Hi there, friends.

Today's been a hard day for me. I wrote yesterday that the events of the week seem to be catching up with me, and I woke today with the exact same feeling. I had tasks I had hoped to accomplish today, but somehow the energy for all of them was nowhere to be found.

So I did what I mentioned I might, and I took myself to see a movie! Just a short date with myself in the middle of the afternoon. (I love taking myself on a date to the movies, don't you?)

I went to see The Social Network (the link takes you a page where you can watch the trailer), which is a dramatization of the story behind the creation of Facebook. I loved it! It's brilliantly cast and superbly written, and the tension in the story (which the trailer depicts perfectly) builds higher and higher until everything almost explodes. I definitely want to see it again.

To be truthful, though, I think the movie is now contributing a bit more to my melancholia. Jesse Eisenberg, the actor depicting Mark Zuckerberg in the film, does such a good job representing Zuckerberg that I told Kirk later, "However much of the movie is inaccurate to the truth of what really transpired in real life, it doesn't matter. For every viewer of this movie, Jesse Eisenberg is Mark Zuckerberg, and what happened in the movie is what we will all now believe happened in real life."

That's pretty powerful storytelling.

But what happened in the movie was sad, in my opinion. Zuckerberg struck me as very lonely (though it was hard to tell if he cared he was lonely), and also quite vengeful. The spiritual director in me couldn't help wanting to know more of his story. I wanted to know what goes on in his head, since he holds so much of himself locked up inside. And then, as I drove home from the movie, I found myself wondering about his parents. They were nowhere to be seen in the film, and I couldn't help but wonder what they make of the brilliance and fame of their son, who is the youngest billionaire in the history of the world.

I don't know. I guess it was the perfect (or not-so-perfect?) film for my day because I've been carrying quite a bit of sadness around with me. I'm feeling so sad about Ewan, especially as I know Kirsten is preparing for what no mother -- and especially no brand-new mother -- should ever have to prepare for: a memorial service for her little son. How is that even possible? I hate this so much for her. Just hate it.

And I'm feeling sadness about my transition away from my previous job, as I worked each day with people I care a lot about, and we were working in our own small way to change the world together. Much of my heart was invested in that place, and I'm feeling the sadness of losing that part of my heart right now.

So tonight, as I noticed these sad feelings, I found myself wanting a bit of Marcel the Shell in my life, so I thought I would share him with you. This little shell is just adorable, and I hope you enjoy him as much as I do. I discovered him just a few days ago via Twitter, and already I have watched this clip at least 10 times. It makes me giggle every time. Totally a tonic when you need a bit of a mood lift.

PS: I love the part where Marcel talks on the phone, and I also love the part where he drags around his little lint pet. :-)

PPS: What's your favorite part?