Turning Over

As Mondays go yesterday wasn’t tragic, which is about the nicest thing that can be said about that accursed day. Actually I don’t really despise Mondays as much as I should. I’m at an age when I’m supposed to be slowing down and working on exit strategies but I still enjoy going to work and when asked what I’ll do following retirement I still pull a blank slate look out of my repertoire. Other than hanging out with friends I’m not truly invested in any activity. I’m not a golfer which seems to be the retiree’s go to option. Of course there’s the beachfront condo in Panama beckoning so maybe I’ll try to set some sort of age group record for body surfing. All this being said going to work still helps during these solitary months.

We took another tour of the new facility being built for us on the other side of Worcester. It was cool to see all the work accomplished in the short weeks since the last visit. The place is immense and it’s much easier to get a sense of the place now that the dry wall is up.

I received some very good news yesterday in that my sister confirmed a Rhode Island thunder run to our favorite Irish bar, McShawn’s, is on for this coming Saturday. The Keene Friend has also confirmed he will accompany me to the place he’s known as “The Senator”. When you combine that with the annual Worcester St Patty’s day parade on Sunday with the attendant bagpipe bands, well I think the operative phrase is “psyched!”. 

All this late breaking activity will delay my pilgrimage to NYC to honor Matthew Scudder, Lawrence Block’s fabulous hero who dominated my literary world for the better part of last year. I’ve got a list of Scudder’s favorite hang outs and I’m going to make a day trip to the Big Apple to soak up some Scuderrian atmosphere. That will now happen the following Saturday, if the river don’t rise!

My immersion in the new season of House of Cards was interrupted last night by FaceTime calls from my favorite ladies in the world. The Favorite Panamanian related the groundbreaking news that it is still very hot in Panama. They did receive the first volley of the impending rainy season which will be welcome. Her usually very quiet niece even performed a very effective rain dance on the front porch which had her aunts trying to figure out how to franchise her efforts.

The Rain Dancer

The second call was from the First Blog Reader in which she demonstrated her newly acquired ability to flip over onto her stomach. Her mother reports she hasn’t started crawling yet but pulls herself using solely her arms. If so this could be an indication she’s pulling a page out of her grandfather’s book. My mother always reveled in telling people I never crawled and just used my arms to propel me around. This stood me in good stead a couple decades later when I discovered the Army push up and the front leaning rest position.  The first few photo's demonstrate her "technique".

House Sitting

Both my wife and I were house bound yesterday on our 34^th wedding anniversary. That would not necessarily be a bad thing except the houses involved happen to be a few thousand miles apart. We made up for that with a series of FaceTime calls which really do seem to help a lot more than the garden variety telephone calls. I’ve never been good at long phone conversations, something that drives my wife, an elite practitioner of the art to distraction. With the FaceTime calls she can see when I’m starting to drift away when she starts into one of her five minute long explanations of, well, anything. I missed being with her yesterday but at least I woke up in a house inhabited by the Favorite Son.

Wife Sent me this Photo to Remind Me We Don't Spend Every Anniversary Apart
Plus She hates her Hairdo from the Wedding Pics

Unfortunately that wasn’t bound to last as he had a much closer wife to return to. Buddy sensed the departure of his favorite human and rarely left his side during the time he stayed. Of course it could have been the bacon which both my son and I made a serious run at overdosing on yesterday morning.

Buddy Guarding my Son Yesterday Morning

The rest of the day was solitary. I grilled an enormous steak which served as two meals. I was just sitting down to engage in round two when the Next Door Mafioso (AKA baest neighbors ever) called to invite me over for some chicken. The steak won out. I didn’t realize the US postal service was operating on Sundays but I surprisingly received a package yesterday which turned out to be another puzzle. I ordered it from Amazon and didn’t realize while it’s a 1000 piece puzzle it’s one with small pieces which will be a challenge; anything to kill the solitariness.

The New Puzzle

I realized another very potent weapon in that fight when I discovered that the new season of House of Cards was on Netflix. I polished off four episodes yesterday before I apparently wore out the internet connection. The show continues to be thoroughly captivating; tapping into the disgust just about everybody outside of DC feels about Washington politics. Interestingly this season seems to pit Frank against Claire, a true heavy weight match between the sleazy politician and the ice queen enabler. I’m betting on Claire.

Memory Lane and A Great Son

So, thirty four years ago today on a very hot (is there any other kind) Panamanian afternoon I walked down the aisle to get married. Actually my Favorite Panamanian did most of the walking as I was waiting at the altar for the predictably late Panamanian crowd to show up. I and five of my fellow lieutenants, in uniform, waited in the church for a ceremony that would transform my life. I didn’t harbor any of those type thoughts while waiting, I was too worried I was going to screw up the upcoming lines in my then nascent Spanish.

