What! - Free Weekend?!!

I am confounded by two sources of consternation today. One – how the hell can it already be approaching October!? I just turned the air conditioning off (again) last evening. September somehow, by some subterfuge slinked by almost without notice. There is something patently unfair. I know time speeds up as we get older but this seems excessive. The second surprise involves a free weekend. I’m almost at a loss to explain how this came about but I have run out of children to visit so my Favorite Panamanian and I are on our own this weekend. She, never to let such a blatant opportunity slip by, is already making noises about going out dancing on Saturday night. Well. I suppose. I may even get a chance to test drive the ugly fire pit for the first time. But first, we will have to less than solemnly welcome the First Friday of the Week!

Birthday Gal - Showing Off Some of her Shopping Loot to her Mom

We finally connected with the birthday girl yesterday who was rocking her day yesterday. She got the day off from work (courtesy of the company in honor of her birthday) and Wingman hung with the FBR so she could hit the mall with a fellow Curbside Gal. She immediately put some fo her birthday gift cards to work and that warmed my wife’s heart. She thinks everyone should love shopping (still trying to figure out how we ended up together). The FBR did her best to wish her mother a happy birthday. Wingman provided this utterly charming video of her practicing her birthday wishes.

We lost a true icon this week with the passing of Hugh Hefner. I don’t think anybody from my generation, at least secular ones like myself, didn’t want to be him. One of the first things I did after starting my first paying job was get a Playboy subscription. Mom was not pleased. There will be an eternal debate about his place in history but he certainly opened a door in overly Puritanical thinking that less refined publishers rushed through. He always included some stellar short story writing in his magazines which I discovered a couple years after starting my subscription. Yes I actually did read a Playboy magazine a few times and might have glanced at some of the photography. Rest in peace, he probably needed a break.

Bye Hef - Get Some Rest

I also finished off the next in the Imager series by L.E. Modesitt with Rex Regis. This one only took a couple days for a very long book – it was that good as I literally stormed through it. You know a book is good when the struggle to find enough time to get back to reading becomes paramount. While this is not the last book in the series it is the last featuring Quaeryt the indomitable but humble hero. There’s very little of the action packed imaging most the earlier books in the series had but somehow the author raised my interest to a fever pitch anyways as Quaeryt uncovers and attempts to unravel a high level military conspiracy against himself and his brother in law ruler. I’m going to miss Quaeryt a lot but I can say that about any of Modesitt’s heroes. I do like how Quaeryt ended up, he’d more than earned it. I’m going to wander away from the Imager series for a while so Modesitt can complete some more books, one is currently pending.

The Bad Cinema project count rises #17 out of 100 with Crash of the Moons, an amalgam of several episodes from a black and white 1950’s sci fi TV series – so bad but featuring SGT Schultz from Hogan’s Heroes! 

She’s All Heart

Birthday Girl This Morning With her Daughter

Okay, so today’s the day I annually take to extol my utter windfall in the daughter department. I was completely unprepared for the lightning strike quality of seeing her for the first time more than thirty years ago today. After putting her mother through more than twenty hours of labor she was wheeled out of the OR in a bassinet and I saw her that first time in a hospital hallway outside the waiting room. My life was never the same after that moment. Thankfully.

They Grow So Incredibly Fast

Professional Gal

But Still a Trickster - Just Ask her Brother

She once told her grandmother that she wanted to go by the nome de guerre of “heart”. That is appallingly appropriate because, in the immortal words of Rod Tidwell, “She’s All Heart!” and always has been. People who know me well are sometimes surprised that I raised an ardent feminist in my daughter but again, I could not be prouder of her, especially since she gets to pass her wisdom on to her own daughter – the FBR. Every time I see my granddaughter I’m transported back to the 1980s because she is a virtual clone of what her mother looked like back then. I can only hope she follows a similar path to adulthood.

While she fortunately tapped into her mother’s beauty she acquired her love of movies and reading from me. I still treasure the times we spend talking about that shared fascination. That is whatever time the FBR bequeaths us. 

Cali-Daughter (For a While)

Wedding Day

Lucky in Love Too - WINGMAN!!!!

My daughter has always been frighteningly independent. She and a friend loaded up a U-Haul truck shortly after graduating from college and moved to New York City with no job. The fact that she became a complete success and has worked for the same company ever since shortly after her arrival speaks volumes about her ability. They didn’t want to lose her so she telecommuted during her two plus years in California. She’s back East Coasting now – to everyone’s delight, well mostly everyone. She was just moved into a new office (with a window!) in her Madison Avenue company headquarters.

