skit skat water rat

My grandparents have an abundance of antique clocks that reside in their house, which is pretty neat. But the past two nights I've tried to sleep I have been kept awake by their subtle tick tocking. I feel sort of bad, but last night I was driven to dismantling it from the wall and removing the batteries of the one hanging above my squeaky headboard. The room I am staying in is the most bizarre shape. It would be completely normal, but where the forth, outermost wall would be is a giant slant, drastically decreasing the size of the already teeny room. I remember a couple of Thanksgivings ago, my four girl cousins around my age, well three plus me, were all forced into this tiny room with cots and air mattresses. It might have been Easter, but we were at that young age and no matter what we were doing it was a lot more fun than it is now. I remember it was late, probably 11:30 and my Auntie Carie was sleeping in the room over. We were giggling and it was keeping her up, so she came in and opened the door with her teeth growling at us like a wolf, and said to us," if I hear your goddamm girls makes one more noise I'm gonna smack you so hard your heads will spin." We were silent from there on out. She's always been the mean aunt.

Speaking of wolves...

I watched a really cool version of Peter and the Wolf today with my brothers. It was made it 2006 and is a stop-motion model animation film. There is no dialogue, just music. It's only a half hour long, so if you can find someway to find it it's very interesting.


I almost have two separate groups of cousins on my Mom's side. Not literally, but you can see it in the way we break up into groups. My oldest cousin Ryan is 24ish and my youngest, Mia, is 4. There is a certain picture of all the grandchildren in my "generation" where we are all lined up against some teetering rocks located along some shore of a harbor or beach. As the line progresses closer to the water, the faces of terror and fear intensify, ending with Jeff hanging on for dear life and screaming. I am closest to the land, smiling as if nothing was happening. We always said that that picture was the "cool cousins." I am glad to have been in the older group because I get to watch all of my younger cousins grow up. Especially because I am the kid magnet in my family. I don't know what it is about me, but all of my younger cousins climb all over me, want me to play with them, sit next to them, let them do my hair, give me makeovers, be the monster in their games, etc. And if I don't then I don't like them anymore or I like one of them better than the other or I am a meanie and they don't like me anymore. I love it.

This entire house smells like one giant fart. I'm suspicious that my Papa has not stopped cutting them all day, and Tom has farted in my face intentionally about 4 times in the past hour.. Oh the joy of brothers. You'd think I'd be a bit stealthier after all the repeated attacks but it was an ambush! Finally I am up in my little corner room and the air is not toxic waste/ass, but very musty and old, so much so that it's giving me horrible allergies. I don't know which is worse..

Family is the best, most frustrating, most beautiful (smelliest) bond someone can have.