Arrival Day

In the immortal words of Theoden at Helm’s Deep – “So it begins.” It will be so weird driving into work today knowing this is the last time I ever do it as a full-time employee. I’ve worked since I was fifteen years old so that means I’ve been at this for nearly a half century. God I’m old. Today will be the last time I take my life into my hands by negotiating Kelly Square on my way into work although the new construction has taken a lot of that place’s teeth out of the equation. I think the toughest adjustment will be for my Favorite Panamanian who worries her life style at home will be severely impacted by my presence all day. Now that’s going to be fun.

My Admin Staff and I Earlier This Week Holding Our Breaths

Yesterday as anything but fun since I was in charge of transferring both my wife’s and my cell phones to a pair of newly purchased iPhones. Wingman did all he could to prepare me and I thought I was all set. Everything was going swimmingly until I tried the transfer onto my new phone and received a message that the new phone didn’t have enough memory for the old phone, even though it has twice the capacity of the old one. Then I went to the iCloud backup that was supposed to be my resource and the backup I made the night before did not appear.  One for my iPad was there and I wasn’t even sure how that got there. I wrestled with the thing for about three hours before I admitted defeat and just used the backup of the iPad.

Because We All Had Our Masks on Before and After

That meant I had to reinstall all the Apps I had on my iPhone but not on the iPad as well as reinstalling my personal email account. It is testament to the hard work of my children and their spouses over the past few years that their attempts to drag me kicking and screaming into 21^st century technology has not been in vain because I eventually got it all set. I then faced the task of my wife’s phone; not something for the faint of heart. I had to pry the old one out of her fingers to get access to it. In an extremely welcome turn of events that changeover went exactly as Wingman told me it should. Now we both have to learn how to us the damned things, I already miss having the go to button at the bottom, what’s with all this swiping.

I was able to take the day’s frustration out when I returned home by once again attacking the terrain of the back yard. That location and I have a storied history when it comes to conflict. It hates to have me dig into it and as an old infantryman I felt I needed to rise to the challenge. Yesterday’s task was digging a three-foot-deep hole for the base of my new flag pole. The yard threw its usual complement of rocks every few inches but as I said I had a lot of frustration to work off. I was two inches from the bottom when I ran into a really big rock. I prayed that it wasn’t one of the mongoso ones that I’ve come into battle with in the past. I ended up straddling the hole and attacking with a crowbar and eventually dislodged the beast. I hope the neighbors weren’t listening when I bellowed my victory curse.

I then poured the concrete for the pole and my Favorite Panamanian began to question my technique. She is an instant expert on whatever task I attempt. She thought I should be employing sono tubes for the concrete which I said was unnecessary due to the compacted clay I was cutting through for the past two hours that lined the hole. Luckily, we share a son who is an engineer so I called him and he immediately ruled in my favor which means I finally won an argument with my Favorite Panamanian. I am now 3 for 28,314 in that department. Small victories.

I Know Exactly How Bernard Feels

It’s been kind of a surreal last week at work. I’ve been really touched by the large number of employees who’ve stopped by to wish me luck and thank me for my time here. That means so much. Of course, I get the beady eyed stare from a couple of employees who disagree with some of the decisions I’ve made but that’s almost a badge of honor considering the source. I’m going to miss 98% of the people here, it’s been a great ride starting in 2005 for my first time working with civilians since 1978. Now it’s on the messing with my wife’s life of leisure.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – 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; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn