CRAZY accidental forum meetup!

[laurence]

So I read a post on this board about someone giving their notice tomorrow, and I think "good for him" and move on, completely forgetting it. Meanwhile, a friend at work gives his notice and everyone is like, "Wow, he's so young! How did he do it!". So today was his last day and I asked, "What's your secret?" and he said:

"Live below your means"

I then say....."have you heard of early-retirement.org?"

Yep, he's a member. I've worked across the hall from this guy for ten years, and I never knew. His age is EXACTLY my target retirement age, too. WOW. BBQNut, congratulations again!

 

[nash031]

Cool. [emoji3]

 

[robnplunder]

LOL. That's really cool.

 

[MichaelB]

Who knew we had a secret code. LBYM

 

[Bryan Barnfellow]

That is amazing indeed. I wonder how many more of these ER friends are actually our neighbors and we don't know it!


-BB

 

[audreyh1]

Awesome! Great story!

 

[2B]

So are you both busily checking past posts where someone commented about the "idiot across the hall?"

 

[EastWest Gal]

My neighbors across the street are ERs. But I don't think they spend much time on the Internet.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[EastWest Gal]

That is really something that you two work together!


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[travelover]

I was in a store one day and someone called out "Hey Travelover". I was dumbfounded, but I guess at one time I'd posted an actual picture of myself and she remembered it well enough to ID me when she saw me. Truly amazing to me because I couldn't do that in a million years.

 

[REWahoo]

Laurence, I don't believe in coincidence. Very suspicious - this happened right after you posted a photo of your wife, didn't it?

 

[Beldar]

LOL, that's hilarious!

 

[easysurfer]

Nice story.

I hope you didn't meet Kevin Bacon.

 

[MBAustin]

How cool for both of you, both Laurence and travelover. It's a small world out there!

 

[Sarah in SC]

Excellent!
What a fun story!

 

[KB]

It is a small world after all.

By the way, welcome back Laurence. Your girls have really grown.

 

[rodi]

What a great story!

 

[robnplunder]

So are you both busily checking past posts where someone commented about the "idiot across the hall?"

That's the first thing that came to my mind when I read the OP.

The next time I run into someone who is retiring at early age at my megacrop, I will walk up to the person and whisper "LBYM." If there is some kind of reaction (e.g., the person response "Urghdotorg" in return), I am on to something. If the person looks at me with puzzled look, I will just wish the person well.

 

[jimnjana]

Great story! Thanks for sharing.

 

[MooreBonds]

That's the first thing that came to my mind when I read the OP.

The next time I run into someone who is retiring at early age at my megacrop, I will walk up to the person and whisper "LBYM." If there is some kind of reaction (e.g., the person response "Urghdotorg" in return), I am on to something. If the person looks at me with puzzled look, I will just wish the person well.

Or, just ask them whether they're "confused about dryer sheets", or if they "think they get paid by the post".

Better yet, we should print out small business card-sized handouts with the ER.org flag of stitched together dryer sheets to flash at other suspected ER.org forum members. If they show you a similar card, then you know you're both members.

 

[BBQ-Nut]

I've w*rked with Laurence for years - pleasure w*rking with him. He took care of our program with some not so easy w*rk and customer.


When I replied to his question with LBYM and saw his backwards tilt and raised eyebrows I suspected that there was a common chord.


But then I did the double take when he said he was a moderator here!


I then did a quick mental scan of my post history...I think I'm clean!

 

[laurence]

I have to admit I think it would be a little uncomfortable if we found each other out and were still working together! It's weird to have the cyber world and the real world collide.

 

[braumeister]

I don't think we have enough forum members to make a recognition symbol practical, but it reminded me of another one.

Many years ago, when Mensa (the high IQ society) was quite small, members wanted some unobtrusive way to recognize each other in public. It was decided to use a little yellow map pin (LYMP) stuck in your lapel as the secret symbol.

Each new member was sent one, along with the reason for it. The custom became widespread for awhile, although it gradually died out because fewer and fewer people wore jackets with lapels to place them in.

Even today, you can find references (usually humorous) to the LYMP among older members at Mensa gatherings.

 

[REWahoo]

I have to admit I think it would be a little uncomfortable if we found each other out and were still working together! It's weird to have the cyber world and the real world collide.

+1

Keeping those lies straight can be a real pain...

 

[Sarah in SC]

I've w*rked with Laurence for years - pleasure w*rking with him. He took care of our program with some not so easy w*rk and customer.


When I replied to his question with LBYM and saw his backwards tilt and raised eyebrows I suspected that there was a common chord.


But then I did the double take when he said he was a moderator here!


I then did a quick mental scan of my post history...I think I'm clean!

I LOVE meeting up with any folks from the forum, always. It is great fun to make a personal connection with people who I've gotten to know only through the internet. I imagine the odds of my boss or my only co-worker being on the forum are pretty small, though, so safe there.