Well Ended as Well

Once again, I worried a holiday had been anticipated so ardently that there was no way it could live up to its billing. Once again, because of the people I associate with, I should not have been worried. This was the calmest Thanksgiving Day I’ve had in decades. The lifelong tradition of attending the gathering of my cousins from my Father’s Family has passed into history, a victim of too many competing generations, and, to be perfectly honest, the aging cousin base. It has been replaced with a small family gathering at our house which has the added benefit of no driving, the bane of all prior turkey days (yes Connecticut – looking at you). My daughter paid that price with her late Wednesday night arrival.

The Fam at Saturday Lunch at Red Robin

Her two cats, Pistachio and Walnut, became the stars of the weekend as they serially charmed everyone they came into contact with. We had a quiet day in the house, except whenever the cats decided to entertain, which was constant. Walnut decided he liked the smell of turkey and tried in earnest to assist me with the carving. My Favorite Panamanian was on perpetual cat watch as both felines do not share their predecessor’s lack of ability/inclination to counter climb. The best part of the day was watching three consecutive football games with my daughter in the Man Cave. With the cats, there is appreciably less requirement to monitor the FBR who spends every possible moment with them.

Walnut Offering Assistance

Walnut and Pistachio

Rare Quiet Moment

Wife and I with Thanksgiving Dinner

Daughter and FBR

Friday brought the big event of the holiday weekend, the annual day after Thanksgiving dinner/party at Great Aunt’s house. My son’s family and Keene Friend joined the crowd as we gathered in Rhode Island for the party that’s been going on for more than thirty years (no cousin generational issues here). This was also the first Thanksgiving for Namesake’s Nephew’s daughter, who has reintroduced joy into Great Aunt’s life. Last year, a large amount of the conversation addressed her imminent February arrival. She didn’t disappoint with her debut, bringing light wherever she was.

Fabulous Hostess with Death by Chocolate Cake

The Gang

Great Aunt Introducing the Newest Cousin

FBR is an Immediate Fan

Took a While but Predictably my Wife Ended up with the Baby

My three granddaughters immediately drafted Namesake Nephew’s other two kids into their gang. Remy, Great Aunt’s dog, was the immediate beneficiary. The gang groomed him numerous times and he was the object of attention for the entire day. Great Aunt had prepared the usual fabulous dinner and was impervious to several attempts to play our usual practical jokes on her. I blame her granddaughter for her blissful attitude towards our hijinks. Our previous years efforts has resulted in a hyper-prepared Great Aunt. Whenever I asked for an implement, she haughtily produced whatever was asked for. I was impressed, although I successfully prevented myself from demonstrating that to her (I still must fulfill my role as the obnoxious younger brother).

Great Aunt with her Turkey

Second Thanksgiving

The Gang with the FBR Reading

Remy Enjoying the Belly Rubs

BR3 With Crowd Control

The dinner table effortlessly transitioned into the evening party zone with the arrival of Soxfather’s beloved family. I captured the guerrilla style photos of Soxfather’s sister which is also a well-respected Thanksgiving tradition. As I engaged with Soxfather’s family around the table, I couldn’t help but remember all the great Thanksgiving holidays spent at that same table with Soxfather. I think he was there in spirit with us as the laughter was almost non-stop. Our redeployment plan called for two waves. The granddaughters departed first (prisoners of mythical bedtimes which they blissfully ignore whenever together). They were accompanied by their moms and my Favorite Panamanian.

Obligatory Soxfather Sister Photos

Since Keene Friend is now a teetotaler, he was volunteered to be the designated driver for the second wave consisting of my son, I, and him. We were settling in for an extended night of the aforementioned laughter with additional Soxfather family arrivals when I received a panicked call from my Favorite Panamanian. They had arrived back in Worcester with the young ones and the garage door opening code was not working. This meant they were stranded outside and required that the second wave leave immediately, since we had a garage door opener. If I had consumed less Coors Lite, I might have remembered that I had purposely left the back door to the garage unlocked.

