3 PM: Celebrating Graduations...

I'm landing on time at 4:30 at the Oakland International Airport, after landing I turn my phone on and retrieve the message from Jessica, the wife of Flint, the mother of Indy, the once that live in my house currently, that she would love to pick me up but does not know what airport, SFO or OAK. It took me a long time to get my luggage, a busy time for people to travel, after all it is the Memorial weekend, both flights were full, people everywhere waiting for the luggage to get spit out from the underground onto the conveyor-belt. A madhouse to say the least. I left a message with Jessica but she didn't call me back until I just got my bag. Then I should have just go take the bus and then BART to get home. After all I just cruised all over NYC with public transportation, but don't have it together to manage to do the same here in the Bay Area. It is way less adventures to do it and so I waited for an hour until Jessica got to the airport.

The sky at Oakland Airport while waiting for Jessica to pick me up, I should have read the clouds before...

Big X in the sky had to mean something!!!

The weather here was marginal, still some blue sky, but windy and cold, probably low 60's. At home in Berkeley the sun was undiscovered, foggy and cold, why did I leave the East-coast??? It was a gorgeous day there, and probably will be the whole weekend. But no matte what it was great to be back in my house. Even though not much of it is mine, lots of toys and luggage and what-have-you were everywhere. More friends of Flint and Jessica where staying here, who also live in India and are here for Juniper's wedding. A party, the more the merrier, is what I told them when asking for permission to have friends stay here. What was more shocking was the weed overgrown surroundings of the house, boy I have some weed'n to do when I get back in July... Lets not think about this now!
Jessica left me alone at home, once I get in, to go to the nearby park to meet up with her son Indy and the friends who stayed here too. Now they're back and I meet Mehar and her daughter I can't remember the name, Indy is walking now, and his hair has grown, what a difference 6 weeks make. Mehar, her husband Gary, and their daughter live in India too, at the same place where Flint and Jessica live. There will be a lot of people here from the Meher Baba connection. All are excited about tomorrows wedding.
I'm just getting out of the shower when the doorbell rings, it's Annelise stopping by for a visit, Sally Hicks, who I haven't seen for what seems to be years, is joining us any minute too. These two are going out for a movie later, and decided to meet at my house. A fine idea I think, we have some wine, crack some food out of the fridge and catch-up on my trip adventures. Photos of hot-springs, slot-canyons and more makes them to wanna go too. Then Jessica and Indy with another friend and her daughter are coming back, they all where at the park hanging out. Flint gets in and soon Annelise and Sally are off to their movie-date. Flint and I go to the Pakistani Restaurant, Kabana, for a good meal and take the rest home for Jessica to eat. Then I get to borough their BMW to go to the dance in Alameda. Cedric Watson is playing and what a treat to get to dance here again. The place is not as full as it used to be, but that way I have a better chance to see who is here. Thank you for all the dances I had...
I was way too tired to stay as long as I stayed there, so back home I went without closing the places down. But let me not forget to set the alarm for the morning, not wanting to miss the yoga class!!!
Of course I am awake an hour before the alarm even thinks of going off. I borough Stuart's bike to get to the Adeline Yoga Studio, it is freezing cold. All I wear is a t-shirt and my bike-shorts, and I suffering near frostbites by the time I get to the studio, what has gone wrong??? I'm a bit disappointed first because I'm finding out that Chris is not teaching today, it is Alan Leon instead, I was so looking forward for a tough class taught by Chris, but instead I had my first mellow but healthy class by Alan, not bad. As always this procedure is followed by some social gathering at the Sweet Adeline Bakeshop a block away form the yoga-studio. Catching-up with my fellow yoga mates while eating a sticky-bun with tea, and shivering away in the cold!!!
Back home I have to go through my mail that has been piled-up in the last 6 weeks, ohhh all this junk, ahhh a few good checks for payments for work I've done before this trip. At 1 o'clock I'm biking up on University Ave to find that Tropical Paradise Restaurant I've never noticed before, here is where I get to celebrate with PeiPei, Chris, Kirk and many more the graduation of PeiPei's son, Alvin and his girlfriend Jenny from UC Berkeley's engineering program. What a trip to see this young couple accomplishing this degree. It makes me wanna go and get an electrical engineering degree, but that is as far as I go with it.
I find this place, a hole in the wall, almost. It is a African Restaurant with food from Ghana, very interesting and a fun interior, almost feeling tropical even with this cold fog outside.
PeiPei, Chris, her mom and her mom's boyfriend, her brother and her brother's wife are already sitting at the long table set-up for us to party. Kirk came in next, drinks get ordered and appetizers eaten. Much later Alvin, Jenny and a whole slew of friends barged through the door, let the party begin!!!

Celebrating the graduation of Alvin & Jenny, with food & Friends...