Happy 4th

Since we’re at that special day where we celebrate the birthday of my beloved country, I wanted to take this opportunity to address something that’s been bothering me since the Clinton presidency. Something that has been enhanced and blown up to unimaginable levels since the advent of the information age. The attempt to divide Americans. For Clinton it was a cheap political trick to garner support. Others have taken this and run with it. Our enemies, the Russians and the Iranians, have certainly noticed as they are engaged in an ongoing war for the soul of America through the internet. We are better than this.

I know we have a complete buffoon as president. He isn’t the first and he won’t be the last, but he is our duly elected president. Of all Americans. You can’t only love your country when you agree with the political party in power. We have been and will continue to be a force for good in the world because we are one of the few, if not only, countries in the world where the station of your birth doesn’t define you. I wore the unfirm of this country for twenty-seven years and in doing so certain aspects of life in America were brought home to me in no uncertain terms. We are that shining city upon the hill that Ronald Reagan spoke so eloquently about.

One of the things I did in preparing to write today was search the internet for quotes about America. It reinforced my core beliefs about my country. I ran across Reagan’s farewell address as he prepared to leave the presidency. I know revisionists have tried to cast aspersions on President Reagan but I lived through his time where he reinvigorated America by reminding us who we are. My fervent hope is another great communicator will emerge from the political rubble that Trump will leave behind.

We struggle with immigration issues because people want to come here. While I know that is simplistic, but it is a bone deep truth that has existed for more than 200 years now. People come here because they believe in a future for their children. I know there are smarmy social justice warriors (especially Western Europeans) who exist solely to criticize and point out our shortcomings. I still believe in America, not only as a country, but as an idea. Yeah, it’s a messy place, currently tearing at itself as political differences are constantly invigorated by the relentless internet traffic (a lot of instigated from Moscow and Tehran). They will fail eventually because we are Americans first, before all our differences are taken in account. Enemies throughout our history have mistaken our internal arguing as a weakness and have paid the price when our glowering, united attention focuses on them.

If you have friends who you have distanced yourself from because they do not agree with you politically, then you need to take a long look at yourself. I have a bunch of friends I do not agree with about everything, politics and otherwise, but that doesn’t mean I don’t cherish them as friends. Ask yourself if you are better off hearing only from people who agree with you about everything. People are not unworthy simply because they don’t agree with you politically. Of course, this does not apply to the fanatics on either end of the spectrum but they are a noisy, self-important but still small percentage of the population that will eventually be shouted down by the majority. I believe in this as I believe in the promise that is America. I wouldn’t have worn the uniform as proudly as I did for all those years if I didn’t. Happy Birthday America, I love you still.

As I said, I was searching for quotes and decided to include a bunch of them that speak to the America I believe in a lot more eloquently than I ever could:

“People in power are trying to convince us that the villain in our American story is each other. But that is not our story. That is not who we are. That's not our America. Our United States of America is not about us versus them. It's about we the people!” - Camila Alves

From President Reagan’s farewell address:

“The lesson of all this was, of course, that because we're a great nation, our challenges seem complex. It will always be this way. But as long as we remember our first principles and believe in ourselves, the future will always be ours.” 

``We the People'' tell the government what to do; it doesn't tell us. ``We the People'' are the driver; the government is the car. And we decide where it should go, and by what route, and how fast. Almost all the world's constitutions are documents in which governments tell the people what their privileges are. Our Constitution is a document in which ``We the People'' tell the government what it is allowed to do. ``We the People'' are free.” 

“An informed patriotism is what we want. And are we doing a good enough job teaching our children what America is and what she represents in the long history of the world? Those of us who are over 35 or so years of age grew up in a different America. We were taught, very directly, what it means to be an American. And we absorbed, almost in the air, a love of country and an appreciation of its institutions. If you didn't get these things from your family you got them from the neighborhood, from the father down the street who fought in Korea or the family who lost someone at Anzio. Or you could get a sense of patriotism from school. And if all else failed you could get a sense of patriotism from the popular culture. The movies celebrated democratic values and implicitly reinforced the idea that America was special. TV was like that, too, through the mid-sixties.” 

“I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still. And how stands the city on this winter night? More prosperous, more secure, and happier than it was 8 years ago. But more than that: After 200 years, two centuries, she still stands strong and true on the granite ridge, and her glow has held steady no matter what storm. And she's still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home.” 

