Deployment Day Minus 1

It’s been kind of a weird weekend. I’ve spent the past couple days preparing for the trip south. My Favorite Panamanian, because she just loves to pack, had prepacked a suitcase for me back in January before she departed. It was a carry-on sized suitcase. She assured me I had everything in there I would need. Since that time I’ve received several packages in the mail that she ordered that I was to bring with me. She also added a couple more items from home that she wanted deployed. That includes a call yesterday which had me at Macy’s trying to explain to the wildly colored haired Clinque lady what makeup I needed to buy that would get my wife through April.

Wife and Her Twin Sister Celebrating their Birthday Earlier This Week

The upshot being that not only will all this stuff not fit in the much larger suitcase I bought earlier but now I have two suitcases to deploy with. For the return trip I’ll be able to put one of the bags inside the other. I’m very excited to get on the plane tomorrow because of what will be awaiting me at the final stop. It’s weird that old married couples actually miss each other more after all these years. I was gone almost constantly during my military career but the separations were not as tough as these past few years when she flies south for the winter. In a very cool turn of events I’ll be hitting Panama a little later than usual this year and just in time to celebrate Carnivale which is epic party time.

Neither granddaughter wanted to speak with me yesterday which is a fairly new development. I almost get the idea that they have somehow conspired together to accomplish this. I put nothing out of possibility when it comes to cousins. The BRS goes as far as to angrily gesture towards the screen when she’s asked to say hello. The FBR is entirely more subtle. She simply stares at the screen and dares me to entertain her. As long as they still like me in person I’m not concerned. I have a plane to catch, a wife to hug, and some Atlas beer to address. The house sitters are in place. The next post will be in much warmer circumstances with a liberal amount of palm trees laced throughout the photos.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – inbound granddaughter #3, BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law; Wingman – my son in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd musquetera (musketeer); Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; 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; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn

Vacation Eve

Friday is always a source of unbridled joy at the prospect of enjoying the ritualistic celebration of the First Friday of the Week. This Friday carries additional gravitas as it marks the start of a two week vacation from work, my last ever work vacation. I leave on Monday for two weeks in our sun soaked condo on the beach in Panama. I figure, as gentle as this New England winter has been, that the last two weeks of February will involve some serious payback from Mother Nature. As long as I can get out on Monday then I look forward to bombarding friends and family with photos from the beach if the snow starts falling.

I was back at the dentist yesterday to get a permanent crown installed. It was very unceremonious. The dentist came in with a pair of pliers (straight out of a bugs bunny cartoon), reached in and yanked out the temporary crown. He then super glued the permanent one in and I was good to go, only two more to go. My Favorite Daughter was also in the dentist chair yesterday but she went entirely more high tech. They had a machine that carved out an inlay based on a 3D photographic image while you waited. She was so impressed she sent me this video. I guess New Jersey is way more tech savvy than my dentist but then again, you’d have to live in New Jersey. No Thank you.

I will try to blog from Panama but no promises. My Favorite Panamanian usually demands I removed myself from the height of the sun during mid-day. Something about all the skin cancer scares over the past few years I guess so there might be some time. VACATION!!!

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – inbound granddaughter #3, BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law; Wingman – my son in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd musquetera (musketeer); Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; 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; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn

Microwaved

I was able to talk with my Favorite Panamanian several times yesterday on her birthday but those conversations were interrupted each time by other well-wishers. I’m glad she got a sense of just how well loved she is. She spent part of the day down at the condo while new roller wheels were installed on the two sliding doors for our balcony. The original builders put in rollers that were susceptible to corrosion from the salt air. Who’d have thought that would happen, less than a hundred feet from the shoreline! She returned home and her entire family took her out for dinner to celebrate her birthday.

BRS Wishing her Abuela a Happy Birthday

My day was entirely more mundane. I had the appliance repair guys in to look at the main microwave. It broke on Monday which has put a serious crimp in my usual meal preparation while my wife is away. I ended up paying the guy to tell me it was broken. They could fix it for about 500 dollars. He recommended I just buy a new one and recommended a place I’d noticed just across from my barber shop. Killing the proverbial avians I knocked out a haircut and then went to the appliance store. I was really impressed with the guys at Percy’s. Within ten minutes I‘d arranged for a new microwave to be installed for a price less than repairing the old one. I also learned that I didn’t have to spend all the time measuring that I did because they come in standard sizes for the over the range variety.  Of course it will have to wait until after my return from vacation. I hope the neighbors won’t mind the excessive smoke issuing from the kitchen over the next few days. Percy’s is an example of why I like living in a fairly large city. I grew up in small town but have become addicted to the convenience of the options a large city provides.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – inbound granddaughter #3, BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law; Wingman – my son in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd musquetera (musketeer); Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; 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; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn

Flashing Eyes Day

More than 38 years ago I ran into a set of flashing eyes that changed my life forever. I was a young, dumb, and very single lieutenant running around the wilds of Panama on my first assignment as an officer. I was having more fun than it is probably legal but there was a big emptiness in my life. I turned around at the officers club one Friday night and that all changed when I was decisively engaged by a set of flashing eyes that decimated any defenses I had. I asked the owner of those eyes to marry me three days later.

