Pana-Departures

My Last Shot with the Pana-Gals

And then – depression set in!!!  Yesterday I had to say goodbye to not only my wife but the fabulous, talented, and undeniably beautiful Pana-Gals (did I get that right, Beli?)  As with everything connected with the Pana-Gals the trip to the airport was something of an adventure.

It started the night before when they unveiled the full extent of their shopping ravages over the past month by showing me all of their luggage in one spot.  I felt an uneasy panic starting to nip when I saw the sheer amount of baggage not to mention five women I had to get to the airport in one vehicle.  One of my friends had repeatedly offered to help convey the group to the airport but I blithely assured him that I had everything under control. 

Yesterday morning, at 4AM, my hubris came back to haunt me.  I sardined as many of the bags into the back of the Highlander as humanly possible.  After trying about eight different configurations I still had four massive suitcases that needed to go with us (these gals do not travel light).  The Highlander does not have a luggage rack but it does have two rails on the roof.

I dragged a tarp out into the drizzling rain and put the four suitcases up on the roof.  After I secured everything to the rails I noted that there was nothing that would prevent the ropes from sliding down the rails when we reached highway speed. 

In the midst of this my wife peeked out of the house and said that I looked worried (ever the master of the understatement).  I eventually figured out how to tie off the load to two handles inside the car.  I don’t think they noticed the intense prayers emanating from the driver’s seat once we reached the highway. 

We must have made quite a sight heading down the highway as we put the rear shocks on the car to an acid test.  Somehow all four visiting Panamanians fit into the back seat and didn’t complain once for the entire trip.

We reached the airport and I deposited them and the luggage outside the United counter.  While I parked the car, they maneuvered their prodigious load of baggage into the (deserted!!) ticket counter.  By the time I made my way from the labyrinthine Central Parking Garage they had already checked in and only had to repack one suitcase due to weight problems.  It was really tough saying goodbye to these ladies, most especially my wife.  I found myself uncharacteristically emotional and was unable to watch them through security as I normally do.

I drove into work to learn that chaos was reining in Worcester as unexpected black ice was popping up everywhere.  I hadn’t noticed it during my drive, probably because the Highlander had to weigh about eight tons with everything loaded yesterday morning.

It was a very subdued house that I returned to last night.  I tracked the Pana-Gals flight as they successfully returned home.  Buddy finally got the gender bending scarf off almost like he was only tolerating it for the ladies while they were here.

I found the empty house too tough to take and snuck out for a movie.  I went to see Broken City which I had high hopes for.  The movie just didn’t deliver and strangely Russell Crowe, as the corrupt mayor, was the problem.  He’s usually up for any role but he was just not believable.  Wahlberg, Jeffrey Wright, and Zeta-Jones, as well as Coach Taylor, were all very good though.  Barry Pepper looks like he’s done some really hard living over the past decade.  The movie itself just kind of wanders along.  A clear miss for a movie with a cast this loaded with talent.  Crowe seems to have lost his way.

This is What I'll Miss Most

The Inside of the Highlander

The Jury Rigged Roof Suitcases

Pana-Gals Passing the Luggage Test

The Gals Are Gone?  The Scarf is off!!!!!!

Broken Movie

 

Pana-Melancholia

Farewell Dinner Last Night

The adventure is drawing to a close as yesterday was the last full day for the gorgeous Pana-Gals in the United States.  They spent the day on last minute errands but amazingly, no shopping.  Their experiences packing the suitcases finally put a curb on their insatiable need to purchase. 

I’m really going to miss them.  When I first heard that I would have four additional Panamanian women staying with us for almost a month, I’ve got be honest with you, I was a little leery.  It turned out to be a great adventure because these ladies were so unremittingly nice.  They appreciated everything my wife and I did for them as we tried to make this as special as possible for them.  They made that easy because they are the kind of ladies you want to do nice things for.  I loved being able to show my country off, as well, to an appreciative audience.

I will miss the constant chatter and laughing that marked their presence in the house.  I know Buddy will especially miss the ladies who never missed a chance to pat him on the head or sneak him a treat. 

A lot of people cringed when I told them we had this many guests staying for as long as they were.  I honestly wish they could have stayed longer.

I took the whole gang out for dinner last night at the local 99 restaurant.  It was the usual fantastic time with this assembly of female energy but there was also a tinge of sadness for the first time as we all realized the great adventure was reaching the finish line. In a totally unexpectedly gesture they presented me with a thank-you card and a gift certificate to the local movie theater (I guess they did learn something about me).  Yep, going to miss them a whole lot (but the wife even more) 

Yesterday was incredibly busy at work (that figures) as I launched on the big project that is keeping me form joining my wife for our annual trip together to Panama.  My team and I got off to a good start but the path ahead looks daunting in the face of doing our regular jobs alongside this task.  At least it will help the time alone speed by faster.

