One of the great pleasures of life near a university campus is falling into conversation by chance with a random intellect in another field. This almost never happens here.
This afternoon, to enjoy the spring sunshine at the end of a difficult week in which, nevertheless, much of value has been accomplished, I went to the outdoor café with one of the graduate students. We were approached by an exuberant young man so nerdy that for a moment, I took him for one of the borderline schizophrenics who also inhabit the fringes of university campuses. We soon discovered he was a math major with interests in electronic music and Brazil, and we had a wonderfully refreshing conversation.
“I like the avant-garde,” he said, referring to the early films of Luis Buñuel, “because it really manages to take things apart, and to reveal the constructed nature of what we call reality.” That was my major intuition as a small child, and again when I was his age. I am glad he has reminded me now.
Axé.
coldhearted scientist وداد 
I love to read about these “chance” meetings with other scholars in other disciplines. When there is a real connection, it really is refreshing and the enthusiasm is contagious.
Peace,
Geoffrey