Rachel Landen's series of odd events

It's all in my sentimental nature to think back over past events, reminisce about days gone by and reflect on the people and times that have been a part of my life. What better time to do that than at the end of one year and the beginning of another?

Thus, I sat down to write my first column of 2005, remembering the good, the bad and the ugly of the past year. It was a full year in the all the traditional aspects but it was also especially complete with memorable moments, some I love to recall and others I would prefer to forget.

Anyway, somewhere in the midst of my musings, I thought of a conversation I recently had with a friend. We seemed to be attempting to top one another with more extreme stories of peculiarities in each of our lives. Four bizarre things had happened to me since we last talked - she detailed three of her own wacky situations.

Based on the count, I suppose I won, although maybe being the winner in this instance actually made me the loser. Forget Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events - we decided there should be a movie about Rachel Landen's series of odd events.

Speaking of movies, take for instance the story of this same friend and me in Blockbuster one weekend. While looking at the new releases and trying to agree on a movie to rent, a rather large male approached our aisle and began stuffing DVDs into his pants.

I was like a deer caught in the headlights - completely shocked and frozen in place. However, the shoplifter in sweatpants just smiled casually and picked up a few more movies, as if he were simply stowing them in a shopping cart before checking out. I was too stunned to know how to respond, although I cannot imagine myself encouraging a man three times my size to put the stolen goods back on the shelf. I'm not even sure that Blockbuster would want them back after their temporary storage.

But this situation seems to pale in comparison to one in which my friend's family found themselves just the other day. Once again, it took place in a store, this time at Victoria's Secret. I could retell the story to each of you in my own words but I think that the e-mail from her mother says it best.

"We saw a cowboy in Victoria's Secret last night. He was walking around and was carrying thong underwear on his fingers. He kept saying, 'I have lost my woman. I don't know where she is.' (My advice to her would have been to run while you could.) What a sight. A lady there said he was carrying the underwear around like a lasso. We all laughed and laughed. It was quite an experience. Where do these people come from?"

Good question. But if last year is any indication, it doesn't matter where they came from - all that matters is that they will most certainly turn up once again this year.

That's the great thing about a new year. You might not be able to count on yourself to keep your resolutions but you can be assured that you will find yourself in an occasional odd situation. It might not sound so attractive right now but at least you'll have something to smile about when you look back on 2005. And that's what really matters anyway, isn't it?