It might be just for me, and maybe just for a day or two.

I'm a natural-born planner. I love analyzing systems. I eat up details and burp up joy. I'm so serious about organizing things, that you could say I have the heart of a border collie.

But today, I'm nearing the end (I hope) of my third sickness of 2019. I've had lots of downtime to think and to enjoy the fact that no one could have expected me to accomplish anything this week, what with the chills and fever and all. I actually had some time off from some cool project ideas I've been working on. That led me to wonder why I wanted time off from cool projects, and that led me to the realization that organizing and planning can be overdone. For me. I can get so overwhelmed by that part of a project, that I don't end up with the time or energy to do the rest of it.

I am by no means suggesting that anyone, myself included, should stop thinking things through. I say, go on and follow your heart, but your mind should go, too. Planning and organizing should be part of the whole project. It's one of the rooms of the house, not the sidewalk out front. It should bring up potential challenges and problems, and with that, potential solutions, and maybe even more ideas for the scope of the project. It's important.

Of course, the more stuff you bring up, the more stuff you have to put somewhere, in categories or zones or columns or lists. There needs to be some kind of order that will help you find it all later, so you can build on it and use it. That can be overwhelming! And it can help you forget the essence of the project, and the fun part of making a thing happen.

And that, my friends, can mean that the next time a cool project idea pops into your head (I mean, my head), you (I mean, I) might hold up a hand and say, "No thanks, Cool Project Idea. I can't handle anything overwhelming right now."

So to avoid that particular nonsense, I'm going to take the next couple of days to practice diving in to a project idea or two, without concerning myself too much with order. If notes, drawings, photos, scraps of thoughts, are strewn about, so be it. I'm just going to play with the cool project ideas. I'm going to pretend the research has been done and I already know the answers. If I want to design the costumes with no regard to cost, I will. If I want to stage the new and innovative curtain call before writing the show, I will point to my cat and say, "She's in charge of the timeline." Oh, I'll circle back around and create the order, but not before curiosity and playfulness have had their way. I can't let Potential Overwhelm Syndrome (just made it up) deprive me of Available Fun Condition (also made up).

Take care, take time off, and wash your hands often.

​

Many thanks to Phil Ward, as ever, for the music and engineering for this episode.

Here's the sticky note I'm talking about. (It was on a Queen Gertrude monologue from Hamlet.) Funny how these little things can suddenly mean a whole lot.

I hope the episode speaks to you. Many thanks for listening! 

I was one of those kids who really liked the Back to School season. The school supplies, the clean start to a new school year, the books, the weather change. Then came my birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve. 

Maybe that's why it was never a challenge for me to say, or hear, "Happy Holidays." It always seemed like a great way to scoop all those happy times together and just wish happiness. 

As I grew up and my world got bigger, I realized my Canadian friends had Thanksgiving on a different day. My British friends had "Mothering Sunday," and not on "Mother's Day." I met people who celebrated Christmas, but very differently from my family's traditions. I met Jewish friends who celebrated Hanukkah, or even both Hanukkah and Christmas. 

Today, we can easily see into the everyday lives of people all over the world. We can eat foods, see art, hear music, from all the cultures. There are apps (as well as old-fashioned books) that will help us learn just about any language we care to try out. Most importantly, most beautifully, we can encounter this profuse variety very close to us. We don't have to travel around the globe in person or via our devices. We live close to each other. Really close. And that is our strength and our challenge.

Life Lab Notes hopes you find joy, peace, and prosperity today. Whatever you're celebrating today. Also, tomorrow. And here's to a really excellent next Thursday. Happy Holidays. Happy all-your-days.

Episode 13, the final installment in a series that has given us an extraordinary glimpse into the personal lives of those who have crossed over. Today, we meet Robert, who has a poignant story of just how lonely one can be as a soul adrift. "Home," was written by Robert Stoccardo and Silvie Zamora, and performed by Robert Stoccardo.

[There are 1.67 sextillion H2O molecules in a drop of water. - Ed.]

Have you already heard the episode? If not, hear it first. We'll wait...

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When we started writing and producing this audio fiction series, we knew that we wanted to show what we all have in common with each other. The humanness of us humans. We didn't realize that the very real story of our friend, Robert Stoccardo, and his time living on the streets, would connect so perfectly with the others in this series. The spirits in the other stories are also figuring out how to make things work, missing people and places, making mistakes, having doubts, trying to change, being invisible.

We are honoured that Robert agreed to answer questions about this time of his life, and to be so willing to share his story.

Robert Stoccardo is an actor and writer living in peace in Los Angeles. He was homeless for three years and two months.

