close encounters of both the new and old kind

Monday morning, just as I'm getting to the corner where the Chinese restaurant is on my walk to the bus stop, Craig Robinson crosses my path. If you don't know who Craig Robinson is by name, this is him:

My three favorite T.V. shows right now (comedy, otherwise Lost would bump one off) are The Office - watched it religiously this season, Arrested Development - RIP, watching with B on DVD right now, and Curb Your Enthusiasm - I own the series on DVD as well. Granted, Mr. Robinson had only small parts in one episode of both Arrested Development and Curb Your Enthusiasm, but who cares. And one of the only movies I saw this summer was Knocked Up, in which he plays a small, but very memorable, part. I haven't had a chance to see any of his stand-up though.

I didn't accost him or anything, and he seemed friendly enough, we exchanged polite stranger smiles as we walked past one another.

But what I want to know is, what the heck was he doing in the Palms neighborhood of L.A.? I have recently come to a deeper appreciation of my neighborhood, but really, there's not much there. Perhaps he was there on personal business, he probably is just a normal guy.

Then yesterday morning, as I was leaving my dentist appointment at the UCLA School of Dentistry (I like the experience of participating in the student dentist's education, and the appointments always make for good stories), I saw an old friend from middle and high school that I haven't seen since 1999. This was a guy who I "went out" with in both seventh and ninth grade. I think I was his first kiss, in ninth grade. I didn't talk to him, and I don't think he noticed me, as he looked pretty busy with a patient in the clinic area. I suppose something like this isn't entirely surprising, but in a way, it is. I know he went off to the Air Force Academy, and after that I really had no idea what his plans were. I definitely didn't know dentistry was in his future, but going to UCLA isn't improbable since we grew up in the southern California area. However, him and I being in the same place, at the same time by chance to me sounds unlikely. But there it was, and he looked so adult-like! I suppose I look older, but it's so gradual when you see yourself everyday.