Waving

I’m into my third day of forced geographical bachelorhood as my Favorite Panamanian has stolen away to spend a few days back in her hometown hanging out with her mom. Far be it form me to criticize since she is so understanding about my repeated thunder runs back to my own hometown (of course there is the whole tax-free shopping incentive for her). Her mom is 91 years old and I want to give my Favorite Panamanian every opportunity possible to spend with her. If our rapidly increasing age has taught us anything, it is the fragility of life.

Some of the Waves This Week

Close friends and family will have no sympathy whatsoever for my forced solitude, however. They know where I’m “trapped”. I’ll have to admit Las Lajas is where I would choose to be stranded here in Panama. I also have the upstairs neighbors to provide the needed human contact. The waves have also been incredible with this week’s extremely high tides. My Favorite Panamanian had restricted me to the barracks for the early part of this week, due to a bad ear, while the aforementioned waves thundered in sight, but out of reach. I was finally allowed back on the beach Wednesday, after she departed. I have a sneaking suspicion that she appointed the upstairs neighbor as my unofficial monitor. When I didn’t appear on the beach yesterday, I received a message from them asking if everything was okay. They confirmed my suspicions last evening at the sunset ceremony.

Sunsets Remain Impressive

Now, as to the reason I was beachless for most of yesterday. The air conditioning in our guest bedroom has been shedding freon to the point we needed a qualified repair instead of the local guy (who means well). Fortunately, the brother in law of the Panamanian Couple of the Seis Amigos has a partner who does just that. They came in last week to perform services on all the AC systems and diagnose what was going on with the freon-less one. They were supposed to return yesterday to address that.

They did, eventually. My Favorite Panamanian said they would show up early in the morning, so there went my morning beach session. I had breakfast and awaited their arrival. She then messaged me they would be attending to the upstairs neighbors first. By mid-morning they still hadn’t showed up and I thought I could sneak in a quick boogie boarding session. I went out to the balcony and saw the beach liberally blessed with what I call the “Green Smudge”. We get occasional algae blooms here with the bathtub warm ocean water and all this sun. This leads to these green patches which the upstairs neighbors investigated online and assured me were not dangerous. Still, not something I wanted to boogie board through. When the waves are this big the attendant currents are frisky and the smudges get moved down the beach in fairly quick order. I took the picture below five minutes ago and as I look out now that smudge is more than a quarter mile down the beach.

Today's Smudge

Yesterday though, by the time the offending smudge had moved, the AC guys were here and working upstairs, so, trapped again. I spent most of the afternoon waiting them to finish but they didn’t show until after 3pm. The delay was worth it, as I learned later, they found some serious electrical wiring issues that required immediate repair as there was arcing between wires taking place. Since this was directly above our own condo, a fire would be a very bad thing for both us and the upstairs neighbors. They eventually came down and quickly got to work. They finally located the offending freon leak, and soldered a replacement pipe in place. There were two of them and they worked for over two hours, doing a very thorough job, even if it was robbing me of beach time.  Still, the repair cost less than $200. I shudder to think what a similar job would require in the States.

So, I finally reached the beach around 6pm, shortly before the sunset ceremony. The waves were big but not the best since we were near high tide and they lose a lot of their power at that point, cresting instead of breaking. I dodged a couple of small smudges and got my afternoon boogie boarding in under the wire (I know you were worried). I came up out of the surf to find the upstairs neighbors ready for the sunset ceremony where I learned of their air conditioning adventures prior to mine. So, a fairly mundane week, not counting the smudges. I am ready for the wife to return but my existence is not without benefits here. I am going to have to get this ear looked at next week, still stopped up somehow. Finally, my son sent me this picture earlier in the week, showing progress on one of the projects he is responsible for. Hard to believe this all started with a love of Legos. I am and remain, so proud of my legomaniac.

From Legos to This

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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 him her single days in Brooklyn; 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; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Another Departure

I’ve written before about one of the toughest aspects of getting old, the increased rate for the departure of friends and family. Our family was hit with another body blow yesterday with the death of my brother-in-law, Bill, married to my younger sister. He’d been hospitalized since last summer and put up a gallant fight against a variety of serious ailments. My sister was at his side constantly as he moved between different hospitals and rehab centers. I visited him when he was in a Worcester hospital shortly before I came down to Panama. As always, during that visit he was upbeat and preparing to get home to be with his beloved wife.

