Serendipity

Long before the days when I lived in New York City, I used to love that ridiculous John Cusack movie Serendipity. It inspired great New York City dreams, and I remember always imagining that I would one day live here and spend my weekends eating ice cream at that eponymous shop. Upon moving here, one of the first weekend outings that I took was to get frozen hot chocolate at one of the several Serendipity locations. While I found the restaurant completely overrated-- the long lines not worth the wait-- living in New York City, on the other hand, has easily been one of the best things I have ever decided and, despite the annoyances that can come along with large, compact, crowded, overpriced cities, I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

Via

So, while the movie has, perhaps, lost some of its glamour now that I have actually been to Serendipity, I am still completely sold by the concept of serendipity itself. There are so many things that have happened over time that have led me places I never imagined--but have been the best course for me to follow at the time. I don't want to jinx it, but I feel like I had one of those serendipitous days this week.

On Wednesday, I attended a career fair at my university. It was overwhelming, to say the least. I spoke with a few places that seemed interesting, but, overall, there was nothing that really spoke to me. I walked out, called the boyfriend on my stroll over to an academic panel that I was attending, and expressed my disappointment over the whole experience. What a difference two hours makes. As I sat at the panel, I found the academics who spoke so inspiring. They shared my views and had concrete ideas about making those views reality. Feeling hopeful, I met up with friends afterwards to head out to dinner, when my idol (well, in rock star professor land, as she is the bomb and I totally want to be her!!) called me over and said, "Hey, there is someone I want you to meet..." A dialogue of emails back and forth later...I'm not sure where and if this will take me anywhere, but, in the very least, it was a reminder that sometimes we just need to trust that the universe knows what's in store for us...

In the meantime, I FINALLY finished The Marriage Plot--yes, yes, it has taken me nearly two months--and it was excellent. Not necessarily a beach read, but definitely a late night, chapter-an-evening kind of pursuit, and one that you will not be disappointed by even if it does take you a while to get through. Next up: Playing with Fire: Feminist Thought and Action Through Seven Lives in India. I'm not sure anyone else will be as excited about this book as I am...you can probably tell grad school is totally dictating my reading choices right now! Ahhh well...at least on the light reading front I have the latest issue of Food and Wine and I am psyched to read the article on the next best places in California wine country!

Happy reading and here's to serendipity...