Birthday Girl Dancing on the Beach with the FBR Last Year

Today is my Favorite Panamanian’s birthday (along with her twin sister’s) which she is celebrating with her family down in Panama. She’s taken a page out of our son’s playbook because she knows we’ll be celebrating it again next week when I arrive. She’s been a consummate Army wife (really the toughest job in the Army), a friend, and a fierce mother. I give her a hard time here on the blog at times pointing out her love of shopping but nothing can diminish the love and respect I have for this lady. She has an inborn ability to make friends with people as soon as she meets them. She’s the kind of gal people just enjoy being around. I’ve been the benefactor over these years and I haven’t always deserved her devotion. She’s been my rock or more correctly my lodestone and boy, do those eyes still flash. She can deploy them at will whenever she needs to win an argument. Happy Birthday Babe! See you next week!

In Europe Last September

Since she was down in Panama I was dateless for date night but went to the movies anyway (big surprise) and saw Birds of Prey. This is a really good movie and Margot Robbie owns the character proving she’s so much more than just a pretty face. She plays the Joker’s now ex-girlfriend and has all of Gotham City underworld after her. She forms a bond with several other very dangerous ladies to protect themselves. The villain is played with very cunning style by Ewan McGregor. This isn’t your typical DC Universe trope but laced with a lot of dazzling color as well as Robbie’s personality. The fights are well done and it’s obvious the ladies didn’t shy away from the physicality required. This is as light as DC gets but I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – inbound granddaughter #3, BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law; Wingman – my son in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd musquetera (musketeer); Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; 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; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn

Hasty Monday

I finally caught up with my vanquished daughter late on Monday to revel in my totally unexpected victory on Oscar night predictions. This is truly unheard of. The FBR even deigned to speak with me a couple times but only once my daughter and I got involved in a conversation. She was a very good sport about my ribbing. She hosted her Oscar night party and created her usual delicacies devoted to each of the Best Picture nominees. I’m to blame for her devotion to the the silver screen which surprises no one but she has definitely taken her love of movies to a different level than me.

Getting Ready for the Oscars!

Their call came in as I was waiting in the local car dealership. They had been bombarding me with emails lately about trading in our current Highlander for a 2020 model. I usually just send these emails to the electronic graveyard without even opening them. For some reason I can’t explain I checked this one out and was impressed with the personal nature of the salesman. I told him I would swing by after work, never expecting anything to come out of it. I met the salesman, a young African American guy. He asked about our current Highlander and offered a free assessment.

The Movie Queen on Oscar Night

The Menu

Marriage Story

Joker

Parasite

Ford Versus Ferrari

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Little Women

1917

The Irishman

He came back with an offer to trade in our vehicle for a 2020 version of the same. I went out and test drove the new Highlander and was fascinated. I tried to mask that impression as we went back into the dealership. He did the inevitable conference with his manager and came back with a deal that was too good to turn down. Of course, this was my Favorite Panamanian’s usual car so I’m not stupid enough to make this transaction without consulting the commander in chief. Luckily her Wi-Fi was working and I was able to get tentative approval on the purchase from Panama. I pick up the new car this afternoon and turn in the old one. My concerns about making the epic trip this summer with a three year old vehicle have been removed. As I was cleaning it out last night I found ample evidence of the FBR’s residence near the back seat, either that or some goldfish cracker loving squirrels had taken up residence there.

The New Car

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                            

BR3 – inbound granddaughter #3, BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law; Wingman – my son in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd musquetera (musketeer); Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; 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; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn

Biennial BRS & Oscar Night

My two favorite entertainment forces generously joined to pleasantly eradicate the weekend for me. My granddaughters obviously occupy first place by a large margin when it comes to entertainment. I am a bona fide movie nerd so when family isn’t available I can usually be found seeking solace in the cinema. For this weekend my granddaughter, the BRS, celebrated her second birthday in grand style on Saturday. Hollywood meanwhile held their annual self-congratulatory awards (any movie geek’s super bowl) - the Oscars, on Sunday. This was a complete weekend.

The Birthday Girl Between her Parents on Saturday

I set out Saturday to join my Favorite Son’s family to celebrate the BRS’ successful completion of her second year on earth. I hurriedly knocked out a bunch the usual Sunday chores Saturday morning before setting out. I arrived a couple hours before party time and enjoyed that time with my son and the increasingly pregnant ABFA as the BRS was still napping. Riggins was also present, at least physically. He’d awoken my son in the very early morning with some projectile vomiting in his bedroom. When that didn’t let up my son ended up in the doggie ER (I didn’t even know they had those) at 2am. After a bunch of expensive tests they proclaimed that Riggins had a sore stomach, but nothing serious. His owner’s investment in pet medical insurance sure made a lot of sense after this episode.

