Weekend Culturale

As many of you no doubt realize, I am an ardent advocate for celebrating the First Friday of the Week, no matter when it falls. Another indication of what a fine country Panama is that they also have a saying about celebrating Fridays. Whenever I am engaged in my celebratory activities my Favorite Panamanian says I am enjoying yet another, “Viernes Culturale”, which literally means a “Cultural Friday”. That now that’s classy. I offer this cogent bit of information to report on another Viernes Cuturale that I was able to extend throughout the weekend, due to some truly outstanding friends and family.

The Friday Ladies on Deckzilla
The Mafioso With a Rare Almost Smile in a Photo

It all started on Friday when my Favorite Panamanian conspired with the Worcester Chapter of the Panamanian Mafia to have a get together. The stated reason was to make a Pesada de Nance. This is a traditional Panamanian dessert made by cooking the nance pulp with sugar and cornstarch. It has a custard-like consistency. Nance is a small yellow fruit native to Panama. I heard about this a month ago and figured I would not be involved and could count on some Man Cave time while the ladies indulged in nationalistic culinary pursuits. I was so wrong. By the time Friday rolled around, it had evolved into a full gathering, including the menfolk.

The Nance Fruit

The Pesada They Created

That meant my wife inflicted one of her weeklong house cleaning extravaganzas that I was inevitably sucked into. The attendance roster had expanded to include some Peruvians and the Czech Friends. Since the Czech Shadow is now a working gal, she could not attend. While we waited for the oppressive daytime humidity to wane, we entertained ourselves inside while the ladies went to work on the arcane nance recipe. The Neighborhood Mafioso was at my side so there was a significant amount of laughing going on. Eventually we all moved out onto Deckzilla for the remainder of our time in a semi-perfect early summer evening in the shade. We broke out the Left-Right-Center dice game where I kept my lifelong losing streak intact. It was a great evening with good friends, and I’m told the pesada de nance was excellent (it’s not as if I would ever try it).

Panamanians at Work

And Offering Their Opinion of the Photographer

Waiting out the Humidity

Deckzilla Time

Left-Right-Center Aftermath

I’ve written before about the great friends we met our trip last year to Portugal, Spain and France. We got together with them a couple times last year during trips to visit my son since they live in his area. My Favorite Panamanian (social director that she is) arranged a get together for last Saturday. I thought this would be my golden ticket to miss out on the granddaughters’ annual dance recital. We made our plans with the friends for an afternoon and dinner in Portsmouth and then I called my son about sleeping accommodation at his place. He said I was coming up anyways because that was the day of the dance recital. I excitedly explained that he had never told us about the date and thought I was home free.

Granddaughters Dance Recital

BR3 Third from R, BRS Second from R

Let me explain; I love watching the granddaughters dance but the past couple of years the recitals, outside of their performance, have been akin to the Bataan Death March. I would rather have root canal work done. To see the 2 minutes the granddaughters are on stage meant sitting through several dozen others, carefully packed into three hours of agony. You get the point. For some reason, the ladies love it, thinking all the acts are “cute”. Me, not so much. My hopes were dashed when my son (efforting a way to get himself out of trouble with the ABFA for not telling us about it) figured out there was a way for us to do both. God save me from raising offspring way too intelligent for my own good.

BR3

BRS 

The dance academy must have heard the grumbling from past year’s crowds because they seriously streamlined the event this year. With the exception of an overlong celebration of themselves, the show moved right along. We had to leave just before the end but had seen the BRS and BR3 dazzle on stage. This is the first year that BR3 seemed actually engaged in the performance while the BRS was her usual star in the making. Our early departure allowed us to beat the traffic and get to Portsmouth quickly. We parked in the huge city garage my son oversaw the construction of a few years ago. I was amazed at how much development had occurred since that time.

Cigar Bar

We linked up with our friends at Dwyer’s Pub, close to the garage. Portsmouth is a great town, with all the entertainment district within easy walking distance. It is a completely different place from when I went to college nearby, in a very good way. I agreed to the get together with the stipulation that I didn’t have to take part in the inevitable shopping. It was agreed that the ladies would shop while the guys amused themselves in the local pub scene. We started out in The Slow Burn Lounge, a cigar bar, which is a first for me. I know it must seem astounding that at my advanced age and lifelong, dedicated investigation of the pub scene, that I can achieve a first. One of the other guys was a member and while I’ve never smoked, I enjoyed the atmosphere and the conversation. It also had the nicest pub bathroom I’ve ever seen, including a table lamp and couch, but I digress.

