This afternoon, I met up with a couple of friends to see “Brokeback Mountain.” I’ve heard and read so much about the film over the past couple of months that I thought I had pretty well prepared myself for it. I mean, there’s been so much hype about it that I figured it would either be a let-down, or else I’d find myself studying the actors rather than getting involved with the characters in the story. And I guess I was sort of right – watching the movie was pretty intense (moreso than I expected), but I didn’t cry or anything. (I cry a lot during movies. Way more than I do in real life.) Now, several hours later, I can’t seem to get that movie out of my head. I think it’s probably messed me up for the next couple of days. I won’t give away any spoilers for those who haven’t seen it, just… damn.

Random aside: There were several old ladies in the theater with us, which I didn’t even notice until halfway through the movie. I really wonder what on earth they thought about the more graphic scenes. They must have been ok with it since they didn’t get up and leave. I guess by their age, they’ve probably seen it all.

After the movie, I went for lunch with the ladies, which was nice. I spent the rest of the afternoon running errands getting ready for my road trip with Kris later this week. I hit a few motels to get their national directories (good to have when you don’t have a specific plan of exactly where you’re going to stop on the road), and I bought one of those big road atlas books that has maps of all the states. Because hey, MapQuest isn’t always 100% accurate, so it’s good to have a back-up reference.

I can’t quite believe that I’m going to be in Memphis in 4 days. Well ok, the going to Memphis part really isn’t that big a deal – hell, I was there less than a year ago. I think what’s more shocking is the fact that Kris is finally moving here after talking about it for the past five years. I’m so happy about that, and a little nervous because I want her to find all of the happiness and success that she deserves, and all I can do is hope that this is the place where she’ll find it. I’m confident that she has a better chance of finding it here than in Memphis, so at least I know she’s making a step in a positive direction for her life. But I also know from experience that major transitions are never easy, so I just pray that hers is as smooth and painless as possible.