I’ve been meaning to write about a
couple major family undertakings occurring over the past week but keep running into
organized fun in the way of family and friends. Tuesday is always a slow day
for events, the deep breath after a full weekend, so I’ll give it a shot. I wrote
a couple weeks ago about the discovery of the 25th cousin – adopted at
an early age and unknown to my generation. Ancestery.com DNA tests led us to
each other and my favorite cousin learned he had a brother.
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| My Cousins up in Canada Last Week Newly Discovered Cousin on Right |
Last week he and two other cousins, including
the one I refer to as the cousin-in-chief, journeyed north to Nova Scotia to meet
#25. In reality, based on ages, he’s more like #4, and the gathering went well
as the “newest” cousin is learning about the vibrant family now descending on
him. My cousin sent me this picture of the two of them last week in Canada and
I couldn’t help noticing how much our “new” cousin looks like my father, who
was his mother’s brother. We’re hoping to get him down here for the family
Thanksgiving which features the largest annual gathering of cousins from my
father’s side of the family.
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| My Bro in Law & Nephew with Copy of Book |
Decidedly further south we received
big news from Panama. My brother in law was recently honored at the prestigious
Panamanian Ecological Museum for authoring a definitive book on the birds of Panama.
He was treated like a celebrity and asked to do an autograph session where he
signed copies of his book for people. My sister in law, most vibrant of the Pana-Gals,
known to my kids as “Tia Loca” also attended along with her son. A very proud
moment for my wife’s family and well deserved by my accomplished brother in
law.
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| Outside the Museum with Tia Loca |
I snuck out to the movies last night
to see a movie recommended by my son during our visit with him. I tried to coax
my wife into accompanying me but she demurred to spend some time with her mom,
whose visit ends later this week. It was probably a good call because exploding
bodies and devil worshippers are not her favorite milieus. The movie, Ready or
Not, was a lot of fun, a true dark comedy and scathing comment on the uber-rich
(so not a bad thing). A young gal is marrying into a very rich family of game makers
only to learn on her wedding night that she has to play a midnight game to
truly join the family. The game, hide and seek, involves the rest of the family
trying to kill her before dawn, so there’s that. It seems the family made a
deal with the devil codifying this entry requirement which is embraced with
varying degrees of commitment by family members. This movie be logs to Samara
Weaving as the unfortunate bride who shows some real depth fighting the
curiously inept hunters. There are some very funny (darkly so) moments
involving accidental deaths. You do not want to be a maid for this
family! You can’t help but root for Weaving as she deals with turn after turn
in her fortunes. You leave the movie wondering how many of the rich in real
life made similar deals with Satan and can only hope they end up like the ones
depicted here in the explosive finale.
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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; 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 involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two
close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3rd musquetera
(musketeer); 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; Deckzilla
Dude – senior citizen carpenter/contractor; 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
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