So, you know how these things go. I was just minding my own business the other day, and then bam, I’m knee-deep in trying to figure out ages for this list. It all started with this thing they called the “Joe list”.
Apparently, this guy Joe, a real character from what I hear, used to keep this list for, well, I’m not even sure what exactly. Some local group, maybe a hobby club. Anyway, Joe’s not around to manage it anymore, or maybe he just passed the torch, and somehow, it landed in my lap to “tidy it up.” You know how it is, someone says “you’re good with computers, right?” and suddenly you’re the designated list-wrangler.
And the big thing they wanted? Ages. Everyone’s age. Why? Good question. Maybe for sorting into age brackets for activities, or for some kind of demographic thing for a grant. Honestly, I didn’t ask too many questions. I just sort of nodded and said, “Sure, I can take a look.” Figured it couldn’t be too hard.
First off, I had to actually get my hands on this famous “Joe list”. It turned out to be an old spreadsheet file, probably emailed to me as an attachment with a subject line like “FWD: FWD: Joe’s old list”. Looked like it hadn’t been properly updated in ages, which, ironically, was what I was supposed to be adding – ages!
Opening it up, it was… well, it was Joe’s. A mix of names, some old notes scribbled in virtual margins, a few phone numbers that might or might not still work. Pretty typical stuff for a list that’s been passed around a bit. But the crucial part, birth dates, were mostly missing. That was the main hurdle if I was going to calculate everyone’s age.
So, the great age hunt began. My super sophisticated process, if you can even call it that, went something like this:
- First, I scoured the existing list. Like, really peered at every cell, looking for any hint of a birth date. Found a few! Felt like striking a tiny bit of gold each time. For those, I just popped a new column next to them and did a quick calculation: current year minus birth year. Nothing fancy, no complicated formulas.
- Then, for all the blanks, which was most of them, I had to start reaching out. This meant digging up contact info if it wasn’t on the list, or if it was ancient. I got a bunch of emails and a few phone numbers. I tried to draft a friendly, casual message. Something like, “Hey there, we’re just trying to update the community list Joe used to keep. Any chance you could let us know your year of birth for our records? No worries if not!” You know, trying to keep it low-pressure.
- The responses, oh boy, they were a mixed bag. Some folks replied super quick, “Sure, it’s 19XX, no problem!” Others took a while. And some, well, some people are understandably a bit private about their age. Got a few “I’d rather not says,” which is totally fair. I just made a note of “declined to provide” or something. No point pushing it.
- One little funny bit: I was trying to find Joe’s age for the list too. I mean, it was his list originally, felt like he should be on it properly. Turns out, his date of birth was nowhere to be found! I asked one of the older members, and they just chuckled and said Joe always joked he was “timeless” or “ageless.” So, Joe remains ageless on his own list. Seems fitting, somehow.
After a good few days of this, sending emails, making a call or two, and updating the spreadsheet bit by bit, the list started to look a lot more complete. I added that new column, clearly labelled “Age (approx.)” or “Calculated Age”, and filled in what I could. For those where I only got the year of birth, it’s an approximation, but hey, it’s better than nothing and probably good enough for whatever they needed it for.
It wasn’t some huge, earth-shattering project, you know? Just one of those little tasks that lands on your plate. But it felt kinda satisfying to get it somewhat organized. That old “Joe list” is now a “Joe list with some actual ages on it.” Still got a few gaps where people preferred to remain mysterious about their vintage, but definitely an improvement from what it was.
It’s just funny sometimes, isn’t it? One minute you’re thinking about what to have for dinner, the next you’re on a mini-quest to uncover ages for a list put together by some chap named Joe. Just the usual random stuff that happens, I guess. At least it’s a story to tell, right?
