#32 You look good nude

Growing up I was more often than not Eric’s unwilling straight man. He was always funny. I would say he was born funny, but most stories of Eric as a baby involve him crying from a series of ear infections, so I guess it started a little later in life.

Many times my Mother was Eric’s accomplice in practical jokes. Or was it the other way around?

I am the only person in my family who values sleep. The early bird gets the worm, and who the hell wants a worm? I’d rather have a dream, or 2, or 20. In this case, the early birds played practical jokes on the worm. Wait, did I just call myself a worm?

Once my Mom sewed my pajamas to the bed while I was sleeping in them. I’m not sure how I didn’t wake up, but I didn’t. Eric didn’t actually do the sewing--thank you Mom for not letting him near me with a needle--but I’m sure he was involved somehow.

My Mother also short-sheeted my bed. Luckily, she also taught me how to do this which came in handy in summer camp.

Another time when I was sleeping in as teenage girls do, my mother sent Eric to wake me. He did it from behind a chair, lion tamer style.

There were other jokes that didn’t involve me sleeping. When I was in high school we finished the third floor of our house. There were 3 rooms and a bathroom up there, and I moved into one of the rooms. Eric and my Mom got Rain-X and with it wrote “You look good nude” on my bathroom mirror. Imagine my surprise when I got out of the shower.

Apparently my Mom also made a checkerboard on her bathroom mirror, but my Dad got so mad she had to fix it. As far as I know, my bathroom mirror is still complimenting the current owners.

As an adult, Eric was the funniest person I knew. For Mother’s Day last year he made a plaster cast of his hand, painted it and sent it to my mother; just like he did in pre-school. He even labeled it, “Eric, age 32”. It was hysterical. It was, of course, a joke, but now it is also a bit of a memorial. Who knew he would never make it past 32?