Speaking of employment news a good friend got some great news in his job search yesterday.  I’m proud of the way he’s borne up against the uncertainty of his job search; reminds me why I’ve always thought of him as the best of the best.

Finally, yesterday I finished up the latest Black Company tome, The Books of the South.  I was halfway through this one when Memory of Light played the eminent domain card on my reading priorities.  This continues to be a very enjoyable series that does a fantastic job of getting the military aspects, especially the interplay between career soldiers, right.  Despite the fact this story is set in a fantasy world, the “soldiers” feel real. 

The Black Company, devastated in the wars of the north, journeys south towards their mythical homeland even though no one knows anything about that homeland.  They run into wars causing them to constantly rebuild the unit around an increasingly diminishing core.  In an interesting twist they are following the route the Black Company took north several hundred years prior and they end up recruiting descendants of the original company. 

They are also joined by the villain of the first series of books who has lost her powers and fallen in love with Croaker.  She adds an interesting element that takes some of the male edge off the proceedings.  They also end up fighting a lot of the villains from the first book who were thought to be dead.  Apparently they’re very hard to kill, witnessed by Limper who’s reduced to just his head but still manages to create a significant amount of chaos.  I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get around to the Black Company but I’m certainly enjoying the ride.

Pana-Gals Packing Extravaganza

Since I have a very cool boss he let me go home early yesterday when the snow began to fly.  It was another one of those minor snow storms with only an inch or two but that still makes the commute a bit of an issue because we’ve apparently bred a lot more “flat landers” in New England who have no concept of driving in the snow. 

I returned home to what I expected – heavy consternation as the beautiful Pana-Gals continued with the process of packing their luggage for their trip home tomorrow.  My wife’s cousin was not feeling well and in a huge surprise her teenage daughter was not volunteering to help out much which drew the ire of her mother’s cousin.

The rest of the gang was hard at work vacuum sealing plastic bags to shrink their size to get more stuff into each bag.  They were then confronted with the next issue – weight and the fifty pound limit on suitcases.  This is where I come in.  Since this packing process is something I go through annually with my wife she bought a hand held scale that is used by lifting the bag with the scale and reading the weight.  Since none of them could lift the bags I was volunteered and made a half-dozen trips up and down the stairs to weigh in bags.

The initial weigh in did not bode well for my sister in law and her friend as both came in over the sixty pound mark.  That left them with extremely difficult decisions and a carry on bag rapidly increasing in weight.  My wife flitted around the outskirts offering advice and proudly proclaiming her bags had made weight.  I don’t think her pronouncements were as welcome as she thought they were. 

I snuck away to clean up the driveway.  Since this was a just a little bit of snow I of course threw the auger belt off again and locked up the chains on one of the wheels.  My frustration was minuscule compared to the daunting task facing the Pana-Gals. 

By 8 PM all the luggage made weight and the gals were exhausted.  They came downstairs and jumped on the computer.  When my sister in law started striking me about the head and shoulders I figured out that they were checking out my blog and the chronicling of their latest adventures.  We retreated to the family room to watch a movie together and I tried to placate their feelings with popcorn.  I’m really going to miss them.

The Scale I was Using

The Weigh-In - Trying to be Nonchalant About the Effort

Sister in Law Making Adjustments

Wife's Cousin and Daughter Preparing to Vacuum Seal

Let the Games Begin!

How the Pana-Gals View Their Travelling Luggage

My Upcoming Tuesday Night

One of the true adventures of my wife’s annual trips to her homeland of Panama is to watch the luggage packing process.  This year I have the added entertainment, of no small measure, of watching 5 Panamanian women pack suitcases for the trip home.  Let there be no doubt here, this is entertaining to watch.  They scheduled the final two days of their trip to do nothing but packing their luggage.  This is no small feat we’re talking about here. 

These ladies have been shopping almost non-stop since their arrival a few weeks ago and now they have to figure out how to get all their purchases as well as their clothes into the suitcases they brought with them.  I’ve often wondered as I’ve seen the respective hordes grow exponentially after each shopping foray how they would get it all home.  I’m intensely interested to see it all happen.  To travel back with only the suitcases they brought will require a re-ordering of the basic laws of physics.

