoring me for an exam I was sure I would fail. He's the kind of teacher for whom these facebook fan clubs are created, with passion for his job and devotion to his students you can only hope to glimpse in your own career. After my posting was submitted, I tracked down his email address on the internet (which isn't as easy as it sounds) and a few weeks later, when I finally found him, I forwarded him my Thanks. It turns out that, over the weeks that had passed, he had been approached several times (in the hallways of my high school, where he had graduated to Assistant Principal) with news of my adulation. His response was filled with the gratitude unique to a teacher and student, with details of that memorable year (eighteen years ago) and invitation to stop by if I'm ever in the neighborhood. Once a teacher, always a teacher - Thanks again, Mr. F! (Enjoy.)

On Beautiful Minds

And the Daydreams They Encompass.

It hardly seems fair that Tolstoy is the basis for experiments on daydreaming but the research appears inconclusive, and thankfully so. Traffic jams become summer vacations and business meetings resemble campfire marshmallow roasts, all the while we churn our creative juices and pass the time in far off lands. But be careful not to spend too much time in the Neighborhood of Make Believe or else you'll miss the real Prince Tuesday when he comes knockin' on your door. Enjoy!