both of our names end in ACK

Cast of Characters:

Smart Sister's Brit Husband is British, but has lately become enthralled with American politics. He even thought (maybe is still thinking) about becoming a US citizen [insert collective *gasp* from all of Great Britain].

My Smartass Brother is a smartass. Heh. That's how I came up with the clever moniker. His actual first name is Jack (which is also the first name of three other members of my immediate family. Appalachia who?)

My Smart-Ass Nephew is 21 and very much the same as My Smartass Brother, but in a much smarter way, and is actually Smart Sister's son, not My Smartass Brother's son. Picture college student who spends a lot of his time reading things like The Aenid (for fun, not for school) and listening to Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin.

So Smart Sister's Brit Husband sent the following email out to his very proper British family, me, My Smartass Brother and My Smart-Ass Nephew. And really, anything that puts his proper British family in contact in any way with my family? Even tangentially? Sort of a mistake. We delight in our impropriety.

From: Smart Sister's Brit Husband
Date: Mon, Apr 21, 2008 at 3:57 PM
RE: Me and Barack

What do Barack and I have in common? More than you might imagine.

1. we were both born in August 1961 (I'm two weeks older than Barack)
2. we each have a parent born in Kenya.
3. we went to junior high school in Indonesia.
4. we both were separated from our families at age 14 for better education.
5. we have two children, one of whom is age 9.

Hmmmm......

Hmmm, indeed.

So My Smartass Brother writes back:

From: My Smartass Brother
Date: Mon, Apr 21, 2008 at 4:02 PM
RE: Me and Barack

I would vote for you for Queen of England! How about a spot of tea?

And then replies again 20 minutes later:

From: My Smartass Brother
Date: Mon, Apr 21, 2008 at 4:29 PM
RE: Me and Barack

Do you know what Barrack [sic] [oh, putting that sic in was mean, I know, but still, I'm leaving it] and I have in common? More than you might imagine.

1. Both of our names end in ACK
2. We were both born
3. We each have a parent that was born (my mother, my father was just here all along)
4. We both went to JR. high school I am sure the educational similarity stops there.
5. We were both separated from our families at age 14 (him for education, me cause I ran away)
6. We have two children, but……my wife has three including me.
7. Last but not least, did I mention that both our names end in ACK?

You need to get a job or a life or something, how much time did it take you to research this wealth of commonality you have found about yourself and Barrack? [yep, still misspelled, and yep, still pointing it out, hehe]

And then I realized he was replying all (like, including the British!), so I responded (only to the Americans):

From: katydidnot
Date: Mon, Apr 21, 2008 at 4:29 PM
RE: Me and Barack

jack! stop replying all! the british people reading this are basing their opinions of americans partially on this.

And then, weighing in, in a way that only he can, My Smart-Ass Nephew:

From: My Smart-Ass Nephew
Date: Tue, Apr 22, 2008 at 9:29 AM
RE: Me and Barack

sick burn

I can only hope he referred to my sick burn in pointing out that My Smartass Brother had replied all. However, My Smart-Ass Nephew is a little smarter than all of us, so I can never be totally sure.

PS-Yes, I totally had to Google Barack to verify the misspelling. Awesome.