Law Students

Meet the Parents?

My family is odd.

Yes, yes, I know. Every family is odd in it's own right, etc., e tc. But still: odd. Smart sometimes, interesting always, but distinctly and irrefutably odd. Not creepy, usually, though my assessment may have been tainted by years of growing up in a household where "Infectious Disease: Symptoms & Consequences" is a normal topic for dinner table conversation.

We're science-y people (except me, obviously. I am the black sheep.). We win lots of science fairs, and think home-made chemistry magic shows are a pretty good idea, even if you can't get that purple smoke out of the kitchen. We have weird pets, as a resul t of NoSis's penchant for animals, and NoDad's tendancy to think even porcupines are "a pretty cute little bugger."

They're fun, but sometimes, they can be a little socially awkward.

Why the sudden family reflection? Because Darwin, bless his heart, has made the long voyage out to meet The Family Nobody.

Since he's never been anywhere that people don't like him (guess who's taking care of all the charm in this relationship?), I felt the need to prep him: "see, they show their affection through verbal abuse. I'm not kidding. My family pet name was Snot Rocket until junior high- and I didn't even do anything to earn it."

Naturally, Darwin's been a champ- trooped around with my i njured and on narcotic pain pills sister, chopped up some wood with my brother, fed some dead rats to the owls (yes, visiting the home of a professor is kind of like visiting the zoo), played with the dogs, poked at dead snakes with me, and didn't bat an eye when the topic of bowel movements was batted around over lunch. Seriously. Award winning.

In case you were wondering what a wild and woolly weekend at Chez Nobody looks like: here is What We Put Him Through...A Photo Essay:

This is who we hung out with................................

And sometimes this guy.........................................

And this is how we coped with that............... ..........

And this is where we hid out.................................

Full post as published by Thanks, But No Thanks. on October 22, 2008 (boomark / email).