I try to pay attention to coincidence - just in case The Universe is trying to tell me something. I usually wait until I notice something three times in a short amount of time before I consider it a coincidence. But this morning I was struck by the something curious twice within the hour. So its not quite a coincidence; its just something curious in an otherwise very ordinary and uneventful day.

I was enjoying NPR's Weekend Edition and would intermitantly read the Saturday paper when baby was distracted or napping. I have to say talk radio from NPR, CBC, and the BBC have become so very important to me now that I'm home on maternity leave. I think its more than radio providing another adult voice in the room. I think its something larger. We are storytelling creatures and we connect to our world through stories. And one of the stories I heard on the radio was focused on the French city of Marseille and how its history, cultural diversity, and local government may have contributed to the fact that the city was spared during the French riots in November and I was quite impressed. And I turned to the Books section of The Globe and Mail and learned that my friend's ex-boyfriend now lives in Marseille.

Addendum: one day later I start The Globe and Mail's Saturday crossword and notice that clue 121 Across is "Here, in Marseille".