family – Page 44 – hannah ananas

My very own “Pretty Woman” scene

You know the iconic shopping scene in “Pretty Woman”, where Julia Roberts tries on loads of fabulous outfits, and it just plain looks like a photo shoot? Right, well, if you don’t, I suggest you get on that cultural tidbit, because it’s fabulous. Anyway, so I remember a Cameron Diaz film having a sort of spoof on the scene, and, though I was somewhat unimpressed by the scene, I noticed a sense of something nigh to jealousy… envy with a little something more. I want to do what they were doing. I want to have my own BFF fake photo shoot at the clothing store, trying on amazing outfits, my subconscious cried.

And I’ve always remembered that, though I’ve never remember to do anything about the silent wish I’d had that day. Tonight, as I was thinking of this one particular store where my family has shopped occasionally for most of my life, – it’s a discount outlet-type high-end clothing etc. store – I recalled a particular jacket that my cousin and I loved. And then I remembered how we had both put one on in the store, and taken photos together. And then, like a rush of memory, I recalled a whoosh of different pieces we all had tried on together, and the loads of photos we took. We had done our own “Pretty Woman” clothing store photo shoot, and I hadn’t even noticed. Why? Because we were just being ourselves. We were attempting to recreate something we’d seen elsewhere. We were just doing our own thing, being silly and fancy with high-end discount clothing etc. and having a wonderful time.

How cool is that? I had hoped one day to copy the scene in my real life, but knew that it would be always that: a copy. Instead, I got the real deal, and we had an actual spontaneous in-shop clothing photo shoot together. Wicked. I love life. And family. Especially family.

Post-a-day 2017

Song chat

When we were kids, my cousins and I occasionally would speak song lyrics to one another, as though they were lines in our conversation. There wasn’t much of a goal, besides turning songs into a conversation, but it was way fun. “Copacabana” and “Baby Got Back” are two notable songs we used for the game/pastime. I miss it, actually…

Just give it a try, using a song whose lyrics you and a friend or friends know well. As silly and simple as it may sound, it can be way fun.

Post-a-day 2017

Missing…

I miss my bed in Japan. My bedroom, especially, is one thing I miss most these days. It was a haven for me. No matter what kind of chaos or boredom lurked in my life, every night, my bedroom awaited me in calm, open, and empty space… in beauty. I shut my doors, and was safe in my retreat from everything else. Only love and blessings were ever allowed into my bedroom. I wasn’t even allowed to walk in it if I hadn’t recently showered. Clean clothes, my ukulele and ukulele music, my nighttime books, and water and tissues were just about all that ever went in there, aside from a clean me and my bed.

My bedroom now is slightly larger, but filled with boxes and stuff… a sentimentality to which I am not so sure I still want to cling. I think I am afraid that I will forget the memories, if I get rid of the objects. I do not, for the most part, want the objects, but the memories and the ways I felt. Without the objects, what will remind me?

Post-a-day 2017

Oh, to be a lion…

I love “The Lion King”. And I mean this not as the average, casual use of the word love. I mean it in a deep down, somewhere inside of me is pulled by it kind of love. Toward my core, that is why my love for “The Lion King” resides. And it draws me.

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be part of that circle of life, as presented in “The Lion King”. Certainly, I want to be a living part of it, but I want to be over there, actually in it, as opposed to over here, living in the regular world full of buildings and suits and such. I want to live with the lions in Africa. I want to be one of them, an honorary member, so to speak. Sure, our diets don’t exactly line up with one another, but that would be part of the beautiful balance of it all. I would love them, they would love me, and no one would be stealing anyone else’s food. Perfect.

Anyway, I realize how silly or odd this might sound. I get it. That in no way changes the desire I have to be part of whatever that magical world is that is presented in “The Lion King”, both the film and the stage musical. Perhaps it is that beautiful balance of power and majesty, combined with belonging, love, purpose, and community. Whatever the case, I have daydreamt of being with the lions for decades, and am still working on how to make something like that happen.

Roar.

Post-a-day 2017

Happy Houston Astros Day

Today, as declared by our mayor for the city and our governor for the state, Houston Astros Day in Houston and in the entire State of Texas. Cool. Good job, Astros. We’re proud of you guys. We went to the parade and saw glimpses of the guys up on a fire truck or bus. We’ll have to watch it all again, but on a screen, and actually see how things looked. We knew we’d see likely little today, but we went more for the environment and togetherness and coolness of the event. I heard my name called from a tree above me at one point, and I was invited into the trees by a student from a school where I once worked here. And that was totally normal behavior for today.

