gorgeous outside.. raining, thundering, some lightning. instead of snuggling up next to my honey wtih a cup of tea and a good book, i'm stuck inside my grey box with my week-long splitting sinus headache. implosion is definitely probable.....time to find an e.n.t.

note to self: swinging from a rope pretending you're tarzan is very different at 30, than it was at 10. guess I really shouldn't have expected to escape the incident unscathed.... ya know...it was so much fun, i ALMOST don't mind the swollen goose egg on my ankle. But, next time i think i'll stick to the trampoline. yes, there's a trampoline in the backyard at my new place.... my friends/landlords have 3 kids... lotsa fun stuff.

Apparently my blog has turned into a birthday announcement list.. ha... so, in the spirit.. HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY to my kung fu ninja monkey buddy, the handsome artist extraordinaire Ricky!! And to the beautiful Nicole... HAPPY sweet 16th... so bummed i missed your party :(... i was thinking about you and can't wait to see the pics. I hear your perm looks amazing... can't believe you're so old...where did the time go??

taking a few moments to honor the memory of my dear friend jeanne. today would've been her 30th birthday, but sadly, she passed away December 16th, 1998 due to acute leukemia.

our friendship was brief and yet she profoundly changed my life. one of the most engaging, vivacious activists i've ever witnessed, she was my hero. at the ripe old age of 17, she not only helped me realize it was ok to be a lesbian, but that it was wonderful and something i should fight to protect....to be out and proud...to never be silenced about who i am and how i love. Our friendship gave me the confidence to speak out against injustice and discrimination, coming out at an historic school board meeting witnessed by a hostile crowd of hundreds. whenever i feel weak and needing a dose of courage, i simply remember jeanne.

this poignant entry was written by jeanne's brother, drew, on our high school's alumni website in 2002. In memory of Jeanne.. we love and miss you! .......................................................

The disease, though it took her life, didn't cause the suffering many others endure. She went quietly and peacefully, the look on her face telling the world her work was done here, and that she was on to greater things. For those that have contacted my family with your support, I extend my sincerest gratitude. As her older brother, I always miss her, asking myself ad nasuem the questions that arise when a sibling passes. Yet now, in times of hatred, war, and the senseless violence that rages, I find the question, "What If" so much more prevalent. I look back between the smirks and tears at the indefatigable young girl who could, and damn well would, fight anything that she deemed wrong and unfair. Now, in a world that embraces its self destruction as a predetermined necessity, I often muse what she would have done. Would she have made a difference wonder...................................... Didn't she always?

raechel's custom-made super-dooper blog entry... in case you weren't aware, just wanted the world to know how lucky i am to have met the world's coolest 16-year-old. In fact, I haven't seen her in soooooooo long, I keep complaining to her aunt, who also happens to be "the love of my life" (dubbed aptly by miss rae herself). she just learned to drive and I hear she's doing an excellent job...hopefully i'll get my very own test drive next time we hang out. Oh, and we have FUN things planned the 22-24...don't ask cuz it's a secret :)heehee...MISS YOU!!!!