The Definite Article

Well, you almost had things smelling like high school until you started with the 'whose florid proses have sprayed their fetid seed into the fecund minds'. You can find pretty bland prose in my blog. All y'all have inherited Ma and Pa's ability with words, but I am no story teller. I, the english major, have no talent at similes and metaphors. Ah, the injustice of it all!
But, speaking of the novel written in french with no letter e in it... the reall cool thing is that is has been translated into English with no e's. That's cool. I understand the story is good too. PErhaps I ought to read it before I spout its praises.

So I guess my sister brings about the flat Coke and smell of High School feeling to those she entertains......after all, she doesn't like people who "use big words."

hey, hey...it's not just the big words, you've got some alliterations in there that give that sentence some pezaz. You are a nincumpoop, hmph!

Uh, Rae, you did see that the above note was from Ange, not Nathan (or me, or Mendon)?

Ha ha! I told Ange she would fit right in in our family - but I didn't realize she would fit in so well that my own sister would mistake her for one of us! Well, it just goes to show that some people really should have been born into our family.

"Can't we all just get along?"

OH...well now that whole comment means something else! You could see how I might make that mistake considering what I had written...I was pretty ticked! Sorry Nate for thinking you'd be so bluntly cruel...well, except for when you really are:)

Sorry for the confusion Rachael.......my sister, Joselyn, met Nathan a few years ago. Nathan tried to explain to Jossie why putting water into a cooler with ice would make things colder faster.

Now, I love my sister dearly, but she is a blonde through and through. Nathan's description of the theory of water and ice was too much for Jossie and she told me after he left, "Nathan was nice, but I don't like people coming into my apartment and using big words like that!"

Jossie and I are very close, I love the simplicity that she gives life. When I think of Jossie's personality, I think of bubbles and sunshine; things that make you smile, sometimes for no apparent reason.

You know, I always thought of Rachael as the mysterious, enigmatic one, who's perceptions were utterly piercing. I remember one day when James came over to see me. He was seventeen. Rachael was eight.

He rang the bell and Rachael came to the door.

James: Hi! Is Nathan home?

Rachael: Yes.

A minute passes.

James: Well, can I see him?

Rachael: Yes.

A minute passes.

James: Will you go and get him?

Rachael, as menacingly as a seven year old can: I am 666, the number of the beast.

Then she ran off and got me. James was afraid of Rachael for years afterwards. Bj and I thought it was the funniest thing we'd ever heard!

Oooo, our buttons are close to the surface. Just when we think we have them under control, someone pushes them. Ouch. Love you all. Rae, you are a beautiful intelligent, intuitive and creative woman. Don't let your insecurities plague you. This is a tough group but you can hold your own. I know you lament that you don't have the whole word thing down, but I still see your strength as telling the truth. Communication is about so much more than big words or impressing people with style. You have the heart to heart ability.

And that damn set game, where you kick my damn ass every time! Not that I'm jealous. Not at all. No, I don't want to beat you at it. Because I'm not competitive.

Oh, and it's not a fun game anyway.

So there.

As I said, you each have your own strengths and gifts. Each of you has a different combination. Don't be jealous of each other, but rejoice in your own and for each other. You can all succeed. Your success may look different, but are successes nonetheless. I love you all, for all your many gifts and talents.

Right. Nathan is smart. Mara is beautiful. Hahahaha! Sorry. I couldn't resist. You put it very nicely, Maman. Though I still think I'm slightly scarred by the revelation that for the first 7 years of my life thought I was brain damaged....

Do you remember the time Rachael told Nathan he wasn't a nerd because he didn't wear glasses? (Oops!) Or how about the time Rae told me to take the driver's test AFTER school - that way I wouldn't be disappointed all day at school! That burst my bubble! And Rae, we bring these up because they make us laugh now ... because we know you were right! You do have an excellent ability to tell us the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth [yeah, sometimes it can be a bit much] :-) I remember Maman asking my opinion on a sweater she had knit a few years back. I was sort of like "whatever you want". She went to you and she got the answer she wanted "if you aren't going to wear it, tear it all out and do it again".

Oh, I remember the nerd comment!

Mara: What makes someone a nerd?

Me: Well, nerds wear glasses.

Rachael, who was maybe five: But Nathan, you don't wear glasses.

Obviously, this was before I got my glasses. *sigh*

To complete the memory, we were discussing a Far Side cartoon which was about nerd kangaroos, showing a kangaroo with a pocket protector and glasses. At that point in his life, Nathan's goal was to be a nerd. (There was a TV show about 2 guys on a boat who were detectives and had a nerdy side kick. Nathan wanted to grow up to be a nerd.) So the discussion was about the cartoon and what qualified one as a nerd. Rae must have been about six. It was one of those classic moments. One of my favorite family stories, right up there with split ends.