Very Fun Table at The Library

After my friend finished his cigar, we wandered around central Portsmouth for a while until we landed at a bar much more in my wheelhouse, the Rusty Hammer. We caught the end to the Red Sox game there (a rare win) and eventually the ladies joined us.  We then had a short walk down the street to The Library Restaurant. We had eaten there before and what’s not to like, an upscale restaurant with overstocked bookshelves lining the place. We enjoyed the conversation and laughter as we got to know our friends better. Meeting them was one of the true highlights of that European tour. In what turned out to be a theme for the day I ran into another strange restroom there. There was an antique barber’s chair dominating the room. They would have been better off spending the money on an additional urinal but that’s just an opinion (from the guy dancing in line waiting his turn).

Abuela with her Star  Hojaldra Student

This evening was a lesson I learned early in life and it’s nice to see it validated as I move into a more auspicious accumulation of years. That being that time sitting around a table with friends is always a serious win for the soul. I owe a lot to my social director, the Favorite Panamanian, for putting this together. We ended up back at my son’s home around 10pm, thoroughly gassed, but in a very good way. We ran into one of the couples the next day in church and enjoyed spending some more time with them after mass.

Abuela Showing the BRS and BR3 the FBR's Latest Play

The highlight of any weekend involving granddaughters will be the time we get to spend with them and their parents which we accomplished on Sunday. They were their usual busy selves. The BRS cemented her reputation as an expert maker of hojaldras, when her abuela was late in arising. That abuela was very proud of her best pupil. Their next-door neighbor was having a high school graduation party which the granddaughters excitedly attended. My son, after an allergy inducing lawn mowing session, settled down with my expert assistance (honed endlessly in the Man Cave) for electronic entertainment. My wife (his mother) thought we were entirely too sedentary. We both agreed she was in error as we flipped between World Cup games and other offerings. I fell victim to my granddaughters’ latest pranks. They noticed me working at removing what I thought was a huge hunk of bubble gum from the bottom of my shoe. They gasped and admitted that I had sprung what they called their “glue trap”. They had set it out to catch anyone evil trying to enter their house (they may be watching too much TV). Their parents were not impressed with their ingenuity.

Son and I in Vegetative State

While Granddaughters Enjoy Graduation Pool Party

My son put me onto a new cable series which is hilarious. Widow’s Bay is a horror comedy which, I guess, is a thing. It was so much fun watching it with my son as we share similar senses of humor and we were both bursting out is laughter repeatedly to the consternation of my nearby Favorite Panamanian. She thinks the horror genre is akin to devil worship. The show is about an isolated island in Maine that is seriously haunted despite an unbelieving mayor who is the butt of so many jokes and hauntings. If you get a chance, check this out, I am binge watching it at home now so I can compare notes with my son this coming weekend.

In the much more mundane department, now that I’ve concluded the A-Z watch, I’ve turned my attention to the stack of jigsaw puzzles that have built up during that effort. On Wednesday I started the first 1000-piece puzzle in a while and by Friday had knocked it off, rediscovering how much time consumption it provides. It’s not that I have a lot of that to donate, but with the horrific Red Sox season it’s nice to have something to do other than burn with resentment of what they have become, a punchless shadow of what they used to be. Oh well, at least this is what I was used to growing up, it’ll be good to build up some more callouses on the soul. At least the Tartan Army that descended on Boston to support Scotland in the World Cup has provided some distraction. They are so fun to watch.

The Puzzle

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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; Upstairs Neighbors – American couple and great friends who live in condo above us in Panama; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Back to Strafford

My most excellent weekend extended into Monday with a mini-reunion of Strafford Avenue friends from my college years. That included my fraternity brother and one of the gorgeous AZ girls from next door to our fraternity on Strafford Avenue. They were dating in college and, with my college sweetheart, we formed a close-knit group of friends. I screwed up that chemistry with an ill-fated letter when I was stationed in Germany in 1979. I stayed in loose contact with my friend and reunited with the lady soon after I retired from the Army at a UNH reunion. I hadn’t seen her in more than ten years, so this was a real treat.