I finally had a lazy day yesterday parked in front of the mesmerizing new TV watching movies.  My wife told me that yesterday the packing would commence.  The gorgeous Pana-Gals decided they needed to return a couple items and exchange others.  They left for their short trip around noontime.

Seven hours later they returned flushed with even more packages as the thrill of the shopping hunt would not permit them to leave the playing field without scoring some more purchases.  The entertainment factor for the next couple of days was therefore further enhanced. 

They leave on Wednesday morning so Tuesday night could see some severe luggage torture.  My role in all of this (my decision) is to keep a low profile and not be drawn into the upcoming maelstrom of packing; wish me luck.     

One Suitcase Worth

Another

And Yet Another

Frigid PanaBostonians and Mafia Connecting

My Wife and Sister In Law Exploring a Very Cold Common

Yesterday I dragged myself out of bed following the exertions of the night before at Maxwell Silverman’s.  My wife had planned a day in Boston and then a party at the home of a scion of the Worcester Chapter of the Panamanian Mafia (and she told me about these plans).  The gorgeous Pana-Gals were not exactly chomping at the bit to spend more time in the cold weather but they rangered on, anxious to see new sights.

I grew up in New England but was always intimidated by driving in Boston, mainly because the street system based in the early 1600s makes no sense whatsoever.  In the time I’ve been back in New England though I find myself more and more comfortable negotiating through the very confusing streets.  I took the Mass Pike into the city and jumped off at an unfamiliar exit but was soon able to pinpoint the Common (alright I did use the onboard map) and parked underneath the common.

We emerged onto the Boston Common and were immediately assaulted by the windy 24 degree weather.  It even felt cold to me which meant it was torture for the tropical ladies.  My wife, in particular, was struggling with the cold and had me walk in front of her as a wind block. She even borrowed a spare hat that I was carrying to cover her mouth, despite what she described as a heavy scent of Buddy permeating the heat.  Her cousin’s daughter was enthralled by the very friendly and hungry Common squirrels, which are unknown in Panama.  We stopped by the ice skating at the Frog Pond and made our way quickly by the state capitol heading for a warmer destination, The Quincy Market, that just coincidentally included shopping opportunities (go figure).

We spent the rest of the afternoon in the heated environs of Faneuil Hall which the gals dove into with their usual shopping acumen.  I was appointed to my normal duties of overwatch since I forgot to bring a book with me.  I enjoyed the constant stream of people watching opportunities, something I really enjoy. 

I also took some time to read some of the historical markings abundant in this cradle of the American Revolution.  I made a vow to myself to return on one of the weekends while my wife is gone.  I was a little ashamed that I had never walked the Freedom Trail in Boston despite growing up immersed in the local history.  I’ll take a day, hopefully much warmer, to return to Boston and rectify that shortcoming.

The Pana-Gals topped off their shopping with some of Boston’s famous Clam “Chowdah” served in bread bowls.  I’m not a fan of the concoction so I wandered through the innumerable food vendors until I spotted a burger bar.  Ari’s was run by a very bellicose and efficient Eastern European (I think) who demanded your order and then made damned sure you got it from his hard working cooks (family members I think).  I made the mistake of ordering the largest burger which turned out to be immense.  I did get a couple of admiring looks as I made my way back to the Gals in the food court.  Sadly the looks were all directed at the burger.  The burger was awesome although it did hit my stomach like the proverbial rock – but that’s what a great burger does.

We returned to Worcester last night to gather at the house of a friend for the planned dinner.  It was a great juxtaposition of the Pana-Gals and the Panamanian Mafia, two of my favorite ingredients for a good time.  The gals gathered around for pre-dinner hors d'oeuvres which were devoured in a fairly amazing space of time.  We were shortly joined by one of the true characters of the mafia – the resident jokester.  I knew it would be fun to see him match wits with my sister in law who would be the perfect foil for his non-stop jokes.  I was not disappointed and the rest of the evening was spent watching the verbal jousting match.  It really was too much fun; another great evening.  I’m going to miss the Pana-Gals whose departure draws nigh.

Frog Pond Ice Skating

Pana-Gals at the State House

Shopping (Of Course)

My Sister in Law Battling an Attacking Lobster

My Post for Most of the Afternoon

Heated Pana-Shopping

Chowdah in the Bread Bowl

The Juxtaposition Starting Out

The Jokester (Yellow Shirt) Arrives

Matching Wits with My Sister in Law

Panadancing at the Silverman’s

Pana-Gals on the Loose

Yesterday was an early day at work because of an environmental inspection – fun stuff.  There was also some drama at work that I could have seriously done without but things calmed down by noon time.  While I was negotiating this adventure the husband of one of the Panamanian mafia stopped by the office.  He was picking up his wife’s cell phone.  She left it at our house during the trek home from NYC with the beautiful Pana-Gals.

