What I watched: Tear jerker edition

An evening with the TV all to myself and I watched "Bridge to Terabithia" because I am apparently a glutton for punishment. I read the book as a kid but somehow only remember that I loved it, and it was the first book that made me cry. That last part is important, because how did I think the first book to ever make me cry would not produce a movie that would make me cry?

I can't even tell you if the movie was any good because the kids in it were so damn cute and the stupid movie made. me. cry. I pride myself on having a stiff upper lip when it comes to movies (books not so much -- "Cold Mountain" and "The Time Traveler's Wife" made me weep openly). I think because I don't like people seeing me cry (books are more private, thus the waterworks).

It's a kids' movie for goodness sake. And it was a kids' book. What the heck was Disney thinking? What the heck was Katherine Paterson thinking? They had to have known that I would find myself alone with my television on a Thursday night watching this movie and falling in love with its characters. They had to know that I loved this book as a kid and my nostalgia and my (somewhat morbid) sense of curiosity would make me watch it and that being alone when I did, I would cry.

I just have to remember to not watch movies like this alone. Had I watched it with someone else I might be able to offer a coherent critique rather than a rambling about how the movie was sweet and sad. Did I mention it made me cry?

Daily Dog: Wimp Edition

Ripley went to the vet today for her geriatric exam. Yep, she's 9 years old -- that's like 60-something to you and me. I only hope I have her kind of energy when I'm in my 60s! She had to fast for her bloodwork, and when you have the metabolism of a fruit fly (or a rat terrier), fasting for 12+ hours is truly torturous. She just didn't understand that she would get fed, she just had to wait an extra hour and a half.

We saw a new vet at the office. I wasn't too worried because I trust Ripley's vet to only hire quality people and I know Ripley will love any vet who gives her cookies. But it's a good thing I'm not a nervous pet parent. When they took her in the back to draw blood, I could hear her crying and yelping. When the vet brought her back into the exam room, she said, "She had to show off."

"Was that her I heard crying?" I asked.

"That was her. She yelped when we wiped the alcohol on her neck with a cotton ball. We hadn't even inserted the needle."

Too bad they've already presented the Academy Awards, I think Ripley would be in the running for best actress. She may not have taken home the Oscar but she got lots of treats and ear scratches and belly rubs. And what starlet doesn't love those?