no way!

So the whole six degrees of separation thing - whereby you are presumably linked to another being through 6 steps of knowing people - seems to be well under 6 if you're Asian. Even smaller if you're Christian, it seems.

So lately, I appear to be meeting new people and having the same conversation over and over again. "No way, do you know so-and-so?" "Yeah, s/he was my roommate!"

I mean, it's not just like, hey I know that person, I had a class with that person...it's degrees of closeness so far as living with them. Small world.

Like at shiau_d's wedding, I realized that damn_young was chrisjshim's college roommate. You'd think I'd have made the connection, knowing that chrisjshim lived with pjchung, and damn_young also mentioned he lived with pjchung...but my powers of induction were clearly lacking. (Speaking of which, chrisjshim, if you're reading this - we need to catch up beyond this you-reading-my-xanga-but-never-posting thing so email me or something. What is this about you joining the Marines and/or being in law school?)

So then this past weekend, I went out with HJ's friends to celebrate her being done with the Bar - and ran into some people who I went to church with (briefly) in my summers in CA that I haven't seen in years. And of course there were sig. others of said people, who I was introduced to.

"C, this is Jonah"

"Hi Jonah, nice to meet you. What brings you to the city?"

"I'm an optometry student at SUNY Optical"

"No way! What year are you?"

"I'll be a fourth year"

"No way! Do you know Grace and Ellvin? Grace was my roommate, and Ellvin was...well virtually my other apt-mate"

"You know them??"

Bizarre.

Or how Aimee (my former roommate in Boston - does not attend my church) ended up sitting across from PB (my pastor) at a wedding rehearsal dinner. I still find it amazing that he knew who I was at that point, since I'd never had a real conversation with him prior.

Or how Abe and Ash were shiau_d's students when he was on staff at BU, and are now in my small group.

Anyways. I think reading The Tipping Point is making me think too much about how people are connected. But it's really quite fascinating.

In the words of those annoying dolls at the happiest place on earth...small world. Boggles my mind sometimes. Is it just me, or does this happen to anyone else?