Long time no see

Boy have I missed Kansas! The land of the waving wheat, Jayhawks, wide open spaces, old friends, smiling strangers, basketball, easy parking, family, salt-of-the-earth people, Mass Street, and more. It has been wonderful to be back.

In addition to our Indian festivities and family visits, we have been busy catching up with old friends. On Wednesday, we drove to Lawrence, home of our alma maters. It was great to troll Mass Street, have lunch at La Parilla (my absolute favorite cheap restaurant), walk the KU campus, and visit old professors and debate coaches. That evening we met Cassy--my brilliant, thoughtful, quirky, delightful roommate of four years--at our favorite sushi place in Lawrence. I almost didn't recognize her, as she had cut off all of her trademark long hair; but other than that, she has remained true to the wonderful Cassy I've always known and loved. She even brought me a Macaroni and Cheese cookbook--awesome! =) Dinner was followed by a delicious home-made ice cream cone at Silas and Maddy's, and then the three of us retired to the delightfully hippy, unique, Lawrence-esque Java Break to round out the evening. It was great to see her.

Yesterday, we met Justin--Ankur's roommate of four years--at Boston Market. It may sound like a weird place to meet for lunch, but I was very excited about bland food. He regaled us with stories about medical school while doing a relatively good job of keeping it lunch-table appropriate, which was much appreciated. It was great to see him as well.

In the evening, we finished our tour of KU roommates by going to McLouth, Kansas--a tiny town of about 800--to visit the mayor and his wife. Yep, my former roommate Jennifer is now the wife of the mayor and the mother of three beautiful girls (see the pictures above), not to mention a pharmacist herself. I got to hold the baby much of the evening, which was heaven! =) Jennifer made us a lovely dinner, and the wine fueled a spirited political conversation. When you get me in the same room with someone who regularly listens to Rush Limbaugh, you might expect sparks to fly--however, it remained remarkably civil and fun. A great evening.

That's all the excitement for now. Hope all is well with you!