For the boys

There are some songs that will forever remind me of certain people and certain events. I was thinking the other day about songs that reminded of me of past crushes and boyfriends, and it kinda made me smile to myself.

Here's a sampling:

1. For W., my seventh grade boyfriend and my first kiss: "Water Runs Dry" by Boyz II Men. We danced to it at a dance and called it our song even though it had nothing to do with our situation. Haha.


2. For F., my on-again-off-again boyfriend in high school, "Anytime" by Brian McKnight. I think it was the "off-again" aspect of our relationship that made me associate this song with him.


3. For M., my first love and the man with whom I had the most complicated and unconventional relationship, "Complicated" by Carolyn Dawn Johnson. We started out as friends, and were/are both experts at denial so it took us AGES to talk about our feelings.


4. For S., a college boyfriend, and good friend now (most days *wink*), "Leaving on a Jet Plane" by whoever sings that song (everyone has). Mostly because I was on my way to Costa Rica in the early stages of our relationship. I chose the video with the Lost theme for him.


5. For T., the man I had a crush on, and who crushed on me at various points during our long friendship, there are two. The first, "Miedo" by Pepe Aguilar for the moments when I was crushing hard and was too scared to say anything. The second, "Nada fue un error" by Coti for after we made out at Shannon's when we were in PR.... Haha.



6. For J., the one who broke my heart like I knew he would, "Te voy a perder" by Alejandro Fernández, because I knew it was inevitable, but I fell into it anyway.

The Colonel

We had my Stinky's retirement ceremony today. C, my sister, arrived as a surprise to my parents. They both cried when they saw her in the General's office before the ceremony.

My dad is amazing. Amazing. He's got this thick Puerto Rican accent, but that man gave a speech that was so brill. He talked about the importance of teamwork, about the stability of institutions that allow us to move in and out of them without losing the vision or efficiency. He talked about God, about Jesus putting everything in order for him. He talked about his small town in Puerto Rico and all the opportunities the Army has given him....



The truth is that my dad came out of nothing. He came from a poor family in a poor town, chasing Army convoys as they rattled past on PR's Ruta 1. I can imagine him running in that dust, under that sun.... And here he is, 29 years later. Nineteen stamps in his passport, medals on his chest, and the knowledge that he was both a good soldier and a good leader.

Everyone told me I had an awesome dad as if I didn't already know that. He's a good man, my Stinky. Hard-working, humble, human....

Anyway, the point is, I'm proud of him.

Insomnia

Songs I'm listening to and want to share:

NOTE: Seriously, don't think too much about these. I'm just enjoying a little music late at night.

1. "Stereo" by John Legend

Frequent readers know that I love this man's eyes. BEAUTIFUL man! I'm a huge fan of this song, too. You know how you think you know someone because you listen to their music or see them on tv? And how you fall in love with that persona? He's so good at explaining that.

2. "No" by Shakira

I love Shaki. I love this song. Sad, but there's still a toughness.

3. "A la primera persona" by Alejandro Sanz

Another one of my favorite singers. There's a melancholy to this one that I just feel; it's like I don't even have to pay attention to the lyrics, it's in the tone of his voice, in the feel of the video, in the music itself. Love it.

4. "Through the Wire" by Kanye West

I heart him. Scratch that, I have a serious crush on this man. Y'all know. This is my second favorite of his songs (Number one is "Jesus Walks"). In anticipation of the concert, I'm getting a little Ye love....

5. "Dumb it Down" by Lupe Fiasco

Sharp critique of the current state of hip hop. This man is a genius. Also looking forward to seeing him on Saturday.

6. "Pa' ti no estoy" Rosana

One of those great kiss off songs. Here's the other thing I love: music in Spanish from the Canary Islands. There's a nice international vibe to her music, even if the videos are disgustingly cheesy.

7. "Murder She Wrote" by Chaka Demus and Pliers

Hot, hot, hot. One of my all-time favorite songs to dance to. It's the sound of summer.

8. "Mi credo" by Tiziano Ferro and Pepe Aguilar

The sexy. Mmmmm, those voices.... This is one of those that I like in theory. It's nice to listen to, but I wouldn't actually live this one out, you know? A little over the top, but still a pretty song.


9. "Crossroads" by Tracy Chapman

I'm trying to protect what I keep inside. She's pretty much brilliant; her's is the kind of music that stands the test of time, you know?

10. "Frontin'" by Pharrell.

Classic. Nuff said.


As I'm looking back, it's pretty obvious that my musical tastes are pretty diverse.... I like MUSIC.

Yakkety Yak

This is why I love teaching:

JS, as he gets some more pretzel chips at the GC meeting: "This is how I keep the six pack." He then pats his belly and eats up.

H during a skit in which he portrays Rosaura from Como agua para chocolate (In response to ¿Cómo estás?): "Pues ahí más o menos, sólo que mi hermana me quiere quitar el marido." (Well, I'm alright, just that my sister wants to steal my husband)

T singing a slightly edited version of "Baby got Back": "Oh wait, you know that song?"

X in a discussion comparing Santiago Nasar from Crónica de una muerte anunciada to Julius Caesar: "Yo, Julius Caesar was a triple OG; he was like Tupac and Biggie."

D: "You know we're your favorite class, Ms. S."
Me: "Everyone thinks they're my favorite class."
D: "Yeah, but you know it's really us."
JZ: "Yeah, you know it is."
Pause.
JZ: "No really, who's your favorite?"

Kids are so funny. I wish I could remember all the other fabulous quotes I get from them, because they really do make my day....

Good read

I finally had time to read last weekend when I travelled to NYC (remind me to blog about that later....) and I had a book that came highly recommended. It's a big fatty, but I made time to sneak a chapter here and there throughout the week. I finally finished in on Friday.

So good.

So, so good.

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, is brilliant. He has a way of writing that makes you see the world differently. The verbs he uses seem a little unusual, and then you really think about it, and you're like: "YES! That's exactly what it does!" On point.

It's billed as a young adult book, but believe that it doesn't feel that way as you're reading. There's a toughness to it, a depth, that I don't usually associate with the schmaltz most of my students read.

Loved it.

Here are a few of my favorite lines:

"I have hated the words and
I have loved them,
and I hope I have made them right."
(page 528)

Brilliant, this one.

Read it.

Spring

Yamil's been gone for a little over three years.
Juan's been gone for two.

And, silly as it sounds, I lost my Cinnamon just last month.

This time of year I think too much.

This song gets to me everytime. I don't know why....

es3

Worst day.

First: Drama. The unnecessarily dramatic kind.

Second: Senioritis. The overwhelming, paralyzing kind.

Third: Pain. The razor-dragging-itself-down-my-insides kind.

Fourth: Lock down. The "This is not a drill" kind.

It takes a lot to scare me, but that message over the intercom fifteen minutes before the end of the school day did it for me. Heart fluttering into my throat; breathe, take control, you're in charge. Kids into the corner, sitting, quiet. Door locked, lights out: check, check.
Wait.
Minutes slip by.
"Ignore any bells or fire alarms"
More minutes.
- Ms. S?- -Yes?- -I need to go downstairs.- -I can't let you go downstairs. Your kids are okay; they're being taken care of.-
Sighs of frustration.
More minutes.
Noise from somewhere, no gunshots - good sign?
Minutes, minutes, minutes....

"All clear."

Release.

Breathe.

And the trembling subsides, heart descends to chest, sweat dries.



This year, this year.... We had weekly bomb threats for a while. More fights, more threats, a stabbing, this....

Oh, but it's May. Ya casi se ve la luz.