Bearded for Success

I stayed up late last night watching the Patriots game.  I marked this game down as a loss before the start of the season, and especially after the Pats struggled in their first two games against bad teams.  Well maybe those teams aren’t that bad because the Patriots dominated a good Falcons team in Atlanta. 

Statement Time!

Atlanta made a game of it late on a couple of fluke plays but overall the Patriots played with purpose and a smash mouth mentality that’s been sorely missing the last few years.  This is how the Patriots played when they were winning super bowls before they turned into a finesse offensive juggernaut.  This is much more entertaining. 

One of the biggest advantages Atlanta had was a raucous crowd in their domed stadium but it typical Hotlanta fashion they abandoned their team when they got down ten points.  The lower half of the stadium was virtually empty by the end of the third quarter.  You can say what you want about Boston fans but at least we support our teams. 

So the baseball regular season ended yesterday for my beloved Boston Red Sox.  They’ve been playing out the string of meaningless games since clinching the division crown and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. 

My son in law asked me when I was going to start my playoff beard; something I had never considered because for most of my adult life it wasn’t an option.  Outside of some very deadly guys at Ft Bragg no one in the Army is allowed abundant facial hair.  Since my son in law is on a serious winning streak in terms of good ideas (hey - he married my daughter) I decided to give it a shot.  Beards have been integral to the success of the Sox this year – a not so subtle F.U. to the clean-shaven New Yorkers.  A tradition dating back to 2004.  Today is day one of the playoff beard that will remain as long as the Red Sox are alive in the playoffs.  

Playoff Beard - Day 1

How this beard will be received from certain long absent spousal units is another thing entirely.  I better ensure the house is sparkling clean.  She spent the day up along the Costa Rican border and I’m sure shopping was involved.  She called late at night to report there was now a sports bar in her Panamanian home town that served excellent pizza and where she just watched most of the Patriots game as well.  Panama is sounding better and better.

Mirrored Surprise

Okay, I can finally reveal the secret I’ve been keeping for several months, at least from the most avid reader of this blog.  My wife and I were brought into the conspiracy by our redoubtable son in law back in May concerning our daughter's impending 30th birthday.  Two of their closest friends had chosen her birthday as a wedding date.  To their immense credit they first checked with my daughter to insure she was okay with this.  My son in law wanted us to show up at the after party to surprise out daughter and make the day a little bit about her.

Father and Daughter With Some of the NYC Gang in their Party Hats

He did a fantastic job maintaining operational security on this and my daughter had no idea.  It was difficult not letting it slip out as I talked to her about her birthday in the days leading up.  My wife was intensely following events from Panama and so disappointed she wouldn’t be joining me but this probably helped in terms of operational security – not my wife’s strongest suit. 

 

My son in law kept me advised throughout the day with text messages and as I made my way the hour south into the wilds of Connecticut.  The party was at the groom’s uncle house and I was a little apprehensive about crashing a party meant to honor the newly married couple.  I shouldn’t have worried because they could not have been more welcoming or supportive.  These are just really nice people.

 

The plan fell into place like clockwork.  I pulled up on the darkened street spotting the bonfire directly ahead just as my son in law was making his way down the driveway.  He was walking next door to get the cake and I retrieved the requested sword (hey, it’s a family tradition!) to cut the cake.  I did feel a little strange waiting in the dark armed with a sword and can only imagine what the several motorists who passed me thought.  

Wielding The Family Sword with Aplomb

My son in law and I walked up out of the dark as a group of her friends kept my daughter distracted.  She finally wondered why nobody was paying attention to her riveting story and why they were all looking over her shoulder.  She turned around and was shortly wrapped in my arms and everything was suddenly okay.  It was one of those moments in life where everything seems just so right.

 

Her outstanding friends from NYC had gone out of their way to make her feel special, even to the point of creating t-shorts adorned with various photos of my daughter and complete disrespect for supposed nap time.  If you can judge a person by the friends they keep than my daughter is a superstar.  Although they had to leave shortly after my arrival it was fun reconnecting with this fantastic NYC gang.  They did seem a little awed by the ability to see stars (except for one ardent defender of the Brooklyn sky) and were nervously looking at the woodline after hearing about bears.  These are definitely city folks and some of the nicest people around.  

