I made a dangerous decision on Tuesday that went against all of my personal edicts. I went shopping with my Favorite Panamanian. I know. Perilous territory. In the truly “what was I thinking” arena, I ended up in a New Hampshire shoe store with her. Shoe stores are literally her favorite hunting ground which I have always avoided like the proverbial plague. I knew although our stated target was a pair of shoes for a Christmas gift that I was in for the long haul. What the heck though, it's Christmas time and I was promised a continuation of the trip on to Keene and a reunion with friends there. We quickly found the targeted shoes but my wife had a semi-glassy stare in her eyes as she took in the wide array of shoes for sale. To her credit it was only another hour before we left with an additional Christmas gift for that Panamanian I’m married to.
It
was a day of startling firsts. Not only did I accompany my wife to a shoe store
(gasping again at the memory) but she also hunted down a restaurant via her phone
while we were enroute. Now my kids are gasping but yes, it did happen. She
tracked down a place for us to stop for lunch on our way to Keene. I was more
thana little impressed, as was she. It was a fun excursion, even with the shoe
store, as we got to hang out with each other instead of dealing with the distractions
life at home usually provides (my Favorite Panamanian and the international
phone system – I’m looking at you).
Favorite Panamanian in Heaven
We
descended on Keene to find Keene Friend and the Cantankerous Friend awaiting
our arrival. The three of us ambled down the street to Penuche’s while my wife
made a be line for additional tax-free shipping opportunities. The three of us
set up shop in an almost deserted Penuche’s and promptly solved all of the Red
Sox’ many off season dilemmas. Now to only get that information to Boston. I
put out a couple of feelers and we were joined for a great interlude by the
Kindergarten Friend and the CRC. As I’ve stated numerous times before, there is
something truly medicinal about spending time with old friends.
Great Friends at the 'Nuche
Unfortunately Shaped Trench Saved me from Spilled Beer (not mine)
Of
course, life has a way of making you pay for the good times and yesterday the
bill for Tuesday came due. Since we’re having a new floor put in the garage tomorrow,
I had to clear out the garage and store everything on Deckzilla. That was nowhere
near as much fun as it sounds, especially with a brisk wind and temperatures in
the 20s. I found some plastic wrap from one of our earlier moves and used that
to wrap up my tool chest and a couple of other vulnerable items because, of
course, it’s supposed to rain heavily tomorrow. By the end of the day, I was
frozen but everything was outside. Deckzilla must be a little miffed as it now
looks like a scene from the Beverly Hillbillies (older people will recognize the
reference).
The CRC Also Showed Up
Tool Chest Wrapped Up 
Before Picture 
Deckzilla Indignity
I
finally got to see a movie I missed at the theaters with the Banshees of Inisherin.
It was worth the wait. I realized for the first time watching this what a
talented actor Farrell is. I’d never given him enough credit (probably because
of Alexander the Great) but he is both hilarious and tragic as the monumentally
dim co-lead. He is one of two lifelong friends on a remote Irish island in the
1920s when one of the two decides to abruptly end the friendship. What follows is
a sometimes grotesque journey as the two friends and the island’s population
deal with the fallout. The film reunites Farrell with Gleason and they pick up
on the chemistry as if they’d never left Bruges. Beautifully shot, the Irish countryside has a
full-fledged role in the story. I loved this movie.
After Picture
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; CRC - Connecticut
Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor
of the big river; Curbside Girls – close
friends of my daughter acquired during him 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 3rd 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; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate– high
school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; 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
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