ilana

Stern.  Not a real common name.  I read right over
it quite a few times without really giving it much
thought.  A couple weeks ago, I actually read it--
thought about it as a name.  And my first, clearly
ill-considered, thought was: "Hey, I know somebody
else named Stern.  Maybe they're related."  Now, I
admit this was silly.  Sure, it's within the realm
of possibility, but it's not very likely.  Moments
later I noticed that "Ilana" is a pretty odd name;
interestingly so was the name of the other Stern.

Now, some people might actually think it's not all
that unlikely; it would just be another example of
the small-net syndrome.  But that misses the scope
of this potential coincidence.  Consider this side
of things.  I only read maybe nine newsgroups, and
of these talk.bizarre is the only one where I take
people seriously.  Additionally, I've only started
reading maybe three new writers in the last couple
of months.  So I'm not talking about one person in
ten thousand here, more like one in ten.

And, of course, on the other side, the other Stern
I know, we're talking about on the order of one in
ten too.  This isn't someone I met on the net.  He
isn't just someone I know from a class or two; not
just someone I met at a party.  Sure, we took some
classes together.  He was one of maybe five people
I played cards with in the dorm.  But it's quite a
bit more than this.  This is someone who cowrote a
computer adventure-game language with me.  Someone
whose girlfriend was probably my best friend while
I was in college (and the only person I've managed
to stay in touch with decently, and who christened
me with my old account name and t.b signoff name).
Someone who was in a band with me and several guys
named "Chris".  Lord!  We're talking about someone
who stood on stage next to me at the 9:30 Club and
woefully sang U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday", while I
played bass and sang out-of-tune backing vocals as
our band tried to lose the "Gong Show" night.

This is not your run-of-the-mill small-world case.

And, so, I humbly, regretfully announce that it is
quite unlikely that there is any connection; quite
silly of me to have thought so for a moment.  I do
apologize for leading you on.  I should not let my
imagination wander like that.

In some article, ilana@kiowa.scd.ucar.edu (Ilana) writes:
> "L.A. woman, you're my woman," he whispers.
> "Maryland, dammit," I whisper back, but I kiss him anyway.

*blink*

Ahhhhh!

*run screaming*

buzzard
"...we can be as one"