Idyllic-ism

We are finally starting to settle into the idyllic lifestyle that is the whole reason we spend the four months down here. The sunsets are sub-standard so far (except for today’s) and the surf is also a lot more tame than required, but these are issues easily addressed with a confidence they will resolve themselves soon. We had one of our date nights yesterday which involved our return to David to watch a movie as well as sundry other tasks (shopping was involved). Our valiant Upstairs Neighbors filled the sunset gap nicely, providing the included photos to document the event while we were catching up on events on the moon of Pandora.

This Morning's Beach Walk with You Know Who

Note How Crowded the Beach is

A quick note about those recent sub-standard sunsets. When the sunset doesn’t meet our specifications because of clouds we can always fall back on concocting shapes seen in those clouds. Monday night saw the appearance of a huge wolf (see photo). We compare notes on the day and solve most of the world’s problems before true darkness settles in on us. We had an additional challenge today with the power going out for eight hours  for another in the seemingly endless maintenance program. There’s an additional challenge this year since lightning took out the condo’s backup generator which we always used to keep the fridge going during power outages.

Monday's Sub-Standard Sunset

Sunset Crew

The Wolf

I fell back on the wealth of knowledge I gleaned in my younger days watching the Three Stooges on the Major Mudd show before heading to elementary school. I remember Curly having to lug ice up a bunch of stairs and when asked, my parents explained that’s how refrigerators used to keep things cold. So, when the power went out today, I placed a large bag of ice in the fridge and it did the job. Thanks Curly. The rest of the day was surprisingly restful. We opened both of the balcony doors as well as the front door and a pleasant breeze blew through the condo for the entirety of the time we were without AC. I tried reading but the combination of the breeze and the sound of the waves lulled me into repeated naps (I did say idyllic).

Yesterday's Sunset Captured by Upstairs Neighbors

On the downside of things, my electronic devices are staging some sort of work stoppage event. My I-watch died yesterday in the middle of the shopping. It started out sending emergency messages which had me checking my pulse (which was fine). After a couple of these, it just died. The Upstairs Neighbors cogently observed that it was better to have the watch die than me. I know my IT section (my kids) are yelling at the screen while reading this, but I can assure them I went online to find out what I should do if this happened and followed all the prescribed steps (so there). I guess I won’t be able to track my sleep patterns but I won’t miss having the damned thing remind me to stand up. Of more concern is the state of my Kindle where my personal library is stored for reading. Reading is one of the most important pastimes I pursue down here and the kindle has recently been acting flaky (probably the missing corners that got knocked off somehow). I’ll have to nurse it through the next month until my son shows up with the replacement I ordered.

Lunch at El Fogon

Despite the shopping involved, my Favorite Panamanian and I had a fun day yesterday. We had lunch at old favorite, El Fogon and stopped in to see her mom. The mall where the movie theater is located has a bunch of new stores (yay!☹) which “we” felt obligated to check out. I dropped my wife off before parking the car and when I entered the mall she was nowhere to be found. I should have checked that new shoe store first.

Pistachio is Back, Welcomed by Walnut

In truly great news, Pistachio the cat is back home with my daughter’s family. He had a medical issue last week which required hospitalization and I could tell how tough this was for my daughter, the FBR, and even Wingman. Pistachio charmed the animal hospital crew before passing a kidney stone and returning home to a raucous welcome from Walnut. Good news, indeed.

