HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SCALLYWAG...

For those who may not know, I have three sisters. Two older sisters and one younger. Growing up with three sisters had its positives and its negatives. As the only male in a household of estrogen and maxi pads, you can imagine the frustration and confusion I experienced on a daily basis. Not having a brother (or any male influence for that matter) in our household was rather daunting, simply because I lacked the proper vessel to fully release and express my boyhood aggression.

While my two older sisters were blow-drying their hair to prepare to hit the local club scene, I was left to harass my younger sister Lilly. Part-timing as the brother I never had, Lilly was not afraid to get down-and-dirty with me. We would have Matchbox Car and Transformers sessions coupled with aggressive rough-housing matches which would end up with one of us knocking the shit out of the other. You see, I needed an outlet for my pent-up aggression and my little sister was more than happy to oblige.

It seems as though eons have past since our brutal brigades and hair-pulling contests but we remain as close as Siamese Twins:

Now that we're all grown up and live quite a distance from one another, our time spent together these past few years have been few and far between. Despite this geological intrusion however, we manage to make time together to recharge our slightly insane sibling bond.

Although Lilly turns 33 today, I will always see her as that 8-year-old wise girl with a mean left hook and sly sense of sarcasm. Always gentle as a butterfly, but when pushed beyond her limit she stings like a fucking bee.

This post is for you my little Scallywag, for without you I would shrivel up like a raisin sitting in the sun. Without you I would slam face-first into a wall and not hear that quiescent, sinister giggle in the background. Without you my corny-ass jokes would fall to the ground with a vociferous thump. Without you... I would die.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LILLY...
I LOVE YOU