Jersey Jaunt

We arrived late last night from our latest trip to my daughter’s home in New Jersey. We made a belated attempt to celebrate her birthday as she was decisively engaged during both the weekends since that event took place. Wingman wasn’t present since he’s out on the Left Coast preparing for a couple Las Vegas concerts his band will participate in. That left it to my Favorite Panamanian and I to ensure our favorite daughter’s birthday was properly recognized. In a phone conversation earlier in the week the FBR declared that we had to come on Friday instead of the planned Saturday. Unbeknownst to us, our daughter perpetuated the story we would be coming on Saturday, so we could surprise the FBR. She shouldn’t have been surprised since it is well known we can deny our granddaughters literally nothing.

Lunch, Sans Wingman, at Wingman's Restaurant

That meant, of course, a mid-day trip through my traffic nemesis, the State of Connecticut. That nefarious environment exacted its usual pound of flesh, in the form of the usual delays on the Merritt Parkway even though there were no accidents or construction closures. It was just Connecticut. We only lost 45 minutes to these delays, which isn’t bad for a trip through the Nutmeg State. Upon arrival our daughter greeted us and then returned to her lair (attic office space) to finish up her workday. We then departed for the FBR’s school where we successfully surprised the FBR as she walked out. She emitted a scream and leapt into her abuela’s arms, which did nothing positive for her surgically repaired knee, but again, we can deny granddaughters, etc. etc.

FBR Surprised

We accomplished the Family Facetime, pizza night and movie night in one fell sweep. Before all that action though, the FBR insisted on taking us on a walk around the block. She recently became friends with a couple, very outgoing neighborhood cats who seemed to be waiting for her arrival. We made three different trips there over the weekend. She loves animals. Before we cranked up the movie, we revealed my Favorite Panamanian’s latest birthday cake creation, dedicated to our daughter’s love of reading. I committed a family faux pas by forgetting to bring Bonecrusher with me, so she had to slice the cake with a mere knife (very unsettling).

Mother and Daughter on the "Cat Walk"

FBR with her Quarry

3 Generations of Beauty

Birthday Cake Time

Birthday Guirl with her Mom and Daughter

Back to the Cats on Saturday

One of the highlights of the weekend for me was the time I got to spend with the birthday girl exploring movies. She showed me a great NYC-centric flick called Mistress America which was incredibly funny. She also shared a Netflix series called Nobody Wants This, which had me literally bouncing on the couch laughing. We only saw a couple episodes, but we’ll finish it here. It has a typical L.A. gal falling for a rabbi and the immediate war that entails with their families. Way, way too funny, one of the best written shows I’ve seen in a long time.

On Saturday we were supposed to be exposed to the anticipated splendor of the FBR’s cheerleading squad. That, however, failed to materialize as the football game was canceled. We filled in the gap by patronizing Wingman’s restaurant. This was our first chance to experience what has been the driving force in his life for the last year. He joined us via Facetime from the wrong coast and I could tell he was a little bummed not to be with us for this first visit. It is a game-based eatery and was doing great business while we were there. They’ve obviously established a great vibe as there were several family groups eating while enjoying playing board games with each other. This led to the FBR challenging me to a game of Battleship which I hadn’t played in more than fifty years.

Outside Wingman's Restaurant

My Lunch Buddy

Battleship!!!

The next planned event had me running for cover. The ladies decided some clothes shopping for the FBR was needed. The success of my marriage is based largely on never going shopping together. My wife takes it entirely too seriously, loving every minute spent and I hate it with a white-hot passion. So. I volunteered to mow my daughter’s lawn while they spent a very, very long time shopping. I considered it a bullet successfully dodged. My Favorite Panamanian’s credit card was not so lucky but the smiles on their faces, especially the FBR’s, was worth whatever it cost. We ended the day with a meal my wife spent a couple days making at the request of the birthday girl, arroz con pollo (the national dish of Panama).

2d Gen Curbsiders Waiting

Very Fun Dinner Crowd

Characters, All of Them

Sunday was a fairly quiet day starting out with all of us attending mass and then breakfast at our favorite diner. My daughter had a bunch of pre-FBR-school-week duties to take care of while the FBR had been promised time with her neighborhood friends. This allowed me to take up my usual autumnal coach potato position for NFL football. In a major blow to my personal calm, they do not have the NFL Red Zone, but I somehow survived, watching an entertaining game with Wingmom. Last evening we walked around the block to their favorite restaurant for a very fun dinner with one of the other Curbside Girls resident in Maplewood along with her kids. We hadn’t seen her in a very long time, having known her since our Carlisle days. There was a bit of a wait, but it was fun catching up with her and watching the three 2d Gen Curbsiders enjoy each other’s company. We hit the road for home as the FBR’s bedtime arrived. My daughter said it would make that event less taxing if the FBR knew we had already departed. So, I was up against Connecticut again, but it seemed surprised at our late night appearance and only mounted token resistance. A great weekend spent with some really special people.

Four movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: Mask of Zorro, enjoyable remake of that classic character, and a young Zeta-Jones, Wow, just Wow; Masters of the Universe, love this movie because of the connection with my son, who worshipped He-Man when he was very young; The Matador, Perce Brosnan as an alcoholic failing assassin befriending a befuddled businessman, very funny dark comedy; and the Matrix, groundbreaking, possibly best sci fi movie ever made.

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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