I said goodbye to my Grandma Jane this weekend.  She passed away in January, and my family, who are not big on funerals per se, held a memorial for her up in Maine which I missed due to the blizzard, and one here in New York this past Sunday.  Friends and family gathered to tell stories, recount memories, and just to say goodbye. 

She lived in New York for many years, and ever since she moved to Maine, she complained about how provincial the people in her apartment complex always seemed.  "They’ve never been anywhere," she’d groan.  Having been a travel agent for a good portion of her life, Grandma Jane had been everywhere, and first class, no less.  She would tell great stories of her luxurious travel on the Concorde and the QE2, and the exquisite hotels in which she had stayed.  "It’s just not the same these days."  Well, certainly not for me when I travel, Grandma. 

She missed New York tremendously — she yearned for "the hustle and bustle of the city."  Ironically, she is now back in New York, in a predominantly German-Jewish cemetery out in Brooklyn.  There is a whole stretch of cemeteries out underneath the elevated subway tracks of the J line, and although the gates and exteriors of each one were somewhat run-down, there was something beautiful about them nonetheless, especially in contrast with the bright, crisp blue sky.  We drove out yesterday to place her ashes in her family mausoleum, which, although creepy, was quite beautiful, with a stained glass window across from the ornately gated door.  Probably not the scene she was searching for, but she did make it back to the city she loved so much.  As a last thought, as our family turned to leave, we joked that it would be quite fitting if we left her with the New York Times crossword, which she did regularly.  Luckily, I had the Sunday magazine in my bag.  We ripped out the puzzle, placed it next to the box that contained her ashes, and wished her luck.  We’ll miss you, Grandma.

First of all, I ran into two people I know on the street today — one on my way to work and one as I was leaving work.  Now granted, I know a lot of people, and hardly a few days can pass by where I don’t run into someone I know, but the fun part is that neither one of these two people currently lives in New York.  Amy and Luke — so glad I ran into you both, if only briefly.

Second of all, I went to a party tonight for members and potential members of the share house in Kismet.  Upon arriving, I met Nikki (pictured at right), who mentioned to me that, strangely enough, she found my blog about a year ago, searching for blogs about 30-something single women in NYC.  She reads it every day, and one day, her worlds collided — she noticed that I had written about the very same share house she had visited several weekends before.  I’m tellin’ you folks, if you’re looking for a share house, Chance is the way to go.  It’s being written up in next week’s New York Mag, and although I won’t be a full share member this summer, at the very least, I’ll be a special guest star every now and again.  For photos of my visits to Kismet, click here and here, and for pictures from tonight’s party, click here.

Or at least, I sure hope so.  This article in today’s NYT about fortuitous meetings leading to job offers resonated with me.  I have had some very fortunate chance meetings lately, and I can only hope that the stars are aligning in my favor.  Keep your fingers crossed for me and send some good karma my way!

Yesterday was everything a Saturday should be.  I slept late, cleaned up my apartment, had Jon and Sarah over for brunch (a delicious mushroom fritatta, if I do say so myself), read the paper, napped on the couch, worked out, went out, saw friends, met new people.  Couldn’t really ask for much else.  All in all, a solid Saturday.