in America it's a lot easier to vote with your feet and transfer to another college if you don't like where you are

Oh, of course. Here the options are much more limited, considering how small a country we are, in comparison.

You guys make such interesting points! It's so fascinating to me to see how much I'm taking for granted, when in fact it's only the result of the place and time in which the events occur.

we may very well have passed each other in the street

This reminds me of a story I like: once, a few years ago, I was sitting on the stairs in the physics building here in the university with my friend E (who studied at a different department). We were talking, when my brother (who went to the same university) passed by, with a friend of his, M. I didn't know M, other than recognizing his face, so I said a polite hello. My brother didn't know E, again, other than in recognizing her face, so he said a polite hello. E and M didn't exchange a single word.

A year later, an acquaintance of my E's mother, who turned out to be M's aunt, played the match-maker and introduced them. The got married, have two adorable daughters, and the only people who remember that once upon a time they passed each other in some building, are my brother and myself.

I knew Ellen S. in college, and it was a complete coincidence to meet her at b.org.

My acquaintance coincidence was Zoe. She knew one of my college roommates.

Replace "Ellen S." with "Calli," and I could say the same as flea.

I always wonder which Buffistas knew each other before

Lee and I know each other from grad school, pre-'fistas.

While working at Berkeley, we'd get a message a couple times a year that the students were protesting something and might be disrupting classes with advice about how to handle the mob and/or permission to cancel class that day.

As a librarian there, the last collective bargaining agreement I was covered by included a clause in which our union had negotiated away the right to strike.

Also, last year, Gallaudet College had a big strike, as they did a few years ago, too. But they are a special case, being the only college for the deaf, i.e. the only game in town.

I always wonder which Buffistas knew each other before they were either Buffistas or active on Salon's TT.

I recruited shrift to the Buffistas, though we still met in fandom.

Happy birthday, beth!

I don't think I eat bacon 14 times a month, and I love bacon. I eat it maybe once a week, and not very much when I do.

And in work news, I always find it funny when users get huffy and CC: their bosses about being denied access to certain resources when 99% of the time it just turns out they've forgotten their password.

I knew Ellen S. in college, and it was a complete coincidence to meet her at b.org.

Replace "Ellen S." with "Calli," and I could say the same as flea.

I had no idea. That's so cool!

Remember when Angus found out that one of the other Australian posters was actually one of his students?

That's funny, people randomly coming across each other here! I think I only know people here from here.