i spy - vol. 7: buddies - part 3. or, the fates of church avenue.

t long last. the coney island finale.

optional prerequisite reading: (yes, i know that's oxymoronic. youre oxymoronic.)
• the first two coney posts
• my last paul auster-esque post

picture it:

palm, jay, ari, me (the fates), on the f train back from coney, round midnight

i reckon the foura us got to talkin about a friend we grew up with, jon r, who has a (hilarious) hobby of buying domain names (website addresses) at auctions, in the hopes of selling them later at a profit. for instance, jay recalled that jon's proudest purchase thus far is something akin to 'nychow.com.' (hopefully, one day some entrepreneur will want to create a comprehensive nyc food delivery website, and they'll come to jon with their wallet out.)

anyway, we were chatting about this b/c earlier in the day we had been laughing about the fact that jay bought the domain jonruch.com, assuming jon would naturally feel the need to to buy it off him. (go to the link. jay is hilarious.)

i dont remember if jay told us that sometimes he gets random emails meant for jon as a result of owning that domain, or if it came up some other way, but palm ended up telling us about random emails he gets as a result of owning the domain hdhart.com.

(background: palm wanted to create a site for selling artwork he collects. his ebay name is 'hundred dollar horse,' so he decided to purchase the acronymic domain hdhart.com.)

palm told the three of us that over this past spring and summer, he got four emails from a woman who thought she was emailing someone named paul hart, at a wine distributor in illinois called 'hart davis hart.' the funny thing is that apparently, each email seemed to build upon previous communications, with none of them alluding to any lack of response from paul. (the emails are copied below, btw.) one of the things i love most about life is chance interactions with complete strangers, so this info led to a barrage of questions on my part:

me: how do you know this guy paul works at a place called 'hart davis hart?'
palm: because this woman is writing stuff like 'hey paul, i hope things are going well over there at 'hart davis hart.'
how do you know it's a wine company?
because she's talking about wine the whole time.
how do you know it's in illinois?
because i googled hart davis hart, and i went to their website, and theyre in illinois.
oh! what is the name of the website?
i dont know.
you dont know?!
i dont remember.
well, it must have been something close to 'hdhart, right?' i mean, if you have a friend who works at macy's, and you want to email him, you dont just assume you can write to fritz@macys.com. you gotta have something. their domain name must be something close to 'hdhart.com.' like, it must be 'hdhart.net' or something similar.
yeah, i agree. i just dont remember it.
i cant believe you dont remember the most critical information behind the story. the one bit of information on which this entire mix-up hinges!

i really was incredulous. you know how i get. see, even though i knew wed google the bloody website as soon as we got back to palm's, the wheels on the bus that is my mind were already going round and round. this was gonna turn into something.

'let's write this woman back, as paul hart,' i said. 'we'll tell her he's leaving the wine business, and ask her to run away with him. or something. it can turn into a whole novel.'

everyone found this idea fairly intriguing, and as we passed the ditmas avenue stop, jay (he who famously named 'rancho relaxo,' the 4th st. apt. i shared with palm after college) suggested we name the proposed book ditmas avenue.

i was down, but we were still talking about it all when we reached the next stop, church avenue, and i found that title more aesthetically pleasing, so i proposed the name change.

anyhoo, we eventually got home, and got on the google, and found that the actual domain name for hart davis hart wine co. is hdhwine.com.

which begs one more crucial question: how the hell did this woman, marilynn t (protecting her full identity), confuse 'hdhwine' for 'hdhart?' what kind of memory dyslexia, or general dyslexia, was responsible for this? that's on top of the primary question here: how did mt manage to email paul hart at the erroneous address four times without response, and without any allusion to the lack of response?

i have several theories on this, but all more or less fall under the umbrella theory of 'this woman's permanently out to lunch.'

hence, the opening for the fates of church avenue.

Paul Hart
President, Hart Davis Hart Wine Co.

you can read mt's emails below, but it's not necessary; personally i find them a bit dull (yes, yes, i know - who's work emails would not be dull?). what wont be dull, however, will be the exchange that follows after palm, under paul's name, writes marilynn the following 'off the reservation' email:

Dearest Marilynn,

How are you, my dear? I must apologize for my inconsistency in responding to your emails. Please know that this has been largely outside my control; I think of you, and our work together, often. I hope that the preparations for the Club Cabaret gala are going grape - ha! The New Yorker piece you sent me about the woman and the bionic arm was very inspiring.

