Wow…Just…Wow

Listen, I truly understand how blessed I am when it comes to family. Truly, I do. Still. A weekend like the past one rolls around and I’m still amazed. I guess that’s where the blessing lies, in the incredible people I’m related to having the capacity to make each family gathering something very special. We assembled in New Jersey to celebrate the 10^th birthday of the FBR. She was in high celebratory mode when we arrived on Friday. Since she had both Thursday and Friday off from school, she hosted a Thursday night mass sleepover. My daughter, whom the bulk of hosting fell upon, was clearly exhausted when we got there, while the FBR was still bouncing around. My daughter made a last check on the group at midnight and one of the participants admitted at breakfast that they had stayed up at least another hour. The FBR considered it an unmitigated success.

Sunday Morning Breakfast at the Park

Connecticut refused to notice our passage enroute, not rising to the occasion to hinder us. It must have passed a message to New York where we encountered a rare hold up through an area that is usually clear. We still arrived in time to be greeted by the exhausted daughter, the exuberant FBR, and the two newest additions to the family, Walnut and Pistachio. They’re rescue cats that have quickly established lordship over the FBR’s attention. They were a huge hit all weekend long, incredibly social and playful. Wingman snuck away from managing two locations for the Player Agency for a bit to greet us as well. 

Pistachio and Walnut

Walnut Assisting FBR with Video Gaming

Birthday Girl Prepping for her Sleepover

Cats Played with Grandpa as Well

Saturday morning the celebration launched into high gear with the arrival of my son and his family. With her two cousins at hand, the FBR was completely oblivious to anyone else (except the cats). The same could be said of both the BRS and BR3, who fell into their usual cabal of happiness at being together again. The New Jersey bunch is blessed with a fantastic neighborhood that is only getting better with time. A bunch of small specialty shops have grown up near the end of their street. We walked down there (okay BR3 was running most of the time) for lunch. Due to someone in our group being a very finicky eater (yeah, me), there was some consternation as to whether I would be able to score anything from the exotic fare being offered. However, my daughter put me on to a plate of meatballs and I was in heaven (best meatballs I’ve ever tasted and that encompasses a lot of research over the years).

Cousins Re-United

Leading the Walk to Lunch

Wife Being her Usual Radiant Awaiting Lunch

Lunch Ordering Chaos

While we were waiting for our orders, the granddaughters set up shop on the sidewalk to catch up while the FBR regaled them with stories about living in New Jersey. It was nice to see the neighborhood fully supporting these small eateries. There was a free concert going on in the parking lot of one of them. We returned to their home in anticipation of a big event – the birthday cake unveiling. The FBR chose a Lilo and Stitch theme for her birthday and requested my Favorite Panamanian create a cake with that in mind. As usual, my wife outdid herself (as she is wont to do with a granddaughter involved). The damned thing had been freaking me out for a couple days. Every time I opened the fridge, I found a large blue creature staring back at me.

FBR Stealing Wingman's Chips While Waiting

Granddaughter Sidewalk Conference

What Was Freaking me Out

A bunch of the FBR’s friends joined us for the cake and all of her abuela’s long hours creating it were redeemed with the look of wonderment and joy on the FBR’s face when she first saw it. Bonecrusher made its requisite appearance to sunder the cake and the FBR’s friends were very impressed while the FBR tried to make this seem normal. My daughter assisted the FBR with the cleaving and, if possible, the cake tasted even better than it looked (yes that meant extra laps in the pool this morning – totally worth it). As soon as the cake was sent downrange, preparation began for the big event of the day.

Cake Ready for its Debut

With its Creator

FBR Amazed

With Gang of Friends to Assist
(Don't Know why BR3 Looks Downtrodden)

Bonecrusher Descends

The FBR decided she wanted the whole family to go to a local hibachi restaurant. That’s one of those Japanese restaurants where the grill is right in front of you and the chef comes out to toss your meals onto and off the grill. I know this will surprise you, but it had been years since I’d been in one. The FBR visited this place a couple weeks ago with Wingman and declared it a righteous experience and chose it for her birthday celebration. I wasn’t expecting to partake of the cuisine given my chosen life of abstinence of eating anything exotic, but since a granddaughter was involved, I was powerless to resist. One of the first events was the launching of pieces of zucchini for the diner to catch on the fly. My Favorite Panamanian failed in her three attempts but my son rescued the family’s reputation by catching his on the first try. He was followed by the FBR, the ABFA, my daughter, and Wingman who all made the catch as well. Since I may be allergic to vegetables, I excused myself from the effort.

