The Ties That Bind (J. Wilde)

It's been awhile since I actually placed some words on the blog, and it's really interesting. I'm taking this in a slightly different direction than my roommate (yes, I read her blog before posting mine, what a sacrilege). "Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave" is this quote that continues to come up throughout television melodramas, but it does seem to fit with my life. Last night, I met a new very interesting person. She was my roommates friend that she had been talking to for some time, oddly enough, I met her before. I became a staple in the community when I worked at the Brookings Book Company. I actually sold her a graphic novel, and she called me "very different than she remembers. You were professional at the store." She called me professional!

I spent all of yesterday with my friend Amanda, although she spent the majority of the night with her boyfriend. Now, this situation in itself creates a tangled web. I met Amanda when I was in 8th grade. We met at a band concert, and both played the same instrument. We've been friends on and off every since. The off only happens when we're off doing our own things. We eventually run into each other again and our friendship is back. Jamie (her boyfriend), I met when I decided to look into joining a Fraternity. As I stood there in front of the booth talking to them, he offered me to join the other guys at Capers. I did so, and afterwards they asked me to go downtown. I met a very nice man, who does in fact play into the Jamie/Amanda story.

That Saturday, I went to Capers with my roommate and Amanda. We ended up going into the bar, and this very nice man was at the bar and helped me get my water. I told the various guys I met (whose names escape me, either because there were so many or because of the alcohol) I stated that I would catch them later, but I had friends on the dance floor. I dropped off my water and searched them out. Jamie stood at the bar. I had talked to him a few times and I moved up next to him. We struck up a conversation and me in my drunkenness stated. "You should meet my blonde friend Amanda, she is hot." Or something like that. Amanda had separated from the group after Capers, but planned on meeting up with us again. Jamie looked at me all nonchalantly and said, "Well, thanks, but I have these two girls I'm kind of trying to decide on."

I let it go.

Needless to say, when Amanda walked into the bar. She picked out Jamie (who isn't hard to find in ANY crowd), and said "I want that one." I could not help but contain that weird butterflies in my stomach. I looked at her and said, "Go talk to him." And pushed her to go do so. They've known each other for almost a month, and been 'officially' dating for a week.

This night is actually even more tangled. When we first entered this bar, my roommate and I moved back to the dance floor. I saw my friend Kayla. She had her own party, and my roommate introduced herself. She asked Kayla's friend if she was 'in the lifestyle' because of a collar around her neck. The friend said no, but her friend was. Her friend...was our neighbor.

These kind of coincidences seem to surround me. There is a bit more to that story, but it's not blog appropriate...well it is, but it's really not my story to tell.

I mean in the gay community, you will always run into someone who has slept with the same person you did. Officially speaking, it's not that large of community here. But these serendipitous moments with my heterosexual friends actually make me a bit sad. The same thing happened with my friend Rachel.

Rachel was my roommate for about a year, but has been my friend since we were in kindergarten. Now, I knew she knew how to sew, and actually asked if she wanted to help with the community theatre. I introduced her and another friend to Kristene and they started helping where they could. Due to this introduction, Kristene asked them to accompany me at a 'the Bitch is finally gone' bar-crawl with some of her graduate students. Rachel met Billy. Rachel made out with Billy at the Lantern. Months later, they are now living together.

I mean to some extent, even my brother's current fiancee is due to me. I wanted him to move to Brookings with me. If he was in Brookings, he was more likely to go to school (which he did! go me!). He got a job at Star Circuits here in Brookings, he met his girlfriend. The two of them are now living together, engaged, and I couldn't be happier.

Somedays, I feel like I'm some sort of center for all these interesting things that happen to my friends. The hurricane is blaring around me, and I'm in the eye of the storm. I pull out people and place them together. I tie them up, and throw them back out into the hurricane of life. I just stay here alone, interacting with the various people who show up.

Maybe someday it'll happen to me. The stars will align; the planets will stop spinning; and for a brief second, this serendipity that haunts the edges of my life and pushes the destinies of my closest friends will happen to me.