Friday, Dec. 16, 2005 - 2:23 p.m.

Well, talked to my mom. Now I have to rant about it so I can get it off my chest and get back to work.

My brother lost another job a couple of weeks ago-- it's like clockwork, every other time I talk to her he's either applying for a job or just lost a job. Mom still feels the need to tell me, even though it's not exactly breaking news-- what is normally a telic predicate "lose a job" is in fact a state when predicated of my brother. He and his girlfriend got in a fight so he called in sick and went on a binge, "don't ask me where he got the money, I'll tell you later" (ooh where could that broke-ass alcoholic possibly have obtained money? I don't know, do tell.)= he stole her ATM card again. (Why doesn't she change the pin? I'll be goddamned if I know, I've told her to every one of the last five times he stole it from her, but I guess sometimes it's convenient for her to send him in to the store for her or whatever, and that momentary convenience overrides the extraordinary inconvenience of then unexpectedly coming up several hundred dollars short at fairly frequent intervals AAAAAAARRRRRRGGGHHHHHHH What gets me is that she always manages to seem so surprised and disappointed-- if I were her I would just go ahead and write it onto my calendar it's so damn predictable) So, we're not to expect any Christmas presents to speak of. Not that I really care, but please. All I want for Christmas is for my family to get some common fucking sense. Just a little. Either one of them. Or, if common sense isn't available in stores, a spare backbone. If Ray had a backbone, maybe he'd drink less (or would have the discipline to get himself to rehab some moment when he happens to be sober, rather than just carrying on his denial facade so he can live to drink another day); if mom got some backbone, maybe she'd have what it takes to kick him out and quit contributing to his self-destruction, or at least protect herself from his thievery.

Yeah, if I had to choose for them, I'd pick out a backbone.

Ask me how much I'm looking forward to spending a week there over the break.

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