Posts filed under ‘Family’
How to Sing “Happy Birthday” in Spanish
The Spanish version of “Happy Birthday” is more poetic than what we usually sing in English. Have you ever stopped to think that the “Happy Birthday” song only contains six different words, including a proper noun? It’s about as simplistic as they come, so here’s a new jingle to learn and practice on your celebrating friends and loved ones:
De las velas las luces
Ellas quieren decir
Que tú tengas, Carlito,
Cumpleaños feliz
The great thing is that, while the lyrics are in another language, the music stays the same. Loosely translated, the “Feliz Cumpleaños” song says:
The lights from the candles
Would like to wish you, Charlie,
A happy birthday!
I know: It’s much more poetic in Spanish, as it lends itself more readily to the traditional tune.
Now all I need is someone to teach me the song in Arabic!
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Self-Psychoanalysis
Me: I mean, just because I’ve been “okay” for a week or so, I don’t want you to get to thinkin’ I’m fine or anything like that.
Former psychiatrist: Don’t worry, Lauren: I would never think that about you.
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Lately, I’ve been following guys around who resemble Alex from certain angles or who share his name. I stop staring and/or following only until I am 100% certain the person I am seeing is not my brother. With this in mind, I had a dream the other night about shopping alone at the Book Stop by the Olive Garden in Humble (now Barnes and Noble and within Deerbrook Mall). One of the book store employees had “Alex’ written in green lablemaker across his name badge. After keeping an eye on him for a bit, I lost interest because he looked and acted like a bit of a schmuck – sufficient evidence that he was not my Alex reincarnated.
I continued through the shelves of text, half-heartedly looking for a few items to add to my John Updike or African American literature collections. I passed the children’s section and noticed a display with Where the Wild Things Are and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and a few other books Alex and I read as kids. Suddenly, a spell of nausea ran over me, and I steadied myself against a row of travel guides. The room began to spin as I screamed out, “Someone help me!” before falling onto the floor and curling up into a ball of panic. No one came to my assistance. And then I woke up.
The problem is that, even while awake, I feel alone and helpless in this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad situation. No one comes to my assistance. No one can. The most I can hope for is the ability to move forward, if even an inch at a time.
Throughout troubled times, I sporadically become childish in my use of body and spoken language. In the dream, I symbolically curled up into the fetal position. I think the desire to return to one’s childhood or infancy reflects a need to be taken care of beyond what is available or even possible. Of course, if I could somehow return to my childhood, Alex wouldn’t be gone anymore, thus further fueling my sense of desperation.
Maybe someday I will grow up and effectively function as a responsible, productive adult. Until then, I prefer to live in a world of crossword puzzles, films, and literature where I stay distracted from the “unbearable lightness of being.”
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The Celestial Trampoline
from an email by Peter Nagy
A time like this makes the most atheist of us wish for an afterlife in which the contaminants that fowled life one are banished. Who knows, the Christian version of it may just be the correct one, although it should contain something more inspirational than the prospects of floating around on a cloud all day and telling God how great and wonderful He is. The recent introduction of string theory makes it possible for small waves of energy to form around a person and to form a replica of his memories and personality. These would remain bonded together indefinitely unless some unexpected force dismantled them. Thus, The Brother may be up there now, leaping off a galaxy-sized trampoline.
Having known The Brother I felt devastated by his untimely passing. I cried on the way to the service, and barely got myself under control as I parked the car. Perhaps we may yet see him again in accordance with the observations above. Alex was too adventuresome to be limited by physical realities. He needed the protective mantle of immortality to pursue his curiosity without harsh consequences. Rest in peace, The Brother. We miss you sorely.
The Lollygabber 
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