Thirty Four Years Ago Today

Although we’re far apart for this anniversary I don’t think I’ve ever felt closer to her. That’s what’s kind of cool about marriage after so many years. The first couple decades are a roller coaster ride but at this point there’s a level of understanding and closeness that could only rise from the shared experiences of such a long time. Did I say a “long time”? It feels like yesterday and I’d willingly do it all over again.

My Two Fellow Lieutenants Recently in Thailand
My Best Man on the Left

Same Guys 34 years ago today
Best Man Second From the Left and on the Far Right

It was a nice surprise and altogether fitting that I received an email from my long absent best man at that wedding yesterday. He retired from the Army and moved to Thailand fifteen years ago and doesn’t go into the whole social media thing. We reconnected a few years ago but I hadn’t heard anything more from him. I occasionally check the daily stats on the blog and have always noted that I have a dedicated and solitary reader from Thailand. I always hoped that it was him and yesterday’s email confirmed it. He sent along a picture of him and another one of those lieutenants who waited with me at the church. They got together recently and I’m sure reminisced about some of our pre-marital adventures as bachelor lieutenants.

Best Man 33 years Ago at my First Anniversary Party

I couldn’t think of a better gift than I received yesterday in the form of a visit from my Favorite Son. His firm had some training down in Foxboro and when that ended he showed up at my place for an afternoon/evening straight out of ten years ago. There was the obligatory horror movie that neither of our wives would tolerate followed by dinner and beers at Brew City. He proudly remembered this was the place he had his first “legal” beer on his 21^st birthday. It was so much fun hanging out with him and I got to show him off to the Brew City ladies. They stopped by to admonish me for not sitting in their assigned sectors, my only gaffe of the day.

Brew City Last Night

Although I saw him less than a month ago for our Panamanian adventure, it always feels like it’s been too long. He caught me up life with the ABFA and the impending arrival of a golden retriever puppy. For some reason this is a required step in the process of producing the next batch of grandchildren. He’s an engineer so there has to be a plan. I had the freezer well stocked with frozen devil dogs which took a severe beating last night.

Buddy Time

Buddy was of course apoplectic to have his favorite human in residence. It took me a while to get through the bouncing ball of black fur to give my son a welcome hug. After we returned home to watch the simultaneous Celtics and Bruins games Buddy refused to be ignored. He stole my son’s full coke bottle and required some wrestling to return it. That’s going to be one very lucky golden retriever. Interspersed throughout the day were FaceTime calls to both California and Panama. Just about the best day I could have hoped for; one of those days you just feel incredibly blessed.

And Wrestling

We went to see The Other Side of the Door which was a little different but at the same time a dyed in the wool ghost story. It was interestingly set in modern India and delved into some of the mysterious Indian religions. A young mother loses her son in a tragic accident and can’t deal with life. Their Indian house keeper tells her about a temple where she can spread her son’s ashes and then converse with him through a door. Of course she’s told to never open the door and of course she does. Spiritual hijinks ensue as the son follows mommy home and the siege commences. While highly predictable there were enough scary moments and creepy images to provide the sought after rush. It took until Brew City for my son and I to remember who the lead actress was – Rick’s confused wife from the Walking Dead. At least she’s consistent. 

Pigeonless Insomnia and Consumers of Foot

Thank God for the First Friday of each week and the attendant ceremonies to mark its arrival. My co-workers, except for the Operations Manager AKA the “pigeon”, joined me for a fun recap of the week’s antics at work. The bar maid brought over the pigeon mascot which we ordered a drink for and then texted to the absent pigeon. It was a very fun time. Buddy welcomed me home with a long dissertation on the depredations of the neighborhood birds which he had been trying to protect the house from. He really dislikes the bird feeder on the deck. The birds have figured out he poses no discernable threat.

The Mascot Enjoying his Libation at First Friday

While dozing off and on at Couch Potato Position #1 I received a FaceTime call from my favorite Californians. While Wingman and my daughter tried to catch me up on their week of Curbside adventures my granddaughter dominated the conversation. She’s become quite the screecher. She also demonstrated a new talent. She grabs one of her feet and deposits it in her mouth. While I’m doubtful as to the utility of this act she seemed fully devoted to pursuing it. It could not have been any more charming, but that’s how she rolls.

The Foot Sucker

The off and on dozing had the predictable effect of insomnia when my body was trying to tell me it was time to hit the sack. I tossed and turned until well after 2am trying to convince my mind it was time to shut down (insert smirking comment from Cantankerous Friend here). I even manufactured noises to investigate, waking up a soundly sleeping Buddy who I’d convinced myself was on another of his night terror adventures in the basement. He seemed a little put out at the interruption. Of course despite the late hour of finally achieving sleep the Army training once again kicked in and I was wide awake at 6am. I think part of the insomnia was the excitement at spending some time today with my Favorite Son who’ scheduled to show up this afternoon. That being said, I’m going to stop writing so I can go out and buy the snacks I know he likes.