When I started blogging in 2004, someone posted this meme. I’ve answered the same questions for over ten years now, and I like to keep up the tradition.
1. What did you do in 2016 that you’d never done before?
Completed a Dungeon & Dragons 3.5 ed. campaign as the Dungeon Mistress
Sold a car (2000 Ford Taurus I inherited from my late Mother)
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions (NYR), and will you make more for next year?
I refer to NYRs as the Infinite Master To Do List, and yes, I made them. See the next blog entry for an accounting of what I’ve achieved in 2016, and what I hope to achieve in 2017.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No, unless you count fictional characters.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
After I did the 2015 YIR meme, my husband’s last grandparent died (my Mother-in-Law’s Mother) the day after Christmas, and Grandma Fleming was one of many in my husband’s family who made me feel welcomed and very loved.
Although he wasn’t close to me personally, I think anyone on the planet who heard his music was affected by David Bowie. My personal favorite song was “Changes” because a quote from that song was used at the beginning of my favorite 80s teen film The Breakfast Club.
In June, my dear friend Elle Janet Plato committed suicide. She told me the year prior that she was transsexual, and knowing Janet’s wicked sense of humor, I didn’t know whether or not she was teasing me. Nor did it matter to me what her birth gender was vs. what her true gender was. After her death, I found out she was born male (named Larry) physically and underwent surgery. I still miss her.
5. What states or countries did you visit?
Illinois to visit the zoo that was the Ikea (which I learned this year is pronounced “ee-kay-ah”) warehouse store on a Sunday. Thank the Gods they are opening a store in Wisconsin sometime in the future. This time we actually bought something: a hutch for the kitchen and an entertainment center for the master bedroom. We’ve even put the hutch together and are using it.
6. What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?
The list is growing longer:
-More money: either a better paying job or (preferably) a winning lottery ticket for a big jackpot
-a better governor and legislature, which hopefully will occur in 2018 now that the courts are saying no to gerrymandering because one can prove how bad it is
7. What dates from 2016 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
July 13, 2016: Celebrating 25 wonderful years of marriage to the World’s Greatest Husband.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
2106 was another year where my biggest achievements were surviving it and helping the World’s Greatest Husband survive, too.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not having the Mithril Party I wanted for our silver anniversary.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
In February, I caught a cold from the husband, who caught it from our son. The depression and anxiety has been rampant in Castle Curley, mainly affecting King Brian, but I’ve had my bouts, too. Especially in early November IYKWIM.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
I bought several items to help organize our house, and anything that I actually put into use (such as the kitchen hutch) is a good thing.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Samantha Bee, Conan O’Brien, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, and James Corden for their responses to the Orlando nightclub shooting.
Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton for their “When they go low, we go high.” responses to The Donald.
13. Whose behavior made you:
Appalled? Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House, and unfortunately from Wisconsin (District 1), for his cowardly response to the Firearm Safety Legislation Sit-in and his part in the 2016 presidential campaign.
Depressed? Every single person who fired a gun and killed or injured people with it for whatever stupid reason
Appalled and Depressed? Everyone who voted for The Donald for president, or who voted for anyone but Hillary Clinton, because now we’re going to have two-four years of a lot of damage to undo after that moron and the other repugnican’ts get out of office.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Paying bills (medical, water bill for leaky toilet, furnace repair, etc.), buying needed items like a new microwave (when I broke the old one) and a dehumidifier for the basement, and items to organize our house.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Our Mithril (Silver) Anniversary. I was hoping for a big party, but we settled for a very nice steak dinner.
16. What song will always remind you of 2016?
“Bruises” by Train
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Sadder
b) thinner or fatter? Fatter
c) richer or poorer? Poorer, and thanks to the elections, not going to be making more money anytime soon.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Writing my novel series.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Losing the lottery; playing games on my tablets.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Eve: With Prince Mekhi and the World’s Greatest Husband, then with the World’s Greatest In-Laws (mine!);
Day: With the World’s Greatest Husband (mine!) and our critters; We may go see a movie, but if we do, it won’t be Rogue One.
26th/my late mother’s birthday: Once again my brother Tom is on the ball about asking our siblings to get together in the Dells. Fran wants to go somewhere other than Moosejaw, and I agree. I only ask that we go somewhere that serves alcohol because it’s an evening with my siblings and their families. KnowwhatImean? Interestingly enough, they picked Monk’s, which I’ve been to locally and know that they serve copious amounts of alcohol.
21. With whom did you spend the most time on the phone?
I guess I could include texts on this one, so that would be Mekhi’s Bio-/Mom #1 Lisa. Early in the year when I drove her to a medical procedure, I referred to myself as “the closest thing she’s ever had to a sister.”
22. Did you fall in love in 2016?
Been in love with the same guy since 1989, and every day I love him more. Many days I truly am surprised that he still puts up with me. He still thinks he got the better end of the marriage deal; I know that I did. Seriously, that is one of the “fiercest arguments” in our marriage. ;} (I usually win when we compare in-laws because I definitely got the better deal there!)
