and it ends

i could make another long-winded post about how fantastic wednesday night's reading was, but at this point, i don't think i'd be able to do the emotions justice. still, it was another special moment in all of those that have happened here at chester.


i would, however, like to take a minute to congratulate troy edward robbins. if you had been at the reading, you've already heard how much this gentlemen has touched my heart. if you haven't, you missed a powerful moment (and i don't mean my introduction. i mean his graphic novel. it was spectacular). for two years, i've shared a bond with troy that has just come natural. i think we've both tried as hard as we possibly could to be there for each other when it was needed.

i also think we've shared the same struggles with self-confidence. the first thing i ever heard troy say about his stories were that they were either fantastic ideas that could never reach fruition, or a fantastically narrated piece of shit. to make a long story short, none of this is true. troy has come up with some of the most innovative ideas that would be unbelievable if it wasn't for his brilliant understanding of human emotion. i was never bored with one of his stories; not once.

and for all the other junk; no one i know has endured so much hardship. i've seen him battle temporary bouts of insanity, only to emerge with a sense of strength i could only gasp at. like alot of us, the future might look terribly cloudy and unpredictable. but, i've seen him fight through this hard time, and if he could do it now, i know he can accomplish anything. i hope there's one he never forgets about me:

cap and gown.

sean cashman and w.t. abernathy also did fantastic jobs, respectively. i don't think i'd be able to say one bad thing about sean if i wanted to, and todd has always been someone who i've looked up to. i drew alot of inspiration from both, and i congratulate them.


so much can be said, not only about tuesday and wednesday night, but about my last two years here at chester. i've said a lot already. i could probably say a lot more.

i'm no longer emotional, though. that time has passed. i can't keep crying and patting myself on the back every time i feel accomplished. it's about time for me to use this energy and focus it on something more positive, to keep my feet grinding and to keep striving for something a bit better than what i've made for myself.

so, for the last time, thank you. to my seven fellow seniors who've done nothing but promise me i'm better than what i think of myself. and especially to david crouse, jenn monroe, michael deragon, monica o'brien, liz buckley, ed staple, and the rest of the faculty who've made chester into such a pleasant and positive learning experience for me. this has been the best two years of my life, and i have all of you to thank for it. i wouldn't know who mark cugini was if you wouldn't have inspired me to figure it out.







thank you, thank you, thank you. i'll never want this to end.