gwendolyngrace (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
gwendolyngrace) wrote2011-07-30 12:03 am
gwendolyngrace) wrote2011-07-30 12:03 am
Entry tags:
Chance is a funny thing
Okay, so I haven't posted in forever, I know. Are you really surprised?
But I had such a weird and random day today I just had to share. I should mention that I've been reading "Mark Watches" for the past week. Like, a lot of it. So my writing style will reflect that. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. (See?)
First off, my feet hurt. Because as much as I love Converse All-Stars, they do tend to be just a touch narrow in the toes, so my little toes rub a bit. And OMG, I did a lot of walking today.
Also? The T hated me. But I was fated. I'll get to that.
So the first thing that happened today was I walked out of the house without my phone. And I got about 1/3 of the way to the bus and realized I didn't have it. So I went back. Hence, I had already walked almost twice as much as normal before even getting to the bus stop. (It's 1/2 a mile from my house to the bus.) As I got to the bus stop it was just pulling out. So I was late, because I'd gone back for my phone, and even more late, because I knew I had 5 minutes before the next bus left. But okay, I went to Dunkin' for an iced coffee because, hey, I had just walked 2/3 again my normal route and it was hot already and I was sweating and wanted a cold drink.
Got the bus but these delays meant I would miss the 47 out of Central. Should I get off anyway and wait until the next bus (20 minutes later)? Or stay on the train one more stop and try to get the CT2, not sure when it would come? OR stay on the train all the way to Park Street and switch lines and know that it would take another 1/2-hour extra?
I chanced the CT2, but apparently just missed it. At that point, it made the most sense to stay put - I couldn't get *back* to Central before the bus I would have caught there, and going forward would have added just as much time to my trek as waiting where I was. So wait I did. Luckily, no more incidents *getting* to work.
Work today involved a lot of walking because I had to take a FedEx envelope to the nearest drop box, which happened to be around the corner from the commuter office. So, against the next time I miss that 47 bus, I bought a ten-ride pass for the MASCO shuttle - yet another way to get to work! - which picks up at the same station as the 47, but runs more frequently at rush hour. YAY. I can use it if I need it.
Work also involved walking because I had to show the space we are renting to two gals from an office furniture/design company so they could put in a bid to furnish it. Meant walking with them up to the apartment and back. And it further involved walking because we were short-staffed today due to vacations and coverage and I had no one to walk over to the main hospital to put up the August schedules in the attendings' work room over there. I did that on the way out the door, right around 5, and came back to wait for the bus. Which meant I missed it. Again. And as I was standing there waiting, I realized I had to go back upstairs. Because it was going to rain tonight. And I forgot my baseball cap.
I turned out to be really glad I forgot that cap, though. Because it led to a series of fortunate events.
So, first, I'm standing on the bus (it eventually came), and two young ladies compliment me because, "Harry Potter is fresh!" they declared. (I guess "Fresh" is the new equivalent of "Cool" or "Awesome?" Whatever, it was clearly something that impressed them.) Fine. I started digging out Ascendio cards but they got off the bus too quickly. I sat down. (I should mention that this whole time, I've been about 30 pages from the end of the book I'm reading. More on that later.)
I bent over my book only to put it down again, because a few seconds later someone else is getting my attention. It's Julie, a former co-worker who also no longer works at the same place where we worked together! We spend the rest of the bus ride chatting about life and things and the people we know and all that stuff. I figure I'll be chatting with her all the way through Central Square, down into the train, to Harvard, and along a good part of Route 73, because I know from randomly running into her before (like, two years ago, I think, is the last time I saw her), that she and I live on the same route.
But no.
As we get off the bus to walk to the subway entrance, she asks me, "So, what did you think of the last HP movie?" I start answering, and at that very moment notice that we're walking behind a girl who has a "Dumbledore's Army" messenger bag. I comment on this! The girl, however, did not hear me saying that - she heard us talking about the movie, the "Epilogue," and turns to say, "Are you talking about Harry Potter?" She's wearing a "Harry Otter" t-shirt - the same one![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
beatricedwinter gave me for my birthday one year, except mine's from Georgia and hers is from some different aquarium, can't even remember which one. YAY! Random fangirl moment!
We continue walking and she says, "So, are you going to Harvard Square for Harry on the Square tonight?"
Harry on the Square? WHAT IS THAT?
She explains that the Harvard Bookstore and a bunch of other places have organized an "anniversary" event to recreate the festival of the Harvard Square Deathly Hallows release party (I WAS THERE and SO WAS SHE!) and there's a concert on Brattle Street featuring Harry & the Potters and Draco & the Malfoys and such. And the Emerson and BU Quidditch teams (they're so cute!).
WHAT?