Because of his severe depression and anxiety this year, Brian wondered why I was still with him. I honestly and sincerely reminded him of his being there for me during my tough times (loss of my parents, loss of my job and/or a job from hell, etc.) Plus, I love him so much that being there for him actually isn’t that difficult; I’m not going anywhere, and I will do all I can to help him feel better.
When one of my sisters-in-law was going through a tough time, she offered my brother the option of a divorce, which told me that she didn’t know as much as she thought she did about my brother and our family. We have fun with the good times; and when the hard times hit, as they will do, we build our bunkers around our loved ones and do our best to be there to care for them. That’s just the way our family always has been.
The hard part is knowing I can’t take away his pain or make him laugh as he does for me. One night, I actually made Brian smile when I said that I wished he had a spot on him like the white spot on our black cat Gleep, that we call her “sweetness button.” I said, I would press his “smile button” to make him happy and, well, smile.
23. How many one-night stands?
Because I am monogamous in my marriage, I only have one night stands in my dreams and with the strangest people/fictional characters (such as one of the instructors at my son’s dojo, who in real life is waaaay too skinny (and way too young) for my tastes). See #35 for further details.
24. What are your favorite TV program(s)?
Still love The Big Bang Theory as my current favorite, with the (about as believable but just as fun as a Bond film) Scorpion a close second. Now addicted to virtually all Marvel Cinematic Universe and Arrowverse TV shows. The DVR and the Netflix queue overfloweth, especially with episodes of Doctor Who.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Paul Ryan is a good start as he represents almost everything that is reprehensible about the modern Repugnican’t party. Also, every single person who voted for The Donald, and every single person who didn’t vote, or protest voted, and allowed The Donald to become our president-elect.
I no longer hate The Donald because he has done what I wish I could do: put a harsh magnifying glass in a sunbeam and show just how despicable the GOP has become. Now it is frying away after selling its soul to the extremists. I just wish that its demise was established on election day 2016. Now we have to wait another two to four years for it die.
26. What was the best book you read this year?
Staked by Kevin Hearne. It’s the eighth novel in his Iron Druid Chronicles, and I can’t wait for the ninth and final novel, especially because the two Irish wolfhounds are expecting puppies!
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
The World’s Greatest husband keeps expanding my musical repertoire. This year it was the band Train and their album California 37, referring to the highway of the same name.
28. What did you want and get?
Can’t think of anything. 2016 was a bad year all around, and not just for the inhabitants of Castle Curley.
29. What did you want and not get?
More income; Bernie Sanders, or at least Hillary Clinton for president.
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
I have a hard time choosing between Deadpool and Captain America: Civil War. Both based on Marvel Comics, but only the second one is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Deadpool is considered part of the X-Men film series. The former was freaking hilarious, but the latter was extremely good and unexpectedly surprising.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Brian was out-of-town with a group of friends from high school. I told him to go because my birthday wasn’t a hallmark one, and we could go out anytime. Plus, I planned on doing a crafts weekend at home. (I didn’t do any.) See my blog entry for the day. I turned 28 for the twentieth time.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Impeaching The Donald or The Wanker.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2016?
A colleague asked me if I had lost weight, to which I responded, “Nope, I just bought bigger clothes, but thank you for noticing.”
I also was measured again for a bra-fitting because I’ve gained so much weight. Now I’m a 44-46 DDD. Still need to buy more bras and other undergarments.
34. What kept you sane?
Brian asked me how I keep my spirits up, especially when I helped him deal with his depression and anxiety. I sent him “linkage” e-mails: stuff from I Can Haz Cheezburger and other like sites, to make him smile a little. I said to him, “This is why I’ve downloaded about half the Internet.” Plus, I’ve spent a lifetime dealing with these conditions way before my diagnoses and prognoses, so I have developed a lifetime of coping techniques.
Of course, our puppies and kitties help.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Still fancy Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker. Granted, he’s 36 years older than the first time I had a crush on him, but so am I. ;}
However, in August I had a dream that I was at a gaming convention, and as I was crisscrossing the various secret passage ways of the convention center and its hotels, I came across a skinny-dipping Jack Black. Before he climbed out of the pool, the landline rang and woke me up.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Voter rights, and electing Bernie Sanders and Russ Feingold. :(
37. Whom did you miss?
My late father (“Poppy”), my late Grandmother-in-Law Fleming, Elle Janet Plato (see #4).
38. Who was the best new person you met?
The only person I can think of is my son’s fifth-grade teacher, Ms. Wolter.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016:
“I’m sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It’s just been too intelligent to come here.” – Arthur C. Clarke
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
These bruises make for better conversation
Loses the vibe that separates
It’s good to let you in again
You’re not alone in how you’ve been
Everybody loses, everybody loses, everybody loses
We all got bruises, We all got bruises, We all got bruises.
(See #16 above.)
-----
First Blog Titles Month by Month 2016:
January: Which Blog? I’ve Lost Count
February: What can I do today to achieve my goals?
