Sunday, August 1, 2010

"Make her stop being so NICE."

For my first day of BEDA (that's Blog Every Day in August, for those of you who don't already know; coined by the infamous author/blogger/twitter connoisseur Maureen Johnson) I am going to tell you a story.

So I'm starting BEDA off poorly; my nose is running, I have a terrible cough, and if I put my head down on the arm of this couch for more than ten seconds I would probably fall asleep. BUT. I am committed to doing BEDA this year, so blog I must.

Anyway. The story.

I went to Idaho this weekend, to see my family and attend my cousin Korrie's wedding. Korrie is a cousin of mine that lives in Tennessee, but before he moved to the south, he actually used to live up here in Seattle. And for a while, he actually lived with my family. Korrie was more of an older brother to me than a cousin, and I was crushed when he moved away (because I have seen him very few times since then). But obviously I still care loads about him, and was overjoyed that tour didn't overlap with his wedding, as I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

My story isn't about Korrie or the wedding though. It's about fighting with my brother.

My brother and I get along pretty well, though we've had our moments. I mean, we're siblings. Of course we're going to argue and bicker over stupid things. When we were younger our family used to drive to North Dakota every summer, and 19 hours in the car with your family is enough to make ANYONE fight.

But we're older now. We don't need petty arguments over whose side of the backseat is bigger to keep us entertained on long car rides anymore. Right?

Wrong. Seriously, I don't even know what came over me. I'm 22 years old and Nick is 17, but two hours in that car together and we were fighting like we were both kids again. First he started using his iPod to glint the sun directly into my eyes, and then I smacked him and told him to quit being stupid, and finally my parents had to split us up so my mom sat in the back with me and they had Nick drive.

This spurred a conversation about the highly ingenious ways Nick and I used to pick on each other.

Our bedrooms are right across from each other down a long hall, straight back from the kitchen. Just perfect yelling distance when my mom was making dinner. When Nick was 9 or 10, he'd sit in his room all alone (while I was minding my own business in my room reading Harry Potter or something) and he'd start shouting "Ow! Tina Stop! Stop it, Tina. Why are you doing that? Mom! Make her stop!"

Then I'd hear my mom get so sick of it she's be like "TINA, WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING TO YOUR BROTHER, CUT IT OUT!"

And I would just storm out of my room, Prisoner of Azkaban in hand and say "What the heck Mom, I'm not doing anything!" We'd just hear Nick cracking up in his bedroom.

So I decided to get back at him, and on a road trip one time, instead of being mean, I was just overly, sickeningly nice to him. I kept hugging him, and telling him how much I loved him, and kissing him, and offering to do anything he wanted.. and finally he was like "MOM, MAKE HER STOP!" When my Mom asked what I was doing, he replied, "Make her stop being nice to me!"

Needless to say, I never got in any trouble when I used that method. xD

Anyway, I don't care what age you are, family trips are tiring. I just got home, and it was really, really nice to see some of my extended family, but I am happy to be home. I got a nasty cold while we were gone and I am ready to take some medicine and go to sleep.

I hope everyone else's Day #1 of BEDA is going well, and happy August! You should tell me what you're most excited for this month in the comments. I'm most excited for the Renaissance Faire in two weeks. I haven't been in a few years at least.

Last google search: "andy dick"
Chipotle burritos: 15

28 comments:

Nick Bihm said...

Awesome Blog! Glad you're doing BETA too!

I'm most excited for the start of college on the 23rd. It will be a very interesting time!
Had fun seeing you in New Orleans BTW (I was one of the ones dancing the entire night) =D
DFTBA

Sarah said...

Man, that room trick was so smart of your brother and your punishment for him equally as great. As for my August, I'm excited for Mockingjay and my birthday (27th) :D

Hopefully you feel better soon, great fury BEDA entry!

Maggie said...

I was just in the car with my parents and sisters for 8 hours. Not so much fun. Especially because one of my sisters is a diva and a self-proclaimed "claustrophobe" (which is a load of hooey).

When we were little, though, I had no such ingenius plan to get back at her. We are all three of us very close in age, though, so I suppose I was not mentally matured enough to outsmart them; we would have all likely come up with simlar things, or known how to outsmart one another. The fact that it's just girls probably is a factor, too. XD

Anonymous said...

im going to the shakespeare festival, seeing my older siser off to her first year of college, getting ready to be in my very first AP class, learning how to drive, repainting my room, working my 5th consecutive year at a camp, watching shark week, and shaking in anticipation of mockingjay.


when we were little, my twin sister and i would always try to get over the little baby gate the prevented us from going upstairs. on more than one occasion, i would get her to get on all fours, climb on her back and over the fence, then leave her there to have adventures of my own. annoyance started early with us.

Ellen B said...

I have a similar relationship with my brother...I'm 22 and he's 19 and we, too, fight like 10 year olds on long car trips. Your trick for getting back at your brother's prank was brilliant.

I'm most excited to get back down to school on like the 25th to begin my senior year of college. I miss my friends and school and I'm just ready to jump back in.

Allison said...

Yay, BEDA! I'm glad SOME people are still doing it. *cough*MJ!*cough*
"Make her stop being nice to me!" Lol! That is excellent! :D

Danielle said...

My (older) brother STILL yells at me for crossing over on to his side of the car whenever he's in town, and he's 26! Our bedroom doors were right across from each other growing up, so we'd make a bunker in our doorways and have nerf gun wars across the hall. He was always the prankster, he pulled off a lot of really funny ones.

I'm excited to enjoy my last few weeks of summer vacation and catch up on some reading.

Michael said...

