Weekend Ennui

In what I’m taking as a good sign (and don’t we all need those right now) it seems January 2021 has fled much faster than any month in the benighted 2020. I’m sure the velocity was basically the same but it seemed to move by at a much livelier pace. Of course, it could have something to do with what was going on. We had a presidential inspired insurrection, the inauguration of a new president, the Covid vaccine slowly (way too slowly) making its way to the general population, amongst other goings on. I also had the daily interactions with three young ladies who seem to conspire to keep me young, at least in the psychological department. No matter how isolated and depressing life in Pandemia can be, it takes a BR3 smile or an FBR lecture on the proper way to play Monster to lift my spirits.

Wife Returning from 30 Seconds Outside

In a truly remarkable event, worthy of international media level coverage, my Favorite Panamanian ventured outside on Friday in sub-zero temperatures. The next-door neighbor had made us a dinner plate to thank me for clearing their driveway during the last storm. My wife thought to catch me as I was coming in from my daily ritual of taking down the flag but she mistimed her request until after I had shed my footwear. She then started the process (and it was a process) of garbing herself in virtually every piece of cold weather gear she owns. I was actually fairly impressed with the effort. I told her it was taking her longer to get dressed than it would for the 20 second walk next door. This comment was met with an icy stare every bit as cold as the winds blowing at the time. She finally ventured outside only to find the neighbor halfway to our house with the dinner plate due to the long delay. This caused my wife to immediately launch outside instead of spending the usual, minutes-long psyching up session needed for cold weather exposure. I was able to capture this newsworthy event as she hurried back inside. My wife is very Panamanian, which is to say tropical.

FBR Hosting a Virtual Dance Party for Us

And Some Fishing

The rest of the weekend, after two lively virtual First Friday celebrations with family both here and in Panama, was spent entombed in the Man Cave. My Favorite Son has me watching another DC series on HBOMax call the Doom Patrol which is pretty entertaining if a bit gruesome (its the dismemberments). I also watched an excellent new Denzel Washington movie, The Little Things, which reminded me of the many crime thrillers I read almost constantly. Denzel teamed up with Remi Malek as LA detective chasing a serial killer. I also polished off yet another puzzle, this one of Times Square. I became obsessed with finding out which year the photo was taken. Through tracing the information on the billboards, I determined it was 2013. That brings up the double-edged sword aspect of instant access to virtually all information. I was able to pinpoint the date within 30 seconds. There is no longer a viable trivia contest available, something I used to love debating with friends and family. All queries can be answered immediately, kind of takes some of the fun out of the search for the truth.

Yesterday's Puzzle

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – granddaughter #3, 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; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; 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; 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; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn

Friday Firsts

I love the march of seasons, one of the reasons we ended up back in New England after all those Army years. That affection was severely tested this morning when I went outside to retrieve the paper only to be confronted with minus 20 degree temperatures. Oh, and the paper had blown down the street a couple houses. I’m here to tell you that even LL Bean flannel was not up to the protection challenge. Instead of lucking into a pandemically isolated day at home this morning was a swim day so I donned some extra layers while making my way to the Y. I pull on sweat pants over the wet bathing suit after the workout since I don’t want to hang around unmasked any longer than needed. That made my exit form the building into the cold air very memorable. For the first time since the pandemic started, I was actually glad to be wearing a facemask. On Friday are firsts most notable.

I say memorable because it reminded me of so many winter walks home from the YMCA during my youth. My Cantankerous Friend will back me up on this because we were both on swim team in our early years. It was a simpler time and a small town (although we were a city in NH!), so from the age of eight or nine we would walk the half mile home from the YMCA after practice with wet hair (I had a lot more of that item back then) and dangling our wet suits, usually rolled up in towels. Because I was something of an idiot, I thought it was cool when I got home and my hair would be frozen and the rolled-up towel needed to be thawed to unroll (Cantankerous is interjecting a “was?” comment right now). On one especially cold night I broke off a piece of my frozen hair for my horrified mother. I then received a rather thorough lecture of the proper drying of hair.

