Tonawanda

Yesterday, Hanky Girl sent GP a link to a site called technorati.com, which is a blog search engine. Naturally, The Great Plotnik immediately typed in 'The Great Plotnik,' and several of his blogs came up. But he couldn't stop there. He then typed in the Name His Mummy Gave Him and that's where it got interesting.

Looking down the list of Technorati blogs with his own name in them, he found one from Tonawanda, New York, in which the blogger mentioned liking two obscure songs from the middle of one of Plottie's albums of a few decades ago. There was an e-mail address, so Plotnik emailed the unsuspecting blogger, identifying himself as the co-writer and producer of that project. A few exchanges followed, and two people connected. Plotnik felt good about that.

When GP went back to Technorati again today, the link was gone. The site changes constantly. Yesterday's connection has been blasted into the ether, though Plotnik found himself mentioned on a Peru/Bolivia travel blogsite which is unfortunately written in Czech.

Here's the interesting thing from an artistic perspective. That particular CD, which Plotnik and his ex-partner sold and distributed on their own after the record label to which they had signed the project went belly-up (after the label owner built a five million dollar home, put it in his wife's name and declared bankruptcy so he wouldn't have to pay his artists), received much praise and two of the songs are still played every holiday season. But two other songs on the CD had never received much mention -- Plotnik doubted anyone had really ever heard them: the very two songs our New Blog Friend had heard on the radio and liked.

So, Blogniks, blogging is cooler than we think. It's about more than JournalDoodling. Everyone of us is looking to connect to the big wide, outside world, and what better way is there than through stories and songs?

The Great Plotnik sends thanks to R. E. of Tonawanda, New York, which, if memory serves, is DAMNED cold in the winter and there's a great Italian restaurant on the highway heading to Niagara Falls. Baked Ziti, mmmmmmmmm.