Surprising her on her 30th Birthday
A Moment I will Always Treasure

There’s always a special bond between daughters and dads – something Wingman is rapidly discovering through his daily adventures with the FBR. They are both so lucky to share habitation with that little gal who stole my heart so thoroughly and ad infinitum in that hospital corridor. So Happy Birthday Heart – enjoy your day and the wonderful people who flit around your oh so bright flame.

It's been so interesting to share adulthood with my kids. I'm not sure that interest is mutual but they are both of an age now when they can remember me at the same age as they are. I can remember sending today's birthday girl off to 1st grade when I was the age she is now.

The Bad Cinema project count rises #16 out of 100 with Teenagers from Outer Space, exactly what I hoped for during this trek through mediocrity. 

The FBR Lining up Her Friends to Watch Daniel Tiger

Hot Sauce

Working Up A Sweat In New Jersey

A mundane Tuesday which included some sweltering mid-summer heat, was enlivened when I finally made contact with the FBR. She was fresh off working Wingman into a high sweat cavorting at a park in equally humid New Jersey. Wingman reported she is now a huge fan of hot sauce. He sent an endearing video in which she extolled the virtues of sriracha hot sauce which she described as “spicy”. Meanwhile there’s a certain ABFA inhabited house in New Hampshire that is in deep mourning with the announcement that her favorite show Fixer Upper will end this year.

Date night had my wife and I at the movie theater for Stronger. The iconic photo of Jeff Bauman being evacuated by the cowboy hat wearing Carlos Arredondo shortly after the Boston Marathon bombing was one of the searing images of that day. This film captures his story on a very personal level in which the pain by all the sloganeering is exposed. There is something seriously flawed in the Academy Award process if Jake Gyllenhaal is not recognized for his intimate portrayal of Bauman. This isn’t one of those spiritually uplifting always striving stories of unmatched progress and courage. It felt real, even down to the Massachusetts working class family Bauman was immersed in when he wasn’t being paraded around. They even got the not so subtle accents right which other Boston based films fail at so regularly. We see Bauman’s crooked road to recovery with all the usually unseen pain and repercussions as he deals with a drinking problem and a mostly clueless family. This is a film worth seeing for understanding the public face of tragedy doesn’t always tell the whole story.

The Bad Cinema project count rises #15 out of 100 with Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, Oh. My. God. 

The Great Divider

Part of the Solution

I’ve had a couple people who know I’m a veteran come up and ask me over the past couple days what I think about het NFL players protesting by kneeling during the national anthem. I honestly answer that they piss me off on a very fundamental level. I think I can speak for most veterans in making that assessment. Those who’ve worn the uniform take our relationship with this country very personally. If you’re asked to put your life on the line for something that entity better be worth the effort. Again most veterans and certainly I would answer that this country is more than worth the potential donation and stands as the greatest example of self-determination and personal freedom the world has ever seen.

That’s why having pampered millionaires protesting their country pisses me off.

At the same time I would be a complete hypocrite to try to limit their desire to protest. The protests validates my service. I served for a country in which freedom is assured and that includes the freedom to protest. I believe these protests are misguided because they are aimed at the symbol of this country which is their greatest hope for a better future. Misguided because their “message” of protesting racial inequality and police brutality is lost because people conveniently choose to ignore that because they believe the country they hold dear is being attacked instead of the real issues.

Proud of this Guy

I don’t believe that. I think those real issues that can only be addressed through change. Change will happen only when people acknowledge the color of a person’s skin doesn’t define their character. The Divider in Chief seized on these protests as another way to inflame our divisions and that says more about him, trying to distract us from his shenanigans than anything else. I’ll continue to believe in this country and our future that we’re better than that.  We will find a way. One has to only look at how far we’ve come in a generation. It won’t happen overnight but racism can’t survive the spotlight, it withers and dies when exposed to rational thought. A great example of that hope lay in a picture my daughter sent yesterday from their block party this past Saturday. They live in a very multi-cultural neighborhood. The photos shows my granddaughter sitting on a fire truck with one of her best friends in the neighborhood. They’re the same age and will grow up together.

Hope

In decidedly more mundane news my wife has launched on yet another front yard beautification project. I thought all our prior projects had produced an acceptable level of pulchritude but alas this is not my strong suit. I blame the local box store which had a sale for Mums. I’m still not sure how she got the huge number of flowers into the car to transport home but some questions are better left unanswered. All I know is that I was back out in the front yard with a shovel yesterday burying the damned things. Of course it turned out she was right (again) – they look great.

