Aquemini
This week's post is in honor of my brother, Naje. His birthday was yesterday and while we were chatting, a plethora of memories flooded my mind. The theme of those memories was "Who Does That? Naje!" and then I reminisced about things when we growing up. If you know Naje, then you know that he sees the world uniquely and his mind works differently than the rest of us humans. He is a unique, one-of-a-kind human that leaves an imprint on all of those who encounter him. I guess, he is more of an experience - you have to experience speaking to him to truly understand what I'm talking about. Our dad always said that Naje's lifelong question was Why? I still believe this is true.
Here's some Naj-isms in honor of my Gemini counterpart:
Who Does That? Naje...
Roll Snapple bottles down the classroom mid-lecture cracking me up during the only class we ever took when we were both in college at UCLA. He also introduced and brought me Panda bowls
Put his glass in the freezer so he didn't have to wash it due to our parents' strict rule of washing your dish after use. Then he kept adding liquid on top until there was an accumulation of layers. Most likely soda with sugar in it
Believe until his teenage years that Mars bars had onions in them due to our father telling him that in an effort to have him eat less candy
Subscribe to magazines, never pay and use a pseudonym (like 4BS Raps or Ojum Forbes) so the companies wouldn't know who ordered them, lol. There was probably cereal prizes claimed too
Break the earth-shattering news to his kid sister that there is no Santa Claus or Easter Bunny and probably the Tooth Fairy too.
Swallow a toy missile then stand on his head to make himself throw it up due to our older brother telling him it could blow up in his stomach
Go to film school in Cuba and become fluent in Spanish (he knows German too)
Believe there was a typing skeleton and a monkey dog in the garage of our childhood home
Drive to god-knows-where Indio to pick up his wild kid sister and her college roomie from a rave when they were stranded with no ride
Basically inhale half a box of popcorn at the movies and then pass it around asking everyone if they want some
Be in the Gate Program (Gifted and Talented Education), hardly study or do homework and just be acing tests like it's nothing (umm, some of us actually have to study)
Bring home all of the cool ass hip-hop songs every summer from New York and share it with his kid sister
Be the 2AM call (or anytime) for me and always be there as a soundboard
Be the O in the S.T.O.R.M - the middle of our family acronym and the only vowel that makes it an actual word
I love you Naj!