I have been slacking off too much about my blog here. Yeah yeah ….. Swamped with work and everything.

I drove up to SF to meet up with my ex-roomies from my Oregon State days. Frank and Susan. They have a two-year old son, Robert. The last time I saw them was in June 2006 when I was back at OSU for my graduation.

8 hour drive. Boring for the most part but there are certain sections that are simply beautiful. Take it from me, if one has to understand the beauty of this country then it is only by being on the road. The only time I have experienced a similar solitude, one experiences while driving here, is sitting for 30 min on Marine Drive during the monsoons. The vastness of Bombay, the rains, the ocean and the people can be simply overwhelming. In the US, the unending road, the prospect of reaching home, the vast country is an experience in itself.

A few notable things, on an otherwise lonely road are the California Aqueduct and a stretch of I-5 where one can find at least a couple of miles of cows! Yes cows! Its weird because I was so focused on my driving and looking at the aqueduct that the sight of cows took me by surprise. Kinda cool though.

Reached SF on Thursday evening. Went about the city. Chocolates. Talked about science and scientists with Frank. Scientists mostly. Went to UCSF to look at his lab. Spent time playing with Robert - who, by the way, is simply a great playmate. A couple of pictures were taken along the way. Susan made Apple pie for my birthday. She makes simply the best apple pie, I have ever eaten. Packed a large piece for the road.

(Sometimes I wish people around the world made some of their desserts, got around the table and just shared it with everyone. A good picnic. Possibly the first step towards peace - sharing a meal).

Woke up on Sunday morning. Drove to Sacramento to Abhijit, Aditi and Antara’s place. Abhijit is the brother of one of best friend (Akshay). Spent a few hours there. Ate some Indian food after a long time. Started driving back around 3 PM. Promptly ran into traffic in the LA area at 9.30 PM! Never fails to disappoint, this LA traffic. Had water with me and the apple pie came to the rescue. Milk and some ice cream would have made it perfect. Can’t really complain though.

Back in SD at 11.30 PM or so. Realized the next day, how lucky I was, when I was in Oregon. A brand new place half-way around the world. 7 years later, I am grateful to have friends like them.