burning like matchsticks in the face of the darkness

offbalance, can i write you a fic or something? You totally didn’t have to send me a card.

Friday night i made it home safely and stayed up late talking to my mother while she baked cookies.

Saturday my father and i went to Mr. Leary’s memorial service. (My mother would likely have gone but had an appointment to make cookies with a 4-year-old.) Chris had his girlfriend and Brooke her boyfriend standing in the receiving line with them. Glad they have support.
Brooke spoke well. Talked about her father’s love of being in the woods. The second half of her talk was about spending time with her father while he worked in the store. I think i was crying silently the whole time she talked about the store.
He was diagnosed in July 2001. Wow. That’s the summer after my class graduated, but Mrs. Leary never mentioned it any of the times i chatted with her.
They played Taps, and 2 Navy guys folded the flag and presented it to Mrs. Leary.
Then the Madrigals (mostly former NHS kids, but at least one current one) sang the Irish blessing.

I went to the library still wearing the black dress i had worn to the service. (I had forgotten to pack my black pants.) Apparently i look like hot stuff in that outfit. It’s a rather form-fitting dress, but it’s ribbed faux-velvet, with a modest scoop neck and long sleeves and an ankle-length skirt. Not turning down a compliment, though. :)

For the rest of Saturday i read The Wild Swans and HP5. (edit: i completed both of them on Saturday, in case that wasn't clear)

Bit of a dark holiday time. Lots of couples recently broken up and at least one other one seemingly headed for a breakup. My father told me that Mrs. Fiorillo (my AP Spanish teacher) has taken the rest of the year off because she’s fighting cancer. When i visited the library over Thanksgiving i got the litany of all the health problems everyone who works there or their loved ones were having. We shall see how tomorrow goes when i visit NHS and then see more people than just Terry at the library.

If you’re gonna be in the Boston area between now and January 4 and you wanna hang out, lemme know.