Once, during a break in my normal career, I worked for approximately 12.5 weeks with a small, little-known, federal bureau in charge of making up numbers and statistics. While I was there I increased efficiency by 37.21%, making me easliy the fifth or sixth most effective employee they ever had. People don't always realize this, but more than 42.3% of all statistics are made up right on the spot. It's true.
I find myself wondering about the differences between a small town and a big city, wondering how best to articulate them. At an obvious level, the key difference is volume, in many senses of the word. A big city is louder and has more of almost everything. This creates logistical concerns that could baffle a mind as simple as mine, so I'll focus on the interpersonal implications. When you're in a big city, you either set your abstraction level out to a point where you think of people in groups, or you focus in on your immediate surroundings and consider the individuals nearby, ignoring everyone else. In this sense, a coffee shop or a bar in a big city can be like a small town. It can be a group small enough to be experienced.
In the mist of my imagination, I picture two primitive humans males, naked and hairy, noticing each other across a clearing in the trees. What was their social inclination toward each other? "'S'up?" says one, nodding to the other. "Not much," replies the other, returning the downward nod with a subtle upward nod of acknowledgement, "Just chillin'." "Cool," says the one, turning to go. They continue on their way.
I once determined that more than 64.6% of all human male interaction involves head nodding. It's hard to believe, but the numbers don't lie.
Hello, friends. How are you today?
Later. Love.