The Architect at Work Last Night

I also finished L.E. Modesitt's Antiagon Fire, in the usual pell-mell manner I handle all of Modesitt’s fantastic fantasy writing. He makes you care so much about the heroes and their bone deep decency against seemingly insurmountable odds that the reader can’t wait to find out how they fare. The brutal battles fought in Imager's Battalion have earned Quaeryt, that hero, a promotion and an assignment to help his brother in law unite the entire continent. He sets out to do that accompanied by his wife who lends a lot of spice and needed humor to Quaeryt’s bleak choices in life. He tries diplomacy and then launches an invasion against the last holdout country. I literally could not put this book down for the last hundred pages and was almost late to work this morning because of that. I’m already on to the next in the series despite having the latest Nelson DeMille book waiting on my kindle.

The Bad Cinema project count rises #14 out of 100 with Gammera the Invincible, another one of those 1960s Japanese giant monster aberrations with a giant turtle (yep) laying waste to Tokyo (again).

Sonny Weekend

Friday Night in the Zorba's Clone

I’m starting to get used to having simply fantastic weekends with my progeny. This probably causes some concern in certain New Hampshire and New Jersey quarters and a lively competition to foist me off on the other one. They have only themselves to blame because they are such great company. The Friday drive up to the New Hampshire seacoast was the stuff of nightmares though. The usual hour and a half trip took nearly three hours as people still seem headed towards Maine despite the arrival of autumn.

Our Intrepid hosts

That pain in the ass was more than recompensed with our arrival at our Favorite Son’s home. Long time readers of Frail Deeds will recall my devotion to Zorba’s during our time in Charlton. Their Friday night pizza approached a near religious experience. Using that theme our son and the ABFA located a Zorba’s-like establishment in nearby Exeter. Since I am back to swearing off non-beer carbs I can’t comment on the pizza which looked excellent. I really liked the atmosphere though and it did remind us all of Zorba’s.

My View for a Lot of the Weekend

The grandpuppy Riggins was especially happy to see us, especially my wife. He apparently has a “thing” for Panamanian women (don’t we all). I had a lot of fun wrestling with him over the weekend, getting my absent canine fix. I inadvertently called him Buddy on more than a few occasions. We returned home to watch the Red Sox finish off another win and creep closer to consecutive division championships.

Walk in the Park

We’d toyed with the idea of journeying into Durham for UNH Homecoming on Saturday since the ABFA, my son, and I are all graduates of that august institution but didn’t fancy trying to find friends in a mass of humanity. These things are always better when you go in with a plan. Instead we took a walk through woods in a local town park which Riggins really enjoyed. It was a little too hot to experience what a September walk through the New Hampshire woods should be but you couldn’t beat the company. We culminated at a tall fire tower which offered sweeping views of the seacoast and Great Bay area. There was a little excitement as we were leaving when I discovered I’d dropped my cell phone somewhere where along the trail. Luckily it was only about a quarter mile from where we ended and easily recovered.

Top of the Tower with my Son
Great Bay in the Background

My Favorite Panamanian Also Made the Climb

We took in a movie together at the Newington movie theater which had recently undergone a remodeling effort. All of the seats were now huge, electronically controlled reclining chairs. This was the first time I’d ever experienced something like this in a movie theater and if this is the way movie theaters are headed – I’m on board. We went to see Kingsman 2 (review below) which was a lot of senseless fun. We ended the day back at the homestead grilling a huge hunk of dead animal flesh and sampling the brewer’s art once again. We also checked in on another Sox win and some more stupid cinema. The best part was just hanging with my son and the ABFA – just bone deep good people. I also spent a lot of time nose to nose with Riggins who sensed the esteem I hold his species in.

ABFA Far Below with Riggins

Riggins Wondering why We Stopped

We tried to arrange a couple FaceTime calls with the New Jersey elements but they were deeply engaged with a block party. This was their first time experiencing what is an annual tradition in their neighborhood. Their street is blocked off and the entire neighborhood turns out to party in the street. The FBR was in the thick of it with her fellow toddlers. She even got to sit in a fire truck that showed up for the kids. The one time we connected with them the FBR was showing off her dance moves on the sidewalk.

FBR in Party Mode

Hanging with one of her Neighborhood Buds

Behind the Wheel of a Fire Truck

Raiding the Juice Pail

Something about Kids and Fire Trucks

Sunday came way too quickly, especially since I wanted to make the drive home in the morning before the Maine refugee stream picked up on the interstate combined with people headed south for the Patriots’ game. We finally did get that Facetime call in which might have been my favorite time of the weekend as I sat back and watched the most important people in my life talk, laugh, and enjoy each other’s company. The FBR only flitted through a couple times since we caught her during Daniel Tiger time but that allowed some adult conversations which, again, was so much fun to watch.

