Connecting ...

It's probably actually in the throes of what might be called a death rattle, but the 6 degrees of separation game (particularly the version involving Kevin Bacon), if various interesting personalities are involved, never gets old.

When we meet someone from a place we have spent time, the "name game" inevitably gets played, even if the conversation goes something like this...

he: oh, you're from new york?
she: yeah i interned there for two years.
he: i knew an intern who lived in new york.
she: what was their name?
he: fnu mnu lnu!
she: i have no idea who that is
he: he interned the same time as you, maybe you guys took the same bus
she: ...
he: ... subway? tall guy with brown hair, glasses, ??
she: ...
she: ... *awkward...

Even more exciting, and possibly less awkward, is when the two conversationalists discover that there is some sort of connection between her old hometown and his one facebook friend that he hasn't ever met. Probably the most amusing to me is when we all start trying to show off our connections to famous celebrities... in a big enough group there's always someone with a ridiculously awesome story about how they drove the parade car for king so-and-so from some European country or ran a marathon with Zachary Levi... (what?!)

Our tendency, however, within the humanitarian maze that is society, is to not make these connections with strangers on the train, bus, sidewalk, grocery store line, restaurants... The isolationism, whether it comes from the individualistic American and/or Western culture, easily puts up invisible walls between people. Unless a connection is made.

I was just reminded of it tonight. I took an introductory acting workshop at a local theater, and the instructors stressed the focus needed to be completely within the exercises, but also the need for myself, as one of the players in the situation, to connect somehow with the other players. One of the exercises was particularly revealing of very personal moments that ranged from insanely comical to almost-i-cried-maybe-a-tear-or-two. After the workshop was over, I felt very connected with the other participants, and I feel safe to say that many of them also felt the same way.

Sometimes there are little nudgings to engage with others that I pass by on the street, on campus, in the neighborhood, etc. Most of the time I ignore the nudge. Why? Maybe someone needs to hear a friendly hello. I keep telling myself that one day I will designate an entire day to obeying those nudgings. I am scared to commit to that. But I believe that everyone is an extraordinary person, and you never know what is going on their life that may be changed by a genuine attempt at connecting. Or maybe the world just needs to be smaller. It's not going to get that way on its own.

This is the last time I drink coffee at 10pm!
i think the sky be getting lighter so perhaps time for a little shut-eye...

Ok but before I do, some rando fun things:
a light calligrapher.. I kid you not. his work is amazing.

look inside a street artist's sketchbook. Also super interesting. Utrecht on ptree has this book, I definitely read pretty much the entire thing one afternoon...

tamyo: a lovely trio that i had the privilege of playing with at 2 venues in Seoul last spring. recently found this website. some live vids on the yootoob too. MMM! amazing. xo

And I know it's not friday but thought i'd put up a phot from of-late.

Not creepy at all!