i have so much to say that i don't even know where to start. i'm feeling really sad right now. my uncle duke passed away, and i am going to the funeral home this afternoon. he was my dad's youngest brother, and i would be lying if i didn't admit that this scares the shit out of me. my dad hasn't lived the healthiest of lifestyles, and i don't know how i would handle it if anything ever happened to him. he stopped smoking a few months ago (at the persistent begging of my mother), and at the age of 50 i think this is pretty impressive. i love him so much, and i hope he's around for a long time. i hadn't spoken to my uncle much in the last couple of years, but my paternal family used to be quite close. once my grandparents died (within a year of one another), the family kind of lost steam. i guess we never realized how much our family events were planned by my grandparents, or how their house was our meeting place. i'm saddened by the loss of my uncle, but i feel like i am also saddened by the reality it forces me to look at. i'm sorry if this entry is a downer. in other news, i'm back at school. i'm only taking 9 hours this semester, but with a full time job AND a part time job, i think 9 is all i can handle. i just can't wait to get finished and start teaching. brian and i leave for disneyworld in a week, and believe me, i need a vacation. work+school=tired karri. last night i went with melissa and anne to wick's for pizza after school. it was nice to catch up with mel. afterwards, anne and i met up with lucy at cumberland to enjoy the leftovers from a wine tasting they had earlier in the evening. i'm not a big fan of chardonnay, but if it's free...well, i'll make an exception. it was fun to talk with anne. she always makes me laugh. annie is home from france for the next month, but she was sleeping last night when we decided to go out. it's always good to see her when she is here. it's hard to believe we survive being away from each other for so long. since we were 5 we've spent almost every day together, especially in high school. we've had lots of time to get used to the distance i suppose. she has her bachelor's from an art school in france, but has decided to pursue her master's. i guess i'll have to anticipate 2 more years in france. at least i have an excuse to go to france. i haven't seen jessie much lately. i was talking to one of our mutual coworkers about this game that jessie made up "live, fuck, or kill" (at least i think i got the name right), and it made me realize that no one can make me laugh as hard as she can. even just a secondhand story of something funny she made up was funnier than most of what i encounter from others firsthand. i miss her. daryl is in my political science class, so that's nice. at least i have someone to talk to about her that sees her everyday. i'd like us to go to the fair this weekend. jessie does puke rides like no other. i seem to recall daryl getting sick on the tornado at harvest homecoming, but maybe i'm wrong. okay, i have to stop procrastinating and go to the funeral home. i hope this finds you well. wish me luck.