The Gang Helping Great Aunt Create her 7 Layer Dip

Great Aunt with Namesake Nephew and his Wife

Post Dinner Football with Daughter, Son and ABFA

We had just got into the car to leave when my resourceful daughter, with a better memory than I, called to report she had remembered me doing that and discovered the unlocked door. We were debating about re-entering Great Aunt’s party when we observed a sizable portion of Soxfather’s family departing. While driving back I became convinced (obsessed) that the whole garage door code failure was simply a ploy by a certain Panamanian to get us to leave early. This theory was dashed upon arrival when the code didn’t work for us either. We were warmly greeted by the cats who had been cooped up in a room all day while we partied in Rhode Island.

BRS and Pistachio

Son and Walnut Bonding

With all three granddaughters now in residence, an early morning was guaranteed with hojaldras, cinnamon rolls, and corn muffins in high demand. My son and Walnut bonded in no uncertain terms. We followed through with what has become yet another Thanksgiving tradition by loading up the cars and taking the granddaughters to the movie for a forgettable animated movie. It was fun watching them enjoy the cinema atmosphere. We followed this with a walk up to the Red Robin (also part of the tradition) where we linked up with my Favorite Panamanian, who had chosen to shop instead of the movie (go figure).

Movie Time

We spent the rest of Saturday back at the homestead where Pistachio and Walnut cemented their status as superstars. If I’m a betting man (and I’m not) I would say there is feline addition to my son’s family in the future. I’m sure that will wait while Riggins is around as that poor guy doesn’t deserve yet another indignity. My son’s family departed late on Friday which meant another night in the Man Cave for my daughter and I, comparing movie notes (something I cherish). So, there you have it. A relatively quiet Thanksgiving weekend, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I have a very cool family, which includes Keene Friend as well

Three movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: Troy – excellent version of the Iliad with Pitt oozing charisma as Achilles; True Grit (1969) – holds up well with Duke abandoning his usual screen personae; True Grit (2010) – Hailey Steinfeld’s coming out party, Bridges awesome as Rooster.

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

Let it Begin

This will probably be the last post until at least Sunday because the Thanksgiving holiday officially began with the arrival of my daughter, the FBR, and two cats late last night. I’m so proud of my daughter who fought her way through driving rain, fog, and holiday traffic (yes I’m looking at you Connecticut). The usual 3.25-hour drive evolved into a five-hour ordeal. They pulled in, exhausted, around midnight last night. I dodged a few raindrops to get them moved in and the cats immediately set about exploring which was counter-productive to the rest both hardy travelers coveted.

Dinner Last Night

However, before that I had a fun date night, even though my usual date, the Favorite Panamanian, begged off. She was ably replaced by Keene Friend. He came down to see the sequel to a favorite film of ours (see below). It was way too bloody for the wife who has wised up to my description of action films as a love story set in etc. etc.  I think it was the body counts that queered the deal. Anyway, we had a lot of fun reveling in the carnage. Afterwards we moved across the plaza for a dinner of roasted dead animal flesh as well as pontificating on the state of the world and Boston Sports teams; a very fun evening with my old friend.

Pistachio Checking out the House

The cats have made today very entertaining. They’ve already run afoul of my Favorite Panamanian after demonstrated their advanced counter jumping techniques. I made the mistake of taking the FBR with me to secure some play toys for them. Mistake in that I am habitually unable to deny my granddaughters anything. In addition to a bunch of new toys, and scratch pad, she acquired two kinds of bubble gum and a set of chocolate figurines. She claims she wanted these to share with her cousins when they arrive as well as a certain chocaholic aunt who shall remain nameless (yes, ABFA, you). It’s fun having more action going on in the house and the cats are certainly doing their part. The rest of the weekend will only get better with the arrival of more family.

Walnut and Pistachio Hiding Out After a Confrontation with my Wife
Concerning the Appropriateness of Counter Climbing

Sisu: Road to Revenge is an excellent follow up to the surprising first film. Our hero, once again, without saying a single word in the movie, plows his way through a horde of enemies trying to kill him. He sneaks into the Soviet Union in 1946 to visit his old homestead where his family was killed. He dismantles the house and attempts to sneak it back into Finland. The Soviets, a bit put out by the more than 300 Soviet soldiers he killed during early WW2, decide to send the man who killed his family after him. Big mistake. Jorma Tommila is truly a force of nature as the Soviets don’t do any better than the Nazis did in the first film. You have to suspend a lot of disbelief to make it work but this is an eminently watchable, non-stop action flick as he wades through the Russians. Stephen Lang is the head bad guy as he seems to have made a career out of scarily competent villains. The cinematography is fantastic as the filmmakers don’t depend, too much, on CGI. A great movie.