Sitting Down with Great Friends Yesterday

I checked with prior blog posts, and I last sat down for lunch with my friend in early 2020. We made plans at that lunch to spend more time together but, again, look at that date. 2020 was the year that everyone wants to forget because of Covid but that was also the year I underwent cancer surgery, so any nascent plans we had didn’t survive the 2020 depredations. Life then got in the way with the arrival of grandkids and other assorted distractions, welcome and otherwise. We stayed in contact, usually at holiday times, always bemoaning the fact we hadn’t gotten back together. Last week a group chat between the three of us appeared proposing a get together. We compared schedules and, since retirement includes a maximum amount of calendar flexibility, it turned out yesterday was a good day for all of us.

I've Posted This Photo Before
The Same Friends in 1978 Along with The 4th Member

We selected Nashua as a good spot to meet for lunch. My fraternity brother lived the closest, so he was in charge of selecting the restaurant. It turns out he likes sushi, so a Japanese café was chosen. That will tell you how much I treasure these friends that I agreed to that and in a stroke of good luck, they also served dead animal flesh. I’ve written before how much personal and emotional history Nashua holds for me as this was the hometown of that college sweetheart as well as the place my son and the ABFA tied the knot.

A Photo of My Friend and I in 1977

We spent the time catching up with each other’s lives which is always entertaining. They both achieved impressive careers in the computer industry which we all could not have seen coming. There’s that shorthand in talking with old friends meant we covered a lot of ground in the all too short a time we were together yesterday. We played the game of the contact we had with friends from the splendid years we spent together on Strafford as well as well as our far flung families. We left with a firmer promise to not let years pass before we did this again, even a pub crawl was mentioned. So. Hoo-ahh in a very large manner.

Date night today had the Favorite Panamanian and I at the cinema. Masters of the Universe was a movie I was really looking forward to. It harkened back to memories of the 1990s when my, at the time, young son was a huge He-Man fan. I also liked the earlier film with Dolph Lungren as the big guy. My hopes for a little Eternian magic were dashed by this travesty. I know I’m not the most politically correct guy on the planet but still, He-Man as a metrosexual HR geek. C’mon. There were also almost constant lame attempts at humor, usually at the hero’s expense. Instead of embracing the mythology, the filmmakers made a movie-long attempt at making fun of it. This is a bad movie and I’m the kind of guy it should have been aimed at. Even the usually dependable Idris Elba can’t save it. Do not waste your money on this. Terrible.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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; Upstairs Neighbors – American couple and great friends who live in condo above us in Panama; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Weekending

I believe I can say without chance of argument (except from the Cantankerous Friend, of course) that I had a completely superior weekend. It started out well with the First Friday of the Week Family Facetime call. There was a rare occurrence with both my “kids” and Great Aunt participating. Since we all leave fairly complicated lives (more so them, what with the small children), usually one or the other has to beg off. This was a real treat. At least until my son had to head out to deliver BR3 to a birthday party and then my daughter had to chase down the FBR. It was fun while it lasted.

Namesake Nephew's Daughter Conquering Me

The fun continued Saturday when we journeyed down to Rhode Island to officially christen Great Aunt’s new deck with a McShawn’s Night. The gathering had the requisite number of Soxfather’s incredible family as well as Namesake Nephew and his. Great Aunt’s youngest granddaughter was the star of the show. She spends most of the week with Great Aunt and we can clearly trace Great Aunt’s return to us, spirit wise, to her arrival on the scene. I can understand that now as Namesake Nephew’s daughter is a real charmer. Remy, Great Aunt’s gregarious (aren’t they all) lab was a particular target.

Remy Under Attack

I failed in my post-retirement mission in life to capture, with my unique photographic skills, the timeless presence of Soxfather’s sister, despite her objectionable opinions as to those skills. She departed soon after we arrived to attend her 50^th high school reunion. I was able to glean the required photo when she appeared on my Facebook feed with the attached photo, so mission complete. It was a very entertaining interlude on the amazing new deck, complete with a covered pergola which kept the sun and prying eyes of wandering Cranstonian teenagers off our gathering.

Obligatory Soxfather Sister Photo

Namesake Nephew did a credible job at the grill and there was way, way too much food in play. That included a well received, but certainly not needed, whoopie pie. I didn’t think I could manage that after all the barbecue and beer that had been sent down range, but we’re talking whoopie pies here, so you know I rose to the occasion. There may have also been some chocolate chip cookies placed too close to my seat but enough of that. In the win department, I was able, thanks to the whoopie pie, to decline that surpassing Rhode Island delicacy, a donut cake.

