Overdue Reduction

In a moment that has been a very long time in the making, the world’s population of absolute oxygen thieves was reduced by one over the weekend when Ayman al-Zawahiri sucked down a pair of hellfire missiles while standing on his Kabul balcony. Al Queda’s leader and Bin Laden’s most fiery deputy was long overdue for a dose of severe justice as one of the masterminds behind that September day. It was nice that we were able to reach out and touch him where he thought he was safe. I won’t post a picture of this gibroni since he is finally doing the first productive thing he’s done in over forty years, serving as fertilizer. As we evolve with ever increasing self-interest amongst newer generations, let’s not forget there are people like al-Zawahiri in need of this kind of very personalized attention for their roles in murdering innocents.

In less bloodthirsty news, the backyard project continues apace. I won’t be extending the wall until I finish removing the last major hunk of the hill which I spent chipping away at this morning. I’m already looking forward to the next major step which will be insuring the floor is completely level all the way around. I think I am falling madly in love with the pick axe. The shovel will bounce off the hardened clay soil but the pick axe never fails. It even split a couple of rocks today that were lurking under the surface, sending a clear message to any other lurkers. I may be losing my sense of reality with all the isolation and digging I’ve been involved in.

Day 23 Progress

Two movies fell in my A-Z effort, both keepers: Alita Battle Angel (3 Oscar winners in a sci-fi CGI adventure) and All the Right Moves (Cruise looking impossibly young).

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RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                        

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete - my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather namad after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; 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; Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course