Loving Holiday Grind

Time seems to be in permanent overdrive this week with Christmas bearing down on us. As I’ve said before, time speeds up when you get older, but this is bordering on ridiculous. It could be the myriad tasks I have to accomplish in preparing for the holiday as well as our nearly immediate move south to the condo. I’m getting more and more ready for that move with the freezing temperatures and winds over the past week. I’ve been lulled into a false sense of security by the past few Decembers and have cold heartedly laughed at friends and family when polar vortexes fall on them while I’m cavorting on a tropical beach. I’ve officially received my comeuppance with this past week’s weather and have earned my polar vortex merit badge. I’m still going to laugh when I’m on the beach in January though. As Great Aunt is fond of saying, I am incorrigible.

Namesake Nephew's Daughter Putting the Skills 
Her Cousins Taught her to Work

This hasn’t stopped the Christmas prep although I’m on my own with the outside decorating as my Favorite Panamanian has decided her role in that effort will consist of offering me hot chocolate when I come in, teeth a chattering. She’s been pestering me (as only she can) for a couple weeks to hang the garage door covering nativity scene. I’ve tried explaining that it is too cold for the adhesive to bond but she (safely inside) assures me that it is time. She scoffed when I came in (ready for that hot chocolate) with the banner safely hung. I didn’t say anything about the next day’s weather forecast which called form high winds (revenge is best served cold – so we got that). The winds came in heavier than I imagined with 50MPH gusts all day long. Just after lunch, I looked out and the garage door was no longer covered and the banner was nowhere in sight. I found it in the neighbor’s yard twisted around a tree. I must be getting smarter because I refrained from saying a single “told you so”. (I never win the aftermath of that statement).

The Garage Banner During its Short Lived Residency

The biggest pre-deployment tasks have been accomplished with prescriptions extended/secured, van reserved for ride to the airport (at 3:15am!!!), condo cleaning arranged, obtaining a new primary care physician (because my wife didn’t think we were busy enough), cars inspected/serviced, and Christmas shopping just about finished. I really wish this wind would stop blowing though, we’re going on three days of constant and impressive gusts. I’ve decided I’ve earned a break, dispute my Favorite Panamanian’s opinion on the subject. She’s hosting the Maine Musquetera this weekend so I informed her I would take that opportunity to thunder run up to Keene and check out the Cantankerous Friend’s new knee. He had a knee replacement earlier this week and from reports he’s handling it like a champ. This will also give me the chance to hang out with Keene Friend. I’m fairly certain I’ll be in no shape to drive home Saturday night, so there’s that.

My Poor Man Cave

My Man Cave is in a complete shambles as the Amazon packages have built up. I started the wrapping last night which further devastated my sanctuary, and I still have a good half left to go. I love seeing the Christmas tree start to look the part with presents displayed underneath. I’ll write my usual Christmas is the best time of year post soon, but, despite all my bitching and moaning, I couldn’t be happier. I still have to complete the annual Christmas letter but that is a labor of love as I relive the remarkable year we’ve had.

The Tree is Starting to Get Stocked Though

Speaking of remarkable, the follow-on generations are doing their part. Wingman is back home from his latest reunion tour which meant the New Jersey Christmas tree is up. Despite fears of what that meant with two frisky kittens now in residence, both Walnut and Pistachio have yet to knock it over. The FBR completed her latest acting gig as part of the Annie cast. My daughter sent a couple videos which captured it and I couldn’t be prouder. I just might be a little biased but she was clearly the best on the stage (loved hearing her threaten someone with a knuckle sandwich). In Rhode Island Namesake Nephew’s daughter seems to have picked up the family trait of completely messing up video libraries. I’m suspicious because she recently spent time with both the FBR and BRS who were notorious for rearranging my Blu-ray library at her age. As I make my way through the A-Z watch I’m constantly finding movies out of order, usually only at the levels they could reach. I sense some coaching went down over their Thanksgiving meeting.

Annie Production FBR in Striped Shirt

She was So Good

Walnut Inspecting the Tree

Pistachio Liked the Bag the Tree Came in

Even with all this going on we managed to execute a full date night on Tuesday with a movie and dinner. We saw Fackham Hall which was hilarious, at least for me, my Favorite Panamanian is not a fan of that type humor but I imagined my son or Keene Friend seeing this with me and know we would have been howling. This movie is a curious blend of Airplane, Downton Abbey, and Monty Python. Say the title really fast and you’ll understand. Some serious actors are called upon to play the fool with digs aimed squarely at the English class system. Some of the funniest lines are issued in church where we’re reminded of the supreme importance of punctuation. It’s the kind of movie I’m going to see again and again for all the jokes I missed while laughing. The jokes and double entendres arrive at a breakneck pace and it’s just too funny. I loved it. The wife did enjoy the dinner though.

Eleven(!) movies fell in the A-Z watch, ten keepers: Underworld Awakening – continuing my ride with Becks in spandex, good action flick; Underworld Blood Lines – definitely jumped the shark with this final movie, still fun, but without edge; Unfaithful – from my being in love with Diane Lane phase (still in it), but such a dumb movie despite her evident charms, eject; Unforgiven – might be best Western ever made, Eastwood, Hackman and Freeman just chewing up the scenery; Universal Soldier – really loved this when it came out, hasn’t aged well but still a keeper; The Untouchables – interesting to see the young Costner in action and Sean Connery in his best role (outside of 007); Up – the best animated movie ever made, demise of Ellie still brings a tear to my eye and then there’s “Squirrel!” with Doug; Upgrade – really good sci fi yarn about dangers of AI; The Upside of Anger – one of my favorite movies of all time, Joan Allen towers and the interplay with her daughters and Costner are beautiful; U.S. Marshals – Tommy Lee reprising his Fugitive role chasing Snipes across the country with bad boy Downey; and The Usual Suspects – great crime story with the best twist ending this side of the Sixth Sense.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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