I'm sure all of you have heard the theory that it you're at a party with say, 50 strangers that the chances are good that someone at that party knows someone you know? And that was before we went to cyberspace!

When I was a kid, I was a Navy brat. I lived in Texas, Calif., Va., and Hawaii. Probably went to 6 or 7 different schools during that time. That's a lot of kids to play with and be friends with. Then, I joined the Air Force and went to Korea, Japan, Okinawa, Alaska, Az., Ok., and Ne. Now, in some of those states, I lived in more than one city and took a few semesters of College in each, in addition to belonging to a variety of hobby clubs, anything from motorcycles, CB, Ham, RC planes, real planes and a few others. Then, since my interest cover everything from rock hounding to jewelry making, woodworking, and hundreds of other things, I've met and talked to thousands of people over the years. In Texas, I had a Home Inspection business and a small Air Conditioning company for something like 16 years, in addition to being a REALTOR for a few years. Now, that's around a thousand inspections, and thousands of people I've met while servicing their A/C's. My present, sporadic job has taken me to N.J. where I met over a hundred residents and hundreds of other adjusters from all over the country. The same with Houston. Now, the point of all this is that that's a lot of people that, over the years, I've played with, drank with, partied with, ate with, visited or with which I have had a speaking acquaintance. Not to mention the strangers that I've just talked to in elevators, doctors offices, or other places where they couldn't get away. Then, factor in all the people that I've met casually and briefly like clerks, maintenance people, etc. And I've been on dozens of forums since the internet became popular, I started when all we had were local bulletin boards. Now, since I sit here and think of things like this, I just have to wonder, do I know YOU? Or in some cases, maybe your parents? Or scarier still, do you know ME?

Wildman, (just thinking out loud)

-- Anonymous, August 20, 2002

Answers

Well, I don't see how I could actually know you (particularly in the Biblical sense (!), although I was pretty um, *wild*, in my younger days! Ya never know, though!!! LOL) since geographically we are pretty far apart. I don't think you're old enough to be contemporaries with my parent's generation, so you probably wouldn't have met them, either.

I DO feel that I am acquainted with you from somewhere, though! And not just here. Hmmm... Ever spent much time river rafting? Been to Arizona a lot? I've met a few river rats from TX.

-- Anonymous, August 20, 2002

Hm, I don't know Wildman, but I do know this, that the saying that you know when you are getting old ,when everyplace you go you meet someone who reminds you of someone you allready know. It's happening! Love Tren

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2002

I think this is just a sneaky ploy by Wildman to get me to reveal my whereabouts! :-P

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2002

Heepish, since you don't know my name and I don't know yours, it's kinda hard to tell if I know you or not. The thing is that the odds are extremely good that even if I don't know you, that you are acquainted with someone who knows ME or I know someone that knows YOU. And the odds are even better that I know someone who knows someone that knows you and visa versa. This wouldn't have been possible a hundred years ago when most people lived and died in one county but now, with everyone moving freely around the country and the world, it happens frequently.

Tren, I don't have to go any place to see someone who reminds me of someone else. All I have to do is watch television. We're constantly saying that that person looks like someone we know. In fact, when I was in Ft. Worth living in the barracks back in the 60's, I had some friends who started acting kinda strangely towards me and when I asked them what the problem was, they told me that they'd tried to talk to me at the bowling alley one night and I acted like I didn't know them. Now, I hadn't been to the bowling alley and didn't even know where it was.

Joy, Polly done told me that you're from the North, so that narrowed it down some and I've got your last initial now so I'm closing in. I'll bet you're sweating now, aren't you? No, I sweat, you perspire. Just a minute, I'm sweating? Why would I sweat? I'm the hunter.

Wildman, (drifting again)

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2002

I beg your pardon? North? I think not. I come from good old Southern Illinois White Trash stock; and they migrated to there from Kentucky and Tennesee. You do know that the Mason-Dixon Line runs just a few miles east of here, don't you? Hmmphh - North, indeed! Try again!

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2002

Wildman...the more you "drift", the deeper your thinking gets :-)!! You're getting me confused! I really don't think that you're old enough to know my parents...or anyone associated with them. But now I'm wondering if maybe I should ask every customer from out of state that comes to our garage if they know someone with the name of "Wildman"!! What state are you in again???

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2002

Oooops! Pardon me; I was confused (happens often) - I thought you were accusing ME of being from the North. Well, DUH! Can't read, I guess. Need sleep, undoubtably. Sorry.

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2002

Sheesh - can't type either! That's SLINKING away. Aaarrrghhh!