They Were Celebrating Her Birthday in Panama Also

The rest of the evening was spent just hanging out with my daughter and son in law, a truly cherished time.  I kid at times about my rock and roll son in law but last night is a perfect example of why I love him so much.  He went out of his way to insure my daughter felt special on her 30th birthday.  He said she seemed a little wistful prior to the big surprise and was definitely not afterwards.   As I get older you start to think about not being around any more and I am confident my daughter will still have someone in this world that, like myself, thinks she is the sun, the moon, and all that.

My Daughter with the Architect of the Surprise

While anxiously awaiting for my departure time to this long anticipated event I used the day to address a surprise for the other woman in my life, my soon to return wife.  I try to accomplish some major home upgrade each time she’s away on one of these extended absences.  Contrary to popular opinion this is not only so she will disregard my house keeping standards during her absence and the state of the house when she arrives (that’s what the roses are for!).

She’s always complained about the mirrors in two of our bathrooms and purchased two large, fairly ornate mirrors a couple months ago.  She had resolutely campaigned to get me to install them but I resisted as I thought the existing mirrors were fine and tried to impress upon her that it wasn’t a simple as it sounded since it would involve painting the bathrooms since the mirrors were different sizes.  

The Existing Mirror Pre-Project

Yesterday was devoted to this long avoided project.  It was just about as complicated as I thought it would be.  The main downstairs bathroom had a huge expanse of white wall behind the mirror that had to be painted.  I wasn't sure we still had the right color green paint. We have a stack of paint cans in the basement from the painting party almost eight years ago when we moved into the house.  There was one can of paint that was marked green but I wasn't sure it was the right shade.  I pried the can open for the first time in eight years which donated a not insignificant amount of rust to the paint.   

Buddy Inspects the New Mirrors

I decided to throw caution to the wind and painted a large splotch of paint on the wall where I was fairly sure it would be covered by the new mirror.  It did not look like the existing paint, at all.  I went to the family room and contemplated my crime while enjoying an episode of Strike Back.  Crossing my fingers in anticipation I returned to the scene of the crime to find the paint dried to the same color of the existing paint, even with the rust added!  

The Test Paint Splotch

The rest of the job was fairly straightforward although the guys who built the house decided to leave a lot of gouges in the drywall they thought were safely hidden behind the mirrors.  Little did they suspect my wife’s drive!   After wall repair and some fairly athletic juggling of mirrors (not recommended for a sane lifestyle) I finished the job shortly before heading to Connecticut.  I have to admit that once again my wife has an impeccable eye when it comes to home décor – they look fantastic.

The End Result

The Upsatirs One - No Paint for this One

 

Birthday Heart

Almost Always an Angel

Today my thoughts are squarely with the young lady in these photos.  People always told me I wouldn’t understand true love until I was a father.  I never understood that until this little bundle of wonder showed up.  She’s down in Connecticut for a wedding this weekend and my thoughts will be with her even more than usual.  I can never adequately describe the profound feeling of love and pride I feel towards this remarkable young lady.  She kind of does that to you – takes your breath away.  She is one of the finest people I know.  The kind of person that makes you a better person just from being around her.

Who Could Resist This Face!

I rarely re-post words that I’ve already sent down range but I checked back to see what I’d written last year about my daughter and the devastating effect she’s had on my heart since her arrival and I don’t think I could outdo this:

 

She’s always hated to go to sleep at night, since starting out as a night owl with her delivery. She was an absolute miracle and so quickly seized my heart that I was a little bit stunned. My daughter was a handful as a baby and a young girl.  Extremely independent and a bit stubborn – something thankfully we were not able to cure her of.

She was always incredibly inquisitive and curious about the world.  Even from her earliest days she would give me this penetrating look, questioning if I was right.  I can still remember her, just having learned to walk, planting herself in front of me and lifting her arms demanding to be picked up.

She formed an early, special bond with my mother, who worshipped the ground she walked on (first female grandchild). She tormented her brother when he arrived but never wavered in her love for him. My military career dragged her all over the world which she is very proud of.

