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Every year I go through the same thing. Every year it cracks me up. Every year I am reminded of what an Uber-geek I am when it comes to this Lord of the Rings stuff.
Ever since we've been throwing these parties for Bilbo's (and Frodo's) birthday, we have to get a cake. Ok, some years we just bake a cake. But I tend to veto the home-made cake part because I LOVE the idea of buying a cake and having the bakery person write on it. I LOVE sharing that part of my Uber-geekness with people. "Oh, yes, of course we get a cake every year! And we ALWAYS have them write on it!"
The BEST part of all of it, though, is the face of the bakery person. It starts sort of confused and then morphs into a look of awe.
"BEEL-boh?"
Yes, Bilbo.
"One-one-one?"
Yes, one-hundred and eleven.
"WOW! That is amazing!"
At this point I just smile, why ruin the person's excitement with a trivial fact like Bilbo is a fictional character from a novel written over 50 years ago?
As I walk through the store to the checkout I get more looks of awe and wonder as people see that I am carrying a cake for someone who is turning 111 years old. Don't hate me, but I revel in it.
I can only imagine what their faces would look like if they knew the truth . . . ;-)
LOTR fans unite!
What is one of your favorite lines from the movie?
Mine is the song Merry and Pippin sing in the Green Dragon:
NOTE: If you know what I mean when I refer to Middle-earth, and you consider yourself a Tolkien uber-geek, then read on.... (If not, then come back in a few days when I will be posting a delicious recipe for a Cuban Pudín de Pan or Cuban bread pudding). ;-)
You would think that for all the fuss we go through that it's a family member's birthday. And I guess in a way it is. Every year on September 22nd, we celebrate Bilbo and Frodo Baggins' birthdays.
I know. Uber-geeks. But I've read The Lord of the Rings Trilogy multiple times to my kids, even before they were born. (because my uber-geekiness knows no bounds.) =D
I started the tradition of having the birthday party for Bilbo when they were young and hey, this is the kind of stuff we homeschoolers live for!
I am going to spare you the pain of sitting through an entire waste-of-time movie but which has one brilliant laugh-out-loud scene, which doesn't come anywhere near redeeming the entire thing, but that's not important right now.
THE original suggestion was a simple one. PerHaps we can have AN end-of-summer barbecue for our residenT yOung thespians. They're here every Friday anyway. Maybe we can watch a Movie, too.
Ah, but you know what can happen to the best laid plans OF mice and men...
There was festive twirling: And yes, THEy were all in costume:
(Our neighbors don't even comPlain anymorE: "Those DaRbys are at it Again, Fred," they sigh.)
We set up the big screen outdoors to watch the musical melodrama that set the theme for the night:
My kids looked cute in a disturbingly-scary-creepy way:
There were about two hundred people at my brother-in-law's memorial service. I've never seen a chapel so packed out for a funeral. All of them came to the reception afterwards. I took this photo after about half had already left. Yes, that's Shawn Green, the baseball player, in the middle of the room. Who didn't Rafael know?? More importantly, who didn't know and love him? It's quite a testament to a man's life when so many people show up to pay their respects at the end of it. He was the life of every party and the very Cuban heart of our family.
This is why we'll all miss him so much:
This is just the first 4 minute segment of a fifteen-minute tribute video beautifully cut together by my talented Amy. The song: *Lo Que Esta Pa Ti (Nadie te lo quita) by Willy Chirino (*Loosely translated - "What's meant for you, no one can take away")
Karen:
You'll never get this many people to come to my funeral.
Michael:
Oh, Karen, I'll come. And . . . you know . . . I'll bring a date.
~ from The Big Chill
There's so much to see and do in Hawaii. Particularly on the island of Oahu. There are people on just about every corner and in every hotel brokering their own "Experience the Aloha" type sightseeing trips. It's very important that you "Experience the Aloha" and there are tons of tours available to see the Dole Pineapple Plantation, or Hilo Hattie's or Hanauma Bay or the Polynesian Cultural Center.
