i'm a week away from being 22. i hardly admit to that number meaning anything valuable, other than one more year and a little more change (good and bad... there's always something bad).

in the past year, i've broken up with someone, told them i wasn't in love with them anymore. i found someone new, who can't compare with anyone else, because what we have is more than anything i've ever had before. one of my best friends moved away to california, and several other important people still remain as far away as they were when i first met them. i've traveled to alabama, new jersey, wisconsin, new york, pennsylvania, ohio, indiana, and kentucky. i was thanked in two cds. i've lost a few people on the way, but only for causes that are, now, unreparable. i also learned that i'm barely a semester away from graduating college, and that a strike could jeopardize that whole thing. i learned that people can't be fixed if they don't want to be, that trying to help them is meaningless unless they want it. i learned about the difference in ages in general and the differences between boy/girl ages. i met some really nice, intelligent people from school who lead/have led really honorable lives. i've acquired a bad back, had a series of medical mishaps, and a car wreck so far this semester. there's still one more week; i'm open for more disaster, i suppose. i've learned that being there for your friends is the most important thing a friend can do. death cab for cutie is double special for me now, and tiny vessels and transatlanticism are so very, very important to my existence. i learned that jacob matthew, annelise justine, rachel arie, bethany esther, carri ellen, john mead, alex james, katherine janine, geoffrey erik, daniel james, elizabeth lathrop, emiko tairo adachi, kevin patrick, skip, and robert johannes are all very, very important people in my life.

in the past year some things have been ruined for me, like number one fan and the postal service, and various pop songs that i listened to throughout december, january, and february. i learned that trust is not for everyone, that it is something sacred to be earned or felt, but never something to just be given blindly. i learned that stress can break me down and that drugs aren't good for anyone, not even if you think they are. new lenox is no longer somewhere i look forward to visiting, rather, it's somewhere that i hope someone can get away from.

it's been a good year. let's hope that the next is ever better.