Here are a few links, some of which will be local to the Los Angeles area, but at least they can give you an idea of what's out there, and you can search in your area along the same lines. There are many contributing factors that lead to homelessness. Different organizations focus on different aspects of this problem. Find one that resonates with you and make some good stuff happen.

https://www.midnightmission.org
http://homewardla.org
Homeward LA and The Midnight Mission are producing a 10-day citywide event where multiple productions of monologues based on stories from people who have experienced homelessness are performed all around the city. They are looking for volunteer producers to organize professional, student, and community productions, and even home readings.

https://www.charitynavigator.org
Charity Navigator has been around for sixteen years, and has rated over 9,000 charities. Look up a charity, for example, Homeless Families Foundation, and you'll see its rating and all kinds of awesome information, like what percentage of their money goes to admin expenses.

https://www.epath.org
PATH - Making It Home has more than 25 locations throughout California. They provide services in more than 140 cities, and  have more than 1,000 units of permanent supportive housing completed or in the pipeline. They follow the "Housing First" model that first connects people to permanent housing and then focuses on stabilization through voluntary supportive services. (This info is from their website.)

A little respect is all they ask. And to not be prey.

Today's episode, Hunted, was written by Joanna Ke and performed by Cesili Williams.

---If grace married silliness, their child would be Joanna Ke. Joanna is an award-winning filmmaker who thrives in the industry as an actor, writer, professional script reader, and producer. Being half Taiwanese, she champions diverse stories led by women behind and in front of the camera. Wielding her broadsword is a favorite - both on and off camera.

Cesili Williams received her MFA in acting from Calarts. Originally from the Chicago area, she graduated with her Bachelors Degree from Illinois State University. She played Celie in the hit LA musical The Color Purple at Celebration Theater, directed by Michael Matthews (2012). Cesili received an Ovation Nomination for Best Leading Actress in a musical, won a Scenie Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, and won an Ovation Award for Best Ensemble for The Color Purple.

Alright, alright, yes, it's my birthday. No need to make a fuss.
Now that that's out of the way...

We all hope, when the day finally arrives, to shuffle off this mortal coil surrounded by loved ones. For Ruth Wooster, this was not exactly the case. Today's episode, "Exit," was written by Rikki Schwartz and performed by Joel Scher.
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Rikki Schwartz has been acting and directing for Michigan theatre companies for over 30 years.  About 18 years ago, her love for the footlights led to a passion for playwriting…and a new “supporting role” was born.  Since then, she has written three full-length plays, as well as dozens of short plays and monologues.  Rikki’s work has been produced at over 25 theatres, megachurches, podcasts and festivals across the U.S. and Europe.

Los Angeles-based, Joel Scher been a member of the award-winning Theatre of NOTE since 2006. Some of his most memorable theatrical experiences at NOTE have been: He Asked for It (ensemble cast LA Weekly nom.), Holy Ghost, Eat The Runt, The Invisible Play, Supper (nom. Best Actor Comedy stage Raw), and recently Marion or the True Tale of Robin Hood. Earlier in 2018 he appeared in the hit show The Art Couple at Sacred Fools Theater.

The house at the end of the street is deserted now. Mostly.

Today's episode, Cul-de-Sac, was written by Michael Bonnabel, and performed by winner of the Best Halloween Surname Award, Linda Graves.

Linda Graves (not just her Halloween name!) recently retired as the Interim Director of the Haugh Performing Arts Center at Citrus College. She is thrilled to be able to return to acting: on-camera, live, and voiceover. She is a proud member of Theatre of NOTE in Hollywood. Linda is also attempting to learn Italian, Yoga, and T’ai Chi.

Michael Bonnabel is an LA based writer/actor. Performances include Asher Hartman’s mythic “Sorry, Atlantis” at Machine Project, “Bob's Holiday Office Party," at the Atwater Village Theatre, Ken Roht’s “Miss Julien” at the MorYork Gallery and “Synesthesia” at The Bootleg Theater. The Bootleg is also where Michael premiered his solo play "The Good Boy," which moved to the Los Angeles Theatre Center and eventually had an Off-Broadway run at The Abingdon Theatre in New York. Film and TV appearances include “The Linguini Incident,” with Marlee Matlin and David Bowie.

There's a lot going on in this world, on both sides of that mysterious portal called Death. So, go ahead and have your seance, call on the spirits however you like. You just may not get who you were asking for.

"Summoned" was written by Silvie Zamora and performed by Sandra Kinder.

She didn't merely start her acting career later in life, Sandra catapulted into it, starting off in Gingerbread Lady, where she was on stage for all three acts of the play. She played the title character in Kimberly Akimbo, about a teenager with a progeria-type disease which makes her appear to be elderly. She was in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, The Ellen Show, and numerous other film and TV appearances.