But the thing is, I love it. I’ve been sitting at my desk working with this goofy music playing in the background, like I am waiting for massage at the spa. It’s nice. Calming.
Last night I went out with Wonder Boy to some bars to celebrate Baby Sister’s birthday. The whole family was there with lots of friends in tow. It’s a weird thing my family accomplishes. I think we have the same bullish!t going on as with other families, but I also think we can hang out in one place and have a good time. And maybe that’s what is important.
Ronald Reagan Super Fan met up with us and restrained himself by only buying Baby Sister a mixed drink. Not shots. She didn’t need them. Baby Brother’s friends brought cute birthday gifts and her friends and old classmates kept her in steady supply of drinks and good tunes.
As often happens during birthday celebrations, the guest of honor had a few too many drinks. Does that happen to everyone? It always happens to Baby Sister. At some point I looked across the bar and pointed out the sight to Wonder Boy, my other sister and her new husband. There was Baby Sister standing amidst her friends with one arm straight in the air. If you know her, you know this is dancing. And this particular dance move is not a good sign. It is, however, a clear sign that things are about to quickly go downhill. And they did.
Wonder Boy and I made our way over through the crowd near Baby Sister. She used Wonder Boy as a crutch to hold herself up but it was wobbly going at best. And then she was down. We hoisted her up and I wrapped my arms around her like some puny display of affection between new lovers and kept her afoot.
This morning I received a call from Baby Sister saying she saw a picture of me doing that and heard how she fell. (Yes, no memory of these events.) “Every birthday I get like that and you’re always there to hold me up. Thank you,” she said.
I don’t always like my role in my family. But that, that was possibly the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. It makes being the responsible one not seem so bad.
I got to meet up for lunch with Mart Girl this weekend, which was, as always, lovely. There is something sacred about spending time with someone who has known you for more than half your live, and vice versa. Over noodle dishes at an Asian restaurant, we discussed my family member’s wedding next week and her family member’s this coming summer. I’ve experienced that whirlwind of wedding planning from the inside, but the view from the outside is so different.
The question I have been pondering is this: “Can a wedding bring members of a family closer together?”
Obviously, this is not specific to the bride and groom, thought does potentially apply.
Prior to my own submersion into wedding life, I would have thought the obvious answer to this was “Yes!” And yet. If found my own wedding painful with the family politicking and the tiptoeing around feelings. And goodness knows my own feelings were hurt more times than I care to recount. Now I am poised to watch this new family wedding and I am watching those awkward encounters replay in miserable slow-motion. Mart Girl is describing the same thing occurring in her family, though the narrator in her case paints it all in a rosy glow.
Can it be done? Can the joining of two people as husband and wife (or husband and husband or wife and wife) go smoothly and bring families together?
I work on the web. Reality is, I love doing that. While I may never learn how the parts of an engine fit together to make a car run, I want to understand everything I can about the moving parts of web sites. I like being able to make things appear online, having them rank well in search engines and influencing people simply by what I post.
I look for new jobs sometimes. I’m pretty open about that. It’s important to me that I know my options and what I have to be accomplishing to remain competitive. Occasionally I will see a position that tempts me, but I know I don’t want to stray too far from the internet. (Except for gift wrapping. Internet, if you know anybody hiring for a gift wrapper, you let me know!)
One part of my job that I have particularly enjoyed has been working with interns. I like teaching them the intricacies of web sites. I love teaching them knew skills and watching as everything starts to click.
My baby brother (not exactly a baby at almost 25) called me last night about a web site project he and his friend are interested in. They want to schedule a meeting with me so I can review their plan and see what’s realistic. I love it! Of all of my siblings, my brother is the most like me. I’m excited to work with him and teach him what I know so that this new site, with it’s ridiculous but hilarious concept, will be successful.
I wonder if I could find a position as a gift wrapper / teacher of smart-ass web site making???
The helmet is basically completely awesome — making you sound all tough and gravelly. My favorite quote from someone wearing a mask was “Don’t f*ck with a decepticon.” Good fun.
Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén