I guess starting a post with a title like that makes it look like Matt died or something. He did not. He is alive and well, to my knowledge. In honor of Mattie and our new year, 2010, I considered listing 2010 things I love about my little brother. However, this would be a herculean task and I bet that no one would finish reading it even if I did manage to complete the list. Instead, I will shorten "2010 Things I Love About Matt" to just "10 Things I Love About Matt". Ready?
1. He's super talented. He's a self-taught musician skilled at several instruments and I'm totally jealous. I wish his music career would take off because he deserves it more than many of the "artists" already in the music industry today. I'm so proud of his accomplishments and I listen to his songs all the time, both originals and covers, because it makes me smile.
2. We can just quote for entire conversations. Whether it's Family Guy, Friends, Empire Records, or Big Bang Theory, we can have a whole conversation basically just quoting lines and phrases from TV shows and movies. And it's always funny. Even when it's just done in a random social situation, like at a family gathering for instance. One of us can throw out a line and make the other laugh; everyone else will roll their eyes and Mom will go, "What? Are you guys making fun of me?" I love it because every line is like a private joke between us and it's fun.
3. He's a great uncle. For someone who has spent virtually no time with infants during his life, he's really good with Kaden. He may not change diapers or bathe him or anything, but he loves spending time with him. It's great when he interacts with Kaden, and it's adorable when he tries to impart musical talent in my 4-month-old son.
4. He's fun to play games with. It seems like a simple thing, but believe it or not, it is not fun to play games with just anyone. Matt will play board games, card games, video games...it doesn't matter. He's good at all of them, he catches on quickly, he follows the rules, and he's a formidable opponent. I love game time when Matt's involved! Right now, I really want to play Beyond Balderdash...
5. We're buddies. I think it's really cool that we are mortal-enemies-turned-friends. I love that we can confide in each other and be honest without worrying the other one is going to get all butt-hurt. As he mentioned in his post, it's awesome that at a family get-together, we're more than just a face in the room - we are always excited to see each other.
6. He smells good. The statement stands for itself.
7. He's not afraid to do his own thing. He didn't go to college and he wants to be a musician. Many would scoff, but that doesn't bother him. He's living his life, having fun, working hard, buying the things he wants, and he doesn't care what anyone thinks about that because it works for him and that's all that matters. He thinks a lot about the future, dreaming big and making plans to help those dreams come true. What will he be? A musician? A screenwriter? I cannot predict the future, but as a scientist, I can reach a conclusion based on observation: he'll always do what makes him happy, regardless of the pressure applied by family or society in general. Good for him.
8. He's a good seed. He stayed away from every evil that high school peer pressure could have introduced him to (but then he went and got those tattoos...(yeah, Mom, I was making fun of you there)) and he doesn't beat the elderly like Paul W did. Good boy, Mattie.
9. He said I could be in his movie. Awesome. Even if I'm just the Turkey Cashier.
10. He's a romantic. I guess that might seem like a strange thing to say, but he learned to be such a sweet guy from listening to my sister and I complain about all of our boyfriends to him. He's kind of like our protege and I think he turned out pretty good. I like that he treats girls the way that girls should be treated.
This concludes my list. Matt, you're the best brother anyone could ask for and I hope that I never have to move far away for too long. Thanks for your blog, thanks for being awesome, and thanks for not posting that piñata picture of me on Facebook...
