An unsettling encounter

Thoughts and input on anything related to wet shaving or men's grooming.
bernards66
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An unsettling encounter

Post by bernards66 »

Umm....well, this was a weird one. I saw a new client yesterday, referred for counceling by a local psychiatrist. Very good....that's what I'm there for. In she came ( which they often don't, BTW ) and we commenced the initial 'get acquainted' interview. Things seemed to be going along pretty well, when, about 3/4 of the way into her hour she suddenly asks,"...do you use expensive English shaving cream?" I attempted to maintain professional composure, which wasn't that easy, and said, "why, yes...how did you know that"?....and then it hit me...my God! that article over two years ago in the NY Times, about Coate's cream! Jeez!...she'd ferreted that out on the internet by googling my name before our appointment. Kinda scary, in a way....so, don't post anything anywhere that you wouldn't want any and all to see, you all.
Regards,
Gordon
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Post by F.W. Fitch »

That is a tad curious. What if she knows about ,and even tries, messing about with your bad water.....just kooky. Have a good weekend and don't let it mess with your head too much.

Best,
M. Jones
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Post by F.W. Fitch »

You might not be in the best of moods due to the boar brush use as of late. With this in mind ,I just wanted to say, I was being cheeky above and I mean it when I say have a good weekend....I'm leaving now ,I'm going......
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Post by Gareth »

Gordon, I've been in a similar position myself (someone having 'looked me up') and yes, it is a little disconcerting when it happens. You are right that we all need to be mindful of what we post.

Gareth
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drmoss_ca
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Post by drmoss_ca »

Ah, Gordon, writing about this kind of thing simply creates more for her to read about you!
Anyway, I do hope you're not too grumpy with having to use a boar brush (though I believe the month is up very soon) - remember the reward that follows!

Chris
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Post by Gene »

It's a simple enough thing...Google yourself and you might be amazed (dismayed!) at what you find.
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Post by 95% »

Gordon, when you spoke to that Times reporter, you made the mistake of providing your full name, which was then published for the world's 6.5 billion inhabitants to see. With that small amount of information, a great deal can be learned about you on the Net. Google Gordon ******* classmates.com. Plus, for a few dollars, anyone can do a background check on you at intelius.com and find out where you live, your phone numbers and e-mail addresses, your estimated income, your marital history, and those 20 years you put in at Sing-Sing for robbing a liquor store. (Just kidding.)

With a little more research, anyone could trace you to this forum and read your tens of thousands of posts – not that a single one of them contains information that you’d want to suppress. But your experience with your client shows how hard it is to maintain privacy in the Internet age.
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Post by aircraft_electrician »

Ahh, yes... I just had a final interview for a new job (which I got BTW) and the HR manager said "you actually seem quite normal for someone that collects and uses old razors and fountain pens." When I asked how she knew that she explained that she checked out my Facebook page, and those were the things that really stood out to her.

So, are most people that use old razors and fountain pens not as "normal" as I am? If not, they must be a pretty weird bunch.

Tom
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bernards66
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Post by bernards66 »

Chris, Indeed. Well, I'd like to think that it wouldn't be that easy to trace me HERE.....tell me that's so! I'm fairly nebulous vis a vis the internet in that I don't use it for much, don't deal with FaceBook and such like. Still, I've little doubt that Porter is right in that someone really determined and with some know-how could find out more than they should be able to. So much for anyone trying to 'start their life over' these days...it's scary and sad.

Yes, the boar brush. Well, my month will be up the last week of April, I think. I plan to do a 'wrap-up' post on that thread that you started regarding the issue, a couple of weeks back. In general, I'm getting along okay....no major problems, tantrums, throwing it down in disgust, or anything like that. But I still think it has shortcomings and limitations compared with any half decent badger brush.
Regards,
Gordon
Last edited by bernards66 on Sat Apr 17, 2010 10:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by BullGoose »

This is where Mustapha Bin Ali Jones has the right idea. Never give your real name and you should be good as gold. 8)

On a serious note...that is a bit creepy.
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Post by Janus »

:idea: We should set up a 'Shavegeek Protection Program'. Do we know anyone in the Marshals Service? Stupid question, sorry. If you told me you'd have to kill me... or worse, make me grow a beard. :shock:
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Post by KAV »

I'm sitting in the dormitory cafeteria at UC Santa Cruz on the first day. The first contingent of L.A. punk rockers had gravitated to me like some old alpha wolf good for one more winter. This kid with a 'high and tight haircut' sat down with us after the earth mothers ( braided armpit hair, granny gowns and patchouli oil applied with lawn fertiliser sprayers) growled at him. He takes a bite and mumbles " This tastes almost as bad as the food at TRASUPCEN Alameda! And like Pavlov's dog I instinctively replied " God, I hated the SOS! " kid smiles and says 'Semper Paratus bro' I'm in the reserves, just finished my 6 months. My DAD was a career man. TOO LATE! he asks my name and says OMG! My dad told me all about this KAV who did XYZ and had one tattoo. 20 minutes later the punkers are all looking at my forearm awestruck, the earth mothers have formed a defensive circle like arctic musk oxen and I'm rethinking the next year until I can redirect to Berkeley and start again :oops:
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Post by Harris-tradition »

A really strange story, although harmless and sort of funny, it still makes an unsettling statement about our modern technological world, and it tends to put a slight 'chill' in the air about one's privacy.
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Post by m3m0ryleak »

"...braided armpit hair, granny gowns and patchouli oil applied with lawn fertiliser sprayers..."

Why did I find this so easy to visualize?. KAV you're a hoot. :D
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Post by ExecAccess »

aircraft_electrician wrote:Ahh, yes... I just had a final interview for a new job (which I got BTW) and the HR manager said "you actually seem quite normal for someone that collects and uses old razors and fountain pens." When I asked how she knew that she explained that she checked out my Facebook page, and those were the things that really stood out to her.

So, are most people that use old razors and fountain pens not as "normal" as I am? If not, they must be a pretty weird bunch.

Tom
That's why I restrict my Facebook page to "friends".

Congrats on the new job by the way :D
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Post by function »

m3m0ryleak wrote:"...braided armpit hair, granny gowns and patchouli oil applied with lawn fertiliser sprayers..."

Why did I find this so easy to visualize?. KAV you're a hoot. :D

Visualize? I can smell the patchouli just reading the sentence. I know tastes are subjective, however that choice of scent to me rivals the decision making skills of the teenager who just discovered cologne. *shudder*
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Post by aircraft_electrician »

ExecAccess wrote:That's why I restrict my Facebook page to "friends".

Congrats on the new job by the way :D
That's a change I made that very afternoon.

Thanks for the kind words
Tom
A razor is a good deal like a gun, much depends on the man behind it - paraphrased from John Philip Sousa

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Post by Austin »

Gordon, you are now famous. It won't be long before we see you on Entertainment tonight. :lol:
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Post by brothers »

What's face book? :lol:

This is a valuable lesson. If there's an interview in a professional setting, for publication, etc., and knowing how some innocent remark leads to an unintended vulnerability, then one understands the dark side to being a public figure of whatever degree.
Gary

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Post by bbqncigars »

Well written post, KAV, but around Iowa, the earth mothers don't use a lawn sprayer. They use a dip tank like the rest of the livestock.


Wayne
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