We saw the latest Avatar movie, Fire and Ash during our date. The story picks up in the aftermath of the events of the second sequel to this matchless use of CGI. Cameron has created an amazing world that the viewer cannot help but be pulled into and forget that the spectacular views are all computer generated. Jake Sully and his family are still grieving their losses in the prior film with Mrs. Sully particularly and violently upset. It’s a tribute to Zoe Saldana as an actress that her pain and rage come through so clearly despite the computer imaging. Resident bad guy, the Colonel, is back and has hooked up with an equally unbalanced Na’vi lady who leads a tribe bent on killing everybody. I felt a little uncomfortable because I couldn’t help thinking the villainess was kind of hot, despite being eight foot tall and blue. This might be the best of the Avatar movies as Cameron has figured out we need a compelling story as we are now accustomed to the fabulous scenery. While each movie has a similar buildup to a final confrontation, each is eminently watchable. That is certainly the case here with some interesting elements and quandaries inserted. Cameron remains a master movie maker. My only gripe is the obvious setting up for additional sequels. He’s done Avatar, it’s time for him to branch out and break new ground in some other milieu. A truly great movie.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete – my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; CRC - Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; Czech Connection – Czech couple who’ve become good friends along with their daughter (the Czech Shadow); Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd Musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; PanaGals – female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Seis Amigos - two couples from our condo complex and my wife and I; Soxfather – my brother-in-law (whom I miss more than I can ever explain); Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Upstairs Neighbors – American couple and great friends who live in condo above us in Panama; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Grommeted

I’ve been away from Frail Deeds for a while. This is bound to happen as I embrace the life of leisure here on a tropical beach. I don’t mean to rub it in (okay that may be shading the truth) but there just always seems to be something more enticing to do than sit and write (and that’s not even considering the increased thong quotient of the past weekend). Since I last wrote, I had to get the condo back in some sort of acceptable level of cleanliness for my Favorite Panamanian’s return (not as easy as it sounds). The rest program I instituted for the left arm seems to have fixed the shoulder pain I was experiencing. On Friday I was back to full workouts and boogie boarding. In a twinkling turn of fate (whatever the hell that means) I have also acquired the title of “grommeteer” in the interim.

Friday Night Pizza in the Vil with Upstairs Neighbors

Let me explain (I’m sure you’re going to be fascinated!). The Favorite Panamanian has never been happy with the blackout curtains we have in the condo. They’re needed, at times, for the bright Panamanian sun, such as when you want to sleep later than dawn. She had them created locally a few years ago with the curtain rods slipping into a sleeve at the top. This made them hard to open and close. They had to stay spread out and we tied them off at eye level to get the needed views. Because she’s always thinking about changing things, both in our house and in the condo, she came to me with an idea in November. We were going to install grommets to ease the use of the curtains. I thought this was yet another in her long line of home improvement brainstorms (curse you Pinterest!) and I dutifully added grommets to her Christmas wish list.

Curtains Before Grommeting

"Happily" Templating

Cutting

Snapping Grommets in

She ended up getting a veritable horde of the things for Christmas. So many that the kids were tasked with bringing some of them when they come next month, as our suitcases (as previously chronicled) were already overweight. When she returned from David last week, she decreed we had to get to work with the grommet installation. She said since Tia Loca and her mom were coming on Sunday it had to be done by then. This was late on Friday. We (she) divvied up responsibilities. I was handed a seamstress measuring tape, a piece of chalk, and a template to mark where the grommets would be installed. We both agreed I should not be allowed to do any cutting with scissors as that would be a recipe for disaster (I have this patience problem).

Lined up for Installation

Installed

So Much Better

We spent a lot of Saturday honing our technique. I actually became fairly adept at my part, to the point that she even agreed with me when I pointed out an issue (surprised there wasn’t a peal of thunder at that). She cut the holes for the grommets which we then snapped into place. It was all too easy (remember I wasn’t doing the cutting). The biggest surprise (for me) was how well the grommeted curtains work. An incredible improvement. I made the mistake of telling her this which resulted in one of her patented “told you so” looks. I can take it (lots of practice).

Saturday at Naturalmente 

Around our grometting, we had a busy social schedule. In addition to our daily sunset ceremony (even without any memorable sunsets) we had a First Friday pizza in town and a very fun Saturday night dinner out at Naturalmente with our Upstairs Neighbors. Naturalmente is a great Las Lajas B&B which also features an open air Mediterranean style restaurant. They alternate weekends featuring an all-meat platter with a seafood platter. It will not take a genius to figure out which weekend this one was. The meat was tender and so tasty that I couldn’t stop eating. By the end of the night, I felt like I did back in college when the dining facility offered extra helpings and I stumbled back to my dorm room completely stuffed. It was a great night of food and friendship.

