Wife Waiting for Torrential Rains to Subside So She Can get in Uncle's Car - in Background |
I must have been in a good mood
yesterday because I actually agreed to accompany my wife to a mall. While malls
seem to be dying a slow death in the US they are still a big deal down here in
Panama. There are new ones popping up all over the place and some of them are
very impressive. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised if my wife is any indication
of the passion for shopping that seems to be endemic in Panamanians. We went to
the Alta Plaza Mall yesterday which appears to be only a couple years old. It’s
only about three miles from where we’re staying but it took nearly 45 minutes
to reach with the typical Panama City traffic gridlock.
Our Destination |
It had a central rotunda four stories
tall which had an immense Christmas tree in the midst of installation. Part of
my acquiesce to spending the day at the mall came from the fact that it also sported
a state of the art movie theater. After a lunch at a steak house I abandoned my
wife and her uncle, and uncle’s girlfriend to seek out a cinematic escape (see
below). I, of course, underestimated the license I gave my Favorite Panamanian because
I assumed she would be fully sated by the time the movie let out. I could have
seen a double feature.
Central Rotunda with Tree |
Eventually my wife’s uncle and I set
up shop in the food court which overlooked the rotunda and we could track our significant
others as they bounced between stores since they had to pass through the
rotunda. The mall administration takes security seriously as they were
seemingly dozens of security guards patrolling the mall, some mounted on electric
scooters. This being Panama our hour plus spent people watching wasn’t totally
onerous.
A Grandma Happily Hanging with the FBR |
We made our nightly video call to the FBR
from the mall. She was suitably impressed with the huge Christmas tree but remains
decisively engaged with charming her other grandmother who finally escaped
Missouri long enough to spend some quality time with the FBR. Wingman’s mom has had more than challenging
last couple years and fully deserves the medicinal effect that hanging out with
the FBR always entails. We’ll all be together this weekend for the FBR’s
passage into three year old status.
Wife and Uncle's Girlfriend Spotted during their Roadmarch |
The movie theater was cool and not
just because the ticket along with a large popcorn and soda was obtained for
less than ten dollars in total. They have something called 4Dx where the chairs
shake, wind blows, smells and other environmental factors are employed to
immerse the viewer into the movie. I’m campaigning to check it out today – yes another
day at the mall. I went to see the new Halloween where old favorite Jamie Lee
Curtis returns as Lori Strode to do battle with her brotherly nemesis Michael Myers. Most of the Halloween sequels after the original #2 were abysmal at best
but this one works. That is a tribute to Ms. Curtis who portrays a Lori Strode
40 years after the original with all the aftereffects one would expect from her
brutalization as a teenager. Curtis allows the filmmakers to roughen up her
image and she’s always been a great female actioneer. There are innumerable
plot holes and some real editing issues but the pace is brisk as the ominous
approach of Myers after his escape for the final confrontation is well done, in
traditional Halloween manner. Despite the fact Strode has been preparing 40
years for the confrontation she still makes a number of rookie mistakes that
Myers has always feasted on but the final battle as three generations of Strode
women take on the big guy is more than worth the wait. A cool way to end (?)
this venerable franchise.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RECURRING CHARACTERS
BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR
- First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA –
Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law, formerly known both as MEF – Most Excellent FiancĂ©
& MEG – Most Excellent Girlfriend; Wingman – my son in
law; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from
my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great
Aunt = my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since
grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to
attract women; Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school
friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla
– our backyard deck which
grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involed in planning; Maine and
Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters,
my wife is the 3rdmusquetera (musketeer); Buddy – AKA
the Wonder Pooch – family dog, a black lab – hates squirrels, died
in 2017; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy,
son's dog, surrogate grandchild while awaiting arrival of the BRS; 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; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close
friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife
(of course); First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday
of the Week; Excellent Boss – my former direct boss at
work; Voices of Inappropriate Worth - members of public who
come to every Worcester public meeting to complain, all are on public
assistance along with demeanor issues
No comments:
Post a Comment