Wow. I wonder if anyone I know was here?

Well, probably. At first I couldn't name that crowded plaza in all the pictures, and I thought of two different places it could have been until I realized that the party was so big there are probably pictures of both places out there... but still, I lived in that city for a year as an exchange student, and there were 9,000 people at this apéro. Even if I can only claim to "know" someone I could still name or would recognize if I bumped into on the streets*, I know at least a dozen people from Nantes in their mid-twenties. Some probably still live in or near the city and some of those would probably have been at the party. It's almost impossible that I knew the dead guy, though, and at such a big event it's pretty unlikely even that I know anyone who knew him.

But on the other hand, OK, so someone I "know" was at this event. So what? Maybe I grasp at any hint of connection I have to distant or newsworthy events a bit too much. If I had been friends with the guy who grows the pumpkins purportedly used in the craft microbrewed beer a co-worker bought once, then yeah, I'd argue that was pretty cool. But if I just met him once or twice... maybe I was making a mountain out of a molehill when I got all excited about that.

Still, I'll try to remember to check Facebook this weekend to see if I can track down Nantes people. Da dun DUNNN!

* That might seem like a broad definition of "knowing" a person, but give me a break, I have a bad memory for names, and recognizing someone on the street after all this time might be a bigger feat.