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Last week Adrian was at work and saw a lady he recognized from a year ago, at a ceremony honoring, well, me. But that's not important. What's important is that he went up to her and asked, "aren't you Cindy?," Cindy being someone I worked with last year. But no, it wasn't Cindy, it was, in fact, the dean of faculty, also known as "my ultimate boss." So they apparently had a nice long talk with me and she called me a real asset (I hope that second syllable was there) to the school (though not so much of an asset that they tried to keep me rather than leting me leave for another job, even though I wouldn't have stayed anyway). A presentation I made to the senior faculty last semester has apparently set the tone for a major review of the curriculum, something I hear bits and pieces about every now and then but from which I've divorced myself (according to my immediate boss, he has heard that my presentation (which was five months ago, mind you) is a central topic at every one of the dean's meetings on this issue. So she tells others, she tells Adrian, she never tells me. Maybe I'll get a nice note on my way out the door.

I've been chatting with a guy from Virginia that I met on Fridae.com. He was an undergrad at the school where I got my PhD, and he still lives in the area, and is hoping to get to know us when we move back. Anyway, he took a look at my website and it turns out he knows Dancin' Mike from high school. the world just got a little smaller.

And this morning I called Raberd for the first time in a few months. It was SO good to hear his voice. He, of course, lives in Bangkok, and thank goodness we have Skype because that turned a $40, 37-minute call into a $4 call...MUCH better. Raberd, for those who don't know, is a friend I met on Fridae.com (that site has proven useful) over 2 years ago, and we finally met him in person when we were in Thailand last year. He is such a joy to be around, such a nice guy (once the men of Thailand get smart and ask him out a little more, he's going to make some guy VERY happy) and I think the world of him. Anyway, he has been unhappy in a job he took last year as the marketing director for a Lasik clinic...lots of travel to health fairs around the country, and not exactly the kind of marketing work he wanted to do. He has been looking for a new job, but that is hard when you already have a full-time one. Still, I knew he would find something new, because he is the sort of person who puts effort into fixing things rather than just putting up with bad situations. Today I learned he found his new job and has his orientation on Wednesday: he is working for MTV Thailand. Excuse me, but I think that is VERY cool. He is just the kind of guy they are looking for AND this will probably be a better work environment for a young, cute, educated gay guy than working at the Lasik clinic was. I hope he could tell from my voice how proud I am of him.

I love my international friends.