Sunday Socializing

This past weekend was a three-day variety with a Friday national holiday. Sunday saw one of the busiest days at the condo that we’ve ever experienced. There was a horde of kids as well as the aforementioned thongs. There was a family reunion where the kids (I assume cousins) formed up into groups and were led through a series of workouts by one of the adults who looked suspiciously like a fitness instructor. They swam, did calisthenics, and ran sprints on the beach. I was most surprised by how dedicated they all were, no complaining. As busy as it was, the horde of kids were really well behaved and it was fun to have so much action taking place. We had our own horde as Tia Loca brought two of her friends as well her as mom for the day-long visit. In addition, a family friend we’ve known since my lieutenant days in Panama came for a visit with her niece and the niece’s son. She’s a good friend who, as a Panamanian, was instrumental in assisting my Favorite Panamanian adjusting to life as a fellow Army wife. Her husband is now a successful author of many awesome sci fi books. She was visiting family and took the opportunity to stopover with my wife before heading back to the States.  

Scoured Beach

The Pile of Driftwood
Note the Three Buzzards Checking it Out

We also had a beach scouring this weekend. One of the biggest developments we discovered upon our arrival this year was the improvement to what my Favorite Panamanian calls Purgatory Road. That is the stretch of road from where the pavement ends and to pass over for the several kilometers of gravel/dirt road to reach our end of the beach. In prior years, it was a real adventure with gaping holes and obstacles that required patience (again, not my long suit) and a high wheelbase to negotiate. She called it purgatory because we had to pass through it to reach paradise (I know, very Catholic). Anyways, we were shocked to find the road completely refurbished so we can now safely reach unheard of speeds, reducing the trip from fifteen minutes to five. This is all in the way of introduction as a fellow condo owner has a fleet of bulldozers and volunteered them for the work if others donated the needed fuel and materials. He had a spare bulldozer this past weekend and used it to scour the beach in front of the condo, removing the accumulation of drift wood (some as large as trees).

Sample of Last Couple Cloud Covered Sunsets  

While the beach looks much cleaner, it deprived me of one of my favorite activities. I am an acknowledged pyromaniac who take particular glee in stacking driftwood around buried logs on the beach and then having a beach bonfire with the Upstairs Neighbors and other friends. I felt I was doing a service by reducing the driftwood while also indulging my immolation needs. I had targeted several large pieces for future bonfires but they are now stacked in huge pile of sand next door. The Upstairs Neighbors have an equally crazy relative visiting in March and I had a huge log reserved for him. I’ll still manage; there are miles of driftwood still available. In closing I should mention that while we’ve had a few cloudy days in a row, with no visible sunsets (I know, poor baby) the sunset social hour still takes place. Last week we had to meet underneath our rancho while it was raining during sunset time, but we kept the faith. While the sunsets can be breathtaking, socializing with friends is the most important part.

Sunset Socializing Under the Rancho During Rain

Back on the Beach

Yesterday

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete – my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; CRC - Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; Czech Connection – Czech couple who’ve become good friends along with their daughter (the Czech Shadow); Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd Musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; PanaGals – female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Seis Amigos - two couples from our condo complex and my wife and I; Soxfather – my brother-in-law (whom I miss more than I can ever explain); Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Upstairs Neighbors – American couple and great friends who live in condo above us in Panama; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

2025 in Movies

I didn’t see as many movies this past year as I usually do. That doesn’t stop me from being judgmental about what I did see. What follows is my rundown of the best and worst movies I saw this year. I am an unashamed movie nut.  Each year I pontificate on the best and worst from only the movies I went to see. I’ve also included what I considered to be the worst movies of the year, because that’s almost more fun. You won’t find my movies on many critics’ top ten for the year because we go to the movies for different reasons. I go to be entertained, not to judge (despite what you’re seeing here). I’ve also chosen a quote from each of the top ten movies. As you can see I lean heavily towards action (and science fiction) but I think these films are a lot more mainstream than the out-of-touch film critics whose top tens are usually incomprehensible and barely entertaining. If nothing else the films below (except for the bottom two) were hugely enjoyable. Again, this is only one man’s opinion and reflects only the movies I saw this year.

