"It's a world of hope and a world of fears"

I apologize now for getting the "It's a Small World" song stuck in your head. It's been stuck in mine for days. Welcome to Hell.

A much more serious post has been germinating in my consciousness for days, and it's going to come on out and play sometime soonish. I can feel it. I once saw an interview with Patty Griffin where she said that sometimes she's just in a horrible mood she can't explain and then - BAM! - a song just pours out of her, and she realizes that that's why she's been so distracted and cranky - her subconscious was otherwise occupied. This makes sense to me.

I was in DC for several days for work. While there, I re-read the first two books in the Hunger Games series. Last night, the third book was waiting in my mail when I got home. I stayed up until 4 a.m. to finish it. And, as dedicated as I was to reading these books (because they ARE good books), I've been in a horrible mood for days because of them. Or because of other things. Who knows.

But that's not what this is about. This is about the smallness of the world.

My friend Steve (an actual friend named Steve, not the little-known band) sent me a message via Facebook the other day. His brother had done some artwork on the helmet of a derby girl whose legal name is insanely similar to mine -- same last name, very close first name. The league she plays for? Ithaca. On the team that came to Maine to play in the bout where I was a jammer ref last Saturday. Small world?

Oh, yes.

But, it's even smaller. This chick's derby name is strikingly similar to a ref from another league (I think it was Dutchland) that we played once last year. This ref came up to me before said bout and said, "It's nice to finally meet the person who stole my name!" She had wanted to be Graceless Kelly, but I registered it first.

What are the odds?