Common Bonds

     Today was not the greatest day of my life, it actually started out as a remarkably unpleasant day. The ride back from the dermatologist (on the brown line, which I rarely ride) changed that though.
     I got on the train, sat down and opened up my Nicomachean Ethics (more Aristotle, but for Social Sciences 2 this time) to where I had left off. Across the aisle from me I saw a very elderly man sit down next to a girl probably around my age. She was texting and didn't notice at first, but when she looked up there was recognition in her eyes. "Lawrence," she squealed. "How have you been? I haven't seen you in weeks."
     Their conversation continued a while and as absorbed as I was in Aristotle's confident claims, I couldn't help but overhear. They were talking about day-to-day things, the mayor, the weather, but they were also talking about what shelter he was staying at now, where her dad was living after the divorce, who she had just been dumped by.
     During this discussion I was left a little confused, how did these people meet each other? I  gathered that he had gone to school in Africa until he was twenty-one, when he moved here and began helping to engineer boats. She was going to school for fashion design. He talked about selling his artwork up and down Michigan Avenue, hoping to save up enough to get a place of his own. She was wearing Chanel sunglasses and carrying a Prada bag.
     Then, it happened. "Did you watch those DVDs I gave you?" He asked.
     "Yea, and you're so right! Captain Kirk is so much better than the others guys."
     Star Trek. That was their common bond. Generations between them, opposite ends of the economic scale, but they both loved Star Trek.
     Now, I must say, I do love me some Trek time, but somehow it surprised me that these two people did. It's such a personal thing for me, I forget other people enjoy it as well.
     I suppose that's how I felt about reading before I came to Shimer too. I was the only one of my friends who read as if to quench a dying thirst for words. Now I'm surrounded by people with that same desire, the same need for refreshing knowledge.

Interesting fact: The phrase, "Eat, drink, and be merry, since the other things are not with this snap of the fingers" is attributed to Assyrrian king Sardanapalus.

Photo: First year Aaron Christman in a Star Trek captain's shirt.
Playing: More Mass Effect 2!
Classes Today: none

Comments

[Adrian Nelson]

Okay, so now I have to ask: which series is your favorite? (I've gotta go with Voyager. Then again, I've never seen any of others ALL the way through. Then again, Voyager just rocks.)
I so rarely see Trekkies nowadays. And how come Aaron has a captain's shirt and I don't?!

[Alexandra Rosenberg]

My favorite series is definitely the Original Series. I do like Captain Janeway, but I grew up watching the original series as reruns on the SyFy channel (back when it was the SciFi channel) so it has my first love.
I actually got that Captain's shirt through Kellogg! I love it.