When Worlds Collide

Rochelle, the girl with the purse and Scott the guy with the girl.

In the hectic schedule of a seven day, 10 hours a day, work week, I found the time to go see my friend Emmanual give another speech. This time to "business" type people. I'm not really sure what these folk worked at but most of them (giving them a precursory glance) seemed to be banker types. Shirt, tie, business suit wearing, nice hair and shoes lot. Interestingly enough, with the exception of a marketing guy, the rest of the people I "networked" with were composed of an aromatheripist, a comic book artist (not just any comic, but Marvel Comics- ed), a childrens story book artist, a photographer and a girl with a purse. I'll get to that later.

It just goes to show that you can't judge a book by it's cover and you can't assume a person wearing business clothes is a banker, account, government worker, I.T. guy. It kinda of took me back when I first met Mike Johnston. During first year, I was sitting happily among other geeky people in a computer science lab, one of my classes. Then in comes a tough looking mean guy with leather coat, leather boats with metal, a mohawk, and on top of that he towered over you (well we were sitting at the time afterall). I thought he was an extra from one of the "Road Warrior" films. Was he in the wrong class? This was computer science after all. Was that a metal boomerang in his hand? No... just a pile of books. He made a bee line right for the seat next to me. The first thought to come to my brain was "Can I use a print out to defend myself?" then "Ack! I don't have a printout!" and finally "Please don't hurt me.". Young, naive, over worked imagination. I possessed all three. I was shocked when he put on small wirey John Lennon nerdy glasses and said "Hello". Geeks come in all shapes and sizes.

All the listening and talking with other people, it soon occured to me that I was parched. I needed liquid sustenance. I went to the back of the room where there was a table of food. Pizza, cookies, coffee, tea, a tub of ice cubes. Drat! All the cold drinks were gone. It occured to me that I passed some coke machines down the hall before arriving at the conference room. Check the pockets. A five dollar bill! Since this was a networking thing I figured I'd introduce myself, then ask for change. The first three people, however interesting, where changeless. While trying to talk to them I could feel my sand paper like tongue getting drier by the minute. Trying my best not to be rude I exited each conversation by introducing the person I met to another person, allowing me to move to the next change victim.

Then like an oasis in a desert, I noticed the girl with the purse. "Change!" I thought to myself. I was willing to exchange the five for a toonie (that's a two dollar coin here in Canada). I was that thirsty. She had correct change and I noticed something familar about her. I couldn't put my finger on it. She had the same feeling but unlike me voiced it. "Where do I know you from?". We arrived at an answer in about two minutes. Once she said she worked at the Keg (a steak resturant) I immediately put together that she knew Michi and/or Kyoko. Then I remembered that I saw her during the christmas holidays with her dad at Kyokos house. Everything fell into place after that.

It was odd meeting a person from one group of friends through another group of friends without said friends knowing about it and saying "Oh yes by the way here's so and so...." It was truly a Kevin Bacon moment (The degree of seperation was one). Rochelle and Scott (her boy friend) who it turns out works with michi's boyfriend... what a small world, were at the seminar because they too knew Emmanuel.