Oh, Sophia, I'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry, Sophia.

Sophia, I'm so sorry.

Sophia - that's just horrible and sad. I'm so sorry.

Sophia, I'm so sorry. That's so awful. Poor girl.

Thanks guys. I just feel so horrible for her parents and fellow students, people who were closer to her, personally, than I was, of course. But it really serves as a reminder that you really have to live your life every day, because it could be really short.

I'm so sorry, Sophia.

very sorry , Sophia

But it really serves as a reminder that you really have to live your life every day, because it could be really short.

One of my best guy friends and I were just saying that this weekend. I'd called him because I hadn't talked to him in a few days, and I wanted to see if he had any free time coming up.

He was actually back in our hometown because a guy in the theater group he was with died in a car accident. K was telling me about how the guy was back on track after going off the rails for a while. Good job, decent transportation, had mended some relationships. Even the theater group was realizing some long held dreams. This guy was the president of the group.

There just really are no guarantees, you know.

I really am looking forward to the blue wedding pictures.

I'll certainly share.

I ride public transit every day and the successful trips far outnumber the disasters, but I am a little perturbed that fires and floods are following me around Chicago like a skanky, smokey stalker.

and

If I'm meant to be one of the horsemen, then god damn it, I want a guy following me around making clop-clops with coconuts. And a sword. Watery tart optional.

I had forgotten how very funny Shrift is! Thanks for the tremendously amusing mental images.

Callaluna, you know best what's going to work - I hope suggestions aren't stressing you out more.

Not at all. Its so nice to have people to vent to who don't have a bunch of their own emotional baggage about this whole affair.

CallaLuna--does Ross have a, um, large physique?

Nope. Scrawny and wiry.

Jon memorized his vows (which we wrote the day before) and I had to pull a tiny piece of paper from my cleavage to read mine.

Bah! Makes me think of my brother's very non-traditional wedding. The maid of honor (the bride's sister) wore thigh high boots, and when it came time for my SIL to read her vows, she turned to the MOH, who promptly unzipped her boot and removed the folded piece of paper. ;)

So would it be more or less difficult to stage a cat wedding?

Oi.

Also, you wedding people are making me terrified. Mine will be different!

[Hysterical laughter] I'm sure it will dear. Of course, I said the same thing, and I'm still half a step away from being institutionalized.

Hi Sophia and Matt!

Here's how I envision my wedding ceremony: The bride and I each roll down the aisle in our own human-sized hamster balls. Then, at the moment we're pronounced husband and wife, we each climb into the same, larger hamster ball and roll back down the aisle.

There would also be smoke, lasers and strobe lights.

Oh, this is priceless. Where can I get large enough hamster balls?!?!?

Sophia, that's awful! I'm so sorry.