Beantown Curveballs

Yesterday was our annual trek to Logan International Airport to pick up my mother-in-law who will be staying with us for the next two months. I always anticipate issues with traffic and the airport but yesterday was a little extreme with three curveballs that were better than anything Red Sox relivers have been throwing lately. The first curveball was most welcome, despite driving through Boston at the height of the rush hour, there was virtually no traffic, not even in the tunnel approaching the airport. This is unprecedented for that time of day on a weekday and, again, most welcome. The next two, not so much.

Favorite Panamanian and her Mom at Airport

We arrived at the airport well ahead of schedule due to the lack of traffic. I was about to pull into the usual parking area directly in front of terminal E when I noticed concrete bollards were in place, semi-effectively closing the place. I was about to drive on when I noticed that there was space between the bollards and there were people parked in the lot. I puled up to where I usually got the ticket to enter the parking lot and found an airport employee who explained the lot had been converted to a cell phone lot which meant someone had to be in the car at all times or it would be towed. To emphasize their point there was a tow truck prominently parked right behind the guy. This worked for us since there were two of us and my Favorite Panamanian could go into the terminal to link up with her mom while I sat in the car. She located her mom and we were good to go, after about an hour’s wait. That would have meant about $20 in parking fees under the old system but now it was free. I still had to negotiate the exit which meant driving in front of the terminal where two of the three lanes were blocked by people waiting to pick up people, with the huge, fairly empty lot I just left, immediately to their left. There was a state trooper who should have been addressing the blocked road. He felt it more important to commune with some of the people stuck in the traffic he should have been trying to alleviate. It might have been just me, but everyone he talked to seemed to be young, female and attractive.

Notice the Two Blocked Lanes Behind Them

The final curveball fell just outside Boston. Our standard practice for picking up people from this flight was to stop in Framingham at the TGIF restaurant for a late dinner on our way home. Since we had been equally lucky with traffic on our exit, I asked my Favorite Panamanian if she still wanted to do this or keep motoring towards Worcester. I was nervous because I had seen some construction trucks massing as we drove and I envisioned closed lanes in the very foreseeable future. She opined that she should still do it and I immediately began conjuring possible alternative routes home. We were saved from this eventuality when we pulled into the TGIF parking lot only to find the place permanently closed, another pandemic victim. I was surprised because I had never been to this place without finding it packed. We were back on the pike and home less than thirty minutes later and stole a march on the construction closings. So, three curveballs but, in the end, nothing that wasn’t either welcome or hittable. Again, something like Red Sox relivers of late.

My New "System"

I’ve made a minor improvement to the Man Cave that was long overdue. My cave is in the basement and all that means in terms of air circulation. The heating system throughout the house is forced hot water so there’s no air circulation effect from that. I’ve employed a variety of techniques to freshen the air, using a dehumidifier as well as air fresheners but nothing seemed to completely handle the dead air issue. Since over the past year I’ve spent more time down here than I ever envisioned, I wanted to fix it. This week I installed a small fan in the only window and pointed it outside. I was pleasantly surprised when this turned out to be a very effective and cheap way to address the issue. It pulls air down from the inhabited regions upstairs and I noticed the difference immediately. I think this falls squarely into the blind squirrel finding a nut category.

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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; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course; 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