N. died today.

We were expecting it, of course. Still, getting a phone call telling you someone you love has died hurts, no matter how much it was expected. Even the San Diego Wild Animal Park — an otherwise wonderful place — can’t help with that. I got the call when we wandering around near the lions and elephants, on our way to go see the bird show. I sat through the bird show and stared down the Eurasian Eagle Owl that flew right at me without so much as flinching.

I feel I should write something, but I am tired and discouraged, and, after a Long Island Iced Tea and a Hurricane downstairs at the bar here, inebriated. At the bar, they were playing a national trivia game. One of these games where you are hooked in via computer with players all over the country. N. and my brother-in-law would play this, sometimes, and they would call me to get help with some of the answers. I played my first several games of bar trivia tonight, as much to take my mind off of things as anything, but I think N. would have been amused. (Hey, N., I won three games at the bar! and on one of the games I ranked thirteenth nationally!)

Instead, until I can write something better, here is what I wrote about her last December.

Rest in peace, dear N.