'splaining kilt sightings

[auld argonian]

My wife and daughter and I were walking over to the Goodman Theatre tonight (to see Brian Dennehy in a double bill of Hughie and Krapp's Last Tape...brilliant, by the way) and I mentioned that I had been walking that same way last year some time and spotted a fella in a kilt walking across the street and didn't want to shout out at him so I just posted to the forum asking who might have been in Chicago that day and walking down Madison Street. Turns out that it was Detroit Pete...as he posted to the thread that he was there that day.

Now my wife is looking at me in that funny way...

"You guys actually do that on your forum?"

"Yeah...it's happened a couple of times...you spot another kiltie and can't talk to him so you post it as a 'kilt sighting' figuring that it almost certainly must be another Xmarkser and they'll answer the post."

"That's just weird."

"Why?"

"It just is."

I think that it's pretty normal...a courteous inquiry...a way of touching base with yer fellow kilties. Why would anybody think that this is odd behaviour?

Best

AA

[Larry124]

Yes in the sense that it is self-conscious. Otherwise no.

[Mr. MacDougall]

When you think about it, it's remarkable how often it's successful. How much of the community X-Marks serves.

[Cynthia]

The longhair community I'm on does this, too. I think some of the members have spotted each other and found each other through their board as well. I think it's pretty common to do, especially if you're into something and join an online community. The people at the other board are always talking about how others think they're weird for being "too into something"... obviously it's not too weird since it's an incredibly active board (a lot more active members than this place, I believe).

[Jordan]

I think its the same as seeing some one you recognise when in town, you give them a phone or txt to see if it was Them or not.

[Jerry]

The same is often seen on other forums(non kilt related) where I'm a member, so if it's weird, it is not limited to kilts.

[Stilletto_Rebel]

We have the same thing on my Mazda MX5 (aka the Miata to our cousins) forum - espcially if we aren't able to give each other a wave or flash of lights.

I like it. I think it helps reinforce the community spirit.

[fluter]

Let's stipulate that I'm old enough to remember when there were no cell phones. There were radiotelephones, giant clunky things that lived in an automobile, but those were a different species.

It can still be a little odd (to me) to see someone walking down the sidewalk, talking on a cell. I sometimes fantasize that the partner in conversation is one block away, on a parallel street---but oblivious to the physical presence of their friend.

Perhaps your bride was getting a similar vibe?

[Hellequin]

I've done it few times with members of a truck forum (Tacomaworld.com) that I belong to. Nothing strange about it at all. In fact, I think that it's polite to let the other person go about their business and try to connect later on. Would your wife had wanted an almost complete stranger rushing up to your group on the street that night? My guess is that she would have found that a little strange, if not down right disturbing and annoying.

[ali8780]

I would do it. I'm hoping to see one of you one of these days unexpectedly...