The other night I had dinner with a friend, Steve, at Monsoon's Restaurant, a wonderful Indian restaurant in Maynard.  The weather was lousy and the restaurant was not busy at all.  After we were done eating, we walked toward the exit and saw two waiters looking at a computer with news headlines glowing from it.  

Steve and I stopped to ask the waiters, "Who won the primaries in Maryland and D.C.?" 

They both smiled and looked at us and said, "Obama is ahead."

Then one of the waiters asked us, "Who are you for?" 

"Obama" I answered.   Steve echoed, "Yeah, me too." 

"Who are you guys for?"  I looked from one waiter to the other.

They both sang out, "Obama!" most enthusiastically.

"Can you vote? Are you registered?"  I asked the two eager politicos.

"No, we're here on student visas so we can't vote.  But I would vote for Obama if I could!" said the older fellow.

"Yeah, we like Obama a lot!" said the younger.

"I like Hillary too." I said.

The older waiter agreed, "Yeah, I like Hillary too.  And even McCain is ok with Immigration. So, he's not that bad.
And, even though I can't vote, I like to follow the campaigns.  It is so interesting!"

"It certainly is interesting! And really amazing that an African American is doing so well for the first time in a presidential campaign"  I agreed. 

And, both waiters looked at me with their large brown eyes and light brown skin and said, "Yes it's wonderful!"

And, all of a sudden I felt teary eyed.  This primary  season is more than a process to choose our next president.   Not just to Obama's supporters; not just to Democrats; not just to Americans, but people around the world like these two young Indian men.  It is a fascinating look into our country's psyche - and the view is making the world stand up and take notice - and smile!


Real Estate Hint #2 - When you are seriously looking for a home to purchase, do not rely on Sunday Open Houses.  Instead, enlist a buyer broker early in your search to inform you about houses that are on the market that meet your price and other requirements.   Sunday Open Houses will allow you to visit only a small percentage of the houses that are on the market that week.  A better use of time is to set up an appointment with your broker so that he/she can take you to all the houses that meet your needs; not just the ones on Open House.