Okay. I was going to go HOME and EAT and finish sewing my hakama tonight - because OMG PENNSIC IS ALMOST HERE - but.... Yeah! I'm in.
Oh, and there was another wonderfully random moment when we were standing on the platform all three of us talking and yet *another* guy walks up to us to ask if the new Batman trailer was shown with HPDHpt2 - which led to us boarding the train talking about Captain America, comic books, Batman, Comic-CON, movies, and so on, and I look down and there's yet ANOTHER guy sitting on the train reading "Game of Thrones." Unfortunately (or fortunately?) he was wearing headphones so we didn't have yet ANOTHER fandom collision moment.
Well, we get to Harvard and bid Julie farewell to go catch the other bus (the one we would have otherwise taken together) and I allow myself to go where the wind blows me for the night.
Of course, I am totally unprepared. Because I did not KNOW THIS WAS HAPPENING before it all started happening.
I dig through my bag for the few Ascendio cards I have on me - about 40 - and later when we went and scarfed some food (Dunkin, again), I did a more exhaustive search, coming up with another 20 or so - and a Slytherin badge. Huzzah! I have random Potterica on me, woot. And of course, my hat. and my PHONE, which turns out to be very important because guess what? My new Potter friend forgot hers, and she was trying to hook up with a friend of hers, so we used mine. See? I knew there was a reason I had to go back for it!
We proceed to a rather amusing exercise of meeting up with Potter folks - some we know and some we don't - and eventually getting a concert (MC Kreacher, Draco & the Malfoys, and some of Harry & the Potters). We got separated at one point, and a few people left to get ice cream, where we proceeded to geek out about the books.
Why is it that even though I'm completely disenchanted with the last three books (STILL) and apart from running cons and playing Alternity, I really don't participate much anymore in fandom - and yet I will STILL discuss and debate the books and the world of HP at the drop of a hat? Why? WHY?
Anyway. Upshot is: LOTS more walking. And standing. And I still had to come home. And walk that 1/2 mile. In the rain.
Ow.
And I need more Ascendio business cards.
I did finish my book after getting home (okay, I read about 5 pages on the bus too). Fun fact: I bought it from an author at Aeternitas and I pretty much believe that it started its life as a Snape/Hermione fanfic, probably. Or Snape/OC, possibly. But definitely Snape/student.
So, yeah. Welcome to my world of Random. Only in my life would missing a bus (twice) and forgetting my phone and my hat and everything else today LEAD me to a serpendipitous discovery of Potter activity. Yeah.
But I had such a weird and random day today I just had to share. I should mention that I've been reading "Mark Watches" for the past week. Like, a lot of it. So my writing style will reflect that. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. (See?)
First off, my feet hurt. Because as much as I love Converse All-Stars, they do tend to be just a touch narrow in the toes, so my little toes rub a bit. And OMG, I did a lot of walking today.
Also? The T hated me. But I was fated. I'll get to that.
So the first thing that happened today was I walked out of the house without my phone. And I got about 1/3 of the way to the bus and realized I didn't have it. So I went back. Hence, I had already walked almost twice as much as normal before even getting to the bus stop. (It's 1/2 a mile from my house to the bus.) As I got to the bus stop it was just pulling out. So I was late, because I'd gone back for my phone, and even more late, because I knew I had 5 minutes before the next bus left. But okay, I went to Dunkin' for an iced coffee because, hey, I had just walked 2/3 again my normal route and it was hot already and I was sweating and wanted a cold drink.
Got the bus but these delays meant I would miss the 47 out of Central. Should I get off anyway and wait until the next bus (20 minutes later)? Or stay on the train one more stop and try to get the CT2, not sure when it would come? OR stay on the train all the way to Park Street and switch lines and know that it would take another 1/2-hour extra?
I chanced the CT2, but apparently just missed it. At that point, it made the most sense to stay put - I couldn't get *back* to Central before the bus I would have caught there, and going forward would have added just as much time to my trek as waiting where I was. So wait I did. Luckily, no more incidents *getting* to work.
Work today involved a lot of walking because I had to take a FedEx envelope to the nearest drop box, which happened to be around the corner from the commuter office. So, against the next time I miss that 47 bus, I bought a ten-ride pass for the MASCO shuttle - yet another way to get to work! - which picks up at the same station as the 47, but runs more frequently at rush hour. YAY. I can use it if I need it.
Work also involved walking because I had to show the space we are renting to two gals from an office furniture/design company so they could put in a bid to furnish it. Meant walking with them up to the apartment and back. And it further involved walking because we were short-staffed today due to vacations and coverage and I had no one to walk over to the main hospital to put up the August schedules in the attendings' work room over there. I did that on the way out the door, right around 5, and came back to wait for the bus. Which meant I missed it. Again. And as I was standing there waiting, I realized I had to go back upstairs. Because it was going to rain tonight. And I forgot my baseball cap.
