FIFA Day

It’s been a day a few years in the making. My Favorite Panamanian has been looking forward to watching her native country’s soccer team in the World Cup ever since she learned they had qualified. When we were down there earlier this year, the entire country was excited with omnipresent banners festooning nearly every business. She has taken over the Man Cave and is loudly and passionately supporting her team as they play their initial game in the tournament, while I’m writing this. I still can’t get into the game with the nearly continuous flopping going on.

Today with her New Shirt

She had hoped to gather a bunch fellow Panamanians over to watch the game together but that couldn’t happen. She had me preparing to move a television out onto Deckzilla and testing out reception earlier this week. When the hoped for congregation fell through she declared the Man Cave would be ceded to her for the night. I surprised her yesterday when a Panama spirit shirt arrived so she could be adequately attired for the game. She has been proudly wearing it around the house all day long.

Mentoring Session

My Favorite Panamanian has also acquired a new acolyte. We’ve noticed the young daughter of our next door neighbors sitting on our side lawn over the past few weeks. She’s about the same age as the FBR. They’re a nice family from Ghana. She had to use our lawn because their lawnmower broke down a few weeks ago and their grass is approaching jungle status. My wife, being incurably social, went over a couple days ago to talk with her. They have since become good friends with my wife offering gardening and sewing lessons as well as long conversations on Deckzilla. As soon as she gets home from school each day, she appears at our back door to engage with her new mentor. I’m not complaining because it keeps my Favorite Panamanian’s focus off of me for a while. Oh, and the opponent in the game she’s watching – Ghana.

Date night on Tuesday had us at the movie theater, of all places. Disclosure Day is Steven Spielberg's latest foray into visiting extraterrestrials. I was a little concerned when it started out kind of slow and confusing, but the Spielberg magic was soon in evidence. The story revolved around two humans who start demonstrating remarkable abilities as the inevitable evil corporation tries to stop them from getting together. This all takes place as the world is on the verge of an Armageddon level military disaster. Emily Blunt is always good, but she elevates for this lead role and steals the entire movie. She’s that good. Early in the movie she’s visited by a cardinal flying into her home and suddenly she can read minds and speak foreign languages. This movie serves as a very nice companion piece to Encounters of the Third Kind. Spielberg expertly knits the different story lines into a fabulous conclusion, offering hope and reflecting his belief in humanity despite copious evidence to the contrary. I loved the movie and will never look at the cardinals at my back yard bird feeder the same way.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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; Upstairs Neighbors – American couple and great friends who live in condo above us in Panama; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course