Sisters

I have a sister. She's roughly two years, four months, and twenty-four days younger than me. Up until recently, I meant as little to her as any other idiot from school, always getting on her nerves and best used as an outlet for her frustrations. Now, that seems to have changed. I don't know why it did, or what might have caused the change. But I have taken a second look at what having a sister really is, with the help of the two days we spent together this past weekend. And I think I have a fairly good idea now.

A sister......

...is someone who will get up at 0430 to help you move out of a dorm room and then stays awake across the most boring stretch of highway within hundreds of miles
...is the one who sits on the bench by the pond with you and feeds the ducks bread while everyone around you stares like they'd never thought of that before
...is the kind of person you can chat with for hours about some of the most mundane things
...is someone who doesn't mind driving for awhile so you can get some sleep
...thinks the detour because she drove past our intersection is cool, not an annoyance
...is sympathetic to your frustration at driving in a big city
...laughs like a loon when you get so far off the main highway that the tiny towns you pass through have one-lane roads and don't appear on the map
...will fangirl out with you
...wants to watch cheesy 80s movies with you
...feeds you M&Ms when you can't reach for them yourself because you're driving
...smears you with after-sun lotion and is sympathetic to your burns
...likes the meals you just throw together without a recipe
...comes in after a rotten day and just wants a hug
...blows up in your face, then apologizes and wants to talk
...hangs in your arms for no particular reason. She doesn't need one
...raves about musicals with you
...accepts your advice, even is she won't use it
...is indispensable, worth more than the world, and one of a kind

On winning and failing

So. Fails first:

Being lectured and yelled at within four hours of arriving home: FAIL
Having to go to work the day after I get home: FAIL
Getting in trouble for being one minute late because I couldn't find a shirt: FAIL
Being made to tow a 1.2 million dollar jet around the airport for kicks: FAIL
Getting sunburned repeatedly over three days: FAIL
Watch tan: FAIL
Little sister in tears over life: FAIL
Being informed that I'm working on Saturday: FAIL
Not getting paid at the middle of the month: EPIC FAIL

And the wins:

Spending two whole days with my little sister and not fighting once: WIN
Being horribly lost and giggling like loons about it: WIN
Being in a town so small that it doesn't appear on the map: WIN
Sleeping though your turn-off: WIN
Showing a pilot that young women are perfectly competent workers: WIN
Throwing a few things together in a pan and having them come out great in the oven: WIN
Actually having a sister who appreciates my company and skills: WIN
Making an apprantly perfect cherry pie: WIN
Clinging to a warm cat to cry and not having it run away: WIN


Yeah. So life has been interesting in many ways. Captain McHappyPants is alive a kicking. He bought 5 cans of mushrooms today because they were on sale. That, and three bags of grapes because 'it's the time of year when you can't find fresh fruit'. Dear God, I'm supposed to deal with more than another week of this! AAAGGHHH!!!