Quote: I'm tempted to confront her and set boundaries about friendship, tell her what is acceptable to me, tell her what I think but I'm not sure this is the right route.
No, it's not.
Quote: The other alternative I can think of is to just tell her how busy I was, how much fun I've been having, bring her up to speed on the status of the papers and I sent her a card on her birthday. I'm thinking of writing an email so I don't have to talk to her.
Sounds like a good approach. I like that you were out of town having fun on her birthday, AND that you sent her a card. Maybe the "farewell" on your card freaked her out - could she have thought you were suicidal? Or more likely, it is just hitting her that you have dropped the rope. Emailing her is probably the best approach, because you can sound cheerful and not reveal anything emotionally - also, it makes it clear that she will have to TRY HARDER if she wants you back.