Saturday Gathering Under the Pergola

Namesake Nephew’s daughter also experienced her first baptism of fire that is my Favorite Panamanian’s signature move with youngsters. That includes the vigorous nuzzling at the back of the neck complete with continuous statements about how she is going to eat them. Both of my children and their children, as well as any toddle unwise enough to wander too close to her, have experienced this. This newest recipient was thoroughly pleased, which is the usual reaction. One of the funniest reactions ever though belongs (typically) to BR3 who, while undergoing the process, reached out for a green pepper and said, “No abuela, eat this instead!”.

Wife Prepping her Attack

It Begins

The Usual Reaction

From Both

Soxfather was certainly there with us. I felt his presence all day long, imbued with the special people gathered there. While the pain associated with missing him so much will never leave, it’s times like these, which he loved so much, that brings him closer to us. Great Aunt gifted me with a new T-shirt from the recently concluded golf tournament named after Soxfather which is an annual event aimed at replenishing the scholarship fund in his honor. It brought back those happier times when he attended in person.

FBR Ready to Rock

Meanwhile, in New Jersey, the FBR was astonishing the crowd attending her dance recital. Her mom had expertly prepared her makeup and she looked like a polished professional dancer. My daughter also surreptitiously videoed the entire performance and I can state without fear of contradiction that the FBR was the best dancer in her troupe. I’m always amazed when she steps out of her “teenager in waiting” personae and wows this way. I may be a little biased but if you saw the video you would agree, she was amazing.

Amazing

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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; Upstairs Neighbors – American couple and great friends who live in condo above us in Panama; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

And Then There Were None - Mission Complete

I’m finally at loose ends. My four-year A-Z march through my movie library concluded last night when I watched the last one – Zulu. I started on the quest to watch every movie I own and separate the wheat from the chaff on 1 July 2022. The four years is a bit deceiving since there were four three-month breaks from the watch for the time I spent each year on the beach in Panama. So really, it took me three years. Still, it became a major effort and a bit of a pain in the ass, because it kept me from doing other, possibly more productive pursuits (that would be my Favorite Panamanian’s heartfelt opinion at least).

Part of my Library Behind Me

I’m a self-confessed movie nut, hence the burgeoning library. It had gotten out of hand with no room on the shelves as I continued to add, almost maniacally to the number of movies I own. I realized two things in 2022: 1. At my age, time was slipping away see all the movies I own. 2. There were a lot of movies I owned that I didn’t like. That set me on the path I concluded last night. I’m more than a little obsessive when it comes to completing tasks once I start out on them (I blame the Army for that). It turned into a labor of love as I relived all the adventure, romance, and action from movies I was right in purchasing. I also upgraded some beloved movies from mere DVD to 4K nobility.

The Discards

There was the corollary pain of wondering why I found myself in possession of some. That included Keene Friend’s annual Christmas attempt to compromise my sanity by gifting me treacherously bad movies. I’ll never forgive him for War and Peace (eight friggin hours of listening to Russian with English subtitles – time I’ll never get back). There was also Mother, Juggs, and Speed, The Grousers, and the Black Six amongst others. You get the picture; he’s a closet sadist.

Exempt Shelves

I ended up removing 75 movies from the library. A smarter man than I would have kept track of this as I went through it. Yesterday I was forced to scan through four years of Frail Deeds posts to make the count (that was some sneaky fun as I wandered through the attendant family memories chronicled during those four years). The ejected movies rest in a stack of Coors Lite boxes (had a bunch of those – go figure) in a corner of the Man Cave. I’ll have to figure out what to do with them. There is now ample space on the shelves for new movies but this process has made me a more discerning customer when it comes to actually buying a movie. So, it should take more time than I have left to overburden the storage capacity again, depending on how my personal gremlin, Keene Friend, inflicts in future Christmases.

