Sister, Sister

I sit here, using my sister-in-law's MacBook (and failing miserably, as I am partial to PCs), being prodded on by her encouragement to write. While staring at a blank screen, I distracted myself with her makeup bag and songs about her dogs, Bear and Honey. We joked about Catholic hymns, the ridiculously inexcusable amount of time it is taking me to finish the final Harry Potter book, turquoise eyeshadow, and the WB comedy hit "Sister, Sister."

As a child, I longed for a sister. I failed as a tomboy and instead holed myself up in my bedroom with Cabbage Patch Kids and, later, choreography to Paula Abdul tapes. As I grew older, though, I learned to appreciate the company of my brothers. They have greatly improved my sports knowledge, for one thing. Those who know me best know that baseball is one of the most valued things in my life.

But, let's get back to my sister-in-law. Two years ago, my younger brother married a lovely lady named Olivia. She truly amazes me and has become a dear friend as well as sister. She is a business owner, actor, singer, songwriter, aunt, wife, friend, and giver. She is amazingly talented and generous. In her generosity, she created this blog for me.

I did not have the nerve to create a blog. Despite being a closet writer and journalism major, I dismissed the idea of maintaining a blog as yet another contribution to my generation's egotism. Olivia, however, encouraged the idea as a way of cultivating my passion. She even deserves credit for the title, as she searched for information on writer's block and found a link to George Orwell's novel, Keep The Aspidistra Flying.

So, to conclude, I dedicate this first blog to Olivia. Thank you, dear sister, for your faith in me. Your creativity has fueled my own. I promise to maintain this blog for you!

6/16/10