March: Movies, Geekdom, and Race
April: The Fish is in the Tree…
May: Another Fine Mother’s Day
June: A Preacher Walks into a Grocery Store...
July: The Drunken Smiley Face in the Sky
August: Framily
September: Catching Up: Birthday 2016
October: Corn Maze – Football Nap
November: Meme
December: Lori’s Year In Review: 2016
Blessed Be,
-Lori
“Communication technologies are necessary, but not sufficient, for us humans to get along with each other.” – Arthur C. Clarke
Showing posts with label tv. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tv. Show all posts
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Friday, September 23, 2016
Catching Up: Birthday 2016
Okay, so despite my new year’s resolution to write more in my blog and journal, I’ve only written eighteen blog entries and no handwritten journal entries. Not only that, I haven’t even finished the report on my goals annual review 2016, which I started on August 1. I must improve.
So today, I am “Catching Up” on entries, starting with my birthday this year. Jack Black and I both turned twenty-eight for the twentieth time (I stopped counting at 28 because it was my Golden Birthday). Brian, the World’s Greatest Husband (WGH) was out of town that weekend because his group of friends from Wausau (where they all graduated high school) went camping that weekend. Brian was concerned about how I would feel without him, and I told him I would be okay. After all, I’m only in my late forties – not like it’s a hallmark birthday or anything. Besides, one member of the group just died young (cancer), so I felt Brian needed to be with his friends that weekend.
I didn’t realize how much I would miss my husband. I had a list of things to do (as usual), and Friday, August 26, started off well with me dealing with the person who came to do the furnace tune-up, as well as me assembling a small storage unit that we bought for the kitchen. Unfortunately that night I couldn’t sleep without the WGH in bed with me (and the dogs). I tried reading, watching TV, etc. Nothing worked. Saturday I was so exhausted that I stayed in bed dozing on and off. Mercifully, Brian kept texting me to tell me that he missed me too, and that he loves me.
Brian even texted me shortly after midnight on Sunday, August 28, proper, to wish me a happy birthday. That was very nice. I also received a couple dozen e-mails and Facebook messages, even one from my Father-in-Law. Awesome! I felt very, very loved.
Mekhi's bio-mom made me a special angel food cake (my favorite) that she dropped off that day - it said "momma" on it in those candy letters. We didn't eat the whole thing, so I took it to work along with the cinnamon rolls I made from my mother's recipe.
Neither I nor Brian bought me a gift, but this past weekend we went to visit my wonderful in-laws, and they gave me a belated birthday card (and an early card for Brian, whose birthday is later this month), with some money in it. This weekend, I’m going to add to my Munchkin collection.
Money has been even tighter than usual, so Brian and I waited until the next pay period to go out for my birthday: Samba Brazilian Grill, which was so worth the $100 tab, but they don’t do doggie bags (it’s a buffet).
Pog ma thoin!
-Lori
“Hug too much. Smile too much. And, when you can, love.” – Neil Gaiman
So today, I am “Catching Up” on entries, starting with my birthday this year. Jack Black and I both turned twenty-eight for the twentieth time (I stopped counting at 28 because it was my Golden Birthday). Brian, the World’s Greatest Husband (WGH) was out of town that weekend because his group of friends from Wausau (where they all graduated high school) went camping that weekend. Brian was concerned about how I would feel without him, and I told him I would be okay. After all, I’m only in my late forties – not like it’s a hallmark birthday or anything. Besides, one member of the group just died young (cancer), so I felt Brian needed to be with his friends that weekend.
I didn’t realize how much I would miss my husband. I had a list of things to do (as usual), and Friday, August 26, started off well with me dealing with the person who came to do the furnace tune-up, as well as me assembling a small storage unit that we bought for the kitchen. Unfortunately that night I couldn’t sleep without the WGH in bed with me (and the dogs). I tried reading, watching TV, etc. Nothing worked. Saturday I was so exhausted that I stayed in bed dozing on and off. Mercifully, Brian kept texting me to tell me that he missed me too, and that he loves me.
Brian even texted me shortly after midnight on Sunday, August 28, proper, to wish me a happy birthday. That was very nice. I also received a couple dozen e-mails and Facebook messages, even one from my Father-in-Law. Awesome! I felt very, very loved.
Mekhi's bio-mom made me a special angel food cake (my favorite) that she dropped off that day - it said "momma" on it in those candy letters. We didn't eat the whole thing, so I took it to work along with the cinnamon rolls I made from my mother's recipe.
Neither I nor Brian bought me a gift, but this past weekend we went to visit my wonderful in-laws, and they gave me a belated birthday card (and an early card for Brian, whose birthday is later this month), with some money in it. This weekend, I’m going to add to my Munchkin collection.
Money has been even tighter than usual, so Brian and I waited until the next pay period to go out for my birthday: Samba Brazilian Grill, which was so worth the $100 tab, but they don’t do doggie bags (it’s a buffet).
Pog ma thoin!
-Lori
“Hug too much. Smile too much. And, when you can, love.” – Neil Gaiman
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
The Drunken Smiley Face in the Sky
Two more wonderful trips to Summerfest.
