Dude Abiding

I am at an age where sad news inserts itself into life with increasing and unwelcome frequency. That happened again yesterday when I learned our handyman, the venerable Deckzilla Dude, passed away after a short illness. He was a true character and an artist when it came to his profession. I christened him Deckzilla Dude because he built our immense deck from scratch in just a week and threw in a back door to our garage at the same time which has made our life so much easier over the years. I was surprised at how deeply this latest loss cut, despite not having spoken to him in months. I was walking around the house performing our semi-annual window washing. I do this because of my Favorite Panamanian’s unfortunate history with window mechanisms precludes her involvement (outside of pointing out how poorly I’m doing it).

R.I.P. my Friend, You Will be Missed

Creating Deckzilla in 2015

As I walked around thinking about the Dude, I realized there is very little about our home that he wasn’t involved in. In addition to the deck, he replaced all the floors with hardwood, installed the kitchen sink, and constructed the new master bedroom addition over our garage. That last, immense project was probably too much for him at the time, but he refused to stop and we couldn’t be happier with the results. We found him through his lifelong friendship with the Neighborhood Mafioso’s husband. We walked over to their house after dinner to share some laughs and memories of the Dude with them. I’m going to miss his devilish smile and sheer artistry with carpentry, a good man and a significant loss to those who were fortunate enough to know him.

Finished in Just a Week, Along with new Door on the Left

The Addition he Created

I was channeling my own version of handman earlier yesterday when I received my latest Amazon acquisition, a set of battery powered, motion sensor lights. The stairs down to the basement have never been adequately lit, which is bad news for someone who’s getting into what some describe as his senior years. After I put them in, I was astounded that they worked as advertised. I walked up and down the stairs a couple times just to see check them out. My wife wasn’t as impressed as I was but agreed it was a valuable addition.

The New Lights

Knocked out a couple movies this week. I know. Huge surprise. We saw It Ends with Us on Sunday. I was a little distracted by Blake Lively’s out of control hairdo for a lot of the movie but other than that it was an excellent look at abusive relationships. What made the message so powerful was the understated way it manifested. This wasn’t one of those Lifetime movies where the abuser is the epitome of evil. Justin Baldoni, late of Jane the Virgin, has an almost too nice a screen presence for that part, but, again, that actually adds to the message as well. It was also shot in nearby Boston which is always a treat. Lively doesn’t get enough credit for how good an actress she is, and she proves it once again here, despite the hairdo.

Today we went to see Megalopolis. This is supposed to be Francis Ford Coppola’s magnus opus, so there was no way I was going to miss it. He renames NYC as New Rome with a heavy sci fi themed plot, including one of the character’s ability to freeze time. I liked the sometimes-subtle references back to the Roman Republic and the obvious lesson for our society facing challenges that could send us towards fascism as the Republic eventually did. I know this was conceived decades ago but there was a very clear connection to Trump’s Maga movement with film’s worst villains. The movie was a glorious mess, jumping around, but I loved it and I’m not sure I can adequately explain why. Beautifully shot with Adam Driver proving more than adequate to carry the movie as the leading man despite being surrounded by an all star cast. I loved it but too many will dismiss it as a vanity project. I saw a lot more substance in it than I was prepared to encounter. A good movie.

Three movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: Manchester by the Sea, gut wrenching with so much humanity; Man of La Mancha, O’Toole could do anything and then there’s Sophia in her prime, Yikes!; Man on Fire, Denzel carving up the screen as Creasy, avenging a kidnapped girl in Mexico.

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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 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; Seis Amigos - two couples from our condo complex and my wife and I; Soxfather – my brother-in-law (whom I miss more than I can ever explain); Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course