I ran into an old friend on the last day of the ISSE Long Beach show but at first I didn’t realize it. I was stopped by Body Drench booth and a woman said to me, “I haven’t seen you in forever.” She looked familiar but I couldn’t quite place her so I looked at her badge. It was Michele Baker, who is an old and dear friend of the magazine. Michele was one of the top nail competitors when she was on the circuit, and she was a runner-up for NAILS Nail Technician of the Year back in 1996. Michele still competes occasionally on a small scale but went back to get her esthetician’s license and now does both skin and nails at a salon near Atlanta.