Wednesday, December 22, 2004

“Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”

The Movie: Casablanca, 1942 (Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, and Howard Koch, screenwriters, from the play by Murray Burnett and Joan Allison; Michael Curtiz, dir.)
Who says it: Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine, owner of Rick’s American Café
The context: Rick has just seen Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), his lost love, walk in with freedom fighter Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid).
How to use it: When you meet an old friend unexpectedly.

It's not Gardiner, but Washington is a small town. I've been running around a lot the last couple of days, and along the way I've seen several people I hadn't expected to -- which, for the most part, has been nice. A friend said to me the other morning, "Your work family is still here," and that is true.

Washington is in its traditional post-election job shuffling mode, and if I wanted to come back, now's the time. I'm considering it more seriously than I'd thought I would. The past year has shown me the importance of a safety net; there's a lot to be said for the security of a salary, health insurance, a retirement plan.

Then again, I could win the lottery. If I remember to buy tickets today.

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