Do you ever think your family should have its own sitcom? I remember watching Malcolm in the Middle with my family and thinking the events going on off the screen were more entertaining than what was being shown.

On my trip to California to visit family this weekend, I had those same thoughts.

My dad is this larger-than-life man who loves to party and apparently dreams of becoming a hard-core gamer. He's instantly everyone's best friend, but he has NO MUTE BUTTON. His reactions to Planet Earth in the video are his reactions to everything, all the time.

My brother is amazingly weird and creative. He sees no need to leave home, since he's always dreaming up his own worlds for himself and his friends to explore whether it's as DM in his role-playing campaigns or quiz-master of the stairs.

My mom is always complaining about something, usually about other people who don't embrace positive thinking. She can go from being the classic caring mom to saying the most off-the-wall stuff ("Do anyone else's eyeballs feel REALLY BIG?") that makes everyone do a double-take.

I don't know how I fit in. The serious but awkward elder child doesn't make for great comedy, but I guess you always gotta have a straight man as foil to the madness. And since my brother's not straight, I'll fill those shoes (even though I'm not a man... this analogy's not great... I'm going to give up on this now. Just watch the video.)

I had a great time in California. I love my family so much that it's no wonder I think their quirks are more fascinating than any made-up character on television. I look forward to seeing them again soon... just not TOO soon.

- Katie, @therovingreader