Happy Fourth of July

To all my American friends



My brother is here. Going to go pig out on fried chicken

the last days here

I'm either going home tomorrow or Saturday. Classes for the summer begin on monday.

Yesterday we went to Grandma's for an ice cream social that she refused to go to but we told her we were going with or without her. She does not want to come out of that room. Anyhow, the night before my cousins were moving furniture out of the house, as I mentioned, and we emptied the dresser where in I found the jade Buddha her daughter (my now deceased aunt) brought back from China. Grandma SWORE the in-home nurse stole it. I took it with me and spent 2 hours trying to convince her that it was hers. She swears the nurse put this cheap buddha in the drawer and hers was bigger. Long story short, I have a jade Buddha to take home with me.

My brother came for the fourth. Mostly we sat around and talk while the Pirates lost (which is unusual this season or so he tells me. I dislike baseball). He did go skydiving last week. We watched the video which was fun. I've always wanted to do it. He went tandem diving. I'm far too fat for that.

Also we spent the morning cleaning out more of my goddamn boxes. I found more Christmas decorations (mom stole them), THREE boxes of knickknacks (finally found my good gargoyles and gave up a ton of stuff, keeping only the nicest of my Native American collection), another box of comic books (rescued from the basement) and books. Going to give away half of them. Dad's like why did you wait til now? He has a point but i was working on my lectures. The real question is why have I waited 13 years to do this?

I got a birthday gift from evil_little_dog, cute little Roy Mustang earrings. Thank you.

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to nefelokokkygia

and now, a picture of my brother as they stepped out the plane's door. What a big head. (he's the one in the melon and lime jump suit)