Opening Day
The World’s Greatest Husband (WGH) and I attended the opening day of Summerfest on Wednesday, July 29. We took off work early and had a great time, despite the Milwaukee County Transit System soaking us for both a parking fee AND a bus fare. Not good. We dipped into the last of our savings to have enough cash for the day, and shelling out $17 in travel expenses was a terrible way to start.
Fortunately, we had a wonderful time. After picking up a late lunch in the international food vendors section, we strolled down the lakeshore path until we reached the Tiki Hut, where less-established artists perform. We enjoyed Dan Rodriguez’s concert and bought his latest CD. For the uninitiated, Rodriguez’s song “When You Come Home” is featured in the Budweiser “Friends Are Waiting” Commercial (scroll down until you find the video link). He also has a beautiful rendition of “Stand By Me” (same page, a little higher). Rodriguez, as usual, sang his song “Duluth” with his wife (they wrote “Duluth” on their honeymoon; guess where they went?), and this year they included their four-month old son Oak.
Of course the food and drink are expensive; Summerfest is a closed venue and carry-ins are prohibited. I just buy a ($4.50) bottle of water, then refill it at the bubblers. As I was doing this, I noticed the young lady at the next bubbler struggling to get a drink while holding her long hair out of the way and talking on her cell phone all at the same time. Unfortunately, she failed her DEX roll.
As experienced Summerfest attendees, we know that the best way to insure a good seat for a 10:00 pm show is to be there by 4:00 pm and stay there, taking turns as needed for food/beverage/bathroom breaks. Plus, we don’t like to stand through the show as others do, and positioned ourselves at the top of a set of bleachers with an excellent and unobstructed view.
Because it is an outdoor venue, Summerfest allows smoking in most areas, including the amphitheater where we were seated. An extremely inebriated gent in front of me was behaving like an active chimney; something I couldn’t tolerate as an ex-smoker, so I whispered to him, “Could you please refrain from smoking, or go somewhere else to smoke? I’m breathing for two (with appropriate belly pat).” Worked like the proverbial charm. When the gent went to buy more beer, he didn’t return for quite some time; and when he did return, he admitted that he got lost. Yep, very drunk. His companions assured me he was not the designated driver. No, I’m not pregnant, but the drunk didn’t need to know that.
Two of the acts prior to the one we wanted to see were terrible. I know the singer is bad when even my tone-deaf ears start hurting, However a third group was so good that Brian already purchased one of their CDs. In between acts, while the roadies reset the stage, I took out my tablet to read my Kindle app. At 9:30 pm, Summerfest treated its guests to an incredible and lengthy (half-hour) fireworks show that included a few smiley faces meant to represent the Summerfest logo. One of them exploded upside-down, so we dubbed it “The Drunken Smiley Face in the Sky.”
Our chosen headliner for the evening was none other than “Weird Al” Yankovic. To celebrate our third wedding anniversary, Brian and I attended Yankovic’s concert at the Barrymore Theatre in Madison when he was on tour promoting his Alapalooza album. Twenty-two years later, Yankovic is on tour promoting Mandatory Fun. He opened the show by singing “Tacky” based on “Happy” by Pharrell, and for over an hour, Yankovic entertained us with many songs from his repertoire. At one point, Yankovic grabbed his accordion and said, “I’m sure I don’t have to ask this, but Milwaukee, are you ready to polka?!” The crowd went nuts; the polka is Wisconsin’s official state dance. Seriously. Yankovic not only played “Now That’s What I Call Polka!”, his chosen polka medley from Mandatory Fun, but the mega screen upstage played videos of the songs he covered. When I saw Miley Cyrus swinging from a “Wrecking Ball” onscreen, I laughed so loud, I was afraid of disturbing the drunken party seated in front of me. I couldn’t stop laughing as Yankovic also covered “Gangnam Style” by Psy, “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen, and “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams, among others.
The mega screen came in handy because Al and his band made several costume changes in between songs throughout the set. As they left the stage, clips were shown from The Weird Al Show, Al TV, and shows in which he appeared (such as The Simpsons) or was mentioned (How I Met Your Mother). Sometimes a video would segue into a song performance, as Al literally segwayed onto the stage to sing “White and Nerdy.”
Although I kept my vow to sing publicly only at sporting events (because even professional singers have trouble with “The Star Spangled Banner”) or in a house of worship (the Gods gave me this horrible singing voice, They should have put up with it), I did break the vow for Al’s encore: “The Saga Begins,” which combines three of my fandoms: “Weird Al,” Star Wars, and “American Pie.” Plus “Yoda.”
Good Karma, Perfect Day
On our way to Summerfest on Saturday, July 9th, we stopped at our favorite McDonald’s for some lunch. We were behind a car with two adorable dogs in the back and an Afghanistan War Veteran license plate. My habit is to thank veterans whenever I can, so I said to Brian that I wished we were ahead of the car so that we could pay for his lunch. Well, the veteran’s window was open, so Brian shouted to him that we would pay for his lunch. When the veteran approached the pay window, the cashier looked at us to confirm, which we of course did, and passed the veteran on. When the cashier asked why we were doing this, we pointed to the license plate, and he understood. So we started the day with perfect weather and very good karma.
