Supernodes, or, you might say, bridge(s)

[chanaleh]

Someone on my friendslist just posted (locked) a link to a 10-year-old article by Malcolm Gladwell, of Tipping Point fame, about a woman named Lois Weisberg (see also the print-friendly PDF) and the social role of Those People Who Know Everyone. It's a very enjoyable article, and reminded me somewhat of my Coworker M, whose job it apparently is to know everyone from the ground up in the Boston Jewish community (and he does it amazingly).

It reminded me also that a friend of a friend sent me a Facebook message some weeks back, and I (amused) promised to follow up but forgot until now:

You're a bit of a supernode, so I thought I might check with you: do you know any local bridge players? A bridge-playing couple would be ideal, but even one or two spare would be handy.

So? Who's out there? (Preferably in the Boston area, I believe was the point.) Help me earn my reputation. :-)

Comments

[desireearmfeldt]

I know a number of bridge players; not sure if any of them are people you know... But I don't know if they're looking to have their contact info passed to strangers. :)

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

Understood. I think for the purpose of this exercise we might stick to people (a) I personally know who (b) play bridge and (c) can volunteer themselves as interested in being referred over. :-)

[points.livejournal.com]

I can't recall - do you know Bitty? If so, I -think- I recall that she used to play.

[magid.livejournal.com]

That's who I first thought of too; she definitely plays bridge.

[yehoshua.livejournal.com]

Jesse Wertheimer used to play bridge, as I recall.

[dhs.livejournal.com]

I know a fairly serious bridge player, but he lives in Virginia. I could ask him for local people, unless the point was for people in a particular community.

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

I think the request was not meant as a social experiment, merely a practical one (toward finding actual bridge partners). :-) However, I don't feel like it's my responsibility to help hook him up with fourth-degree connections either, so I wouldn't worry about going too far for recommendations.

[sanpaku.livejournal.com]

I love bridge and tried seriously to learn it some years ago (back when I lived in Boston, in fact), but have never been able to find other players. But Providence is far. ;-)

[chuckro.livejournal.com]

I believe Dan R plays bridge, or at least did in undergrad.

[bedfull-o-books.livejournal.com]

3diff (on my friends list. sorry about not linking. late to work...) and his wife play bridge. They are in Arlington. They have 2 small children, so I am not sure about availability....

[meranthi.livejournal.com]

I play bridge, though rather sporadically. But I'm seriously lacking in time at the moment. :} I have a couple other friends who play as well (lj user="qarylla"> for one).

[laurion]

Sadly, not a bridge player, but a player of an even more obscure game, and of that game, an obscure variant.

So if you know anyone who wants to play double-deck, no-nines, partnership contract pinochle, send them my way.

An old new england game my dad picked up in the Navy and has spread to become the family game. Happy to teach it as well (rules are up on my blog).

[trowa-barton.livejournal.com]

__ years of existence, and I've never played bridge.
That good?

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

530nm330hz used to play; I don't know if he still does.

ETA: so does my dad (who is local), but I'm not sure he's in the age bracket/availability zone that your friend-of-a-friend is looking for.

[vvalkyri.livejournal.com]

There are a bunch of people who think I'm one of such...
Edit: now that I've read part of the article, I'm no Lois Weisberg :(

[summerrose.livejournal.com]

There's a Bridge Club that meets at the Diesel on Wednesday nights. I don't know anything about it, just that sometimes people coming to the queer poly women's group (that also meets Wednesday night and that I go to) end up at their table by accident and vice versa.