Christian

Man, have I been a pitiful journal writer lately. I just realized that it's been *weeks* since I wrote in this thing. That's whack.

So I thought I'd write about one of my favorite people today: my brother. On September 12, 1975, Christian Cameron Blender was born into this world.

I remember when Mom came home from the hospital. I was about 3 years old. Christian came wrapped up in a soft mint-green blanket and smelled funny. He had a huge head, complete with a soft spot at the crown.

Mom said I could hold him if I was very gentle. I was. He was a big baby. Healthy. His green eyes and whispy head of hair were immediately endearing to me, even though all the attention he was getting was not.

In fact, I remember Mom and Dad prepping me before his arrival. I can recall mother ballooning out like a Gaia Earth Mother, telling me that I had a very important job to do. I was Christian's big brother and he needed me to help take care of him. (Of course, she told me this in gender-neutral terms, since this is before a baby's sex could be readily determined before birth.)

I really anticipated his arrival. And I was glad to have a new plaything, even if it was noisy and required a lot of care and feeding. When he first came home, I remember holding him very proudly in my arms and showing him off to the relatives. "This is my baby bwotha, Chwistian! He's onwy 6 days owd," I would tell the aunts and grandfathers, with a gleam in my eye.

"I have a new baby bwotha and I am a biiiiig bwotha. I have a vewee impowtant job," I would proclaim to the grandmothers and uncles.

They cooed and patted the baby, kissed the baby and hugged the baby. I looked on approvingly. They were also very happy that I was obviously so happy to have Christian around.

About a week after Christian came home, I asked Mom and Dad earnestly, "Now, when is he going to go home to his *own* parents?" I hadn't fully comprehended the finality of the new living arrangement. I thought the baby room was a temporary living arrangement. But it was not to be. This kid was staying!

After the initial shock, I got over the fact that he was going to linger on a bit with us. So by the age of 18 or so, Christian and I were best friends. (It only took me 15 years to really grow to love him.)

Now Christian is probably the person I know best in the whole world. He's such a great guy. Funny, sweet and charming, I am so impressed with him. He has a great sense of humor that leaves my sides hurting from laughing so much. I owe many of my laugh lines to Christian.

When Christian and I go to a new place or to a special event where there is a guest book, we often perform a little bit of grafitti. We usually sign the guest book as "Kiki Santana." This is the modern equivalent to "Kilroy was here" for us.

It's just a lot more fun to write than our own names. So, if you happen to be at the White House or Hearst Manor or the Eiffel Tower or some other such place, check for the name and you'll see a little piece of the Blender tradition.

Another inside joke between Christian and me is the L.C. Smoov phenomenon. This is the name of an R&B music group in Monroe, Louisiana. On greeting cards and correspondence, Christian and I often invoke the name of L.C. Smoov to show how much we like something. If we like a particular restaurant or bar, we say that it's "L.C. Smoov Approved," meaning that it meets the HIGHEST standards in every way. This is truly high praise. It's much better than an AAA rating or a "*****" restaurant. This is serious business. If something is "L.C. Smoov Approved," then you can rest assured that it is of the absolute best quality.

Besides being funny, Christian's also very intelligent. He has no problems tackling tough logic problems and mathematical stumpers. He can multiply so fast that it just blows me away. (I usually resort to counting on my fingers.)

He got the left brains in the family. I'm much more right brained. It amazes me how he can be so creative sometimes, even though he's usually so logical and scientific. I guess he got that from me. I always challenged his creativity.

Right now he's at Louisiana Tech University in North Louisiana, studying the biological sciences.

So this journal entry goes out to you, Boo, in all of your Pheonix Kickstand Glory!

Hugs to my brotha.

Jeffrey