We saved ourselves some money (and a lot of aggravation) by parking in a different lot and still riding the bus to Summerfest with a pre-paid fare. When we arrived, most of the stages hosted a battle of the bands from various School of Rock franchises across the nation. These kids were wicked-talented, singing songs from Guns N Roses, Led Zeppelin, and Stevie Wonder, among others.
Mercifully all of the groups we wanted to see that day performed at the BMO Harris Pavilion, which is no smoking due to its roof, so we camped there from about 3:30 pm on. I never heard of Sigmund Snopek, nor that he used to open for the Violent Femmes (go figure; both are from Milwaukee), but I loved his music, the way he encouraged the audience to sing (calling us the Wisconsin Tavernacle Choir), and the fact that he had a painter on stage creating art as he created art. Nice touch.
Howard Jones gave a brief but beautiful performance (with a keytar and other techno instruments that I couldn’t name). Then OMD played, including my favorite “If You Leave” from the Pretty In Pink soundtrack. I love me my 80s soundtracks, and I admit it: I sang along. Mercifully the guy sitting next to me (not my Brian, other side) was wearing earplugs. Throughout the evening, Mr. Earplugs watched a movie on his smartphone, and I looked it up at work this week from what little I saw: Resident Evil: Apocalypse starring the talented and beautiful Milla Jovovich.
Despite our fabulous bleacher seats behind and above the more formal theater seats, I noticed a very bad design flaw of the pavilion and its handicap accessible seats. We sat in a place where we always would be able to see the stage, even if the patrons in front of us stood. The accessible seats were the back row of the theater seats, and people using that row either had to stand or have no view. I noticed one young couple left, which is rather sad because the gentlemen, whose right leg ended at the knee, had the bearing of a veteran. I must remember to write Summerfest about this.
When the headliner Bare Naked Ladies took the stage, I noticed that the lead singer Ed Robertson seemed to change guitars (electric, acoustic, mandolin, and banjo) after every song. I don’t know why he needed so many stringed instruments, but I guess that’s just a musician thing. Again I broke my vow when they played many of their songs that I know so well: “If I Had $1,000,000,” “The Old Apartment”, and especially “History of Everything,” the theme song from my favorite sitcom The Big Bang Theory. For the encore, Robertson switched places with the drummer Tyler Stewart, who also is a talented front man, as well as looking extremely huggable (that means attractive in my parlance).
As we left Summerfest, casually walking along its lakeshore path because we were not in a hurry, Brian turned to me and said that the day was perfect (touch wood), and “happy anniversary.” No, we couldn’t afford a big party, but we did have a wonderful time together. I hugged him and honestly told him how much I love him.
The only bad thing that could have occurred at that point was if our car was towed from where we extra-legally parked it. However, we weren’t the only Summerfest attendees to do that, so they couldn’t tow us all. Finally at home, we crawled into bed and didn’t get up until an hour or so before hosting our regular RPG.
Next year (for Summerfest’s 50th anniversary), we want to take our friend Brian Stewart.
Pog ma thoin!
-Lori
Droz: “What’s this? You’re wearing the shirt of the band you’re going to see? Don’t be that guy!” – PCU written by Adam Leff and Zak Penn Brian and I saw a lot of people being ‘that guy.’
Opening Day
The World’s Greatest Husband (WGH) and I attended the opening day of Summerfest on Wednesday, July 29. We took off work early and had a great time, despite the Milwaukee County Transit System soaking us for both a parking fee AND a bus fare. Not good. We dipped into the last of our savings to have enough cash for the day, and shelling out $17 in travel expenses was a terrible way to start.
Fortunately, we had a wonderful time. After picking up a late lunch in the international food vendors section, we strolled down the lakeshore path until we reached the Tiki Hut, where less-established artists perform. We enjoyed Dan Rodriguez’s concert and bought his latest CD. For the uninitiated, Rodriguez’s song “When You Come Home” is featured in the Budweiser “Friends Are Waiting” Commercial (scroll down until you find the video link). He also has a beautiful rendition of “Stand By Me” (same page, a little higher). Rodriguez, as usual, sang his song “Duluth” with his wife (they wrote “Duluth” on their honeymoon; guess where they went?), and this year they included their four-month old son Oak.
Of course the food and drink are expensive; Summerfest is a closed venue and carry-ins are prohibited. I just buy a ($4.50) bottle of water, then refill it at the bubblers. As I was doing this, I noticed the young lady at the next bubbler struggling to get a drink while holding her long hair out of the way and talking on her cell phone all at the same time. Unfortunately, she failed her DEX roll.
As experienced Summerfest attendees, we know that the best way to insure a good seat for a 10:00 pm show is to be there by 4:00 pm and stay there, taking turns as needed for food/beverage/bathroom breaks. Plus, we don’t like to stand through the show as others do, and positioned ourselves at the top of a set of bleachers with an excellent and unobstructed view.
