It’s funny how relationships change throughout the years. When my brother, Will, and I were little, we played together contentedly, usually lost in our own dreamworld. Rarely was our harmony disrupted. Yet on those rare occasions, our bickering was fierce. For instance, I would not tolerate being bitten by Will who was prone to doing that when overly excited or upset. I would explode with rage whenever he gave into that particular compulsion. Some things I did would set him off too–and justifiably so. You may not be surprised to learn that I induced him to eat mud pies. Doing so wasn’t such a bad thing, especially since I would partake of the delicacy myself; however, I once compelled him to drink a potion of various perfumes made for little girls. I secretly hoped it would turn him into Mr. Hyde. But no such luck. Instead, he became terribly sick. Isn’t it a good thing my parents never let me have a chemistry set?

As I was saying, we were each other’s best friends throughout our elementary school years. As we grew older, we spent less time together and more time with our other friends. Our separation grew even greater after I went off to college. While we were cordial to one another during the holidays, we hardly spoke during the remainder of the year.

Things have come full circle. After spending last weekend with my brother, I can say our relationship is on better footing than it has been in years. He and his roommates were gracious hosts. They made us feel welcome from the start. They also kept us very busy. We traipsed all over Portland, starting at the Pittock Mansion, then down to the rose garden and through the Saturday Market. While downtown, they pointed out the federal courthouse thinking that I would have some sort of professional interest in it. The building was interesting. It was graced by a gigantic sculpture arching above it. Apparently the architect referred to it as the “eyelash of justice.” I snickered heartily at the concept.

Probably the most entertaining part of our visit was the trip to the bowling alley. I had only been bowling one or two times in my life so it was a novelty for me. My brother and his roomies turned out to be bowling whizzes. They had participated in a league and Will had even won a trophy at a tournament. Despite our different levels of experience, we all had fun. I’m sure the vast quantitites of beer we consumed had something to do with it.

The best part of the visit was our long talks. Frequently, the conversation was about computers–which wasn’t surprising considering 4 of us were die-hard computer geeks–but also the conversation would turn to personal issues–what we wanted out of life, our dreams, hopes and fears. It was wonderful.

Robert and I went to a Mariners game on Wednesday. I had only been to one other baseball game in my life. While I enjoyed the experience–there was quite a bit to see–I decided I would never become a big fan of the game. I need something fast paced to keep me interested. There was a lot of “down time” which stretched the game out for four hours or so. Perhaps my disappointment had something to do with the fact that our home team lost. Or it could have been that the game was just boring. I was also annoyed by the mascot. Who would have thought that a team named the “Mariners” would have a MOOSE for a mascot? A sailor boy or pirate or sperm whale would have been far more appropriate.