Prima Weekend and the Oscars

The Spanish word for female cousin is “prima”, therefore the title of this post is most appropriate as my Favorite Panamanian imported a sizable percentage of her first cousins in for a weekend at the beach. They were joined by Tia Loca which will always detract from any dignity, intended or otherwise. The weekend definitively qualified as spectator sport as the cousins dove into this mini-reunion with their usual verve, arriving on Friday. I had to bum a ride from our recently returned upstairs neighbors for Friday night pizza as the cousins met up with my wife as she finished stations of the cross in the village (I chose not to attend the church thing, still smarting from earlier in the week). It was a very fun (and thoroughly humid) pizza followed by gelato. Chow Mein the cat appeared at both the pizza and gelato, stirring up memories of the grandkids.

Wife and Cousins this Morning

Upstairs Neighbors are Back!!
Friday Night Sunset

Friday Night Pizza

The ex-Mrs. Cantankerous Friend was amongst the cousins. She of the twenty-minute marriage to my buddy (lasted as long as the bus ride from the reception at my son’s wedding to the hotel, officiated by Tia Loca). The Ex- Mrs. C.F.  went out for an early morning walk on Saturday morning and a couple hours later everyone was worried. Various theories were floated, including a secret boyfriend down the beach or a determination to walk back to Panama City. It turned out that she had arranged a secret rendezvous with her brother (another cousin, but a Primo instead of Prima). He brought along his beloved ex-wife, a Brazilian lady, who has always been a favorite of my wife and her cousins. This added a an even more festive atmosphere to something that didn’t need any help.

Cousin and Tia Loca in the Pool

They Had a Good Time

We spent the day hanging on the beach as Tia Loca and I once again revisited our boogie board bonding. Lunch called for a cavalcade of cars down the beach to Plinio’s. It was really hot and humid, even in the shade, but we had a lot of fun. Buddy’s doppelganger was there and welcomed me back warmly. After lunch we returned to the beach and I loaded up the cooler with a case of beer and informed the cousins that I wasn’t going to carry it full back up the stairs (elevator still not repaired) so we had to drink it all. They were up to the task, especially since the sunset ceremony lasted well into the evening under the lights.

Plinio's

One of the Sunsets

We set up for the sunset ceremony and a lady from behind us took a couple great pictures of the assembled cousins as well as the upstairs neighbors. My Favorite Panamanian was playing some oldies on her beach speaker and predictably a dance party broke out with the cousins. I was specifically forbidden from posting the short video I have of my Favorite Panamanian dancing (something about her hair). After vanquishing the sun, we set up for games on the beach, under the newly installed lights. We played left-right-center and once again I lost as the dice really don’t like me. The Upstairs Neighbors took home the jackpot. They stayed around for a couple rounds of Uno Flip as well. It strained my Spanish to the extreme as I tried to explain all the different cards to the cousins but the laughter was almost non-stop, as is usually the case with this bunch. Many thanks to Wingman for leaving the game with us (and teaching us how to play).

Our Bunch Seen Setting Up

The Gang

From the Front

And the Dancing Breaks Out

Late Night Games

Under the Stars

Sunday dawned as one of the most important days in a movie geek’s (guilty) year – the Academy Awards. My Favorite Panamanian has placed me on bedrest for a couple days so that worked out fine. I theorize that it was a case of exhaustion which led to the persistent congestion and a stuffed ear I’m experiencing. We were both bone tired when the kids left last week but I immediately launched back into my daily workout routine and extensive boogie boarding (in my defense the waves were epic). I tried to hide it from the wife but she’s strangely attuned to my health situation (I think it’s the 42 years). She pointedly reminded me that I’m not as young as I think I am. So, bed rest for a couple days. While I gaze longingly at the waves outside, at least I had the Oscars to console me.

I really enjoyed this year’s ceremony. We’re now an hour behind the East Coast (no daylight savings time here) which meant the Oscars started at six pm here. My wife and her cousins were still hanging out in the pool for the first couple hours of the show so I didn’t have to max out the volume until they returned. In yet another major upset, for the second year in a row, I edged out my daughter with Oscar predictions, 14 to 13. In her defense she was decisively engaged in hosting her annual Oscar party which once again looked amazing. She creates her party snacks as odes to the best picture nominees and this year featured an old family favorite. My Favorite Panamanian’s family-famous pink dessert represented, you guessed it, Barbie. Speaking of Barbie, one of the Curbside Gals showed up for the party garbed up as Weird Barbie, way, way too funny.

Elegant Daughter Hosting Party

FBR Sampling a Pink Dessert

Then Weird Barbie Shows Up!

Jimmy Kimmel was workman-like as host but had a couple good moments. The best speeches were by the two winners for supporting actor awards. The biggest win for the night was Ryan Gosling performing, I’m Just Ken; an absolute riot. If the vote had taken place for best song after the ceremony he would have won, hands down. It was a huge tonal shift though following a somber reminder of the war in Ukraine by the documentary film winner. Seeing “twins” Schwarzenegger and DeVito together was really funny, especially after they highlighted they had both been killed as Batman villains. All this while Michael Keaton fake glared at them, hilariously. I thought Matt Damon escaped the show without a Kimmel burn, but the show ended with the dog from one of the nominated films peeing on his Hollywood walk of Fame star. Hilarious.

Best Speech

Epic Ken

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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; 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 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; 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; Seis Amigos - two couples from our condo complex and my wife and I; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course