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2002

Okay, I see what's going on. You guys are just trying to confuse me aren't you? Of course I could know your parents unless they died before I was born. Why couldn't I know them? And why wouldn't it be reasonable to think that I could know someone who knows one of you or one of your parents? Or that your parents or you know me or you know someone that I know? It's even more reasonable to think that I could know someone who knows someone who knows either one of you or your parents. And visa versa. Even if you and your parents have never left your hometown or county, others that know you have. The only way I couldn't know you or your parents would be if you and your parents and everyone that's ever known you or your parents, has stayed in the same town and never contacted anyone outside that town and I or anyone I know or have ever known, has never been to that town or contacted anyone in it.

Just an example. My brother in law and sister went to Maryland one year and they were talking to someone and I don't remember if it was a waiter or what, but something came up about my sisters maiden name. When she told him what it was, he asked if she had a brother and was his name Jack. She told him it was and he said that he'd worked with me in Alaska. From Texas to Maryland, a place in which I have never lived, and they just happen to find someone who knows me!

Naw, asking people if they've heard of the Wildman won't get many positive responses. I only use that on here and one other forum and I only started using it here because I thought we were going to have another Jack on the board.

Wildman, (dumbfounded)

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2002

I'm in NJ but with a name like Wildman, would you be the type of person I'd try not to make eye contact with? (just kidding) :) Were you at the fair in Sussex? I was there three times. How about the shore? Just got back yesterday.

oooooo, can you imagine if I'm the only one who really knows what Wildman looks like?

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2002

Now Jack I am beginning to worry about myself when you start makin sense to me.

Like Sheepish, I have memories of my youth...... grant it they're fuzzy memories......that very well could have included you. Seems to me I remember more than one dude thinkin he was one righteous wildman! But who knows, maybe it doesn't really matter much who we were, or weren't, or knew, or know, since we are all One anyway. (here comes the new age crap again)

As far as knowin Jack, well hell's bells, I don't know Jack, and if I did, d'ya really think Jack would admit to knowin some weirdo broad callin herself Earthmama?? (eeewww........hippy crap.)

I know you, Jack. I've always known you. And I shall always remember you fondly when I think of that starry starry nite in Texas when you oh so masterfully inspected my AC/DC, and the next morning gently guided my left foot through the gears on your rebuilt soft tail Harley.

That was you, wasn't it, Wildman?

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2002

Dee, of course I'm the kinda person you'd want to make eye contact with. That is, if you could take your eyes off my stomach!

You certainly may have met me, if you live in the Franklin Lakes area, the West Orange, Parsippinii, Little Falls or within about a fifty mile radius of any of those places. I was up there a few years ago adjusting for State Farm after all the flooding from the hurricane. There's 50 or 60 people up there that have my name on their insurance estimate and in some cases on their checks. Of course they aren't signed, Wildman!

When you think about it, if you know anyone in those areas, then the chances that we know someone in common increase. I guess the whole point of this post was, that with people bouncing all over the country, that a stranger may not be a stranger anymore.

Wildman, (remaining anonymous)

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2002

EM, you sure it was a Harley? I had a bicycle with a card in the spokes. Hey, but it sounded like a Harley.

Wildman, (just puttin' along)

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2002

Well, let's see...My FIL and my Uncle Red were both in the Navy; Hub's Uncle retired from the Air Force; Great Uncle Buster used to build his own planes from scrapped ones; my high school algebra teacher was a ham radio operator; my Uncle Orville's family is from Arkansas; the Ex's business is HVAC; I bought a house through a realtor once; I've got kin in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, California, Texas, Missouri, Indiana, and probably other places I can't remember right now; and I had my roof blow off and had an insurance adjuster come by one time - are we close yet?!

The son of some friends of our's related a funny story to me the other evening - seems he has an air cleaner business and he was installing a unit up where my Pop lived as a teen. He got to talking with the folks and when they found out his home town, they asked if he knew Pop and Uncle Ralph. "Why sure" said he; "Why, they're kin to us." Then he came home to ask him Mom "just HOW are we related anyhow?" and was quite surprized to be told that we weren't! "Just real close family friends is all" said she. I started laughing; and reminded her that I had, indeed, been married to her husband's cousin; so we WERE actually kin - for a while, anyway! Guess it all depends on how you define "kinfolk"!

-- Anonymous, August 26, 2002

Geesh, you guys!! Everytime I re-read this post and TRY to understand it...the more I think that...yeah, I MUST know Wildman (aka. Jack) from somewhere, I think!!! And, EM, I don't even want to ask about that "starry night in Texas"!!!!!!! This is soooo much fun!

-- Anonymous, August 26, 2002

Marcia and anyone else, if you want, I'll send you my name. I don't want to post it on here because since I'm trying to track Joy down, she might turn me in for stalking.

Just recently a man came out to the house and we got to talking. Something came up and I mentioned my brother in law over in Camp, Ar., about 35 miles away. He told me that he knew him because his brothers land backed up to my brother in laws property! Now, that might not be too odd in Ar. since there probably aren't more than 12or 13 families in the whole state but it just goes to show that we're not as anonymous as we might like to be.

Wildman, (still trying)

-- Anonymous, August 29, 2002