Week 5 - July 7 - 13, 2001

Fate or coincidence. I'm not sure which one caused what happened this week, but I've been left reeling by the sheer amount of bizarre coincidences around here.

Sunday I went to a barbeque at my cousin's house about an hour from here. I haven't seen this cousin in about four years so I'm not really sure what to expect. At first, it's just my family and we play a board (ahem bored) game to pass the time until everyone else arrives. And then everyone else arrives, and I meet Matt, my cousin's best friend, who just got a tattoo. I decide it's okay to share the story about my roommate in first year who had three ugly tattoos, including one of Winnie the Pooh. We all laugh; someone gives me a Corona. The barbeque is finally ready and we all find places to eat. Matt tries to find the other guys, but he sits down next to me and we talk while we eat. He's kind of cute and definitely funny and easy to talk to, and I'm sort of smitten.

Later, on the way home (the rest of the party is a boring tale), my aunt explains that Matt was married for four years. In April his wife just decided she didn't want to be married anymore. Which explains the tattoo.

Monday, Matt calls to remind me to tell the boss that he's willing to take Annie's job for the summer. Annie had reccommend him, and Boss remembered him because Matt was at the opening of the really ugly funeral home. Oh yeah, Annie left. The boss called him and makes an appointment, but I don't know for when so I forget about. But I had noticed when Matt called that he sounded nervous. I thought it was the job. Wednesday, after being called in to take an ad photo on my day off, I ran into Matt in the parking lot. He said hello, and I talked to him for a few minutes. He's supposed to meet the boss, who's late. Phew, he's not stalking me in the parking lot like John. Anyway, he asks if I'm still bored later if I might want to hang out. I run home because it's raining, and though I have my raincoat it's in the bottom of my bag so it gives me an escape. As I'm heading home, I see the boss pull out of his driveway, on his way to the meeting he's apparently forgotten. An hour later, Matt shows up at the door of the mother hen's. So I at least look dazed and busy, with my half-read book in my hand. Though I'm not sure how he found out where I live. I don't want to ask the boss if he told Matt or not. I don't want to raise suspicion or end up sounding like I really didn't want Matt to stop by (though it was a shock).

It's just that he's recently divorced, ten years older than I am, working here at the paper, and my cousin's best friend. That's a little scary. My horoscope says I should call him. The Magic 8 ball says I should call him (even if it is a malfunctioning French one). I should probably call him and let him know that despite all four reasons above (oh, the fifth: he's probably rebounding) I would be willing to go out with him. Because why the hell am I so nervous about him if it means nothing?

I'm taking my signs as they come.

By the way, I'm reading a book called Bloom's morning which is a semiotic (study of signs) of everyday life. Super interesting but it's made me aware of all the normal things that we overlook the meaning of all the time.

Forget horoscopes and the randomness of meeting people when you do.

Oh and there have been other weird coincidences. It turns out that Annie once wrote a story about my cousin and his now-wife and how he asked her to marry him over the campus radio station. And Matt was mentioned in the story because his-then wife was the DJ on the show.

See, this is all a little weird. And I don't usually date people I meet through my family. Or else I would have taken my dad up on that blind date offer with his friend's son (who happened to be the object of desire of half my friends at school). Plus, I feel very weird about dating people at work. That's due to that whole John thing. But I'm going to call him tonight. Really. I think it might be good for me to actually have someone to date in this pathetic little town.