I turned out to be really glad I forgot that cap, though. Because it led to a series of fortunate events.
So, first, I'm standing on the bus (it eventually came), and two young ladies compliment me because, "Harry Potter is fresh!" they declared. (I guess "Fresh" is the new equivalent of "Cool" or "Awesome?" Whatever, it was clearly something that impressed them.) Fine. I started digging out Ascendio cards but they got off the bus too quickly. I sat down. (I should mention that this whole time, I've been about 30 pages from the end of the book I'm reading. More on that later.)
I bent over my book only to put it down again, because a few seconds later someone else is getting my attention. It's Julie, a former co-worker who also no longer works at the same place where we worked together! We spend the rest of the bus ride chatting about life and things and the people we know and all that stuff. I figure I'll be chatting with her all the way through Central Square, down into the train, to Harvard, and along a good part of Route 73, because I know from randomly running into her before (like, two years ago, I think, is the last time I saw her), that she and I live on the same route.
But no.
As we get off the bus to walk to the subway entrance, she asks me, "So, what did you think of the last HP movie?" I start answering, and at that very moment notice that we're walking behind a girl who has a "Dumbledore's Army" messenger bag. I comment on this! The girl, however, did not hear me saying that - she heard us talking about the movie, the "Epilogue," and turns to say, "Are you talking about Harry Potter?" She's wearing a "Harry Otter" t-shirt - the same one
beatricedwinter gave me for my birthday one year, except mine's from Georgia and hers is from some different aquarium, can't even remember which one. YAY! Random fangirl moment!We continue walking and she says, "So, are you going to Harvard Square for Harry on the Square tonight?"
Harry on the Square? WHAT IS THAT?
She explains that the Harvard Bookstore and a bunch of other places have organized an "anniversary" event to recreate the festival of the Harvard Square Deathly Hallows release party (I WAS THERE and SO WAS SHE!) and there's a concert on Brattle Street featuring Harry & the Potters and Draco & the Malfoys and such. And the Emerson and BU Quidditch teams (they're so cute!).
WHAT?
Okay. I was going to go HOME and EAT and finish sewing my hakama tonight - because OMG PENNSIC IS ALMOST HERE - but.... Yeah! I'm in.
Oh, and there was another wonderfully random moment when we were standing on the platform all three of us talking and yet *another* guy walks up to us to ask if the new Batman trailer was shown with HPDHpt2 - which led to us boarding the train talking about Captain America, comic books, Batman, Comic-CON, movies, and so on, and I look down and there's yet ANOTHER guy sitting on the train reading "Game of Thrones." Unfortunately (or fortunately?) he was wearing headphones so we didn't have yet ANOTHER fandom collision moment.
Well, we get to Harvard and bid Julie farewell to go catch the other bus (the one we would have otherwise taken together) and I allow myself to go where the wind blows me for the night.
Of course, I am totally unprepared. Because I did not KNOW THIS WAS HAPPENING before it all started happening.
I dig through my bag for the few Ascendio cards I have on me - about 40 - and later when we went and scarfed some food (Dunkin, again), I did a more exhaustive search, coming up with another 20 or so - and a Slytherin badge. Huzzah! I have random Potterica on me, woot. And of course, my hat. and my PHONE, which turns out to be very important because guess what? My new Potter friend forgot hers, and she was trying to hook up with a friend of hers, so we used mine. See? I knew there was a reason I had to go back for it!
We proceed to a rather amusing exercise of meeting up with Potter folks - some we know and some we don't - and eventually getting a concert (MC Kreacher, Draco & the Malfoys, and some of Harry & the Potters). We got separated at one point, and a few people left to get ice cream, where we proceeded to geek out about the books.
Why is it that even though I'm completely disenchanted with the last three books (STILL) and apart from running cons and playing Alternity, I really don't participate much anymore in fandom - and yet I will STILL discuss and debate the books and the world of HP at the drop of a hat? Why? WHY?
Anyway. Upshot is: LOTS more walking. And standing. And I still had to come home. And walk that 1/2 mile. In the rain.
Ow.
And I need more Ascendio business cards.
I did finish my book after getting home (okay, I read about 5 pages on the bus too). Fun fact: I bought it from an author at Aeternitas and I pretty much believe that it started its life as a Snape/Hermione fanfic, probably. Or Snape/OC, possibly. But definitely Snape/student.
So, yeah. Welcome to my world of Random. Only in my life would missing a bus (twice) and forgetting my phone and my hat and everything else today LEAD me to a serpendipitous discovery of Potter activity. Yeah.
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Also getting ready to come home (which is the more important bit of this anyway). Back to packing and showering and dressing!
See you Very Soon (I didn't mean that to sound ominous. does that sound ominous?)!
♥
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