Day 100: Small World

[anarchist_nomad]

Last month, my beloved cheshcat started a new job. This is a Good Thing^TM, as it is much better -- in a variety of ways -- from her previous position.

Yesterday, I learned that one of her new colleagues is living in our old flat. Go figure! Apparently, this came up in a conversation about carpeting. Said colleague made a comment about an awful orange carpet in his flat. Based on this and other circumstantial evidence -- like knowledge of the Oxford neighbourhood where he lives -- she asked him if he lived at [OUR OLD ADDRESS]. Indeed, he does... and has been for about six months.

This strange coincidence is both amusing and useful. It is amusing because, although Oxford is a small city, it is not that small! There are about 150,000 people living here! We lived in that flat for twenty-eight months. After we moved out, seventeen months ago, it sat empty for about a year. The odds of cheshcat starting a new position with the person who just moved into our old space is really rather small... and I find the coincidence to be quite remarkable!

"Amusing, yes. But what about useful?" you may ask, gentle readers! Well, today said colleague came into work with a pile of mail for cheshcat -- mail for her and I that had been mistakenly delivered to his flat! Most of it was junk, as we have changed our address with most people and places. However, there was one gem in the rough. A couple of weeks ago, I received a letter from AB[*]. In it were various and sundry letters -- mostly related to Bermanian news -- and two silver three pence pieces! Huzzah! One is from 1933, bearing the features of George V; the other dates to 1938 and displays a portrait of George VI. I had recently been wondering where these coins may have gone off to, as AB had promised to send them to me some time ago! Thanks to this remarkable coincidence, they are now safely being added to my collection of British coinage! Hooray!

Hmmmmm... I wonder if cheshcat can get her colleague to invite us over sometime. I would love to see our old place again!

---

[*] King of Bermania and husband to the lovely rbdarkly, for those of you who know the man I speak of.

Comments

[bunnypip.livejournal.com]

I was most amused by this. I'm sorry that your LJ flist can't all get the humourous benefit of the vocal delivery version that I had on the phone :-D

What can I say? Oxford is a small city in (it seems) a small world.

I'm glad there was some mail worth having and not just more fodder for the recycling fairies :-)

xxx

[anarchist-nomad.livejournal.com]

*grin* Thank you, Beloved! *big smiles*

I am, indeed, rather pleased with the coincidence... and rather delighted by the new coins! Yay!

(Will take you home and show them to you tomorrow, if you like! *wink*)

[bunnypip.livejournal.com]

Goodness me, Doctor!

Got any etchings?

xxx

[anarchist-nomad.livejournal.com]

I was thinking that perhaps some... reconnecting... might be in order? Hmmmm? *mischievous wink*
XXX

*rasies eyebrows over glasses*

[bunnypip.livejournal.com]

Oh, I see ...

perhaps some (ahem) quality alone time then?

You know ... in case you want to 'show me your coin collection' or anything ;-p

Re: *rasies eyebrows over glasses*

[anarchist-nomad.livejournal.com]

Oh, my! Why, yes, some "quality alone time" to "reconnect" over my "coin collection" sounds rather delightful, my darling!

*bounces happily*

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

What an odd and delightful coincidence!

[anarchist-nomad.livejournal.com]

Isn't it, though? *big smiles*

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

I think the oddest, most delightful coincidence I've ever experienced was something that happened in the early days of the internet. I had been making friends with a number of goths in Australia, and most of them were at least vaguely pagan. One of them, my very dear friend sheramil, had a pentagram tattooed on his forearm, and his then-wife crazyjane considered herself a Witch and a priestess. There was very little formal "lineage" among Australian Witches; most of them were self-initiated, and crazyjane was one of them. But she had used a ritual she found in a magazine somewhere to swear sheramil and their housemate into the Craft. I asked her a little bit about the ritual, and to my great surprise (and great delight), I recognized it. It was one that Judy and I had co-authored years earlier, which had gotten released into the wild without authorship identification. To this day, thinking about that makes me smile.