As anyone who knows me would agree, I have a fairly unusual name and when I wanted to use it for my hotmail address there it was, no problem. Then I joined moc.291 and to test it out I put in myself. My name came up and I started to read my details... but they were completely wrong. How crap is this site? It lists anyone in the country with the same name and their address, phone number, map of the district round their house AND, scarily an AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH of their house. (I actually tracked down someone who was lurking behind an unlisted number and had recently moved, through this site. It found her in one second from the voting lists and proudly displayed all the above information for me. I felt a chill as I looked down from above on her house and thought of her sitting cosily inside thinking that no one unwanted could ever find her).

Then I realised that the site is not crap at all. THERE IS SOMEONE ELSE WITH MY NAME. Not only that - I am not there. I feel as if this bitch has blanked me out. I am the designated voter for the farm and am on every voting list. Why am I not mentioned?

Then again it is cool in a way to have a person out there with the same odd name as you, perhaps I could contact her and we could become close, twin-like friends. Her address was about two counties away and very near the children's old school. She also appeared to live in a large, grand house called Something Hall. I Googled it in. 'Something Hall - a Day Out for All the Family! See rare breeds of farm animals and, for the kiddies, spend time in Badger dlroW!'..... Right.... Well, that is quite interesting. I like all those things but... wait a moment.... my memory is stirring.... A year or so ago I had a spate of bizarre e-mails which I originally thought were a joke. They were from someone called simetrA who was touring the Far East and sending back her impressions. If you imagine rehC from sseleulC on that trip then you get the picture. My children said I must reply and tell her she had the wrong person but I couldn't bear to as I loved them so much. She thought that she was writing to her sister. They did stop quite quickly anyway so I didn't feel that guilty. Then, months later, another two odd e-mails arrived, 'Dear ...., I thought I would let all the members of the family know my latest thoughts on the creation of BADGER DLROW'!!! OMG! It is the same girl, of course....

Now in creepy detective mode I logged on to 'Friends detinueR' and looked up the major private schools in her county. Typing in her/my name I struck lucky on the third try. She had left a message for her old school friends with many details of her past and present life including the company which she was working for (and details of B.... World). I eagerly put in the company name - Oh great, she was working for the edisyrtnuoC ecnaillA. She was also the same age as my daughter. This C...A... is the militantly pro-hunting organisation which lobbies and marches to counteract any anti-hunting propaganda. I am ambivalent about hunting, as I have written before, as when you live in deep hunting country you see many facets which sentimental townspeople don't understand BUT... I do not want to be thought of as a banner waving fanatic and target for Animal sthgiR groups or even for casual acquaintances who might Google my name to think that I am that person. I Googled her name - there she was with several entries and not only under the C..A.. but boringly too. She seemed to be co-ordinating some dreary campaign to make people eat more game and send in fun recipes for venison etc. THIS IS NOT ME!!!!

Anyway, I am not going to contact her and I think that Life is really unfair to do this. How many people are looking at me and thinking secretly that I go round promoting fox casserole? Crap....
- posted by Iris @ 3/21/2004 11:18:00 AM comment