There's a recent trend in my life...bumping into people when I most need to see them, wonder desperately where they've gotten off to, or when I am not in any way thinking of them, but am delighted to see them all the same.

About a week ago I ran into a former coworker (he was referred to here as "Editor Boy") on the corner of Charles & Preston. This morning I was running a little later than usual and when I got to this fateful corner, realized that I did not have enough cereal for a full bowl once I got to work. So I stopped into XS (coffee bar, sushi bar, breakfast joint) for something. There he was again. Now I know the routine. I'm running late, I see him on or near Charles & Preston...

I've already mentioned that the Sunday before last, just before this Ice Debacle, I ran into an old friend who was wearing a Key Lime trench coat. She waved at me frantically from her car. I had been thinking about her, off and on, for the last two years. Because I decided to go to the nicer market, I saw her. I nearly went to the other grocery store. A split second decision led to serendipity.

I was on The University's campus today for business-related affairs. This is in no way usual, and my needing to be there was a last-minute thing. But once I realized I'd need to go, I had the strangest feeling I would see MNFA (my now former advisor). You may be thinking that this is not really odd or serendipitous since he teaches there. But given that he teaches at night in the MA program only, to see him walking about on the campus in broad day light is something I would never bank on.

In any case, there I was ambling about and then... there he was. I managed to catch up to him and we had an exchange that set my mind totally at ease where the Drunken Thank-You Dinner (DTYD) of two weeks ago is concerned. Really, I was quite embarrassed, and though it was not likely that I had eliminated all academic and literary credibility in one night, I still feared the worst. It was hard to reconcile his affability with the fact of my behavior (as I recalled it with staggering clarity the next day). Needless to say, his manner toward me was just as it always is. But I decided to allude to the evening, just to totally ease my mind. I told him that I hoped he'd had a good time, said "I wasn't quite myself..." and without missing a beat he said "I had a blast! It was so much fun!" There. A prayer answered.

In other news, I've agreed to have coffee with two perfect strangers. Not at the same time, though. All in the interest of casting a wide net. Aggressively, but not foolishly, open.