Daniel

My brother's ability to commit (to anything: a cause, a hobby, a person) became painfully evident at a young age. He taught himself to read around the tender young age of 18 months or so due to a strict regimen of poring over the Dr. Seuss dictionary every night after he'd been put securely in his crib. He wasn't supposed to be awake...he'd climb out of his bed, climb his dresser to turn on the lamp and seat himself next to the bookcase until someone discovered his 'disobedience.' My parent's couldn't really be mad...

Later in life he would spend all his time and energy studying (and I mean STUDYING) Pokemon cards. He organized them, sold them, traded them, bought them...all the while my mother and I watched in awe as his Pokemon hobby lasted without a lapse in fervor...for at least three years.

These days, as a freshman in college, my brother is as brilliant and impassioned as ever. Since the beginning of highschool he has been studying and growing carnivorous plants and orchids. He calls them all by their Latin names. He orders them from sources all over the country. He is an avid bike rider, spending countless hours constructing, disassembling and reconstructing bizarre cycling concoctions. He believes wholeheartedly in conserving the planet, being 'green' and scored nearly identically to the Dalai Lama on a quiz about his values and personality. He is the most generous and loving person I have ever met in my life.

I bring up my brother due to our incredible differences. We are both highly educated...passionate about what we do...but watching my brother succeed and go about life the way he does makes me wonder about me.

I have never committed to anything as regularly as my brother has. In fact I don't think I've ever liked or cared about something as much as he has. This isn't to say I don't care, I am very committed to my photography, but I don't take portfolio-worthy pictures every day. I'm not particularly invested in the environment or any social causes, to the extent that he is. I like a heavy dose of hairspray depending on the style I'm wearing, I recycle (when I can figure out what the hell is allowed in the recycling in my building), I do not like when nature touches me. I am very interested in a lot of causes and movements, but rarely am found doing anything about it like Daniel does.

Now, as I've entered my adult life, moved away from one of my hometowns (we'll address this confusion in a future post) and made my presence in my building and my neighborhood known, I envy my brother for his commitment to the issues, hobbies and career of his choice. I have a $200,000+ degree in two things that don't really make any sense together (couldn't bear to commit to just one field). My job search consists of seemingly unrelated categories (from corporate executive assistant to freelance photographer). I wonder if life would be easier if I followed his (younger) lead. His hobbies and interests match up while mine compete with one another (tattoos and piercings plus corporate world plus degree in photography does not compute!).

So here I am in New York City. I love my life, I wouldn't trade it for anything, but it has not panned out the way I had imagined it would (though I'm pretty sure I don't want what I expected as a little girl anyway). This blog is dedicated to sharing my brand of ridiculous. A place to share my day-to-day bizarre as I navigate and come to terms with my non-traditional transition to adulthood.