Panamanian Quota and Desert Classic

My Favorite Panamanian is a little sad today because it marks the first day we are back down to our authorized levels of Panamanians in the house – one. She’s enjoyed having a female Panamanian in the house since early July first with a visiting friend and then her mother since August. That all came to an end yesterday with the return of her mother to Panama. It was not without the customary dramatics though. Anyone who’s read Frail Deeds knows that my wife takes an inordinate amount of pride and time when it comes to packing suitcases. Getting all her mother’s acquisitions during her nearly three month stay was as close to an acid test for her process that she’s ever faced.

Our Departed House Guest

In a truly memorable moment Thursday night, I was summoned to perform my usual and only contribution to the process – lifting the bags up to be weighed. My wife’s sister, Tia Loca, was watching via Facetime as we reached this critical point in the luggage prep ceremony. Predictably one of her bags was way over weight. Uncharacteristically my wife didn’t want to shift things around but simply remove items. It was at this point I got very brave and told her I could fix it. Before you go laying all kinds of altruistic intentions at my feet, I knew whatever was removed was still going to be transported to Panama in January when my wife and I go down. I knew there wouldn’t be any room in my wife’s bags, so there you go, some foresight and enlightened self-interest.

Welcomed to Panama by Grandson

The major departure was my Favorite Panamanian actually allowing me to try. I assign this to the exhaustion and heartache she was feeling at the time. I shared an amazed expression with Tia Loca and got to work. I shifted things around and employed the sole advantage I have over my wife, physical strength. She claimed I would never be able to close the bags while I tried not to look too challenged as I inexorably drew the zipper closed. She was amazed, I was a hero, and I might actually have some of my own things in my suitcase in January. I said a silent prayer of thanks that my mother in law had purchased some fluorescent binding belts to go around the suitcases so they wouldn’t pop open due to stressed zippers.

Repurposing Zipper Saving Belt

The drama continued the next morning as we prepared for an early morning departure through Boston rush hour traffic to the airport. My mother in law’s printed itinerary showed a 10:30am departure. As a conscientious son in law, I checked the flight status online Friday morning and found the flight was actually leaving at 930am. A scene straight out of Home Alone followed as we charged around the house to get on the road. I was fearful of what Boston had in store for us and the traffic was extremely heavy. However, it was all traveling at 80 MPH. I made it to the airport in less than an hour from Worcester. After dropping of the Panamanians off I took nearly an hour finding a parking spot since Logan had closed all the E terminal parking lots and cleverly disguised the entrance to Central Parking Garage. I did get to spend some time in beautiful downtown Revere as the highway signs incorrectly pointed me that way. This which was only the start of the hunt as I tried to find the right terminal entrance from inside that cavernous structure. I was able to catch my mother-in-law as she headed to the security check point as my disapproving wife wondered where the hell I had been for the past hour. My mother-in-law safely returned home, or at least to Panama City, where she’ll stay with Tia Loca and her son for the next few days. Our loss is definitely their gain.

Before she left we all went to see the latest incarnation of Dune. I have to admit I may be the one guy who actually enjoyed the 1984 David Lynch version of Dune. I know it was extremely weird and I took real exception to his depiction of some of the elements, especially the Sardaukar warriors and Guild navigators. Those problems and so much more are fixed in this new movie. The sweeping story of galactic politics and power endures with a fabulous cast. Denis Villeneuve brings the story to the screen with an epic scale and power previous incarnations could only have hoped for. Timothée Chalamet wouldn’t have been my first choice in the central role of Paul Atriedes but he delivers despite my misgivings. I was also impressed with Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho who lends some physicality and humor when needed. I loved this movie, most of all, though because it brings the lethality and grit of the Fremen into clear focus. I was skeptical going in but this movie completely won me over, I could almost feel the dust of Arrakis on my shoes as I was leaving the theater. This from someone who has ready all the original Herbert Dune books as well as the well written sequels by his son.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                            

BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – 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