You know what I love about “Five Brothers and a Million Sisters?” Well, everything. I love that Joe wrote a song about the way we love the New Kids, and the way they love us, and the way we all share a bond that is essentially inexplicable to the rest of the free world. It literally made me cry every time I heard it for the better part of the first year that I had it.
It’s something about the lyrics, the nostalgia of it all…I’m not saying that the only reason I love the NK is because of the nostalgia, it’s just that (as I think I’ve said before), it wasn’t until the reunion that I realized that the bond we share isn’t just with each other because we love them, but with them, too, because they feel the same way. Donnie says this sort of thing a lot on Twitter, but when Joe put it into a song…brilliant!
“Tell your mama and your sister too,
the New Kids are coming back for you
In my heart I knew you’d never forget
But to see you again like this makes me feel
Like I’ll never be alone…”
Exactly. And that is simple and profound, and makes me emotional almost every time. When Joe gets to the title line (especially when it was live & the whole crowd was singing “five brothers and a millions sisters”), I fall into the Joe zone. I lose touch with language. He has a knack for putting this whole experience into words in a way that so few of us can. Maybe our family is a little incestuous, because most of us are attracted to one (if not several) of those five brothers, but…family is the best way to describe the way we’re all connected. After all these years, we’ve grown up together. Most of us are happy for those that are happily married, and enjoy watching the guys as parents. I can only speak for myself when I say that usually my sentiment is, “if I can’t have him, I’m happy to see him happy, and I like her because he chose her.” (To be honest, I’m referring specifically to Barrett because I quite honestly know little or nothing at all about Evelyn.) I can only imagine, though, that I’d feel the same way to people seriously involved with the others, too.
Another semi-recent discovery for me is the “million sisters” part. Someone once said “remember when all you had to do was ask a girl who her favorite New Kid was to make a new friend?” To be honest, I don’t remember such a time. I wish I did. I went to a small private school and everyone knew everyone from kindergarten on. Eventually, it became pretty brutally uncool to like them. When I finally had a chance to make new friends in public school, the New Kids were…well, past their prime. Anyway, that sentiment always stuck with me. I’m envious of girls who had such an experience. Well, now it’s my turn. Thank you, Twitter and New Kids on the Block for giving me such an amazing network of girls who will literally treat each other as sisters. Even when you’re first meeting one, it’s not unusual to see girls referring to each other as “sis” or going out of their way to be nice to each other. Yes, there’s some drama. But I can’t believe this enormous sisterhood. It boggles the mind. I didn’t start using this blog (and the Twitter account linked to it) regularly until a few months ago. It’s unbelievable how quickly I’ve been able to reach out to so many of my sisters, and how quickly I’ve connected with them. I hope the rest of you have found the same such satisfying experience. I’m in awe of our seemingly limitless love for the guys and for each other. You make me proud to be a BH. (#bhpride, right?)
With all that said, there are a few things I want to share with you. Chances are, if you’re familiar with me or my blog, you know I’m a Joe girl, so it’s no surprise this is one of my favorite songs ever. Add to that the way I’ve just explained that it makes me feel, and it’s no huge shock that I keep coming back to the phrase “…a million sisters.” When a friend introduced me to MJ, a custom jewelry designer, a few months ago on Twitter, I quickly decided on the piece I wanted and knew it would say “a million sisters” so I could wear it to NK events as a literal badge of honor. Just in time for Thursday’s Joe show in SF, my ring came this week, and I wanted you guys to see it:
You can find MJ’s store on Etsy, and feel free to tell her I sent you. (Although if you use the same phrase, I know she’ll know!) If you’ll be at Great American Music Hall, be sure to keep an eye out for my bad-ass sister ring! 🙂
One last thing…in my spare time, one of my favorite hobbies is to create cocktail recipes. I often find myself doing this at work on slow Saturday mornings with a friend (hell, we’re the dynamic duo of our workplace). One thing that my drinks all have in common is that they’re named after lyrics or song titles (First Kiss – it’s sweet of course; Second Kiss – garnished with a twist, a little bit spicy; Once Bitten Twice Chai; The Longest Thyme). It was only a matter of time before I created something awesome to call A Million Sisters. I knew I had to make it a drink nearly all of us could enjoy, so it couldn’t taste too strongly of alcohol or use ingredients that might be unpleasant to some palettes…so, after careful consideration, I present to you, A Million Sisters:
In case you’re wondering, it’s vodka-based with acai, cranberry, cherry & pineapple. It is one of the simplest recipes I’ve ever created, but I did that on purpose so that everyone I ever make it for is bound to enjoy it! If I had to, I’d consider it my take on a cosmo, and it’s not sickly sweet. I gotta admit, it’s pretty damn good! And yes – those are Pop Rocks. Now to find out about getting it on the boat as the cruise cocktail…
That’s it for me today. At this very moment, my sistas/NYC girls are lined up outside Joe’s Pub in anticipation of tonight’s show(s). I hope everyone has an amazing time, and for those of you who’ll be at GAMH – I’ll see you there! Love you, familia! If you want to follow me on Twitter, be sure to say hello! Also, you can subscribe to future posts in the sidebar to the left.
9 comments for “…and a million sisters”