How did I first become interested in mirages?

I am not sure when I first began thinking about mirages. I have been interested in documenting everyday mysteries for several years: airplanes that seem to disappear when they fly into a cloud, buildings that appear to turn to wiggling masses when I look at them through heat interference. I made a tape of these types of mini-mysteries that included footage of a mirage. Once I started looking for mirages, I realized I could see them almost everywhere, almost every day. They were almost always there; I just hadn't really seen them before. (Of course, they aren't really there and I wasn't really seeing them, because they are just mirages.) Once I started researching mirages, I learned that people have been fascinated and fooled by mirages for centuries.

Another possible reason I like mirages:

My friend Jenny thinks I am fascinated by mirages because I live in such a dry climate (Los Angeles). I grew up in Minnesota, where there are lots of lakes and ponds and it rains frequently in the summer. In Los Angeles, we can go for months without seeing any rain. So Jenny figures I seek out mirages because I miss living in a climate where I see lots of water.