Tony Anderson

I have officially completed rebuilding the Notre Dame cathedral. The building was the victim of a tragic fire in 2019. It took longer than anticipated because I accidentally lit the damn thing on fire a second time in the middle of 2022 as I was searing some beef over open coals in the left belltower. My “little” fire did more damage than the original as expressed by local firemen. But I owned it and made amends where I could. I have a mutually symbiotic relationship with that glorious cathedral...without me, it never could have been finished. On the other hand, without the Notre Dame, I'd have given up on everything in life that had meaning. We needed each other, she and I. And best of all, it turns out the French believe in second and third chances. After thousands of letters and phone calls, the reconstruction team reinstated me as the rightful builder. "Forgive and forget," they said! Your voices were heard. I was given the job to complete the spire and was able to complete it ahead of schedule. I am now in the midst of writing a memoir about my experience called "InSPIRED...the rise, fall, second rise, second fall and eventual completion of the Notre Dame." So far preorders have been slow with approximately zero books sold. I will forge on regardless. Davinci never gave up just because nobody bought his first painting. I believe rebuilding Los Angeles after the devastating wildfires will be my next project. Stay tuned.