Her best friend growing up was Mindy the Cat. If there ever was a one person cat, it was Mindy, who was miserable to everybody around her except my daughter. I’ve been surprised throughout my life at her capacity for reaching out and seizing life. As a teenager in Kentucky she became a fan of Kevin Spacey and arranged a trip for herself to Rhode Island so her favorite aunt and uncle could escort her to NYC to see Spacey on Broadway. Not only did she sell the adults on the idea but she even managed to meet Spacey after the show, she’s always been a bit dynamic.

She’s figured out she’s a big city gal, going to college in Boston and pursuing her career in New York City. To me she’ll always be that little girl who crawled up onto my chest in a darkened theater and discovered she loved movies almost as much as I did. I miss those times but I am so proud of the woman she has become. Happy birthday Heart – you’ve had mine since 11pm on that long day 30 years ago.  

Sometimes Beautiful Children Do Grow into Devastatingly Beautiful Women
My Wife Is Wishing Today She Could Put her Arm Around this Birthday Girl 

On a definitely more mundane front, yesterday was another stress filled day at work as I tried to get into the new project that was unceremoniously dumped in my lap on Thursday.  I kept getting pulled away for the various and sundry tasks that complicate my daily duties.  One of which was escorting some high level state political officials who came to see the new electric buses.  You can just imagine how much I enjoyed that little interlude. 

Political Inspection of Electric Bus

I spoke with the wife on several occasions and she is sounding more and more like herself.  Thankfully her father’s health crisis seems to have passed and she’s got a short week to actually enjoy her time with family down in Panama.  She lamented at length about not being here for our daughter’s birthday.  I’m sure the text messages will be flying between Panama and Connecticut this weekend.  

My Father in Law Yesterday Back at his Normal Post

The fabulous gals at Zorba’s performed their weekly task of keeping me from feeling too lonely and plied me with one of their extraordinary pepperoni pizzas.  They kind of adopt me, in a strictly paternal fashion, when I am sans the wife. Yes, yesterday was the one day of the week I meander off the keto path.  I lucked out with a birthday cake at work (score!) and a huge dish of ice cream to accompany the pizza.  

Mmmmmmmmm - SOOOO GOOD!!

 

Stressed and Loving It

Yesterday started out appropriately, stress filled.  I decided to turn off my alarm and then burrow back under the quilts for just another minute.  An hour and a half later the sunlight streaming through the window informed me in the most diabolical fashion that I was in serious trouble.  I never oversleep and the few times I’ve tried my wife is usually there to remind me that one of us has to get up and go to work.  That gentle reminder was not present and therefore the trouble was manifest.

I bounded out of bed a mere thirty minutes before I was supposed to leave for work.  I checked off all the normal morning activities that needed to be sacrificed to my sloth and Buddy sensed something was going on because I was rushing everywhere and he wanted to join in.  He helped by tripping me only a couple times.  I felt I was going to make it with a little bit to spare when I remembered that I had an important meeting downtown with the politicos that was even earlier than my normal work day.  I entered another level of stressed out speed.  I am the acting boss this week so my absence would surely be noted and commented on.  I set a land speed record and whenever I ran into traffic I used some broken field running through the back streets of Worcester. 

I arrived two minutes late which I thought was impossible when I awoke less than an hour earlier.  Little did I realize that the stress for the day was only beginning.  Based on the success of the earlier changes I made to the schedule the politicos decided they wanted to attempt further changes ahead of the scheduled January update.  This means an incredible amount of work for me in another very compressed time period.  They also want to start some new service in three surrounding towns and not use the unionized work force in Worcester for two of them.  I was given the task of informing the union of this development.

This was all happening when I’m doing my job as well as my boss’ and just picked up a huge project of completely revamping the company safety policy in wake of one of our buses taking up residence in someone’s kitchen.  I informed the politicos the day before that I was confident I could get the major task done by the end of October and now they sprung this on me.     

The upshot of this meeting was that I lost two weeks of the four I had planned for the task.  We’re talking some pretty significant stress imposed on an albeit well rested guy.  The weirdest thing is that I relished the opportunity.  I’ve told some friends that I feel like I’m stealing money sometimes because the routines of my job are fairly easy.  This surprised me more than anything else when I became a civilian – how foreign a work ethic is to a lot of people.   