Because it is an outdoor venue, Summerfest allows smoking in most areas, including the amphitheater where we were seated. An extremely inebriated gent in front of me was behaving like an active chimney; something I couldn’t tolerate as an ex-smoker, so I whispered to him, “Could you please refrain from smoking, or go somewhere else to smoke? I’m breathing for two (with appropriate belly pat).” Worked like the proverbial charm. When the gent went to buy more beer, he didn’t return for quite some time; and when he did return, he admitted that he got lost. Yep, very drunk. His companions assured me he was not the designated driver. No, I’m not pregnant, but the drunk didn’t need to know that.
Two of the acts prior to the one we wanted to see were terrible. I know the singer is bad when even my tone-deaf ears start hurting, However a third group was so good that Brian already purchased one of their CDs. In between acts, while the roadies reset the stage, I took out my tablet to read my Kindle app. At 9:30 pm, Summerfest treated its guests to an incredible and lengthy (half-hour) fireworks show that included a few smiley faces meant to represent the Summerfest logo. One of them exploded upside-down, so we dubbed it “The Drunken Smiley Face in the Sky.”
Our chosen headliner for the evening was none other than “Weird Al” Yankovic. To celebrate our third wedding anniversary, Brian and I attended Yankovic’s concert at the Barrymore Theatre in Madison when he was on tour promoting his Alapalooza album. Twenty-two years later, Yankovic is on tour promoting Mandatory Fun. He opened the show by singing “Tacky” based on “Happy” by Pharrell, and for over an hour, Yankovic entertained us with many songs from his repertoire. At one point, Yankovic grabbed his accordion and said, “I’m sure I don’t have to ask this, but Milwaukee, are you ready to polka?!” The crowd went nuts; the polka is Wisconsin’s official state dance. Seriously. Yankovic not only played “Now That’s What I Call Polka!”, his chosen polka medley from Mandatory Fun, but the mega screen upstage played videos of the songs he covered. When I saw Miley Cyrus swinging from a “Wrecking Ball” onscreen, I laughed so loud, I was afraid of disturbing the drunken party seated in front of me. I couldn’t stop laughing as Yankovic also covered “Gangnam Style” by Psy, “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen, and “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams, among others.
The mega screen came in handy because Al and his band made several costume changes in between songs throughout the set. As they left the stage, clips were shown from The Weird Al Show, Al TV, and shows in which he appeared (such as The Simpsons) or was mentioned (How I Met Your Mother). Sometimes a video would segue into a song performance, as Al literally segwayed onto the stage to sing “White and Nerdy.”
Although I kept my vow to sing publicly only at sporting events (because even professional singers have trouble with “The Star Spangled Banner”) or in a house of worship (the Gods gave me this horrible singing voice, They should have put up with it), I did break the vow for Al’s encore: “The Saga Begins,” which combines three of my fandoms: “Weird Al,” Star Wars, and “American Pie.” Plus “Yoda.”
Good Karma, Perfect Day
On our way to Summerfest on Saturday, July 9th, we stopped at our favorite McDonald’s for some lunch. We were behind a car with two adorable dogs in the back and an Afghanistan War Veteran license plate. My habit is to thank veterans whenever I can, so I said to Brian that I wished we were ahead of the car so that we could pay for his lunch. Well, the veteran’s window was open, so Brian shouted to him that we would pay for his lunch. When the veteran approached the pay window, the cashier looked at us to confirm, which we of course did, and passed the veteran on. When the cashier asked why we were doing this, we pointed to the license plate, and he understood. So we started the day with perfect weather and very good karma.
We saved ourselves some money (and a lot of aggravation) by parking in a different lot and still riding the bus to Summerfest with a pre-paid fare. When we arrived, most of the stages hosted a battle of the bands from various School of Rock franchises across the nation. These kids were wicked-talented, singing songs from Guns N Roses, Led Zeppelin, and Stevie Wonder, among others.
Mercifully all of the groups we wanted to see that day performed at the BMO Harris Pavilion, which is no smoking due to its roof, so we camped there from about 3:30 pm on. I never heard of Sigmund Snopek, nor that he used to open for the Violent Femmes (go figure; both are from Milwaukee), but I loved his music, the way he encouraged the audience to sing (calling us the Wisconsin Tavernacle Choir), and the fact that he had a painter on stage creating art as he created art. Nice touch.
Howard Jones gave a brief but beautiful performance (with a keytar and other techno instruments that I couldn’t name). Then OMD played, including my favorite “If You Leave” from the Pretty In Pink soundtrack. I love me my 80s soundtracks, and I admit it: I sang along. Mercifully the guy sitting next to me (not my Brian, other side) was wearing earplugs. Throughout the evening, Mr. Earplugs watched a movie on his smartphone, and I looked it up at work this week from what little I saw: Resident Evil: Apocalypse starring the talented and beautiful Milla Jovovich.
