Thursday, February 28, 2008

"by the power of grayskull... i have the power"

21 years ago on this day my brother was born.

21 years ago tomorrow i insisted we place him in the backyard.

my theory was simple: trevor could live in a cage of some sort, behind our house. we would feed him and occasionally even pet him, but he would only be let back into the house on one condition. it was pertinent in my mind that he be able to play and speak... reasonable requests in the mind of a three-year-old.

i had conceived the idea in my young mind that trevor and i would be the best of friends. he would play guitar in my band, watch countless hours of He-Man and She-Ra with me, undress my barbies in order that i might put a new outfit on each (undressing was always the tough part... those darn barbie clothes were so snug), and pull me around in our red wagon. but, to my surprise, trevor was unable to do any of the aforementioned tasks at birth.

understandably, i was quite upset.

21 years later i can reasonably concur that placing him in a cage probably wouldn't have been the best solution. and, although i had to wait a few years, i made sure that trevor fulfilled his brotherly duties -- come to find out, the trick to disrobing a barbie is to pull the garment down rather than over her head.

i'm thankful for my brother and the friendship that has developed between us. at this point we've been overseas together twice, been on countless road trips, and exchanged advice on everything imaginable. i think we are both better for having the other in our life, and i look forward to the many new experiences we will share with each other.

although we weren't twins as were He-Man and She-Ra, i can still confidently say that we are a pretty amazing duo. and who knows, maybe one day we will be Masters of the Universe.



happy birthday, brother!

Friday, February 22, 2008

a freaky frosting fanatic.

yesterday, due to a mild ice storm, i was exempt from school. i spent the day with my sisters who spent the day with johnny depp... well, basically.

as they passed the time watching secret window and pirates of the caribbean, i rummaged through cookbooks. by the end of the day i had not only prepared lunch for the girls and dinner for the entire family but i had perfected two pie recipes as well -- lemon meringue and blueberry.

after dinner, while savoring every bite of blue goodness, i thought of my friend bethany who surprisingly hates pie. on very few things do the two of us disagree, but when it comes to dessert, bethany is a cake girl all the way. and, if given the choice, bethany would probably forego cake altogether and simply eat the frosting.

growing up i detested frosting. i would actually scrape it off of a slice of cake. and, when birthdays came i would most often be presented with a large birthday cookie rather than a cake. bethany on the other hand will eat frosting straight from the container. in fact, practically every box sent to her while she teaches in korea is made complete with at least one container of frosting.

i remember the first time i witnessed her frosting escapades. while visiting her house i came upon this friend of mine eating frosting straight from the cute container with the blue lid. then, to make it worse, she nonchalantly replaced said lid and put the frosting back in the cabinet. the nerve!

on another occasion, early in our friendship, i remember sharing thanksgiving dinner with bethany and her family. when dinner ended and pie began i remember vividly my astonishment when i witnessed bethany go for another helping of mashed potatoes in lieu of pie. isn't that somewhat un-American?!?

still, our friendship somehow continues, and i'm comforted knowing that we each have our own derogatory phrases for the other. if ever you come across an argument between bethany and myself, it may conclude in a way very similar to the following:

bethany: "shut your pie hole."

rene: "no. you shut your cake hole."

fighting ends with giddy laughter followed by each girl partaking in the dessert of their choice.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

an online affair.

24 years is quite a lot, and with my official half-birthday come and gone, i look forward now to the milestone year that is 25.

i've liked 24. in fact, i think i've learned more at 24 than any other year. i only hope that i can say the same with each birthday that passes.

i'm an avid journaler, and this year has proved to be a page-filler. but, now i've decided to try a new method -- in addition of course to my journaling. the world of blogging seems quite intimidating, almost vain to be quite honest. why would others care to read what i have to say? still, i'm giving it a go... now whether or not i decide to tell others about my online affair is another issue.