Pam Mandel

I was stopped over with one of my oldest friends — I’ve known her since junior college, before that, even — when I learned she reads tarot cards on New Year’s Day. This surprised me, she’s science-y, a real nerd of a human. I found it puzzling that she should turn to something so esoteric in search of answers about the direction of the year.

“The cards don’t lie,” she said, shuffling the deck.

I c