He mentioned that I would be seeing him again last night because the Pana-Gals had conspired to set up a night of dancing at Maxwell Silverman’s in Worcester.  He was surprised that I hadn’t heard about it; so was I.  I purposely didn’t say anything to my wife during the first two phone calls she made to the office.  She was playing it close to the vest.  When she finally did admit to the plan she claimed she had repeatedly told me about it and I must be getting old.  I am getting old but not that old that I would forget something like this.  She usually employs this tactic when she shows up with a new purchase.

We did manage to squeeze in a double dose of Zorba’s pizza before we left for the dancing.  While they gals were making the necessary adjustments in their outfits at home I caught a little bit of the Bruins game.  Buddy was heavy into stalking through my wife’s plants.  This is something strange he does every now and then when he will look like he’s hunting prey through the plants – must be some instinct that kicks in when he feeling a little frosty.

Speaking of frosty as I backed out of the garage a snow storm was starting up.  This would normally send my wife scurrying back into the house, since she would be driving home, but we’re talking dancing here and that is a trump card in wife’s life priorities. She blithely pointed out that she was an expert at driving in the snow.  This came as news to me as she normally avoids it like the plague but I guess she was profiling a little for the family.

We linked up with a couple other members of the Worcester Chapter of the Panamanian Mafia at Silverman’s and had a fantastic time.  The best part is the dancing is about our speed and very little rap music is played.  We’ve been there a bunch of times and we like the crowd as it is decidedly middle aged with a sprinkling of other age groups.  I think if you are divorced and living in Worcester this is a required social stop.  There are always a few characters there.  Last night’s star was an older dude wearing a suit jacket with a shirt unbuttoned and a huge gold medallion worn over a white t-shirt.  Seriously, the guy looked like he stepped through a time tunnel from the 1970’s. 

The Pana-Gals dominated the dance floor – obviously and truly in their element.  I felt bad for our waiter because we had a table of ten people but there was rarely anybody seated there.  My sister in law, predictably, drew an admirer.  An older gentleman asked her to dance and then joined us at the table.  Since she had had a couple glasses of sangria her English was significantly improved.  The other Pana-Gals were having a lot of fun with her throughout this episode.  They said a couple of times that we should get my Keene Friend down here to dance.  My wife and I burst into spontaneous laughter at this suggestion and said if we even hinted at an evening of dancing that he would run for the hills.

The ride home through the extremely slippery roads gave my wife pause for herr earlier claim of expertise.  I know it was an extremely sobering experience for me.  As with most things she attempts though she came through like a champ.  We made it home safe and I could nto be more proud of her.  Once we were safe in the garage her bravado returned and she admonished me for doubting her (she’s so much fun).

More pictures are emerging from the New York Adventure which I share with you below.  I stole some of them from my daughter’s blog because she’s much more artistic than I will ever be.

Buddy Captured Mid-Stalk

Wife's Cousin's Daughter at Zorba's

The Scene at Maxwell's

 

Some of the Great Friends and Beautiful Pana-Gals

Leaving the Slippery Venue after Dominating!

My Daughter and Some Semi Frozen Pana-Gals In NYC

Venezuelan Lunch Sister in Law, Daughter, Son in Law, Wife

Venezuelan Lunch in NYC

View From Their Hotel Room

The Pana-Gals Next to Their Ride to the Train Station

Two Sisters Riding in Style!

Just a Little Bit Out of Control

Female Infantry! and Pana-Girls Return

One of the big news items yesterday was he administration order to let females serve in combat units.  I had a number of people rush into my office expecting me to be irate and to condemn this action.  If so, they were disappointed because this action is long overdue.  I was an ROTC instructor in the early 1990’s and I was asked about this issue in class.  I opined at that time that the restriction would be gone by the time I was retired.  So if anything I feel it’s late in arriving.

This move more than anything else recognizes reality.  Women have been in direct combat for the last twenty years, fighting and dying alongside their male counterparts.  This, at last, will give females a chance to go into combat as well trained and prepared as their male peers. 

I spent twenty seven years in the infantry and I know some of the Soldiers that served in those units could have been replaced by more competent and stronger females.  I met some females in the military that scared the hell out of me.  I don't think finding women vicious enough for the job will be a problem (you haven’t been paying attention if you do).  When females were allowed to be military pilots there was a problem with them putting too many rounds into a target.

