The Mob, Vegas, and Tea

Just last week, I talked with author Andrew Levy about his new memoir A Brain Wider Than the Sky: A Migraine Diary.

The book left me wondering how many colleagues, friends, and loved ones are silently suffering with this sort of pain. As Levy points out, many Americans out there are simply getting by, muddling through.

To read the full Q & A with the author, go here:
"'A Brain Wider Than the Sky' author talks about life with migraines"

Every month I do an art-reading project with first graders in Watts.

Every month, their reading skills get better, and I think their art (which is always amazing) becomes more creative.

Today we read UFO Diary and then we made spaceships.

One girl almost cried because she didn't feel like her alien looked good enough.

As we read from big piles of books on a long table, one of the stories I read out loud had the word "naked" in it. And every time I read the word, two girls wouldn't stop laughing.

Some of the loveliest language out there in books today is actually in children's literature. Sometimes the storylines are surprisingly profound.

Here's my favorite line from today. A bear says this to a fox:
"You know how beauty always makes me cry."

So, as a human race, we generally get a thrill from being scared.

However, when it comes to deciphering real news from a bunch of hooey, well, it isn't so easy to tell fact from fiction at times.

In my lastest Q&A, I chatted with Simon Briscoe and Hugh Aldersey-Williams about their latest book, Panicology: Two Statisticians Explain What’s Worth Worrying About (And What’s Not) in the 21st Century (Skyhorse Publishing).

Very nice fellows. Very skeptical, too.
And rightfully so. Many things we worry about, we can't do anything about.

Perhaps should we all just toughen up and then chill out?

Read the entire interview here:
"What is there to worry about in the 21st century?"

If you're looking for the ultimate in love, lust, and danger, can you really think of a more infamous pair than Bonnie and Clyde?

Paul Schneider, author of Bonnie and Clyde: The Lives Behind the Legend, chatted with me about his research and what he found when he drove his car throughout America, following the gangsters' famous footsteps.

Read the entire interview here:
"Romeo and Juliet with guns"

I sometimes wonder if we really can predict the future. In these uncertain times, it would be nice to know what is about to happen next.

Though, if you really think about it, uncertainty is an integral part of modern life--think about sporting events, magic shows, falling in love. All of them are reliant upon a degree of unknowing.

That said, I think in my lifetime I've had one or two premonition-like dreams at least. Though in my case, the dreams are so confusing, I can't really tell completely what it all means.

Recently, I interviewed Dr. Larry Dossey about his new book The Power of Premonitions: How Knowing the Future Can Shape Our Lives.

He was fascinating to talk to. Check out the entire interview here:
"Dr. Larry Dossey and your internal crystal ball"