I become very bored at work some times and look for things to keep me busy.  At least for the next month I don’t have to worry about a lethargic work environment.  I must be weird because a couple subordinate managers came by to commiserate at my plight and were a little mystified why I seemed so energized.  This is just what I needed to get an edge back.  So a lot of stress, not to mention getting the house back up to cleanliness standards expected by the spousal unit and I am just reveling in it.  I’m a little strange.

Before the stress set in I did finish up the latest Nelson Demille book, The Quest.  I’ve loved all of Demille’s work so I eagerly awaited this latest effort.  I was a little disappointed this book didn’t include his legendary funny NYC detective John Corey but it concerned a quest for the holy grail so I was psyched. 

The strength of Demille’s work has always been his characters and the further I got into this the more impatient I became waiting for one of his characters to click with me.  The story involved three journalists, two men and a female, in war torn, 1970’s Ethiopia.  They catch a rumor of the location of the real holy grail located in a mysterious black monastery in the remote jungle and spend the rest of the book looking for it.

This sounds like a good set up and there are glimpses of Demille’s usual tight prose but overall I was immensely disappointed.  It could just be Corey envy but none of the main characters were that likable and the ending was a bit trite.  In the afterward I read that he actually wrote this back in the 1970’s and pulled it out of mothballs, updated it and published it.  That made a lot of sense as this was obviously the work of an artist before he became the superb writer his later books bear testimony to. 

Goodbye Dex and Movie Realignment

Yesterday I watched the series final of Dexter.  I’ve watched him from the get go and thought he started out as one of the most interesting characters ever created for television.  A sympathetic serial killer who only culled the herd of other serial killers and led a normal life otherwise was fascinating. 

As with so many intriguing characters the writers ran out of compelling story lines and tried to soften his edges which took away some of his mojo.  The final straw was having him fall in love (albeit with another serial killer) and becoming a doting father.  It is completely believable that Yvonne Strahovski, Chuck’s old flame, could turn anybody around but it made Dexter a little more cuddly than I think his fans wanted.  The series ended with a whimper instead of a bang, which was kind of disappointing.

I used my abundant free time at home last night to finally tackle the project of culling my own herd of movies.  I buy a movie or two every week and my shelves were groaning under the weight of well over a thousand movies.  It got to the point that I could no longer wedge new movies in. 

The Updated Shelves With Removed Movies Stacked in Front

I spent a very entertaining 2 hours going through and removing the DVD versions of movies that I had blu ray copies of and that gave me the needed breathing room.  I also flipped the shelves that had bowed so it looks better now and my engineer son won’t criticize me every time he sees it.  

Lunch Yesterday With This Guy!

I did get to have lunch with him yesterday after a three week hiatus.  He was recovering from a cold which hit him last week just in time for his turn as best man at his college roommate’s wedding.  These simple lunches are something I look forward to more and more as he seems to be drifting away towards his own future life with the awesome MEF.  Life has a way of imposing itself on you.   

There was a major power outage in Panama so my wife’s nightly call was delayed.  When I couldn’t get her on the phone I feared something terrible had happened with her dad but thankfully when I did get her on the phone she related all good news on that front.  She’s back a week from today – can’t wait!

Captive Emotionality

I’m getting worn down a little at work.  I feel like everyone wants to sit back and let someone else do their job for them.  I’m more than willing to fill a vacuum when someone is out but not when that person is sitting there collecting pay.  You may be able to denote a bit of frustration on my part, I think I need a vacation.

I assiduously maintained the tradition of date night last night even though I was without a date.  I went to see Prisoners which boasts a truly amazing cast.  The story involved the abduction of two young girls and their families’ response to the abduction.

It’s interesting to see what really fine actors can do with intense emotions.  That more than anything else stood out – just the raw pain of the characters pelted at the audience for well over two hours.  I thought Hugh Jackman as a working class red neck was a bit of a stretch but he carries it off.  Jake Gyllenhaal goes a little overboard, adding tattoos and some weird facial ticks, as the cop desperate to locate the kids. 

As with any good mystery, there are a lot of red herrings distributed but the ending brought it home well.  The bad guys were intensely creepy which helped when you saw them compared to the “good” guys.  There were not a lot of black and white morality lines which would have been easy to fall into.  An interesting movie that just pummels you with unrefined emotion; I felt a little drained afterwards.

