Coincidence? I think so

As I mentioned in Tuesday’s post, Train Guy and I met one year ago today. I’m not one to believe that it was “fate” or that we are destined to be together but I do love the coincidences and the random way in which we met. Yes, I made reservations for us at our favorite restaurant (which he doesn’t know about) but we didn’t take the train in to work today to relive it.

Last night Train Guy sends me an e-mail that says:

"So I'm clearing out my phone's camera gallery because I tried to take a picture today and the memory was full. I'm looking through some of the old pictures and happen to stumble upon this picture that I took of the train strike, dated November 3rd 2005 at 5:38pm. Look who's in the foreground. Weird coincidence. I wonder if this is before or after I talked to you...I think before."

I must admit that I love the fact that we actually have photo documentation of pretty much the minute we met. It makes me smile. I may even love this photo more than when he placed a small box in my lap on the car ride in this morning. It’s the most beautiful pearl necklace from this amazing jeweler in Center City; very different with black, white and pink pearls. He knows me so well. Apparently he bought it a month ago to be my Christmas present but I told him the other week I wanted new dish towels for x-mas so he figured he’d give me the necklace today.

Is it sad that I’m really excited about the new dish towels too?

So you know when....

So you know when you’re really tired and work is driving you crazy and you feel like you have no time to breathe let alone relax (or BLOG for that matter) and you’re dealing with this other thing that’s driving you absolutely batty because you’re totally preoccupied with it and why the hell can’t the rest of the planet just realize that you have something else to worry about right now, thank you very much, so just back the fuck off and one thing you are NOT is patient so when it comes to this situation where your emotions are running to opposite extremes every five seconds you wish this preoccupying situation would just fucking resolve itself already for Christ’s sake? Yeah, me too.

Common thievery

Someone stole two pumpkins off my front stoop last night. I don’t know why either. For one thing, in the past when “friends” stole pumpkins “they” never took them far instead opting to smash them either on the sidewalk or in the middle of the street. No pumpkins were smashed anywhere in my neighborhood because I didn’t see any when I walked the dogs this morning. Then there is the other issue that my pumpkins were rotting. It’s been going from 34 degrees to 70 degrees here lately and the backs of the pumpkins were looking gross. Who the hell goes to all the effort to carry away TWO rotting pumpkins?

I guess I don’t care too much as they saved me the hassle of throwing them out. So to whoever stole my pumpkins, thank you. I appreciate it! Same time next year?

Sliding doors

It’s interesting watching all the people at my company freak out that they may lose their jobs. I swear I can hear the resumes being typed up all the way from Ohio. I’m pretty lackadaisical about the whole thing. I went thru this 5 years ago and that’s how I ended up in Cincinnati for two years, eight months and some change. It actually was a good thing I think. I moved, got myself out of debt and realized things about myself I’m not so sure I would have learned as quickly as I did if I hadn’t gone. I also got two awesome dogs and then had the sheer joy of moving BACK to Philly. Wow, there is no better high, really.

I’m a big fan of the movie Sliding Doors. Rent it if you haven’t seen it, really. Or e-mail me and I’ll mail you my copy to borrow. In it, Gwyneth Paltrow’s character’s life is shown in two parallel stories all starting from if she catches the London tube or if she doors slide shut and she misses that one train. I love thinking about things like that. I would never have met train guy one year ago this Friday if he hadn’t, for once, tried to catch the 5:06 train home. We also would never have started talking if the train lines hadn’t gone down and we would never have met if I hadn’t stopped to go to the bathroom at work before racing to catch the train.

Of course we all know every minute of every day is a sliding doors moment. Would I have met Train Guy if I hadn’t moved to Cincinnati, gotten two dogs, hated the city, moved back to Philly and bought a house because the dogs needed a yard and so therefore needed to take the train to work? How about if my company kept me working in our New Jersey office and not given me the opportunity to work in the Philly office?

I love thinking about the chain of events that go into motion with every single phone call we make, street that we cross and random trip to the bathroom we run to. Needless to say, my company’s sale could seriously alter lots of peoples’ lives. I just wish that all those people who are worried (understandably so if you’re supporting a family, have a mortgage, are breathing, etc.) would think about all the positive things that could come about and use that positive energy to make things happen. Instead I see people miserable and scared and panicking and all I can help but think is that it just can’t be a good thing. Be positive, you probably won’t lose your job and you were hired by an excellent company because you are good. There will be a lot of other companies that will feel the same way.

And really, you never know who you'll meet or the new opportunities that await you. It could be great. I mean look at me, in that post I wrote I couldn't think of Train Guy "like that" and we all know I've been thinking about him "like that" for a good ten months now. Oh who the hell am I kidding, I was thinking about him "like that" the minute he got in line behind me.

Again with the apologies

So it's been a little crazy in my life as of late. I have about a zillion posts organized neatly in my head but haven't had five minutes to sit down and type them out. I've planned on it but then something would happen like my sister coming to town with her daughter, or being distracted by needing to order a new DirecTV receiver for my bedroom or my company being put up for sale. Oh yeah, little stuff like that. So, needless to say, it's been hectic and stressful.

But, on a more positive note, anyone want to buy my company? Only $5 billion (yes, that's with a "B") and, yes, we do turn a profit. Anyone? Anyone? There are even some halfway decent employees that would come with the deal. Actually, roughly 2,000 of them. Any takers? No? Yes? Well, if you are interested just shoot me an e-mail. Thanks.