The world seems a bit surreal when you are back at your childhood home which you seldom see, hopped up on drugs, with a few good snowstorms thrown in for good luck.

I don't remember what we got for Christmas, or what we did other than moan and groan and watch videos. Looking back, I hardly even remember how piercing the constant barking of the dogs was at the time.

By day three, John was starting to venture out of the bed for long stretches at a time. Raman was sniffling now. His lament was "Why did I come on this trip?"

It was time to pack up the bags and head to East Lansing on Saturday. Raman had to get final copies of his thesis from the MSU Cyclotron. John couldn't face sleeping in the Cyclotron bunk beds, so they rented a room at the Marriott for a reasonable government rate.

The next day they headed off to Chicago. Raman barely alive.