Monday, Monday

Yesterday continued the pell-mell downhill rush from the peak of the weekend.  Since my boss is out of town for the next two weeks I’m in charge and that mean’s double the meetings, be still my heart.  Mondays are bad enough without additional lobotomizing time.  I was amused by my Cantankerous Friend’s continuing protests about being selected as the Most Outspoken classmate.  He’s very outspoken about his displeasure.

One of the meetings was with a representative from the software company that’s failed to deliver on many of their promises.  He was also very outspoken and reminded me of the proverbial snake oil salesman.  He was obviously sent to close out some of the outstanding issues so they could get paid.  I felt like taking a shower after that one.

I left early yesterday (hey, I’m the boss!) and used that time to continue rehab of my digestive system, still reeling from the weekend non-keto assault.  I also mowed the lawn with the temperatures in the 50’s.  I think summer has definitely departed the realm.  I spent some quality time wrestling with Buddy.  I’m perfectly aware of his penchant for using his paws and claws to wreak havoc so I thought I was being careful.  I was distracted and he landed a telling blow straight across the face.  So now I’ll look like I’ve been out assaulting people for the next few days. 

Buddy Takes This Round

I spoke with my exhausted wife who had some fantastic news.  Her father was discharged from the hospital and is back home, even earlier than they hoped.  He still has some cognitive issues so she was planning on spending the night in a chair in his room to monitor his first night home.  The best news is that for the first time she is actually speaking about coming home as scheduled next week.  I’d better start cleaning the house now. 

 

I finally finished the latest puzzle, a picture of Nubble Light in Maine.  I made the mistake of purchasing four 1000 piece [puzzles in one box.  That turned out to mean really small pieces and a tiny picture of the scene.  I almost quit a bunch of times but I needed the distraction it supplied, hopefully only til next week now! 

The Completed Puzzle - Minus Buddy's Snack Piece

Wistful Drive Back to Reality

Buddy let me sleep in yesterday on the couch at Keene friend’s home without his customary 6am wake up call.  I really appreciated that because Saturday while supremely enjoyable was a very, very long day. 

Yesterday was a sad return to reality with departures and saying goodbyes.  I had so much fun with my three closest friends whom I think of as brothers.  There’s a shorthand to our communication that’s only achieved after several decades of friendship.  This weekend provided a truly rare opportunity without spousal obligations and it truly rocked!  I was, however, faced with returning to the very empty homestead.

Friday Night With Two of my "Brothers" on my Right

I felt a real sense of loss as I drive home through a spectacular autumn morning with the trees just starting to turn color.  I couldn’t escape the feeling of melancholy that inevitably follows an epically fun event.  I didn’t want to leave that fleetingly recaptured feeling of being home, lightly grasped over the weekend surrounded by my high school classmates and my best friends. 

My body decided to assist me with the return to reality as I paid in spades for the excessive non-keto intake on Saturday.  The ride back became hurried for a number of reasons. 

Brady was Finally Semi-Clicking

I tried to stay busy around the empty house which was fairly easy since I had to go grocery shopping and banking as well as laundry and cooking two meals around the NFL schedule. The Patriots started out the way they played in their last game – very flat but quickly turned that around.  They posted a solid victory with Brady finally looking like he’s on the same page as his young receivers. 

The Impossible Dream Season Honored

I also checked in on the Red Sox who are playing out their schedule now they have crowned themselves as division champs.  There was a special moment before the game where they honored the man they call “Yaz”.  I don’t think any Red Sox fan of my generation will not point to the summer of 1967 as when the obsession was born.  The torch bearer for that incredible summer was Carl Yastrzemski.  Yesterday they unveiled a stature outside Fenway honoring the man who almost singlehandedly fathered Red Sox nation.  A cool moment. 

My Son and MEF This Past Weekend - Dressed to the 9's

I tried to defeat the pensive longing for the past weekend by attacking a puzzle while the games were going on.  That seemed to help but I think Buddy has lodged his disapproval of this activity by successfully sabotaging the effort with a digested piece of sky.  My son called to check in on me and report that his best man speech at the wedding was uniformly praised - no surprise there. 

