Bad Sister

It's my brother's thirtieth birthday today, and he's alone at work in Vancouver right now. He was supposed to be visiting my parents but he couldn't take time off because of a deadline.

I didn't get him anything; he's planning to move to Japan so he didn't want anything heavy, and I don't know what he likes to listen to or what video games he plays. I didn't want to just get him something for the sake of getting him something, so I ended up getting him nothing at all, which is kind of sad in that it's nice to get presents, but in some ways an inappropriate or unwanted gift is worse than no gift at all. Or so I tell myself. I hope he doesn't mind, or think I don't love him or think about him, because I do.

He's not happy in Vancouver; it's not working out for him. The weather is miserable, he doesn't love work. I worry about him. In some ways I wish he had moved to Toronto instead of Van, so I could see him and keep an eye on him and take care of him. But in some ways (most notably geographically, but also culturally, I think) Vancouver is closer to Japan, which is his goal and something I want him to achieve. So maybe it's best that he's there and not here. But I still miss him terribly.

I love you, Dave. Happy thirtieth.