Lend me you ear, and I'll sing you a song. I will try not to sing out of key.

Ladies and gentlemen, my big brother is getting married. After just under a year of being engaged and over five years of a relationship, my 29 year-old brother will be walking down the aisle to marry Michelle. I can't believe it.

This entry is about Jared. :-)

I can easily say that Jared and I have always been close. Don't get me wrong; we had our moments. There was that time he chased me around the house with scissors and used the intercom to tell me he was Freddy Kruger and killed my brother. Or, there was that trip to Vegas when I wouldn't give him back his Ben Fold Five CD, so he pushed me into the wall. Who could forget his interest in WWF and the need to try the Undertaker's moves on me? I also remember how I thought it was funny to try to dig my nails into his arm when we were stuck in the back of the car heading to NY. Then there were the times that he was jamming with friends on guitar, and I begged to listen, forcing myself into a little corner of the room.

Yet, for every time we annoyed the crap out of each other, there were also moments of brilliance. Haha. I remember writing scripts with our neighborhood friends to film our own skits (we'll briefly forgive Jared for TAPING OVER ALL OF IT) or perform medleys in the family room. We were also very creative at coming up with games to play on our many road trips. For some reason, we decided that it was fun to play "hotel" and pretended to be working at registration desks, using our pillows as imaginary computers. To this day we have no idea why that was entertaining.

Jared and I are different in a lot of ways. He has an unfailing respect for art - music, film, fiction - and his highly formed opinions have always interested me, even if the specific subject matter is not my taste. He's Johnny Cash and John Williams. I'm Elvis Presley and Taylor Swift. He's Robin Hood (the Disney Version) and Ed Wood. I'm Lilo & Stitch and Almost Famous. But I think about how many times we have been able to share a common interest and how I'm never thinking about how I wish I could have a better relationship with my sibling. When Jared went with me to see the film version of Mamma Mia (it was my second viewing), I remember being so happy to hear him laugh at the same moments and find he actually enjoyed something I already loved so much. And years before, following a discussion of "Fraggle Rock," I talked about how great it would be if they made stuffed animals of the little characters called Doozers. The next day, my brother came home from work with something that had just arrived in stock - my very own Doozer. Over the years, we've seen countless Broadway shows together and have discussed strengths and weaknesses of each. Again, he's Sweeney Todd. I'm Hairspray. What we would be if not different and yet the same?

When I think about my brother, I'm reminded of some of the worst moments too. Those times only include when I've had to say goodbye. Leaving him before heading to Miami for school was terrible, and walking away in southern California (not once, but twice) was equally difficult. However, just knowing Jared is a phone call away makes me smile. It was Jared that took me in a large circle, driving around Los Angeles on my first weekend as a resident, and, in a couple of days, it will again be Jared that drives me around LA, this time visiting some of the places that I've missed sharing with him (yes, even when I drag him to Fred Segal). We'll recall inside jokes, that we have completely forgotten how they came to be, and we'll definitely be playing some Rock Band, hoping to get through another difficult track.

I'm looking forward to standing next to him as he gets married. I'll be the Best (Wo)man for the best friend I could ever have. It's true you can't pick your relatives, but I'm damn glad he has been there for me.




"All I need is my buddy."