In fact, it is tales like that one, and the charity work that you yourself are so involved in, that have caused me to re-examine my life lo these past few months. As you know, I have been working in the wine business my whole career, but lately, the business has been leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. Perhaps the job has too many tannins - ha!

Lately, I've been thinking about my life, and how it's just been year after year of Cabarnet this and Super Tuscan that, and what does it all mean? The years on the labels keep changing, but unlike the wine, I do not feel I am getting better with age. My life does not seem to have a good body and balance anymore - ha!

I used to dream of becoming a pilot. You know, the wild blue yonder, as opposed to the thorny green vines. I'm still young enough - why not?

So, I am leaving Hart Davis Hart to enter flight school. I might never be able to fly for a living, but flying might well become my life, just as grapes have been all this time.

Needless to say, I will keep in touch. You can't forget your friends on the ground, no matter how high you get!

I just wanted to tell you this, Marilynn, because your own charity work with the RIC has been so inspiring to me.

Think where man's glory most begins and ends,
And say my glory was I had such friends.
-William Butler Yeats

Thank you so much for your friendship, Marilynn.

Yours always,
Paul Hart

now we wait and see what happens with these two wine buddies, eh?

*

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: T, Marilynn <marilynn@xyz.com>
Date: Jul 25, 2007 1:32 PM
Subject: Next steps -- Cult and Collectible Wine for RIC gala
To: paulhart@hdhart.com

Hi, Paul.
Things are coming together nicely for the Club Cabaret gala on October
19. The tables are almost fully subscribed and we hope to be featured in
the Crain's Chicago Business social section shortly before the event.
Thank you for your support. To give you a sense of how your support
benefits RIC, I have attached an article that appeared this week in The
New Yorker about a young woman who is a test case for a
neural-engineered prosthesis -- a bionic arm, if you will -- that was
developed at RIC.

I have a couple of questions for you. First, are you able to attend the
gala on October 19? Carl and I hope that you and your wife will join our
table.

Second, will you please confirm whether Hart Davis Hart is willing to
host the online Cult and Collectible Wine Auction? No doubt there are
copy and graphics to prepare and we should get the process underway
soon.

Third, will you follow up with Les Nomades regarding a wine and fine
dining experience? What other wine lots do you find compelling? And
which individuals or wine sources would be willing to ask to contribute
a prize bottle or two from their cellars for a good cause?

You may be interested in the Wish List of Cult and Collectible Wines
that we have shared with RIC friends, with the suggestion that they
think of individual bottles as well as stand-alone wine lots of $2500 or
greater retail value to be "curated" and assembled from individual
bottles by Guest Sommelier Scott T.
Wish List of Cult and Collectible Wines:
--a sampling of Super Tuscans
--high end 2005 Bordeaux wines
--a collection of California Cult wines
--large format bottles
--3-5 magnums of French Champagnes
--Great Burgundies
--verticals of classic wines
--Notable Pinot Noirs from around the world
--Anything Petrus or Chateau Y'quem
--You get the idea. Let your imagination be your guide.

Please let me or Lise B in the Women's Board office
(312.555.5555, mailto:l@qrs.org) know how we can be helpful --
sample letters to wine donors, following up on your leads, etc. Thanks,
Paul.

Marilynn
marilynn@xyz.com
847.555.5555 cell
-----

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: T, Marilynn <marilynn@xyz.com>
Date: Jul 18, 2007 12:02 PM
Subject: FW: RIC wine events - next steps
To: paulhart@hdhart.com

Hi, Paul. Congrats on the good media coverage regarding Scott T's move to Hart Davis Hart. Scott seems enthusiastic about the opportunity. Scott, by the way, was happy to sign on as guest sommelier for the RIC cabaret gala.

We need to touch base on the questions below. We have a gala meeting tomorrow, so it will be especially helpful if you are able to confirm whether HDH is willing to host the Cult & Collectible Wine auction online.

