The Mark 1 Panty Cranial Bandage Stabilization System

I know. The title bears explanation and will confuse those outside my family who have been laughing at me for the past couple days. Let me explain. I’ve been struggling with keeping the top of the head bandage in place overnight. Despite my best efforts, apparently my head likes to wander at night. This leads to the bandage migrating with it and not always staying on top of the wound. Since it is anchored in the stubble of my Friar Tuck haircut, the bonding doesn’t always hold it in place. I tried, but couldn’t find an old running cap I used to wear when I was allowed to run. My Favorite Panamanian came up with a remarkable solution. She fished an old pair of her panties out of storage and emplaced them on my head to wear while I'm sleeping. It worked, although with entirely too much laughter from her.

The Thunder Run Gang

That laughter was minor compared to the reaction of Great Aunt to my new sleep system. She said I had to post a picture, mainly because I never hesitate to post pictures of others which may not capture them in their best light. After some initial resistance, I decided it would only be fair, so here is the one and only photo in existence of the Mark 1 Panty Cranial Bandage Stabilization System. My Favorite Panamanian, taking pity on my sleeping system delved into the storage area and found the missing running cap so the panty system has been retired. It was funny while it lasted, and hey, it worked. Great Aunt came up with another great line last night during the First Friday Family Facetime call. I reported I was getting an X-ray on my foot which has been bothering me for a long while. She said, you know, you’re hurting from head to toe. Painfully true, in a number of ways.

The System

Of course, as previously stated, the best medicine for pain is hanging with old friends. I admirably accomplished that. Okay, most of the admiration should be ascribed to my magnificent high school friends. I made my first 2024 thunder run back to my hometown on Thursday for the stated purpose of morale embellishment. I wasn’t sure if anyone other than Keene Friend and the Cantankerous One would attend since it was a middle of the week thing (although technically qualifying as Weekend Eve). As is always the case with this bunch, they over achieved. My Kindergarten Friend, the Connecticut River Boat Captain, Keene Friend 2, and another classmate and her husband all showed up at Penuche’s to spend the afternoon catching up and comparing winters. I think I won that contest, although Cantankerous wandered the French Alps for a bit (I’ll still take the beach).

As required when we gather, there was a semi-conscious phone call to the PCR. He was his usual gruff self (I think it’s mostly because he wishes he was sitting next to us), so we called upon his wife to lighten up the mood. We tried unsuccessfully to get his commitment to join us in November for the pub crawl, hope will continue to spring. They were excited about the upcoming nuptials for their youngest son which had the Keene Friend and I planning a road trip to Cleveland. I also made a call, I think, to my daughter where Keene Friend volunteered to help Wingman with an upcoming work project. At a certain point, inexplicably, things got a little foggy (at least the head stopped hurting for a while). My Favorite Panamanian was doing her usual Thunder Run activity, shopping. She spent a lot of time at Home Depot planning a remodel of our first-floor bathroom. That’s going to be interesting. As the sun set, the Penuche’s survivors return to Keene Friend’s house to await her return. She didn’t bother to check her texts and showed up at Penuche’s, which had been overrun by college kids by that point. She eventually found us. We did the usual Margarita’s dinner and then returned to Keene Friend’s house where my Favorite Panamanian received a belated birthday cake form our host. Pre-warned, I had secretly smuggled Bonecrusher up for the occasion. A great day, spent with some truly excellent people and I forgot about the constant thrum of pain for a while. A prodigious day.

I get to Hang with Special People

In my A-Z watch, two fell since I last posted, both keepers, Anyone But You (new addition), funny rom-com, whoever said Sweeney wasn’t attractive needs their eyes checked and Hunter Killer, a simply great submarine thriller, gets better every time I watch it.

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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