<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">OK, here are a couple of classic This Town is This Big interludes. (See my <a href="http://halfwaytonormal.blogspot.com/2007/06/this-town-is-this-big-part-i.html">second post</a> for Part I, which includes an explanation of the This Big Syndrome.)</span></span>

<span style="font-weight: bold;">Part II</span>
<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">On Saturday, this past weekend, we went to a dessert potluck at Jim and Lisa’s house, where you can always count on an eclectic crowd and a big spread of food. Lisa, who is all about gardening and local produce and home-baked goodness, was responsible for what must have been a ten-pound, still-warm peach cobbler, made with local peaches she bought that morning at the farmer’s market.</span></span>

The next day, we (okay, mostly Jason) helped Nic and Heather move into the house they just bought. Keep in mind that nearly 100,000 people live in the CU area, but Nic and Heather’s new house happens to be one block away from Jim and Lisa’s house. I told Nic he needs to meet these great people we know in the neighborhood (I love introducing people—I'm the local non-romance matchmaker). When I said Jim and Lisa’s names and mentioned where they lived, Nic said "Oh yeah, I met them. We happened to borrow a ladder from them for a few days.â€ Apparently Nic already knew one person in the neighborhood who didn't have a ladder but knew someone who did. Nic, meet Jim. Done, minus the matchmaker. “They seem really nice,â€ Nic added. “When I brought the ladder back yesterday they invited us to a dessert potluck party. I guess it was last night, but we couldn’t make it with the move."

<span style="font-weight: bold;">Part III</span>
<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">This one's from last week. On Thursday I saw this guy at the cafe—he's one of the many people in this town I <span style="font-style: italic;">sort</span> of know, but not really. About three years ago he and his family visited the area because he had been offered a job teaching at the university. While they were visiting, they came to the church I used to go to, and I met their family. Probably a year later, after he had apparently accepted the job offer and moved to town, he and his family visited my <span style="font-style: italic;">new</span> church. (Were they tracking me?) Then, last Fourth of July, when we were at the <a href="http://halfwaytonormal.blogspot.com/2007/07/more-than-one-way-to-do-small-town.html">parade</a> with the girls, I ran into some random old friends of mine. <span style="font-style: italic;">They</span> were at the parade with this certain church-visiting man and his family! Apparently they have become best of friends through their kids. Now I occasionally see this man at the gym (he and his wife, of course, belong to the same one we do), the grocery store, and at cafes (like at Paradiso on Thursday). The very next day, last Friday, I walked into my other favorite cafe, Aroma. Guess who was sitting by the door? It gets almost awkward, after a while....
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