My brother Joel, hat, shades, head in a daze!

Tonight I head off for my younger sister Steph’s [poorstevie] wedding at Copa, Copacabana!

I’d been at uni for a few years before Steph started and I imagined when she started we’d be all like, hanging out and I’d be like ‘Here’s the good pub, let’s chill at my sweet share house’, but it took her about three days into O-Week to be like ‘Argh! There’s a dude I like!’

My only previous experience with Joel was seeing him in a play in which he wore roller skates, and then one day I was walking across the library lawn with Steph and Joel came bounding up and uttered a phrase I have forever mocked him about:

Hey babes, what are you doing tonight? Wanna come along to Fret Fetish?

I think there might have been more babe talk actually. Let’s add this:

I’d love to see you there babe!

That sounds about right.

Because I am a cynical, heartless bastard, I was all ‘That is the dude? Um … interesting …’ 

After a few needless bumps at the beginning of my relationship with Joel, aka J-man, he has not ceased to make me laugh, which is one of the most important things a person can do. 

I’ve seen him fly over bike handles chasing a laugh.

I’ve also seen him allow my sister to spoon him standing up, while his friends stand around mocking him, which suggests to me that he must love her a lot.

 He doesn’t mind me being the third wheel, indeed he’s even gone so far as to include me in some dirty text messages so I really feel part of things.

He’s helped my mum dig things and build I don’t know how many random stone structures which seem to take her fancy.  

Mostly though, Joel is ceaselessly and whole-heartedly optimistic and I’ve seen his attitude cause a massive change, for the better, in Steph.

I never don’t enjoy myself hanging out with Joel and he’s stepped in many a time to help me out with my disasters. He is one of my main homeboys and I am super, mega, totally excited that as of tomorrow afternoon, he is also my brother.