A week ago, revered author J.D. Salinger died at the age of 91. Salinger’s passing brought his life and work back into the public spotlight, which was a place he worked hard to avoid for most of his life. Known as much for his reclusive nature as for his most famous novel, “The Catcher in […]

For years I’ve been a fan of the BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice, starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. I first watched it soon after it came out in the mid-90s, and have watched it a few more times since then. I was thrilled to receive the Blu-ray version of it […]

During my daily internet browsing, I’m always on the lookout for articles or news stories that relate to introverts. This week I found a few items that I think will be of interest to Spectatrix readers. First off, a nice piece from Garrison Keillor on Salon about his periodic need for solitude, in which he […]

Joe and I recently attended the European premiere of the new Terminator movie, at which some of the film’s stars, including Christian Bale, were present. We didn’t get to see Bale navigate the media scrum, as we were standing in line (with thousands of others) waiting to get our seats, but I did overhear someone […]

In previous posts I’ve mentioned the salon.com advice column, Since You Asked, written by the inimitable Cary Tennis, which often seems to feature introvert-related issues. Today’s question, posed by a forlorn introvert, had to do with that age-old problem (at least for introverts): how do you stay true to yourself yet still make friends? The […]

I’m not sure if an aversion to excessive noise is a hallmark of the introverted personality, but I do know that few things set me on edge more than exposure to constant, chaotic noise (making the ear-splitting renovation hubbub going on below our apartment for the past few weeks such a joy). It could be […]

Last night we went to a get-together for expats here in Paris, and one of the attendees happened to be a mathematician visiting the city for a month. When the topic turned to introversion, as it often does once I mention that I write this blog, the mathematician shared a great joke about his peers […]

I just read today that the LongPen, a virtual signing tool for writers and celebrities, will have a trial run in major bookstores in Toronto, New York, and London this fall. Famed Canadian author Margaret Atwood came up with the idea for the LongPen, which comprises a video screen and digital writing tablet on the […]

Last night Joe and I watched the movie The Incredibles again, and it reminded me of an earlier post I wrote about superheroes who have introverted alter egos. Joe found it interesting that one of the characters in the movie, Violet, who in her alter ego is a shy girl in her early teens, has […]

In her article The Top 10 Ways to Market to Introverts, self-described “IntrovertZCoach” Nancy R. Fenn describes 10 common introvert attributes that influence how introverts respond to advertising and marketing pitches. Among the traits she highlights is one that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, that “Introverts love to read.” About this characteristic she […]

A few days ago I went to the hair salon, and before I went, I mentally prepared myself for the most uncomfortable part of such visits—making conversation. I don’t know if anyone else feels this way about chair-side chats, but I always feel like a dope if I can’t think of something interesting to say. […]

Like millions of other people, Joe and I went to see Spider-Man 3 last weekend. Having seen a few bad reviews, I was pleasantly surprised by the movie, finding it engrossing despite its almost two and a half hour running time. Even the presence of an especially noisy and disruptive audience didn’t prevent me from […]

The last time we were in Vegas, Joe and I went to see a show that had recently opened in the new Wynn Las Vegas hotel. Created by long-time Cirque du Soleil collaborator Franco Dragone, Le Rêve reminded me a lot of Cirque du Soleil shows I’d seen in the past except, surprisingly, the “plot” […]

Recently I had the pleasure of attending a high school musical that my stepson was performing in (strangely enough, in light of this site’s theme, it was Stephen Sondheim’s Company). Watching the young actors onstage made me think of my own high school drama experiences, although only briefly; I don’t like to dwell too much […]

The reality TV show Survivor attracted a lot of attention last season because of a controversial twist on the show’s format; instead of being divided into “tribes” (teams) according to gender or age, as had been the case in previous seasons, Survivor: Cook Islands contestants were initially assigned to tribes based on their ethnicity. Immediately […]