At the Restaurant

Grandparent Side of Table with Wingmom

Son About to Make the Catch

Cook Was Literally on Fire at Times

The cook was really entertaining as he prepared the various courses. I kept looking at the granddaughters who were clearly enthralled at the show. The cook had a couple routines designed to scare the kids which didn’t freak them out at all. The BRS howled in delight when he made as if he was going to squirt a bottle of oil at her. Since I had been taking a bit of guff from the family members at the table about my aversion to vegetables and, more importantly, the FBR issued guidance that I had to eat the huge heap of vegetables ladled onto to my plate, I decided to amaze the family. I ate all of the vegetables on my plate. The first time that’s happened in over fifty years when my mother made it a nightly ritual.

BRS Wielding Chopsticks (I failed)

Very Happy Birthday Girl

I’m not saying I enjoyed it and my digestive system is still probably in shock with the introduction of these strange substances. Somehow, I survived and the look of shock from the family, especially my Favorite Panamanian, was worth the “pain” endured. Dinner concluded with the arrival of the birthday cake (yep, another one) for the FBR. Since every table in the restaurant seemed to be celebrating a birthday as well, we knew what to expect, a booming song started up and the cake arrived escorted by a guy with flashing lights eyeglasses. Come what may, it worked and the granddaughters expressions were priceless. A great night and worthy of the FBR (an incredibly high bar to meet).

Birthday Cake Delivered

Music is Booming

Eyeglass Guy

BR3 Doesn't Know what to Think

The Look of FBR's Face Says it All

Since Sunday featured an uncommonly warm November morning, we decided to walk to yet another neighborhood restaurant to score some pastries. We then moved to the FBR’s favorite park to eat while the granddaughters could then launch onto the playground while the adults savored the food and coffee. I want to see the codicil in the contract that specifies that the grandfather is solely responsible for swing pushes but, again, I’m powerless to refuse them anything.

Sunday Morning Painting Workshop

Daughter Accessorized her Mom for the Walk

Sunday Walk

Granddaughters Leading to the Park

Grandpa, Need Another Push

While the Rest

We decided to stay in New Jersey to watch the Pat’s game together. Since I was a stationery target, the FBR proclaimed it was time for me to receive a long overdue hair treatment at the hands of her and her cousins. I was paying attention to the game while the work was going on. I became a little suspicious when everyone else in the room started to laugh. The FBR said I couldn’t look until she was finished. You can see the reason in the accompanying photos. They were very pleased with the end result. I was a little worried the paint would be difficult to get out. I’m seeing my friends this upcoming weekend and I can only imagine their reactions if I showed up looking like that. The granddaughters were a little crestfallen when I washed it out prior to leaving to buy gas. I could see how the New Jersey denizens in their Jets paraphernalia would react when I showed up in my Pat’s gear with a technicolor hairdo.

FBR And my Hairdo

During Application

The ride home was another adventure as New York, once again, took the place of Connecticut for being a pain in the posterior. Thank God for Waze which had us navigating through some very small secondary roads to bypass the worst of it. My son’s family stayed over Sunday night at our house on their way home, which meant my decompression from all the fun described above was mitigated to a certain extent and I got to play tickle monster with the BRS and BR3 this morning. You can now understand what I was talking about, in terms of being blessed. I must have been a saint in a prior life because nothing in the current one would qualify me sufficiently.

FBR School Photo Came out
Why Does She Look So Old!!!!

Three movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: Timecop – best Vandamme movie ever, while I know that’s not a high standard, this has aged well, still exciting; Timeline – love this time travel back to a medieval French battle, lots of heart; The Time Machine – one of my favorite movies of all time, still gets me every time I watch it, wanted to be Rod Taylor when I grew up.

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

New Light

It’s an opportune time to mention a new light that appeared in Great Aunt’s life earlier this year. On my Favorite Panamanian’s birthday, Namesake Nephew or, more accurately, his wife, produced Great Aunt’s first grandchild. In the months since, she has become a revelation, mainly in the light she’s introduced back into Great Aunt’s life. Based on my own experience, granddaughters have an intrinsically medicinal effect on grandparents and that has certainly taken place with Great Aunt. Ever since the tragedy of Soxfather, she had, understandably, dimmed from the energetic dynamo she had always been. She was not alone in the devastation of that time, but she was the closest to the sun.

Granddaughter (r) Clapping for her Grandma

That all changed in February when her granddaughter arrived. It has helped immensely that that new addition is beyond cute, is precocious, and has bonded with her grandmother. While there will always be part of her missing with Soxfather, it’s helped the rest of the us heal seeing her rejuvenated. She’ll probably be pissed for me writing this, (she’s intensely private) but she sent these pictures today of her gifted and utterly precious granddaughter and I felt inspired to reveal, as part of family history how important the new kid is, for all of us. Life deserves good news stories.

