Month: June 2009

The panel I went to last night, Infinite Worlds: A Journey through Parallel Universes, was so interesting it was painful.  At my age, and with zero background in math and science I will always be limited in my understanding of these and a katrillion (infinite) other ideas.  I’m sure I have only the shallowest understanding.  I understand the metaphor of the thing and not the thing itself. I want a life do-over. This time I’ll pay attention in science class. Sigh.

A brief description of the panel from the program:  “The multiverse hypothesis, suggesting that our universe is but one of perhaps infinitely many, speaks to the very nature of reality. Join physicist Brian Greene, cosmologists Alan Guth and Andrei Linde, and philosopher Nick Bostrom as they discuss and debate this controversial implication of forefront research and explore its potential for redefining the cosmic order.”

The audience was mostly young people, and parents, so the good news is they made science exciting to people who still have time.  But for me, I was in agony last night trying to reconcile myself to what I can realistically do with the time I have left.  I want to write a book about all this, but realistically, I imagine these guys would feel that with my complete and total lack of science education that perhaps I’m not the person for the job.  Ha.  So yeah.  Probably not what I can do.

I did go up to Andrei Linde afterwards, who is officially the most charming and charismatic man on the planet. It wasn’t just me, the whole crowd adored him. Everyone on the panel was magnetic, I couldn’t take my eyes off them and could have listened to them forever.

Christ.  What can I do in my time left??  Meanwhile, on my way to the panel I passed these people singing about Jesus in Washington Square Park.  There was something, I don’t know, nicer about them than the usual people who come to NYC to sing to us about Jesus.  We applauded them. I’m guessing most of the people applauding them were atheists (I’m agnostic) but I applauded them because I like singing and because I feel the need to counteract at every opportunity the idea that we must hate those we disagree with.

But also because the girl I highlight in the second photo looked so sweet, shy and vulnerable.  I wanted to buck her up.  Wait a minute.  I’m projecting, aren’t I?  I’m the one who needs bucking up. You and me, girl in the unfortunate brown outfit!

I just posted on my Unbelievable blog about a ghost story I had decided not to investigate, and now I want to look into it.  Not for the ghost part, but because of a photograph that’s part of the story.  Every book adds stories that haunt me.  I’ve got a cold case story from the book before this one that I didn’t pursue that I’ve been unable to forget. Actually, maybe I can work them into the proposal for my next book?

I took this picture in the meat market area, because of the old world, the garage, next door to Pastis, a restaurant that I believe was in a Sex and the City episode.

Last night I went to a panel presentation at the World Science Festival called Notes & Neurons. I went because I’m working on a proposal about singing and this was about the science of singing.

Tonight I’m going to one called Infinite Worlds. From the description:

“The multiverse hypothesis, suggesting that our universe is but one of perhaps infinitely many, speaks to the very nature of reality. Join physicist Brian Greene, cosmologists Alan Guth and Andrei Linde, and philosopher Nick Bostrom as they discuss and debate this controversial implication of forefront research and explore its potential for redefining the cosmic order. Moderated by Robert Krulwich and featuring an original musical interlude, inspired by parallel worlds, by DJ Spooky.”

I’m going because one, it’s a fascinating theory, and two, I wanted to try to introduce myself to Andrei Linde, who I’ve interviewed a couple of times but only by email.  We’ve never met.  But these things are big and packed and they tend to whisk people off the stage at the end so I may never get anywhere near him.

Pretty top, no?

I ordered three of the stackable bins from an office supply store—three was the minimum order—and then agonized that I went with the most expensive solution.

Then a friend was like, “And why wasn’t a covered box a good solution?” And the reasons for not giving that a try (too big for the bathroom, cats don’t seem to like anything encroaching on their litter space) suddenly seemed lame. So then I agonized about the fact that I had already bought one but gave it away.

But then, as I was leaving the house I saw that my neighbors still had it out in the hallway so I explained the situation and asked if they wouldn’t mind if I took it back (they weren’t using it) and so now I’m giving this a try. The stackable bins are still on the way, but maybe this will work.

[Video removed because the link no longer works.]