Bernie's B'day Party...

Grace and Bernie

Blowing out the candles

Reunited friends after 30 years

Last night I had a very nice time at a birthday party. It is nice to be around new people.

The Saturday before Election Day, I received a call from someone campaigning for Obama. After hanging up the phone I reviewed in my mind the name of the girl who had called (Bernadette) and realized that it was someone I had gone to school with in 1st and 2nd grade (for a brief 18 months when I went to a Catholic School.)

A couple of hours later, Bernadette was on my street going door-to-door. We both realized that we had gone to school together when we were 6 years old. Funny. We exchanged phone numbers and after the election I sent her a note congratulating her on Obama's win and then she invited me to her birthday party.

It also turns out that she lives only about half a mile away, in a house that I visited when it was for sale. It is nice to not have to drive very far!

The party was very nice and I met some great people, mostly her colleagues. They reminded me a lot of my colleagues: smart and fun; people that are professional when they are working and cool to hang out with when they're not.

Bernadette's sister, Grace, who works at a bakery in South Pasadena on the weekends, made the cake--a wonderful many-layered confection with custard filling.

It was refreshing to be around new people and to feel very comfortable with all of them. I had a great time!