At last, something more exciting than boats

Okay, sorry to mislead, there's no new tattoo.

Yet.

I was going to get it this week, but then I realised that my stock of Christmas leftovers is rapidly depleting which means, God help us, I'm going to have to go grocery shopping soon.

So maybe next week.

Some of my eagle-eyed readers spotted that while I announced that Two Announcements were made during our family's Christmas gathering, I only told you about one. The other big news is that my brother and his wife are going to have a baby. That's right, lo about next July I'm going to be Auntie Nicki.

The funny thing is prior to learning this, I had had discussions with various people about how my brother is going to be a good dad (which is weird, since he's, ya know, my baby brother) and immediately after telling me about the baby he proved it. I offered to take his offspring to London in about eighteen years, and his instant reaction was, "No." "C'mon!!!" I said, "I'll be forty-four! I'll be boring!" Still no.

That's okay bro. I'm going to need that time to ennumerate the many ways in which London is the best city in the world, also, Nelson.

Oh GOD, in eighteen years I'm going to be forty-four. I'm so oooold... Brenda's brother had the same kind of dazed look when he arrived, responding to my greeting of "hiya, Uncle Ben!" with "We're going to be the coolest aunt and uncle around, aren't we?" Heck yea.

So I'm well excited. I do like babies, and I'm glad that there are going to be more babies in our family, since everything is more fun if you have little kids running around.