And the rest:

"America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand." - Harry S. Truman.

"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." - Benjamin Franklin.

"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." - Thomas Jefferson.

"No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation." -Douglas MacArthur

"America is not just a country, it's an idea." - Bono

“This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on.” - Thurgood Marshall

“Duty, honor, country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be.” - Douglas MacArthur

“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like me, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.” - Thomas Paine

“I am an American; free born and free bred, where I acknowledge no man as my superior, except for his own worth, or as my inferior, except for his own demerit.” —Theodore Roosevelt

“The essence of America—that which really unites us—is not ethnicity, or nationality or religion - it is an idea - and what an idea it is: That you can come from humble circumstances and do great things.” —Condoleezza Rice

“Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history.” —John McCain

“The fate of America cannot depend on any one man. The greatness of America is grounded in principles and not on any single personality.” —Franklin Roosevelt

“I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” —James Baldwin

“I say to you that our goal is freedom, and I believe we are going to get there because however much she strays away from it, the goal of America is freedom.” —Martin Luther King Jr.

“This [nation] will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.” —Elmer Davis

“We’re blessed with the opportunity to stand for something—for liberty and freedom and fairness. And these are things worth fighting for, worth devoting our lives to.” —Ronald Reagan

“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” —John F. Kennedy

“Democracy is worth dying for, because it’s the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man.” - Ronald Regan

“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it.” - Mark Twain

Four movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: Pulp Fiction – Tarantino’s magnus opus, probably most quotable movie ever, one of best movies ever made; Punisher (2004) – weak effort by making hero seem too sensitive; Punisher War Zone (2008) – all that is fixed in the reboot with Titus Pullo tearing heads off; Push – interesting take on superhero powers with Chris Evans playing against type.

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

Snuck Up Upon

I’m going to rail against something that’s been brothering me for a few years now. I spent my entire Army career training not to be surprised by unseen foes. Understandably, they took that very seriously. Especially in the infantry where basic recruits are drilled on not letting anybody sneak up on you and it becomes second nature to those more seasoned. That’s why I’m more than a little angry at myself. I’ve violated this cardinal rule of a career infantryman. I’m old. Age is fairly insidious as I was happily bouncing along thinking of myself as middle aged, until my Cantankerous Friend (older than me by the way) called me out and reminded me that I was, in fact, a senior citizen.

I feel like the Patrick Wilson character from Insidious. I’ve had this demon lurking behind me while I blissfully, if less spryly, navigate through life. I should have known better. It seemed almost sudden that getting up from the floor after playing with the granddaughters was increasingly difficult (honestly, having grandchildren should have been my first clue). The body certainly has been sending me messages: two bouts with cancer, a knee that doesn’t let me run any more, and a balky foot. I thought I was fine, even if I have to lean against something to put my pants on. I’m not going to say it’s unfair because I’ve had a good run at it, more fun and luck than is perfectly legal.

Age Lurking Behind Me

I’m also not going to acquiesce to my advanced years. I’m going to keep boogie boarding, pub crawling, dancing, partying, and hiking in the woods with the granddaughters as long as they’ll have me. If I’ve learned anything in my now acknowledged many years, it is, since we only get this one life, you’ve got to enjoy it as long as possible. I may not be as dignified as I am expected to be for someone almost 70 years old, but dignity should be defined by yourself, not some societal expectation.

So, I’ll continue to travel, even if planning will involve locating convenient bathrooms along the way. In other words, while I acknowledge that certain aspects of getting old can’t be ignored (see last sentence), I’m having too much fun to worry about it. Luckily, I’m surrounded by friends and family who think likewise. This isn’t a new concept for me, I guess. All those years ago I named this blog after a passage from my favorite poem (excerpt below). I’m going to continue to rage.

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright

Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Two movies fell in the A-Z watch, both keepers: The Prophecy – hasn’t aged well but, c’mon, Christopher Walken as an evil angel and Aragorn as the devil!; The Protégé – completely awesome action flick with the completely awesome Maggie Q

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

And One for All

We had a Musquetera weekend as the Maine Musquetera and her husband joined us for a very fun three days. My Favorite Panamanian and the other two Musqueteras are sisters of the heart who bonded as young Spanish speaking immigrants in 1985 Virginia. They’ve stayed in touch over the years and whenever they get together, you can count on a couple things. Long, laugh-filled conversations and shopping. They showed up on Friday evening in time for pizza and immediately set about catching up. Her husband and I knew what was in store and set about amusing ourselves while the wives descended into almost breathless conversation.

