Regina Russell's Tea Room is in an old Quincy house and looks like your local coffee shop, except on the menus you'll find palm readings, crystal balls, astrology, and tarot cards instead of two eggs and a muffin. I was surprised that on a weekday afternoon the place was almost full with men and women (mostly the latter) of all ages.

I ordered a tarot card reading with a side of crystal ball (a 30-minute "private combo" costs $36, plus tip) and was matched with Carol, seemingly because, as the hostess said, "she's a Sagittarius, too!"

I paid a little extra for a private reading so I could record it (they supply machines) and avoid being overheard. Eavesdropping in tea rooms is entertainment unto itself.

Carol, dressed in a plain blouse and jeans and equipped with tarot cards and a golf-ball size crystal ball, led me to a tiny, bare room.

In answer to my questions, she told me she's worked at the tea room for more than 10 years and is about my age (41). All she knew about me was my first name and Zodiac sign. She laid out a "general spread" of the tarot cards, which I'd chosen out of a face-down deck.

Whenever she asked me to pick more cards from the deck, I would stop her and ask why. She patiently explained that each round concerned a different part of my life.

About my work, she said, "Things aren't what they first appeared to be."

I'm thinking, are they ever?

"You're ready for some change."

Isn't everyone who visits a psychic?

Moving onto the personal, Carol got more specific. With an air of authority, she talked about two ex-boyfriends; she described them almost to a T - with no help from me.

She said one would be spending time in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey; that caught my attention, because his girlfriend before had lived in Jersey and had recently moved to Connecticut.

I called the ex later - and sure enough, he was seeing her again.