Chance meeting...

[alastair]

Not sure if this is 'thread-worthy' but...

I go from Genova to Munich to Frankfurt to Philadelphia to Springhouse.

I spend a day in the company of a bunch of guys in the U.S. office, putting together a demo system for a customer, before flying down to SF.

One of these chaps is responsible for some experimental code that will go on to blow the customer's mind and secure the deal. He's kind of quiet, but he's a genius, so I ignore the slightly odd looks he gives me all day.

As I'm leaving, he comes up to me and says "Hey Al, next time bring your mono and we'll hit the quarry".

"What?" (grouchy, no sleep, suspicious...)

"Unless you feel your C4s are easier to bring across..."

"OK buddy, just who the hell are you anyway?"

"I'm Pezman from Deeperblue. I recognized you from the photos you posted"

Now what are the chances of that happening..?

[CEngelbrecht]

Nice little story. Thanks for posting.

[Erik]

The world is very, very small, no?
Cheers,
Erik Y.

[Adrian]

Nice one Al!

The chance for that happening is the same as for two drops of water meeting in the ocean.

Adrian

[Pezman]

ok, now that's just too kind.

The real oddity is that I was actually able to figure out who Alastair was. Talk about screwed up priorities. It was almost surreal, having an initial suspicion, looking up Alastair on DB, knowing it was a one-in-a-million shot -- and then finding out that it was indeed the same guy. Enough to make me wonder if I'm the only one on the planet with free will and you are all just messing with me

Almost as strange was bumping into Roan on the beach. I was on vacation on Orange County, freediving in Crystal Cove (to my family's general chagrin) and was taking a break when some spearo I've never seen before walks down the stairs to the beach and w/o missing a beat says "Hi Pez". My wife was completely unable to figure out how someone we've never met knew me by an obscure high-school nick-name -- and to tell you truth so was I. Roan 'splained later that I had posted that I might be there on that day (so watch what you say on these forums ). We actually hung out a bit -- went to Catalina one day and down to La Jolla another (met OceanSwimmer and a few other cool people).

I think that it would be interesting to hear about other chance meetings ...

At any rate, Alastair was a blast to watch in front of the customer and was an excellent story teller/conversationalist. Interesting and entertaining on many levels. Hopefully we'll have a reason to travel out to to that site again ('cause it's near the Pacific coast!). Our co-workers think that we're nuts, which is at least half right. We tried to explain why freediving is cool, but they just wanted to argue I also had a great time hanging w/ Roan and I've been meaning to write about my whole CA vacation, but haven't gotten around to it.

[Stephan Whelan]

Nice little story!

Speaking of which - Chris i'm in Copenhagen this week (till Weds) and next week (Sunday - Friday) if you want to meet up....that goes for any other people on DB in Copenhagen.

[Jersey Jim]

Pez & Alastair, I would have gotten each others birthdays, phone #'s, flight ticket #'s, anything, and played the lottery with them! As long as the planets were in alignment, why not take atvantage of it. Stranger things have happened. Actually, I've only played the lottery a few times in my life, but it works for some people. Alastair, you were right about Pezman. I dive with him all the time, and he is a genius. Just make sure he brings a spare set of keys with him if you dive together! You'll have to have him tell you a couple of those stories.

Good story,

Jim U.

[unirdna]

Originally posted by alastair
He's kind of quiet, but he's a genius

Originally posted by Pezman
ok, now that's just too kind.

Pez, if you're looking for an argument, you had better change the subject.

....the line between genius and idiot savant is a blurred one.

Ted

ps* At least I now know the identity of the dude that was giving me the creepy looks while I waited for my transfer flight at the Philadelphia Airport last month.

[Pezman]

Ok, I have learned something about myself. Specifically, that I am a key-losing, idiot-savant w/o the social grace to keep my creepy gaze off my fellow apneists.

BTW, losing my keys wasn't so bad. It was the fact that I forgot to take my pants off before diving that was really the strange part. Besides, JerseyJim turned out to be a very capable car theif who broke into my ride w/o a problem and my keys were found later and returned to me. Now, my wedding ring also lost while diving, is another story ...

On a more serious note, I would remark that most folks whom I've met through freediving are very bright. I'd rattle off a list (Alastair, JerseyJim, Roan and everyone I dive with would certainly be on it), but I'm reluctant to do so since I have a poor memory, would inadvertently leave someone off, and implicitly insult them. Just look at all the engineers, physicists, physicians, limnologists () etc. on this forum. Is it cause, effect, or just conicidence?

[Bindlestitch]

Great story. It's really cool how things work out sometimes.
On a side note. I'm very "not smart". Heh. I can't even spell some of those words you just wrote Pez....and I'm looking right at them. Sadness. Pure sadness.
God bless,
Stitch

[OceanSwimmer]

Okay, Pez. You got my attention. Which is it, are you an
"Eccentric Phronemomaniac"
Or an "Eccentric Pheromonomaniac"? and if it's the former,
what the heck is that?

I want answers!


PS. WSB alert.... 40 and 50 pounders being taken in nearby waters! It's going on!....

[Pezman]

It's "Phronemomaniac", which (I think) is a mania characterized by excessive thinking. Normally I take umbrage at gratuitous acts of sesquipedalianism , but I just didn't want to be outdone by unirdna's "hypolimnion denizen" or Will's "Thalassomaniac" tagline, both of which sent me scrambling google-ward. A little more googling and I had my own obscure tagline.

I never thought about it before, but being a pheromonomaniac might be fun. Unfortunately, my wife has a hard enough time w/ the freediving hobby and definitely wouldn't understand if I started obsessively sniffing other folks' various nooks and crannies.

[OceanSwimmer]

Good point about the pheromones!

[unirdna]

Originally posted by Pezman
but I just didn't want to be outdone by unirdna's "hypolimnion denizen"

haw-haw [breathes on fingernails - wipes them on shirt - offers competitors a look of contempt]