Meetups Are Great!

One of the best websites around is www.meetup.com because it's one of those rare sites that actually tries to get you away from your computer. The concept is simple: type in your zip code and your area of interest (knitting, nuclear physics, Italian) and a list of meetups covering that topic in your area will be listed, if any exist. In most any big town, yes, there will be meetups covering your topic, no matter how unique. I joined about a year ago to join up with other Italian speakers and have made a lot of friends through this organization. The cost is next-to-nothing, usually a couple of bucks thrown in the kitty to help the organizer of the meetup you're attending pay the website fee. Typically the meetups happen in restaurants, Starbucks, or occasionally in someone's home. It's not a dating service, but can you think of an easier place (if you're single) to find someone who shares an interest of yours than at a meetup specifically set up to address that interest?

I'm sold on the idea of meetups. In fact, I took over a local Italian meetup after the previous organizer moved and our meetup starts in 20 minutes. Oops, I'd better get going!!

I feel pretty...oh so pretty...

So I had a meal in a nice Chinese restaurant the other day. When they brought the fortune cookies to the table, I opened mine and got the "fortune" you see here..."You look pretty"...so here's my question: what is going on here? I thought fortune cookies were supposed to tell you your fortune, not state the obvious! All I have to do is look in the mirror to see just how damned pretty I am. I don't need some guy in Shanghai to have put this message in a cookie and send it my way.

Next time, I hope not to get another obvious true statement like "You are very smart." or "You have dreamy eyes." or "You are the end-all and be-all of humankind." Give me my fortune! Tell me something I don't know!

Oh, look, on the other side are some lottery numbers. Cool! I'm going to be rich!