Tag: being silly

Twist

“Miss ——, the look on your face when she walked in was priceless!”

I had told them not to bring her into the classroom, for I would not be able to refrain from saying something. This is the girl my student prepared to ask out, the one he missed yesterday. However, a twist of fate brought them together tonight.

Another of my students is friends with this girl. She is also friends with the male wanting to ask the girl out. So she, when visiting me after school today, ended up discussing with the boy how he intended to approach the other girl. She approved of his aims and methods, only critiquing certain words slightly.

But then she offered an alternative. ‘She’s here right now. I could tell her to come in here with us.’ When that was a no-go on my and the boy’s end, they decided to go join the girl at the basketball game. At the game, my one student purposely sat not next to this girl, allowing/forcing the boy student to sit next to the girl. And he joined in the conversation, as well as struck up some of his own with just the girl.

When my girl student declared that she was coming back to my classroom, however, the other girl said that she wanted to join. And so, a few minutes later, all three of them walked into my classroom. One student already in my room, sitting near me, told me quietly who the third person was walking into the room…

I most certainly made a face…

And, I tell you, it was extremely difficult not to ask anything about what on Earth was going on and what had happened at the game and what the plan was going forward now for the boy student. Not that I typically care much at all regarding my students’ dating lives, but this boy has me invested in the silly soap opera at this point, showing up constantly to tell me it’s progression and his plans for his next move.

As soon as the girl had too leave, we all three exploded. It was hilarious. The female student of mine told me how she was genuinely concerned about bringing the girl with them to my classroom, because of what I’d said about my saying something. Both of my students were on a bit of an edge while the girl was in the room with us all. Their sudden free breathing after her departure was obvious. And, of course, they immediately filled me in on everything that had happened at the game. 😛

So, what will happen next??? Perhaps we shall have another episode of this delightful soap opera tomorrow…!

Post-a-day 2021

I love these kids

After school today, a student came to see me for some test prep help. However, he also came to tell me, ‘My script has changed, Miss —-.’

And so, what did we do for roughly an hour and a half after school? Work on school work? Nope. We did run-throughs of the many possible scenarios that would arise tomorrow when he approaches this girl to ask her out. Actually, it isn’t even necessarily a date for which he is asking. See the rough “script”, as he calls it, here:

Hey, are you S——? I’m ——-. Nice to meet you. I just wanted to introduce myself, because, honestly, I saw you and I though you were gorgeous, and I’d like to get to know you. Would you like to maybe do something together one day after school or maybe next week?

He has prepared for many contingencies in her possible reactions at any point in his “script”. He has practiced plowing through even when he messes up and stumbles terribly (and yes, he does a great job recovering). He is ready for her apathy, her casual interest, her extreme excitement, and even her likely five-girl gaggle. He is prepared and practiced in how he will ask for her number (and why, should she offer a social media option instead), and what he will say once he has it. He has watched a Ted Talk on power stances, so as to prepare himself chemically in the brain – to cause the chemicals of courage! – and will be positioning his body in at least one power stance during the last several minutes of the previous class tomorrow. He has visualized his “perfect game” in the whole scenario.

He has certainly prepared.

Most importantly, though he cares about this and means every word he is preparing to say to her, he also is prepared for her not to accept his request and expression of interest – he is prepared to accept what is meant to be, and he knows that it is worth being courageous despite the potential of denial. Because this prepares him for so much more than merely asking out a girl tomorrow. Life takes courage if we are to live it to our fullest.

I wish him all the best and loads of love and prayers for this courageous event tomorrow. And I look forward not only to seeing it happen from afar – yes, it so happens that it will take place just outside a window by my room – but to hearing whatever he has to share about it afterward. Hopefully, I will hear that roar of delight from him that he expects will be inevitable should he succeed.

Fingers crossed and prayers offered – God, bless him in his endeavours, please. Amen.

Post-a-day 2021

Tum Tumm

I’ve had this drum for almost two years now, and I still am not very good at playing it. I haven’t had any lessons of any kind, because I don’t know drum players (for this kind), and I’m just not an internet lesson person (despite my encouraging others to do it regularly!)… man…, how do I sort out my life enough to be able to do all those internet lessons I have been wanting to do these past few years???

I think part of it is financial security. Another part is the predictability of my schedule and life that usually comes with financial stability and security. That makes the routine possible, and having the routine is something I both want and need for my learning things of all kinds. At present, though, I don’t allow myself the mental space for such things, as there is too much else that is more important that I still need to figure out, versus these things I just want to figure out. Yeah…

Hmm…

I’m hoping Thanksgiving week has drumming in it for me(!!!).

Post-a-day 2021

Way too cold in the bathroom*

One of the greatest experiences of my life is still, on those cold nights in Japan, snuggling into my bed on the floor, the lamp on beside me, next to my book of the moment, and curling into my comforter and wool sheets (sheets, of course, brought from the US for my Ikea full-sized mattress) and fancy, cool-warm pillow (due to the memory foam and the intentionally not-wool pillowcase), after touching the tatami floor with my fingers and through my socks when rushing to the mattress, and shivering that initial full-body shiver as it begins its efforts newly to warm itself. Those moments of first relaxation, cuddled up like that in my bed, so lovingly and cozily held, those are some of my absolute favorite and most fulfilling moments of experience. It is as though, despite all the struggles and pains and aches of the day, as well as those yet to come, those warm and loving arms of my bed were there for me, ready and willing and able to hug and to hold me exactly as I needed, and whether I’d known it or not beforehand.

