High Speed Education

I know all about the alleged problems with teaching old dogs (guilty) new tricks. I mention this because I’m still figuring out how to operate in the new car, the first sports car I’ve ever owned. I learned a valuable lesson yesterday when I was returning from my grocery run. One of the coolest aspects of the new car is the way it handles corners at high speed. There’s a section of road between our house and the grocery store that serves as an interstate highway onramp as well. There are some neat curves on this section which my car, for reasons I’m not sure exist, couldn’t resist taking these curves at full highway speed (not going to embarrass myself by revealing the actual MPH).    

I was all kinds of proud at myself for successfully negotiating the twists and turns while blissfully ignoring the sounds emanating from the storage area behind me. It turns out the groceries had their own thoughts on my adventures. I had purposely placed the eggs in a spot away from the heavier bags. After parking in the garage and looking back to grab the eggs, they were nowhere in sight. Their previous location was now occupied with the debris from the aforementioned heavy bags. I scrambled to find the eggs (see what I did there) with visions of eggs yolks adorning the new upholstery. Miraculously, I found them under the front seat without a single broken (truly a miracle). I found the rest of the items strewn around the cabin and hastily gathered them back into the bags before my Favorite Panamanian decided to investigate what was taking me so long to come in. Luckily, she rarely reads the blog so I think I’ve dodged the attendant lecture this little adventure would have produced.

Just a Great Game

The NFL blessedly re-appeared this past weekend and treated us to a bunch of great action. I’m not a fan of either the Ravens and certainly not the Bills, but they put on maybe the greatest regular season game I’ve ever seen on Sunday night. I’m sure there are a bunch of people in Baltimore who don’t hold the same opinion, but there was non-stop action for the entire game, up to where Buffalo improbably came back from a huge deficit to win 41-40 as time ran out, just a great game. As the Patriots still don’t look ready to emerge from mediocrity this year, it’s good to be just a football fan enjoying the action. Thank the Lord God Almighty for the Red Zone (again, hope the wife doesn’t read that blasphemous sentence).

FBR Belly Rubs

The FBR had a funny episode while walking to the bus stop the other day. A dog broke away from its owner who was in hot pursuit. The dog made a bee line for the FBR, knowing a dog lover (despite her parentage) when it saw one. The FBR warmly welcomed the dog who immediately turned over for belly rubs while the owner arrived to put its collar and leash back on. I was heartened to see this because the FBR had a dog biting situation earlier in the summer and I was glad to see it hadn’t quelched her love of the canine, despite her parents’ overwhelming feline tendencies.

Four movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow – thought I was going to kick this one but the visuals and acting were better than I remembered; Skyscraper – the Rock in all his glory scarily fighting terrorists from a 200 story Chinese building, defiantly vertigo inducing; Slap Shot – why does this get funnier every time I watch it, wish I could have watched it with Keene Friend and the PCR, so funny; Sleepless in Seattle – talk about a mood shift after Slapshot, has to be one of the best rom-coms ever made, love it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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