Reflections

I’ve had a lot of practice, some would say too much, with birthdays. Today of which is mine. I clearly remember not too long ago when sixty-four seemed incredibly old. I’ll have to revise that opinion, post haste. I still have a lot of the same foolish thoughts I had as a young man while understanding some of those thoughts should be permanently vanquished due to lack of physical ability to accomplish them. I somehow thought I would be blessed with additional wisdom and gravitas when I reached this many years. Apparently not.

The best gifts possible are the times I get to spend with my children and grandchildren. My Favorite Son sent me a boatload of BRS pictures this morning which made for a great birthday present and shared with you below. Even better I get to hang out with he and his sister tomorrow on my birthday pub crawl. The aforementioned daughter arrives tonight along with the FBR – again best present possible. I was preparing breakfast this morning when I received a FaceTime call. Wingman, my daughter and the FBT appeared and started singing happy birthday. As soon as the FBR saw me she ducked her head as if she was too shy to continue. We all laughed and my daughter said it was the FBR campaigning to make the call ahead of time. I told her I was going to tickle her mercilessly when she arrived which immediately brought her back into the picture.

Since cinematically mutilated children were not my wife’s forte I was alone at the movies last night to see Doctor Sleep. I was excited to see what the filmmakers would do with this sequel to The Shining after enjoying the book so much. It’s excellent. They pick up the story of Danny, the kid driving the hotwheels through the hallway forty years later. He’s still haunted by his childhood adventures with mom, dad and room 237 resulting in severe alcoholism. He’s drawn to New Hampshire (but aren’t we all) where he cleans up his act and connects with another physic, a young African-American girl from a nearby town. Their peace is shattered when a roving group of semi-immortal “shine vampires” (Stephen King – don’tcha know) latch onto the girl’s powers and want to devour her. Ewan McGregor , if you’ll excuse the expression, shines as Danny lending both heart and depth. Rebecca Ferguson, rapidly becoming one of my favorites, is diabolically evil yet incredibly attractive as the leader of the vamps. It’s a story where you truly invest in the characters which is a tribute to the actors involved. The climatic scenes take place in the decrepit remains of the Overlook hotel, scene of the first movie. There are numerous odes to the first movie but a clear miss when they try to replicate Jack with a stand-in. King is sometimes a hard creature to translate to the screen but they hit the mark here. Just different enough from the book to keep you engaged, scared and thrilled for the entire, long movie.

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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 3^rd 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