Family dynamics

Maybe Eric and I are finally growing up, maybe spending time apart is good, but things seem more calm around the Chai household.  It’s nice that we can spend time together, have a nice dinner, and talk and laugh together.  A good change from those explosive and angry adolescent days.

My brother and I both decided to come home and sort of celebrate my Mom’s birthday since it’s on Tuesday, so we’ve been having some decent family time.  The randomest things have changed around here.  First of all, we no longer have two phone lines.  Instead of a second phone line, we now have caller ID and call waiting.  We also have a talking phone that announces caller ID.  It’s funny yet creepy, especially when you’re alone.  Also, some of our family portraits around the house have been updated from the ones taken in 2000 and 2004 to the ones taken in September.  Actually, this probably happened sometime over winter break but I really noticed them today.  I guess it’s kind of strange coming home and seeing new things.  Well, as long as nothing drastic happens without me knowing, I’ll be fine.

So after dinner tonight, we all opened our fortune cookies and read each others.  Except Eric’s cookie didn’t have a fortune!  My mom decided that this was no good and flagged down a waitress to get a new cookie for my brother.  Oh mother, you will never cease to amuse me.

My brother is now baking cookies and I have resumed my studying for two midterms coming up this week.  Oh well, at least I have something to look forward to in a few weeks.  Smiles all around!

Maturity

When I was little, I made sure to name all of my stuffed animals.  I was never very creative though, so I ended up with names like Teddy, Bunny Wunny, Olliphant, Oinker, Bear Bear, and other embarrassing things.  But as I got older, my naming abilities didn’t improve very much.  A lion I pulled out of the garage a few years back became Juan Ponce de León.  Yeah, like the Spanish conquistador.  A little white bear became Snowball.  Okay, maybe that one isn’t so bad.

So what does this have to do with anything?  Well, for Christmas this year I received two extremely adorable stuffed animal sheep, one black and one white.  My brother saw them and asked me what I named them.  Rather uninspired at the time (my brain doesn’t work during vacation!) I told him they were Moofy and Poofy, but that those names were temporary.

Things don’t really change much, do they?

My mom thinks my brother and I act ten years younger than our age once we get home from school.