I asked her, "So Irina, is this what out-of-work models do? Get out the vote?" Of course, I was being sarcastic. To my surprise she took it well, "Ya, I'm interested in politics now. There are so many rich and famous people to meet! What's more I get to talk to them sometimes, which is really cool." It was the Irina that I knew - the Irina who is always casual and has funny answers to everything. "But what about the votes and all that social change stuff? Don't you believe in that?"

"Of course I do, Bob. That's where I get my energy. The rest of it, the thrill, the excitement and meeting celebrities is just part of the package. My parents are really proud, too. It really hits home when you think of places like Chechnya, where both my parents come from. So this election is a big deal for them." It was really great to catch up with Irina. I forgot how much fun she was to be around. She can talk about issues and things without getting you down and getting too serious. "I mean think about it, there's so many people who have struggled and died just so everyone has equal rights. Voting is just one basic fundamental right," she declared.

I was taken up by her little speech. It seems she really believed in what she was doing. Talking about voting, are you registered to vote? Vote now or forever hold your peace... well, for the next four years anyway!

Kate and Jeffrey have benn going out for a week or two now and they're totally in love. They knew it but hadn't said it to each other. You know how it is of the big pressure with saying those three little words! Between Christmas and New Year, they were still getting used to just being with each other. Anyway, the surprising thing is, it wasn't our Kate who said it first!

Jeffrey, being the romantic maestro whispered, "I love you" into her ear as she was leaving the subway to come to the restaurant. "Then the doors closed on me. I didn't even have the time to react! He was smiling when the train moved and then he was out of sight." Kate explained. "That is so romantic," said Megan, teary eyed.

Frankly, I wasn't ready for all this mushy stuff, so I just said, "Why wasn't he man enough to wait for your reaction?" And of course the women were appalled at my comment. "Maybe he didn't want a reaction. Maybe it was his way of saying, 'No matter how you feel, I'll still love you' kind of a thing. Ya know?" Megan continued. Adrian all of a sudden said, "Ya! Maybe he wasn't ready for a reaction." Oh great, even my best buddy's against me! I can't help being cynical. I've been through a lot and this mushy stuff was hard to hear.

I decided not to dwell on the matter and I think the others sensed my unease too. Megan took up the subject of steak fries and how fantastic the Coq Au Vin, is. Thank goodness for Megan, I was totally saved from the mushy "I love you" stuff.

She was hesitant to reply. "Bob I think it's going to take some time for me to get adjusted to our new situation. It happened kinda fast for me and I really need some space now. I'm trying to start a whole new life in a new city." My heart sank. I realized that we were losing whatever connection that we had... that there was a chance that she might be out of my life forever. Then she said, "I'll tell ya what, why don't you drop me at the airport on Saturday?" A sparkle of hope! I thought -- maybe, just maybe there's still a chance...

I bumped into Aaliyah last week. Her classes at the University should have started already so I thought she'd left town. It was a surprise when she walked up to me. She was doing some last minute shopping before she left. I don't really know why we decided to talk. Maybe it was the last good bye or something. It didn't really hit me until I was down at Tribeca at a blues club to see Jeffrey perform. Ya, remember Kate's infatuation with Beethoven? It turned out it wasn't really Beethoven that she was infatuated with! It's Jeffrey!

They got close over the holidays I guess, and started going out. It was really nice to see the sparkle in Kate's eyes. I guess I miss those moments when I had the same sparkle. I'm not going to say I didn't miss Aaliyah, because I do immensely. And listening to Jeffrey playing the blues just made it worse because it brings out all those nostalgic feelings that I'm trying to bury.

Aaliyah looked really beautiful under that winter glow of the sun. "I'll be leaving town in a couple of days," she said. "I'll see if I can call you... may I?" There was an awkward pause. The pause that you just hate to be in. The one beat that goes on for eternity. I didn't know what to say, or how to react. Part of me was hurt, and part of me really wanted to speak to her again and keep in touch. "Ya, sure, you can call me." I replied, in the same breath, I blurted out, "Aaliyah, I miss you. Maybe we could still be friends?"

Anyway, that's all I have time for now. Tune in next week to know what her reply was. I'll also keep you updated on Kate's new beau. I don't know if Aaliyah is going to contact me once she's in Chicago. In the mean time, I ran into Irina, another ex whom I haven’t seen in a long, long time. We're planning to catch up...

This week's Zen quote comes from Morrie Schwartz, of the "Tuesdays with Morrie" fame. He said, "The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in." Right now I'm just waiting for time to move on.

On New Year's Eve, he got really drunk and passed out. We decided to teach him a lesson. Steve already bought a temporary tramp stamp tattoo – the one that goes on your lower back if you’re a girl. When he passed out, we took the cue and stuck it on him. It was really funny with a girly tattoo on his bum. We were all roaring with laughter the next morning when we showed him the pictures.

He thought he did it while he was really drunk and he couldn't remember anything. But it was so much better than having ridiculous Chinese letters that no one can really understand like Kobe Bryant!

I mean, what's up with that? If you're going to put something on your body you should at least know what the freak it's all about! Seriously folks, think not just twice but three or maybe even ten times before you think of having something inked on your body. Permanently! And remember, before you get that tight tattoo on your body, taking a tattoo off is a LOT more painful and expensive than putting one on.