So, the cold and bitter winter bring back some of the best of memories.

*Which is why they sell the toilet seat stick-ons everywhere for wintertime use. And, of course, they are all different patterns on the fabrics, so they are included in the ridiculously cute nonsense known by all in Japan.

Post-a-day 2021

Happy Halloween

Well, I allowed them to present about Halloween in class, and play the darn song…, and I have since had it repeating nonstop in my head. I know all the words well now, and can even play the song on ukulele… I’m planning to play it on my last day with them as a parting gift. I suspect that they will go wild… I await with extreme delight and anticipation. 😛

Also, I was Ariel on the beach today, my costume. It was spectacular. I even put Sebastian hanging on one of the ropes. I considered carrying around a fork, just to help people out with context, even though she didn’t have a fork in that outfit. But I didn’t do it – the costume as for me, and I enjoyed it thoroughly as it was, no fork, true to the series of events. The few people who realized I wasn’t just terrible at dressing in a toga – but who even would wear a yoga so dreadfully, really?!! – also were extremely delighted.

Post-a-day 2021

Crosswords

I finally made it happen tonight, and I got back into doing crossword puzzles. Yippee!

I messaged the buddy who got me into them in the first place, and we both got on Zoom to do the e-puzzle for the LA Times online together. Started with a Monday, because it has been a while for both of us. Then we jumped to today’s puzzle, a Wednesday, and had a grande ole time. It feels good to be a nerd, and it feels really good to be a nerd with someone else doing the same thing with me.

I look forward to our next puzzle(s) together in the very near future!

P.S. Happy feast day of St. Jude, October 28!! He’s my confirmation Saint.

Post-a-day 2021

Halloween

I dressed as a student in uniform today for the Halloween dress-up day. It absolutely threw loads of people off all day long. It was wonderful.

Remember to stay in touch with your silly side, folks, and embrace the fun in life. We have to be strong and withstand loads, but it all just flows so much better when we remain holistically whole, and we remember to play.

Post-a-day 2021

RKBS and R

It seems like every time we do a lot of Russian kettle bell swings in a week at the gym, I end up with a really sore lower back, and it clamps up on pain unexpectedly at times when I bend over, though not every time, of course. Am I perhaps doing them incorrectly? The coaches and owner always approve of my technique and movement. I always check the boxes mentally in what muscles are tight when and whatnot. And they always feel great when doing them. And yet I end up really sore a few days later. Perhaps it is merely that I am doing them right, and so it is easy in the moment for me to do loads of them. Only later do I discover how much work I really did… not sure yet.

At the very least, my pursuit of the Russian language is feeling much better than my body is regarding the Russian kettle bell swings. This pursuit has proven to be surprising, as well, but it is surprisingly fun and delightfully satisfying. No real pains with that bit of Russian. 😛

Post-a-day 2021

Stickers(!!!)

In middle school, I discovered that my love of stickers could be used I my advantage. I already stuck fruit stickers on me, whenever I peeled them off of my fruit, and the sticker kind of went wherever was most handy on the moment and wouldn’t easily get stuck on something else as I continued moving about in my day. So, that meant usually the backs of my hands or, if in shorts, the tops of my thighs had at least one fruit sticker on any given afternoon. However, I liked the idea of putting stickers in one’s cheek/s, as fellow classmates did (though with normal stickers, not fruit label stickers). And so, I started doing that, too. And then, I started strategically placing the face fruit stickers directly over bad acne spots. I don’t know if others saw through my disguise, but it certainly helped me relax a bit, especially when I looked on the mirror and didn’t see a massive red spot anymore, but a cute fruit sticker instead.

Nowadays, I’m slightly amazed at be fact that the germs of it didn’t freak me out, but I wasn’t so far into the OCD world back then. My body still had much development and hormonal explosions in store for me.

However, I do still stick fruit stickers onto my skin, following my original methods. Today, my arm was closest, so it won, even though it wasn’t the best surface for a sticker to stay stuck. Nonetheless, that persimmon sticker brought me much joy each time I noticed it. There’s something fun in the silliness of having a sticker period, and an extra degree of fun at the fact that it is, of all stickers, a sticker from a piece of fruit.

I love it. And I look forward to many more fruit stickers stuck to my body parts in the future. 😛

Post-a-day 2021

Be supreme

– In honor of your desired night of spirited gaiety
– Also now what is that because it looks aesthetically pleasing

– Frothed, and with the ‘red hot kick’
– Okay wow that actually sounds really good
And that’s despite my deep-seated trauma with fireball
– Well, it wasn’t even technically name brand
Catch Fire, perhaps
Haha
But it was delightful
Oh, and fresh nutmeg on top, because duh
– I mean yea if you’re gonna pull out all the stops then you’ve gotta have the nutmeg at that point
I am now less triggered since it’s not “real” fireball
– Good
Because it was good

…….

I love being ridiculous, and I love when ridiculous people join my life.

Post-a-day 2021