R.I.P. Brother

Bill immediately fit into the family when he first arrived with my sister in 2012. My sister had had incredibly bad luck with the men in her life. That all changed with Bill. She finally had a guy who appreciated her and her incredible ability to love. It was so cool to hear them send their professions of love to each other via Facebook. They were unashamedly in love and wanted the world to know, marrying in 2015. The first time Bill visited us, he and Soxfather hit it off in grand style over their shared love of sports.

All the kids and Grandkids Became "His" 

Over the years, my sister would report the various locations in New England and beyond they would travel together to gather sports memorabilia. Bill was a world class memorabilia dealer and my sister played a big role in assisting Bill with that business when his health started to fail. From the time they met, it was rare to find them apart, be it the travels I mentioned above, walking their dogs around the Framingham reservoirs, or shopping together. I was so happy my sister had fallen in with the love of her life and his family, especially Bill’s mom, who welcomed her with open arms. This was important for her after the rocky experience with our own mom.

Bill and his Mom

Life, has a tendency to be unfair and it certainly is in this case. I am only comforted in knowing that my sister finally had a man worthy of her and they fit a lot of love in the all too short a time they had with each other. They made the most of the 12 years they had together, fitting a lifetime of emotion in these all too short years. Bill left us all too soon, but he left my sister with the memories of being loved that will last her the rest of her life. That capacity for love defined Bill. Here is one of his messages on Facebook:

The look of love. Just when it looked like my life was over, I met Leslie. The love we have is simple, pure and meant to be as it's a romance for the ages. I have one goal every day: Make Leslie Hedin the happiest woman on the planet.

Rest in peace my brother. You left us too soon but your long, gallant fight to stay with my sister will stand as an enduring message of true love.

A True Love Story

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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 him her single days in Brooklyn; 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; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Prima Weekend and the Oscars

The Spanish word for female cousin is “prima”, therefore the title of this post is most appropriate as my Favorite Panamanian imported a sizable percentage of her first cousins in for a weekend at the beach. They were joined by Tia Loca which will always detract from any dignity, intended or otherwise. The weekend definitively qualified as spectator sport as the cousins dove into this mini-reunion with their usual verve, arriving on Friday. I had to bum a ride from our recently returned upstairs neighbors for Friday night pizza as the cousins met up with my wife as she finished stations of the cross in the village (I chose not to attend the church thing, still smarting from earlier in the week). It was a very fun (and thoroughly humid) pizza followed by gelato. Chow Mein the cat appeared at both the pizza and gelato, stirring up memories of the grandkids.

Wife and Cousins this Morning

Upstairs Neighbors are Back!!
Friday Night Sunset

Friday Night Pizza

The ex-Mrs. Cantankerous Friend was amongst the cousins. She of the twenty-minute marriage to my buddy (lasted as long as the bus ride from the reception at my son’s wedding to the hotel, officiated by Tia Loca). The Ex- Mrs. C.F.  went out for an early morning walk on Saturday morning and a couple hours later everyone was worried. Various theories were floated, including a secret boyfriend down the beach or a determination to walk back to Panama City. It turned out that she had arranged a secret rendezvous with her brother (another cousin, but a Primo instead of Prima). He brought along his beloved ex-wife, a Brazilian lady, who has always been a favorite of my wife and her cousins. This added a an even more festive atmosphere to something that didn’t need any help.

Cousin and Tia Loca in the Pool

They Had a Good Time

We spent the day hanging on the beach as Tia Loca and I once again revisited our boogie board bonding. Lunch called for a cavalcade of cars down the beach to Plinio’s. It was really hot and humid, even in the shade, but we had a lot of fun. Buddy’s doppelganger was there and welcomed me back warmly. After lunch we returned to the beach and I loaded up the cooler with a case of beer and informed the cousins that I wasn’t going to carry it full back up the stairs (elevator still not repaired) so we had to drink it all. They were up to the task, especially since the sunset ceremony lasted well into the evening under the lights.

