510 872 7326

666 is hell, 777 is heaven. 555 5555 is the number that calls fantasy land. Even the phone companies play along. There is importance in numbers. 510 872 7326 has enough numbers that people know they can reach a very specific person. If I hadn’t added my area code, I would not have this dinner tour. By including the whole number, people were given an opportunity to spy on me in a way. They had something personal of mine. It is like finding a wallet, and enjoying the process of going through every fold and pocket for information. People call to find out who is on the other end. The telephone number becomes a wormhole people can crawl through and come out on my end of the line, in a whole new world.

I gave people something to be curious about, and I reward their curiosity positively. So often we are warned against curiosity. It kills cats, after all. But as an artist, curiosity is integral to my life, and I want to encourage it in others.

My phone number is what made this project possible. If I had put my website address on the message board, there would not be as much interest. A web site is removed from me in a way that a phone number is not. Especially being it is my cell phone. That is, in this culture, an extension of my body. It is closer to me than my home address. I am my cell phone number!

Ross, who works at Verizon, has called me to talk about getting me a good cell plan. He immediately picked up on the importance of my phone to this project. Conversation is Verizon’s bread and butter. Someone is making a profit every time I talk.

It can be depressing to see things that way, can’t it? But Verizon may become a sponsor, or donate a phone with email capability. I could post to the blog here right from my phone. The possibilities are endless. No more driving around looking for an internet cafe.

I began this post speaking philosophically about numbers and their human connection. I end with the realization numbers in some cases represent how much monetary power I have. My phone number versus my bank account, in a battle to the finish!