Home — with friends. As if I weren’t spoiled enough alreadddddddyyyy! I was treated to an absolutely incredible lunch at the home of my new friend Shalini. Lovely home, complete with a housekeeper that works 7-4 each day for the US-equivalent of $50/month, pictured here preparing lunch. (Don’t worry Mom, I’ll move you and Dad with me should the need arise.) We had a fabulous meal of chicken briyani, vegetable kurma, some amazingly spiced pork fry, the best sambar I’ve eaten (ever!) in India, various roti and dal and rice pappads. OMG – heaven with spice. We spent the afternoon just hanging out – we watched some cricket, I heard India news’ take on the impacts of the presidential choice on Tuesday (they believe it will be all the same for India whether we elect Obama or McCain), mused over a story on the end of “Black October” in the financial markets… and played with Shalini’s “boys” (one a mutt – Simba, the “country dog”, and the other a long-haired rambunctious German Shepherd, Bariga, with even more energy than my friend, Michelle).

Following an afternoon of laziness, we were prepped for another shopping excursion. The math just doesn’t add up: Michelle and Shalini aren’t “double-trouble” – they’re something on the magnitude of 1E+20! So first we were good girls, going to mass at one of my favorite churches anywhere: Francis Xavier Cathedral (Michelle’s home church). I got to see her parents again – they’re just such sweethearts. Then Deepak drove “the girls” (my gracious, his patience is endless) to Commercial Street where I bought lots of stuff. The only thing you need to read about is my gulab jamoons – Heaven in a sponge-cake! Oh, how I love India.