Plinio's

One of the Sunsets

We set up for the sunset ceremony and a lady from behind us took a couple great pictures of the assembled cousins as well as the upstairs neighbors. My Favorite Panamanian was playing some oldies on her beach speaker and predictably a dance party broke out with the cousins. I was specifically forbidden from posting the short video I have of my Favorite Panamanian dancing (something about her hair). After vanquishing the sun, we set up for games on the beach, under the newly installed lights. We played left-right-center and once again I lost as the dice really don’t like me. The Upstairs Neighbors took home the jackpot. They stayed around for a couple rounds of Uno Flip as well. It strained my Spanish to the extreme as I tried to explain all the different cards to the cousins but the laughter was almost non-stop, as is usually the case with this bunch. Many thanks to Wingman for leaving the game with us (and teaching us how to play).

Our Bunch Seen Setting Up

The Gang

From the Front

And the Dancing Breaks Out

Late Night Games

Under the Stars

Sunday dawned as one of the most important days in a movie geek’s (guilty) year – the Academy Awards. My Favorite Panamanian has placed me on bedrest for a couple days so that worked out fine. I theorize that it was a case of exhaustion which led to the persistent congestion and a stuffed ear I’m experiencing. We were both bone tired when the kids left last week but I immediately launched back into my daily workout routine and extensive boogie boarding (in my defense the waves were epic). I tried to hide it from the wife but she’s strangely attuned to my health situation (I think it’s the 42 years). She pointedly reminded me that I’m not as young as I think I am. So, bed rest for a couple days. While I gaze longingly at the waves outside, at least I had the Oscars to console me.

I really enjoyed this year’s ceremony. We’re now an hour behind the East Coast (no daylight savings time here) which meant the Oscars started at six pm here. My wife and her cousins were still hanging out in the pool for the first couple hours of the show so I didn’t have to max out the volume until they returned. In yet another major upset, for the second year in a row, I edged out my daughter with Oscar predictions, 14 to 13. In her defense she was decisively engaged in hosting her annual Oscar party which once again looked amazing. She creates her party snacks as odes to the best picture nominees and this year featured an old family favorite. My Favorite Panamanian’s family-famous pink dessert represented, you guessed it, Barbie. Speaking of Barbie, one of the Curbside Gals showed up for the party garbed up as Weird Barbie, way, way too funny.

Elegant Daughter Hosting Party

FBR Sampling a Pink Dessert

Then Weird Barbie Shows Up!

Jimmy Kimmel was workman-like as host but had a couple good moments. The best speeches were by the two winners for supporting actor awards. The biggest win for the night was Ryan Gosling performing, I’m Just Ken; an absolute riot. If the vote had taken place for best song after the ceremony he would have won, hands down. It was a huge tonal shift though following a somber reminder of the war in Ukraine by the documentary film winner. Seeing “twins” Schwarzenegger and DeVito together was really funny, especially after they highlighted they had both been killed as Batman villains. All this while Michael Keaton fake glared at them, hilariously. I thought Matt Damon escaped the show without a Kimmel burn, but the show ended with the dog from one of the nominated films peeing on his Hollywood walk of Fame star. Hilarious.

Best Speech

Epic Ken

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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 him her single days in Brooklyn; 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; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

Human Wave Imminent

I’ve remarked a couple times here on Frail Deeds about how quiet the condo has been since the departure of the granddaughters and their parental units last week. My Favorite Panamanian and I have been the only residents of the condo complex all week, so more silence (that was mostly me, not my better half). That will all change tomorrow with a veritable human wave attack by female members of my wife’s family. Both of her sisters as well as three female cousins are arriving to spend the weekend with us. The decibel level will definably rise, records may be shattered. As with most gatherings of Panamanians, the loudest is the one who gets to talk. You throw Tia Loca and my Favorite Panamanian into the mix and that is how you get to record breaking territory.

Dinner Yesterday

Thank you to all the friends and family who extended their well wishes yesterday for our forty second anniversary. We spent a fairly low-key day with dinner down the beach at the Las Lajas Beach Resort (they of the best cheeseburgers). One of the anniversary gifts my wife wanted was my attendance Wednesday mass in the village with her. She attends each week but I avoid the church since the few times I’ve been there I suffer inordinately from the heat. She was effusive in my willingness although I steeled myself for the ordeal and it turned out to be as bad as I thought it would be. The priest recognized us for our anniversary, miserably mispronouncing my name. Even though there was a nice breeze blowing through, I was sweating non-stop. This may have been the Lord’s message to me about my church attendance record. My wife failed to mention that there was a second ceremony after the regular mass. She tried to explain what it was but she released me to leave and wait for her outside while this went on for another 45 minutes. I amused myself by watching the village walk by as I sat in air conditioned comfort in the car.

