I met up with an old college acquaintance tonight–Bill Yen, back from the freshman days of Duke. Bill’s a creative genius. Had sculpture exhibitions in college and just earned his Masters in Architecture from Har-vard. He’s in Shanghai doing some post-grad research and also working for an architectural firm. He’s already designed some townhouses in Beijing and Guangzhou that are currently under construction. The next I.M. Pei, I tell you.

So we scheduled to meet at the Starbucks on Nanjing Xi Road. When I approached, there was a man standing outside with Bill’s silhouette–casual and chill. I waved and said “Hello,” but once I got closer, I realized it wasn’t him. I guess the guy was having a blind date though, because he thought I was his date and said, “Let’s go.” Embarrassed, I explained that he had the wrong person. I apologized, saying I mistook him for my friend and then I sat down, laughing to myself. Such incidents (uncomfortable and embarrassing) only seem to happen to me. My good friends know exactly what I mean.

A few minutes later, Bill showed up. We took a cab to Wagas, a brunch/sandwich/pasta joint. Pretty good food, actually. I had a sweet potato/feta lasagna. I haven’t had lasagna in soooo long. We shot the breeze, reminiscing about the good ol’ days. Hanging out late with friends. Livin’ it up in the dorms. Thriving off that new-found independence, yet dealing with all that heartbreaking drama. Ah the teen angst. All so long ago.

I received an email the other day announcing my 10-year high school reunion this November. Ugh. So after depressing ourselves with talk of middle-age, we headed over to McD’s for soft-serve cones. Bill also appreciates the goodness of these 25-cent goodies. He said KFC sells soft serve but it’s different. How? Well I had to taste for myself. Our next stop was KFC. The cone was definitely different. Not as creamy and there was a weird cotton-candy-ish flavor. But I’m not that picky when it comes to ice cream. I scarfed that one down as well. These last few days, I’ve certainly been making the McD rounds. Fried apple pies, large fries, ice cream… it’s a good thing I’m biking a lot.