Musqueteras Together Again

They put together a plan for a full Saturday, involving, you guessed it, shopping. They took off just after breakfast after I reluctantly showed my Favorite Panamanian how to enter her favorite hunting spots into the GPS. My Maine counterpart and I were told to meet them for dinner at a restaurant near the movie theater precisely at 4:30pm. I arrived a whole minute late and then checked their location. They were still more than twenty minutes away. Timeliness is not a native trait for either of these ladies. The restaurant wouldn’t seat us until the entire party was present so we spent some time wandering around a nearby book store (never a bad alternative). They eventually arrived and my wife confessed to being the culprit. Luckily the movie had multiple showings, so we were able to have dinner and then hit a later show.

Our Late Saturday Dinner

Sunday, after church, they set out again. My Favorite Panamanian had been pestering me all weekend to let her drive the new car and I ran out of excuses, so off they went. The guys watched another Red Sox meltdown while the ladies shopped. I received a frantic call from my wife where she admitted she’d left the house without her license and her credit cards. She’d didn’t appreciate my laughter upon hearing this. I’d like to report this saved some money but it just meant a return to the house to pick up the forgotten items and returning to complete the purchases the cashiers were holding for her. Shortly before leaving for Maine the ladies connected via phone with the Virginia Musquetera. I asked them why they weren’t using Facetime and she said she was walking around her house without any clothes on. I immediately perked up and said that was a poor reason to lose seeing her friends’ faces and “promised” not to look. They all laughed while roundly dismissing my opinion. It was good to see my Favorite Panamanian so happy as she always is when she’s in the company of one of the Musqueteras. A good weekend.

The film we saw was F1 – the Movie. I wasn’t planning on seeing this because I am about as far from being a car racing fan as is humanly possible. However, I am married and when my wife heard Brad Pitt was in it, we were seeing the movie. I turned out really liking it. The filmmakers use cutting edge technology to put you right in the insanely fast cars as they careen around various tracks. Pitt was, well, Pitt, which pleased the ladies but also added his cool, laid back personae which was perfect for his part as a much older driver brought in to save a failing F1 racing team. His character had an interesting arc and I always like to see those with pretensions of superiority get hoisted up by their nether regions. This is one of those movies you have to see on the biggest screen available as I’m betting it will lose a lot of its visceral impact on a television. Good flick.

Six movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: Kraven the Hunter (last of the son’s father’s day gifts and new addition to the library), not as good as in the theater, with wonky CGI but great action; Priest – warlike priests against vampires along with Maggie Q; Princess Bride – may be the best love story movie ever made, flawless; Prince of Persia – still trying to figure out why Gyllenhaal needed to speak with a British accent but acceptable action; Project Almanac – of course a high school prodigy would use his time machine to win the hot girl; and Project X – apologetically like this story of a massive party that gets wildly out of control.

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

Luncheon Special

A quick entry today because my Favorite Panamanian is in high cleaning mode with the impending arrival of the Maine Musquetera for a weekend visit. The already pristine house is getting her usual attentions which should leave her exhausted, but my money is still on the fact that both of these good friends will stay up into the wee hours of the morning talking. It’s what they do when they get together. I’m just trying (and mostly failing) to stay out of the line of fire. Today is worth the effort as I know how much my wife enjoys spending time with one of her sisters of the heart.

Lunch Crowd Yesterday

Yesterday was my chance to link up with friends with my monthly luncheon back in my hometown that my high school classmates put together. It was once again well attended. I, of course, drove the new car up which made me even happier. Predictably, I didn’t get to drive it back because of the affect of the after lunch party at the Pour House. I truly enjoyed the lunch, sitting at a table with both Keene Friends and a trio of female classmates that I usually don’t; get to talk with. They were a lot of fun, especially after I learned two of them spoke fluent Spanish. Once my Favorite Panamanian heard that, I was directed to change seats with her so she could converse with them in her native tongue.

