I have been back in San Antonio for the past 6 weeks trying to continue with my life. I have tried to contact everyone I know. Some of the e-mails have come back, and I have gotten word from others that my e-mails have gone into their SPAM folders for some reason. If you haven't heard from me, you might look into your SPAM folder to see if my e-mail got redirected that way. Since I know people have missed my communications and that some have had trouble trying to reach me to see how things are going, I will post my address and phone number here:

Randell L. Drum
8655 Datapoint Dr. # 101
San Antonio, TX 78229

210-692-1875

To give a general round-up of what has been happening:

1. A ceremony was held in Copenhagen at WHO on June 21 to celebrate Arne's life. His remains were buried in Plot 1041 at Solbjerg Park Kirkegaard on Roskildevej in Copenhagen on Tuesday, June 22. It was announced at the ceremony for Arne that the newly remodeled reception hall at the WHO Euro headquarters there will have a plaque honoring Arne and naming the hall after him.

2. I returned to Texas on July 18. Because Arne and I had just moved into the apartment here two weeks before we left, I have had many chores to do since getting back. I've installed service for both the Internet and the telephone, I bought a washer and dryer and installed them, I've continued to unpack things, I have installed some shelving to create more storage space, etc.

3. I've been seeing lots of films (at least two a week) to help keep my mind occupied. All the films I have seen have been either foreign or independent productions. My sister who lives here has gone with me to most of them. She has also made sure that I am not alone too many days at a time.

4. I have joined the committee for planning the San Antonio International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival for next April. We are making progress on that goal, and it gives me something else to do that keeps my mind busy at times.

5. I have been looking up old friends and meeting new ones. I found two friends here I used to know and had not seen for a few years. And a friend helped me meet someone new. I'm beginning to have a small social circle, although I don't feel like doing much yet.

6. I can feel that I am still depressed. I really have difficulty forcing myself to do anything--from working around the condo to simply making a phone call to someone I need to call. The nice aspect of that is that I feel okay being depressed. My mind still turns to thoughts of Arne 30-40 times a day, and at least once or twice a day the sense of loss during those thoughts turns me to tears. I don't know how long that will continue, but I have no control over it.

7. I did get away for 5 days to San Miguel de Allende in Mexico in mid-August with my friend Wes from Corpus. We walked a lot and talked a lot; it was good to be with someone and to be occupied. But the loneliness seemed even greater after the 9 days we were together ended and he returned home.

8. I got word from the university a few weeks ago that the Board of Regents voted to grant me professor emeritus status. It will be conferred at the commencement ceremony on Dec. 18 in Corpus Christi.

9. As of right now, I am planning to stay around San Antonio for most of the rest of the year. I will make short trips to northeast Texas to see my family and to Corpus Christi to see friends, but I won't be traveling as I have done in the past. I do, however, plan to go back to Denmark on Dec. 19 and to start another around-the-world trip in January from Europe. I think I will go to South America for about 2 1/2 months (southern Brazil, Uruguay, northern Argentina, and Paraguay). Most of the territory will be new to me. There will be a long pause in Texas from mid-March until October when I will continue the trip by going to Asia. That will give me a chance to see if I can enjoy traveling extensively now or not. Before, I never felt very lonely, because there was always a daily e-mail from Arne and I could write and ask him to call me wherever I stayed.

Please call or write if there are things I haven't mentioned that you want to know. I don't want to print my e-mail address because of SPAM, but anyone interested in writing me should have either the old university address or my Yahoo address. Both are working addresses, so write to either.