The key to the success of this integration will be the establishment of strict physical standards associated with the jobs.  I know most civilians think everything has evolved to push button warfare but that is far from the truth.  The average woman’s upper body strength is not up to the requirements of many combat specialties but there is nothing wrong with having a standard that both males and females have to meet.

I have complete confidence in the Army and the military overall in coming up with a process to make this work.  There will be impacts as combat units are forced to adjust but we’re dealing a new generation of youth (who compose the overwhelming majority of the Soldiers involved) who will make this happen.  From my viewpoint they aren’t burdened with a lot of the preconceived prejudices of prior generations.  This is probably one of the most important benefits of the information age.

Pana-Gals arrived back from frigid New York City and began to thaw out.  Buddy was beside himself and immediately launched out of the funk their absence had created for him (he only had to endure a couple of time outs as a result).  I prepared a spaghetti dinner for them as they were arriving around 7pm and I knew they would be hungry.  I was lucky in that their hunger overrode a too close inspection of my cooking prowess. 

They were overwhelming in their praise of my daughter and son in law as their New York City guides.  They took in a showing of the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and loved every minute of it.  Afterwards my daughter and son in law escorted them to a bar near their hotel where they passed a fantastic time together. 

Yesterday morning called for the long neglected task of shopping.  Apparently it was so cold that they would walk a few meters and then dodge into a store to warm up.  I’m more than certain this bounding over watch method of movement did not upset them at all.  My sister in law adopted the homeless technique of wrapping her hands in plastic to stay warm.  She claims all future trips into the cold will require a complete body wrap of plastic before she consents.

In the afternoon they were faced with the task of getting from their Times Square Hotel to Grand Central Station to catch their train. They decided it was too cold to use the subways and tried to arrange a couple of taxis.  The hotel concierge must have been as charmed by them as most people seem to be because he arranged a stretch limo ride for them to the train station for only $35.  The rest of the ride back involved non-stop talking (huge surprise) which my sister in law tried to complain about.  At least until I pointed out that she was usually the most loquacious of the bunch and responsible for continuing these never ending laugh fests.

It was so good to have my full house back again.  Buddy agreed.

Frozen Pana-Gals in Grand Central Station

The Intrepid Guides

Ready for Phantom of the Opera

 

House Emptied as Pana-Girls Storm NYC

Mom and Daughter Together in NYC

Yesterday the travelling cavalcade that is the beautiful Pana-Gals departed for their much anticipated trip to New York City.  I programmed the GPS in the car for the New Haven train station and hoped for the best.  I received periodic updates throughout the day.

They made it to New Haven for the train they hoped for which amazed me to no end.  I find it very suspicious that they can meet timelines when they want to.  They were met at Grand Central Station by my daughter and son in law who played host and got them to their hotel near Times Square.  They headed over to Brooklyn for lunch and a visit to my daughter’s apartment before returning to Manhattan for dinner and a Broadway show (Phantom of the Opera).

They picked the coldest day in several years for the trip so shopping was curtailed although I’m certain it was not eliminated from the itinerary.  I was very proud of my wife for taking the lead in getting everybody to New York, something she usually depends on me for.  I did have to message her, while she was still on the train, what the plot for the Phantom of the Opera was; so she could explain it to the gals.  I must have done a poor job because my daughter wrote on her facebook update that she had done the same thing in person.

I was left with a very lonely house.  I guess I’ve become accustomed to having the Pana-Gals roaming the place and providing the vitality or more appropriately the “salsa”.  That was certainly missing last night as Buddy and I consoled each other in the unearthly quiet.  He seemed to miss them even more as I think he’s become addicted to their attention.

I took the opportunity to go see the highly acclaimed movie Zero Dark Thirty which for me was kind of, “mehhh.”  I can understand the buzz for the acting which was top notch on every level.  I had a big problem with the artistic license taken with the real events surrounding the hunt for Bin Laden.  The staging of the final assault was also kind of dumb.  I think this was another case where my expectations for the film were too high to be realized.  It was okay but the pacing was ponderous.

I’m also kind of pissed that pop culture has stolen one of my favorite pieces of military jargon.  We used zero dark thirty constantly in the military since we always seemed to be doing important things in the dark before anybody sane was out of bed (I guess that was the point).

My Son in Law in Grand Central Station
Adding Baggage Guard to his Resume

They Were Not Loving the Cold

Son in Law, Daughter, Sister in Law, Wife on Subway Ride

My Sister in Law Working on Her English in Brooklyn
She Always Speaks Better After a Couple Beers

Broadway Bound Beauties (photo by JMJ)

Okay But not Great