Bacon (as in Kevin) or Accidental Stalker?

I feel like Kevin Bacon

I’ve lived in the same city for nearly twenty years. I’ve worked and/or gone to school in a six block radius that whole time; so it is not surprising that I frequently see people in other locations (this city, other cities, or even other states) that I recognize from either school or work. It is a pretty small community despite the large city setting and I’ve gotten used to meeting new people and nearly every time finding out we have a mutual friend or another connection. I don’t always like this, I’d honestly like to meet more people that don’t know anyone from my past, expand my circles, but that doesn’t seem to be an option for me.

Anyway, a little more than a year ago I had the most far-fetched connection come to light. I’d known a guy at work for a couple years, let’s call him Renaldo (just for kicks) and I’d become friends with a friend of Renaldo, we’ll call him Wisenheimer (because it is true). After being friends with Wisenheimer for about a year I went to brunch with him and two of his friends (Mr. and Mrs.). About an hour into brunch it tumbles out that Mrs. went to college in Arkansas with a guy I went to high school with in southern Illinois.

Let’s keep in mind that I went to high school in the middle of nowhere, in the country, a farm town of about 5,000 at the time (it has now grown to over 6,000, possibly because of the prison) and that our high school had about 400-500 students, total, all four grades. So the likely hood of me meeting someone in Chicago, that grew up in Arkansas and went to school with someone I went to school with is really freakin’ unlikely and really weird.

Then, to top it all off a couple weeks later I meet another friend of the Mrs. and I meet her college roommate and the roommate’s girlfriend. Turns out I know the girlfriend from several years ago when the girlfriend was a roommate of a co-worker and friend of mine.

Then, today another weird connection was made, although this one is more virtual.

A little background, you probably already know that in my dorky portfolio is a bit of tech dork and an on-line stalker. I love to follow links and leads and see who knows whom and how everything connects. There is a reason some call me P.I.

Because I am a sometimes tech dork I have occasionally watched/listened to CNET or TechTV. Turns out one of their Editor guys is someone I went to high school with, he also lived down the block from me.

The way I figured this out was a link sent from a friend. I followed the link, and read the biography of a person I knew in high school and I realized that he has worked for two shows that I watch periodically and I more than likely have watched him and not even known I knew him way back when.

I have a few recollections of conversations we had that focused on robots or Dr. Who (oh how far I have come). I wouldn’t say we were really good friends and we didn’t hang out (I don’t think) but I did think he was nice and frankly the list of people I would put in the nice/like category from high school is pretty short.

When I got home tonight I was wasting some time on-line before Lost and I did a Google on his name and his company. I found his blog, read a little, followed a link to a couple other links and then ended up at his wife’s blog, which had a link to her Flickr page. The minute I click on her Flickr I got confused because it looks really familiar. Then I realize, I have looked at this page before, but I don’t’ know why or when, but I know I have, I am sure of it. I click on her “Sets” and then I see it, why I was there before. Several weeks (or months) ago I did a Flickr search on the town I lived in during high school. It didn’t bring up much, but one of the things it brought up was a photo of a local pizzeria. That photo was hers, along with a handful of others, mostly of open fields (typical for the area).

One more odd thing, although it has nothing to do with me, he works for CNET, you may recall that name even if you aren't into the tech thing. Remember just before Christmas there was a missing family on the west coast? They got lost driving in Oreagon, got stuck on a road that should have been closed and in the very sad end the father died from exposure trying to find help (the wife and two small children were found and survived). That guy worked for CNET and because there were so many photos, videos and podcasts of him doing his job the media was flooded with his face. Turns out he was a close co-workers at CNET and a previous job with the guy I went to high school with.

So either I am Kevin Bacon or I am a really creepy (slightly accidental) stalker and this was way too long for not much of a punch line or payout. Sorry.