And we all shine on.

Instant karma's gonna get you

Yesterday, I got out of work and headed home, making a short list in my head of the things I'd need from my local Osco before heading home, and then heading out for a drink with my dearly beloved roommate and best friend. As I was walking to the store, I passed by the Globe, where I saw one of the owners standing, talking with someone, and blatantly people-watching.

Gonna knock you right on the head

I was paying attention to him, as he was talking directly at me, making comments about my business attire, so I didn't notice what had happened to the bar. They painted the doors blue, and the rest orange. I was instantly taken aback. "[N]!" I cried, "what the fuck happened to the bar?" He told me they were sprucing it up a bit. "But why orange?"

"It isn't orange, Dave. It's copper."

"Dude, that is orange."

Apparently, the paint is supposed to dry to a copper color. I'll believe it when I see it, not before, but I will report that the place is butt-ugly from the outside right now.

You better get yourself together
We chatted a couple extra minutes, but I had places to go, so I bid my farewell and walked on down the road, as it were. I came to the crossroads- literally and figuratively. Do I walk up Damen, the "shorter" route, or walk up Lincoln, the road less traveled, ergo more exciting?

I chose the road less traveled. Why not? It seemed like a good idea at the time.

I strolled, happily, around the corner to the west entrance to Osco, and lo and behold, the woman I had been thinking of all day was there. No, friends and neighbors, this isn't a romantic story. It's a karmic story.

Let me sum up:
A couple weekends ago I rode my bike down to the local Trader Joe's for the usual provisions and a few bottles of wine. As I walked to the entrance, a woman had a table up for the upcoming Leukemia run. She asked if I had some money to spare. I didn't, at the time, as I was paying by card that day, but I told her we'd talk on my way out.

I kept my promise. I told her that I ran a pub quiz in the neighborhood, and that I would probably be able to divert the fundraising away from my charity for a night and donate the money to hers. When I told her how much we usually take in, her eyes lit up. She gave me her phone number, as she was out of business cards, but the pen ran out of ink on the last number.

I've been saving the number, meaning to call her. Yesterday morning, I finally wrote it down in my palm pilot, and set an alarm for after I got home. Let's get back to outside the Osco.

I commented on how odd it was that I had been thinking of her all day, and that I usually don't walk up Lincoln to get to the store, and how amazing it was that she was right there. She said "I'm so glad you listen to your intuition." I call it my Jedi skills, but hey, basically the same thing, right?

We chatted extensively. She was getting a lot more business than the last time I had saw her. I gave her all my information, and told her that I would be in contact with her on Monday, after I get back into town. We discussed dates, and made further arrangements for her to stop by and see the pub quiz in action, and make sure it's something she'd want to do.

I have to admit that I love moments like that, where my brain and fate seem to be kicking back a couple beers and pointing me in the right direction. This definitely put a well-needed smile on my face.