and i'm back from MA. graduation was cut abruptly short by a torrential downpour that sent hundreds of family members scurrying indoors. in the end they just tossed the grads their diplomas and left, which sucked for jen because she got screwed out of a graduation. personally, i didnt want to sit out there for hours anyway, and i must say it was pretty comical to see me and my mom and my two aunts and jen's five friends all running around like drowned rats in boston. we all went out for a late lunch with my grandpa and my cousins, much questioning about college from my aunt bc my cousin sara is going to be a senior, i do believe. i was so sad to see that she dressed just like the miniskirt mafia at FU-- little short ruffled shirt and a jean jacket with the popped collar. at least she came by her skin color honestly, she has the same awesome tan color that my dad had. no irish contamination there, that's why *shakes fist* she's looking at catholic schools, including PC. sara, puerto-rican-best-friend-sara, doesn't want her there lol.

tommy's grandpa is in the hospital, dying. his family went to say goodbye this morning. he told me he brought his grandpa a picture of me yesterday, which is ironic because so did i. there's never anything to say in a moment like this. what i wanted to do was reach through the phone and hug him, but instead i just said i was sorry, which is true but painfully inadequate. thankfully, he had a chance to say goodbye and to tell his grandpa that he loved him. i just pray that whenever my grandfather's time comes i have the same chance...i try not to think about that, even though he's 88 years old. at least when he passes away he will be with my grandma and my dad again; he misses them so much. for that reason, i think my grandpa will die happy, when the time comes. that really is the best thing you can hope for--a long life and a happy death.

thoughts of mortality always make me consider all that i have and all that i should be thankful for. i'm talking to meredith and amanda online right now as i type this, and i was talking to sara a little while ago on the phone...it's just so good to have really close friends, to know that people really know you, and care about you, and miss you when you're not with them. i miss school so much more when i'm talking to meredith and popham because it reminds me that i can't just go down the hall and knock on their door to say hi or can i borrow your vacuum or what happened on gilmore girls!! or whatever. yet at the same time, talking to sara reminded me of how good it is to be home with my friends from high school (all we're missing is our little rae! come home, faerie queen) with the people i've known forever. so strange to think that a year ago i would have been talking to sara, but would have known nothing about these random people named meredith and amanda...makes me wonder who i'll know a year or two from now. anyway, i love you all. friends make life awesome.

and having a wonderful boyfriend doesn't really hurt, either.