Anyway, it was Ed who contacted me when I was sitting in the graduate library at Michigan on Thursday. At about 11:30 he sent me an IM (noticing I was in the grad library from my Plazes account) and mentioned that he usually meets a group of people regularly for lunch on Thursday and invited me to join them. I knew I was at Michigan for the long haul that day so I told him that sounded like fun! Plus I was already planning on going to AADL which is a few blocks away from the restaurant.
The lunch was fun, I met some interesting people, and more importantly, I didn't spend the whole day with my nose stuck in encyclopedias...
I was really interested in the planned spontaneity of the whole thing though. The fact that I was in the right place at the right time, and with the right tools I was able to have the experience. It is another testimonial to how technology doesn't just shape our online lives anymore, it is also giving us richer experiences offline too.
Since I only have one Plazes contact I do invite anybody who reads this blog to add me as a contact if they want. You can visit my profile to see where I've already been.
Tags: plazes, ann arbor, michigan, umich, university of michigan
Heidi - I like the phrase "planned spontaneity", that seems to capture it pretty well. It was good to see you.
Hi Ed! I liked the phrase you said in your email, "manufactured serendipity", also...but you're right, "planned spontaneity" is pretty cool too.
I think "planned sponteneity" came from a friend of mine in high school, she would always tell me that she's "planning a spontenous" trip to someplace and I always liked the way that sounded :)
It was good to see you too and I'm sure I'll see you again soon!