Now What?

The saga of our street repaving continues afoot. After a couple days of intense activity and a scorched earth policy towards all front yards on the street, action has crawled to a halt. I think this is due to the incoming torrential rains, the remnants of a hurricane. I noticed they didn’t crack the driveways of the houses across the street. I’m guessing that’s so they can protect the underlayment from the 3-6 inches of rain that has already started. Of course, I can probably kiss mine goodbye as the houses at the bottom of the street are about to get the run off from all the houses uphill now that the asphalt has been removed.

Yeah, Right

I took a drive into Worcester this morning for a dentist appointment. I was struck by how rare these trips have become now that I’m working from home in semi-retirement. I used to wander the streets of Worcester regularly as part of my work for the bus company but that ceased more than a year ago now. Wow! It’s weird to do something that was routine again, after a long time away from it. The dentist appointment was only for a cleaning but we did learn why eating ice cream sends a blinding shock down one of teeth. An old filling partially broke off so the ice cream has direct access to the nerve underneath. Note to self – eat ice cream only on other side of mouth until repaired. I didn’t take the hygienist’s suggestion to stop eating ice cream until it is fixed. I mean, seriously?!

I was back at the movie theater yesterday to see The Night House. This is a very scary movie that is also highly intelligent, rather it accords the viewer a modicum of intelligence that can be rare in horror genre. The story revolves around a young widow dealing with the aftermath of her husband’s unexpected suicide. Each night is a challenge as she drinks herself into a stupor while trying to understand what happened and some really occult events start to unfold. The kicker is there may be a supernatural element to the whole mess. As a viewer you are kept in the dark for most of the movie, having to guess whether the spooks are real or just a result of her imagination or drunkenness. I liked the pace as the story unfolds, begrudgingly handing out clues as to what happened. This movie would not have worked with a less talented actress. Rebecca Hall dominates as the widow conveying the frustration, fear, and rage her situation requires. She brings the exact amount of each and effectively plays the part of the audience trying to understand what the hell is happening. Not everyone will like this as many people like their answers spoon fed, but this was a lot of “fun” while being incredibly scary as well.

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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