Our Table with the Keene Friends and the Spanish Speakers

The new car led to the funniest moment of the luncheon. After we ate and were organizing to leave, my Favorite Panamanian took possession of the keys and headed for shopping. This was the first time she drove the new car by herself. I was taking a lot of good-natured ribbing from my classmates about letting her drive the car, predating disaster at every turn. The funny part came when she had to back the car out of the notoriously tight Pub parking lot slots. She had to back up and try three or four times. All within clear view of the lunch goers and this only added to the verbal jousts headed my way which continued as she threaded her way by us, through the large rocks that line the exit. I don’t think I’ll tell her about that.

Attempt at a Pour House Photo

After the lunch the two Keene Friends and I adjourned to the Pour House for the aforementioned After Party. We were joined by other classmates, including one of the wives and, necessarily, the Cantankerous Friend. It was a very fun afternoon as we caught up with each other and continued the jokes. There was almost non-stop laughter. The classmate’s wife, also a KHS graduate, but from another year, marveled at how close the Class of ’73 is. We made the obligatory semi-inebriated call to the PCR who was in his usual high form. Later in the afternoon, my Kindergarten Friend broke free from his pre-vacation chores long enough to join the fun. It was an altogether outstanding afternoon. We consulted on the need for an intensive summer reconnaissance program for the November pub crawl since our usual launching point, Penuche’s Ale House has closed (a moment of respectful silence please)

The Kindergarten Friend Showed Up

We eventually declared victory and decided it was time to walk down Main Street to join my Favorite Panamanian at Margarita’s for dinner. Keene Friend, the Cantankerous One, and one of our female classmates joined us for dinner and regaled my wife with how well the after party had gone. I don’t think she was excessively impressed. A day that, once again, flew by way too quickly. That is bound to happen when you’re in the company of outstanding people, as I certainly was yesterday.

Dinner Crowd, Complete with what my Sister 
Calls my S***-Eating Grin

Two movies fell in the A-Z watch, both keepers: Predators – two Oscar winners stranded on a distant planet with a crew of other killers to take on a pack of predators – very well done; The Predator – just what we needed, the predators genetically enhancing themselves to make themselves more deadly.

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

Crisis Oriented

People, you know who you are, will say I’m experiencing a mid-life crisis with my latest car purchase. You would be incorrect on a couple levels. One, I am way too old for a “mid-Life” crisis, I’ve successfully aged out of that category. Secondly, this wasn’t my idea. I knew it was time to trade in my 14-year-old Camry which had served me so well. She said I “deserved” a sporty car after relegating myself to the rather mundane all my life. I thought it over and realized it would be kind of cool to have a sports car. Of course, a couple days later, she showed me what she thought was a hilarious video of an elderly man struggling to get out of a sports car.

With the New Car

We visited the Toyota dealership about a month ago because their product has always proven superior in our journey through many cars over the years. I thought the only one they made was the Supra. That turns out to be a really tough car to locate. Our local Toyota dealership promised to try and work out a deal with another dealer who had one. That proved unsuccessful as the other dealers wanted three cars in trade for the Supra. I thought I would have to go with another brand and did a search last night for “reliable sports cars”. I was surprised to learn Toyota makes another one called a GR86, at almost half the cost of the Supra. I emailed the salesman I had been working with and they had one sitting on their lobby floor.

Went from This

To This

My Favorite Panamanian and I went there this morning, and I loved it. My wife insured I could mount the car without issue (remembering the video). The salesman moved a couple cars out of the way and got the car outside so we could take a test drive. That sealed the deal, and we returned to the dealership to fill out the paperwork. As always, that was a bit draining, sitting around waiting. I decided to add a couple features which meant the car would need a few hours of work. We returned late this afternoon to take possession. Having learned my lessons from earlier cars, I insisted the salesman show me what all the buttons did.

With my Benefactor

We went for a joy ride, and I reluctantly allowed my wife to drive for a bit as well. She’ll need to drive for the return trips from Thunder Runs. I texted a picture of the car to the family and received some comical responses. My son opined that I wouldn’t be able to fit in the car (and this without seeing that video), but I assured him that was not the case. My wife informed me that this would be my 70^th birthday present, delivered a few months early. It will also serve as motivation for the next few years for me to stay in shape so I don’t appear in any videos. She also gets an extended drive home tomorrow since we’ll be heading back to Keene from the monthly high school classmate lunch.