Our Christmas Present Got Some Use

Helping Grandpa Understand Technology

They decided to go low key with the birthday celebration with just grandparents, an aunt, and age appropriate cousin for the party. This was a great choice since it allowed for a much more measured celebration and we all got to enjoy the BRS as she flitted around. She also showed remarkable progress in gift opening, even in the short time from Christmas. She opened each of her gifts and then demanded the boxes be opened so she could play with each item.

Saturday Sleigh Ride

She flashed some of her abuela derived genes when it came to clothing though. She immediately started to put all of her new clothes on at once. Alright, she might get that from my annual Christmas performance. After she had the clothes on though, she took a very definite measure of herself, complete with extended leg pose. That’s right out of my Favorite Panamanian’s playbook. She received a cool sled form her other grandparents and immediately enlisted grandfathers to tow her around the ground floor to test it out. Riggins tried to help by lubricating the floor repeatedly ahead of us as his stomach distress continued.

Demonstrating her Technique

This was followed by a pizza dinner where the BRS displayed her chosen method of downing pizza. She turns the piece over and then starts eating it upside down. She’ll have to modify her technique if she ever wants to have toppings on it but she did extreme justice to the pizza. The birthday cake candles scared her a little bit but with parental assistance extinguishment took place. I had Facetimed my wife in from Panama and she got to sing Happy Birthday along with the rest of us. The birthday cake and ice cream were the most painful part of the day for me. I’m back ketoing hard to address the ramification of overindulgence during the Christmas cookie time period so I had to watch in pain.

Sunday Sleigh Ride

BRS Reigning

After the party ran down, the guests departed, and the BRS went to bed my son and I had a fantastic time watching a college basketball game and then a new Netflix show, Locke and Key. Horror shows are so much easier when I have my partner in crime next to me. Sunday morning saw a return to grandfather powered indoor sled rides. The BRS took a page out of the FBR’s book by declaring anything less than fifty repetitions would be unacceptable.

Go Faster Grandpa!

I regretfully returned home to complete the Sunday chores ahead of the Oscar show. I really enjoyed the show again this year without the distracting host. There was the usual political pandering but there were also some very funny and poignant moments. Why is that the people responsible for the shortest films give the longest speeches? One even had the temerity to close her speech with the international communist slogan, what a creep. 

I was happy with the acting awards although I cringed when Joaquin Phoenix started his speech out worrying about calves separated from their mothers. He got better though and finished with a quote from his dead brother – one of those poignant moments I was talking about. If Once Upon a Time in Hollywood wasn’t going to win Best Picture I was ecstatic that Parasite did. Especially since I got some rest from giving middle fingers to the screen while Jane Fonda was making the announcement. This quirky South Korean film won over even the self-involved culture of Hollywood which speaks volumes. In the night’s biggest upset I finally beat my daughter in the Oscar prediction game. She routinely trounces me each year but last night I edged her out by one, with 13 correct predictions. Probably why she didn’t take my call after the show finished.

My Winning Oscar Ballot

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – inbound granddaughter #3, BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law; Wingman – my son in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd musquetera (musketeer); Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; 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; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn

Yankee Pain

As any ardent member of Red Sox nation will attest – the Yankees are a monumental pain in the ass. The typical New Yorker will probably take that as a compliment. Fine. Somehow these Bronx twerps are now messing with my planned 48 state tour this summer. One of the places on my itinerary was to stop by the Dyersville, Iowa location of the Field of Dreams movie site. I thought I’d arrive there in early August. Yesterday I ran into this news story on Facebook (see link below). They’re building an 8000 seat baseball stadium adjacent to the movie site and the Yankees will play the White Sox there on August 13! Those – A-holes! I can’t get away from them even in a desolate corner of Iowa. This does, however, help me pinpoint a departure date. I’ll hang around New England to celebrate my Favorite Son’s birthday and then hit the road so I can be in and out Iowa before the hoopla gets underway.

https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2020/02/05/field-of-dreams-game-white-sox-yankees-temporary-ballpark-construction-dyersville-iowa

This has been a weird winter. Since I live in New England that is semi-redundant. After an almost balmy January we’ve had two straight days of ice which is a pain almost rivalling the Pinstripers mentioned above. We also have some very confused wildlife. I looked out my office window yesterday and saw a huge gathering of Canada Geese. I guess they didn’t get the memo about flying south for the winter. My theory is that a new TJ Maxx opened in Northern Manitoba and these guys couldn’t break away to make their normal flight schedule. I know a certain Panamanian for which this would be a plausible scenario.

Confused Geese

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – inbound granddaughter #3, BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law; Wingman – my son in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd musquetera (musketeer); Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; 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; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn