Have a Holly Jolly Christmas - Oliver McMaster

So, I take my nephew Eli into town today. He's delightful in all the stores. He loves book stores the most and  wanted to pick stuff for Brandon and the others. They were mostly unfitting but he means well and they'll think its cute.

But this isn't the story. I come home to find Jack pinned against the wall by some samuri sword wielding Chinese lady, shouting Mandarin or something at him. I stuff Eli in the closet and charge across to help.

I manage, one bloody shoulder later, to pin the girl to the floor, but it's taking all of my strength. Jack calls my brother, who is very angry that this lady put his son in danger. He hauls her off and its revealed she's bleeding and as Jack was trying to fix her when she woke up and freaked out. And murderous. It escalated when Brandon showed up. She flew into a fit of rage scrabbling across the floor to get to him. It took ALL of my strength and then Jack too to try and hold her back.

We had to call Cody because she clearly didn't speak English. When he was there, he said she was speaking ancient Chinese, at least 400 year old dialect. He made out the words "Dragon. Kill. And honor."

So we tied her down with the industrial cable rope we use on me, and Jack was able to stitch her innards up. We found on her person the exact same watched as Brandon's. There was only one. There was a giant  slice across the stomach.

We thought maybe (because the house wasn't full enough) Lola's presence would help. And it did, she gave Brandon a tongue lasing for having Eli in the closet.She also gave the girl a blood transfer (being matching). The girl calmed slightly in Lola's presence, and with Cody's help, trying to speak to her she stopped shouting enough to drink water. When Eli came out and ran to his father, the girl calmed more. We're thinking we need to keep her contained until we get someone who speaks dead Chinese. Until then, it takes two of us to move her into the bathroom, two of us to re-restrain her and I'm not sure how Christmas is going to work with her in the middle of the living room.

Keep you posted on the strange woman.

Oliver McMaster

Scatter Brained

My brother is the best, though a bit scatter brained.

Rosie has always been the baby to him, someone to protect, and usually has a keen eye for what she's interested in. And for the most part he's got it down pat, Rosebug likes astronomy and is a bit of a geek in one way. So for Christmas he got her an telescope and all this astronomy stuff. But She's getting to the age (9, nearly 10) where the girls in class are wearing more make up and boys are supposed to be appealing.

I think its hard for her to fit in I think. Cody is a big influence on her life. She wants to be strong like her big brother, but he like's strange things and so when she wears the rob Zombie shirt to school, thinking its cool, the other kids make fun of her. I remember when I got teased at school, and hell hath no fury like my brother slighted. We never lacked a protective figure in our lives.

In any case, he's not really noticing Rosie's interest in more feminine things.For example, she had friends over the other day, just two girls for a play afternoon and they were asking Sketch and I to do their make-up and hair for them. Which came as a surprise to Sketch.

I'd noticed it earlier in the fall. More than noticed it. She came home with me one day crying. One of the girls at her school had called her clothes ugly. I have a feeling Rosie won't be a popular girl. I didn't tell Cody, but I did go to the school myself and talk to the teacher who was really nice and encouraged children to wear what ever they wanted. I learned that it was the French class that the insident happened and the french teacher is less inclined to the black scary t-shirts Rosebug likes to wear. I've been asking around to the 'girls' Allie, Lola, Sketch and see if they can't give me a hand, or hint at their boys to get Rosie clothes or gift cards.

I guess in that way Cody and I are different. He's the big defender. When bad stuff happens he will be there no matter what. I've defended Rosie before, instead I get to be the helper. The in between the big events and helping with the little things. Like when Rosie has questions about the birds and the bees, I was the one to help her, or even when she was younger, when she's scared, she comes in to my bed.

Really though its not much different from what Cody did. I used to go in his room all the time when I was younger, even up when I was fourteen and stuff. And when he was gone at school or work, I would sleep with Rosie in his room. I guess with me getting older, I sort of took over his roll as he strived to get financially independents and now that he's got the business and we don't live with mom anymore, we're able to sort of relax in our roles, and he gets to ease up on one role. He's the best brother I could have ever wished for.

Rosie will get some nice clothes, and maybe a little play make up. Keep her out of the baby/power blues though >_<. She has a pierced ears already, she wouldn't be our sister if she didn't have a piercing.
***

Came back from shopping with Sketch and Lola. They were kinda excited, because they got to show for Ash and Eli as well. Sketch I guess has sisters but they're older and but Lola doesn't so they had fun picking things out.

Anyway, Cookie baking for the upcoming Christmas Party.

