Pelican Absence

I have been, once again, abandoned by my Favorite Panamanian. Once again, this is not a source for any kind of sympathy because I’ve gotten the better part of the deal, at least in my humble opinion. She’s back in the festering heat of David handling some tax paperwork for the condo that arose over the past week. My sole contribution to the effort was finding a handy place to print documents in the local village. My wife is also using this time to spend some needed time with her mom before we return to the States. I’m “forced” to wait for her return at the most beautiful beach in the known world, so there’s that. Life can be tough but I’ll figure some way to suffer through this challenge. 😊

Beach This Morning, Poor Me

I’ve remarked before about the seemingly omnipresent pelicans that haunt Las Lajas. I loved seeing them skimming the tops of the waves in the morning in stately single file and then forming immense v-formations higher up in the afternoon flying from one end of the beach to the other. I often ask the morning flights for help encouraging the waves to get bigger. You’ll notice the use of the past tense. I was surprised to see that they have virtually disappeared over the past week. I looked online to see if they are migratory and found that some are and some aren’t. One of the places listed as a winter destination for pelicans is Panama, so there. April marks the end of the breeding season and that is when they head north. Never say that Frail Deeds does not seek to educate!

Sunset Last Night

Speaking of Frail Deeds, Great Aunt sent me a video of acclaimed actor Michael Sheen performing the Dylan Thomas poem that served as the source for the blog’s title. It was incredibly moving.  

Since life has settled down a bit after the past weeks’ adventures, I’ve caught a couple movies. The first was at the direct order of my Favorite Panamanian, 80 for Brady. As far as film producing, number 12, should stick to football. This was a very light hearted attempt at generational comedy saved by three of the four older lead actresses. I even tolerated Commie Jane, although it wasn’t easy or welcome. Sally Field and Rita Morena were especially good as a group of older Patriots’ fans who, as ladies of that age are wont to do, fell into absolute adoration of Brady. Surprisingly, Lily Tomlin is not very good and the film bogs down whenever she’s the focus. There’s the predictable amount of unintentional comedy as the ladies show up in Houston for the Patriots’ epic Super Bowl win over the Falcons (I don’t think this movie will do well in Atlanta). That was the best part of the film, reliving that unforgettable game but the movie was just okay. My wife loved it as she was clearly the target audience.

A Man Called Otto features Tom Hanks as an unlikable old curmudgeon, talk about type casting. He’s a very unhappy older man, forced into retirement, missing his dead wife and continually interrupted in his suicide attempts by a newly arrived Hispanic neighbor lady. There isn’t much of a transition because Hanks is such a likable actor that you expect a good side behind all the grumpiness. The movie tracks his progress of reengaging with the world through the medium of the new neighbor and her family while offering some funny, cranky comments on the modern world – mostly technology related. The movie aims for the heart strings but does it effectively through a series of flashbacks to what caused Otto to become so unhappy and in a very “Up” manner, it’s totally understandable. I really liked it.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                     

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete - my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; CRC - Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during him her single days in Brooklyn; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd Musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; 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; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course