A "plate of shrimp" has become a catchphrase that is used to represent certain types of events one experiences throughout the day involving the odd coincidences in life that seem too random to just be chance, suggesting some kind of mysterious force just under the surface of human reality and perception.
The only real evidence of a plate of shrimp occurring are the odd, strange, and weird coincidences that seem to creep up throughout the day, from very mundane details to very pivotal realizations.
It also seems that the more one recognizes these events and appreciates them, the more they seem to happen, and, perhaps, the more meaningful they become.
Sure the theists will immediately describe it as God's will etc ... which is fine for them, but what about the rest of us who don't really put all of their eggs in that basket, those of us who are interested in rational, analytical examination of the human experience.
How does a rational, analytical person describe these events? Is it quantum physics working its patterns on us, or vice versa? Is it a glimpse into an alternate reality? Or is it just a deeper glimpse into our current reality. Do these occurrences have meaning, or are they just odd random coincidences without any meaning?
The Movie "Repo Man" is where the catchphrase was coined ...
From "Repo Man"
"A lot o' people don't realize what's really going on. They view life as a bunch o' unconnected incidents 'n things. They don't realize that there's this, like, lattice o' coincidence that lays on top o' everything. Give you an example; show you what I mean: suppose you're thinkin' about a plate o' shrimp. Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o' shrimp out of the blue, no explanation. No point in lookin' for one, either. It's all part of a cosmic unconsciousness."
I personally have some extraordinary stories of these cosmic coincidences. And upon closer examination I bet you do too! I am really interested in hearing your stories, and sharing mine.
So I'll post some of my stories here, and you can post yours too.
Jeff's plate of shrimp story #1
ReplyDeletePet Crow
One Sunday morning in late spring my wife and I were driving around doing some errands for my remodeling business, going to check on a certain job I had been working on over in the Whiteaker neighborhood in Eugene. As we we're cruising around I noticed how many crows and their babies seems to be all over town, doing the things crows do. The babies are obvious, because they are just a little smaller and they just sit, all fluffed up, and caw at the adult for food, and make very strange noises throughout the whole process. I figured it must be that time of year when the baby crows leave the nest and do their best to keep up with their parents.
Well, I commented to my wife, that it'd be neat to raise a baby crow, because when I was a kid I had helped raise a wild raccoon, a squirrel, injured birds etc ... Very random thought on a very spacey Sunday morning.
Many hours passed, and later that afternoon I stopped by the remodel I was working at and went inside to check it out. My wife, however stayed outside and was admiring the landscaping that had been done at the neighbors house. She looked up and there was a Native American man with long braids standing on the sidewalk with a baby crow perched on his arm. He said to her, "I don't know what to do with this baby crow, it's mother was hit by a car, and it is just being tormented by neighborhood cats."
My wife came and got me and I was astounded, because of the random remark I had made earlier. We instantly decided to take the bird home and care for it until we could contact Wildlife Services.
SO I got my pet crow. Some odd things about the coincidence are that neither I or the Native American guy, Joe were really "supposed" to be there that day. He was repairing some landscaping damage next door caused by a drunken car the night before. And I was just checking in on my job because I was afraid I remembered a measurement wrong, which I actually hadn't. SO a lot of random factors had to align for this crow to arrive into my life. I'm still not sure what to make of that situation, and how it came about.
As for the crow, I don't ever recommend one as a pet, at all ... very insistent, loud and smarter than all your other pets combined! We ended up raising him in our garage, with help from the Raptor Center. Then one day there were a bunch of crows up in the cemetery near our house, he was going crazy wanting to get out. So I let him outside and he joined them up in the trees, and lived happily ever after, I hope.