I'm Gina Smith

Happy Birthday, Kevin Balle of West Palm Beach.

Happy birthday, Kevin. You may recall that several years ago -- this exact night -- we totaled my Celica. I still have the scar, though faint, and glass is still coming out from time to time. To this day.

I hear you are not online -- figures -- but maybe someone will pass this along to you and wish you a happy birthday.

Gina Rubattino -- where are you now?

Sorry to make you all wait. Yesterday, I was sick with the weirdest allergy. Never had one before, but yesterday I was in the ER. Whew! Now they're putting an alergist/investigator on the case to see if they can uncover the alleged allergen that sent me to the hospital three times in the last 10 days.

So, poor me. Whatever. Anyway, this is the part of IGS where you help me locate people from my sordid past. On the theory that people (including me) ego-google, I've had some good success. In the last year, I've found 17 of the 20 people listed in this category.

So .......where are you, Gina Rubattino?  The Other Gina and I had a blast for many years in the 90s. She was super intelligent, blonde, beautiful, kind of a rebel, ate stake, Northern Italian by descent, and as I recall, was running a PR agency in the 90s.

I have looked every where and it seems she has fallen off. Help anyone?

Happy Birthday, Faye Glickstein!

Wherever you are!

Where is Don Allen -- aka William Donnell Allen of Woodward Academy

As you know, I use this blog every week to find people who are lost in my past. The theory is that everyone self-googles from time to time. And it's been working.

I report a 90 percent success rate. I found my old roomate Cindy Landaiche, my old reporter friend Mike Sallah (who won the Pulitzer Prize since I last saw him) and several others.

So this one is for Don. William Donnell Allen. Are you out there? It's Gina Smith, aka Ria.

Long story.

gs

Looking for Darlene Boscht and Dawn Feldman, in wake of Katrina.

If anyone out there knows the whereabouts of these two family friends of mine -- both from New Orleans -- please let me know at gina@ginasmith.com.

Looking for Jane Morrissey (last seen, San Francisco Airport 2000)

Looking for Jane Morrisey, who worked with me as a PC Week reporter back in the early days, married a great guy named James (who knows how to play a mean game of Chinese poker) and now lives in Colorado. I think.

Jane, I can't find you. Email me. My Where Are You Now feature in this blog has been working great. Don't be the exception!

gs

Craig Devine, Yorktown Heights, NY, circa 1972

Since my last three attempts on this blog of finding long, lost people have worked (turns out everyone ego surfs at least once!) let's see if I can find Craig Devine, who lived next door to me on Locksley Road in 1972.

Craig, you out there? Craig would know me as Gina Caynor.

Kevin Balle, West Palm Beach, FL circa 1986

Today, in our Where Are They Now feature, I include Kevin Balle. I knew him well in South Florida when I was still a police reporter for Knight-Ridder newspapers. Is he ego surfing? We will see!

Where are they now: Alex McBride, Florida State University 1986.

I am adding yet another category to my already complicated blog, but I feel like this one is necessary.

More necessary than, say, another zen riddle, book recommendation, bizarre news story or a 10 things you don't know about me and bla bla.

No,no. This new feature is based on my belief that once someone starts seriously surfing the net, in no time at all they begin ego surfing. Looking for their own name. Usually, they'll be disappointed.

Not anymore. So, every Sunday, in this space, I will give you the name of someone from my distant past who I am dying to catch up with, someone I can't find.

Because I update this blog so much, the ego surfer's name will pop right up.

This week's subject will be Alex McBride, a brilliant, half-German student I knew at Florida State University in 1983-1985. He played a mean game of darts, and all the German he taught me (including Fischers Fritz fischt fur frische fisch) is still with me.

Alex fairly resembles the Samuel Adams on the beer bottle by the same name.

Alex would know me by my current name, Gina Smith. He may even know me as Ria Smith. So Alex, if you ego surf, and find your self here, send me an email or add a comment. Would love to catch up.

Later.