whaaa happened?

i've been fretting lately. and not the science-type fret. not the guitar fret.

sources of worry: my best friend's mother-in-law has been in the hospital since sunday and it appears as if she has cancer. the good news is that it initially looks to be treatable and has not metastasized, but it's still worrisome. i wish i could be there for my friend, her husband, and his family. i've met all of them and they treat me like family. they are genuinely good people and don't deserve this kind of hurt.

another source of worry: another one of my very close friends, Rick, lives in SoCal. his father-in-law had a mild stroke late last week. fortunately, he's back at home now and has recovered. but upon returning from visiting him, my friend and his wife found their next door neighbor's house red-tagged, meaning that the occupants of that house were forced to evacuate immediately. three other houses nearby were yellow-tagged and the occupants had time to pack some things but had to evacuate. my friend's house is okay so far, but i worry because their backyard is basically built into a hillside that i'm sure is more mud than hill. he says they are okay for now and all i can do is hope that it stays dry down there.

i'm keeping my fingers crossed and sending good thoughts...