Speaking of staying in shape, I had my semi-annual full body check at the dermatologist on Tuesday. This is yet another reason to stay in shape because these visits involve a cute dermatologist running her hands all over my body. It would hurt so much if I saw her gagging. The best news was, for the second visit in a row – no biopsies!!!!! This means no Mohs surgery. So, the silly swim caps that dominated my time in the tropics this year, did their job. I’ll see her again in December. If I get through that and the one in a year with no more cancer, then the visits will be reduced to annual. Very cool.

I had a dateless date night on Tuesday since my Favorite Panamanian doesn’t do horror movies and the only non-kiddie film out this week was 28 Years Later. This may be the best movie of the series about a zombie plague in Great Britain. That’s a significant comment since the first two were both very good. There’s a very talented new cast to carry the story forward, set, obviously, 28 years after the original outbreak. A young boy is trained to deal with the zombies by his father as they leave their protected island. The zombies have also evolved with a very scary “Alpha” leading the way. This has the potential to be a very special film as the focus is not on the horror but on the very human reactions to an almost untenable situation. I’m sure there’s a larger message behind some of the film’s points but this was a very enjoyable watch as a horror movie that didn’t depend on jump scares.  

Four movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers and I know they are out of alphabetical order, this is due to reaching the shelves in the library that the granddaughters can reach, just saying: Prince Valiant – love this old movie from my favorite comic strip as a kid, felt so bad for Wagner’s haircut and the ridiculous horned Vikings but still; The Proposal – great rom-com with real chemistry between the leads, love anything Bullock is in; Predator – Arnold at his peak, two future governors facing off against the original alien; Predator 2 – better than you might have heard, with Danny Glover nailing his action role.

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

Reunification Operations

No. The title does not reflect any geo-political event (although there’s plenty of that going on). It refers to reuniting with our beloved next-door neighbors from Charlton. Upon retiring from the Army, our first home was in Charlton and the realtor who sold us the house, and his family lived right next to us. Over the ensuing ten years we formed close bonds with his wife, her mother, and their three awesome kids. We moved to Worcester in 2015 and lost touch with them. She reached out last year to have us over for dinner, but my Favorite Panamanian came down sick forcing to cancel. We were planning our first Deckzilla party of the summer to celebrate the first non-rainy Saturday since our return from Panama and on a whim, I reached out and invited them and the reunion happened.

Together Again!!

We immediately played catch up one where all our respective kids were. I was a little stunned (though I shouldn’t be) that their two oldest kids are now in their twenties and pursuing careers while their youngest, born just before we moved into Charlton, will soon celebrate his 20^th birthday. Tempus fugit, way too fast. It was a true highlight of a very memorable night on Deckzilla to have these old friends share in the fun. They remembered our parties back in Charlton and seamlessly fit in with our party crowd, based on the Worcester Chapter of the Panamanian Mafia.

Deckzilla Time

The crowd gathered shortly after four in the afternoon as Deckzilla slid into the welcome afternoon shade. Everyone showed up with delicacies which combined with my wife’s usual culinary offerings created a truly eclectic but delicious dinner table. This marked a return to Deckzilla parties that we mostly missed out on last year when my wife’s knee was a problem. That got fixed and we were back in operation. Our current next door neighbor (from Syria) was introduced to some potent mojitos conjured up by another of our friends from India. The results were predictably comical, although I’m not sure his wife was extremely happy with his transformation. After dinner my Favorite Panamanian’s forays into YouTube party game videos was once again revealed. She had us play a couple games involving those ubiquitous red cups.

One involved tossing the cups over a stair from a line with each contestant starting from the opposing end of the line. This was extremely taxing and a challenge for balance for someone who might have downed a few Coors Lites by that point (not pointing fingers at all). The next game had the red cups on a table as we walked around listening to the director’s commands. It was a variation on musical chairs with one less cup than contestants. It led to some hilarious moments. I had to rule at one point that a contestant who ended up with most of a cup would stay in the game while the person who only grabbed a piece of it was eliminated. Our reunited neighbor won this game. We ended the games with our old reliable, Left-Right-Center, where my nearing a record level of futility continued. I lost as I always have when playing this game, but it was the usual hysterically funny process. The Neighborhood Mafioso walked away as the winner for the first time in nearly twenty years of playing the game; so maybe there’s hope for me yet.

