I’m getting a little ahead of myself here, but I wanted to give you an example of what makes Bay View such an extraordinary place today.

Last night, Rob and I were privileged to be included in a small dinner party in honor of Akhil Amar – an American legal scholar and an expert in constitutional law and criminal procedure.  Akhil is the Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale, and he is the “American Experience Forum” speaker for this year’s Fourth of July week at Bay View.  (Tonight, Sam is having dinner with Akhil.)

With the Supreme Court’s recent decision upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Health Care Act, Akhil has been a busy man.  He was quoted (more than once) in the New York Times, interviewed on MSNBC and CNN, and has regularly been on the phone with politicos and newsmakers.

You might notice that I call him, “Akhil” – like we’re friends or something – like we’re on a first name basis.

Akhil is the only person I know who can say, “When my son and I were having dinner with Justice Thomas last Thursday…” or, “When I was interviewed by Steven Colbert…” or,
“When I was with Ray Charles back at the groundbreaking ceremony for the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia… or, “When I was talking to my good friend Peter Jennings…”

You know.  Just ordinary stuff.

I mentioned that this was a small dinner party, right?  There were seven of us: Rob, his parents, a couple from the American Foreign Service who have served in places like Tunisia, Kazakhstan, Croatia and, most recently, the US Embassy in Kabul.

You know.  Just ordinary stuff.

It was those five people and — oh yeah — Akhil and me.

I think I might have understood about 40% of what they all were talking about, but it was absolutely one of the most remarkable evenings I will ever know.

Yep, me and Akhil.  We’re buds.