For the last couple of months, I've been planning a big driving trip to the midwest, to see my friends Corey & Callie, and to see my family, especially my sister, Mimi, and her 2 children.

Now, I've been working like crazy, more than a little overwhelmed and down. But I was looking forward to seeing people. But none of the people I'm visiting seem to care. My sister is too busy to respond to my email, my mom is too busy to AIM with me, and I haven't heard anything from Corey & Callie, since the last time they got infected with a pc-virus.

Ever since I graduated from high school, I've been a big writer. The kids I met at Shelterwood were some of the first people I actually thought were my friends. I missed them alot, and the sense of belonging to a group of outsiders even more. so I wrote everyone lots of letters. Matt responded a few times, while he was in jail. But everyone else, never said anything. When I moved from KC to St Louis, I wrote 4-5 letters a day, to my friends back there. Only a handful ever responded. Eventually I gave up.

Why did I think people I'm related to, would be any different?