Two movies fell in the A-Z watch, both keepers: Tron Legacy – excellent follow up to old movie with Jeff Bridges still digitized into the plot; and Tropic Thunder – forget how incredibly funny this was, a hilarious send up of the self-importance epidemic in Hollywood.

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

Lasting Benefits Realized

I’ve waxed, probably over abundantly, about how special the trip my Favorite Panamanian and I took in early October to visit the Marian apparition sites in Fatima, Portugal and Lourdes, France along with a bunch of places in Spain. This past weekend we realized an additional and hopefully lasting benefit when we reunited with two of the couples from that tour group. By the end of the trip, we had self-identified each other as some of the livelier couples in the group. They were our comrades in arms seeking the out the worst Irish pub in Christendom in Lourdes as well as the last night jazz club in Barcelona. As usual, it was my Favorite Panamanian who stayed in touch. We’d seen them once since our trip when we were visiting my son’s family and attended mass together. They wanted to get together in Manchester last weekend but that was the date of the annual birthday pub crawl which we all know is sacrosanct. 

New Friends at the sottoCello

As a result of that birthday, I had a wad of cash burning through my pocket and that meant another trip to my son’s family to do some tax free shopping. My wife suggested we reach out to the other couples and arrange a get together. I initially thought we would seem too pushy, but I depend on my Favorite Panamanian to keep pushing me out of my social comfort zone. I’m so glad she did because it turned out to be a special evening. We rendezvoused in Exeter in the basement of a small Italian restaurant right on the river. The restaurant is called the Cornicello.  We were stationed in what is called the, sottoCello, a speakeasy themed bar/restaurant. We fell right into a lively conversation which belied the fact we were just getting to know each other. The ladies bonded over a shared fascination with shopping, shoes, and purses while the husbands revealed what that meant in real terms. It was way too funny. Especially when I revealed earlier in the day, we had gone to Dick’s Sporting Goods for some of that birthday money shopping and somehow, someway, my Favorite Panamanian emerged with a new purse. How does one do that at Dick’s?! I remain in awe of her ability to shop.

Continued Fun at The Apothecary

The food was fantastic and, though kind of a gourmet Italian menu, I found something with a sizeable hunk of dead animal flesh in it, Osso Buco (happiness reigned). It was the first time I’d ever had it and I am officially hooked. We were having such a good time that we suddenly noticed the once packed restaurant was virtually empty and the staff were looking like they had better things to do on a Saturday night than cater to continued drink orders. One of the other couples knew Exeter, which they said rolls up their carpets fairly early on weekend nights, but that a new place, called the Apothecary, had just opened, a short walk down Water Street. We continued the fun there well into the evening. We’re already trying to figure out a way to see each other again before we head south for the winter. It’s so rare to meet people who you almost immediately classify as friends, but that’s seemed to have happened. I blame my wife.

BR3 in Full Spin Mode

In our earlier shopping excursion, where my Favorite Panamanian was severely out of sorts with my technique of entering a store with a plan and once finding the sought after item, leaving. This is anathema to her heartfelt need to graze. She was a good sport though and I’m now the proud owner of a new iPad (thanks to those over generous friends). In a development almost surprising as my wife’s purse purchase, I was able to set up the iPad all by myself with no input from my IT team (son, daughter, and their spouses). The new iPad was needed since my old one is ten years old (at least) and only lasts twenty minutes before needing a recharge.

Still Spinning

Son and I Trying to Get Sportscenter on Between Granddaughter Cartoons

The best part of the weekend is the time spent with my son and his family. BR3 is trying to set new decibel level marks in the primordial scream department and is a terror on her gymnastic bar. BRS is calmer but retained her crown as the undisputed hojaldra queen. She’s the reason her abuela doesn’t get to sleep in on any morning we are cohabitating. My son and I got to watch a scary movie late into Saturday night, as well as the Patriots’ game on Sunday together. The ABFA’s folks arrived as well to spend most to the day with us. So, another one. These great weekends just keep falling our way.

