Since I never got around to making a list of all the unbelievable Britishisms I kept encountering, it's fortunate that the Web has come through with a number of wonderful resources.

Nothing lasts forever, but I'd like to think that at least the spirit of my old office in the Computer Lab tower lives on, and indeed it does under the protection of its very capable guardian James Thomas. I've been relegated to "Oldster" status on the Room T44 page, where you can find a photo reflecting our office camaraderie, as well as a link to the page of our very capable (and quiet) receptionist Gnome Chomsky. The amusing fruits of our labor over many afternoons can be found here.

If you'd like to see at least an impressionistic view of my M.Phil. friends from 1994-95, the M.Phil. page has a most (un)flattering picture of us, in which I am distinguished by my first initial and an unnaturally large smile; please don't hold this against me. A marginally more realistic likeness, lecturers and all, is in the real course photo; if you are so inclined, you can even order one for yourself (act now, and we'll throw in a set of Ginsu knives or something). I'm the one with no face - in the front row, on the far right. Oh wait, none of us has much of a face.

I should of course mention my happy house of old, Park Lodge, site of dinner parties galore and the occasional mild scandal. I'll put a picture of my old housemates here as soon as I find one that hasn't been censored.

No longer necessary, but in my former news- and bagel-starved days these were great temporary cures for ex-pat blues (at least of the American and Bay Area variety): New York TimesFax; click here to download today's edition in PDF format from the U.S., or here if you happen to be in Cambridge. Note that this was in the Dark Ages before the Times was on the web in its full glory as it is now. (I can see this will become our generation's equivalent of "When I was your age, I had to walk 20 miles to school every day -- uphill both ways!") It was also comforting on occasion to browse through my (almost) hometown San Jose Mercury News. Ah, for the good old days -- nothing like a bit of deprivation now and then.