Pilot's Log

You can bake your shoes in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, but that won't turn them into loaves of bread. Know what I'm saying, Sagittarius? Just because a chicken has wings doesn't mean it can fly over the rainbow. Catch my drift? You'll never create a silk purse out of dental floss and dead leaves. That's why I offer you the following advice: In the next two weeks, do your best to avoid paper tigers, red herrings, fool's gold, fake news, Trojan horses, straw men, pink elephants, convincing pretenders, and invisible bridges. There'll be a reward if you do: close encounters with shockingly beautiful honesty and authenticity that will be among your most useful blessings of 2017.

I have a bunch of song lyrics to quote but I won't as a service to you.

My old friend Jeff started working at a gambling casino in Atlantic City. "You've gone over to the dark side!" I kidded. He acknowledged that 90 percent of the casino's visitors lose money gambling. On the bright side, he said, 95 percent of them leave happy. I don't encourage you to do this kind of gambling in the near future, Sagittarius. It's true that you will be riding a lucky streak. But smarter, surer risks will be a better way to channel your good fortune. So here's the bottom line: In whatever way you choose to bet or speculate, don't let your lively spirits trick you into relying on pure impulsiveness. Do the research. Perform your due diligence. It's not enough just to be entertained. The goal is to both have fun and be successful.

Last night I dreamt that there had been a rumor going round that I lost a hand--and people responded by sending me hands in the hopes that one of them could be transplanted on my arm.  Perhaps my view is that while the goodness of people persists, they are being undermined by a lack of truth in the right places.

Can you imagine what it would be like to live without any hiding and pretending? How would you feel if you could relax into total honesty? What if you were free to say exactly what you mean, unburdened by the fear that telling the truth might lead to awkward complications? Such a pure and exalted condition is impossible for anyone to accomplish, of course. But you have a shot at accomplishing the next best thing in the coming week. For best results, don't try to be perfectly candid and utterly uninhibited. Aim for 75 percent.

When it comes the old saw about the truth hurting, I'm something of a masochist.  I never could tell a pretty lie about myself.