Despite our fabulous bleacher seats behind and above the more formal theater seats, I noticed a very bad design flaw of the pavilion and its handicap accessible seats. We sat in a place where we always would be able to see the stage, even if the patrons in front of us stood. The accessible seats were the back row of the theater seats, and people using that row either had to stand or have no view. I noticed one young couple left, which is rather sad because the gentlemen, whose right leg ended at the knee, had the bearing of a veteran. I must remember to write Summerfest about this.
When the headliner Bare Naked Ladies took the stage, I noticed that the lead singer Ed Robertson seemed to change guitars (electric, acoustic, mandolin, and banjo) after every song. I don’t know why he needed so many stringed instruments, but I guess that’s just a musician thing. Again I broke my vow when they played many of their songs that I know so well: “If I Had $1,000,000,” “The Old Apartment”, and especially “History of Everything,” the theme song from my favorite sitcom The Big Bang Theory. For the encore, Robertson switched places with the drummer Tyler Stewart, who also is a talented front man, as well as looking extremely huggable (that means attractive in my parlance).
As we left Summerfest, casually walking along its lakeshore path because we were not in a hurry, Brian turned to me and said that the day was perfect (touch wood), and “happy anniversary.” No, we couldn’t afford a big party, but we did have a wonderful time together. I hugged him and honestly told him how much I love him.
The only bad thing that could have occurred at that point was if our car was towed from where we extra-legally parked it. However, we weren’t the only Summerfest attendees to do that, so they couldn’t tow us all. Finally at home, we crawled into bed and didn’t get up until an hour or so before hosting our regular RPG.
Next year (for Summerfest’s 50th anniversary), we want to take our friend Brian Stewart.
Pog ma thoin!
-Lori
Droz: “What’s this? You’re wearing the shirt of the band you’re going to see? Don’t be that guy!” – PCU written by Adam Leff and Zak Penn Brian and I saw a lot of people being ‘that guy.’
Monday, April 18, 2016
The Fish is in the Tree…
…along with the snowman.
I have been a fan of Highlights magazine ever since I was a child. Who hasn’t leafed through the magazine while in the waiting room of a doctor’s office? I especially love the Hidden Pictures, but I hate it when someone already has found them and marked them. We’ve subscribed Mekhi to Highlights for about two years now, as well as their Hidden Pictures series of puzzle magazines. Since then I have purchased not only their Hidden Pictures book for adults (and found all the pictures in a weekend), but their mobile apps as well. Brian, the World’s Greatest Husband (WGH), teases me about playing the games over and over again, but I admit that I’m still a kid at heart.
Mother Nature: the best artist, and the best practical joker
I’ve blogged about the weird Wisconsin weather before. March went out like a lamb because it went in like a lion. Mother Nature gave us Midwesterners a great April Fool’s Day prank: April 1st was beautiful; the rest of the month, not so much. We had a mild winter, and Mother Nature seemed to be making up for that by giving Wisconsin snow. In April. That’s not what I think of when I hear April Showers. At least it’s beautiful now. We hope to take the dogs to the bark park soon.
Odyssey Con
Earlier this month, Brian and I attended Odyssey Con (OC). We’re no longer on the ConCom, so we went only for Saturday (but we paid for the weekend to contribute to the cause). The most interesting thing I saw were three t-shirts:
1. “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for” with #5, a Cylon (1978), Marvin (2005 Disney Movie version), Robby, Data, and Rosie in a police line-up.
2. “Free throat hugs.” with a closed-fist Darth Vader
3. “Science: one accident away from being a supervillain.”
Yep, these are my kind of people.
The best news out of OC, other than they are still in existence after a mass defection from the ConCom last year, is that the President of the Odyssey Con Society, Inc. is getting married! Yes! This is the man who is the doppelgänger of Adam Savage, although with a much weirder voice, and who has been retired for many, many years. He is calling his wedding a May-December match, and he’s the one with the birthday in May. :)
New Game Campaign
We started our Icons campaign a couple of weeks ago. Our friend Brian Stewart, who is notoriously later than I am, actually arrived one minute early. Then we spent the next two hours sitting around while he completed his character. For the record: we all completed our characters over a month ago. I’m playing a Senegalese Wizard. While we waited, the conversation turned to music, and I wound up playing Eric Cartman’s version of Styx’s “Come Sail Away.” As much as I like South Park, especially the funniest epilepsy joke I ever heard on television (“Kenny, please turn off the blinking lights; they offend epileptics.”), their abhorrent cover of one of my favorite songs ever is something that I can never forgive.
My husband was glad to be a GM again, but he was annoyed at all the table chatter. That’s just part of the game, and he knows it.
Sometimes when the game room (gamers don’t have formal dining rooms) is not in use, we’ll see our cat Crown Prince Harry in the GM chair. Brian says Harry is running his own game: Critter Avengers.
More from the WGH
Last fall, I ordered the Red Zone Channel (RZC) from DirecTV because the WGH likes watching the highlights from all the football games being played. Even though the RZC did all the channel surfing for him, Brian still had the remote control in his hand the entire first day watching. When the Pro Bowl was played, Brian and I both had the same sentiment, “Who cares?”
