Thomas McDermott, one of those people you meet while you're walking down the street.
Walking down the street, eating at a restaurant, sitting on the subway, perusing a comic shop, leafing through a book store, standing in line for a movie, whatever the case may be eventually it happens. I bump into someone I know. For me it's not so amazing that this happens. I'm more amazed that friends find this amazing. I usually get lines "Wow you know so many people.", "You have lots of friends.", or the ever popular "Are there any places we can go where we won't bump into someone you know?"
Statisically speaking, the odds are pretty good that I should run into someone I know as I was born in Toronto and have lived in Toronto all my life. For the most part, I've lived somewhat downtown or near downtown for all those years, gone to school and took all my post secondary courses downtown. Mathematically then I really should be bumping into people I know.
There are times when I may go somewhere for the first time and be surrounded by whole new people. The only reason I don't get any of the above comments is that usually I'm doing these new things alone. For the most part a lot of my friends from the various circles do not like to jump circles. One person I know through computer animation work will not go to a cryogenics meeting. This is based on the fact the head freezing crowd exceeds the geek quotient by even him. Close minded comes to mind but one person's crap is another person's treasure and all that. The same could be said for some of my other friends who are not technophiles. I would never take them to a computer convention because their eyes would glaze over and it would be like walking around with discontented zombies. If I'm really unlucky they won't verbalize their boredom until afterwards. Then be constantly reminding you of what a crummy time they had. Note: If you're bored say so. The other person (me) may not pick up on this right away.
To Women: It's like taking a guy shopping for a purse. Unless that purse has some quality that makes it interesting for him he will probably be fixated on the store across the mall, his shoes, or maybe even his watch (and how slow the second hand seems to be moving). The fact that a purse goes well with a outfit you have is not really a big deal for the guy. There are of course the exceptions but for the most part it's true. Sorry to tell you this.
If, on the other hand, the purse had a LCD screen walkie talkie, or a fart maker (controlled by a small remote of course), or even some high tech anti theft device involving some sort of small explosion (or could hold cameras) then perhaps he might be interested. Disclaimer: Okay the guys point of view is really my point of view but I'm sure other guys think the same way.
There are those that believe that meeting people is the universe doing it's thing and everything happens for a reason. Personally, I think it's more just coincidence. I met Thomas (see above) today walking around Kensington market. I didn't really think it had any profound meaning. Although I did walk into one of his friends five minutes earlier looking for a lobster. If my purpose in the universe was to tell her where he was then maybe there's something to that whole theory. Then again it did inspire this blog entry. hmmm...
4 comments:
Hm. Purses. This from a guy that owns (at least he used to) more purses than any girl I know. Okay, perhaps we should call them camera bags, because I think they're all full of cameras now... But I know you used to have a purse full of purse-like things such as business cards, wallet, candy and toys. And you had to have shopped for it at some point. Didn't have a walkie talkie or fart maker. (There's some toy out there called a fartbox, in case you're interested.) Incidentally, most purses nowadays come with lots of special pockets for a ladies celphone, blackberry, secret feminine things, and for all I know, for their fart makers.
On the subject of women, I have observed that women (at least the ones that I know, perhaps this is not a generalization of this society over all) seem to to two things better than men - go to the man-in-her-lifes boring event without complaining (ever! - because she hopes he will someday do the same, which he never does. At some point, perhaps, she will abandon him at one of these events and if he ever notices she is gone, he will most likely never know why) and avoid these boring events - have a lovely time at the convention, dear, I'm going purse shopping.
Why is it that one person can have many friends from different circles, and yet the people within those circles don't like to have friends outside that, their own circle. These chameleon people who can blend into this circle or that circle, are they rare? If everyone could fit into any circle, would there be circles any more? Are we (metaphorically speaking, of course) the shape of the circles we choose? Some of us simple, straight forward, round; some of us several circles together, like the olympic rings; some of us great blobby masses? I suspect the norn would be the several circle senerio. What about those people who have very few friends, and they must accomodate those friends interests to be social, because their own interests are solitary or they have not found other members for their own circle yet? Circle of one? Are they a square, then? I challenge anyone to try someone elses circle with an open mind, if just occassionally, to remind us all that this is a big world full of more shapes than any of us can imagine!
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I think Anonymous is nuts.
arrr... it's McDermott, but that
is beside the point. Yes, I called her later and now she is somewhere in England finding Battenburg Cake for me. Snappy! Sometimes the orbits of different people intersect in a constructive way-like sound or fusion cooking.
I believe in the power of Bagelhot and I shall be rewarded. Keep taking pictures.
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