Dated Night

My Dinner Date Last night

For the first time in four years my Favorite Panamanian and I were together for our anniversary. That lasted until this morning as she set out ahead of today’s major storm for some abuela duty up north with the BRS. My newly acquired operations manager, Keene Friend, more than redeemed my decision to hire him on Monday. I had become so caught up in work that I hadn’t realized the 6^th of March had snuck up on me. I’d already bought the gifts and cards but anyone who knows my wife realizes roses are de rigueur. As soon as Keene Friend asked me what I had planned for my anniversary on Tuesday the proverbial flash bulb went off in my head (might have been more of a match light).

She Traded me Out for This today

Can't Blame her a Bit

I purchased the required flora on my way home that night and successfully smuggled them into the house for yesterday morning’s “surprise” reveal. As stated above, a true surprise would have been the lack of roses. We returned to the restaurant my wife loves where we last celebrated an anniversary together for dinner. That turned out to be a lot of fun although the flourless chocolate cake hit my keto conditioned stomach like cluster bomb, albeit a very tasty one.

Obligatory Anniversary Couple Photo with the Cluster Bombs

We sandwiched in a hurried FaceTime call with the FBR between dinner and a movie. Predictably for once the FBR wanted to continue talking as we tried to get out the door. I think she reveled a little bit in delaying us when she sensed we, for probably the first time ever, wanted to end the call first. She wanted to extol the virtues of the quesadillas she was busy devouring. I fear she may have inherited her abuela’s “punctuality” (more accurately “lack thereof”) gene. I pity her future boyfriends who have to get anywhere on time.

The movie, Red Sparrow, turned out to be very good. I’d watch Jennifer Lawrence in anything (well except mother!) and she is at the top of her game as a Russian ballerina turned spy. She is very good (as expected) in a very subtle way as she works her way through training as a “honeypot” to seduce enemy agents. There are double and triple crosses involved once she is sent to the field and I honestly didn’t know which side she would end up on until the final, startling conclusion. It was all very Russian. The only miss in the casting was Joel Edgerton as the American CIA agent. He was clearly fighting well above his weight trying to serve as a love interest for Lawrence, absolutely no chemistry between the pair. This wasn’t an action flick, if you discount Lawrence’s bathing suits, but exuded a very cool style throughout. It’s one of those movies I want to see again to see all the seemingly harmless clues that were provided throughout that come to bear at the end. I’m convinced Lawrence can do anything.