Monogamy Knows No Bounds-

Today I learned that my older brother is to be married. Taken by itself, this is a giant pill to swallow. Those of you who know my brother and his current situation will know that this is an entire bottle of opiate pain killers, chased with a bottle of Jameson's Irish Whiskey to swallow. (No pun intended)

Things with my brother are complicated. The short story, he is a self proclaimed drug addict living with a recovering meth addict who greatly resembles Skeletor. The long story, she is the boyfriend of his ex-drug dealer (who has lupus) and claims to recieve messages from God. Not exactly two parts of an equation desting to culminate in a healthy marriage.

Sadly, as I age, I seem to be developing a moral compass. One part of me likes to think that marriage is an inevitable step towards good. Marriage forces a man to embrace responsibility, to take hold of that innate quality lying dormant in all men to provide for those whom we love. Already there have been changes. He works multiple jobs in order to care and support for the woman and genuinely seems to be happy. Having a meth addict around is also a sure fire way to garuntee to keep the house tidy. The other flames up in ire, threatening the beat the apparent hell out of his Ethiopianized body in a last ditch effort to beat some sense into his mescaline soaked brain.

As you can imagine, the parentals aren't really keen on the idea; Mom has a fever for three days and the old man has taken to disappearing for hours at a time. Their response was so cold that he in fact left the house weeping. Ultimately the decision lies in their hands. While family should invariably carry some weight in life changing decisions such as these, if there is one thing I have learned dealing with self-destructive behavior. Change will only come to those who want it. One can not force someone else to change, the desire to do so must be heartfelt, genuine, and voluntary. And lets face it; a man who agrees to dye his beard the same color as his beloved's hair(a hideous shade of magenta, for the record) and allow said fiance to sign her love bites is pretty much in it for the long haul. At least the wedding will be good for a few laughs...