Oh, and we were on the news, and we didn’t even try to be. If I had been all smiley, I likely would have been interviewed, too. It was too hot, and the wait between the parade and the ceremony was too long, for me to be smiley naturally, especially with a drunk guy shouting and smoking right next to me. It was a good day, nonetheless. The ladies standing behind us filled us in on all the details of everything relating to the Astros, and one of them gave me an idea to help me with the bracelets I make (totally unrelated to Astros, but relevant for the two bracelets I wore today, and the others I’ve made and make). I ate with some nice Venezuelans after all the parade stuff, and learned about the stars on their flag, and that tú is more common than usted, and that it is reversed in Colombia. I shared my table with three young people around my age. And I actually stood up to get their attention and to offer them the sharing of the space. They were grateful, and I was happy to have helped. We didn’t chat quite like the Venezuelans, who had previously occupied their seats, and I did, but that was okay. They were still nice, and my mom finally showed up soon after they sat down, and I interacted with her mostly, then. Yeah, it was a unique and good day. After such a lame situation with our public transit as today was, Houston will take seriously the benefits of it, and make ours real, instead of minuscule and only occasionally somewhat helpful.

I went straight to bed when we got home around 6:30, and slept for about three hours. Now I need to shower and go to bed for real, for the night.

I passed this car, when I was walking to the bathroom and restaurant/store where my mom and I ate after the parade festivities. The chalk was just sitting in a chalk box in the hood of the car. These guys decorated a bit quickly, and then ran back to their car on the street (traffic was incredibly slow). More people were walking up to the car as they left, and those people then began adding their own decorations to the car, using the provided chalk. This was so Houston.

My new goal is to befriend someone on the team. Think it’ll happen anytime soon? 😛

Post-a-day 2017

La Traviata and the World Series

Tonight, I celebrated the Astros’ World Series win with a small group of people that included, but was not limited to, doctors, homosexuals, teachers, Romanians, and a temporary Houstonian, who is a godsend in the opera. I didn’t really know any of them – we all just love music, and opera specifically. At each intermission at the opera tonight, the screen typically reserved for the supertitles and announcements about Houston Grand Opera, displayed the score of the Astros-Dodgers game. During the curtain call, one of the leads showed the latest score on his hands, to relieve us all the worry. And, when a small group of us gathered for a ‘behind the music’ miniature interview with one of the performers, the game was discussed. The performer has only been in Houston a couple months, but he was as excited about the game as anyone else. And, when the official interview had ended, and we were all chatting, and the game ended, we all celebrated together like friends. And, in Houston, that is normal enough. And, I found the company to be so truly a representation of our town, that it made the win that much better. In Houston, just about anyone can talk to just about anyone. You look at groups of kids, and even people my age and up, and they’re often from all over the world, either directly so or by heritage. In Houston, we are diverse and we are loving. (This is person-to-person, not car-to-car, you see – people tend to forget that a car contains a person, so cars get treated way differently than people who are face-to-face.)

Anyway, I began to wonder if any of the players on the Astros team were actually from Houston. I’m not so sure any of them are from Houston. And, while that is a bit odd, seeing as Houston is celebrating their victory, it also is rather fitting. Houston is packed with people who are originally from it. People regularly come to Texas, and find themselves never wanting to leave (though, I know that this is my always the case). We are the most diverse city in the USA, and that can be observed not just walking the streets, but in looking at our baseball team. Those guys are from all over, just like the population of our city. I find it kind of cool, really.

Anyway, yay, Astros, and yay, for the fabulous operatic baritone that is George Petean!

Post-a-day 2017

What’s next’s what’s next

I have been worrying lately about my future. Every time I aim to figure out how to steer my career for the long term, I end up somewhat sad and upset, and totally uninspired. Thinking about this this weekend, I had the sudden obvious realization that I don’t have to know my long term – I don’t have to know what’s next after what’s next. Just one what’s next is good enough. It’s better than good enough – it’s actually great. Ideal, possibly. Yes, I have all sorts of ideas for my future, but they don’t need to be solid, set in stone now and forever. Every year, my dad is ‘about to retire’, and that’s been for the past decade, I believe. And yet, he’s still chugging along happily (mostly happy with it, anyway) at his job. And he’s one of the most plan-y people I know when it comes to work, finances, and career choices.

So, if I go for this now, I can be looking for what’s next while doing it. I certainly know that I end up becoming a new, different person after every phase of this or that, so how could I possibly know now what the future, new I will want most? Though I have my amazing moments, I’m not God, so I don’t know all.