Double Whammy

We did get home in time to watch the Patriots’ game which was as thrilling as it was troubling, at least when it comes to the Patriots defense. Sir Thomas of Brady once again rode to the rescue in the final minutes to snatch victory from the yawning maw of defeat. I was switching back and forth with the Sox game and when they staged a similar late innings victory – it made for a truly satisfying afternoon. I’d rather have done it with the folks I left back in New Hampshire but it did help with the separation depression.

Sunday Morning Hojaldra Breakfast

I think this weekend provides a great example of what I was trying to say earlier about the medicinal effect of time spent around family. We didn’t do anything spectacular or experience some major event – we just hung out together. That, it turns out, has a quality in and off itself that is more than worth braving the dreaded Friday evening drives to the seacoast or any other type of obstruction to obtain.

The original Kingsman was one of my favorite movies over the past few years. I’m a huge fan of director Matthew Vaughn but he does seem to struggle with sequels. The Golden Circle had all of the trademark cheekiness of the original but it lacked some of the spark that made it so unique. Taron Edgerton still balances his suave secret agent personae with his lower class upbringing as the very challenged hero. He’s trying to maintain his romance with a Swedish princess while endeavoring to thwart a worldwide contamination of illegal drugs. Don’t worry – it’s not supposed to make sense. Two of my favorite characters were killed off this time but no one’s death seems permanent in this property, just ask Colin Firth. Juliann Moore camps it up as the villain running her nefarious plot from a diner in the jungles of Cambodia and her “go to” weapon – a meat grinder. Like I said – it doesn’t have to make sense as long as the action and gadgets keep coming at the relentless pace. So, not as enjoyable as the first Kingsman foray, but still a lot of senseless fun and chaos.

The Bad Cinema project count rises #13 out of 100 with Attack of the Monsters, one of those 1960s Japanese giant monster aberrations – worst film of the bunch so far and that’s saying something.

Mid-Week Recovery Operations

My Wonder Woman

I wrote yesterday about the rare opportunity to hang out with some of my most excellent high school classmates back in my hometown Wednesday night. The visit by the Pittsburgh Roommate started that ball rolling and it was more fun than I’m probably authorized at this point in my life. The resident issue with mid-week celebrations such as these is getting up the next morning to deal with the aftermath in the midst of a work day. I knew going into my Wednesday misbehavior that Thursday would be a challenge because it was predictably the busiest day of my week. I had a board meeting first thing in the morning and then a deposition I had to sit for in the lawyer’s office. Surprisingly I felt pretty good first thing and as luck would have it the board meeting was the shortest I’ve ever attended.

Worcester Views from Lawyer's Office

The deposition was another story. I had to provide testimony is on ongoing dispute by a former employee who refuses to take his rightful termination in stride. In the People’s Republic of Taxxachusetts there are no end of agencies a disgruntled idiot can avail himself of and this one seems to be a real pro at it. It’s usually just noise and yesterday’s deposition was an example of that. I had to sit for nearly two hours providing testimony and then wait for the attorney to print out the deposition for me to sign. It was actually pretty interesting when you see the light go in the investigator’s eyes when all she’s heard up to that point is the former employee’s side. The setting was also dynamic as we were near the top of one of the city’s tallest buildings which offered sweeping views of Worcester.

Again, this was interesting enough to keep me focused and ignorant of the aforementioned aftermaths. I even remarked to my wife over lunch that I was in a lot better condition than I anticipated after Wednesday’s excesses. That all caught up to me around 2pm when I was sitting at my desk and felt a literal wave of weariness descend. I was grateful it waited that long and felt it was a small price to pay for the joy of spending time with the people I had on Wednesday night.

Instilling Another Uncle into the Intricacies of Daniel Tiger

Our nightly Facetime call with the FBR was a different kind of joy. She continues her precocious development and is now dominating the whole potty training phase. She also runs between all locations with a very determined arm swing. My wife and I watched Wonder Woman later in the evening and the first scenes with a young wonder woman running reminded us of the FBR. Wingman’s back yard project is also off to an amazing start with a verdant lawn emerging after only ten days. It’s easy to imagine the FBR rolling round out there next summer.

Wingman's Back Lawn Progress

Snacking with Compatriots

Now that I’m fully recovered I’m ready for the next chapter in celebrations which of course involve marking the First Friday of the Week. This week is completely enhanced because it will involve a drive by my wife and I north into New Hampshire again but to the east side this time. We’ll be spending the weekend with my Favorite Son and the ABFA and that’s always a recipe for extended joy. I keep trying to figure out how I got so lucky in life to be surrounded by the people I am. I must have knocked the socks off a prior life.

The Bad Cinema project count rises #12 out of 100 with Bride of the Gorilla, no I’m not kidding, it was actually called that, starring Perry Mason himself as the gorilla.