Chapter 11, Page 28...
Saturday, I got up and to work without problems. Again, I was the only one from my department there and I handled everything that came up, which wasn't much. I did get the new clients taken care of and some other paperwork done. And then I came home.
I hung out here for a bit, on the computer, watching TV and reading my book, until my company arrived: Johnnie! YAY! He had texted me on Thanksgiving he was back in the area, and we planned for him to come over this night.
I got to know Johnnie through his uncle, Conrad, that I played D&D with. Conrad's wife, Tanda, also played with us. And about 17 or 18 years ago, when they stopped playing, the had had two girls.
Anyway, Saturday night, Johnnie texted me and asked if he could bring Tanda and the girls along. I really just wanted to spend some time talking with Johnnie, and not with someone I hadn't had contact with in 20 years and two people I didn't really know at all. But what could I say? So I said sure, bring them along. They ate supper and Johnnie's grandmother's and then headed down. I got some food from Rutters and waited for them.
When they got here, we all had a pretty damn good time. They were here for about two hours. Tanda and I caught up on what we had been doing over the last 20 years. I found out from Johnnie all about his future plans.
On December 29th, he's moving to China! He'll be working at the University of Shanghai. He'll be a professor, but he wont be teaching. He'll have his own lab, where he'll be working with and on proteins. He'll have the ability to hire up to 9 people to work with him. And he'll be doing amazing science-y things there (that last part is what I added, not what he said).
It just amazing to me....I can't believe it. I first met Johnnie when he was 15. We got closer when he got his license and a car and could drive down to my apartment to hang out. He came there when he was upset, when he was angry at his family, when he had great news to tell me, or bad news. My apartment was a refuge for him.
Then he want off to college in Bradford PA (and that's how we came to stop there on our way to Toronto...it was originally to visit with Johnnie). And then for a short time, he had his own column here on the Palace called Testicular Tuesdays. And then he graduated and started his grad work in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania (I got to visit him once there, seeing his office and apartment and having an unbelievably delicious sub there). And once he got his Masters there, he stayed there to get his PhD. And after getting his PhD, he moved a few years ago to University Of Chicago where he continued the work he did earlier. He's had several studies published in peer review journals. Apparently, he's known in that particular field (not world reknown, not a super star or anything, but people have at least heard of him).
And now...NOW, he's going to a foreign country, China of all places, will have his OWN lab and people working under him! My GOD! It's mind boggling. I mean, there's NO WAY I would have ever thought he would every be in a position to do something like this.
I'm very proud of him. He said he'll be making a few trips each year back home here, and he said he'll get in touch with me when he does. And he had me download an app onto my phone so we could chat once he gets there, like Facebook messager, so it's not like he'll just disappear overseas.
But still...wow....unbelievable.
Anyway, after they left, I watched a repeat of last week's Doctor Who (since I was watching The Laramie Project when it aired) and then this week's episode. And then I went to bed, read some and then went to sleep.
POLT
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