We’re deep in the summer now. Despite the concerns posed by cases of swine flu, the mood is upbeat. Someone who was lying low makes a comeback this week! Read on to find out…

I have noted that when you are in love, it gets difficult to take simple decisions about how you are going to proceed. Even if you fancy yourself as a dating guru, when it comes to your own date, you will find that you are falling awfully short of ideas. When it comes to advising your friend on their love lives, you can think of a thousand different things to say. But, when it comes to guiding yourself on the right track, you find that you are confused and at a loss. That’s when you need sensible, concerned friends to tell you what to do.

Rachael was worried about some aspects of her new found love. Rachael wanted a friend and confidante who can help her comprehend her love life better. That was where Emily stepped in. Emily is very unlike Rachael. Emily’s worldly wise, much like her mom Donna. Emily is Rachael’s friend and guide, though she is a year junior to Rachael! Emily has been telling her what Charlie means when he says or doesn’t say certain things. Rachael can’t wait to get back home and call her up to give her the details of the day! It’s one great bonhomie happening here, friends! Watch this space.

I have been thinking of taking Kong out for walks over the weekend. But I had to cut short that plan because Kong has not been keeping well. He was down with some stomach ailment that got his appetite down. It was a rather sharp decline in the amount of food he was having. I was concerned to see him ignore his food bowl, untouched. I took him to the vet. The vet diagnosed him with indigestion and prescribed some medicines. But those didn’t work for Kong. He remained devoid of appetite. I was about to hit the panic button. Megan suggested I take Kong to another vet. I had no time to lose, I rushed to another.

This new guy gave him no medicines, just altered his food intake a bit. He asked me to stick to the charts for a week and report back. The new charts worked wonders. Kong recovered fast and got to his normal food intake in days. That awoke me to the fact that a second opinion is always advisable if your pup is not responding to your regular vet. In these summer months, your pets are more prone to fall ill. As on a previous occasion, let me tell you again, take very good care of your pets and monitor them constantly. More caution is advisable if your pet is aged. When in doubt, do not neglect it and go to a vet.

Yes, it has been quiet on the Rick front for some time now. But something interesting happened to him this week! You know he has got this habit of tinkering with his jeep. So he tried to optimize the mileage of his jeep and did something really drastic! As a result of which, he had no option but to take a bus! He later told me that he found this girl staring at him. “At first I thought this girl took me for someone else!” he told me. So Rick tried to avoid her stare, but it was not so easy for our stud dude. “She was hot, I tell ya Bob!” he nodded to me mischievously. I wanted him to carry on. But he shut up the moment Kaitlin walked into the room. So Kaitlin didn’t know this! Nice.

Kaitlin is explosive about Rick’s little escapades like these. Rick started talking about sports and stuff. The moment Kaitlin was out, he hit back on that story. “So you approached her?” I asked expectantly. “Nope, she did!” Rick sounded triumphant. Apparently this girl handed him a card just before getting off the bus. The card has a phone number. Rick called her that evening and then on, they have been talking a lot. “Not to mention the text messages,” he added. Of course, Kaitlin is none the wiser yet. But I cautioned him against this. “Oh come now, Bob!” he threw up his hands, “We’re just friends!” “The media buys that line from celebs,” I shot back, “Don’t think Kaitlin would like that from you!” I think the point hit home. But knowing him, there’s more to come. Stay with me.

Kate is on a high these days! Kate’s got some great colleagues in office, which is a tough ask these days really. Barring my fabulous colleagues, of course! Kate’s getting a lot of help and support from her co-workers and that has taken a lot of pressure off her shoulders. Her parents back in Iowa are very happy with the way Kate has resurrected her career again in New York after the breakup debacle that happened during last Christmas. I absolutely praise her parents for this new Kate, because we know what state she was in when she decided to move back to Iowa. Then Henry happened and her life took a completely fresh turn.

Last weekend Henry planned a surprise for her. He wanted to come over for the weekend, but he had to run off on an emergency. To make up for his absence, he sent across some wonderful flowers to Kate. “You know what he wrote on the card that came with those?” Kate asked me and Megan coyly. Megan made a guess, “I love you? I miss you?” Kate shook her head gleefully and showed us the card. When we looked up, Kate was beaming. I’m not sure what Megan thought of it, but even if Megan did find it a little cheesy, she swallowed it up. What matters is that Kate is happy. On the card was written: “I’m jealous of these flowers which can be with you this weekend…”

This week’s Zen quote is by Doug Fetherling: “Your absence has not taught me how to be alone, it merely has shown that when together we cast a single shadow on the wall.”