Seven movies fell in the A-Z watch, six keepers: Finished up the Transformer experience with – Transformers Revenge of the Fallen, Transformers Dark of the Moon, Transformers Age of Extinction, and Transformers the Last Knight – put them all together because they are basically all the same movie but its hard not to get drawn into them because of outstanding casts and non-stop action with state of the art special effects; Transcendence – before Johhny got all weird he could actually deliver a compelling performance, better than I remembered, must be all the AI talk lately; Triple 9 – astounding cast delivers a riveting cops and robber story, so much better than remembered; and Tristan and Isolde – in some parallel universe James Franco as a medieval knight might work in a serious story, here it doesn’t, eject.

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

Weirdness

I was fairly concerned earlier this week, Sunday to be exact, about this whole turning seventy bit. To review, I accumulated that prodigious amount of years this past Saturday. My concerns lay in the fact of how old I felt, seriously older than just last week. I voiced my worries to my Favorite Panamanian, who promptly laughed (not exactly the reaction I was looking for). She archly reminded me what I’d been doing on both Friday and Saturday. Yeah, I may have overdone the celebrating bit. It’s easy when you’re surrounded by heroic friends such as KHS class of ’73 and equally distinguished other friends and family. Okay that brought out a smile, sinking back into the memories of the past Friday and Saturday, such a good time.

That kind of dedicated effort would always require a couple recovery days, even back in my twenties. While the Monday exercise regimen (especially the pool) was difficult, by Tuesday I was back in the swing of things and the lethargy I initially assigned to my age (and not my beer consumption) was vanquished. I still find it extremely weird that in a week or so I’ll reach an age neither of parents did. I’ll have to consult with Great Aunt on how to handle that. I don’t know how many years I’ve got left but if each birthday can be as much fun as the 70^th, I’ll try to hang around for as many as possible.

Since my over-celebration sloth was conquered I started to address the “Honey Do” list. Today I was out on Deckzilla to winterize that vast territory. My Favorite Panamanian’s flowers finally succumbed to the weather. I was still impressed as they hung around even after the first snow (last Thursday). The intense cold of the last few nights though sounded their death knell. I felt sad having to put this area where so much fun is accomplished each year into hibernation, but it does serve to remind me I’ll be on a tropical beach in a little over a month. Things that make you go, “Hmmmm”.

Sad Deckzilla

I need to catch up on the movie going. Last Friday I saw The Running Man as part of my Favorite Panamanian’s intricate deception plan. The original Governator film was high camp but they played this newer one closer to a possible reality. That allowed some well thought out satire to inject itself into the plot. Glen Powell, once again, proves decisively that he has graduated from supporting roles. He plays an angry husband/father who enters the game to rescue his family, cue the evil corporation. Instead of a defined game arena, he must navigate through a future society where everyone, including a highly trained team of assassins, is scouring the info-nets to locate and kill him. This was a nice update to the concept and, again, Powell is a super-star on the cusp.

For date night we saw, Now You See Me Now You Don’t. This is the third movie in this franchise and there is a definite effort here to inject some new life into the series. That is done with three genuinely likable young actors who team up with the original magicians to take on the mega-corporation villainess. It was great to see the original Horseman back in the saddle creating their magic tricks but that seemed kind of stale. Luckily, they the three young illusionists to pick up the slack, which they certainly did. The only miss was Rosamund Pike as the villainess. She’s usually so good that I was genuinely surprised to find her lacking. Her South African accent came and went and she never appeared as dangerous as the plot called for her to be. Still, a mildly nice ride through the nostalgia of having the gang back together.

Nine(!) movies fell in the A-Z watch, seven keepers: Fantastic Four First Steps – new addition to the library, finally getting the iconic 4 right; The Town – awesome Boston based crime story, love this movie; Toys – bought this because I like the song, but that’s only in for a little bit and for some reason they toned Robin Williams down, eject; Toy Story 3 – best of the very good animated features, love watching with the granddaughters; Trainwreck – thought I really liked this but it hasn’t aged well and Schumer surprisingly just isn’t that funny here; The Transporter – when Statham proved he could carry an action flick solely on his shoulders; The Transporter 2 – Statham tearing up Miami just when it was needed; The Transporter 3 – Statham finds love while mowing down the baddies, some in Odessa, Ukraine; Transformers – at times extremely silly but non-stop action so there’s that.

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