I Saw My Brother Yesterday

Hi!  I'm Jake!

Yesterday morning, I drove about 220 miles, from Austin to Grapevine, Texas. Last night, I drove back to Austin. 440 miles. 14 gallons of gas. I didn't have a gig.  I didn't make money.  I wasn't showcasing for a comedy club. It cost me about $60 in gas.

There was no profit- but I was truly rewarded! My brother Andy had a business conference in Grapevine that ended yesterday. I picked him up.  We ate waaay too much barbecue. We walked around Grapevine, Texas' downtown.  Tried to walk off all the food we just ate. We looked at a couple art galleries. We peered inside a log cabin that was relocated and preserved for tourists to examine. I hope they do that to my apartment someday.

It was just a nice day.  I hadn't seen my brother since Thanksgiving. I usually only see him once or twice a year.  So, it was a bonus that I got to see him in the state where I live.  Plus, he bought the barbecue!  You can't beat that!  Anyway, here are 3 Things I am Thankful For because I Saw My Brother Yesterday:

1. We got to share the joy of Texas barbecue!
We ate at Hard Eight, a barbecue joint I went to a couple years ago in Coppell.  I remembered the amazing menu. So, when my brother told me he was planning on coming to Texas, I immediately checked to see how far his hotel was from there.  Ten minutes, easily worth the drive. It would have been worth driving another 30 minutes.

My brother and I ate a pound of barbecue- each.  We had brisket- of course.  That's a Texas specialty. We had jalapeno sausage. We had bacon-wrapped shrimp. We each ate a pound of meat.  I told him ahead of time to make sure he was starving before we went there.  He was. Then we gorged. It was delicious.  We also each got creamed corn.  Texas creamed corn is different from that canned crap. In Texas, they use actual cream. It's so good! I had some beans too. Andy didn't have room.  I probably wouldn't have either, but I took a 5-minute break and made some room!

I didn't eat dinner last night. I barely ate breakfast today.  I am just now un-full.

My brother had never had Texas BBQ before.  He had Dickey's and barbecue from some of those other "Authentic BBQ" places.  But everybody who knows barbecue knows that Dickey's and pretty much any place in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Massachusetts, Washington State, etc. doesn't know jack about barbecue. So I got to see my brother have real barbecue for the first time. You just can't beat that. I'm thankful.

Plus, he paid.  I'm double thankful!

2. We had small talk and big talk.
Andy and I walked around Grapevine's downtown.  We had a few hours before his flight.  That was enough time to hang out, but not enough time to do an extensive activity.  So,  we walked off some of the barbecue.

We talked about a lot of things ranging from Hard Eight's amazing barbecue to the paintings we saw in the art galleries. There was a lot of cowboy art.  We saw a couple paintings of old-timey fighter jets.  Our dad would like those.  We saw a painting of popcorn.  That's more my mom's style. We saw some paintings we're surprised were even hanging on the wall. They weren't graphic or obscene, just maybe a little amateurish.  That's cool, though.  At least they're trying.  I've hung paintings that shouldn't have been in the public eye either.

Then I told him about the video I made when I proposed to my fiancee.  Just retelling that story makes me kind of emotional- and I am typically not very emotional!  It was cool to share such a happy moment with my brother.  I haven't really told too many of my family members about that moment yet. When she said yes, that was one of the happiest moments I have ever had. Sitting there in the shade telling my brother about it made me happy too.

Imagine if he hadn't flown into Texas yesterday?  Imagine if I was so tardy I just didn't come?  I have been that kind of a irresponsible letdown before.  I made it yesterday, though.  I am so glad I got to have that moment with my brother.  I'm thankful.

3. I'm far away from family and my fiancee.  Seeing people I love in Texas makes me feel more at home.
This subtitle is really all I have to say about this one.  I'm in a strange town.  I have met some really funny, really cool comedians. I do have some friends here.  However, I left a lot behind in Colorado.  My family is scattered across the country.  Now, I am too.  Even my fiancee is over a thousand miles away. I miss her daily. So, when a family member comes to my state and I get to see them, it makes me feel a little less alone. Maybe the world isn't so big after all.

I used to see Andy every day.  I took that for granted. I got to seem yesterday, though.  I am truly thankful for that.


Well, I know I have written some more sensitive entries lately. I swear I will write a silly entry tomorrow. I'll write about poop or something.  Remember me?  The poop guy?  I'm still here. I did poop a bunch yesterday.   I guess I'm thankful for that too. You eat that much food and you don't poop?  Well, you've got problems.  I ripped a lot of huge farts yesterday too.  So, don't leave!  I'm still immature!

Cool.  Well, as always, I'm thankful you read my blog. Come back next time for something less mature.  Tomorrow I start my Northwest tour.  I'm headlining Grit City Comedy Club in Tacoma, Washington.  I'll be thankful if you make it out there!

Bye!  I'm Jake!