Mine wasn't This Frozen
But Almost

The weirdest thing was even though I did this from that age all the way through high school I never got sick because of it. I think there is a benefit to letting kids do dumb stuff like that to build up their immune systems. As a friend recently said, “I ate a lot of dirt as a kid which is probably why I don’t get sick very often now”. I know this runs counter to the current thinking among nowadays parents who are horrified I was allowed to walk the night streets alone much less with frozen hair. Of course, I’m nowhere near that tough anymore as you can tell by my complaining about the short walk to my car from the Y this morning. Have a great weekend and I fervently hope you’re in a warmer place than I am.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – granddaughter #3, 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; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; 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; 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; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn

Friend Mining Payoff

One of the most enduring lessons I’ve learned in my rapidly accumulating collection of years is the importance of friends. It’s not a huge revelation because I’ve been enjoying their company for the better part of seven decades. That being said, I have to acknowledge that I’m not all that great at maintaining contact. I could use the excuse that my assembly of friends is about as far flung around the globe as one could hope, although I should say curse. I blame the Army. I’ve done a pretty good job of staying in contact with my childhood friends since my return to New England. Said effort has been prominently displayed here on Frail Deeds, especially around the annual birthday pub crawl, but I digress. The Army linked me up with some of the best people in the world and we shared a bond that is hard to describe to civilians.

BR3 Last Night Trying to Coax her Dad into Picking her Up
How Could you resist?!

FBR Playing Pictionary With Us Last Night

That being said, these associations are usually limited to, at most, a couple years, because the Army also has a tendency to move Soldiers around. A lot. The funny thing is that despite the intervening years these friendships can usually be picked up as though it had only been a couple weeks. I’ve written before about the Root Huggers, my classmates from Command and General Staff College. We graduated from there in 1993 but we still zoom call monthly and have had several memorable reunions. I’m wandering around this subject because my post from yesterday yielded the hoped-for results. The best man from my wedding has been reading the blog for years and when he saw the note in yesterday’s blog he sent a long email catching me up on his life in the northern highlands of Thailand. I did say far flung, didn’t I. Again, it was like no time had passed at all despite what photos of both of us prove. I look forward to staying in touch with him over however many years I have left to do so.

My Thai Best Man

With his Beautiful Wife

He and I were lieutenants together down in Panama in the early 1980s assigned to our first line infantry company together. We clicked right away under the leadership of a company commander who would go on to be a renowned special forces two star general. We were both decidedly single at the time and certainly made the most of that status. I’ve written before about the weekly routine when we weren’t running around the jungle with well-armed friends. Friday night was spent at the Albrook Officers Club hoping to meet ladies we would then invite back to a Saturday night party at the BOQ (Bachelor Officer Quarters). We then topped off the weekend with a long Sunday afternoon with our cars parked on the causeway (hopefully with some of the ladies we had met over the weekend) next to the Panama Canal, drinking beer and jumping into the ocean when we needed to cool off.

Sunday at The Causeway Back in the Day

Favorite Panamanian Getting into our First Car on the Causeway

My Favorite Panamanian entered the equation after a year or so and that put some serious brakes on some aspects of that idyllic social life but she was quickly assimilated into my group of friends. She and my Thai Best Man became close friends and we’ve often wondered over the years how he was doing. Now we know and it’s led me to promise myself I’ll stay in better touch because friends like him are too rare a commodity not to treasure.

