'Cause after a while and a thousand miles...It all becomes the same

I would first like to extend my sincere appreciation and gratitude to Matt Killmon, Laura Cullem, Josh Schneider, The Neocount of Merentha, Chris Butler, and my own coworker and friend, Andrea Hartmann for their kind emails in the past week. Yours words mean more to me than you will ever know.

I would also like to thank Janessa Wince, Merideth Heffner, and Shawn Struck for being the best possible friends anyone could ever ask for.

I must admit my surprise that so many people extended a hand or a word, since I didn't really give more than a sentence about my life in last update. I'm not one to think that this place should my personal venting space (I save my poor abused website for that), but after so many people expressed their concern, I thought it only right to fill you in. If you care not, simply scroll ahead because we've got some great new fanfics today. *smiles*

Things have been very rough for me in the past few months - mostly school-wise, but also because of the parting of a year long relationship that I first announced in this very column. We're not parting on bad terms - life is just taking us in different directions - but as I'm sure many of you know, that fact doesn't make it hurt any less. It's been a very nauseating semester at school, to the point where I actually thought of leaving school, leaving music, or transferring closer to home.

The last piece of the sad puzzle that finally came to a head last week are some experiences this semester that have really made me question, and value, my own existence. After all, there's nothing like being told by your advisor that you'd be a "better teacher if you were skinny"...there's nothing like blinking and realizing you have no place to live next year...there's nothing like having a gun pointed at you in the back streets of Miami...to really make you stop and think about who you are, what matters, and why you do what you do.

Anyways. I'm not leaving school...I've spent too much money to let these idiots get the best of me. I found a place to live next year. And it's even nicer than where I am now. Of course, none of this happened without a lot of hard work and support from my friends and my parents. And all of you who sent me emails.

I've always preferred to find the silver lining in every thundercloud - and you know, referencing to Matt's email - "Perhaps whatever events have transpired recently will lead you closer to where you are supposed to be." I do believe he's right.

Hugs & Dreams of a Brighter Tomorrow,
~Tami / Kit