my buddy

hey everybody. Yesterday i went to James' wake. When I got there the funeral home was packed and full of familiar faces. This past week i've been sort of in my own world--in irvine. it was good to finally talk to people who knew and loved James.

After an hour or so of praying, everyone lined up to view his body. it took awile since sooo many people were there. i spent some time next to him, said my goodbyes, hugged his sisters and mom and started to walk down the aisle, out of the chapel. It hit me. a wave of shock and grief washed over me and i started to cry. i sat next to my friend andrew as i tried to calm myself down. "Are you angry?", Andrew asked. "You have no idea", I replied. He nodded and put his arm around me. I calmed down and he said, "If you had seen him last week, you wouldn't be mad".

I'm sure he was suffering. And i'm sure he's in a better place.

Today was his funeral. the church was packed--maybe 250-300 people showed up. i played guitar in the band. it was beautiful. truely a celebration of his extraordinary life.

speaking of which--the dean of medicine at USC called his girlfriend and left a message. They want to dedicate an award after him called the James Le award. the award will go to a student who exemplifies the same traits that James did--dedication to family, academic accomplishment, and contribution to community. They're also creating a scholorship fund in his name which will award money to someone displaying "jamesisms".

anyways, i'll be alright, the world will be fine, lets do fun stuff.