I am scanning old pictures and adding notations to them. This is your father. These are the Hopkins. You went to school with these people. Just in case I live long enough for my memory to fail, I will have clues to remind me of my past.
I decided to do the same for my stories. You know, those incidents of no great significance that pop into your mind occasionally. I often wonder if they will ever pop into my mind again. So, now when they pop into my mind, I will pop on over to this blog and record them, not for posterity, but for me. Someday, if my memory fails, I can come here and read about the episodes in my life.
I see this action as useful in other ways. A while back I wrote a column for the Cape May Times website about how important it was to get new stories. The flip side is to take care you don't tell the same old stories again and again and again. Now, I will be able to say, "Go to my blog and take a look at my story about Daniel Day-Lewis." (A lot of my pop-up stories involve celebrities-largely, because I spent a lot of time in places I couldn't afford, or shouldn't have afforded.) These are the types of things that I am tempted to put on Facebook, but they don't even warrant that high a profile. So, I'll bury them here and if someone brings up Daniel Day-Lewis, I'll say "Pretty uninteresting story about my almost encounter with Daniel Day-Lewis. Check it out on my blog."
I should mention that usually these pop-up memories about celebrities pop up at the time of the celeb's death. (Not in Daniel Day-Lewis's case. He retired.) So it would be pretty self-serving to post on Facebook my one encounter with a celebrity at a time when we should be acknowledging their list of accomplishments, which would not include a random encounter with me.
And, who knows? One day someone might be thinking, "I wonder what Daniel Day-Lewis is really like?" and this blog will provide the answer. (From what I could see, pretty nice.)
Oh, okay. I'll start with the Daniel Day-Lewis story. This incident popped into my mind recently when he announced that he was no longer going to act. Our brief encounter happened in the mid-nineties. I think just around the time he had a child with Isabelle Adjani. I was walking down 54th Street, maybe 55th, somewhere between Sixth Avenue and Broadway with my friend Susan when a man stepped onto the sidewalk ahead of us. I saw about 25% of his face.
Me: "That's Daniel Day-Lewis."
Susan: "I doubt it."
Me: "It's Daniel Day-Lewis."
Susan: "Let me go look."
Me: Watch her walk ahead, turn around and look at the man.
Susan: "It's Daniel Day-Lewis."
Now, I had never read much about Daniel Day-Lewis but I had the impression he was difficult. One of those temperamental actors who are so absorbed by their craft that they find it impossible to be civil. I have no idea where I got that idea. Maybe someone said he was serious about his craft and I filled in the details based on stereotypes. At any rate, when we got to the corner of either Sixth or Seventh Avenue, a young man approached him. I assumed an aspiring actor. (I am full of assumptions.) He introduced himself.
Susan: "Let's watch for a minute."
Me (to myself): This ought to get ugly.
But here's the thing--if you are here trying to find out what Daniel Day-Lewis was really like--he was lovely. He appeared kind and interested and was still talking to the young man when the light changed for the second time and we moved on.
See, I told you my encounter wasn't interesting. Does my incident (story is too strong a word) teach a lesson? I think that would either be "Don't stereotype," or "Don't believe everything you read in a tabloid."
If you need real information on Daniel Day-Lewis, you would be better off tracking down the young man he was talking to. I didn't get a name. For now, you've got this as a start.
NOTE TO OLD ME: Daniel Day-Lewis appeared to be a lovely man.
