May 21st

CatBastard

FROM THE SHOEBOX BLOG

"An animal behavior expert has developed a personality test for cats . If yours is moody, demanding, disobedient, and given to wild rampages followed by long periods of lethargy, then yep, you've got yourself a cat."

THE FINE LINE

The one between what is appropriate to say about someone else, especially in a blog that's not anonymous. I think that public figures are fair game for ridicule and criticism, but the situation gets a bit tricky when it's people that you know personally. My new rule is that if it's something that I wouldn't mind someone reading, and knowing that I was the one that said it I will put it in this blog. Some things people should read about themselves, but I wouldn't want to be known as the messenger-those things won't go here.

Now that I've straightened that out, I am going to talk about my brother.

He used to be grumpy. Everyone agreed on that. Unfortunately, what was once slightly annoying grumpiness has morphed into outright meanness, rude bossiness and downright cruelty. I guess he thinks that he is so freaking perfect that he has some sort of right to harshly criticize everyone who doesn't meet his standard of perfection-which appears to be everyone but himself. And, if anyone has the illusion that they are exempt from the type of bad mouthing he does about other people, they are deluding themselves. In his opinion, nobody is worthy of being in his company.

And, I am really pissed at him for a little stunt he pulled last night. I plainly explained to him before my mother got here to visit that, since I'm living on borrowed money, I wasn't going to be able to pay for restaurant dinners. I thought I made it clear that if I was going to go out to eat someone else needed to pay. Now, it's not like I didn't contribute anything to the visit. I drove my mother around, drove everyone up to Del Mar for the balloon ride-using over $40 worth of gasoline, contributed a beef tenderloin for a dinner, bought HIM a freaking six pack of expensive beer, etc. He called and invited me to go to dinner at a Mexican restaurant last night. (And, HE ordered the most expensive item on the menu!) AFTER we had eaten he announced that HE decided that the three children should split the bill evenly and pay for our mother's dinner. Wouldn't it have been polite for him to tell me BEFORE this that this was HIS plan so that I would have had the choice whether to go or not knowing what the payment plan was? Of course, I couldn't object at the restaurant without looking like some sort of freeloading cheapskate, and it's not going to break me, but I think it was just an example of how selfish, bossy and rude he has become. If I ever have to go out with him again I'll be sure to clarify what His Assholiness' plans are for the group beforehand.