My Thai Best Man at the Causeway

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – granddaughter #3, 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; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; 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; 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; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn

Winter Look

My Favorite Panamanian is convinced that some of her prayers about the weather have hit home. She prays a lot. I mean, a whole lot. Some of that is a result the health situations of yours truly and some of her senior family members back in Panama. Apparently, she found some time to ask the Big Guy for a break on winter weather this year since she’s not spending it in the tropics (thank you Covid 19). It’s been a pretty mild winter, which she is claiming partial credit for, with no snow on the ground for the entire month of rapidly ending January. That came to a screeching halt overnight with the deposit of five inches of snow. At least it finally looks like winter around here. Since this is her first real winter in a number of years she now realizes how painful it has been for me to hear about how gorgeous the weather is at our Panamanian beach condo while I dealt with the latest polar vortex. Progress. A quick note, she’s a much nicer person than I because I know how painful it is and I still don’t hesitate to confront my New England friends with beach shots when I’m down there.

Favorite Son and BR3 Last Night

Deckzilla This Morning

Of course, since I had to get out this morning for a PT session as well as a swim, the roads were challenging. Five inches isn’t much (Northern Virginia would have been paralyzed) and were all plowed, however a tractor trailer decided to jackknife in the middle of Worcester. Since we haven’t had much snow this winter all the re-located flat-landers still haven’t acquired the requisite driving skills which added to the drama. It was still very rewarding not to have to drive into work but it’s been a couple weeks since I had to be anywhere outside of home and it figures we’d get dumped on to add a little flavor to the escape from home. I pointed this lack of timeliness in her praying out to my Favorite Panamanian. It wasn’t well received.

Best Man in Thailand

There was some good news on the old friends scorecard. I was able to confirm the best man at my long ago wedding is still doing well and thriving in Thailand with his bride and daughter. I hadn’t heard from him in a couple years and after conferring with another buddy who we had also been lieutenants with in Panama, I reached out to my best man’s brother. He related the good news and also that my buddy occasionally reads the blog. So, Esteban, it’s been too long and we’re both getting too old to put off staying in touch. This year will be crazy but both my Favorite Panamanian and I hope we can figure out a way to get together in the coming years, either here, in Panama, or even Thailand. You have a standing invite to the first two places.

BR3 Trying to Acquire her Dad's Phone

Unhappy with Pace of Feeding

My enthusiasm of my upcoming eligibility for the Covid vaccine has waned a little in the face of the People’s Republic of Massachusetts roll out plan. I can’t make an appointment until my “group” (65+) is activated and I’m probably going to have to travel since the appointments in Worcester are booked through February. I’m glad New Hampshire is run more effectively because I’m hearing from a bunch of fellow seniors/friends up there that they already have appointments. I’m more disappointed than surprised after seeing the state government in action over the past fifteen years. Maybe I should relocate to the granite state.

Latest Pandemic Puzzle Knocked Out

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – granddaughter #3, 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; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; 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; 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; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn

A Vaxxing We Will Go

At least that’s what I hope will happen, based on yesterday’s news from the governor. He moved individuals 65 and older (guilty) up in the priority list, just behind 75-year-olds in Phase 2. The 75-year-olds can start getting the Covid vaccine on Monday and we’re right behind that in priority. It can’t happen soon enough. I’ve watched with bemused consternation as the antivaxxers come out of the woodwork to spread their misinformation. Sadly, there is no vaccine for stupidity and these fringe beliefs have used the tidal wave of social media to main stream their idiocy, trying to overcome hundreds of years of progress in public health.

I’ve always believed being part of a society carries with it a responsibility to sacrifice for the good of the whole on subjects like public health. If we’re going to live in this huge quagmire together then we owe it to each other to benefit from the science and technology that has dragged us out of the literal “dark ages”, not that long ago, historically speaking. Billions of people have died over the past hundred of years to get us to a place where we can overcome some of Mother Nature’s deadliest population control measures – disease. It’s astounding that our scientists were able to produce an effective vaccine within a year.

There are some people out there who revel in being a contrarian, latching on to whatever weird theory and/or conspiracy. Their level of proof seems to be, as long as it conforms to what I think/hope/believe then it must be right, despite a lack of facts. Prior to social media these nut jobs would sit in their parents’’ basement and lather away at an unfair world. Again, the operative phrase being – “before social media”. Now they can spread their literal poison where good people, with less virulent beliefs, can be swayed and the entire society endangered.

