1. The Seventies, Revisited
Batakas: Aggression Therapy tool from the 1970’s. Like many things from that decade, it was a giant flop, and most people have never even heard of a Bataka battle. It works about as well with brothers and cousins as it ever did for my parents. (Badly, in case you wondered) PHOTO FROM GOOGLE IMAGES… because my family is not that tame when they fight with these things.
Last Wednesday evening you would have found my 2 brothers and their families at my house. All FIFTEEN of us were hanging out in the backyard. Boys being boys (ages 9-48), they had pulled out 2 sets of boxing gloves and the old red Batakas and were pummeling mercilessly upon each other to cries of “Not the head! Not the head!” Sometimes they even listened to the moms on the deck. Luckily, no one had to attend the wedding with a black eye.
My brothers wondered how I had come to be the owner/guardian of the infamous Batakas. While the boxing gloves were all mine (leftovers from my fitness kickboxing days), the red, foam-filled weapons had been handed down to me from my father. That brought back some interesting memories, so after the sun went down, we sat around reminiscing scenes from our childhood.
As my older brother commented, “Nothing says family like vomit stories.”
2. Plenty of Family, Not Enough Time
With all the extended family at hand last weekend, you would think I might have gotten plenty of opportunities to spend time with everyone. But you would be wrong… So much to do, so little time, and so many people to greet, left me feeling like I hadn’t really talked to anyone — particularly my sister and my uncle & aunt, who had driven 400 miles (opposite directions) to attend the wedding.
3. EB wears shoes!!
EB on right
Shocking, isn’t it?
4. Wise or Unwise?
What do you do when your 19yo comes stumbling in the front door at 2:30 and, when you order him to sit down in the chair in the living room, proceeds to attempt jumping jacks as soon as your back is turned?
And then he shows me this:
Grandma, What big teeth you have!
Whatever drugs they put in his IV sure did cause drunken behavior!
EB, of course, was sure that he was perfectly normal and logical. I’m glad he doesn’t drink.
Also, being fact-driven, he would be the first to point out that it was 2:30 in the afternoon.
5. Pain Tolerance
Some of us have a high pain threshold.
I am not one of those people. However, EB obviously is…
24 hours after having his wisdom teeth surgically removed, he was chopping firewood, sans pain-killers.
Spokalulu 