I recently sent SJ a postcard that looked like this:
It said something like:
Dear SJ, how are you? I saw this postcard and I thought of you. Isn’t it funny AND pretty? Roosters aren’t supposed to be pink! Ha ha ha ha ha! Anyway, that’s all for now! Is this your first postcard? Love, Uncle Joe.
Sure, it’s not the most gripping postcard ever written, but she’s 3. Play to your audience. I thought it was fun.
I hadn’t heard about it from my brother, so I asked him. This was his response.
YES. And then he sent me this.
Some days you just miss the shit out of your family, you know?
Last week my brother sent me this song and it is my new favorite song of all time forever. Please enjoy it. Although, this track—also sent by my brother—might be my favorite cover since Travis covered “Hit Me Baby One More Time” and Bonnie Prince Billy covered “Am I Demon”.
Sienna listening to Monster by Last Gaga: the big bad wolf got her heart out of her throat. And he ate it. And he is a monster, and there is another monster who ate her heart. And they shared. Because they’re nice. And they both like eating hearts. Yeah.
Last weekend I went to California for the wedding of my dear old friend Sean to a woman I had never met but who seems quite lovely. The wedding was beautiful. It took place outside at a bed & breakfast in Fort Bragg, CA, a little town along the coast about 3 hours north of San Francisco. They had llamas and dancing and vegetarian food and lights and the whole thing was really nice.
I didn’t take a single fucking photo of that bullshit.
Instead, I took a bunch of photos of my brother’s young family at their house in San Rafael (which any person from the Bay Area will know is pronounced “san ra-fell”). Take a look!
I think the photos are nice. Nothing crazy special about them. I am totally in love with my niece Sienna though. My favorite moments of the trip where when she’d come in and wake me up on the sofa. “Hi, uncle Joe.” “Hi, SJ.” “Did you see my doll?” “I do now, SJ.”
Here’s a good example.
And then I got this e-mail from Leah.
Subject: Sienna misses joe.
When I just put sienna down she asked me to tuck her in like a baby burrito and call her SJ.’ Then she said ‘why did uncle joe have to go back to new York?’
Reference: the first night there I read her a bedtime story and then tucked her in and told her I was wrapping her up like a baby burrito. God damn, don’t you just want to smother her?
Yesterday my lovely sister in law Leah gave birth to her second daughter, named Corinne Katherine Dillingham. Originally due on my birthday (6/17), she decided she was sick of being cooped up in Leah’s womb and thought that yesterday was a good time to emerge in San Francisco. My sort-of sister in law Beata works at the same hospital as a nurse and excitedly came online to IM me that Leah was going into labor and that she was SOOOOO EXCITED and had to share since Cha was still at work.
Well, then I got all excited and texted my brother and Leah wishing them “Good luck with the hatching!!”
He replied, “The alien will come out through the ribcage.”
To which I replied, “Catch it before it burns a hole in the floor and kills everyone else, Ripley.” Then I requested photos. Which he sent! Do you want to see?! Of course you do!
What a lovely family.
Welcome to planet earth, you crazy little shit. You’re in for a wild ride.