Every Day a Weekend

I think it was the Cantankerous Friend who reminded me earlier this year that I didn’t need to wait until the weekend to Thunder Run but, as a retired dude, every day of the week now qualifies as a weekend day. I’ve tried to live up to what we used to call in the Army, a Blinding Flash of the Obvious (I cleaned it up a bit here). That realization came in handy this week. We’ve had so much fun over the past few weeks getting together with the Neighborhood Mafiosos and our other Worcester Friends that we scheduled a Deckzilla dinner for Saturday. New England played its usual tricks by saving the soggy days for that doctrinally labeled weekend day.

Deckzilla Dinner Last Night

Since all six of us qualify for the Everyday is a Weekend Day, my Favorite Panamanian pivoted and rescheduled the dinner for Thursday. She prepared the signature dish of Panama, Arroz con Pollo, and everybody brought something as well. I furnished my ever-sharp wit as my contribution, although my wife also insisted I also help with the setup and cleanup. Deckzilla shined for the gathering, laden with my Favorite Panamanian’s annual excess of flowers surrounding us. It was a truly fun evening with these great friends and we kept the neighbors up with a constant stream of laughter, especially when we engaged in an in depth discussion of flatulence (that never gets old). I’ve’ said it before, there is truly something medicinal about sitting around a table with friends and laughing together. By the time we declared victory and said goodbye, the lights were on for the first time this year on Deckzilla, on one of the longest days of the year. As I said, we had a lot of fun. Great people.

Pre-Meal Social Hour

Earlier in the week I snuck out for a solo movie to see The Flash. I know Ezra Miller, the actor in the title character role in this has had a very rocky personal life for the past couple years but I’ve always liked him in this role. He delivers once again as the DC Universe must have taken notice of the popularity of the multiple Spidermans (Spidermen?) in the multiverse and decided to give it a go as well. They have a rich cinematic history of the various Batmans, Supermans (real and imagined), and other superheroes to delve into. I won’t ruin the very cool (sometimes hilarious) reincarnations that are imagined into being. In this stand-alone film, the Flash decides to use his speed to go back in time to save his mother from the murder his father is imprisoned for. We all know from too many movies that changing history through time travel is never a good idea with way too many ways for Hollywood writers to make it painful. This movie has the best CGI I’ve ever seen and Miller, for whatever his other faults, still portrays a likable, if a bit off kilter, hero. The movie is long but was still a lot of goofy fun. I loved it.

Two movies fell in my A-Z watch, both keepers (Duh), Dredd, infinitely superior to Stallone version, little bit in love with Olivia Thirlby now; and (new addition to library) John Wick 4, how do they keep constant violence so fresh?, great ending?.

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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