Wendy Brandes Jewelry Blog

Never Is the Next New Thing

Three Old Posts and a Little Story

by

I’m giving you reruns today:

UPDATED TO ADD: I always think of the other Wendy Brandes on this date. The other Wendy Brandes and I were at Columbia University at the same time. She was studying law and I was getting my undergraduate degree. I found out about her when administrators accidentally gave me her student ID card. If I recall correctly, a potential employer once asked for her law school transcript, and Columbia sent my transcript instead, which showed I hadn’t attended law school. (Hilarity didn’t ensue.) Nowadays, I make sure doctors’ offices identify my patient file by my birthday and lack of middle initial. For a while, the other Wendy Brandes got to every doctor in New York before I did, and the doctors would be asking me strange personal questions about pregnancies that I had not had.

Despite all this and the fact that I know where the other Wendy Brandes lives and how to get in touch with her, I have never met the other Wendy Brandes in person. But, as I said, I think of her on this date because of a story a friend told me in 2001. My phone number is unlisted, so people who called 411 to try to reach me on 9/11/01 wound up talking to the other Wendy Brandes. When my friend Rhonda spoke to the other Wendy Brandes, the other Wendy Brandes told her that she had the wrong number, expressed concern about my well-being and helpfully added, “You should call her parents in Mahwah, N.J.” I’ve never thanked the other Wendy Brandes for remembering enough about me to assist my friends in an emergency. Thank you, other Wendy Brandes. And congratulations on the law degree and the kids.

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Comments

  5. I remember reading “Laughing While Crying” last year, but I hadn’t seen the others, so I’m glad you re-posted them. Two WendyBs, what are the odds?

  7. Your story about the other Wendy Brandes just warmed my heart. It was so good I had to beckon my coworker to my desk and share with her.

  9. I love your Laughing while Crying post – I’m glad you posted it again. I always feel weird about 9/11 and I was sat in my works media centre instead of a meeting and watching everything unfold on a big screen even seeing the second plane’s shadow hitting the building.

    I kept thinking it wasn’t real and I can’t imagine how surreal/real/terrifying it really was even though I’d been IRA bombed a couple of times.

    Two Wendy Brandes – there’s only Wendy B!

  10. This is such a sweet story that it brought tears to my eyes. I would say something like “happy anniversary” but that’s completely inappropriate, so hopefully you’ll get the gesture.

  13. Not sure if you know, but I also called her (and sent you a holiday card to her address!) but that day I had left a message there for you. Luckily I was persistent enough to track down your e-mail address to find out you were okay. 😉

  17. Oh what a heart-warming story. Interesting to know that you and the other Wendy Brandes are such strong and accomplished women!

    Just been to the World Trade site a few days ago…I actually wept staring at the space.

  21. Aw, this is so lovely! Sounds like she is a lovely person even after all the confusion.

    My friend once searched for me on facebook and it turns out that there are three other Winnies which share my surname! Quite a surprise as I grew up thinking my name and surname were a unique combination!

  23. What a good name…for a couple of obviously pretty swell ladies!

    I’ve never met anyone with my maiden name (it’s really rare), but my married name belongs to an English lady who wrote a lot of books about gardens. I also once found a news article about a woman with my name who was accidently shot in the head at a rifle range in 1984. Bizarre! Maybe it was me…time travelling??

  26. WendyB, thank you for the links and telling us about the other Wendy Brandes. Human kindness and decency goes a long way, doesn’t it?

    Your new About Me photo shows just how beautiful you are, honey.

  28. When I was growing up every Brandes in the NYC phone book was a relative. So I want you to meet the OWB and find out were they are coming from. Are peeps just changing their last names? Over the years, only twice has someone asked if I was related to another Brandes. In Demark it was to Georg Brandes the famous writer. I’m still planning on getting copies of his books. I will use them as place holders until WendyB writes her book.

  29. This is such a sweet story, one that deserves a little section on the Sunday post maybe!

    Fate is so thoughtful to give us not 1 but 2 Wendy B’s!

  36. What an awesome story!! Wow, that was so sweet of her to care – maybe one day the two of you will run into each other – the city is such a small world!

    And speaking of meeting – what are we next?!?!

    Kisses darling 😉

  37. I came back to reread and happy see this is open for comments now. Poignant posts on 9/11 and touched me deeply. That’s why I came back.

    I have two others with my name too. One a sis in law whom they put my husband’s name on her kid’s birth certificate. Whom people/banks/searches confuse me with. The whole duplicate is a real pain in the @$$ Then another who is in politics.

  41. Wow, so there are TWO wonderful Wendy Brandeses! Heartwarming story 😉

    You two definitely must meet up. It’s already written in the stars, lady.