Today is the 4th of July, otherwise known as the day my mother brought my brother into the world:) Matt, I know you've been slaving away to finish your classes, so when you get the chance to come up out of your books for air here is a post dedicated just for you:
Let me start by first acknowledging that my brother shares a birthday with the likes of Japanese shoguns, Romanian bacteriologists and Flemish linguists/archeologists. Since naming all of them would not add to the value of this honorary post, but because some of them have such fantastic image results on Google, I've listed a few recent celebrities with whom my brother shares his special day:
1. America
As seen from a NASA perspective.
2. Rube Goldberg
Famous for sketching complicated inventions for doing simple tasks (I like to think that his cartoons were the inspiration for modern bureaucracy. Stand in line at any DMV and see if you agree.)
3. Malia Obama
Oldest daughter of President Obama and newest member on the list of celebrity birthdays.
4. Gloria Stuart
The endearing, elderly woman from Titanic who thought her $10K necklace would serve a better purpose at the bottom of the ocean.
5. Geraldo Rivera
Ambitious TV personality, news reporter, talk show host. I don't know what to say about this image, but it is definitely my favorite (insert dialogue bubble near his mouth about bullets whizzing past his head).
6. George Murphy
Dancer, actor and US Senator from CA. Proof that the child who wants to be a ballerina-archeologist-novelist can, in fact, be all three.
7. Calvin Coolidge
30th US president and owner of serious hats.
8. Abigail Van Buren and Ann Landers
Twin advice columnists who single-handedly (double handedly?) proved that women of a certain age could look fetchin' in high-collar, long-sleeved dresses.
And of course, you have my brother.
This picture was taken about two years ago shortly after Matt, Jon and I suffered through one of the most violent and poorly written ninja movies of all time.
Here are some important observations that illustrate why he is a cool brother:
- He's a good guy. I don't mean that nonchalantly, I mean that he is a kind, purposeful person that cares about other people.
- He's a bit of an internal processor, which is fun because he can seem quiet at first, but he's really quite friendly (and funny) and usually reserves his comments until he has something meaningful to say.
- He is an AMAZING musician. If you ever have the chance to see him perform live, you should definitely check him out. Here are some pics taken from one of his last gigs: http://distopher.com/Jazz-at-Old-City-Hall/The-Original-Senn-Jazz-Band/11728978_6YodS#827772328_GWBJv
- When we were very small, he once sat for what felt like an hour or more, teaching me how to draw ninja turtles on the floor of his bedroom.
- Talking with him on weekends is one of the highlights of my week.
- Since he's a deaf studies major, we've volunteered him to teach our baby cooler baby signs than those mentioned in our book of baby signs. Also, babies love him.
So, brotha, I'm sorry that we live in a different time zone and couldn't be there to celebrate with you, but know that we're excited to see you soon! Happy birthday!