The Special Cake my Wife Made

So Good

We followed Mass with a visit to the pizza/gelato place. The owner came over immediately to ask about the granddaughters who obviously made an impression upon her. The little dog that the FBR virtually adopted seemed to be looking at the door after we arrived expecting her to follow us in. We returned home and I learned what my Favorite Panamanian had been laboring with in the kitchen earlier in the day. She had made a special combination brownie and cake confection, along with a special frosting. It was every bit as awesome as it sounds. She was on a call with Tia Loca as I was caught in the rapture of tasting the cake and demanded that we save a piece for her. That will remain to be seen.

Had to Fight This Guy for my Place on the Beach This Morning

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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 him her single days in Brooklyn; 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; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course

42 and Counting

As we deal with the inevitable let down of the empty condo as opposed to the saturated past week with the kids and grandkids in residence, today is kind of a special day. Forty-two years ago, in the central church of David, Panama a fairly nervous lieutenant watched a radiant young Panamanian lady walk down the central aisle on the arm of her dad. And nothing was ever the same again. Thankfully. My Favorite Panamanian has a serious problem each year when I post photos from our wedding because she absolutely hates the hairdo she had that day. It's been 42 years and she still seethes at what a hairdresser did. That’s how serious it is. I had more important things to worry about that day, like how none of my family was there with me. It took me a few years to live that down (Great Aunt is still a little pissed).

Best Sunset Buddy

42 Years Ago
I'm Going to be In So Much Trouble for Posting this Picture

More Recently

I had my Army family there, my fellow lieutenants, who were true brothers. You’d have to serve in an infantry company to understand the bond between infantry platoon leaders. Thrust into leadership roles, leading thirty to forty troops, including very experienced NCOs and trying not to make the mistakes all second lieutenants always make is a bonding experience. I was singularly blessed with my Army family in Panama in the early 80s. We were operating in what was probably the most challenging and realistic training environment in the entire Army at that time. While we worked very hard, we partied even harder, so much so, that I swore for years that meeting my eventual wife (and proposing three days later – best snap decision ever) saved my life. We all cut a fairly active swath through the abundant Panamanian pulchritude, to the point a couple years after we were married, I had to be careful when I took my wife dancing at the officer’s club. One former “lady friend”, grabbed my posterior as I was escorting my wife to the dance floor. That is called living dangerously.

Through the Years

As I look back on the ensuing 42 years, I am immediately I impressed with my Favorite Panamanian. She left a life and family in Panama, speaking no English, and took on what is rightfully called the toughest job in the Army, that of an Army wife. It speaks volumes to her courage and strength of character that she not only survived, but excelled. By the time I was a battalion commander, I would introduce myself as her husband because she was (and is) something of a force of nature. She raised our two kids by herself for long stretches of time as I was sent by the Army to run around strange places with well-armed friends. The greatest testament to her quality are those two “kids”, now thriving adults.

Speaking of those two kids and the aftermath of their recent residency. My Favorite Panamanian, with some spousal assistance, has returned both our and the upstairs neighbors’ condos to their regular pristine condition. The lone exception are the glass walls on our balcony. The balcony served as the sun block application station for the three granddaughters where their parents liberally smeared them with lotion before they descended on the beach/pool. That, of course, resulted in some of the lotion ending up on the glass walls, especially since BR3 seized control and declared the balcony was “her domain” during the week. She was undoubtably the biggest donor of the glass lotion. We’re reluctant to remove it. I guess it helps dealing with their absence to have this reminder.

Beloved Smears

Sunday Sunset

We were back in David yesterday and took in a movie around all the shopping. Dune 2 is that rare example of a sequel being better than the original (think Empire Strikes Back level). Dune is a really dense story with so many concurrent themes and plots intertwined. After earlier versions I thought it would be impossible to adequately translate this beloved story to the screen. I was wrong. The director brings home the Atreides comeback story with style, fantastic acting, and landmark cinematography. Chalamet continues to impress as one of, if not the best, young actor around as the central figure of Paul Muad ‘Dib. My favorite characters from the books were the Fremen and they are finally portrayed with all their lethality. While this sets up the inevitable third film , it could also serve as a fitting conclusion. The best movie I’ve seen in a very long time.

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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 him her single days in Brooklyn; 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; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course