Hi Inger,
You have written an enjoyable essay which asks questions that, far from making a fool out of you, demonstrate your perspicacity regarding some of the most important problems in fundamental physics.
As a very small correction, allow me to mention that 'From Here to Eternity' was written by Sean not Lewis Carroll (Although given how strange some of our most fundamental theories seem, you might as well think we live in some kind of wonderland, Ha!).
Even though you are not an active researcher, you seem to have a strong interest in foundational physics. In case you did not know, the longest running conference series on the foundations of quantum mechanics takes place in Vaxjo (next year will be the 15th). I went this year for the first time, and while some of the talks were quite technical, some of the others were accessible to non-experts. Should you be interested in finding out more, here is the website:
http://lnu.se/institutioner/institutionen-for-datavetenskap-fysik-och-matematik/konferenser/quantum-theory-reconsideration-of-foundations/qtrf6
The title of the conference changes each year, but I was told that its content is substantially the same.
All the best,
Armin