Weekend Prepalooza

I am really looking forward to the upcoming weekend (no surprise there), but my Favorite Panamanian is even more so. Our plan involves setting out tomorrow with my wife dropping me off at my son’s house near Portsmouth while she continues north to link up with the Maine Musquetera for the weekend. Therein lies the nearly contagious excitement my Favorite Panamanian is experiencing. The Musqueteras are truly sisters and they don’t get together enough, so I am very pleased this opportunity presented itself. My son and I also have plans as we’ll hang out over the weekend and on Saturday watch all three Lord of the Rings (extended versions) movies in a row. We’ve done this a couple of times in the past but with the advent of grandchildren this has not been possible. My son has an amazing home theater where the characters will be life sized, so I am moderately to excessively psyched!

KHS '73 Dominating Elm City

It's possible now, even with the BRS and BR3 on station, because those two worthies accompanied the ABFA on a trip to California this week to visit some of her family there. The ABFA exercised some true courage to make a transcontinental trip while shepherding her two daughters, who have been known to present challenges (at times) From the photos we’re seeing online, everyone is having a good time. The BRS quickly adjusted to the time difference but, predictably, BR3 has not, especially at bedtime (which may be her latest technique to avoid same).

California Girls

Meanwhile in New Jersey, and here I am relying on social media posts, because the FBR is moving about too quickly to deign to Facetime with us, the FBR surprised her mother in a big way. We all know the FBR is a true water bug, inveigling her mom to accompany her to the community pool as much as humanly possible. While at the pool this past weekend, my daughter looked up from her reading and noticed the FBR had mounted the 3-meter diving platform (without prior coordination with her parental unit) and while she watched the FBR jumped off the platform, flawlessly. This was followed the next with a trip into the big city where the FBR cavorted in some Central Park fountains. The latest reports have her leading Gangnam style dance groups with her friends; as stated above, a fast mover.

FBR Atop the Platform

Making the Jump

Central Park Fountaining

In preparation for the upcoming weekend we were fortunate enough to be blessed with a serious training event today. The monthly luncheon for the greatest high school class (KHS ’73), ever, took place back in my hometown. This required the trip north this morning to link up with Keene Friend and then proceed to the luncheon. After several months at the same location, the group decided to move to the Elm City Brewery for today’s. This was a return to some of my old hunting grounds as Keene Friend and I used to haunt the bar there regularly when I first retired from the Army. It was the usual very rewarding afternoon hanging out with my classmates.

Pour House Gang

Unfocused Keene Freind Who Tried Dodging out of Photo Above

This was, as required, followed by a sojourn at the Pour House with a select crew of the luncheoneers. This august group included Keene Friend, the CRC (who says he needs a new name since he sold his boat), the Cantankerous Friend, and his female bike riding buddy. We ticked off another of the requite training events by making a call to the PCR, who, as usual, was just departing the golf course (so he’s feeling and sounding better). Since we had to leave earlier than usual, the Favorite Panamanian promised to cut her usual shopping foray shorter. It was a fun time reminiscing with these old friends, catching up on what each of us knew about others that hadn’t been showing up recently. In a major surprise, my wife my wife actually pried herself away from TJ Maxx at the allotted time. She called to say she was outside waiting for me but when Keene Friend and I went out into the rain, she was nowhere to be seen. We finally located her on the other side of the square where she started to claim she was right where she had left us off (geography is not her strong suit). In another major surprise, she finally admitted that she was wrong (a rare occurrence). I consider myself now fully prepared for the outstanding weekend, thanks to the most excellent people I got to hang out with today.

Five movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: (Note – I know the last few have been out of alphabetical order – we’re into the shelves my granddaughters can reach and they take an absurd amount of pleasure at rearranging my library) Robin Hood (2010) – Russel Crowe in an updated story on the Sherwood dude; Robinson Crusoe on Mars – one of favorite films from my youth, still a great story despite advances in knowledge of Mars which makes it kind of silly; The Rock – Connery and Cage in the usual Bay over the top action – love it; The Rocketeer – great Disney action period piece and O.M.G. the young Jennifer Connelly, yikes!; RocknRolla – underrated Guy Ritchie gangster flick with a powerhouse cast.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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; Czech Connection – Czech couple who’ve become good friends along with their daughter (the Czech Shadow); 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