Comments on: Weekend Word Wrap: Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies

By: katie

katie — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 05:57:35 +0000

There’s another girl named Katie Schwing out there. We went to college together, actually. Her birthday is 4 days before mine, and we came very close to having the same middle names. We also spell Kathryn the same way.

It’s creepy.

By: Camille

Camille — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 09:17:40 +0000

You only get 6 sites when you google my name- 5 are about me, and one is about a man who died in a 1960 earthquake in Algeria… That said, I’ve actually only met 3 other Camille’s in my life! If you google just my last name (Papon)you get a horrible evil man who committed atrocious war crimes during WWII. He’s not related to me- thank goodness!

By: Rachel

Rachel — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 01:20:09 +0000

There are three of me that I know of– one is my brother’s wife, so that isn’t mysterious at all… he just went out and married a girl with my first name, thus giving her our last name.

The other, of all the quirky coincidences, lives in my home town, where my parents still live. I have not met her, but apparently she looks like me! (Several of my past students have come back to tell stories of mistaking her for me in stores and the like.)

I first learned of her when I went to an opthamologist during my junior year of high school– he had a chart all ready and asked about my glasses… to which I replied that my vision was 20/20 and I’d never been to his office before. Poor confused man. If memory serves, this other Rachel may even have the same middle initial as I do.

By: hana

hana — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 22:45:34 +0000

One of my namesakes was a girl on the Oregon Trail, Hannah Louise Sager. I always liked that computer game.

By: Sara R

Sara R — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 08:58:31 +0000

As far as I know I am the only Sara Rosehill in the world (the last name is an anglicization of Rosenberg), so when I google myself it’s just me. It always pulls up the webpage for a Jujutsu dojo I used to attend, where there is a photo of me at a seminar that has my name in the caption. I had a long-lost relative find me this way!

By: Sara

Sara — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 21:22:36 +0000

I used to google my self and generally come up with stuff that actually referred to me (including an essay from a religion class I took freshman year of college that I had totally forgot I wrote). But now I am an elementary teacher and shortly after I became a teacher a woman with my name published a children’s book! So my students came up to me asking if I had written the book, which I had never even heard of! So now when I google me I get links to that book on amazon and such. :( I no longer feel as special.

By: Tim Reade

Tim Reade — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 02:30:20 +0000

I once got a call from the former wife of another Tim Reade, asking if I was her ex and saying “our” daughter was coming from Viet Nam and wanted to meet me. I assured her I was the wrong guy! And there is Tim Reid the actor/director/producer ( Venus Flytrap on WKRP; Sister, Sister; Frank’s Place; Oz movies), but I have not gotten his royalty checks yet. With my spelling
(Reade), Google shows I am a penniless painter in an Iris Murdoch book.

By: Jason

Jason — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 00:24:58 +0000

I’ve never been able to get my hands on jasonenglish-dot-com (relegated to jasonenglish1). Years ago, it showcased photos of another Jason skating around a home-made ice rink. Now it’s owned and operated by Jungle Jason English, who, according to the website, may be a monkey.

I’ve gotten emails from another Jason English – not a monkey – who seemed like a good guy, and forwards me any mail incorrectly sent his way.

These stories are far less exciting than Bryan and Bilal. Frankly, I’m disappointed in myself and my name-sakes.

By: Bilal Hussain

Bilal Hussain — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 22:37:18 +0000

So I found someone with my name, but not the way any of us want to find out!

When I was at college my family got a visit from HomeLand Security looking for Bilal Hussain!

This was shortly after 9/11 and scared the crap out of my parents. Who immediately called me at school and proceeded to yell at me. I couldn’t figure out why.

Needless to say they got in touch with me at school and I went to visit HomeLand Security.

Turns out there’s an illegal alien by the name of Bilal Hussain they were trying to track down. Agent Dan immediately realized it wasn’t me but we talked for a while anyway.

We talked for about 2 hours and we still keep in touch socially. Really nice guy!

That’s a good story with mistaken identity and our government. Sure enough there’s plenty of bad ones out there.

By: patrick

patrick — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 20:32:31 +0000

There is a seemingly well known underground DJ who shares my name. He even has a wikipedia of himself, Patrick Adams

not to mention I was nicknamed Patch for years before That movie came out