Conversating

I heard a great joke last year and have always meant to put it up here. An older guy is talking to a millennial and extolling a new breakthrough in technology. This new device allows a text message to immediately be converted into a voice message with the  sender’s own voice and allows for an immediate response from the recipient, also converted into a voice message in the recipient’s voice. The millennial was impressed and excitedly asked what the new device was called. The old guy responds – a telephone. I know. It’s not that funny but the first time I heard it I laughed out loud as I waited to hear what the brand new device was called.

FBR Playing her Guitar Last Night
And Waiting for her Grandparents to Dance for her

I mention it here because after my posting yesterday about my conversation with the Pittsburgh College Roommate and our belief that the Cantankerous Friend was mellowing out in old age I received a call from the cantankerous one. He called to argue about whether he was mellowing out or not. I guess he was offended by the notion that people actually thought well of him. He also wanted to dredge up complaints from those long ago basketball games where he accused the Pittsburgh College Roommate of being “a black hole” on the court. He claims whenever the ball went there it was never coming out as the roommate was a pretty good shot. I never got involved because my effective range was two feet from the basket.

The Gamers at Work

I Think It's Called - Focus

I loved the calls because, despite his raging liberal political stances, the Cantankerous One remains one of my oldest friends and I enjoyed the byplay immensely. It was a lot more fun than a political argument. Not to be undersold he took his argument to Facebook where the roommate eloquently answered his complaint by saying the ball never came back form him because it went through the hoop. As I said, in these isolated times I was transported back to those memorable times of my youth where not even the Chinese had to wear facemasks. Yet.

Latest Puzzle Completed- A Gift from Great Aunt
She & My Daughter May be Prohibited from Buying me Any More Puzzles
The Christmas Tree was a Stone Cold Beeatch

The FBR seems almost as excited as we are for her upcoming visit for Christmas. She now asks to inspect her room during our daily FaceTime calls. Pee Wee the cat is also returning for the holidays for the first time in years. I’m sure he’ll be the only one in the house that won’t miss having Buddy around to contend with. The FBR is quickly becoming a video game enthusiast under the expert tutelage of Wingman. She promises to try and teach me during her visit.

I enjoyed our check-in with my Favorite Son last night. We saw first hand that BR3, judging by her facial expressions, is not a fan of green beans. I wonder if that is an inherited trait? If so, we all know where it came from. My son’s Covid delayed project of finishing off the third floor of their house finally got off the snide this week. The construction crew got all the framing and insulation done and now awaits the attentions of the electrical and HVAC guys. They’re adding a bedroom, a study and future bathroom up there. Both sets of grandparents are pleased with the additional space now that the BRS and BR3 will have their own bedrooms.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; 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