Humble Pie

I had a very funny conversation with the BRS a little bit ago. My son was bragging about how good a swimmer the BRS had become. He thought she was a better swimmer than he was. I took this opportunity to brag to the BRS that I used to be a good swimmer, swimming on my college team as well as playing water polo. I was feeling pretty cool, able to crow to my granddaughter about my (admittedly severely depleted) aquatic capabilities. My puffed-out chest lasted for about 30 seconds. As granddaughters are wont to do, she immediately injected some harsh realism into my fantasy world. She simply asked, “Did you make the Olympics?”. Stunned, I had to admit that I had not. She then summarily dismissed me as unworthy. Both my son and I started laughing. I’ve always believed in keeping high personal standards but, apparently, my granddaughter has lofty ones as well.

BRS Lifting BR3

My son sent these photos of the BRS and BR3 as the latter finishes her pre-school career this week. The one above has the BRS lifting BR3 as she leaves one of her last classes there. I love the one of her looking out the window, wearing wolf ears, with one of her signature maniacal looks. While her sister may excel at ego busting, BR3 can use that scary look to cause even adults to pause. This should come in handy in the future, causing people to take her seriously. Unpredictability can be a worthy attribute, hinting at danger. I love this about her.

That Look

No thunder runs up to Keene for a couple weeks as Keene Friend has disappeared into the northern climes of Maine. He’s visiting a good friend who lives up there now. He sent these pictures of that friend as well as some whales he was watching. His whales were a lot more active than the ones I saw a couple years ago off Gloucester who were mostly sleeping when we passed by.

Keene Friend and his Buddy

Date night yesterday had my Favorite Panamanian and I watching the latest Jurassic movie, Jurassic World Rebirth. The rebirth, or should I say, revamping as this latest movie returns to what made the original movie so memorable – the dinosaurs instead of politics. Scarlett proves her Marvel action days were no fluke as she easily dominates in the lead role. She leads a team back to yet another island the original park used to breed the big guys. They’ve got to retrieve tissue samples from three of the largest dinosaurs. Surprisingly (😊), that’s not as easy as it sounds, as most of the team becomes menu items. There were some welcome surprises as one of the characters I predicted for an early demise survived while a lot of others did not. Not a lot of new terrain covered but a great summer epic walk with the dinosaurs again, ably helmed by the always watchable Ms. Johansson.

Four movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: Rampage – better than I remembered with the Rock and a huge albino gorilla terrorizing Chicago; Raw Deal – one of the first movies they let Ahnuld speak, acceptable 80s era action, I’m still in love with Katherine Harrold; Ready or Not – hilarious horror/comedy with a dysfunctional demon worshipping rich family meeting their match in the heroine; Ready Player One – love this, just love it as an ode to 70s and 80s pop culture and friendship.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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 her single days in Brooklyn; Czech Connection – Czech couple who’ve become good friends along with their daughter (the Czech Shadow); 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 (whom I miss more than I can ever explain); Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course