I encourage you to take advantage of the Early Bird Reservation option for tickets to the gala since tickets have become scarce. I have protected some seats for the wine group but would appreciate your signaling whether you will be purchasing tickets and supporting RIC with your attendance.

Regards,

Marilynn

-------
From: T, Marilynn < marilynn@xyz.com>
Sent: Fri 6/8/2007 5:59 PM
To: paulhart@hdhart.com
Subject: RIC wine events - next steps

Thanks, Paul, for joining us Wednesday evening. Your experience and judgment is tremendously helpful as we lay the groundwork for an engaging wine event. To summarize the next steps:

1. Likely prospects to donate wine, and selected guest list of wine lovers for Club Cabaret: Separately, the women's board office will send you a list of RIC's board of directors, women's board and long time supporters. Please identify the individuals who you recognize as wine collectors/bidders and we will reach out personally to them regarding wine lots.

2. Online bidding and live auction. You will confirm whether Hart Davis Hart is willing to host the online RIC Cult and Collectible wine auction in the weeks prior to the October 19, as well as provide an auctioneer and paddles for the auction itself.

3. Join the party: We hope that you will attend the event on October 19, and invite other friends who would enjoy this particular event. I have attached an early bird reservation letter and response form for that purpose. Please keep in mind that seating is limited. Depending on the size of your party, Carl and I hope that we can share a table.

4. Killer, drop dead, stop in your tracks, leader wine lot: Ursula may be supportive of a Screaming Eagle contribution to a high profile lot given her experience at RIC, and I am happy to prepare a proposal. Do you have her current contact info? What have you found is the most reliable way to reach her?

5. Les Nomades Wine Lot: You will approach Mary Beth about either hosting a dinner for 6-8 people at the restaurant paired with wines, or providing a chef for an in-home dinner in the Chicago area. The attached Factsheet may be helpful in that regard. I am happy to reach out to Mary Beth, if you prefer that I take the lead -- just let me know. Paul, would you consider working with Mary Beth to provide some special wines for the evening's menu?

6. In recognition that we are going to this effort on behalf of the Rehabilitation Institute, I attach a recent article in the New York Times that highlights the contributions of RIC to the state of rehabilitaiton for injured soliders as well as those who deal with the aftermath of strokes, brain injury, birth defects, neurological diseases, disabling accidents and the more mundane sports injuries. http://www.ric.org/

Thanks for helping us make the wine event a success, Paul.
Marilynn

<> <> <>

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: T, Marilynn <marilynn@xyz.com>
Date: May 21, 2007 6:27 PM
Subject: FW: RIC Wine Advisors Get Together -- proposed dates
To: paulhart@hdhart.com

> Dear Paul,
>
> Thanks for your willingness to work with the women's board of the
> Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago to make fine wine a special part
> of our Club Cabaret gala on Friday, October 19, 2007. We would like to
> bring our advisors together informally over wine and appetizers at 6
> to 7:30 pm in the Gold Coast home of one of the women's board members
> so that our brainstorming will be fruitful and enjoyable. Of the dates
> we are considering, which work for you?
> Wed, June 6
> Tues, June 12
> Wed, June 13
>
> By way of reminder, Club Cabaret will feature the cabaret singer
> Andrea Marcovicci in the intimate (275 seats) setting of The Casino.
> Fine wines have been procured for the evening, bolstering the appeal
> of the evening and setting the stage for a Cult & Collectible Wine
> Auction of a limited number of significant wine lots. We anticipate
> that the event will sell out quickly, so we will soon be sending you
> an early bird invitation to reserve seats for the event. The wine
> auction, of course, is intended to benefit the programs of RIC, a
> hospital that has brought distinction to Chicago and the field of
> rehabilitation medicine.
>
> The topics we will be discussing include:
> * Your evaluation of the proposed role of wine in the gala evening
> * Wine lots that are likely to hold great appeal to wine
> collectors
> * Potential donors of appealing wine lots
> * "Must have" wine collectors and likely bidders on the wine lots
> who should be invited to Club Cabaret
>
> Please respond with your availability on the proposed dates. If you
> are not able to connect with the group, lets make arrangements to
> discuss the topics by phone or over coffee at a time that is
> convenient to you.
>
> Warm regards,
>
> Marilynn T
> 847.555.5555
> marilynn@xyz.com