h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A few years ago, I got in touch with somebody I was at school with, and the process was quite unusual. I was working with a guy called Andy Jones (Hello, Andy, if you're out there!), and we were discussing unusual surnames. I started with my mother's surname (Sorens is very unusual) and then mentioned a school-friend. Her surname, Curzons, was so unusual that the only people in the 'phone book with that surname were all related. Andy said, 'That name's not so unusual. My wife knows a woman with that surname.' I asked if Andy's wife came from Coventry, or whether her friend did. Andy rang his wife, who turned out to be Helen Porter, from another class in my year. The other woman was Tracey Curzons, a good friend that I'd lost touch with. Helen, Andy and I have been in touch ever since. Unfortunately, Tracey couldn't make it to the school reunion, so I still haven't got in touch with her.

There can't be many people who met up with an old acquaintance and developed a friendship via a discussion on surnames!

Another possible way is by typing their name, and anything else you know about them, into a search engine.

This might work fine if your friend is Blodwen McFatoush, a rhinoceros breeder from Burkina Faso. Sadly, I've yet to re-unite with my old mucker John Smith, a software engineer in the USA. But presumably it's one of them.

But the real problem is how to stop other other people finding YOU!

Maybe you should work on that as an entry!

I am perpetually amazed that some of the direct mail people have my name and address. I always tick that tiny little near-invisible box labelled in 2 point font, 'Tick here if you don't want us and everyone we know to send you tons of worthless junk mail that you will put straight in the bin'.



k

actually i am trying to find a friend. i did look him up in the phone book and am pretty certain i found the right guy. i sent a letter and included my address and phone number but have heard nothing in the way of a response. he was mad at me and stopped talking to me. i want to apologize and fix things, but don't want to seem obsessed with him or finding him, so i don't want to put his name out there for everyone to see. (if he sees this he will probably know it's him anyway) we're out of school for the summer and i don't want to wait til fall semester to talk to him again. any suggestions on a subtle way of handling this?

That is a tough one Pluto. I take it this is somebody you have recently fallen out with?

When you wrote before did you apologise in your letter? How long has it been since you sent it? Are you sure you have the right person? I wouldn't hound the guy, so avoid bombarding him with more letters but if you are not sure that you have the right person then maybe try calling to see if he got the letter. Are there any mutual friends that you could contact to get them to find out if he got it, and what he thinks about it?



Good luck,

k

Yeah it was recently, It was about a month and a half ago and I sent the letter about 3 weeks ago. I did apologize, and I am POSITIVE I have the right person. I don't think there is anyone I could get ahold of who could find out if he got it, and I don't want to push him, I mean it's bad enough I got his address out of the phonebook, I don't want to call him and have him think I'm obsessed or psychotic or anything. I suppose I should just sit back and wait for now, huh?
I don't make friends real easy so it bothers me to think I may lose one. I just wish I knew what to do.