My Brother, My Sister & Phillip Seymour Hoffman

My brother is probably my best friend, Sis is my lifeline, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman is one of my top five favorite actors of all time.

Have you ever listed on a sheet of paper how you see yourself in one column and how you think others see you in another column and then tried to reconcile the two? It is an interesting excerise and very seldom do the lists match.

I've always looked up to my brother. I've always wanted to be him. He is very intelligent, successful, quite good looking, a ladies man. Pretty much everything I see myself as not being, except maybe the intelligent part. He was once picked by the now defunct Oregon Magazine as one of the top ten attorneys in the state. He was the first attorney to sue a rapist in Oregon in "civil" court and win a judgment for the victim. He had a solid law practice in Portland until one dreadful case that sent him into severe depression. The lack of justice in that case caused him to quit the law and move to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to become an outfitter. He became successful at that too. One of two outfitters that could take you on a guided tour through The Grand Teton National Park. After six or seven years he gave up outfitting and went back into law, now having another solid law firm in Dubois, Wy. I don't think he has failed at anything.

My sister I've always loved because she always sees the good in me. Sure we disagree on politics, not even close to thinking the same way. However, the two things I am sure of it that as long as she is alive I will never be homeless and that I could be Jeffrey Dahmer and she would still love me.

Yesterday I was on a confernce call with my brother and my sister to discuss a matter that pertains to all of us. Just like any conversation it took on a new life and turned to movies and actors and actresses. When I mentioned that one of my favorite actors was Phillip Seymour Hoffman. My brother's answer just stunned me. My brother said "Every time I see him he reminds me of you. Not how you look but how you are, you are offbeat like him, have his sense of humor, down to earth like he appears to be, intelligent like he is." Sis chimed in "He does remind me of you but you are much better looking then he is. But like him you have always went to the beat of a different drummer. Quirky." See I've always thought my brother and sister thought of me as the annoying little brother that needed to be told how to dress and how to do a myriad of other easy things. It was an eye opening conversation and I was kind of really pleased they view me as that way.

Just want to clear up a couple of things. First, I don't look like Phillip Seymour Hoffman. I am more of a combination of Van Johnson and Gomer Pyle. Second, I'm not offbeat I'm just the only normal one.