My first post comes from a result of sleep deprivation. Surely not an original motive to contribute an entry on Blogspot, so no worries... yet.
I do hope, though, my reasons for not sleeping land nowhere near common.
Wednesday night, the 27th, I spent the day throwing together a last minute video for the opportunity of a lifetime. Sunglass Hut posted an opening for a fashion blogger, who would receive perks like any other, including an apartment in Manhattan, 100K one year contract, and access to cover fashion shows in Europe. (You can vote for my video at http://www.fulltimefabulous.com/video/view.aspx?vid=DqW6W2Fbbhc)
An hour after submitting my entry, I received a link (via Facebook) to an incredible story.
A man was released from Burleson County Jail after remaining on Death Row for 12 years and awaited his retrial for another six years in an isolated cell. No physical evidence linked him to the crime. He witnessed his family grow from behind a plexiglass window, slept on a steel bunk with a plastic covered mattress, and could only read paperback novels. It took 18 years for the state of Texas to realize that Anthony Graves had been denied innocence.
My eyes blurred from the deluge of emotions. I continued to sob uncontrollably.
I began writing to Anthony this past September and we remained good friends ever since. We bet push-ups on sports games, talked about traveling and our families, shared playlists and plenty of laughs. I told him he would have to get out before May, that way he could make it to my graduation ceremony. Not once did we ever see one another, until his press conference with the media today.
My exceptionally talented teacher, Professor Nicole Casarez, works with The Innocence Project of Texas on cases where criminals have potential claims of innocence. She came across Anthony's case eight years ago and worked on it ever since, unpaid. In his first letter, Anthony wrote, "Nicole is a wonderful, wonderful person, and she's become like a big sister to me, so I can understand why you are a proud former student...."
(From the back of the letter Anthony sent for my birthday, "A hand in friendship")
What a day, though, right? Accounting class, followed by an emotional press conference with a pen pal, while trying to rally support for my dream job. The only downers to the day were the bruise from my flu shot and my bland fajita salad from Cyclone Anaya's. Way to poop on the party by means of mediocrity.