Wow. I just wandered down a rabbit hole where some of my own personal beliefs are in full view but, c’mon, you have to have some form of brain damage to not appreciate what vaccines have done for mankind. Wingman has volunteered to help my Favorite Panamanian and I wend through the bureaucracy to get appointments when we’re eligible. Ask yourself if you’re not willing to take a little jab in the arm and some minor side effects to drive a stake in the heart of this virus which has robbed us of the past year.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – granddaughter #3, 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; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; 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; 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; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn

Football Ages

Yesterday was spent deeply ensconced in the Man Cave for a day that is rightly described as the best day of football in the NFL season – the conference championship games. I don’t think my wife shares that same opinion but, agree to disagree. She did perk up when I reminded her there was only one football game left in the season. The ageless wonder proved to be just that when Tom Brady led another team to the Super Bowl. While I certainly wished that team had been the Patriots I’m comfortable with the separation. I did feel a little bit of torpor engulfing my body after seven straight hours of football.(NOTE: I've been told if you are reading last Friday's post on a mobile device the video will not show up - recommend doing a search on You Tube for Kimmel farewell to Trump - totally worth it)

FBR Getting Goofy with Eyes and Fingernails

My Favorite Panamanian had an additional cross to bear this weekend. A few weeks ago, she dropped her iPhone and cracked the screen. She’d been after me to get it repaired and I finally got around to it this weekend. I knew, when we got the phones, I signed up for lost and damage coverage. It took me a few phone calls to get pointed in the right direction but I arrived at a website which made things very easy. They set me up with an appointment at the local vendor which was a Best Buy store in the next town over. It was kind of surreal walking into a store, other than a grocery one, again after so many months. They had to keep the phone overnight to effect the repair which has us arriving at the cross bearing part of the equation. My wife had to go nearly 24 hours without a phone. Those of us who know her realize this was a DEFCON 1 situation. He phone is her main means of communication, even before social distancing. I was concerned her lack of this distracting device would allow target engagement of me (see above comment on important football watching day). Fortunately, the repaired phone was back in her hands before the first kickoff. It was a nearly run thing though.

First Friday commemoration was once again a huge hit. The Family FaceTime session highlighted my son’s promotion at work as well as extended time with the New Jersey bunch since the FBR had skewered her movie night chances for the second week in a row, a silver lining to her misbehavior. Wingman got his first dose of the vaccine which was an additional cause for festivity. I thought I was going to be stuck at one First Friday celebration until my wife informed me we were rescued from that dark eventuality by her siblings. We conducted another zoom call with them and had the usual amount of fun and extended laughter, mostly at the expense of my wife’s younger sister, the infamous, Tia Loca, who responded by blaming all of the world’s problems on her brother and myself, too much fun.

Tia Loca

I received an update from the solar power company. I’ve had the solar panels on top of the house for over a year now. Besides having he power company owing me money I haven’t really paid much attention to it. Except of course when snow slides off them to fall on top of me when I’m clearing the driveway. They sent along a report which stated that in the past year the amount of power my panels generated meant that I prevented the CO₂ emissions of roughly 6,622 pounds of coal burned, 246 cylinders of propane used in home BBQs, and 676 gallons of gas guzzled. So, I’ve got that going for me in the cosmic scales department. It wasn’t that hard, either.

Latest Puzzle Completed

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – granddaughter #3, 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; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; 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; 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; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn

First Among Fridays

Well, there is certainly a serious amount to celebrate on this First Friday of the Week. Not that I needed a whole of inspiration to begin with, after all, Friday. I was genuinely worried about late night host Jimmy Kimmel would do once the Trumpster became an ex-president. Trump has served as the basis for most of his comedy for the past four years, some of it incredibly funny. If Kimmel is going into a funk because of the loss of his comic foil he certainly went down with a bang. I was half-dozing last night with the TV on when this video came on. I could not stop laughing and was so wide awake afterwards that I couldn’t fall asleep until nearly 1am. Totally. Worth. It. (NOTE: I've been told if you are reading this on a mobile device the video will not show up - recommend doing a search on You Tube for Kimmel farewell to Trump - worth it)

