We Didn't Start The Fire

Moral of story: No, you really DON'T need that cigarette at four am. Especially when you're hooked up to an oxygen tank.

A Tribute to My Sister

"You a few years ago?" "Essentially"
"You guys look exactly alike." "I keep hearing that, lately."
"You sound very similar."
"If I'm not looking at you guys, I can't tell which one is talking"
"Which one are you, Melissa or Becky?"

I decided to take a few moments today to honour my younger sister, who is growing up faster and faster than I ever could have imagined. She is 5'3" already and only 13.

My sister is five and a half years younger than me.
I'm starting my second year of college in September and she will be entering her last year of middle school.

Melissa has always been the sensitive, blonde-haired angel of the family. As she gets older, her sarcasm, wit and cynicism grows with her. I can only admire this.
She questions everything, from bad music (for the most part) to the improper English that her friends use when IMing.
For all intent and purpose, she is me.



She dyes her hair at least once every few months (usually blue or purple), has her own sewing machine, and is as good with Photoshop as most kids her age could hope to be.
A few years ago, she cut almost all of her hair off to donate to Locks of Love.

She listens to Boston, Journey, Blue Oyster Cult, Aerosmith and the Foo Fighters.
She also likes Hannah Montana and some other Disney Channel music, but she's still young and I liked Nsync for a good year or two, so I can only forgive her.
She owns Pink Floyd, Metallica and Aerosmith shirts. She likes 3 and Freezepop.

If I could pick anyone to be my sister, I couldn't pick one better than the one that I already have. She has blonde moments, talks too much sometimes, and tells stupid stories, but I wouldn't give up that kind of amusement.
She's my favourite thing about going home during breaks from school and the person that I give most of my extra prints to.

You all should be so lucky to have such a good relationship with your sister.

It's Not So Charming When You Live Here

I still hate yuppie tourists and people who take pictures of cows when they come "upstate." I hate every single person who belongs to a Sullivan County or a Hudson Valley group on Flickr who lives in New York City, Long Island and Westchester county and posts their fantastic finds and accounts of their upstate weekend. Yeah, how was roughin' it up in the country? Some some wildlife, livestock and quaint villages? That's swell.
I love when they go back, take a nice look at their pictures, and label everything to let their less privileged friends what and where everything is, so that they too can get a glimpse at how lovely and rustic all of this is.
You'd love a nice rural life in the woods, wouldn't you? A nice summer place, somewhere to spend weekends, a good place to raise the kids! Life is real great for us in our charming little towns with our adorable shops!