Welcome to Brad's online memory archives.

Aloha Friday

Yesterday I wore an aloha shirt, because I have a lot of them, and because it was Friday. In Hawaii, every Friday is Aloha Friday, and businesses and schools encourage people to wear Hawaiian print clothing. I explained it my students, and then played the chorus of the theme song for Aloha Friday, which is called “Aloha Friday No Work Til Monday”. HERE it is if you want to listen to it.

It was the end of our first full week of school. It’s been a fun ride so far. I had suggested at our faculty meeting that we should do a happy hour to celebrate. Lots of people sounded interested, but it just ended up being Diana and me. Diana texted that she was going to be late, so I went into a place across the parking lot that was full of arts and crafts booths.

I was excited to see something I had only ever seen on tv: anthill casts. The artist pours molten aluminum into ant hills, and then digs out the hardened metal which has now taken the shape of the ant tunnels. They’re super cool.

As I was admiring them, someone came up and started talking to me. It was the artist! Cool! We spoke for a while, and then the guy he had been sitting at a table with said: “I feel like I should say aloha to you!” and pointed at my shirt. I said: “Well, it is Aloha Friday.” And then he started singing the song! Ha! I asked him how he knew it, and he said he had lived on Maui for twenty years. He and I spoke for the next thirty minutes.

I feel like my speaking-to-strangers powers have increased since I moved here. Like, a lot. I find myself speaking to people in the grocery checkout, and in the towel aisle at Target, and at church, and just anywhere. It’s really interesting and fun.

Diana arrived while I was talking with my new friend Steve from Hawaii, and so she and I went to the happy hour place. It was a brewery that sold only their own creations. The art guys had told me to get their blackberry saison, which was kind of like beer Kool-Aid. It was good, and the fun conversation with my coworker at the end of the work week was good. What a good Aloha Friday!

3 Comments

  1. Lauren

    Da do bee do, da do da do bee do….. now that will be stuck in my mind all day! Thank you, Brad!

    That sounds like such a nice after-work time! A nice, relaxing start to your weekend! (Those ant sculptures are so cool, but I confess that I feel bad for the ants.)

    Enjoy your Saturday!

  2. Carol

    What a great story!You’re making friends all over and sound like you’re very comfortable in your new environment. Now my only concern is this: who tells the ants to vacate before the hot aluminum comes pouring down their tunnels?

  3. Debbie

    Cool ant sculptures! And the artist! And he lived in Hawaii! Wow!

Leave a Reply to Carol Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

© 2024 bradaptation.com

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