Dr. Henry Kissinger, a Nobel Prize winner and former Secretary of State for Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, visited Seoul today.  I was immensely honored to meet and shake hands with him today after his brief remarks.  Dr. Kissinger is regarded by many as one of our country’s greatest Secretaries of State.  I’m very lucky to have met a statesman of such stature during my first year in the Service.  As one colleague put it, "I’ve been waiting for ten years to meet him, and you get to meet him during your first weeks here!"  Yep, I’m lucky I guess.  I thought I would have to keep working in lieu of hearing him speak.  However, everyone was invited at the end of the day to a meet and greet.  I’m privileged to have had an opportunity to meet the man who played a crucial role in U.S. foreign policy and is largely credited with spearheading normalized relations between the People’s Republic of China and the U.S.  Dr. Kissinger remains a giant in foreign policy and still consults on numerous foreign policy issues.

Last night I was happy to get reacquainted with an old friend, my personal computer.  I received it yesterday in my air freight and set up late last night.  It still functions just the way it did when I disassembled it back in Virginia (technology can be so touchy sometimes).  For the first time in an eternity I have a perfectly functioning home network.  My computer runs great, and my secure wireless network works seamlessly.  I may jinx everything by mentioning how well it’s all working, but I can’t help but mention how happy I am to have my computer back.  I had been using our old laptop until it arrived, but the laptop is much too old and slow to do everything I want to do.  Now that I have my computer back I can start using technology to do some tasks that require a top-of-the-line system, including video editing.