Stinko here.  Hope this finds y'all well.

Sorry if I haven't written in here for a while; things been crazy.  One of my favorite uncles (uncle Charley) died last month; it really tore me up.  Was killed while crossing the street; he was hit by a drunk driver.  Killed instantly.  His death hit me like a ton of bricks; we thought he'd live forever.  Now he's gone, and there's like this giant hole in my heart, and in the hearts of my family.

Uncle Charley was a gentle soul who loved people, loved life.  He was always laughing, and if someone was having a bad day, he'd do anything to make them feel better.  He was that kind of a person:  kindhearted, giving of himself, putting the needs of others before himself, a great sense of humor, a practical jokester. 

Now he's gone, and I am still grieving.  I think of him, and I tear up.  Like I'm doing now.  Pardon while I wipe my eyes---

Ma and Pa, they have been crying almost as much as me.  Any little word about Charley, and they fall apart, as do I.  I don't like to think about death, but when it happens to someone close to you or someone you know, it hits you hard, like a ton of bricks.

I also lost a friend last year; never really talked about it because it was nasty.  He fell into a garbage chute and got crushed to death.  He was hiding in there as a joke; it got him a ticket to the grave.  He was only fourteen, my age.  His name was Paul.  I liked him; we were close.  Now he's no more, and now he has my uncle to annoy. LOL

Like Charley, Paul was a jokester, but sometimes his jokes got him into trouble.  Like him hiding out in the garbage chute.  Now he can't fix what he did because it was all so stupid; he didn't use his head.  His death was, and still remains, totally pointless; it didn't have to happen.

Neither did Uncle Charley's death.  Now I'm left without a good friend and one of my favorite uncles.

I don't know what I'd do if I were to lose my best friend, Johnny Sandusky, all of a sudden.  I know he has a terminal illness, and there's no telling when he will die.  I don't know if I could handle it because he's so young.  I don't like to think about it, but I can't help it sometimes.  The death of my uncle and reminiescing about Paul Scholter has me thinking about death, dying.  It's all still too raw, too fresh, and I can't help my feelings at this particular time.

I'm sitting here in Study Hall, waiting for the cafeteria bell to ring.  Then I'm going to pig out in the cafeteria; I am so hungry my stomach thinks my throat's been cut!  MAN, I'm STARVIN'!!

All I have to seay is this: cafeteria ladies, WATCH out, 'cause the Stink-Man is fixin' to rob y'all's food blind!! LOL  There'll be very little left once I get ahold of it! LOL

I can't wait for school to end; it's only a few short weeks before SUMMERTIME FUN!!  I plan on having an action-filled summer, and nothing--or nobody--is going to hold me back!!  I plan on having the best summer EVER!!

Well, the bell's jangling, so I'd best get my grub face on, get my tail to the cafeteria while there's food available.  I will write in here again soon; take care!

~Stinko. :(