Hello all. Sorry, I know it's been awhile. But the good news is we are having digital internet installed next week (we've been putting it off until we received our first full-time paychecks), so hooray.

A lot has happened since last time I posted, but I'll try to sum it up briefly:

Class is going really well. It's my seminar in Comparative Constitutional Law, for all of you who don't know what I'm talking about, it's just what it sounds like: comparing the laws/constitution of the U.S. with those of other countries. Fascinating-really, it is, I'm not being sarcastic. All of you non poli-sci/law groupies can stop yawning now.

Going out-same as always, but last weekend we tried something new, the jazz bar at the top of the Hilton. It has proved to be quite a fun time-mixes things up a bit. Other than that, it's been Stella Blue and 11 West as always-Stella was particularly fun the other night thanks to the live music, and entertaining because of my run-in with a fellow Centralia High School alum! INSANE-this world seems smaller everyday. It took us awhile to approach each other, but when we finally did we were laughing about how much we had changed since then. I certainly look more grown up, and he had changed as well. Springfield is still, well, Springfield, but I have no shortage of friends to hang out with now, which is nice.

Speaking of friends, I ran into Matty McDiller at UIS-who was there for a student trustee meeting, so we got to hang out for a couple of days, which was great. I miss that kid a lot-you don't find that many people who are as great a friend as he is. Good times, as usual.

Some sad news, one of my favorite teachers from CHS and a close friend of the Hodges family, Mrs. Oletta Klein, sadly passed away on Friday to colon cancer. I'm going home for the visitation and funeral tomorrow. I am pretty upset about it-I couldn't begin to express what a wonderful person she was, what an impact she had on everyone she met, and what she did for me personally (in terms of being a motivator/friend/etc.) You couldn't ask for a person who loved life more than she did, and it's impossible to believe that she is gone, but surely she has left this life for a better place, and for her impact on my life I will always be grateful.

With that, I end this posting, reminding everyone to live each day to the fullest, leave nothing unsaid, and have no regrets-because you never know when you or the ones you love might be gone forever.