I learned yesterday, mid-thunder run, that I had accidently started a minor tempest of controversy with an off-hand remark in one of my posts last week. In that post I labeled some of Keene Friend’s remarks as “snarky”. It was not my intent to demonize my best friend, only to comment on his dry sense of humor, of which he is an acknowledged master. Keene Friend’s many allies came out in defense of his type of humor, ranging from the PCR, to my son, to (yikes!) the Cantankerous Friend. This led to a lively “discussion” yesterday at the Lab ‘n Lager as we tried to delve into the meaning of the word and whether it applied to Keene Friend. As usual this discussion (it involved the Cantankerous One after all), devolved into some very funny theories and some downright nonsense. With the benefit of less alcohol intake today, I went back to the dictionaries to investigate: Snarky: The adjective has been recorded in English since 1906. Its original meaning, “crotchety, snappish,” has largely been overtaken, however, by the far more frequently-encountered sense “sarcastic, impertinent or irreverent.”
Taking
that definition into account, Keene Friend has never been crotchety or snappish.
He can be sarcastic, but in only the most subtle fashion. Impertinent, nah, and
then we get to irreverent, to which I have to admit that is really more my bailiwick.
Keene Friend remains one of the funniest people I know, think Steven Wright
with a rewarding personality. Putting all this sober information together I
have to conclude that I erred in branding Keene Friend as snarky, he is
anything but. I hope this apology will keep his many fans from burning me at the
next available stake, I really love the guy. I guess it’s an indication of how
well thought of Keene Friend is that this “controversy” rose at all. He really
is the nicest person I’ve ever met. 
At The Lab 'n Lager Yesterday
Now,
as to the question on how this obviously erudite delving into the English
language originated; I was fortunate enough to have an unscheduled day and a Favorite
Panamanian ready to shop. That combination is known to produce a thunder run
back to my home town where I link up with high school friends to solve many of
the world’s problems (such as the misuse of the word, “snarky”) usually in one
of Keene’s many pubs while my better half engages in tax free shopping. Yesterday
had us as the first costumers of the day at the Lab ‘n Lager (stop #2 on the
annual pub crawl for those keeping score) after an entertaining walk around
downtown with Keene Friend awaiting opening time. 
Wife's Checkout Line Photo Proof
The
Cantankerous Friend was vectored in to join the assemblage and the aforementioned
lexiconical discussions. I spilled my second beer all over the floor but, as
this only the second, I could safely classify this as an accident. The Kindergarten
Friend soon joined us so we had a quorum. He had to use a cane, of which he was
sneakily proud, since he blew out one of his hamstrings while changing the linens
on a bed. Yes. Getting old is not for the weak of heart. Luckily, we, his friends,
were able to assist his recovery with some well-timed medicinal general anesthetic.
After our lofty ponderings concluded, Kindergarten Friend departed for home
while the rest of us walked across the street to Margarita’s in an effort to
coax my Favorite Panamanian of her shopping. It was a team effort as she once
again reported (as she is wont to do) that she was in the TJ Maxx checkout
line. When this statement was met with doubt from the assembled worthies (that
would be us), she sent a picture of the checkout line to prove it. We responded
with a picture of the table awaiting her. I don’t think our return photo had
the intended effect as she hit another store after leaving TJ Maxx. 
Our Return Photo
Earlier
in the week, we had a big event take place in the family. The BRS lost her
first tooth. She didn’t actually lose it but it fell out, nonetheless, She described
it as “wiggly” this past weekend and woke up to discover it had fallen out overnight.
She seems pleased with her effort. The FBR upon hearing this had happened, counseled
her cousin to make sure she got the requisite under the pillow money for the transaction.
I can’t believe how fast this bunch is growing up. 
She Did Eventually Join us
On
Tuesday date night my Favorite Panamanian and I took in Furiosa, a Mad Max Saga.
I had expertly coaxed her into watching Fury Road the night before so I didn’t spend
half the movie explaining who was who. I really enjoyed this prequel of the amazing
Fury Road. Anya Taylor-Jones is tone perfect as the iconic Furiosa. She is
dynamite in the nearly non-stop action sequences which Miller does so well. My only
problem was her lack of spoken lines. She only speaks occasionally while diving
around her war rig, so it was hard to connect with her as a character. Chris Hemsworth
speaks maybe a little too much as another in the long line of amazing Mad Max villains.
This film tells the origin story of Imperator Furiosa and how she came to lose
an arm and ended up hanging out with the war boys. It was always going to be
tough to capture the magic of Fury Road and while they come close, they didn’t.
Still, a very entertaining summer action movie worth seeing for Taylor-Jones
and her duel with Hemsworth.
BRS, 1 Tooth Less
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; 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
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