Undeniably Cute with her Dad's Blonde Hair

In decidedly more mundane news, I just received my new driver’s license. I had been a little nervous about the eye test but I passed that with flying colors. I also upgraded to the real ID version which meant I had to sacrifice small animals as well as provide a raft of paperwork. I’m not impressed because it looks just like the old one but now has a small star in the corner. I’m in serious psyche mode because tomorrow we journey south to start the celebration of the FBR’s 10^th birthday. My Favorite Panamanian has been laboring for the past few days into the early morning hours creating one of her signature cakes, conforming to the FBR’s guidance on its content. The best part about the upcoming weekend is that my son’s family will also join us which means all three of my granddaughters will be together and with us. As I stated above, intrinsically medicinal.

FBR Awaiting her Birthday Sleepover Guests for Tonight

Five movies fell in the A-Z watch, four keepers: This Means War – despite three of my favorite actors, this just doesn’t work, eject; The Thomas Crown Affair – outstanding dramedy update of the classic, Rene Russo is smoking; Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – one of best movies in 21^st century, fantastic acting from McDormand/Harrison/Rockwell; The Thrill of it All – classic Doris Day rom-com, hasn’t aged well but still; Time After Time – outstanding sci fi with HG Wells pursuing Jack the Ripper into the 20^th century with his time machine

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

Voting and Welcome Punctures

Today was election day in the People’s Republic of Taxxachusetts, as well as elsewhere. Our election was only for local officials, but it still felt good casting the ballot. This may seem weird to some, but it is a special obligation. My Favorite Panamanian relishes the opportunity although I had to bring her up to date on who was running. Luckily, I had some insight from the time I worked with the transit agency as I had to endure some of the candidates in their roles as city councilors. While a couple were stalwart public officials, there were a couple that were attention whores who catered to what I call, “The Voices of Inappropriate Worth”. Worcester is run like a small town and just because you have a loud voice doesn’t mean you’re worth listening to. A lesson some of the politicians refuse to acknowledge. I assign that failure to lack of backbone and specifically avoided voting for them. Still, as I said above, it felt good to vote.

In more important and welcome news, my Favorite Panamanian has seemingly conquered her latest bout of vertigo. Our next-door neighbor recommended a physical therapist who had just opened his own practice in a neighboring town. He turned out to be fabulous. He employed a variety of techniques, including cupping (that process that leaves circular bruises) as well as acupuncture. This was a first for my wife and whatever he did, it worked. This was a true turning point because prior physical therapists had made the vertigo worse. As a young guy, willing to utilize a variety of techniques, we were both truly impressed and thankful.

This is a very busy week as it features Panamanian Independence Day followed by today’s Panamanian flag day. My very proud Favorite Panamanian directed that the Panamanian flag fly beneath my US flag in our yard each day for the month of November. I do this happily, although I have to consult references to insure I’m not flying it upside down (like I did on Monday (whoops). I also delved into the photo library to reuse a photo from 2021 when we had my mother-in-law in residence. My daughter came up from NYC to conduct an online presentation for her company to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month. Part of that presentation was joining her mother and grandmother on Deckzilla demonstrating Panamanian folk dancing in full costume. The picture is from that day and one that I treasure (as I do the ladies depicted).

3 Generations of Pulchritude

Six movies fell in the A-Z watch, all keepers: The Thing – awesome sci fi reboot with Russell just domaining as MacCready; Thirteen Ghosts – not as scary as I remembered but still awesome special effects; Three Kings – very funny send up of the first gulf war; The Three Musketeers (1973) – loved this classic telling, with Raquel Welch at the height of her “prowess” and Oliver Reed oozing screen presence; The Four Musketeers – not as much fun as the first but really just the same film continuing; This is the End – hilarious apocalyptic story with a total skewering of Hollywood self-importance.

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

Scoured and Reconned

If you lived in New England this past Friday, you experienced a significant windstorm. That’s exacerbated when you live on top of a hill, as my Favorite Panamanian and I do. We got an increase in trick or treaters this year before the big winds arrived. I heard the wind coming so I moved a huge pile of fallen leaves from Deckzilla onto the back yard. You may ask, why? One of the benefits of hilltop living, despite the high winds, is having those winds send leaves downhill. I think some of those leaves may have ended up in Connecticut with how high the winds were. We awoke Saturday morning to find both the front and back yards completely scoured of leaves. I offer a tongue in cheek apology to downhill neighbors. It would be nice if those neighbors could return the two garden flags that my wife lost to the winds as well.