 

I finally got the wife on the phone and her reports on my father in law were uniformly positive.  I detected for the first time some optimism and they are rushing around trying to get the house ready for his return which could happen in a few days.  All of the extraneous feeding and breathing tubes have been removed and he has apparently charmed the entire female medical team on his floor.  Good news there.  I just wish my own home wasn’t some damned empty. 

I did pay for the photos of the reunion where I was grilled in merciless detail about the lady I was pictured hugging.  I’m glad to see that she still thinks I pose a risk, even though we both realize its non-existent.  Some more photos from the magical weekend are appearing as well. 

The Cantankerous One was Selected as "Most Outspoken" - Huge Surprise

The Graduates of Lincoln Elementary School

Such a Great Weekend

Reunion Saturday

The Official Photo

After the epic Friday night I was a little worried the actual reunion wouldn’t live up to the hype.  These were baseless concerns.  If anything the day surpassed my greatest expectations. 

The day started a little slow, based on Friday night’s adventures.  Since my Keene Friend had only 2 bedrooms I volunteered to sleep on the couch as Buddy was ensconced in his normal kitchen hideout.  I didn’t want him waking someone else up.  This was good call because he had one of his panic attacks around 5:30am, thanks Buddy.    I was able to get back to sleep and we all combined for a very late breakfast that held us until the reunion. 

Reunion Site

The reunion was held at the same location as the graduation night party in 1973.  Some very vivid memories survive from that night.  Even though I’ve been back to Keene hundreds of time since then, this was the first time I was on that road again.  The nostalgia was only beginning. 

The Pavilion

The location has changed significantly and the old cabin, while still there, was only used for the class photo and bathrooms.  The rest of the time was spent in a long pavilion set up with tables and a band. 

Keene Friend at the Fire

We immediately fell in with a bunch of long lost friends catching up as fast as possible.  In a major win we had to bring our own beer which made service no problem whatsoever.  The Cantankerous Friend joined us and the afternoon seemed to fly by.  There was even a small bonfire that I just had to assist with additional wood.  What can I say, I’m a bit of a pyro.   

Surrounded by Some Truly Great Friends

The rest of the time was spent in the pavilion enjoying some truly awesome food.  Yesterday was my chosen weekly vacation day from the keto diet and I made the most of it.  I didn’t have a problem filling up too fast this time.  There was even a sheet cake so I finally had my chosen delicacy of cake and beer, more times than I care to remember at this point. 

I Guess We'll Find Out if My Wife Reads the Blog

There was a long “awards” program that turned out to be the highlight of the evening.  So many memories were visited, several poignant from classmates who are no longer with us.  The funniest moment was the recounting of a planned prank against a well known brown nose (and former neighbor of mine while growing up).  The prank went astray and ended with a semi-electrocuted teacher who enjoyed a night of unparalleled sex with his wife afterwards.  One of those things you kind of had to be there for.  So funny. 

Cantankerous Friend During Awards Ceremony

The program was running pretty long and the great beer service resulted in a necessary call of nature.  I was making my way back to the pavilion when I heard my name called over the loud speaker.  For reasons unknown I was crowned Mr. KHS (Keene High School) 2013.  I say reasons unknown because I missed the introduction and reasoning completely while in the bathroom.  

Big Surpise That I Still Don't Understand

I was forced to wear a beauty contest like banner for the rest of the night and my friends had no amount of fun with that.  It was also funny that my 4^th grade sweetheart was chosen as Ms KHS.  It only took 50 years but I finally got next to her.  She’s a very nice lady now with an invalid husband who still donated a bunch of time and effort towards the reunion so her selection at least made sense. 

With my 4th Grade Dream Girl

The rest of the night had a very entertaining band playing hits from the 1970’s while the reminiscing took center stage.  It was so cool to see this group of kids from my memory grown into a very entertaining group of middle aged partiers.  The shared legacy of growing up in such a fantastic, nurturing home town was evident. 

My Outfit for the Rest of the Night

The night was not over when we helped clean up.  We all traveled to the beautiful house of a class mate that overlooks Keene.  It was a fitting end for an almost perfect day.  An immense amount of beer was sent down range but being around such good friends was the true intoxicant.

The After Party