Hi Geena. Ill start off light- today I mostly finished my AP Art still-life big piece, and got a huge sheet of canvas for my illustrated quote. Now to the horror: I feel a bit bad talking to you when I am so angry- but things have been stacking up lately. First off, the Israeli Palestinian situation is really grinding my gears; i'm sorry- but it's getting really difficult to not go totally insane- If people hate the Israeli state/govt, they are somehow anti Semitic. What people don't realize is that Israel actually has very little to do with Judaism, much as the Crusades did not reflect the teachings of Christianity. I am also really saddened by the fact that many of our Jewish friends here in California are trying to "stay neutral" and claim that it is the fault of both sides... How? How are thousands of dead children ok? How can a good, honest, loving person make an excuses for a government that is literally gunning down families every day? My soul feels so destroyed right now that I have trouble even trying to articulate my horror and grief into emotions within my ability to express- it's just beyond any conceivable grief, kind of graduating into emptiness; you know how in the news you will often hear about horrific catastrophes and let them just roll over your head? Or discuss the political situation in a war torn country as if it were some sort of sport? That has decayed for me- I'ts too horrific and too close to home for my mind to just leap over it. I am beginning to formulate a new theory about emotions: I think that above the normal human emotions (happiness, sadness, fear, surprise, anger), there are sort of another set of emotions, the likes of which can only resonate through the psyche after being triggered by continuous exposure or singular, powerful event. The first of these emotions a human ever knows is family love, which manifests with time. The second of these that I have felt is my love for you, which, I firmly believe, has improved both my mental well being and my performance in creative endeavors (sorry, that sounded awfully technical- the bottom line is that you are the most wonderful person I could ever hope for). Recently, due to the horror in Palestine, I believe that I have unlocked the third of these "heavy" emotions- an unfathomable feeling of mass empathy that starts as a build up of emptiness, and then ignites into a horrible grief that slams at the doors of your emotional mind, not quite able to breach the barrier of experience and loss that separates me from those people on the other side of the world who share my blood, and just a little bit of my spirit. Despite the agony and the pain, one ever-powerful force of beauty and happiness has resonated through my mind every second of every day, so that even as my spirit feels torn and empty, it is revitalized and brought back to stability by the thought of your return, and of your happiness. Sorry for seeming over dramatic- I assure you that all of my stuff about heavy emotions, as well as Palestine, are completely serious (and so is the stuff about you).
I miss you Geena... Please come home soon
-Amin

PS. Give your Dad my regards- I really hope he understands utterly that I would never, ever hurt you

PPS. The braid was beautiful

PPPS. I'm sure your cousin is beautiful and all, but she has too much makeup on for my taste

PPPPS. You can call my house phone (488-1099) tomorrow anytime from 8pm to 9pm your time, OR my cell phone (306-1642) 9:30am to 10 am your time- I would be really happy if you did