Thursday Night Parties

Big, big Thursday around here --one of the best days for me since the god Thor named it!

First, I met my bud Norman for breakfast, and as usual we cracked each other up with the tales of our life's foibles. Norman is a guy I've known since Law School (though we went through college together, too) and always found to be a kindred spirit. Wifey always sees his FB posts and remarks how our senses of humor are identical.

They are, and as we enter middle age together, it's terrific to spend more time together. He has 3 boys and 2 stepkids, and his youngest son graduated HS this week, too, so we're also sharing that empty nester thing, though his stepkids will keep him relevant as a parent for a few more years...

Tonight we plan to meet and watch our Canes baseball team hopefully skin The Gator, as my mentor Ed Perse used to ferer to the UF teams...

After breakfast, it was over to the U to watch D2 graduate! Since she was summa cum laude, and her name ends with A, she was the first non student government nerd (Ha!) to get her diploma. She was beaming! We were beaming!

And, her principal, Mr. Weiner, told the packed arena (her class has nearly 800) that, in the 50 year history of Palmetto High, hers was the highest acheiving class, with 95 percent of them headed off to college, with scholarship offers of close to $20 million! Amazing for a public school, we thought, and just made D2's rank of 25 out of this august group even more meaningful. She's not just the tallest of midgets!

As the long, long, long list of names was being called, I stepped out into the arena rest area, along with D1, and we ran into old friends and acquaintances. D1 reunited with a friend from HER PAlmetto class, now a Maryland grad, and the two made plans to get together on Brickell.

I saw my long lost friend Mark the neorosurgeon's folks, who I hadn'd seen in probably 15 years. Their granddaughter (Mark's neice) was graduating, and Norman and Rita and I caught up. They said that, sadly, they only see Mark and his family twice per year, and were saddened he didn't keep up with our old group of Dr. Barry, Dr. Eric, and me. Mark's loss -- we all sort of think his profession went a bit to his head, or maybe he's too busy, or whatever it is.

When I told Norman and Rita that Eric, Barry, and I would be sitting together this Canes football season, for the first time since we were all in college, they were wistful. Maybe Mark will join us for a game or two...

Then on to Christy's for dinner! We ate steaks (except for Wifey, determined to outlive us --she always gets "saaaaaalmon"), and toasted, and laughed. The Ds, as per usual, poked much fun at their mother, and I reminded them that Wifey was the one who read to them probably 90% of the time, and that all studies show that reading to kids is what makes them great students, so they truly owed most of their academic success to Wifey.

And it's true. She gave her heart, and soul, and, as her mother would say, kishkes to those girls, and as we basked in the end of their HS days, she deserves the kudos.

D2's boyfriend Michael was at Christy's, too, with his parents and 3 surviving grandparents. We all met, and glowed in our kids' light together.

And then...my partner Paul, his girlfriend Patricia, and other dear friends Stuart and Tracy came in. They were on their way to yet ANOTHER party, and stopped by to celebrate the Ds graduations. Christy's was crowded, plus it lacks a bar, so we left and reconvened a few blocks away, at a French restaurant up the road.

There were more toasts, and laughter, and greetings well met fellow, hails!, with other Palmetto grads who had decided on the French place for their party.

We dropped off the Ds, and headed a few blocks away for a surprise 40th party for our rabbi friend Yossi.

It was hosted my a child neurologist and his wife, and the house was packed.

Although I've left the religious fold, it was great to celebrate with Yossi. He moved here 15 years ago, and Wifey and I were the first folks he met, and we helped him launch his Jewish outreach center here.

They now boast a thriving center where they pair disabled kids with other teens, called Friendship Circle, as well as other valuable programs.

Once one gets past, as my friend Jeff remarked, the "creepy dead Rabbi," sort of their late Pope, they're pretty cool folks. And, they've truly done much good for our community, even if much of their philosophies and politics are so opposed to mine...

So, as the oppressive summer heat has moved in with a vengeance (the dog days of Miami are truly here), we've been sweating sweetly with some wonderful times.

Congrats to D2! She heard all the cliches yesterday, but I'm confident they apply to her: the best is yet to come...