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Congratulations, Matthew! I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time at Sundance. Looking forward to reading more of your journal.

Thank you for sharing your experience of the fellowship with us, Matthew. It's a pleasure to get to watch it all over your shoulder. Charles Fox sounds like he was quite a guy. I can understand, especially in the circumstances, how you felt rattled. It never ceases to amaze me how life tangles up the good with the bad and the hard with the easy. That's probably a lesson for us as writers, isn't it. I wish you the very best at Sundance and I look forward to your next installment.

Congratulations. Trust you're feeling better. RIP, Mr Fox. Splendid detail there--am not going to forget that man in a hurry.

I'm sorry for your 'loss''. Sometimes we get 'attached' to certain customers. They are like life characters from a movie who show up regularly. And, when they don't show up for, you start to question what might have happened to them. Bonding in a strange way. Congrats and looking forward to read your diary. My question for you: retail and writing, two different worlds. Do your colleagues know that you're seriously writing? Do they support you or make fun of your ambitions? I've learned the hard way that not everyone is supportive of your writing dreams and often you better keep it to yourself.

Thanks for all your kind comments. To answer your question, 14Shari, yes, my coworkers know that I'm seriously writing. But I also believe that you're correct--it's best not to talk endlessly about your endeavors with colleagues, or even friends, for that matter, and not just because they aren't always supportive. More importantly, I think it can also be a waste of the energy we need to actually get things written, and so I don't make it a habit to prattle on about my progress at work. Even after the announcement was made, I told everyone, I was offered congratulations, and then it was back to work. It's also worth nothing that I work at a unique shop--in a UPS Store where the only full-time employees are the manager and I. The manager himself is no stranger to Hollywood; he was the bass player for a band that was signed to Geffen Records for several years. He traveled the world playing music with events like Ozzfest and Warped Tour before eventually returning to a 9-to-5. His thoughts on the whole process go a long way toward keeping me grounded, no matter what good or bad comes along, and I'm lucky to have him around.

It is my belief that we define ourselves as humans by how we honor those in death and dying. Thank you for your story and I'm looking forward to reading more of your writing.