auld lang syne
Today has been a day of extraordinary circumstance. From the beginning:
Saturday night each week, I typically go play Magic with my friends. lirelyn spent last night at her parents' place, and didn't want to drive back into town if I was going to be out all night, so I had the afternoon to entertain myself. There's a wine- and beer-tasting every Saturday wherein a number of my local acquaintances meet up, but I don't usually make an appearance because drinking a bunch doesn't mix well with driving to my friend's place for cards.
Today, though, I decided to wander over to the wine-tasting a bit earlier in the afternoon, giving me time to recover before driving, then order some dinner to go from the Thai place before I hit the road. Tonight ended up being a special treat -- they had a sake-tasting as well, so I got to try a sampler of fancy sake. More to the point, I ran into one of my friends from my old comic book shop days, Davy Crockett. (Yes, that's really his name.) I haven't seen him in at least ten years, probably closer to twelve. We hung out and chatted about old times until I got hungry enough to head off to order dinner.
Running behind due to meeting an unexpected friend, I got to the restaurant during the dinner rush, and had to wait half an hour for my food to be prepared. Fortunately, there's a good cafe right next door, so I popped in to order a mocha. While there, I bumped into a woman I'd seen around my apartment building.
Side story: the other day, I accidentally got off the elevator in our building at the wrong floor, and tried to let myself into the wrong apartment. It turns out she lives one floor below me. While excusing myself for trying to break into her apartment, I noticed that I recognized the surname on the door, but didn't think to ask about it at the time.
Seeing her at the cafe, I said, "Your last name is Saidel? Are you related to Burt Saidel, by any chance?" And she pointed up to the register, where her father, Burt, and his wife were paying for coffee. I introduced myself to him, and asked if he remembered my grandfather. Not surprisingly, he did -- the two of them were like brothers. They ran a dental practice together for a number of years and were the closest of friends. They were *overjoyed* to talk to me. We'd met once before, at my high school graduation, but never really talked since. I got to hear some wonderful stories about my grandfather, and an invitation to come visit before I head to law school.
Life is a funny thing, when accidentally trying to let yourself into the wrong apartment leads you back to a generations-long family friendship. Really, what a wonderful evening.
Saturday night each week, I typically go play Magic with my friends. lirelyn spent last night at her parents' place, and didn't want to drive back into town if I was going to be out all night, so I had the afternoon to entertain myself. There's a wine- and beer-tasting every Saturday wherein a number of my local acquaintances meet up, but I don't usually make an appearance because drinking a bunch doesn't mix well with driving to my friend's place for cards.
Today, though, I decided to wander over to the wine-tasting a bit earlier in the afternoon, giving me time to recover before driving, then order some dinner to go from the Thai place before I hit the road. Tonight ended up being a special treat -- they had a sake-tasting as well, so I got to try a sampler of fancy sake. More to the point, I ran into one of my friends from my old comic book shop days, Davy Crockett. (Yes, that's really his name.) I haven't seen him in at least ten years, probably closer to twelve. We hung out and chatted about old times until I got hungry enough to head off to order dinner.
Running behind due to meeting an unexpected friend, I got to the restaurant during the dinner rush, and had to wait half an hour for my food to be prepared. Fortunately, there's a good cafe right next door, so I popped in to order a mocha. While there, I bumped into a woman I'd seen around my apartment building.
Side story: the other day, I accidentally got off the elevator in our building at the wrong floor, and tried to let myself into the wrong apartment. It turns out she lives one floor below me. While excusing myself for trying to break into her apartment, I noticed that I recognized the surname on the door, but didn't think to ask about it at the time.
Seeing her at the cafe, I said, "Your last name is Saidel? Are you related to Burt Saidel, by any chance?" And she pointed up to the register, where her father, Burt, and his wife were paying for coffee. I introduced myself to him, and asked if he remembered my grandfather. Not surprisingly, he did -- the two of them were like brothers. They ran a dental practice together for a number of years and were the closest of friends. They were *overjoyed* to talk to me. We'd met once before, at my high school graduation, but never really talked since. I got to hear some wonderful stories about my grandfather, and an invitation to come visit before I head to law school.
Life is a funny thing, when accidentally trying to let yourself into the wrong apartment leads you back to a generations-long family friendship. Really, what a wonderful evening.