Rest of the Exempts and TV Series

Now that I’m freed from this march, I may actually be able to watch some of the shows and movies recommended by friends and family. As a cautionary note, this watch did not include all the movies I own. There are several shelves containing series of exempt movies that are beyond doubting their continued presence, they were not subjected to the winnowing. This includes the Marvel and DCU films, the Star Trek and Star Wars movies, as well all the James Bond flicks. Outside of movies, I have the HBO series, Game of Thrones and, Rome, which are staring me in the face. The entire Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Combat!, House, and Entourage are also there and I won’t begin to describe the content I have from the 2004 Red Sox. So, there is a good chance my time in the Man Cave is not over, it’s become something more than that during this process, but, it is over!!!!!

The A-Z watch concluded with one movie, a keeper: Zulu – groundbreaking 1964 epic about the defense of Rorke’s Drift by the 24^th Regiment of Foot, Michael Caine’s first role and one of the best movies ever, gives Zulus recognition for their courage and honor as well.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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; Upstairs Neighbors – American couple and great friends who live in condo above us in Panama; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Winging It

Today’s an important one as we mark the day of birth of the redoubtable Wingman. According to his Facebook profile he’s 118 years old but I think that may be an exaggeration. If it isn’t, he and I need to have a talk about how he’s doing it. He’s just back from Great Britain for another reunion tour with his band. I know he’s happy to be back squiring my daughter about and trying to keep up with the hypersonic missile that is the FBR, his daughter. My Favorite Panamanian and I tried to Facetime him this morning, but I think he is wise to our game and rightly ignored the call so he wouldn’t have our singing of Happy Birthday inflicted upon him.

Birthday Boy

At his Happiest with These Two

He’s become an important piece of our family since he arrived, so many years ago, just after turning 100 I believe. He’s an indelible part of my IT squad and always patiently explains, in the nicest way possible, why I’m a complete idiot when it comes to the electro-magnetic spectrum. Despite being kind of a big deal, celebrity wise, he’s always been one of the nicest, most personable guys you’d ever want to meet. He’s now helming a successful games-oriented restaurant in New Jersey. We love having him as part of the family and not just because of his encyclopedic knowledge of games and his IT prowess. My daughter loves him and so do we.

On Stage

Performing his Patented Keyboard Hand Stand

I’m experiencing the arcane side of physical therapy for that balky shoulder. It is definitely getting better since I started with the therapy. After this morning’s session, I went to the pool and wondered why people were staring at me. Then I remembered the therapist had done some “cupping” on the shoulder this morning. I couldn’t see them without a mirror, but I had two very defined circular bruises on the arm just below the shoulder. This was the first time I ever had that done to me and I was amazed at how big a bruise it produces because it didn’t hurt at all. I don’t care, as long as the shoulder continues to heal.

My Now Weird Upper Arm

Date night yesterday saw me taking one for the team. I have a long history of trying to get my Favorite Panamanian to see movies that I love (think lots of explosions and hopefully plenty of physical romantic interactions😊). Keene Friend laughs at my attempts to describe movies as a love story for her. An example, The Ghosts of Mars (zombie action flick) was portrayed to her as a love story set on Mars. She has never bought my descriptions, probably why it is so tough to get her to trust me on movie selections. That’s a long way to go to explain why I chose to see The Breadwinner yesterday. There wasn’t anything else that fit into my preferred aisle, so I chose this flick, something my wife would love and she did. This movie is okay and has some real funny moments. It apparently mirrors a lot of the bits from Nate Bargatz’e comedy routine. It’s the typical husband/father who is totally lost when his wife is called away from home scenario. Bargatze is funny as the house literally starts falling apart around him. The kids were another story, serving as foils for their dad’s failings, they were more annoying than funny. I still enjoyed the time-tested formula showing how inept dads can be.

The A-Z watch continued with seven movies, six keepers: Yesterday – love this British rom-com which demonstrates how many amazing songs the Beatles produced; Young Frankenstein – may be the funniest movie ever made, Gene Wilder is transcendent; Your Highness – what was I thinking about when I bought this, terrible. McBride is a great supporting character but here he just doesn’t have it as the main focus, eject; You’ve Got Mail – Hanks and Ryan together, never misses, a great rom-com; Zathura – a follow up space adventure to the original Jumanji, really well done; Zombieland – incredibly funny zombie movie, Harrelson and Eisenberg are a great buddy pair and then there’s Bill Murray; Zombieland Double Tap – ten years later sequel and it works just as well as original.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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; Upstairs Neighbors – American couple and great friends who live in condo above us in Panama; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course