Best Movies of the Year

 

#1 - Fight or Flight

I thought this would be another in the long line of airplane dramas but it was so much more. A wrongly disgraced former secret service agent is recruited by a shadowy intelligence agent to locate and secure a terrorist on a cross-Pacific flight. What follows is non-stop action and comedic violence (yes that’s a thing) as the plane turns out to host a planeload of assassins after both him and his quarry. This was the biggest surprise and best movie I saw this year.

Quote

Lucas Reyes: What the fuck is going on?

Isha: Good news, we're not dead ... bad news, we're not done yet.

Lucas Reyes: Oh, fuck!

#2 – Novocain

Another huge surprise which took full advantage of the concept of a guy who could feel no pain at all. He sets out to save his lady love from bank robbers as his body is slowly attritted as he carves his way through the bad guys. Some great supporting characters add to the fun. Again, comedic violence done so well.

Quote

[a ball of spikes hits Nate in the back, then he turns around]

Nate: What the fuck is that?

#3 - Sinners

It’s hard to believe they found a new way to shoot a vampire flick but this succeeds on so many levels. Michael B. stars in dual roles as a pair of twins in depression era Mississippi who defend their dance palace against both the clan and the undead.

Quote

Old Sammie: You know something? Maybe once a week, I wake up paralyzed reliving that night. But before the sun went down, I think that was the best day of my life. Was it like that for you?

Stack: No doubt about it. Last time I seen my brother. Last time I seen the sun. And just for a few hours, we was free.

#4 - Caught Stealing

Going back to the late nineties with Austin Butler playing a NYC bartender who accidentally ends up as the target of a wide series of assassins. I especially loved the Hasidic Jewish pair as this film was entertaining throughout.

Quote

Shmully: Pulling the trigger is the easiest thing in the world.

Lipa: Sad world.

Shmully: Broken world.

#5 – Ballerina

I always wondered what John Wick did on that long voyage to Africa to sacrifice his pinkie. It turns out he was in the Alps helping a fellow assassin. That fellow assassin, ably played by Ana de Armas who once again proves she can do anything. Great flick!

Quote

Eve: You are him. The one they call the Baba Yaga. The students all talk about you. How do I get outta here?

John Wick: The front door is unlocked.

Eve: No. I mean... how do I start doing what you do?

John Wick: Looks like you already have.

#6 - Predators Badlands

The best Predator movie since the original with the interesting twist of making the predator the hero. He spends the movie with a legless robot strapped to his back which provides a lot of comedic interplay.

Quote

Dek: You should be able to survive on your own.

Thia: I can survive on my own. But who would want to survive on their own?

Dek: Tessa is your sister.

Thia: Sister. I guess she is. I have a sister. What a lovely thought. I need to find her.

Dek: And legs.

Thia: Excuse me?

Dek: Find your sister. And legs.

Thia: Was that a joke?

 #7 – Weapons

This was scary on so many levels, mysteriously disappearing children, terrifying unexplained deaths, and the most interesting witch in cinema history. Her climatic comeuppance (see below) was so startling and welcome, a perfect ending.

Quote

Narrator: This is a true story that happened in my town. So this one Wednesday is like a normal day for the whole school, but today was different. Every other class had all their kids, but Mrs. Gandy's room was totally empty. And do you know why? Because the night before, at 2:17 in the morning, every kid woke up, got out of bed, walked downstairs, and into the dark... and they never came back.

#8 – Superman

I didn’t think we needed a new Superman story but the cast and story in this convinced me. The interplay between him and Lois Clark was central to the story and made him someone you could truly root for. Nicholas Hoult was perfect as Lex.

