I'll Try Defying Gravity

HEALTH CARE PASSED YESTERDAY!!

NOW I'LL ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO GET HEALTH INSURANCE ONCE I'M NOT ON MY PARENT'S PLAN ANYMORE!

NOW I WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO GET IT BECAUSE I HAVE A "PRE-EXISTING CONDITION" (ADD is considered a pre-existing condition. Even though it barely affects my life.)

NOW, EVEN AS AN ACTRESS, I'LL STILL BE ABLE TO AFFORD HEALTH INSURANCE!

NOW I WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT OBSCENE PREMIUMS!

NOW I WON'T HAVE TO LIVE IN FEAR OF SOMETHING SO SIMPLE AS BREAKING A BONE!

NOW I WON'T HAVE TO TAKE A CRAPPY JOB JUST FOR THE HEALTH INSURANCE! (I'll just have to take one to pay all my other bills... I'll still be an actress after all.  XD)

Now, for literally the first time in my life, I can say that my government has created something that will actually help me in my lifetime.

Our new health care system is not perfect. Far from it. We still have a ways to go... but this is one of the few times in my life I can actually be proud to be American in this modern day and age.

My brother has issues. It's not something I talk about often, but they're there, and they affect my life though him. But I've grown accustomed to them... and I've learned to work and live around them.

And then a day like today happens, and I'm just ashamed to call him my brother.

I got home from school late today, because I was at Drama Club. And, you know, the founder and president kinda has to be there for the whole time, and more. So I got home, took off my shoes and whatnot, got a snack, did as much of the New York Times Crossword as I could, and then went into the living room to watch some (TiVoed) TV. Like last night's Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Colbert Report.

Now, until about 6:15-6:30 or so, I have the house all to myself, like I did today. So I started watching the Daily Show at around 6:00. And then my brother got home at around 6:15 like he normally does, and he wants to watch TV while he eats his dinner. (Comprised solely of McDonald's food, by the way.) I ask him to just wait a little while until I'm done with what I want to watch, and then he can do whatever the hell he wans.

He starts screaming. He wanted to watch TV right then and he didn't want to eat his dinner unless he could watch TV while doing it and he had the right to do it since he just got home and I couldn't watch TV until he was done. And then he tried to get into a remote/manual war with me, where he turned the TV off manually, I tried to turn the TV on with my remote, and he turns it back off. I refused to engage him though, so it simply stayed off.

He managed to mostly calm down after that, he wasn't screaming like an animal anymore, but he still refused to let me finish my show. If he couldn't have his "simple pleasures", then, according to him, neither could I.

Fast forward about 45 minutes-an hour later. We're still stuck in the same problem. He refuses to let me watch TV, I refuse to back down. (Part of it is just that I'm stubborn like that... but also, he was being way out of line, and giving in to him just makes it worse.) My mother comes home, and she hears what's going on... and sides with me. Especially when she hears the kind of tantrum he's been throwing.

He flips out again. Crying, and literally ferally screaming, like a wild beast. My mother finally gets him under control but...

I've had it. I'm just... done. I can't put up with his bullshit anymore. I don't care how bad his issues are- he's just so childish!! His issues are bad, but they're not that bad. I'm just... I'm done.

And the best part is that I still have to deal with him until I finally leave for college.