today...

standing in the security line at la guardia, i was made to wait awhile. see, i lost my passport, so was only in possession of an official (though kind of unofficial, compared to a passport) document saying i could travel by air, courtesy of the canadian consulate of new york city. and so, i had to wait a little, while the security guy checked out said document.

as i stood there, someone beside me said, "Madeleine?" rather incredulously. turning, i saw an old acquaintance, from college days, whom i hadn't seen in, oh, about 7 years. he and his fiancee were just passing through the city, on their way to toronto from london, where they live. it was really nice to see him. and if i hadn't been waiting, i wouldn't have.

the security guard, after witnessing this reunion, said to me,

"see? if i hadn't held you back - you wouldn't have run into your friend. ... everything happens for a reason!"

everything happens for a reason! the idiotic wisdom i spout constantly! that is my catch phrase, so much that i have turned it into an acronym (EHFAR), for crying out loud! and here it was, being fed back to me by a random border security guy in an airport.

so very poetic. and so fitting, after a year of strange coincidences, happy accidents, serendipitous encounters, and seemingly annoying but ultimately helpful occurrences.

he was right. everything does happen for a reason. sometimes it just takes awhile for those reasons to surface.

i'm dreaming of a wet christmas.

the treetops are glistening alright - but it's all precipitation. but whatever we seem to be lacking in pretty white stuff, we're making up for in holiday goodness. i guess it's not too surprising that a frenetic city gets frenetically festive: the streets are strung with lights that hang from street lamp to street lamp. trees are sold on every corner. even the pub i was in last night was absolutely plastered with twinkly lights and wreaths and santa stickers. a marching band is out near my apartment every night playing carols.

everything is kitschy and wonderful. i mean, merry and bright. i mean, merry and rainy.


regardless, it's good.

goodness.

time keeps on slipping. and as it slips, so does my writing into a quiet oblivion. i really need to be more proactive with the upkeep of my meandering musings. i mean, what will i go back and laugh at, years on, if i don't document the idiotic adventures i've been having - the crazy things i see - the strange little moments i encounter? my memories? no, no, i need the mono-blogue, if only to fill in gaps my mind will surely develop.

so from now on, more of my snore-inducing chronicles.

lately....

in a bookstore on orchard, i heard a woman exclaim to the salesguy,

"Stuff White People Like?"

to which the un-white salesguy wittily replied,

"Yeah..white people like that book a lot."


loved. that.

elsewhere - much random socializing. this is the revolving door of my life in the big city full of little people that hop in and out of each other's existences. a few are sticking, and i like them very much. we had some epic adventures this past weekend - went to the tenement museum, had a chinese feast at congee village (but no congee, of course), to a few new bars, and a few old favorites - one in particular, is starting to feel a bit like my local. it is 2 blocks from my house, after all.

it was santa con that night - an annual event where hundreds of drunken frat boys dress as santa and carouse through the city's bars and pubs. why grown ups like to dress up so much i'll never know. a return to non-innocence, perhaps? an excuse to act stupid? probably the latter. twas surreal though, being surrounded by santas and accquaintance-friends, toasting brooklyn lager and discussing the state of our world. and by state of our world, i don't mean politics. i mean silly things, like books and music. and by silly, i mean very important, of course.

and now, a week till christmas. how that happened, i'm not sure. was buried under a stack of work the size of rhode island, i guess. and there was the holiday party - a ridiculously silly event that involved fez hats and mayhem on a stormy night in chelsea. or was it chelsea? to be honest, i don't know. but it was fancier than i normally am, that's for sure.

anyhow, enough of this yimmer yams. i will be back with something more articulate (i hope) soon. till then, till then.