This weekend went by very quickly, and it's hard to believe it's already Tuesday. In general the time has gone by more slowly since I have been unemployed, but perhaps things are speeding up.
On Friday, I went to two very different activities. The first was to Hotel Conrad, in the financial district. I was going with a friend whose friend wanted to try to meet her future husband there. The Loopy Bar is on the top floor of the hotel, and offers nice views of the city; their specialty are Popsicle cocktails, which essentially are very good Popsicles from People Pops stuck in a glass of prosecco. It's 20 dollars, but most people get it for the experience. This bar was completely full of women. It was a bit sad actually, in the sense that it really seemed like a place where women went, decked out in makeup and high heels, hoping to find a banker husband. My friend works in Goldman Sachs next door, so he stopped by, but didn't stay long because I guess all the bankers are still working. It was an okay bar, but I don't think I would go again.
Later in the evening, a friend of mine invited me to a pop up club in Brooklyn. The event series was called the Caravan, and it was temporarily hosted at the Brooklyn Mirage, a warehouse type of venue deep in Williamsburg. It was decorated with tee pees and tents, Chinese lanterns and Christmas lights, and an enormous dance floor. There was an Ethiopian Coffee Shop as well, and a tent where someone did tarot card readings for free. I did not get a reading done, since I already had one done by my tarot friend in China, but my friends went. While waiting in line, the conversation was interesting. Everyone said, "I don't believe in this stuff, but might as well do it for fun."
"Do you believe in ghosts?" Someone asked.
"Yes," I said.
"I don't believe in ghosts," said someone else.
"That's because you've never met one." I replied.
"Have you?" They asked.
"No," I said, "but I know reliable people who have."
The way I see it, there is no proof of the existence of supernatural phenomena, but there is also no proof that it doesn't exist. A proper scientist therefore, should be open minded to the possibilities available. Sometimes, by trying to come up with an explanation for everything that happens in this world and disregarding those that we cannot explain, we end up being bling to a lot of possibilities.
Anyhow, I was skeptical of this tarot reader, for a reason that might not entirely be fair. I sort of have a prejudice in believing that the ones that actually are powerful are a bit more secretive about it, and wouldn't go to a festival full or people, half of whom are one some sort of substance (maybe 70 percent), to share her talents. Of course who knows, she might have been extraordinarily skilled. But I remember being told that reading fortunes is bad for the fortune teller, because they are disclosing the secrets of the Gods, and that cannot go without consequence. My tarot friend said the same thing--she said that because of her skills, her life will have a certain sadness to it, so she might as well do her best to help people. If each reading carries risk, I think they would normally be more discerning of who they give readings too. In any case, I imagine that most people who hold themselves out of readers without pay may be doing it more for fun anyhow, and may not be that accurate, so may not suffer in the same way.
When my friend went into the tent, I went in with him just to observe. This reading was a lot more general, unlike my tarot friend, who answers a very specific question that is asked. The gist of the reading was that my friend was anxious about a lot of things and having trouble sleeping at night, and he just had to let things go. He is a phD student (I forgot what he studies), and probably has quite a bit of stress. I remember back in China, my friend gave very specific details to her clients. It made me think as well, of the cultural differences. My tarot friend never asks for any information about birth, while many readers in the US ask for date of birth or astrological sign.
Later, someone was telling us about how she met her boyfriend, who she also complained about because she was angry at him.
"Why do you like him so much?" Asked one of my friends.
"From the moment I met him, I thought that he is the person that I'm going to spend my life with. But I've been wrong before."
"We've all been wrong before," said my friend, "but that still doesn't mean that intuition is nothing."
Humans do have remarkable intuition. It makes me think of a documentary about penguins that I saw. These penguins do not mate for life, but they stay together for the entire breeding season. The narrator said, about how penguins choose their partners, "we don't know what it is they are looking for, but we know when they have found it." Animals too, are capable of forming very deep bonds.
I am writing this from the airplane, and honestly it's been a noisy and smelly flight. Between the super loud snorer and the little kid that intermittently screams, and the stinky heavy man, it's not easy. But it could be a lot worse.
Anyhow, the next day, I relaxed and read a book in a cafe in upper east side. After such a busy Friday, it was really nice the have a brownie and a latte and recharge. The cafe, Jax, used to be an antique store, so the basement level was full of antiques. There were comfortable sofas to sit on, and it was a very warm and cozy environment. It makes me think of Central Perk, the cafe from Friends. This place would be the ideal place to meet a small group of your friends on a regular basis. They also have amazing coffee and a wide variety of gluten free baked goods.
That day was a Saturday, and apparently the beginning of Oktoberfest. There were the German American day parade, which caused traffic jams for several blocks. I didn't get a chance to watch it, but I went to a beer hall later. Unfortunately, I was way too tired, and went home early. I'm not a fan of traditional German music, especially when every song is meant to be punctured with shouting in unison. It's the type of thing that is really fun after two or three beers, but can be kind of annoying if you are sober.
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