20 Questions for My Middle Brother

This picture is of a friendly game my middle brother and I used to play called "Fatman and Junkman." How prophetic. Anyway, I'm shocked now that he considers me a friend at all because when he was too little to know any better, I would tell him to say swear words during dinner, and he would get his mouth washed out with soap. According to our mom, I knocked out all his baby teeth, but I don't remember that. He was a shy kid with a squeaky voice and then SHAZAM! ...he transformed into the most outgoing burlyman I know. His hair was shoulder-length throughout adolescence and I lived out of state when he became an adult. He was the best man at my wedding and my wife and I still quote his speech from our reception. A family friend told me that out of us all, my middle brother is the most sensitive. I laughed at that comment at the time. Now I wonder what makes me and my youngest brother so heartless. Just kidding. One disagreement my middle brother and I had was over the When Harry Met Sally question of whether men and women can just be friends without any romantic possibilities. I'm not sure if he's changed his mind, but I still say that they can. And now for his input on more personal matters:

1. What was your first word? I really have no recollection and I don't recall Mom ever telling me what it was, so I have no clue. I would like to think it was something cool like "motorcycle." But I am sure, judging by my portly figure, in my younger years, it was something like "food."

2. How do you feel about cold cereal for breakfast and do you have a favorite kind? Nowadays, I think cold cereal is garbage unless you can force down one of those cardboard tasting kinds. Too much white processed sugar. Historically speaking, I would have to say Life or Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch.

3. What is your all-time favorite Saturday morning cartoon and why? Hhhhmmm, I had to think about this one. I remember loving Thundercats, Voltron and G.I. Joe. But to be honest, the cartoons I probably loved the most were these one or two episode cartoons based upon real books. I think ABC is the channel that did it. Stories like the kid that ate 100 earthworms, animals that learned to speak, etc. I don't know what that series was called. (Editor's note: the series was called CBS Storybreak, it debuted in 1985, and you read what I said about it on my 9/1/08 post.)

4. What was the hardest part about moving to a different town right before high school? Thinking that I had really tried hard to make my own firends, which was very difficult for me at the time, and now I would lose them all.

5. Where would you be now if you hadn't made that move? Difficult to say. I would like to think I would have figured things out regardless of where I lived, but (the town we moved from) has a little trick up its sleeve being that if you spend too much time there your life gets screwed forever. Who knows?

6. When was the last time you strapped on in-line skates and why has it been so long? About two years ago, Bonnie and I went skating around the college campus. Probably because I don't get the thrill from it like i used to and let's be honest, people just laugh when they see rollerblades these days.

7. What's the first thing that pops into your head when you think about your dog Milli? When she had that cast on her leg. She was so funny hobbling around.

8. How old were you when you got your first car and how did that come about? 15 years old. I didn't even have my driver's license yet. It came about by means of idiocy. I saw a piece of junk that I thought looked really cool. I wanted it. I knew I had the money saved up for a higher purpose, but hey, the account was in my name right? Then I proceeded to pay $3250 for "the Beast." I look back on that and can't believe how bad I got ripped off for that thing. Well, Mom and Dad paid about $16000 for the minivan, so I guess I don't feel that bad. HA!

9. How did your life change when I left for college? I had lost my best friend and things would never be the same. I knew I had to finally make real friends in (our new hometown). Since I don't care about saving face anymore, I would be a liar if I said I didn't shed a lot of tears around that time period.

10. What was the best part about living with our aunt and uncle for a while? They were my good friends. I enjoyed their company. It was a great break from school. I spent..correction...blew a lot of money on trivial things. I will probably never get to do that again in my whole life.

11. Do you dream in color or in black and white? Color

12. What's your zodiac sign and what does it mean to you? Pisces. Nothing. As I read the newspaper's zodiac predictions, I can't help but think any and all of these things can apply to anyone at any time. What a load.

13. Before you got married, how many kids did you want? Five

14. What's your favorite scripture passage and why? Alma 41:10 (from The Book of Mormon) - "Wickedness never was happiness." That was the truest and still is the truest thing my soul has ever heard. That was the catalyst that started it all.

15. Do you think you look more like Mom or Dad? Because I am a guy, probably dad.

16. If you could afford any vacation, where would you go? New Zealand

17. Who was your best childhood friend and are you still in touch with them? From (ages) seven to eleven it was Jeremy Allen. Haven't seen him since I was fifteen. From (ages) eleven to seventeen it was probably you. We seem to talk from time to time. :)

18. What's the first question you'll ask God face to face? I know the great plan is fair, but I want his explanation on that.

19. What's the hardest part of your day now? Finding eight hours of billable work to do.

20. If you could go back in time and see either of our parents at any age, which would you choose, at what age, and why? I don't know if I have a preference. Probably young twenties, mom in college or dad in Vietnam. They never really talk about those days.

Bonus Question: What did Dad say about us becoming pharmacists? He would break our legs.