Music Monday: David Bowie Memorial

Fuck cancer. 

30 Days of Books - Day 29

Saddest character death OR best/most satisfying character death (or both!)

Oh geez...pick a major character's death in any George R. R. Martin novel and My feels be like:

What character death had the strongest impact on you? Leave a comment and tell Me the novel and name of the character.

R.I.P. - Robin Williams

Robin Williams (July 21, 1951 - August 11, 2014)

Yesterday, the world lost someone very special. Actor Robin Williams died in his home from apparent suicide. Mr. Williams was a brilliant actor and comedian who touched many lives through his movie and television appearances. I will miss him, as will countless others, and My condolences go out to his family and close friends.

In the wake of this tragedy, I'm taking the opportunity to post some phone numbers and websites I hope will be helpful to others who are, themselves, struggling. If you are one of those people, please reach out to someone and ask for help. I know it's hard. Depression isn't merely profound sadness. In the deepest reaches, it's an overwhelming numbness that saps the will to even continue breathing. Asking for help can be a daunting task, but please make the effort. You are worth it, even if you don't think so right now.

If you believe a loved one may be in crisis or are in crisis yourself, there are resources that can help. You're not alone.

In the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
In other countries, visit Suicide.org to find a hotline in your area.

R.I.P. Jack

I'm taking a day off from My regular schedule to help my BFF, S. Her cat, Jack, crossed the Rainbow Bridge late last night. It was a sudden loss, and she has another cat, so we had to take Jack-Jack to the vet for a necropsy to make sure it wasn't something contagious.

Jack was originally a feral cat who decided to adopt S.'s former roommate, M. When M. moved to Arizona to help care for his elderly grandmother, he left Jack with S. Jack was always a skittish kitty, thanks to his hard-knock life on the streets. But with S. he finally started to relax and be a sweet and affectionate pet.

S. and I met and became friends a little over a year ago. She'd had Jack for a couple of years and his penchant for hiding under furniture or in the kitchen cupboard was just a personality quirk she'd come to accept. Until she went out of town for a week and asked Me to look after her pets while she was away.

Within that week, Jack decided I was his human, thank you very much. When I came over to visit, he would often greet Me almost as soon as I was in the door. If I spent the night at S.'s house, he liked to sleep with Me at the foot of the guest bed. He never - and I mean never - sat on anyone's lap. Except Mine.

So, yeah, Jack and I bonded and I'm very sad to see him leave this world. But the vet said he died of natural causes, most likely a heart attack. Jack was a senior kitty. The vet estimated he was around 12 years old. So his death isn't entirely unexpected, it just came as a surprise since he'd been fine and playful earlier in the day.

Goodbye, Jack-Jack. You were a good boy and you will be missed. Catch you on the flip side, Mr. Fuzzybutt. I'll have plenty of scritches for you when we meet again. <3