I spend a lot of my spare time putting people’s names into google and trying to find them. I never really know what to say to them if I do stumble across them in a new life of whatever they are doing now, which is always radically different than what they were doing ten years ago. I have an incredible problem with looking into the past and thinking it was a wonderful time, hence my first book and other web projects. So I always find it amazing when I do run across some piece of the past in the form of a person or some old news posting or whatever.
Lately, I’ve been having more people find me first, which is always great. It makes me think the permanent rumored.com domain is starting to pay off. I just heard from an old friend Alana who I thought was forever lost. And a few weeks ago, I got a message from Brian Smith, who even had a very small bit part in Summer Rain, although I didn’t tell him at the time.
I’m thinking of having a contest for the book where if you send a picture of yourself in a strange place with the book (or just the book without you in the picture), I’ll send you a dollar or something. Then I will put all of the pictures on the web. I don’t know if this is the sort of thing reserved for stolen garden gnomes, but I think it would be fun. Too bad I don’t have any copies yet, or I’d take some of my own pictures in Vegas and Colorado later this month.
I can’t believe a year ago I was in Florida. I sure wish I was sitting in the pool down in Treasure Island right now. I’d love to have some kind of canoe or small boat down there, where I could go to a public launch and then just circle around all day, do nothing, take a lot of photos. It’s such a relaxing thought, especially considering that New York is pathetically hot right now, and I had one of those days where every single fucking person on the sidewalk was in the exact wrong place in front of me. There are times I think about buying some kind of aircraft landing strobe so people would get the fuck out of my way. My doctor keeps telling me I should go for walks more, but if I can’t walk ten feet without someone tripping me up, I don’t think it will help my cardiovascular situation. I sure miss being able to hop on my bike and ride across an empty cornfield for 20 miles.
Okay, I think the AC is getting fired up now…