Saturday, December 24, 2005

My thesis: Everyone is Someone Else. And I think I'm losing it.

If you know me or my sisters at all, you know that according to us, no one is themself. Everyone is a combination of several other people. And I'm not talking about the natural, logical phenomenon of children resembling their parents. Let me explain.

For instance: if Karena, Liane, or I watch a movie, alone or with each other, we are bound to note, and remark aloud, that someone in the movie looks like someone else. They resemble someone famous, or someone we all know personally. This is a strange family trait, which never ceases to annoy certain other people, I think. I mean- I think it took our husbands a little while to get used to this. No one is themself. There is no unique, original person. Everyone reminds us of someone else. Or a mixture of several other people.

Today, in a vain effort to cheer me up from my strange eyeball debacle( see story below), Brad was showing me some clips from a video blog he found. It was amusing. Kind of a mild form of a Brendan Leonard type thing, if you know what I mean, but not as knee slappingly hilarious. It's this one guy, Josh Leo, a twenty-something student in Grand Rapids, MI doing things like strapping a camera to his head and showing you his world. Or talking to cows and sheep in Germany, asking if they had video blogs.

Brad commented that he looked like, or reminded him, of Brandon. Yes, he does look like Brandon! Remarkably so, in fact. My habit has rubbed off on Brad! He has caught on! I would say that he looks 75% like Brandon, about 3% like Tim Fulton and a few percent like another history major in my class at Saint A's- Ian Brown. Huh. Then we said that he looked a little like Wesley. Maybe 4% worth. And I also thought he reminded me a little tiny bit of Andrew. And then- another Aldrich came to mind: Ryan.

So I mentioned this to Brad- " He reminds me a little of Ryan Aldrich." "Brian Aldrich?" "No - RYAN." "Who's Ryan Aldrich?" "You know! The son of Floyd Aldrich!" "No! Who's Floyd Aldrich??" "He's a brother of Andy and Warren Aldrich..." ( Although, now that I think of it- is he really their brother or their cousin?) Brad still didn't believe me. He's like: " Yeah- and the brother of Hank and Phil Aldrich. Riiiiiight!" I laughed helplessly. Hank and Phil Aldrich! " You know-- Floyd and Anne..." "No!!" I almost started doubting their existance myself. Desperately, I struck again..." Do you remember Amy Aldrich?" "What? Who's Amy Aldrich?" "She's their daughter! She's blonde..." No- he doesn't know Amy Aldrich. How can you NOT know Amy Aldrich? He thinks I'm making all these people up! He doesn't believe in Floyd Aldrich! To say nothing of Ryan Aldrich- the guy who started this whole thing.

Help me! I need validation! Tell him this family really exists! It does! I feel a little bit like I'm in, " A Beautiful Mind." Have I been imagining this family all my life?

11 comments:

Loreo said...

I'm always saying people look like other people, too! What is that, an urge to make it a small world, after all? Egg nog fudge sounds amazing, Brad!

pennyjean said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Booker said...

Ryan Aldrich is a real person. He was one grade ahead of me and gave a meeting at a youth convention as a senior. All he did was read from an "inspirational" sports book. It was funny :)

Mrs. RF said...

Ryan and Amy's Dad is Floyd, who is Andy's brother. thus making Ryan and Brandon cousins.

Is there any of that fudge left???????????

CARmelo said...

isn't Amy aldridge the one who performed in the play that one summer....and when she had to make this dramatic enterance she dramatically tripped...but kept on going...like a TRUE PROFESSIONAL...that is my memory of this Amy Aldridge.

melrandall said...

If they do exist, they will soon have hundreds of bloggers at their doorstep, knowing their entire family tree. haha...

no, I concur they they are for real... though Ryan kind of blended in with Brandon and all those other random "olda boys" of convention days.

Anonymous said...

Yes, Virginia, There is a Floyd and Anne, and Ryan and AMY ALDRICH!

Booker said...

Merry Christmas!!!!

Anonymous said...

I, too, can confirm, for what its worth, the existence of Ryan and Amy Aldrich. Said persons are counted among my first cousins. Last time I spoke to Ryan, he was working for the Air Force at a facility in remote Texas doing highly technical engineering things he wasn't allowed to tell me about.

lis said...

Of COURSE they exist! :O) Thanks for the laugh...

Kate said...

umm yes, I went to conventions with Amy Aldrich. She is tall and blonde and I have pictures to prove it. Her brother's name is Ryan but I don't really remember what he looks like.