I guess it is kind of just a slightly altered perspective of “What About Bob”’s baby steps. Worry about this room… then, when I’m in the hall, think about that hall…, and so on and so forth.

Yeah, I’m down with that.

Also, Brad Paisley was interviewed by Jeff Foxworthy on the radio this evening, and it was delightful in an unexpected way. Find the recording, if you can. They now plan to write a song together, as a result of the interview. I’m looking forward to it. 🙂

Post-a-day 2017

‘One Spanish-speaking Boyfriend, please’

I said to myself yesterday that I needed a native-Spanish-speaking boyfriend, or else a native-Spanish-speaking friend, because I need Spanish in my life, and I need to use the language more than I currently do (hardly at all).

Tonight, at dinner, the waiter, who might also be the manager or owner or something, brought over to our table a handsome-looking young man, probably right around my own age, and explained that the guy knows very little English, and, if I would like, would be willing to work with me on improving my Spanish, if I would help him learn English. And no, I hadn’t told him about yesterday’s declaration.

Isn’t life awesome? 😀

To give a little context, – the waiter was not being crazy or anything, with his suggestion that the helper and I work on language together – I had asked the waiter, after interacting with him a few times in English, if he would speak to us in Spanish from now on. My mom had studied Spanish in high school, and then briefly in college, and has had plenty of interactions with Spanish in the years since then. I spent a summer in Spain while in high school, and had just used Spanish all over for a couple years after that. So, while it could be difficult at times, I figured we could handle it.

The waiter was delighted at the request, and instantly spewed out fast Spanish. My mom told him almost immediately (in Spanish), “But you have to speak more slowly, because I am a gringa.” (It’s essentially a term for foreigners.) We all laughed, and he acquiesced.

As the meal went on, the waiter would pause and chat with us here and there. He moved here from Mexico when he was 17 or 19 (I forget which), and don’t even know how to say ‘please’ in English. To help himself learn English, he watched the American movies, and had on the English subtitles, and action I fully approve and support, and which I have done plenty myself. He also spoke of how strong the Spanish-speaking community is in Houston, and that I need only get involved, and they will turn me into a Latina. He learned that we are not studying Spanish; that I speak Spanish, but just never use it; that I just lived back from Japan; and that I just have no friends here who speak Spanish. So it made sense that he brought over the guy later. And it wasn’t weird.

When we left, a while later, I gave the young guy my number on a napkin.

Post-a-day 2017

Ninja Stuff

I went to a ninja gym yesterday, and I felt very out-of-place. I was not uncomfortable, but I felt how disconnected the people in this place – this place, even – and I were. I also saw how I wanted us to be more connected, to be connected. There were plenty of things, obstacles, that did not interest me, of course, but there were significantly more that truly struck my interest. However, given that I am currently so out of shape as I am, – no, not fat, just not very fit right now – I really wasn’t able to do much with a lot of the obstacles. I envied the fun my brother had just in attempting so many of the obstacles. I want to have that kind of fun.

And so, my goal is to do some sort of upper body exercise every day (not too hard, but just enough to make habit of it), get a pair of gloves (because I am SO uninterested in having torn up or rough palms), and go back again when I feel I would have even the slightest chance of succeeding at some more of those obstacles at that ninja gym. Also, I am considering a go at some CrossFit gyms, to test it out. I might only be willing during the cooler season, but that’s better than never for something that strongly interests me (I live in Houston, recall.).

That’s what my plan is at the moment!

Post-a-day 2017

For the common good… -ish

I was thinking about death last night (It makes sense, I promise.), and I came to an interesting idea. Someone was discussing how she couldn’t understand why someone so amazing as the friend who just died could die. Why would God take away someone who brings so much to the world? she asked, rhetorically.

And what came to mind almost immediately, was, ‘Because it was time for that good to spread.’

Now that that person is gone, all of the people in her life who found her to be spectacular, now have a sense of powerful, willing obligation to carry on a This or a That from her life. This way, although this one person only impacted so many people directly by living, the desire to keep good in the world drives those people to carry on her good to others, directly affecting more people than she ever even met. Whenever we lose someone we love, it is common and natural for us to carry forward consciously and intentionally something that person would say or do in life. We already do a good amount of that unintentionally, of course, but the death of a person affects us in a different way, often calling us to even note inpactful action in our lives. And so, losing someone so wonderful can almost feel like the world saying, ‘Okay, it’s time to increase this good influence on the world exponentially.’

Kind of cool, I think. It’s an idea, nonetheless.

Post-a-day 2017