My committedly curmudgeonly friend Alex Beam used to have an evergreen column about people with the same names. I was always disappointed that when he wrote of the Doug Browns, he didn't include my pal Doug, of the ESPN Browns. (I seem to recall I may not be recalling this anecdote precisely, but I can count on Alex to correct me.)

Alex sprang to mind this morning when I learned, via Maryn McKenna, what I'm sure all the cool kids have already noted: the improbable existence of Devra First and Devra Ferst. The first First (first to me, quite subjectively) was my Boston Globe colleague for years, which is also how I know Alex. She and I were editors then, but she's risen to be the Globe food critic.

The second Ferst, meanwhile, is associate editor at @EaterNY! 

Is this not nuts? How many Devras you know? How many Firsts (homonym-ed or otherwise)? How many food writers?

Marveled, noted, moving on.