January 16, 2006
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The Boys
This is my fourteen-year old violin prodigy of a little brother. No
joke—the music he makes come out of that instrument have knocked the
socks off of everyone who has ever heard him play. I call him Juje. Or
Jujie. Or Ju-Ju Bear. Or Juje-a-ma-Cuje. Or sometimes Cujo. He’s
started to call me Truje in recent years. He draws Shaun and I pictures
for Christmas gifts every year and he is torn between a career in
orchestra and a career as a cartoonist. He forgets to hand in homework
that he has completed and has an affinity for giant squids. I expect
Julian’s adult life will be rich and beautiful.My seventeen-year old renaissance man of a brother would probably
prefer that I not put a picture of him up, so I won’t. Although quieter
and more reserved than our youngest brother, the renaissance man has a
wickedly
funny sense of humor. He’s been known to make gut-busting stop-motion
animations and he was nice enough to let me follow him around with a
video camera when I made a documentary of the psychology of teenage
boys for one of my senior-level production classes in college. He’s a
pro at supping up cars (he pimped a Neon, and making that car cool, my
friends, is a great feat) and fixing them too. He works construction
and he is the hardest worker his crew leaders have ever known. When he
was legally obligated to write an essay on the harms of drug use, it
was the most polished, expertly written essay the juvenile disciplinary
system had ever seen. He rocks at school when he goes (his IQ is
through the roof), and his teenage years have made him fragile and
ferocious all at once. I expect manhood will bring him great things.
______________________________________________________________________What are your siblings like?
Comments (6)
i have a sister who could play any instrument she picked like a pro w/in 30 minutes of picking it up. i had a brother who could make you laugh when you felt like crying. i have a little brother who studied languages in his spare time, just bc he could. i have another brother who created a tool for honda and was one of the youngest ppl they hired. i have a sister who is an artist and another one who feels left out but is the best mother of three boys you’ll ever meet. we are variations on a theme…
My fraternal twin has been my best friend just about all my life. We definitely have a connection most people don’t. Although we have some immutable philosophical differences, his is the most important opinion to me. He’s always done better with women, which isn’t saying much, but always seems to date someone brilliant, wonderful and caring. He’s better-looking and less shy, which helps.
My older brother reminds us most of our father, but we like him anyway. He has been divorced twice, albeit with two wonderful children from those relationships, and seems to be working on wife #3. He is a much better parent than our father was.
They are both artists, while I was born the writer. Yet we have many, many similarities. And they are, to me, very important people.
My little sister received her Master of Music in voice at the U of Michigan. She also wrote several different columns for the Michigan Daily, was president of the school’s chapter of Amnesty International, and worked full time at the recycling center. She’s the smartest person I’ve ever met.
My oldest brother has PTSD from his time as a Marine Corps scout in Vietnam. My older sister is a wingnut fundamentalist who thinks Pat Robertson ought to be president. My other older brother teaches handicapped kids to ski in the winter and is the superintendant of a golf course in the summer.
This makes for interesting holiday conversations.
Cool sibs.
I have a sister who is Shaun’s boss, I think. She has an MA in Art History and is very smart.
And I have a brother who’s been really very sick lately. He draws awesome cartoons.
Lynn
That picture of juje makes me feel incredibly old – the last time i remember seeing him he was crying over that yellow pokemon being kicked… (his name escapes me and it’s going to drive me insane for the rest of the night!!!)
Ii did my anniversary memoir. Sort of like yours in a way.
Lynn