Mall Day

Wife Waiting for Torrential Rains to Subside
So She Can get in Uncle's Car - in Background

I must have been in a good mood yesterday because I actually agreed to accompany my wife to a mall. While malls seem to be dying a slow death in the US they are still a big deal down here in Panama. There are new ones popping up all over the place and some of them are very impressive. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised if my wife is any indication of the passion for shopping that seems to be endemic in Panamanians. We went to the Alta Plaza Mall yesterday which appears to be only a couple years old. It’s only about three miles from where we’re staying but it took nearly 45 minutes to reach with the typical Panama City traffic gridlock.

Our Destination

It had a central rotunda four stories tall which had an immense Christmas tree in the midst of installation. Part of my acquiesce to spending the day at the mall came from the fact that it also sported a state of the art movie theater. After a lunch at a steak house I abandoned my wife and her uncle, and uncle’s girlfriend to seek out a cinematic escape (see below). I, of course, underestimated the license I gave my Favorite Panamanian because I assumed she would be fully sated by the time the movie let out. I could have seen a double feature.

Central Rotunda with Tree

Eventually my wife’s uncle and I set up shop in the food court which overlooked the rotunda and we could track our significant others as they bounced between stores since they had to pass through the rotunda. The mall administration takes security seriously as they were seemingly dozens of security guards patrolling the mall, some mounted on electric scooters. This being Panama our hour plus spent people watching wasn’t totally onerous.

A Grandma Happily Hanging with the FBR

We made our nightly video call to the FBR from the mall. She was suitably impressed with the huge Christmas tree but remains decisively engaged with charming her other grandmother who finally escaped Missouri long enough to spend some quality time with the FBR.  Wingman’s mom has had more than challenging last couple years and fully deserves the medicinal effect that hanging out with the FBR always entails. We’ll all be together this weekend for the FBR’s passage into three year old status.

Wife and Uncle's Girlfriend Spotted during their Roadmarch

The movie theater was cool and not just because the ticket along with a large popcorn and soda was obtained for less than ten dollars in total. They have something called 4Dx where the chairs shake, wind blows, smells and other environmental factors are employed to immerse the viewer into the movie. I’m campaigning to check it out today – yes another day at the mall. I went to see the new Halloween where old favorite Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Lori Strode to do battle with her brotherly nemesis Michael Myers. Most of the Halloween sequels after the original #2 were abysmal at best but this one works. That is a tribute to Ms. Curtis who portrays a Lori Strode 40 years after the original with all the aftereffects one would expect from her brutalization as a teenager. Curtis allows the filmmakers to roughen up her image and she’s always been a great female actioneer. There are innumerable plot holes and some real editing issues but the pace is brisk as the ominous approach of Myers after his escape for the final confrontation is well done, in traditional Halloween manner. Despite the fact Strode has been preparing 40 years for the confrontation she still makes a number of rookie mistakes that Myers has always feasted on but the final battle as three generations of Strode women take on the big guy is more than worth the wait. A cool way to end (?) this venerable franchise.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS

BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law, formerly known both as MEF – Most Excellent Fiancé & MEG – Most Excellent Girlfriend; Wingman – my son in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt = my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involed in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rdmusquetera (musketeer); Buddy – AKA the Wonder Pooch – family dog, a black lab – hates squirrels, died in 2017; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog, surrogate grandchild while awaiting arrival of the BRS; 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; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Excellent Boss – my former direct boss at work; Voices of Inappropriate Worth - members of public who come to every Worcester public meeting to complain, all are on public assistance along with demeanor issues