My older brother and sister's pranks made me develop a sense of humor. They had a very detailed story about how I was adopted and who my real parents were. I used to have a terrible temper with them, but eventually mellowed out. Now, my sister and I just fight about whose Ipod gets plugged into the car stereo on trips.

I'm looking forward to going to the fair and finishing up summer quarter this month.

Aly said...

Yay for doing BEDA! :)
Oh and feel better!
And I'm most excited for Mockingjay and this debate symposium thing xD

Pip said...

Just so you know your family is normal, I am 20 years old, the youngest of 4 kids (ages 25, 23, 21 and my 20), and we still get in petty fights constantly. It's a sibling thing.

Exciting things: I can't believe I feel this way but I am actually most excited to go back to school later this month. College is a strange but wonderful place.

P.S. I'm so glad you'll be updating your blog regularly again!

to_thine_own_self said...

Really happy that you're doing BEDA, Kristina!

And I totally, totally understand about little brothers. I'm 19 and my brother's 11, so it's gah! We fight a good bit, yea. Haha.

anna said...

I'm most excited to get back to Utah and start my sophomore year of college! Only 20-something days until I start the trek from WI out west; yep, my 22 year old brother and I are road trippin' it together.

Sarah said...

I have a little brother too. He's 12 and I'm 16. The fighting gets better as we get older, but I can't help but wonder what we'll be like when we're adults. Like, am I going to be the John to his Hank? Or..not like that at all?

August, woah! It feels like the summer just flew by. Is it just me or do summers just feel shorter and shorter every year?

This August I think...I'm going to learn how to drive? And I'm going to the Jersey Shore-area with some of my friends. I can't wait to eat fried oreos. I'm excited for Mockingjay, of course!

I always look forward to your blogposts :D It's going to be awesome to hear from you every day!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like you had an interesting drive... too much time in the car period can make you delusional at best. On a side note, I live in Idaho :)

The Vagabond said...

That's hilarious. I wish I had a younger sibling. Family trips can be tiring though! And just living with them in general. Which is why the thing I am looking forward to most in August is moving back to school! Also Mockingjay to come out, which happens around the same time so I will get to read it in my nice, peaceful dorm. : )

Alex Dahlberry said...

I have no idea what it would be like to be the older sibling. But I know what it's like being the subject of an older sibling's torture. NOT fun. xD

Hmm...August...well, I (FINALLY) turn 16 on the 26th, Mockingjay comes out th 24th, and I guess that's all. My last year of high school ever starts August 31st...not excited.


Anyway, excited for more beda :D

-alex

gaby said...

haha that sounds like my and my sister, we used to fight about everything and she did that too, when we were fighting me she used to hit me and yell like if *I* was the one hitting her, so I got grounded all the time for that. lol

I'm most excited because I'm going to a seminar to Mexico City for two weeks, and I'm still going to try for BEDA.

Craft Teach Repeat said...

Haha my best friend told me once that being overly nice to people is a great way to be mean to them.

I am most looking forward to spending more time in the sun and less time on the computer. Although I am doing BEDA I would like to get out more. Also my friend should be coming home from camp at the end of the month and I miss her so that should be good.

Lifeinapizzabox said...

it's my first year of BEDA! so excitd

haha i've done that to my sister before. But i actually get in trouble for it. my dad yells at me :(

Karina Larsen said...

I'm excited to go to Washington state as an exchange student for the next ten months starting on the 27th of August!

elfarmy17 said...

So it's not just us! I'm definitely sending this post to my mom.

Lauren Sauer said...

I'm excited for my birthday, which is tomorrow!

Jaime said...

BEDA! I'm not doing BEDA this year, my friends and I are doing VEDA. Day 1 was fun, but I think day 2 will be better.

My younger sister and I used to argue, but my little brother and I (he's 8 years younger) have never argued. We've always got along. Now... my older sister and I... yeah. I used to bug the crap out of her. And it was fun.

I hope you're feeling bette

(PS - My CAPTCHA had 'bed' in it. How appropriate for you!)

Nyxi said...

My brother was gross and used to throw bubbles at me that he made with his saliva(does that make sense?) It really bothered me. The worst thing is that I could never do the same to him because how in the world do you make bubbles with your saliva and manage to blow them across the car?

Most thing I'm excited for: This semester to be over, even though I haven't even started yet. Coming back from spending a month with my long-distance relationship boyfriend and getting back to reality is HARD.

- First time commenter, long time reader, Nat :)

Niki. said...

Yay for BEDA! =D. Haha, I love the story. My family used to drive down to Florida (from Maryland - so quite a long trip) almost every year, and I have a sister who's about two years younger than me, so I can relate to the sibling fights that occur during long road trips, haha.

I'm most excited for my first year of college starting on the 27th. =].

Azucena Paloma Garza Garza said...

Loved this blog. xD

My brother is 16 and I'm almost 15, and we fight a lot. Over the computer, a book...I couldn't keep my hands off Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, we had to buy another copy.

When we were little we pasted stickers on the windows of our car, and he would scratch my stickers, and I would scratch his stickers, and my dad had to break us apart while we were yelling at each other. It was madness.

But, then again, I played (Play?)Smash Bros with him, watched Pokemon and we got into Harry Potter at the same time, when I was 7 and he was 8. Plus he's the only person I know that is like me- nerdy. Besides my cousins. God this runs in the family.

Megha Patel said...

Yay for BEDA! It's too bad Maureen Johnson is unable to do BEDA, I was so looking forward to it. But now I can read your blog everyday of the month and that's always the best, (:

I'm doing BEDA this month too and I'm excited for that. Also excited for Junior year and AcaDeca. But I am most excited for the release of Mockingjay and Clockwork Angel! :D

Anyway, I hope you feel better!

LEWnIverSe said...

Everyone is most excited in August about me and Eia's birthday. duh.