Cheers

Jennifer Sulman

Buff - Oliver

I'm pretty sure that I'm not allowed to go to most buffets. Jack, Cody, Brandon and I are busy bees these days. Each of us are off doing our own thing and its harder to hang out. Christmas is coming, so we've been looking into the big winter get together. I miss hanging out with them, and while I have Allie, she understands when I say I miss hanging out with the boys.

So we went to a buffet last night. Sans kids, sans siblings, just the four of us. I'm not saying I'm nostalgic for the old times, they were sad, dangerous times where way more people were trying to kill us.

Jack and I talked about school, Brandon and Cody talked about work. We talked about the dry spell on adventures we've been having and finally being able to get work done. Of course I'm never short on adventure, at least once a month, give or take a few days. Brandon has found the solution to keeping me out of people's kitchens and that is by buying a huge portion of land in Siberia. The land was sold to him by another, kindly clan who was sympathetic about not harming people. I haven't tried it yet, but I know that I won't have to worry about bears or tigers, they've avoided me in the past.

But I digress. I got to eat like a champ of course. Cody is the only one who really tried to compete with me. Brave of him. He got five plates in before he finally loosened his buckle. One more plate and he gave up. I did ten, before Brandon noticed the manager watching me. Ten plates in a lot. But I'd just had my night of stomping around and roaring so I was due to restock.

Cody suggested we start hitting the gym together again. I think I might take that up. Its fun and he likes having a spotter. I need to get out a bit too. I mean school is frigging awesome and I'm glad I'm doing firefighting over what I'd originally wanted. I would have been good at it but I'm better at helping with my strength over my mind. Hands on kinda guy.

I need some books though. I will go visit the book store too and fill my bag full of something new.


Oliver McMaster

“Let all ye who search for justice draw nigh and get screwed.”

Bath Water - Brandon

Hired security.

Though you wouldn't think it for looking at me, that's what I am. I work for the wealthy. Not the wealthy you hear about in news and tabloids. Those people so wealthy you just don't hear about them. Waiters know them. They come in and eat their food quietly and pay cash. Cold hard cash, without flaunting it. Some are more ruthless than others.

This wasn't what I was getting at. My business with the security of my family. I didn't used to be so prosperous. I didn't used to have family so close. I didn't used to have the security.
My problem is not with my past, and the days as a child soldier.

It's my son, Eli, second birthday. Two. Two years old. His mother's passed, and I barely even know who she was. But I have this little boy. He came on my door step at six months. I thought he was Cody's or something. He's the wild one. Sort of. I suppose Eli is evidence of my wild side. Heh, I still remember the look he gave me when I accused the son of being his. But Eli was mine.

That's been the hardest part of my life. It was easy for me to love my brother and sister when we found each other again, we had shared pain and suffering, and memories. But here, here was this new thing in the world. My past is buried in blood and I was so scared that I was going to hurt him. But my family, the old and the new have helped me through those worst times. I still struggle with the idea that I have this little boy.

He took his first bath today, by himself. I sat outside the door just in case, thinking. I worried if my little boy was going to fall down and crack his head. I worried if my little boy was going to be stolen from the tub. But the whole time he sat there playing in the bubbles and with his rubber duck.

He made a song up too, out of tune but still a song. He rarely speaks, though I know he speaks well when he does. He just sits there with a big smile and listens.

It will be okay I suppose.

Brandon McMaster

Redirect - Jack

I'm turning this into my blog, at the behest of a friend. Its been generously given to me by good friend.
I've tried this once before but it was shut down and I didn't feel like continuing. It will be operated on by my other three companions so feel free to read if you like.

My name is Jack Brandy. I was born in Ottawa to Evangelical parents. I ended up agnostic. My Faith was something I struggled with all through high school and even to this day I some times question it and how much I should believe. But I like to think, I cannot believe so devotedly as my mother and father. I know too much about the world, and I cannot be so trust worthy of a God.

I do have hobbies. I like metal music, and classic rock. I like a little Jazz to but not enough to be really informed by it. The reason I like these genres is because I love the drums. I started when I was thirteen and it helped me through my hardest times. When my anxieties got the better of me, I'd go to my friend's house and play. My parents hate it. They think its a sin. I did take piano lessons, and I was okay at it. I can still play most classical songs, but they don't have the hammering weight a drum set carries. It takes the whole body to make some music.

I go to school. I'm in University, doing my masters in Psychology. I'm hoping I'll get to operating my own practice one day so I can help people who suffer from anxieties. I have a good number of them, but most predominantly, acute anxiety disorder, often resulting in panic attacks.

I have lots of help. Not from my parents. My sister tries to help but she's busy with her life and is a little more devout than I. I have my best friend firstly. Cody Lucas Sulman. He's a good guy. There is also the brothers. Lola, my girlfriend, and a handful of people from my past, from darker times.

So with that, I start this blog anew.

Jack E. Brandy