Game Time

Since Panamanians were involved, you had to know that dancing would break out at some point. Deckzilla provided a perfect venue as my Favorite Panamanian once again returned to her first love – dancing. I was once more hanging on for the ride as the group danced into the night. At one point Panamanian folk music started playing and my wife led the ladies in the folkloric dance moves. It was so good seeing her back in her “happy place”. The party continued until well after ten and petered out when we started to worry about keeping the neighbors awake. I’ve written before about how blessed I am in life with the group of friends we have here in the Worcester area. Another chapter in that saga was written last night and I find myself basking in the afterglow today, remembering those great friends and reuniting with the lost neighbors.

Let the Dancing Start

Bring on the Dancing Girls!

Three movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers and new additions to the library due to my son’s Father’s Day generosity: Gladiator II – amazing sequel that kept the story rolling along with better CGI, sharks in the Colosseum!; Venom The Last Dance – the usual combination of hilarity and carnage; Red One – loved this Christmas movie with the Rock type cast as a Christmas elf, better on second time seeing.

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

Home Field Advantage

It’s been a fun week so far and that means it has flown by. The highlight was the Tuesday night WooSox baseball game. I’ve been anxious to get to a game but since my Favorite Panamanian wanted to attend, I had to be sure the weather was acceptable (above 70 and no rain). That wasn’t possible so far this spring with our Jekyll/Hyde weather. As we ventured into June, I figured it was safe to make the attempt. During various thunder runs both Keene Friend and the Cantankerous Friend indicated they would join me whenever I arrived at a date. Great Aunt, firmly converted to baseball fandom due to her long association with Soxfather, also wanted to come.

Fun Group

I waited until the extended forecast indicated Tuesday would be the best bet this week. The crucial error I made was believing an extended forecast about New England weather. It rained almost all day Tuesday and although it promised to break by game time, I wasn’t convinced. My Keene buddies showed up right on time, but Great Aunt had to beg off. She claims a house cleaning service showed up later than scheduled and she couldn’t make it. I believed her. The Cantankerous Friend opined that she saw the impending rain and decided she didn’t want to chance it. The remaining four arrived at Polar Park and found our seats. I’d brought a towel to dry off the seats from the day long rain. I’d hoped our seats would be under the overhang, protected from rain. I’d kind of promised my Favorite Panamanian that would be the case. I was wrong. The seats were good but three rows into the open sky. I kept my fingers crossed but, again, this is New England. At the start of the second inning, the rain started falling. My wife, who reacts to any rain, despite being from one of the rainiest countries on earth, the way any self-respecting cat would. She charged back onto the concourse, those eyes shooting daggers and recriminations my way.   

View from the Seats

In a major surprise, the Cantankerous Friend came to the rescue. There were a lot of open seats, and he led us to some four rows behind our original seats, safely under the overhang. We were then able to enjoy the rest of the game, despite the omnipresent mist. My Favorite Panamanian spent most of the game watching videos on her phone but emerged from that to catch the final couple innings. It was a very fun night, despite the weather, as I got to hang with my good friends, enjoying our shared Sox fandom.

The New Accent Wall 

Earlier in the day on Tuesday, my Favorite Panamanian’s first floor bathroom remake was completed when the wallpaper guy showed up to, well, wallpaper. I know here are people reading this who question hiring someone to perform this fairly simple task. This job required precision and patience. I am blessed with neither of these traits. I consider it money well spent and it came out looking great; as usual, my wife’s style sense is redeemed.

Finally, I had a very funny moment in my closet yesterday. Wow, that statement probably generated a lot of speculation. I was changing clothes in our closet when I looked to the side and nearly jumped out of my skin. My Favorite Panamanian has been changing out the winter clothes for the summer counterparts which left a couple shelves empty. Somehow, one of the granddaughter’s dolls was reclining on the empty shelf looking at me with very dead eyes. I may watch too many horror movies.

Scary Doll Checking me Out

Four movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: Poltergeist – still scary, with great cast and Spielberg touch; Poseidon – nice remake of the original using CGI to make it scarier; Powder – one of my favorite movies of all time, great story about human possibility, superb acting and awesome musical score; Power Rangers – thought I was going to kick this but the young cast recaptured me and I enjoyed the watch.

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