perfect [strangers]

i celebrated my birthday with 10 people i had never met...and it couldn't have been more memorable.

over the past several years, i've always seemed to be in a different location for my birthday.  this year found me in washington dc attending an architecture conference.  actually, the conference had ended that afternoon and a few people from the young associates committee were staying an extra night, and kindly invited me to join them for dinner.  through various helpings of pizza and drinks, one of them mentioned their birthday had been the other day. having been silent about my own birthday, i thought it too much of a coincidence not to mention it was in fact mine that day. 

somewhere between those two facts and a single cupcake with a candle on it, we all became friends. the evening continued past dessert right into a dive bar with pool tables and cheap drinks.  conversation topics ranged from the serious, like what type of projects everyone worked on, to the more entertaining, like what movie would you'd watch if you were on a desert island and only had one to watch. we drank, played pool, shuffle board, and darts. basically conversations and activities you'd have with life long friends.

although i missed the wonderful people i call my friends and family back at home, there was something very refreshing spending a birthday with 10 complete strangers...people who i may never see again...but who are now facebook friends.

it's a small [pool] after all

so i had some friends in town this weekend.

by a very fortunate and gracious chain of events i was able to get us invited to a pool party by a host i had recently been aquatinted with.  thankfully my friends are always up for any adventure and ironically they had packed their swimsuits.

we were social, and quickly made chit chat with wonderful, but complete strangers.  than a guest entered the party and my friend was shocked.  it was his old college roommate, who he hadn't seen in years.  as they chatted and discussed how each other had been invited, it was discovered many of these people weren't strangers at all.  we found that several of the party guests had actually been at a college party my friend had hosted a decade ago.

it really is a small world.

[first aid kit] for unexpected situations

music is a wonderful thing.  it brings people together; it connects them.  the divisions we sometimes find between each other can be reduced to nothing with just a few beautifully played notes.

the other week, my friends and i went to see "first aid kit".  if you've never listened to this band, do yourself a huge favor and you tube, google, or spotify them then sit back and enjoy.  the band is comprised of two swedish sister's whose harmonies are absolutely angelic.  if this isn't enough to entice you, their latest album was influenced heavily by american folk music paying homage to emmlyou harries, june carter, and johnny cash, with hints of simon and garfunkel throughout the album.

not only did the beautiful sounds of "first aid kit" fill the walls of the granada turning a random tuesday night into a memorable one, their music also accomplished that wonderful thing music can do; it connects people, or in the case of this particular night, reconnect people.