Along with millions of others I bought a lottery ticket today. Who cares if the chances of winning are 350 million to one, we’re talking nearly a billion dollars for the winner. Of course, after taxes we’re probably talking about only a few hundred million, but that buys a lot of Coors Lite as well as a permanent happy hour. My Favorite Panamanian would probably insist some of it go to charity. Do bars impacted by the pandemic count as a bona fide charity? Things that make you go, “Hmmm”.

My Boy!!!!!

I didn’t think it was even possible but I find myself even more proud of my Favorite Son. He received a huge promotion this week at his firm, being elevated to Senior Project Manager! This is a result of his extraordinary hard work which includes crisscrossing New England each week to supervise his wide spread construction projects. I’m glad he works at a place where his initiative, intelligence, and attention to detail are being appropriately recognized. Of course, I could be a little biased, but his bosses think the same as I do. Congratulations Big Guy!!!!

Photo from Front Lawn of Our Condo This Week
Got to Get Back Down There!!!

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                            

BR3 – granddaughter #3, 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; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; 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; 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; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn

Success Grabbers

I enjoyed the inaugural events yesterday and not because of any political connections, although they are rife. I appreciated seeing at least an attempt to return this country to some form of lunacy. Biden is now our president. I challenge all of the Trump supporters who complained about the liberals refusing to call Trump their president four years ago to be better than those people were. They were wrong, as you will be if you deny Biden is now president for all of us. I’m not looking at the situation with rose colored glasses. I know difficult times are ahead but yesterday I saw the return of honor to Washington. This is something sorely lacking over the last four+ years. You either believe in your country or you don’t. It will be a truly sad day if a majority of Americans, from either side of the political spectrum, puts their political party and beliefs in front of their country. Trump was my president (something I’m not extraordinarily proud of) and Biden is now my president. You see, it isn’t that difficult.

House Last Night with Flags and Garden Lights

One of the real dangers in the days ahead will be the revenge seekers. People who want to take advantage of the new political realities to pay back some of their real or perceived indignities of the recent past. That was one of the most telling (and almost thrilling) parts of Biden’s speech yesterday. He made an honest effort to reach out to the other side. I hope he succeeds, again, our president. The biggest challenge may be success grabbers (my own term) from both his side and the opposition. We’ve all run into these people throughout our life. People who want to take credit for a triumph or feat, even if they were part of a team or only tangentially involved. I saw some of this in the military but I was boggled when I transitioned to civilian life and had to interact with politicians. The old saying that “success has a thousand fathers while a failure is an orphan” could not be more apt. I’ve always found that doing the work and then ensuring any plaudits received are shared with your team is the most effective method of building said team. If you’ve got an effective boss, and I’ve been blessed in this department, he/she will see through the smoke screen of success grabbers and focus on who really did the work. Biden’s challenge will be to recognize the work being done without falling victim to the grabbers.

My Favorite Panamanian was so stoked about the inauguration yesterday that she ventured outside in freezing temperatures. Those who know her realize what a serious amount of motivation was required for her to do that. She claims to be allergic to cold weather, which, for her, is anything below 60 degrees. She was outside to emplace a series of American flags around her vast garden complex. She took some boiling water outside to melt the ground so she could stick the flags in. As dark fell and it got even colder her resolve waned and I was press ganged into going outside to colorize her new garden lights into a red, white and blue sequence. It reminded me even more, if that is possible, how much I missed being at our condo. My sister-in-law and her friend sent me greetings from their stay at the condo, saying they were drinking a beer on the beach in my honor. It was even worse when I looked outside to see this.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – granddaughter #3, 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; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; 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; 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; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn

