"...everybody hurts..."*

I have a couple sad thoughts on my mind at the moment, so I’ll get them out of the way now rather than bring them up later.

I’m home this weekend and find it difficult to sleep because of upstairs neighbors. Actually, it’s their dog.

There’s no sound more mournful than the howl of a dog. It doesn’t matter whether it’s young or old, it’s always the saddest thing you can ever remember hearing. The dog upstairs is an old cocker spaniel named Muffy. Around 8:30 or 9pm, the humans of the house leave and she starts crying. I guess she’s just lonely.

I saw my grandmother cry today for the first time. My grandfather, her husband of 55 years passed away at 1 o’clock this morning. That’s the reason I came home. I was prepared for his death, but I wasn’t prepared for her tears. In those 55 years, he was a pretty crappy husband to her, but after so long a time, I suppose she had gotten used to him. Now she’s scared to sleep in the apartment alone. I guess she’s just lonely.

*And few bands are sadder sounding than R.E.M.