Quote

Guy Gardner: You wanna break a federally incarcerated prisoner out of jail?

Lois Lane: Look, I think this is being done to keep him from interfering with the Boravian invasion.

Guy Gardner: No, you look. I'm a Green Lantern, lady. That means I took a vow not to get involved in politics.

Mr. Terrific: Oh, that's part of the vows?

Guy Gardner: It's implied. Yeah.

Mr. Terrific: An implied vow?

Hawkgirl: Every time there's something he doesn't want to do, he says it's part of some vow.

Guy Gardner: Oh I swear to God, I am two seconds away from forming a giant hammer and beating you both to death!

#9 - Sisu Road to Revenge

He’s baaack! This time the Russians make the mistake of antagonizing the silent hero and pay with a serious body count. There’s something just lovable and inevitable about him.

Quote

Igor Draganov: [to a captive Aatami] They say I lit the fire in you... I will put it out. You are a mistake, an aberration. I will show you that there are worse things than death.

#10 - Fackham Hall

I loved this curious mixture of Airplane and Monty Python. The through comedic send up of the British class system was perfect.

Quote:

Prudence: So, finally, one of our children is to be wed and shall soon fly the nest. I’m just delighted that our beloved home shall remain in the family. I’m just delighted that after so many years of courting, she’s finally found the right cousin. At least Poppy’s got our interests at heart, unlike Rose.

Humphrey: Rose may yet marry.

Prudence: Oh, come on, Humphrey. Who’d want old Rose? She’s 23. A dried-up husk of a woman. Barren, desiccated. A wizened old walnut of a spinster. Rose, darling, would you pass the milk?

Rose: Mama, Archibald is ghastly. It’s unfair to force Poppy so. Why can’t she simply marry for love?

Prudence: Oh, how can you be so naive, child? Do you think that I married your father out of love? Because I found him attractive? Liked his personality? His micro penis? No, I married him out of duty. And we couldn’t be happier.

Humphrey: But Mama’s right, my darling. This is about the future of Fackham Hall. Of our family. We thought, having produced four sons, that the Davenport line of succession was assured. What cursed luck to lose all four of them. And in four completely separate incidents. I console myself knowing that at least they died doing the thing they loved.

Rose: But does this not make you realize that such an archaic system of succession, that only recognizes male heirs is, pardon my French…

Honorable Mention –

Nobody 2

Hutch is back and killing those who threaten his family vacation.

The Amateur

A great spy flick with Remi Malek as a geeky analyst out to avenge his murdered wife.

The Worst Movies of 2025

 

Fountain of Youth

I was really looking forward to this adventure flick featuring some of my favorite actors with a great director, but it just doesn’t work. Not a bad movie but considering the monumental waste of talent, worst movie of the year.

Electric State

This was so bad that I couldn’t watch it. I gave up on it after several tries which I just don’t do, especially for sci fi. Usually. I made an exception in this case.

 

2025 Superlatives:

Best Comedy: Fackham Hall

Best Horror Movie:  Weapons

Best Drama:  Caught Stealing

Best Romance:  Novocain

Best Action:  Ballerina

Best Special Effects:   Mission Impossible Final Reckoning

Best Scene of the Year:  I couldn’t decide which was better so I’ll include both.

The scene in Sinners where you’re shown the dance floor through different generations, a great comment on America and race relations.

The final scene in Weapons The move spent two hours building up Amy Madigan’s “Aunt Gladys” as the master of reality and then, with the snap of a twig and a tiny, understated “Oh no,” that veneer explodes. She races for dear life ahead of a horde of kids with no sense of self-preservation.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete – my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; CRC - Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; Czech Connection – Czech couple who’ve become good friends along with their daughter (the Czech Shadow); Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd Musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; PanaGals – female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Seis Amigos - two couples from our condo complex and my wife and I; Soxfather – my brother-in-law (whom I miss more than I can ever explain); Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course