Day 11 – Your siblings, in great detail

I have three people whom I would consider siblings: my brother, JW, my half-brother, the Rooster, and my cousin, Shannon.

Not counting Shannon, I am the oldest.  She is two years older than I am.  She moved in with us when I was in fifth grade, although she had spent summers with us since I was seven.  We shared a room.  She was my best friend and at the same time we distanced ourselves from each other at school.  She is tall and formidable with a Roman nose and fair hair.  I was always jealous of her--she seemed to make friends so easily, she didn't care about her grades.  She had boyfriends and I never did.  She seemed fearless.  She had one of the first Internet romances (in the early days of the web), chatting and phoning an Idaho boy.  She even went to visit him one summer.  (I overheard my mother complaining to my stepfather once about how we must have received the wrong phone bill - "long distance charges to Idaho? We don't know anyone in Idaho!  I'll have to call and complain."  I took her aside and said, "I think it is Shannon.  Please don't tell her I told you!"  I didn't want to betray my cousin, but I couldn't bear the thought of my mother calling the phone company and hearing it from them.)  When she graduated from high school, she joined the army.  Although she was discharged for medical reasons before she finished basic training, I always thought she was amazing.  She left Ohio before I went to college and lives in California now.  I haven't been out to visit her, but I want to, and soon!

My brother JW is two years younger than I am.  We are close in age but dissimilar in temperament.  It was with JW that I experienced the most sibling rivalry.  I am pretty easy-going and (as I have mentioned) I try not to take myself too seriously.  When I get angry, I get over it fast.  JW on the other hand takes life very seriously.  ("Life" of course includes himself.)  He gets angry quickly and ferociously, and can take awhile to come down.  Despite our differences, we share a sense of humor, often enjoying the same TV shows and jokes.  Like my father, he loves auto racing.  He is tall, dark-haired and -eyed, and loves dogs, specifically Brittany spaniels.  He studied Philosophy, Classics, and Religion in college, although now he works for a nation-wide grocery chain.  He loves meat and bacon, but is married to a vegetarian.  It has forced him to learn how to cook his food, which can't be a bad thing!

My brother the Rooster is the one I mentioned who moved to Puerto Rico this year.  He is seven years younger than me, and we have never had a fight.  I babysat him a lot when we were both younger, and I'm afraid I introduced him to a lot of things that were too mature for him... we watched The Highlander together, and I took him to see Tombraider on IMAX on opening night.  He won a copy of the PS2 version of Tombraider 3 by doing a "stunt" in front of the theater - basically running and throwing himself on the ground.  I think he won because he was the youngest one there.  He has worked many jobs, most of them in food service, most of those in gourmet restaurants.  He is a great cook, and has taught me how to make my own pasta and not to be afraid of butter.  The Rooster is a bit of a hippie, and I just can't convince him to shampoo. condition, and gel his beautiful curls, so they end up as dreads most of the year.  I am hoping to be able to head down to PR to see him.  I may have finally convinced Jube to brave the Caribbean!