Tic Tac Turnabout

I would be the very first to laud either of my granddaughters as highly intelligent, charming, and simply delightful. That would surprise no one who knows me. Even though I wasn’t able to talk with either of them last night I was provided with the attached video which demonstrates the basis for my less than unbiased opinion. The BRS is seen playing tic tac toe with my Favorite Son and actually seems to grasp the concept despite still being short of her second birthday. Granted that my son didn’t bring his “A” game to the contest but this still scored off the charts on the charm scale.

Making her Selection

She's Got Game

In for the Kill

Pickings were slim as far as unseen movies at the local cinema (I blame myself) so I violated one of my house rules when living alone in an empty house – I went to see a horror movie – The Turning. I normally avoid this because my imagination makes me a total candy ass when I have to return to a dark, empty house after being scared thoroughly by the movie. This was yet another re-telling of the classic Henry James story The Turn of the Screw. It doesn’t answer the age old question whether the ghosts were real or just in the dissolving mind of the benighted governess. It was kind of jarring to see Mackenzie Davis as the vulnerable governess after recently re-watching her kick butt in the latest Terminator movie. She’s very good in this which is a better movie than most critics are giving it. She’s charged with caring for two kids in a huge mansion that may be haunted. The kids are scarier than the ghosts and I thought director did a great job with imaging. It is ultimately frustrating because two endings are provided but after thinking about it I kind of liked that aspect. The whole point is to decide whether the supernatural entities are real or the governess is simply bats**t crazy. The director leaves it up to the viewer – I’m going with real, that’s why I kept the lights on a little longer last night.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – inbound granddaughter #3, BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law; 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); Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; 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; Deckzilla Dude – senior citizen carpenter/contractor