rhapsodic.org

brother of mine

happy tax day, america. got my return all pretty and mailed last week. which is pretty last minute for me - much later than i would have liked, but better than last year! and, oh, is it snowing. actually right now its more half snow and half hail. hailed like mad yesterday for about five minutes.

my brother marty called last night about five minutes after i hopped offline. his father in law gave them his old computer after he upgraded, and they were having some serious problems with just getting it turned on. i feel bad that i couldnt really help.

he and my relationship is an odd one, at that. he is the next oldest child, but there is a six year difference between us. and he is the last of four boys. so he was the baby boy for six years, then along comes this baby girl stealing the limelight.

much of the time we spent living together at my parents house before he graduated was filled with him licking his thumb and wiping it on my glass lenses. he tried to teach me to ride a bike by positioning me ever so carefully on the seat at the top of our driveway - a suicidal incline - and pushing.

and he is now pretty protective of me. i remember his dismay when, in high school, i was given the gift of a box of condoms. it was convoluted circumstances, yet he just wouldnt understand. and the insistency when he asked about the owner of the ring hanging on a chain around my neck.

were still not very close. hardly, in fact. there are some major parts of his lifestyle i disagree with, but hes family so i still love him. disagreements of this sort dont seem to make for good hanging out, though. we still have those awkward silences where no one knows what to say. hate those.

but he did teach me to drive a three wheeler. gotta give him credit for that.