Rejuvenation

I found myself choking up a few times this morning as the presidential inauguration ramped up. It’s not because I’m an ardent Biden supporter, I’m not. I am eternally gratefully to him for vanquishing the disaster he replaces. I’m emotional today because I believe to the depths of my soul in this country and its possibilities. While I never stopped to think about it before, Inauguration Day is the fundamental basis of our way of life, the peaceful transfer of power. The recent challenges to that process has renewed my attention to this ceremony with a rehabilitated sense of pride and something I would describe as awe. I’ve been all over the world and seen the political processes and the results thereof. It is for that reason I realize how fortunate we are. What I never grasped was how fragile our process is, something that was brought home to me eloquently on January 6^th. I stand in awe to the framers of the Constitution who foresaw the dangers, more than 200 years ago, of a demagogue in the office of president. Think about that, they protected us against Trump, installing safeguards he couldn’t overcome. I am intensely proud of my country today, regardless of who is taking that oath. Today is a day of joy.

The 1989 Inauguration, I am Circled

I’m also interested in the inauguration because I took part in planning two of them, the last Reagan one and the first Bush one. I was a general’s aide to the chairman of the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee which allowed me incredible access to the events. I watched Bush’s speech from the balcony directly behind him and then stood next to the presidential viewing stand in front of the White House for the parade. While I couldn’t entirely focus on the VIPs swirling around me because I was at the beck and call of a very intense general, I truly enjoyed the day, albeit a bit wide eyed. I even exchanged nodded greetings with Jesse Jackson, who had no idea who I was. I was in the White House dozens of times over the years but this 1989 day will always be remembered as my favorite.

The 1989 Parade, Again I am Circled

Speaking of favorites, we have a new dedicated activity during our daily calls with the FBR, a dance party. If there was any doubt about her genetic connection with my Favorite Panamanian this should dispel them. She takes the iPad into the living room and while her mother puts on her playlist she launches into a frenzied dance which we are supposed to mimic. I am certainly not physically capable of keeping up with her despite my years of dance floor tutelage from my spouse. The FBR seems content that I’m moving my head and hands with her music.

Dance Party Fever

Again, today is all about the renewal of our country. No need for a series of morale pictures.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – granddaughter #3, 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; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; 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; 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; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn

Vicarious Opening

Tomorrow we usher our current president out and it can’t happen soon enough. As weird as Trump was during his first few years, the past couple months have descended into outright chaos. I took my Favorite Panamanian on a drive through the countryside yesterday, just to escape the house isolation for a couple hours. During the drive through some rural areas I noticed a couple of the white supremacist flags that were so prominent during the January 6 insurrection. For those of you still hanging onto vestiges of your respect for the president (and I hope it is by your fingernails), I offer the following observation. He has tacitly encouraged the main-streaming of the white supremacist movement. What used to be a thankfully minor fringe group has gained a national stage during his presidency that started with his “good people on both sides” comment after Charlottesville. Think about that as you continue to defend him.

View I should be Enjoying Right Now

From our Condo Balcony

Taken this Morning

It is a frustrating day here in very cold Massachusetts. The Covid restrictions in Panama have eased enough that my sister-in-law and her friend went down to check on our condo, where we should be, absent the pandemic. This was supposed to be our first winter spent on the beach but Covid had other ideas. We were a little nervous about what they would find because the condo had been shuttered since my wife left last March. Nearly ten months shut up in the tropics combined with the salt air can invite some serious issues. They were also going to let in the air conditioning guy to service the systems.

A/C Guys in our Living Room

Where we Should be Sleeping

It was therefore with a huge sigh of relief when they found the place in a nearly pristine state. They sent the accompanying photos. The A/C started up without issue and even the washing machine started, unbidden, which was kind of weird. We were talking with them via video chat and it was heartbreaking to see the view out the balcony to the pools and the beach. We’re going to find away to get down there, post-inoculation, even if it is for the start of the rainy season. I felt a real pull to be down there. I’ve lost a full season of body surfing and I don’t know how many more of those I have left.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – granddaughter #3, 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; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; 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; 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; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn