magicbeans. nothing if not awkward.

Made plans today to meet Shannon and Erika in Manhattan for dinner. Union Square at 8 o'clock. I got there a little early, read for a bit. Eventually gave Shannon a call. 'We're in a store. My phone's not working too well. As soon as I find Erika we'll head over to meet you. See you in about ten minutes.'

Twenty minutes later my phone rings. It's my mom. When I first sat down on the bench that I still found myself, maybe forty-five minutes earlier I had thought about calling her, but figured that Shannon and Erika would be showing up any minute.

We talked about writing, 'I don't read your online journal much, but when I do, it just seems that you have such a gift for writing, for conveying feelings, that it's a shame not to make use of that gift.' She said something very similar to me almost fifteen years ago. After reading a few stories that I had written for my freshman English class she told me that I could probably make a living from my writing if I wanted to. That really stuck with me. I mean, your parents are supposed to encourage you in whatever you do, but up until that point I had wanted to be a mathematician or something. Maybe I should give the writing thing another try.

The other point of note in our conversation, was that my brother Aaron has been dating one of the summer interns at the Audubon Sanctuary where he works. I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions.

Shannon and Erika did eventually show up. They walked the wrong direction after leaving Old Navy. We went for Indian.