My name is Dana and I like to think. I like to read and especially listen. And, on the rare occasion that I have something meaningful to say, I always wonder if (and how) it will be heard. That said, I think most of us aspire to rise above obscure mediocrity and leave some lasting proof of our existence. Clearly, yours truly is no exception.

Of late though, a reading of Dean Koontz has given me a new outlook on my life in the way that the character, Odd Thomas, describes his:

"...in this age when fame is the alter at which most people worship, I am not sure why you should care who I am or that I existed.

I am not a celebrity. I am not the child of a celebrity. I have never been married to, never been abused by, and never provided a kidney for transplantation into any celebrity. Furthermore, I have no desire to be a celebrity.

In fact I am such a nonentity by the standards of our culture that People magazine not only will never feature a piece about me but might also reject my attempts to subscribe to their publication on the grounds that the black-hole gravity of my noncelebrity is powerful enough to suck their entire enterprise into oblivion."

I love the humor with which Odd Thomas can accept his lot in life and the anonymity it entails. It should be noted however that he possesses a unique ability. He can see dead people. Perhaps, I too have an uncommon awareness - I often see sheeple.