Brothering

I miss my brother...but I'm getting used to it. I now vacuum on my own, though I doubt I do it with the same rigor and frequency as he was wont to do. He's very far away at the moment and so I've stolen a couple of his pictures for the best blog I've ever blwritten.

I definitely remember when he was born because I got a consolation prize: a large, stuffed white rabbit. Perhaps I got it so that I could have something to squeeze and dress up and not do irreparable harm to my baby brother. That lasted for awhile...and then a couple years later I found ways to squeeze my other plaything named Samuel into a very cute yellow dress I had worn when I was six months old. It was only the first in a long line of very classy outfits and, subsequently, photo documentation that is still preserved for future blackmail efforts. Samuel has not gone without his bits of retaliation: the rabbit in question currently sports a par of bright orange underwear that mysteriously appeared when I went away for college.

But he's grown up so much...

Scores of people have asked why he chose to go to Japan-land for a year. I think I may have stumbled on the answer with this picture. It obviously makes him feel that he is of GREAT stature every day that he goes to church, class, sleeps in his "asian-sized bed", and generally astounds and amazes his numerous female fans.

But all that is just a slight reflection of his true character - this is where it gets a little schmoopy - which does stand head and shoulders above most people. That, in turn, is definitely a genetic trait, one that is observable in a couple generations of our family.

I would like to think that my influence, even from such a tender age, has not gone without effect! He has no fear, no shame in presenting himself to the outside world as someone Other than himself. The Santa bit also runs in the family and maybe when Samuel is old enough, he too can venture to NYC and be a professional ... though I would recommend getting that stomach lump looked at since it seems more like an oversized squirrel that has the ignominy of being stuffed rather awkwardly into a red polyester suit than a stomach rendered tender and juicy by thousands of midnight cookies and glasses of milk. I might recommend using two squirrels next time to achieve a more balanced look.

He's also a champion present-wrapper and excels in combing through another man's trash to find priceless treasures of haute couture and memorabilia. Sacks of Bozeman has burgeoned in inventory and languished in profits since he left.


In the meantime, he remains the consumate entertainer - one could say that FUN is his Chinese neighbor's middle name.

That said, he's pretty much the coolest person I know. He's my favorite brother. He's a loyal friend. He's handsome, good-natured, and considerate. I think I remember writing a bunch of this stuff before on my blog. If you haven't read that post, it's worth a quick glance simply because it's about him! The link to his blog is in the sidebar - it doesn't get updated too often, but when it does, it's worth it.

You're the best, Brother!!