Affectionate Readers,
Date #18 is coming. I promise. In fact, here it is:

DATE #18:
Plan to put up Edward Furlong mugs every furlong cancelled (rain); no
matter, we have united, instead, over PROJECT FURLONG.

(what is this?)

Just as the New York Times decided to withhold a story, I, too might hold off on reporting the rest of my dates for some more breaking news: THE FURLONG PROJECT is born. Here’s the narrative:

Date number 18 never indicated a desire to meet; he one of the over 50 responses I got from my original Craigslist post who didn’t actually want a “date.” He was just writing to commend me on my lucid writing style. Stop, I’m blushing. So that was that. Except that there continued to be an email correspondence of one-liners back and forth — verbal fencing, if you will — which, as a linguist (and nerd) I am a sucker for.

There was talk of marsupials. Potato farming. Drop kicking-hippos (not my idea: stolen from friend in LA). But the height of our connection came from our mutual love and affection for Edward Furlong. In all honesty, I don’t love Edward Furlong. I was just trying to get a date. Oh come on, people: I’m kidding.

In tribute, he suggested we meet and put up Edward’s mug shot every furlong, which is a unit of measurement equal to 201.16800 meters. Being an enthusiast for zany projects that I am, I was enthusiastic. We tried to meet before the new year, and low and behold we both found a date and time when we were free: Wednesday, December 21st at 5:30AM. Have I mentioned I’m a morning person?

The weather, of course, didn’t cooperate, and we agreed that, sadly, we should postpone our “date.” He informed me, however, that the Furlong/furlong notion had grown larger than us two, and the movement had spread to 5 other states, including Southern California. We agreed that his idea was now a full-fledged Project–PROJECT FURLONG–and that we would assist each other in our goals: I agreed to continue to spread the Message of Furlong; he agreed to drive traffic to my site. It was a mutually beneficial agreement.

Thus, I am posting the first unofficial notice to solicit interest in PROJECT FURLONG. Starting in 2006, there will be a national (international?) spread of the image of Edward Furlong at furlong-long intervals in major metropolitan cities–or where ever people want to get their Furlong on.

Date #18 and I hope you can join us. Stay tuned.