Aerosolized Particles of Success

Why does the dog keep nudging me and pressing up against me with his wet self? Does he smell

Maybe it's 'cuz he wants that flower barrette out of his hair.

cancer on me or something? Is he sensing stress? Or does he just want affection especially now, when he’s wet and stinky?

Don’t answer.

I’m operating on too little sleep, and what little I had was interrupted by the husband’s pager. I swear I got dizzy backing the car out of a parking spot today. I looked behind me to make sure there were no children or dogs in my path, and when I turned to face forward, the world went upsie daisie like it does when you’re on a loop de loop rollercoaster. It was time for a nap.

In other news, I thought that in lieu of a coherent blog post I’d offer a brief collection of stuff, possibly factual, possibly misstated, that could be construed as relating to success.

For example, did you know that when you flush the toilet aerosolized particles of fecal matter can fling themselves out of it and land up to six feet away? On your toothbrush? So close the lid.

How about this: multitasking is a myth. You probably already know that, right? Unless you’re me, you haven’t been beating yourself about the ears over your incredible inability to do two things at once the way Jamie Lee Curtis does* as the mom in the remake of Freaky Friday with Lindsay Lohan - a movie I thoroughly enjoyed. Because if common sense hasn’t proven to you that you can’t do two complex things at once, research now has. What we think is multitasking is actually just switching back and forth between activities fast. Each time it takes a little extra energy to re-establish where you left off before. That’s inefficient, and tiring.

And finally, on failure, this: A producer friend of Nora Ephron talked about how she and Nora dealt with setbacks and movies that bombed. They reminded each other that they were lucky to have had a chance at bat, and that it was a privilege to have another. They recognized that, although they were disappointed, they were lucky to be able to pursue their goals, while so many others struggle to fulfill much more basic needs. Always look for ways to be grateful; gratitude puts life into perspective.

And now, as Samuel Pepys so often said, “And so to bed.” Although, to be completely honest with you, Readers, I have to admit that it's, "And so to HBO Go for an episode of 'Spiral'."

*That’s ironic, by the way; Jamie Lee Curtis as the mom is a total fail at multitasking.