The Recon Crew in The Perch

That extra hour of sleep we got last night because of the time change was more than welcome and needed. It was a gift since I spent yesterday afternoon haunting my hometown performing the reconnaissance needed ahead of the annual birthday pub crawl. I was joined by Keene Friend and the Kindergarten Friend (an acknowledged expert on the Keene pub scene). My Favorite Panamanian and I journeyed north Saturday morning with a plan to join Keene Friend for lunch ahead of the recon. Since I made the mistake of allowing her access to a telephone (like I could have prevented it!), by the time we made it to Keene she had arranged a lunch date with a new Latina friend she met a couple weeks ago. She opined that Keene Friend and I should join them but this wasn’t my first rodeo in that area.

Pour House Brainstorming

I said Keene Friend and I would be able to score some food, so she would be able to spend the requisite time with her new friend. My assessment was spot on. When I checked in, a couple hours into the recon, that she was still at lunch (Latinas like to talk). This had the corollary effect of saving a significant amount of money since the time she spent socializing at Applebee’s came at the expense of TJ Maxx time. Meanwhile, Keene Friend and I started off the recon with our lunch at the Lab ‘n Lager, the first stop on the crawl with the demise of Penuche’s Ale House.

Madame Sherri's Finally Open

We were joined in short order by Kindergarten Friend, and the “hard work” of the recon started. The Lab ‘n Lager was vetted as the new kickoff point, replacing Penuche’s. Our next stop (since Modestman is gone) was the Kilkenny Pub, which once again validated its status as the designated dive bar for the crawl. A short distance from there was the back door to the newest addition to the crawl, The Perch. It came as no surprise to us that Kindergarten Friend was already well known there and was greeted as a returning hero. The staff were all young and seemed intrigued that senior citizens were conducting a pub crawl.

The Dinner Crowd

Our next stop, Madame Sherri’s, brought another issue to confront. They were closed, having changed their Saturday opening time to an hour later which meant they wouldn’t be available at the time we had planned. We continued our march down Main Street to the Pour House to conduct a conference on what we should do with this development. We called the PCR to obtain his sage input on our situation. Although we caught him in the middle of a drive home, he added his usual cogent opinions. After brainstorming an appropriate time, we decided we might have to add Margarita’s back in to bridge the gap until Sherri’s opened. Margaritas has a checkered history with the crawl and was removed from the lineup because of poor service and requiring reservations. Since our only other option was a martini bar (and who wants to do that), Keene Friend and I coordinated with the Margarita’s manager who assured us they were ready to regain their lost place in the crawl.

FBR (r) Uncharacteristically Serious

ABFA with her Hunters

We lost Kindergarten Friend after the Pour House so it fell to Keene Friend and I to brave Madame Sherri’s once it opened after our Margarita’s coordination. We all liked Sherri’s last year (its first appearance in the crawl) because the crawl crowd were the only patrons in the bar. This may explain the later opening hour, but they were very happy to hear we would be stopping by again in a couple weeks. At this point we declared victory and made our way back across Main Street to await my Favorite Panamanian in Margarita’s. Her extended lunch had ended at some point during our travels, and she was ready for dinner with us. She was little tired from all the talking, but more than ready to handle the drive home since I had felt it incumbent upon myself to verify at each of the recon stops that their beer was up to our lofty standards. So. Yeah, that extra hour of sleep really helped.

Pumpkin Carving with other Grandparents

FBR On the Loose!

Meanwhile the granddaughters were in high fettle themselves as they addressed the Halloween requirements. We haven’t heard from any of them for a long time as they and their parents have been very busy. My son unveiled his costume to match the ABFA’s and his daughters’ demon hunters’ costumes. The FBR launched her Stitch costume (Lilo and Stitch). I felt it totally appropriate that she chose a mischievous character to mimic. I was reminded of what Halloween is like for the parents of young kids. Both the BRS and BR3 looked like they were providing the requisite parental challenge. The very best news, after our long time away from each other, is we will see all of them for both of the upcoming weekends. First, next Saturday for the FBR’s birthday and the week after, for mine. All this, followed by Thanksgiving. Yep, things are looking up.

BR3 Celebrating a Conquest

BRS

The Demonhunter Crew

Seven movies fell in the A-Z watch, six keepers: Ted 2 – guilty pleasure that still makes me laugh; Ten Commandments – classic biblical epic, still amazed they pulled off the parting of the Red Sea scene back in the 1950s; Tenet – really confusing but I think I’m starting to understand this Nolan confusafest; The Terminal – may be my favorite Tom Hanks movie, so much heart; That Thing You Do – Hanks again, love this nostalgic look at 1960s music, will be a couple more days until that song is out of my head; There Will be Blood – towering dramatic performance by Day-Lewis, but so depressing, will never watch again, so eject; There’s Something About Mary – needed this after the preceding one, puerile humor with Diaz just dominating in title 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