What a day . . . .

Today started with an email from my old friend Suzanne telling me her service dog Mozart died. I just cried and cried. Mo was my first introduction to service dogs (Nay and I were only acquaintances at the time) -- I'd never even heard of them before Suz got him. She had him for twelve years, and he was a great boy once he actually grew up. He was a yellow lab, and I remember his boisterousness quite well. Once, he saw someone across the room who he thought he should meet, so he pulled Suz clear across said room. My fondest memory was a Halloween when Gina, Stacy, and I lived at the dorm. Stacy, Nay, Suz, Suz's brother John, and I went to a dorm dance as the Addams Family, and Mo and DJ even had costumes of Halloween themed boxer shorts turned backwards so their tails could fit through the holes. Rest well, Mo-mo, and play ball with my Sam.

After that, the day wasn't too bad. I had lunch with Barney, and we talked about my research and my courses for the Fall. I don't feel like we accomplished anything as far as the research is concerned, but I have decided on my courses. I'll be taking Stats with Chad and a few other bio grads, and I'll be taking Conservation Genetics. I'm excited about that course, but I've heard it's difficult. The plus is that the prof is a great lady who is VERY approachable. Barney is trying to talk me into taking a GIS/GPS seminar (global information/positioning systems), but I'm not too sure about it. The pro is that I would have three more 6000 level hours taken care of (including my other classes), meaning I'd only need three more hours in the Spring to complete my coursework. The con is that I would be taking nine hours of 6000 level courses THIS semester along with trying to figure out what the HELL I'm doing with my research. And the two classes I'm already taking are going to be tough and time-consuming. And did I mention I'm trying to figure what the HELL I'm doing with my research? Chad's trying to talk me into the seminar, too. AND I'm getting a roommate, so that will interfere with study time at home. ::sigh:: I don't know what to do. I think I'll email the instructor of the GIS/GPS seminar and quiz him.

Then I thought I'd have a nice, relaxing evening at home watching a movie with Ashley and Nate. I got Rory O'Shea Was Here in the mail yesterday from Netflix. Apparently it's also called Inside I'm Dancing (what a stupid title). It's an excellent movie. I highly recommend it.

It hit me hard.

Right between the eyes.

Repeatedly.

With the claw part of the hammer.

I haven't cried that hard from a movie in a long time. And it wasn't even the movie necessarily. It was sad, don't get me wrong, but it brought back a lot of memories -- of friends lost, of battles fought, of dreams, of longing, of broken hearts, of the stupid/silly things I've done, of support from the only people who can REALLY know what you're going through. I really can't explain it any better than that.

Spoiler alert.

There's the part where Rory is in the hospital with pneumonia, the oxygen flowing, and his friend is sitting outside the ICU looking in, and the doctor's saying it doesn't look good.

Wonder who I thought of there?

The empty wheelchair at the end got me good. I was a sobbing mess. You know, the sobbing that leaves your eyes red and burning and your nose stuffy and your insides aching. I was reminded forcibly of a friend who was cremated and had a memorial service at the chapel on WSU's campus. His empty wheelchair sat at the front of the chapel.

God, that hurt.

That whole movie hurt. I will kiss James McAvoy and Stephen Robertson if ever I meet them.