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