DEAR MISS MANNERS: I teach remotely at a university in my hometown, while currently living in a different state. The politics of my department are deeply unhealthy, and the toxic environment has brought me closer to another junior staff member. Over the past four years, the two of us have bounced ideas off each other and commiserated over some of the nonsense that is permitted in our department. When I’m in town for work, we always go out for dinner and usually have fun, as we share a similar sense of humor. When I invited my colleague to a conference taking place in my state, she and her husb…