Wednesday, June 22, 2005
About Me
- Name: Aunt B
- Location: Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Like Donnell Alexander says, "It's about completing the task of living with enough spontaneity to splurge some of it on bystanders, to share with others working through their own travails a little of your bonus life." But, it's mostly the kind of place that folks looking for "girls and cars" stumble across by accident.
I'VE MOVED. COME CHECK OUT THE MOST RECENT STUFF HERE.
WHERE TO DIRECT YOUR HATE MAIL AND LOVE LETTERS
ALL PROCEEDS GO TO BEER
THINGS I SAID RECENTLY
- Hire the Butcher!
- Self Portrait
- The Most Awesome Cat
- Straight Men and Gay Women, Come to My Aid!
- Want to Read Something Gross?
- The Importance of Having a Good Name
- Small Reviews
- Important Question
- The Super Genius Uncovers A Great Truth
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THE CAST OF CHARACTERS
Aunt B.--Your kind host.The Butcher--My youngest brother, who lives with me and works as, you guessed it, a butcher. He knows everyone in town.
The Recalcitrant Brother--Our middle brother, who lives in rural Georgia and has a kind of movie star life, if that movie star is Burt Reynolds in Deliverance.
The Reverend--Our Dad, a Methodist minister, perpetually three years from retirement.
Mom--Our Mom. She doesn't get a funny nickname because our mom will not stand for funny nicknames.
Mrs. Wigglebottom--My dog. She's got terrible manners.
The Corporate Shill--Or The Shill, as we call her. My friend from college who was constantly getting me into trouble and going to parties she neglected to tell me about where cute boys would ask her "Where's Aunt B.?"
The Legal Eagle--The Shill's husband.
The Super Genius--She lived next door to me my freshman year of college and we've been friends ever since my first day on the floor.
Miss J.--My first adult friend, meaning the first lasting friendship I made after college. She was my roommate in grad school.
Her Lover--Her Husband.
The Divine Ms. B.--Miss J.'s sister and one of my heroes, because she's brave and funny and mystic and fearless.
JR--My oldest friend. I've known her since I was in the second grade.
Elias--JR's husband and the person who's musical tastes have most strongly affected my own. Oh, how I long to be cooler than him!
The Professor--My closest friend here in Nashville. She's a genius, but she'll never tell you that.
The Man from GM--I've known him since I was 16 and he still hasn't forgiven me for telling him I was a vegetarian when I wasn't.
The Redheaded Kid--No one knows where he comes from or where he goes when he leaves here. I assume he's the Butcher's friend. The Butcher assumes he's mine.




8 Comments:
I don't get why The Butcher can decide on a whim not to be responsible for his part of the financial needs of the household. Why does he think that's OK?
OOOH, Aunt B, this is a tough one.
Sorry. I know it must be hard.
Because, in my family, the women take care of them men and though I always thought I would never do that, here the fuck I am.
Because nothing bad will happen as a result of this. I won't kick him out because I promised my dad I wouldn't. Because the women take care of the men and I agreed to keep the Butcher for as long as necessary in order to take care of my dad.
Jesus Christ, the thing that really depresses me and makes me angriest about this is seeing the ways in which I am trapped in the very gender dynamics I've insisted will never ensnare me.
Well, here I am, poised to take care of everyone, yet again.
The worst part is that I really like having him around. I don't want him to move out. I want him to stay and keep me company and such.
I really, really want him to find something that makes him happy and I want him to be willing to be daring enough to do it.
But I want him to do it. I want him to want something bad enough that he's willing to risk succeeding.
And I guess I feel like he's not going anywhere--that's not an option--so how can I both provide him with this enormous gift (the space and time to get his head out of his ass) and provide myself with a feeling of security without, most importantly, me being put in a position of mothering him, which is what my parents really want, for me to take him by the hand and lead him to do the things they think he should do--go to college, get a better job, etc.
I have no answers. I'm such a fraud.
Ah, well, what can you do? No one is quite the person she wishes she were.
You're too hard on yourself. That's part of the big sister thing. I know. I have 7 younger sibs. And one of them lived with me on and off for several years. Thankfully, she finally came into herself.
Your love for your brother is touching. And it's hard to be tough, I sure know that. Even when we know that is exactly what will help them the most.
I'll be sending prayers/good thoughts your way.
OH. MY. GOD. Let me tell you about my brother. My older brother. (I'm the youngest of seven kids--four girls, three boys). Very patriarchal household, except my dad split when I was 13. ANYWAY, my brother, the baby boy of the family, came to live with me in DC when I was 23 and fresh out of college with my baby bureaucrat job. He came for a week and stayed in my one bedroom apartment, sleeping in the living room for six fucking months. I finally kicked him out. During this time he didn't get a job for quite awhile--starbucks was too fancy for him with his college degree (even though I worked months as a temp typing and answering phones because I had to pay rent). My freeloading brother then freeloaded on my father, then fifteen years later here he is in Oregon. There's more to this story, but what is it with freeloading brothers and male-worship-rescue culture in general?
ok so heres your answer: let him quit his job, then make him wish he was anywhere but at home. boys dont like discomfort - it will work.
Aunt B, I can relate. I live with my little brother-(he's 38). And I have to be the grown-up. I'm responsible for the bills, making sure the cat is fed and watered, replenishing toilet paper and laundry soap. His money is for his expenses. Child support and chocolate milk and cereal Yes, you read that right: he's 38.
I feel for you B. It's hard being responsible for the coddled boy(s) of a family. I refer to my brother as my retarded foster child.
I'm glad you at least enjoy the Butcher's company. Once I unload my little brother when we sell this house, I have no desire to remain in contact with him.
I'll pray for both of you to be liberated. Good luck.
Y'all are so great. I'm glad to know that others have been through this and worse--38, that's scary.
At least when I got home from work, he was not here. I'm going to believe that he is at work.
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