Rocketing

Didn't get a Chance to Talk with This Young Lady Last Night

A particularly sedate day on the home front which was as welcome as it was disconcerting because they seem so rare recently. Even the traffic wasn’t bad which had me wondering if there was some sort of cosmic event taking place. The only downer was a lack of Facetime calls with the granddaughters. We took in an early movie which fell across the span of time they are usually available. I could feel my cell phone buzzing while we were watching the movie but I wasn’t going to be “one of those guys” that answers a phone in the middle of a darkened theater. I was certainly tempted though.

We teamed up with the neighborhood mafiosos to see Rocketman. This was a fascinating take on the life of the iconic Elton John. I thought it would be similar to last year’s Bohemian Rhapsody but this was better which is a statement in and of itself. I’d always enjoyed John’s extravagant public personae but this film offers an insight into the searing dysfunctional upbringing he experienced and I was left with an admiration for not only his genius but his courage to survive. The story is told through a group therapy session in a rehab facility as Elton gradually removes pieces of one of his outlandish costumes to tell his life story with a lot of whimsy laced throughout. The plucky little dude from the Kingsmen movies, Taron Egerton, deserves immense credit for fully inhabiting the very complicated singer and singing his own songs as well. Elton John has been such a fixture on the musical scene for so long that it was a great ride to see how he got there and to realize just how talented an artist he truly is. The movie is definitely not for the strait laced. I think Mike Pence’s head would explode at some of the antics depicted.  Even with all the fanciful takes the story rings true. You leave the movie thanking God for the arrival of Bernie Taupin in John’s life as their relationship serves as a desperately needed anchoring influence. One of the best movies so far this year.

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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 Fiancé & 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 involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd musquetera (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; Deckzilla Dude – senior citizen carpenter/contractor; 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