We experienced NONE of the above Aloha, we just rented a car and "experienced the Aloha" - OUR WAY. (a pair of Aloha rebels, that's what we are!)
Eric's choice: Let's go see the big waves on the North Shore. It turns out that the Billabong Monster Energy Pipeline Pro was in session and the waves were BIG. Double overhead big. So fun to watch.
There is nothing sweeter than watching the perfectly shaped waves of the Banzai Pipeline. It was quite the amazing show. We hung out long enough to take over 100 pictures and weasel our way into the pro photographer's area. (God, I love my camera! ;-D)
NOTE: There are two classic surf movies which will totally make you salivate for the waves here: Endless Summer(1966) and Five Summer Stories (1972). (we always watch these before going to Hawaii to get psyched up and listen to the soundtrack from Five Summer Stories, arguably one of the very best soundtracks EVER, but that's not important right now.)
To be able to experience the North Shore on a day like this was absolutely magical and my surfer husband was completely satisfied with this moment or just "stoked," in surf-speak. What an amazing, magical day. (Thank you, God.)
Part two of our own personal "Aloha Experience" involved a 4-wheel drive Hummer taking us on a back country tour of . . .
(wait for it. . .)
Movie locations! That right there is what I call uber-geek heaven.
This is the back country where they film LOST (we hiked around Hurley's golf course and climbed the hill where Sayid and Shannon get the signal from Danielle, the Frenchwoman in Season One, and sat on the same logs where Ana Lucia kills Godwin, - and, no, we don't have tv so how is it, you're wondering that I know this stuff, well, I blame Helen for starting me on this addiction, but that's not important right now. =D). Our appropriately geeky tour guide, Jeff, would show a movie clip and point
out where in this valley they had filmed the scene. He let us get out
a few times and hike around and experience being, well... LOST. (so awesome. =D)
This is also the location for the films: Pearl Harbor, Godzilla (yes, we stood in the giant lizard footprint - what a moment!), Windtalkers, and Jurassic Park (which, by the way, is one of my very favorite books of all time, but that's not important now,either).
Here we are, "Experiencing the Aloha" - in our own inimitable uber-geeky way.
It's a new year. And while I don't actually make resolutions, I always feel like the new year is a new beginning. A blank page. A do-over. I always have that thing in me that wants to do more, act nicer, learn things. I always want to be a little better. I think it every time. Every new year. Maybe it's because I'm Cuban. And we are a perpetually hopeful people.
Or maybe it's just because I'm an optimistic dork. It's ok. I know I am. And I make no apologies for it. ;-)
The song, 'Abriendo Puertas' belongs to Gloria Estefan, translated it means, 'Opening Doors.' The doors all belong to my big, fat Cuban family (except the last one, which is from Christmas Vacation). The video production belongs to my talented daughter, Amy - it's a segment of our family Christmas video from 2005. The sentiments belong to me. =D
Here's to a happy (and hopeful) NEW Year!
