I'm baaaaaack.

Well hello friends,

It's been quite a while since I've written or even felt the urge to write actually. Things have been all out of sorts here in sunny California. A good friend of mine, and my roommate's sister, Renee Green passed away on January 7th. Since my life is heavily steeped in that of the one I keep quarters with, this has been quite and upsetting and confusing time. Renee was 35, vivacious, funny, witty, beautiful, and smart, a magnetic person to be around. Her death was a shock an has left us with questions about life, about Renee, and about ourselves. Her death has changed all of us who knew her for better or worse, in my case for the better, because I at least had the opportunity to know her. My roommate and close friend Johnette was her sister, her best friend, and confidante. How wonderful for two sisters to have that closeness between them, and how sad to have it taken away so quickly. It doesn't seem fair or make much sense, but it happened and it's real.

Two days after my friend's death, my brother and his best friend (Neal, who is like a brother) flew in to Huntington for a visit they had planned months ago. It was wonderful to have his company, and I made sure to give him a big hug and tell him that I loved him. We had a good visit, some good laughs, did some exploring and some good old fashioned bro/sis chill time like in the old days of Nintendo marathons. One good thing that comes out of death is that we are reminded not to take the living for granted.

I'm sad because my wonderful and giving friend Johnette won't have opportunities like this anymore with her own sister. But I'm happy to have Renee in my heart, and delight in thinking that maybe she's still around us, watching us act out our lives, free of the mortal coil and happy to be wherever she is. I definitely know that certain parts of her are in parts of us, and live on that way and that is comforting.

So after a few weeks my roommate has returned and I'm slowly starting to feel normal again. Our home has felt a little cold with what has happened and with her absence. I felt like the wind was knocked out of me for a while and maybe now I can start slowly getting back to business. It feels good to write, and it feels good to think about my friend being in a happy place, laughing at us. In all of our recockulousness*

Love you Renee. We'll miss you.

I'll be working for the script of "Just Us Girls" in your honor.

*One of Renee's favorite words