I was going through some of my old photos and I came across this shot taken of me by my friend Peter Townshend on the Metro in Paris in 1989. 19 years old. First time in Paris--First time in Europe. First time overseas. First time anywhere--Just having been dumped by my girlfriend Alison Alsup.

It really was the best of times and the worst of times. Depsite being dropped like yesterday's news by the person who in my innocent 19 year old eyes was the love of my life (fuck, what an idiot I was), I made the most of the trip, hanging with Peter who had come to Paris to stay with his dad who was a visiting physics prof at some local university. I made my way to London to see another high school friend, Jason, who was doing a year abroad at Kings College London. And when he finished his finals, we traveled together through Paris to Rome to see my first girlfriend Gloria Piccioni who was working at the Canadian embassy in the Italian capital.

It was a crazy trip and the fact that some of my closest friends in the world happened to be in Europe at the time helped cushion what otherwise could have devastating blow.