Meeting Strangers

Every so often, I go a spree to collect new faces and enlarge my quickly shrinking circle. This week, I met Melanie--a fellow knitter at Knit Cafe--whence we chatted and shot the shit, making for a stitch and bitch duo. We walked over to Whole Foods afterwards so I could serve up some more of their curry and brown basmati rice and she could buy dried guavas. I knew we would become friends when she broke open her package on the spot and handed me not one, not two, but three pieces of the 10 piece pack she had just bought. She was also a veritable font of knowledge on where to buy yarn on sale...every knitters holy grial. Melanie's ease and quiet grace immediately calmed me. Her Berkeley pedigree coupled with her West Coast zen made for a cathartic evening with needles and wool.

Yesterday I met Tristen, a lovely midwestern chickie who is finding her niche in the big city. She was sweet and serene, she reminded me of my friend Amy who will soon be moving to San Diego with her HUSBAND. Another one lost to marriage. It was Tristen's friend Helena that won me over with her Brazilian wit and city savvy, she reminds me of a younger me--jaded but still hopeful. We hit some of my fave spots--Karma, Cooper 35, Il Cantinero, and I left as they entered the Dark Room