I watched an episode of CSI (Crime Scene Investigators?) this evening that my sister had on tape. There were, as usual, two mysteries going on that people were trying to solve. One involved an old woman who lived alone with 21 cats. The woman had been killed and there were, obviously, trying to figure out who had done it, and the writers of the show, probably understanding human nature, explain usually along with it, why it was done.

(SPOILER AHEAD -- this is the warning to those of you who might be seeing this episode soon and don't know the ending already.)

There were two little girls living at a house across the street. Their mother had said that they could have one of the cats if the lady agreed to give one to them, and the mother knew that this would never happen. When the girls were confessing to the crime, they originally told it as if their mother had taken the cat and killed the lady, then it turned out that it was one of the girls... she was a good actress, 'cause I found myself hating her character's little spoiled bitchy guts.

What struck me about the episode, and what I keep running over in my head, is the actress playing the old woman. When the characters were shown taking the cat from her arms, she was saying how they (both the mother and the little girl in each flashback) couldn't have a cat because they were here babies, her children. They showed a similar scene earlier in the episode when she was having an argument with a neighbour over the conditions in which the cats were kept. People in shows who have large numbers of cats or dogs always have them in squalid conditions, an unfair stereotype, but off topic.

Anyhow, what struck me about the old woman's plight was just that I understood the despair she'd feel at the idea of someone taking away even one of her babies. Sure, you'd think that with 21 cats she wouldn't miss one, but it's not the quantity of the relationships, it's the quality, and the individuality associated with each one. Each cat would have a special characteristic, trait, or personality quirk that she would feel attached to, and as a result, losing even one of them would be really painful. I guess maybe it has to do with having lost Chloe so recently or something. I'm not sure. I'm not even sure I'm explaining this properly, but it's just resounding in my head and I wanted to try to talk about it while I was still feeling it.

It's pretty late/early, and although I had a nap this evening during the hockey game, I know I should try to get some sleep soonish. I want to finish my book, and I'll try to write tomorrow. I keep feeling guilty for reading, and then I remember that I don't have to worry about putting off papers or whatever, 'cause I don't have any more to write! At least not until summer school starts. :) Ah well, it'll be a breeze... I hope. *sigh*