Weekend has come and gone. I am still getting used to this whole not have to go to work thing. Pretty strange. Anyway, we went to my brothers, for a "summer bbq." It's really funny to me, because my brother and I have never been very close. Everyone always marvels at this fact because we only have 3 year difference (he's older) and everyone always expected us to be huge friends. But the truth is, we are super different people, always were, even as kids. Besides he thought that it wasn't

"cool" hanging out with me, so anyway, we ended up going our separate ways, having different friends, and everything. Even now, he lives in the city, I live in suburbs (so far. But who knows, lately I really miss the big city's feel...). My brother usually had a girlfriend per month. I still don't know whether it was because he was so picky and swicthed them like that, or because they couldn't stand being with him for too long :) But then, just about the same time when I met Mike, he met his current girlfriend, and surprise surprise, they are still together, and actually she moved in with him. My mother is crazy about her, and wants my brother to marry her desperetely. (Especially since I am married now ;) But what's funny, ever since he met Mike now he tries to include us in his little parties, which to me is still as alien as the moon. I simply couldn't see a situation where my brother could invite me to a party where I'd be so honored as to hang out with his friends. Well with his current girlfriend, it's all became much easier, she's really nice and just right for him. So we went to his place, which is actually right down town, very very nice, though terribly expensive - you pay for location of course, more than the actual place. He had a wide variety of people there. Now, I am normally a very shy person who is afraid of big surroundings and dealing with new people. But of course with the help of some alcohol, it wasn't so bad. We met couple of really interesting ppl too. One girl had a full time job being a psychic. So she sits home and just talks on the phone to various ppl who ask her such trivialities as love, (mostly love), job, etc. I don't know how much she believes herself taht she's actually "helping", but as most of those things, it costs about 2.5 bucks per minute to make such a call, so she makes a living easily. It's always amazes me what people wouldn't do to not feel lonely.. what kind of money they'd pay only to hear someone who listens to their problems. Very sad, if u think. I mean if I have love problems, I call my best friend :) And even if this chick was a real psychic, I wouldn't want to know my future. I firmly believe that if there is such a thing as fate, you can always change it. In Jewish religion (I'm not that religious, but I know the basics ;) - it actually says that on the New Year your fate for next year is being decided, and on Yom Kippur it's being sealed. Well New Year and Yom Kippur are 10 days apart, and so it's presumed that during those 10 days you get a chance to bend your fate. But actually even if something was sealed on Y.K., you can still amend it in various ways. So anyway, again, I am not big on religion, but I like this idea. I don't like being some sort of a blind sheep and saying well, if the psychic said this will happen, then that's what I'll do. But back to the party. We had a great time, and ended up playing w my brother's laptop, where he downloaded just about every band I know of , album by album in mp3, and he also has this program that does corresponding lights to rythm of the music. So u listen to the music and look at TV and some weird colors flash by. Pretty cool. So I guess you could say my brother and I are becoming more friendly. Not like we ever were in any fight, of course, just.. never were close. I sure hope he sticks to his girlfriend.

Otherwise... going to swim today in Randy's swimming pool. Who hoo!