Giveth and Taketh

In my last post I was waxing happy if a bit astounded by the People’s Republic of Taxxachusetts actually returning some of their tax revenues to me. The universe has a way of balancing the scales as I’m sure the state’s action caused major ripples in the time/reality vortex. That balancing act took place this morning when our kitchen faucet finally gave up the ghost. I’ve been jury rigging the handle for a couple months now and my latest repair caused a piece to shear off. I could either try and find a replacement handle or go with a new faucet. I’ve come to despise the current faucet (c’mon that’s okay, it’s an inanimate object) so that decision was fairly easy and there went a significant portion of the refund. My Favorite Panamanian insisted on being included via Facetime call on the selection process at Home Depot. Now I just have to find someone to install it. Electricity and plumbing are something I don’t venture into lightly.

My A-Z effort ramped up over the past couple days and I ran into a granddaughter installed roadblock. You’ll have noticed in past posts that the whole A to Z effort wasn’t always strictly alphabetical. That was a result of the FBR and BRS, during their last visit, taking it upon themselves to rearrange my movie collection shelves. I started watching a movie and realized it was the second movie in a series for which I was sure I had the first. I went in search and so far it remains in the missing category. I’ve done a scan of the shelves with no luck, other than finding several of their other creative re-districting choices. It’s the Chronicles of Narnia so it would have had some appeal to them. Now I just have to figure out where it ended up. The BRS, particularly, has a habit of hiding things and whenever she and the FBR team up they become exponentially more dangerous. Chaos is their chosen forte (I guess they bred true). They, of course, deny all knowledge. I’ll let you know if it ever shows up.

Finally, and blessedly, my second most favorite night of the year has arrived (Christmas Eve will never be beaten). It’s the night before the annual hometown, birthday Pub Crawl! I just checked historical Frail Deeds posts and the first pub crawl which featured just myself and my Favorite Son for the entire crawl, took place in 2013. That means year will mark the 10^th annual crawl! Can you tell I’m a little excited?  It’s grown over the years as more friends have joined in after realizing the fun of hanging with friends can be, especially if liberally lubricated. We should have an all-star cast this year with the Pittsburgh College Roommate and his wife journeying back for the crawl as well as Kindergarten Friend, Keene Friend, Cantankerous Friend, the Connecticut River Boat Captain and a plethora of other worthies. Yep. Excited. Damned Excited!

Son & I 1st Bar of 1st Crawl

Celebrating Reaching the Last Bar of 1st Crawl

Five movies fell in my A-Z effort, all keepers, Christmas Vacation (best Vacation movie, by far, and best Chase movie which, granted, isn’t saying a whole lot), Chronicle (found footage of angst ridden teens acquiring superhuman powers – great cast), Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian (been there, done that, in the first movie (as I recall), still a very engaging cast), Chronicles of Riddick (bit overblown but epic CGI and it’s got Thandie!), and Riddick (back to basics and well served as Riddick fights a planet, monsters, and mercs).

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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; Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; 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 named 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