I don't know why I read my horoscope every day.

Of course I don't believe in it. My whole family, as I've discussed before, is walking proof of the silliness of astrology. My twin sister and I could not be more different. My two younger sisters, also twins, share a birthday with one of our brothers, my son, and one of my closest friends, but these five people don't share any readily identifiable character traits (other than an ability to tolerate my company).

But I do read my horoscope almost every day, and some days I read more than one. Newspapers now publish disclaimers saying that horoscopes are "for entertainment purposes only," and that is what they do: they entertain me. I like to send friends the "If Today is Your Birthday" blurbs on their own birthdates, because I think they feel like promises of adventure.

Do I ever change my behavior because of something I read in a newspaper horoscope? Uh, no. But sometimes they're a handy excuse. Take today's, from The New York Post:

It is not the quantity of your work that matters but the quality, so stop pushing yourself to the limits of your endurance just because you think it is expected of you. Doing one thing well is better than doing many things to only an average standard.

Scorpio or not, this is good advice for me on any day. How do the stars know??