Sideswipe: September 13: Awkward placement

"This spray does not taste like it smells." Photo / Supplied

Pub Romeo find his ... Nicole

When University of Calgary student Carlos failed to reach a Netherlands exchange student named Nicole he'd met at the pub, he hoped she didn't give him the wrong mobile number on purpose.

Not wanting to be the bad guy who didn't text, and obviously keen, he emailed 247 women with the first name "Nicole" who had a university email address, hoping she would see it. She didn't, but the other Nicoles banded together to help him find her and inadvertently formed a sisterhood of Nicoles.

A Facebook group dubbed "Nicole from last night" was created, with about 80 members, and the women arranged to meet in person at a downtown bar for a Nicole party.

The Nicole Carlos was searching for didn't have a university email address, but through the power of social media she caught wind of the Facebook group and is planning to meet up with Carlos next week — without 247 other women tagging along.

Learning life lessons from the ground up

"Yes, I remember being quite afraid of tragic consequences for misbehaviour," writes Irmen. "Wilhelm Busch's Max and Moritz is another such story, in which two misbehaving boys end up being ground up as chicken food after all their bad deeds. Such stories and the mantra that God watches everyone all the time, and that liars become thieves and end up in hell prevented me at times from misbehaving many decades ago."

A thank without a you

Photo / Supplied

"Early one morning in March 2006 I hit some gravel on the Piha Rd while driving into work in Auckland," writes Jen. "My car [left] rolled a few times down a bank ending upside down in a tree and a lovely couple gave me a ride to Waitakere Hospital once I staggered back up to the road. In the confusion ... I lost their contact details. I can't remember much from that day but the fact I never got to thank them properly for being awesome humans often preys on my mind. Not much to go on but if you're out there, Piha couple from 12 years ago, thank you so much. Do get in touch."

Video pick

Might be time for a reprise of this excellent parody of Simon and Garfunkel's The Sound of Silence, in two parts…

Got a Sideswipe? Send your pictures, links and anecdotes to Ana at ana.samways@nzherald.co.nz