Normalcy Inserted

Love this Photo of my Daughter and the FBR
Two Confident Young Ladies Striding into the Future Together

It seems the past few weeks have been hectic. We’ve had spring snow storms, wifely departures, wifely returns, surgical procedures, union negotiations, granddaughter boarding, and too many other things to properly credit. That’s what made last night kind of cool – the sheer normalcy that finally inserted itself into our lives. Thursday is becoming one of the nights Keene Friend stays over to mitigate the daily commute to and from Keene. Last night he took my wife and I out for dinner at Val’s in Holden.

Triking It

Glad Flowers are Growing Somehere

Only a Non-Dog Owner Would Do this

It was a very nice evening and conversation between old friends – again normal without any imperiling event looming on the horizon. We returned home for some Man Cave time starting out with the Red Sox but evolving to watching Molly’s Game (see below) when the Sox looked to be heading in the wrong direction. In a truly remarkable turn of events Keene Friend even stayed awake for the movie and the Sox came back to win.

A Tree is Planted in Korea

The big news circulating the globe today is the historic meeting between the leaders of the two Koreas. They proclaimed a plan to formally end the Korean War and denuclearize the peninsula. While on the surface this sounds like exotically good news I would offer a measure of caution. North Korea has never shown the slightest inclination to change their culture of cult like devotion to the Kim family and their burgeoning military. It would be a brilliant strategic move to engage with the south to convince them to stand down their military, send the American forces home, and open up the border. Once the final verses of Kum-by-yah are finished and everyone suitably complacent the North Korean army would march south, almost unopposed. While I fervently hope this scenario never happens and the chance for peace is real I find myself thinking of investing in concrete futures around Pusan.

I excitedly texted my daughter this morning recommending she see Molly’s Game since I thought she would love it. She, somewhat sardonically reminded me that she was the one that had recommended the film to me a while ago. I pleaded advanced age for not remembering. This is a really smart film with Sorkin’s usual snappy dialogue without which the movie would have grounded itself. It also buoyed by Jessica Chastain’s and Idris Elba’s usual mesmerizing presences. Chastain plays Molly Blum who falls into a life of hosting high stakes poker games but eventually running afoul of both sides of the law. While Blum’s story is fascinating I suspect Sorkin might have fallen a little bit in love with her because she comes across as almost too good to be true. Even with that it is a crackling good story told with pace and worth the watch for Chastain and Elba.