Netflix Synchronicities - or Coincidences

I doubt I could link these Netflix coincidences in any meaningful way, but it was kind of spooky at the time. Some shows we watched, more or less consecutively over a few nights, all had themes of identity change, and they were in no way intentional choices for that reason.

Beginning with a movie, The Cobbler: a fantasy tale with threads of a mild thriller or mystery threaded through it. This film was directed by the same guy, Tom McCarthy, who directed The Station Agent (mentioned in this post).

When his modern stitching machine breaks down, a shoe repairer in New York finds it necessary to use an old pedal-operated stitching machine he found stored in his cellar. He discovers, after repairing a pair of fancy crocodile shoes using the old machine, then trying on the shoes - which happen to be his own size - then catching sight of himself in a mirror, he is, to put it mildly, amazed to find that he has transformed in appearance to the shoes' owner, a snazzily dressed gang hoodlum. The cobbler experiments with other shoes of his size, repaired using the old machine, and finds that he can change appearance in many ways, as long as both borrowed shoes are on his feet. Adventures of various kinds ensue - and a mystery.

It was all a bit Quantum-Leap-ish, not to mention that old saying, "walk a mile in his/her shoes!

The next night we set about watching a 2-part X-Files segment, titled Dreamland in which we were surprised to find that Agent Mulder, after being in line of a wave of time-space warp, had swapped appearance with another individual standing nearby at the time, a man of quite different temperament and aims from Mulder's. Scully isn't aware what has happened... dangerous muddles occur, at length!

Third coincidence, next night - or was it even the same night - don't recall, we decided to watch the pilot episode of a one season series titled Awake. Guess what? No...not exactly changing appearance this time, but a guy (played by Jason Isaacs) involved in a car accident which we are told had killed either his wife or his son (or both?) appears to be living in two different existences, one where his wife is alive but son dead, the other with his son alive and his wife dead. This guy is a police detective (a stumbling block for me), he has a different psychiatrist in each "reality", deals with different cases in each, and has different detective partners in each - but some strand of linkage is always present in the cases involved. The show is shot in two different "hues" too, reddish tinged when wife is alive, greenish when son is alive. The detective wears a red wristband or green one to help both himself (?) and the audience keep track of what's going on.

We can't decide whether this was meant to be heavily disguised sci-fi , or a story that will be rationally explained eventually. It's definitely a series where one's attention must not be allowed to wander! The show didn't receive sufficient interest, so NBC cancelled it after one season. We shall wander through through the 13 available episodes to see how it was all tied up, or if it was. My own pet theory is that the guy remains in a coma and is dreaming it all - highly complex dream though! I shall resist looking for spoiler information online.

If You Twitter Are You A Twit?

Yet another mode of communication is rapidly gaining a head of steam on the internet: Twitter. Blogging buddy Robert Phoenix must have been writing a post on the topic around the same time I was drafting this. Robert's excellent assessment is here: "Is Twitter the Killer App for Jupiter in Aquarius?". I had already decided not to post my somewhat jaundiced views and scrap my draft when I came across Robert's piece yesterday. But what the heck - let's celebrate synchronicity!

I have trouble in seeing Twitter's value. When do folks have the time to Twit - or is it Twitter, or it is Tweet? They already seem to be speaking on cellphones for much of their waking lives, writing or reading blogs, or contributing to message boards, Face Booking, My Spacing, instant messaging, and/or chatting in chat rooms.

As far as I can tell, Twitter is something of a hybrid of message boards and instant messaging facilities, miniaturized to 140 character bite-size.

Much of Twitter's charm appears to be in catching "followers" or in becoming a "follower". Here lies my own initial feeling of antipathy to Twitter. I dislike the "follower" idea. It smacks of schoolyard cliques, which I avoided like the plague, and still back away from anything similar.

Let's consider who, astrologically, would be most inclined to gravitate to Twitter.

Lots of Gemini input, of course would be any astrologer's first thought on the matter. Not necessarily Gemini Sun, but Gemini (or 3rd house) somehow prominent in a natal chart would propel a person towards Twittering.

A glut of expansive Sagittarius influence could do it too - excess of communication -enough is never enough!

Prominent Leo and Aries natally, natural leaders of the zodiac, would love to gather lots of followers, so Twitter might appeal to individuals with those signs featuring strongly in their charts.

Followers might come from the soft-hearted, empathetic or diplomatic groups - those with Cancer, Libra or Pisces-heavy charts would enjoy the following aspect of Twitter, I suspect.

Although Virgo is ruled by Mercury, the communications planet, I doubt that 140 characters would be sufficient to satisfy Virgo-led personalities for long. Their search for perfection and accuracy would soon gain upper hand.

Capricorn-led folk, down to earth as they are, would be likely to see Twitter as a waste of valuable time; in some circumstances though, they might see it as a PR tool to drive people to their own websites or businesses - so could swing either way. (Don't let a Capricorn boss see you Twittering in his time though!)

What's left? Aquarius, Scorpio, Taurus - three Fixed signs. Some with these signs prominent in their charts might initially be drawn to Twitter for a variety of reasons, of course, but in general I suspect they'd be less likely to be attracted to the idea. Aquarius, though amused by its novelty, is too analytical to be satisfied by 140 characters for long. Scorpio's too intense, and likes secrecy - again, novelty might attract, but not for long. Taurus, who would rather be doing something more sensual, might use Twitter as a tool for flirtation.

As for me - I already spend enough time on-line, researching or writing my own blog posts, and reading those of a select few others. I doubt I'll be Twittering any time soon....but maybe that makes me the twit!

Charlotte's Web of Synchronicity

This week I've been bumping into synchronicity more than usual. Should anyone stumble across this blog entry and be unsure what synchronicity is, here are a couple of definitions which appeal to me :

"A wink from the Cosmos"........ (This puts it neatly in a nutshell )

"The uncanny coincidence. The unlikely conjunction of events. The startling serendipity. Who hasn’t had it happen in their life? You think of someone for the first time in years, and run into them a few hours later. An unusual phrase you’d never heard before jumps out at you three times in the same day. On a back street in a foreign country, you bump into a college roommate. A book falls off the shelf at the bookstore and it’s exactly what you need. "

http://www.flowpower.com/What%20is%20Synchronicity.htm

And one possible explanation for all of this -

"No, you're not crazy. You are part of the Universe, and the Universe is communicating with itself."

http://www.ropi.net/st/what_is_synchronicity.htm

So, my recent chain of synchronistic events went something like this:

I wrote a blog about James Thurber, one of the Pluto in Gemini writers that I love(see list on left).

I noticed that one of his books was co-written by E.B. White (with whom I was not familiar).

I searched for information on E B White, noted he had written a book called "The Elements of Style" ( hints to become a more stylish writer.) I ordered it, for this I need!

Researched some more, noted that EBW also wrote children's books including one called "Charlotte's Web"- I had never heard of this book before (I'm English, remember.)

Went out to a family dinner last night, "Charlotte's Web" was mentioned in conversation, in jocular manner in connection with reading matter for senior students.

Came home, glanced at the local newspaper - noticed one of the films showing in town is "Charlotte's Web"......at this point I began to feel the hairs prickle on the back of my neck!

We switched on the TV, watched Letterman interview someone I'd never heard of who turned out to be connected with the film "Charlotte's Web" (one of the voices, I think.)

I still await delivery of "Elements of Style", but am pretty certain that the Cosmos is giving me a wink, telling me that I've chosen my writing mentor well.

E.B. White deserves a blog entry. He shall have one.