>assuming I can ever find it again.

this applies to Windows XP (and probly other versions):
after using the Character Map you will see the program (below the heavy line) in the Start Menu. that will vanish after some default period of non-use, but you can make it permanent by dragging it above the line. (there is also some limit to the number of apps you can have above the line, but if you only have a handful, not to worry. if you already have six or so, you can drag a new one higher on the list but you may lose the bottom one - but you may not use everything on the list; i.e., you may Start other apps through other means (such as shortcuts, icons on the Taskbar, etc.) - you can edit this list by right-clicking on any entry you want to remove, for instance.