my family's a bit like that - not suicidal, but not very... forthcoming. I've given up on being taciturn since moving to the southwest, where things seem a lot more open and honest. I now have no problem with hugging the stupid lot of them, even though I know it makes them feel awkward - and the other habit of the SW, massive over-indulgence in booze, has given me the power to break down their barriers via the medium of alcohol whilst still remaining sufficiently compos mentis to remember their outpourings in the morning. Feels a lot healthier, aside from the hangovers...

Glad your bro's still on the right side of the turf.
( Happy Phantom has been to Hastings, Brighton, and Eastbourne too, Tue 24 Aug 2010, 2:03, Reply)