Mr. Lileks is definitely a cool guy, but you've got him beat hands down when it comes to e-mail.

I don't mean answering e-mail because Mr. Lileks makes it quite clear that he either does or doesn't reply as he sees fit.

Eric, you've got Mr. Lilkes beat because your account accepts e-mail. A couple of days ago, I found an eBay auction for a 70's era, 18 volume encyclopedia of "modern home decorating". Judging by the pictures, it was the Holy Grail for his "Interior Desecrations". If he snagged that set, he'd have a lifetime supply of tacky furnishings to poke fun at.

Being the helpful guy that I am, I send him an e-mail and get the following automated reply:

"Your message cannot be delivered to the following recipients:

Recipient address: lileks@ims-ms-daemon
Original address: lileks@mac.com
Reason: Over quota"

A day later, I try again with the same reply. By then, the auction was ending very soon, so I didn't go for a third strike.

Mr. Lileks is so popular and so famous his e-mail account gets overloaded. As a result, he's not receiving potentially important e-mails. I suppose fame has its price.

P.S. I don't know if you've heard, but a guy named Armstrong just got famous for doing something other than moon walking. ;-)

Yeah, fame definitely has its price, especially when that fame arrives via the web, with its presumption of accessibility. I suspect he's got another (or more) private email addresses that he hands out to people he knows.

But it's interesting...he's more tuned in than you might think. For instance, a few months ago, I left a comment on another blog about something he wrote, and he responded to my comment.

P.S. I don't know if you've heard, but a guy named Armstrong just got famous for doing something other than moon walking.

Oh, yeah...I heard about that Lance guy...the first man to ride a bike on the moon! ;-)

I don't think I have the words to do justice to what he's accomplished, although I still may try to make a fool out of myself by posting something about it.

I too am studying to be a master at the art of self and family extraction. We made it home from the Pottstown fireworks extravaganza (it really is a big deal, surprisingly) in less than 30 minutes. Of course, the trip usually takes about 3.

Apparently, traffic jams following fireworks is a new American tradition, destined to take its place alongside baseball and apple pie.