My brother-in-law is the most annoying creature to walk the earth. He just stayed with us for a week, and I am very glad he is gone. Part of me wants to think it's mainly because I'm possessive of my boo :), but I know this is not the only reason: when Mark's twin and his family visited, I didn't feel this way. And I certainly don't feel like this when Mark's sister visits. No, the problem is Mark's brother: a crude, negative, bossy person. I just never realized it before this past week.

I really hate having to say this. But if disliking one of your inlaws makes you a bad person, I think everybody I know would be going straight to Hell. This is just the first time this has happened to me personally. And I feel really bad about it, because I don't want to hurt Mark's feelings. I didn't even tell Mark until yesterday, when I basically invented an errand for myself to escape the house, and Mark suggested I take his brother along. (The shrieks in my brain at this I cannot describe.) So I have to talk to him about it today. The fact is, Mark's brother is incredibly negative and complains or naysays everything--and when he does compliment something, it's always with surprise. He has lousy taste in movies (National Treasure, anyone?) and constantly denigrated our taste in movies and TV. (Also, he refers to movies as "flicks". I wanted to kill him.) He kept trying to tell Mark and me what to do in our own damn house. He came home every day before four o'clock, so I only got to practice once last week (and I have a competition in less than two weeks, with all new music!). (Okay, maybe this wasn't on purpose.) He belched constantly, and showered like once in a whole week, and put his bare feet on our ottoman, and our coffee table, and played with my Christmas cactus with his toes. Oh my God. Why is this ever acceptable? "Make yourself at home" does not equal, "Leave your dirty socks on my living room floor". You know what? Nobody treats me like this in my own house. And I let him get away with this why? Because he's "family", and I didn't feel like it was my place to say anything. Humph. Now I'm mad at myself for not saying anything.

I have New Year's resolutions! But I need to recuperate a bit first.