Heavy

I got a call from my manager at work today while I was in class. I didn't have a chance to kcheck the message until around 5:15 when I was done with school for the day. I assumed (of course) that I was in some sort of trouble, and was relieved when my manager's message merely said to call her when I could because something had happened. Shortly after calling her, I wished that my original assumption had been correct. My co-worker Andy, a really smart, nice kid who I'd gotten to know since I started working at Proto's, died last night in a car wreck. He had recently turned 20. Alcohol was involved. I'm sitting here right now at my manager's house with a bunch of my coworkers, sipping Andy's favorite types of wine and trying to help each other through this ordeal. Personally, I am okay. I am sad, yes, but I didn't know Andy beyond a work level as many of my other coworkers/friends did. I mainly feel sad because I know what these people are feeling.

Fuck.

I love you guys, and I love the fact that I don't have to worry about any of you ending up in a similar situation to Andy's. I hope you know that you don't have to worry about me either.
Today helped me realize that the people I work with are also my friends (regardless of how much I complain), and I am very happy to have that kind of support. I felt that I needed to come to the blog first because you guys are my very first line of support, and I thank my lucky stars to be blessed with the Louds as my family. I'm sorry to bring the mood down in here, but obviously I needed to share this with you all. Take a second to acknowledge the existence of Andy Given if you can sometime. I love you all.