Como después de la noche
As after the night
Brilla una nueva mañana
Shines a new morning (x2)
Así también en tu llanto
So also in your weeping
Hay una luz de esperanza
There is a light of hope (x2)
Como después de la lluvia
As after the rain
Llega de nuevo la calma
A new calm arrives (x2)
El año nuevo te espera
The new year waits for you
Con alegriás en el alma
With joys in your soul (x2)
Coro: (chorus)
Y vamos abriendo puertas
And we go on opening doors
Y vamos cerrando heridas
And we go on closing wounds
Porque en el año que llega
Because in the coming year
Vamos a vivir la vida
We're going to live life
Y vamos abriendo puertas
And we go on opening doors
Y vamos cerrando heridas
And we go on closing wounds
Pasito a paso en la senda
Step by step along the path
Vamos a hallar la salida
Were going to find the way out
Como al salir de las tierra
As on leaving the ground
Vuelve a cantar la cigarra
The cicada sings again (x2)
Así es el canto que llevan
So is the song thats carried by
Las notas de mi guitarra
The notes of my guitar (x2)
Como a través de la selva
As across the forest
Se van abriendo caminos
They go opening paths (x2)
Así también en la vida
So also in life
Se va labrando el destino
Destiny goes on working (x2)
Coro: (chorus) Y vamos abriendo puertas
And we go on opening doors
Y vamos cerrando heridas
And we go on closing wounds
Porque en el año que llega
Because in the coming year
Vamos a vivir la vida
We're going to live life
Y vamos abriendo puertas
And we go on opening doors
Y vamos cerrando heridas
And we go on closing wounds
Pasito a paso en la senda
Step by step along the path
Vamos a hallar la salida
Were going to find the way out
Abriendo puertas
Opening doors
Cerrando heridas
Closing wounds
Pregones: (calls) Que en la vida hay tanto por hacer
There is so much to do in life
Deja tu llanto y echa pa'lante confé
Stop your weeping and march forward with faith
Abriendo puertas
Opening doors
Cerrando heridas
Closing wounds
Yo te lo digo de corazon
I tell you from my heart
Que el año nuevo sera mucho mejor
That the new year will be much better
Abriendo puertas
Opening doors
Cerrando heridas
Closing wounds
Abriendo puertas
Opening doors
Cerrando heridas
Closing wounds
No existen barreras para ti
No barriers exist for you
Si te propones seras feliz, muy feliz
If you decide to, you will be happy, very happy
Abriendo puertas
Opening doors
Cerrando heridas
Closing wounds
Que el fracaso es puro invento
Dilemas are pure invention
Ya no me tengas con ese cuento, no, no.
Now don't give me that story, no, no.
We eat roast pig (lechon asado) on Christmas Eve, which we call Noche Buena. We have yuca with a garlic mojo on the side. We fight over the fried, ripe plantains. We hold hands and give thanks to God for his generous provision. We draw names for a gift exchange, but end up getting little gifts (we call those "regalos de arbol" - or "tree gifts") for most everyone anyway. ;-) We put stockings up on our fireplaces. We each have a collection of Christmas potholders we hang in our kitchens every year. My mom used to get Chicken McNuggets for the little kids thinking they wouldn't want to eat the traditional lechon - they all laugh about what a sweet (but ridiculous!) gesture it was. We make and give and drink gallons of Creme de Vie. =D Our desserts include flan, apple pie, turrones, and guava pastries. We set elaborate tables for Noche Buena. We make a Christmas video every year. (We're really proud of that.) There is always a kids table. On Christmas day we eat Arroz con Pollo.
Why?
I can answer that in one word:
TRADITION.
Here we celebrate our Cuban Christmas traditions. Sometimes I think there's nothing better than being Cuban at this time of year. ;-)
One week til Christmas and this right here is the very best part of it all for me: The preparations. The houseful of busy Christmas preparations. The crossing stuff off lists. The anticipation of the happy and surprised looks. Christmas music playing and busy people in the house. The girls call out for us to look at a particular clip they're working on. We call them into the kitchen to taste the batch with the dark rum. Adam is making Creme de Vie for everyone we know - my job is tagging and bottle decorating, which suits me just fine right now. The cookies were labored over earlier by Lucy and Jonathan and their cousin, Cody, at Grandma's House.
Lucy is a goddess when it comes to wrapping. Red & gold paper. Red and golden bows. We're all kind of working on our own contribution to Christmas, separate, yet together.
And then. . . that bouncy Paul McCartney Christmas song comes on and Adam yells out something about the Bunny Hop and the next thing we know we're all bouncing around the living room. Bunny Hop. You know. Step twice to the right. Step twice to the left. Jump forward, then backward. Then Hop, Hop, Hop. In a kind of conga-line formation. We were just doubled over with laughter and could barely breathe, but just kept right on bunny hopping in our formation and I didn't want to interrupt the Bunny Hopping to take pictures. You'll just have to trust me on this.
It was the most perfect Christmas moment. And it wasn't staged or choreographed. But it was like a really great scene out of a really great Christmas movie.
I love it when life just happens. I am so damn lucky. ;-)
We used that song for one of our videos a few years ago. It shows Christmas through the years. Please enjoy. (kudos to my Amazing Amy, once again.)
