Lost friend found

Remember over the summer I wanted to start a digital/Internet experiment to find my friend Wesley? The project got quickly dropped as life and grad school and other work got in the way. But it was always in the back of my mind. I never did end up emailing Wesley's old piano teacher, nor did I follow up any of the other avenues of contact I came into of late. I mentioned this "project" to my interpersonal communication professor, Dr. Susan Fox, who is somewhat of an expert in finding people online. A few weeks ago, before I guest lectured in her class, we looked up "Wesley Bender" in a few people-search-engines she frequents, and got some hits. Unfortunately, to pursue those leads would take money and more time than we had just at that moment. But that boosted my confidence that I would eventually succeed.

I just got back to LA, and naturally, being home (with a neurotic puppy no less) creates a relaxing environment to splooch (completely made-up word that I've never used before, but what I do often feels like splooching) online while I research my final paper for my paper class. Social LIFE of paper. Since Facebook changed its privacy policies, I realize that the default setting for the new privacy stuff was more open. I hide my searches from people who aren't my friends, and because I'm a privacy nut (at least on Facebook), I made sure I combed through my privacy settings as soon as the new one came. But not all people are like that. So, on a whim, I searched for Wesley again. And found someone who might be her.

Last night, I messaged this person, and lo and behold, it was Wesley. So, long story short, it really didn't take me that much effort to find my friend, but, it did take a long time.

Best Christmas gift ever. We have a lot of catching up to do.