Saturday, March 12, 2011
A Brother From Another Mother, and a Sister From Another Mister
The dictionary describes the word "cousin" as "A child of one's aunt or uncle" (The American Heritage Dictionary 203). The way I see it, the dictionary has it all wrong. A cousin is more like a brother or a sister, just born of different parents. I say this because the bond I have with my cousins is so strong, and they basically are my brothers and sisters. We know each other's habits, likes and dislikes, and as weird as it may seem, we know each other's smells. Last weekend was my grandpa's 80th birthday, and my whole family had a wonderful celebration in his honor. The weekend was so awesome, though, because all of my family got to be together, and that means I got to be with all of my cousins. We laughed and had a great time, and it was just great to all be together. What's so amazing about being with your cousins, though, is that you can truly be yourself when you're with them. For example, at my grandpa's celebration, my whole family rented a karaoke machine, and we all had so much fun with it, unafraid to express ourselves and be crazy in front of our family and cousins. At the same time, it is also important that you can be sensitive in front of your cousins. At the same party, my cousins and I shared sentimental speeches about my grandfather, and just as we weren't afraid to be crazy in front of each other, we also weren't afraid to be serious within the presence of one another. This is what's so incredible about cousins. They allow you to be your true self, and really bring out your character. Cousins are there for you when you need a hand or a shoulder to lean on, and they are also there when you need a good laugh or when you just want to have fun. I feel privileged, because I get to see two of my cousins at school every day, and it's nice when I can talk to them in the hallways or in class, because it is like I am conversing with my brother or my sister.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Oh Brother...
"Hey, Scottie. How are you?"
"I'm great, thanks. How are you?"
Nothing exciting about this conversation so far. It's probably just going to be one of small talk, and to top it all off, my head and mouth will probably start hurting from nodding and smiling too much. Oh brother, what have I gotten myself into...
"Superb! Thanks. Hey, how's your family? What's your brother up to these days? I haven't seen him in a long time!"
All of the sudden, the conversation takes a turn for the better, and my face lights up like a pumpkin glows as a child puts a candle in a Jack O Lantern. It's as if the words took a right-hand turn from boring avenue onto thrilling lane. And why, you may ask, did this small talk suddenly turn into big, exciting, fantastic talk? Well, it's because of my brother.
Not many people can gloat and say that their brother is on television and reports the sports on the tube for a living. I love when I get to say to people that my brother is a sportscaster on television, because I, just as the rest of my family does, think it's awesome! My brother, Mikey, who goes by Mike on TV, is 28 years old and lives in Austin, Texas. Down south, my brother reports and anchors the sports segment of the news for News 8 Austin, an affiliate of Time Warner Cable. He works so hard, and has difficult hours, and I respect him tremendously for being determined, and sticking with his job.
You know, it's not easy being in this business. You have to work your way to the top, and you have to work in places that a lot of the time aren't ideal. My brother has previously worked in Springfield, Illinois, and now works at his current position in Texas. What is also amazing about his dedication, is that he went down to Texas knowing just a few people, and he has made so many friends, is respected at his job, and is always willing to work, even at 11:00 at night.
My brother, in addition to having a sweet job, also gets to do some pretty awesome things because of what he does. For example, this weekend, he gets to attend the Super Bowl in Dallas, because it's in close proximity to Austin. I think that's the coolest thing in the world, and I hope he has a great time. He has also interviewed ex-Colts coach Tony Dungee, and has been at the Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York.
My brother and I have a great relationship. He not only has an awesome job, but he is also a magnificent role model. He is determined, willing, and works very hard, and through his success, he has showed me that hard work pays off. Mikey is very modest, and I respect that about him. He'll never tell you that getting to go in the locker room and interview players for a certain team was cool and exciting. What he'll tell you is that it was just a part of the job. I have tremendous respect for this professionalism that he posses, but I'm on the other side of the TV, and from my perspective, what he does is the coolest thing in the world.
"I'm great, thanks. How are you?"
Nothing exciting about this conversation so far. It's probably just going to be one of small talk, and to top it all off, my head and mouth will probably start hurting from nodding and smiling too much. Oh brother, what have I gotten myself into...
"Superb! Thanks. Hey, how's your family? What's your brother up to these days? I haven't seen him in a long time!"
All of the sudden, the conversation takes a turn for the better, and my face lights up like a pumpkin glows as a child puts a candle in a Jack O Lantern. It's as if the words took a right-hand turn from boring avenue onto thrilling lane. And why, you may ask, did this small talk suddenly turn into big, exciting, fantastic talk? Well, it's because of my brother.
Not many people can gloat and say that their brother is on television and reports the sports on the tube for a living. I love when I get to say to people that my brother is a sportscaster on television, because I, just as the rest of my family does, think it's awesome! My brother, Mikey, who goes by Mike on TV, is 28 years old and lives in Austin, Texas. Down south, my brother reports and anchors the sports segment of the news for News 8 Austin, an affiliate of Time Warner Cable. He works so hard, and has difficult hours, and I respect him tremendously for being determined, and sticking with his job.
You know, it's not easy being in this business. You have to work your way to the top, and you have to work in places that a lot of the time aren't ideal. My brother has previously worked in Springfield, Illinois, and now works at his current position in Texas. What is also amazing about his dedication, is that he went down to Texas knowing just a few people, and he has made so many friends, is respected at his job, and is always willing to work, even at 11:00 at night.
My brother, in addition to having a sweet job, also gets to do some pretty awesome things because of what he does. For example, this weekend, he gets to attend the Super Bowl in Dallas, because it's in close proximity to Austin. I think that's the coolest thing in the world, and I hope he has a great time. He has also interviewed ex-Colts coach Tony Dungee, and has been at the Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York.
My brother and I have a great relationship. He not only has an awesome job, but he is also a magnificent role model. He is determined, willing, and works very hard, and through his success, he has showed me that hard work pays off. Mikey is very modest, and I respect that about him. He'll never tell you that getting to go in the locker room and interview players for a certain team was cool and exciting. What he'll tell you is that it was just a part of the job. I have tremendous respect for this professionalism that he posses, but I'm on the other side of the TV, and from my perspective, what he does is the coolest thing in the world.
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