I really need to add some new definitions to the Urban Dictionary (UD) based on Brian’s suggestions:
Spin Time – waiting for the hourglass on the computer to stop spinning and finish the program it’s running.
Spin Lock – when the hourglass never stops spinning or locks in the spin position.
Although UD does have an intriguing definition for the latter, it’s something completely different. And Canadian.
On April Fool’s Day, the Intranet at the Day Job was down. My Colleague C. had an excellent description of the problem, “The network is [effed].” My husband also suggested another term: roached, but that also has some intriguing definitions in the UD.
Pog ma thoin!
-Lori
“We need to clean out under the bed; we’re running out of forks.” – Brian the WGH
I have been a fan of Highlights magazine ever since I was a child. Who hasn’t leafed through the magazine while in the waiting room of a doctor’s office? I especially love the Hidden Pictures, but I hate it when someone already has found them and marked them. We’ve subscribed Mekhi to Highlights for about two years now, as well as their Hidden Pictures series of puzzle magazines. Since then I have purchased not only their Hidden Pictures book for adults (and found all the pictures in a weekend), but their mobile apps as well. Brian, the World’s Greatest Husband (WGH), teases me about playing the games over and over again, but I admit that I’m still a kid at heart.
Mother Nature: the best artist, and the best practical joker
I’ve blogged about the weird Wisconsin weather before. March went out like a lamb because it went in like a lion. Mother Nature gave us Midwesterners a great April Fool’s Day prank: April 1st was beautiful; the rest of the month, not so much. We had a mild winter, and Mother Nature seemed to be making up for that by giving Wisconsin snow. In April. That’s not what I think of when I hear April Showers. At least it’s beautiful now. We hope to take the dogs to the bark park soon.
Odyssey Con
Earlier this month, Brian and I attended Odyssey Con (OC). We’re no longer on the ConCom, so we went only for Saturday (but we paid for the weekend to contribute to the cause). The most interesting thing I saw were three t-shirts:
1. “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for” with #5, a Cylon (1978), Marvin (2005 Disney Movie version), Robby, Data, and Rosie in a police line-up.
2. “Free throat hugs.” with a closed-fist Darth Vader
3. “Science: one accident away from being a supervillain.”
Yep, these are my kind of people.
The best news out of OC, other than they are still in existence after a mass defection from the ConCom last year, is that the President of the Odyssey Con Society, Inc. is getting married! Yes! This is the man who is the doppelgänger of Adam Savage, although with a much weirder voice, and who has been retired for many, many years. He is calling his wedding a May-December match, and he’s the one with the birthday in May. :)
New Game Campaign
We started our Icons campaign a couple of weeks ago. Our friend Brian Stewart, who is notoriously later than I am, actually arrived one minute early. Then we spent the next two hours sitting around while he completed his character. For the record: we all completed our characters over a month ago. I’m playing a Senegalese Wizard. While we waited, the conversation turned to music, and I wound up playing Eric Cartman’s version of Styx’s “Come Sail Away.” As much as I like South Park, especially the funniest epilepsy joke I ever heard on television (“Kenny, please turn off the blinking lights; they offend epileptics.”), their abhorrent cover of one of my favorite songs ever is something that I can never forgive.
My husband was glad to be a GM again, but he was annoyed at all the table chatter. That’s just part of the game, and he knows it.
Sometimes when the game room (gamers don’t have formal dining rooms) is not in use, we’ll see our cat Crown Prince Harry in the GM chair. Brian says Harry is running his own game: Critter Avengers.
More from the WGH
Last fall, I ordered the Red Zone Channel (RZC) from DirecTV because the WGH likes watching the highlights from all the football games being played. Even though the RZC did all the channel surfing for him, Brian still had the remote control in his hand the entire first day watching. When the Pro Bowl was played, Brian and I both had the same sentiment, “Who cares?”
I really need to add some new definitions to the Urban Dictionary (UD) based on Brian’s suggestions:
Spin Time – waiting for the hourglass on the computer to stop spinning and finish the program it’s running.
Spin Lock – when the hourglass never stops spinning or locks in the spin position.
Although UD does have an intriguing definition for the latter, it’s something completely different. And Canadian.
On April Fool’s Day, the Intranet at the Day Job was down. My Colleague C. had an excellent description of the problem, “The network is [effed].” My husband also suggested another term: roached, but that also has some intriguing definitions in the UD.
Pog ma thoin!
-Lori
“We need to clean out under the bed; we’re running out of forks.” – Brian the WGH
Friday, March 11, 2016
Plattecon
Because the WGH and I met at UW-Platteville, from where he actually graduated, and he was a founding member of the Platteville Gaming Association (PGA); we go back to Platteville almost every year for Plattecon (remember: gaming conventions typically are named for their location, e.g. Gen Con originated in Lake Geneva, WI).
Ullsvik Hall, which was the student center back in our day (the 1980s), is not a good place for Plattecon IMHO because it typically does not have food service, nor a place to relax and plug in a laptop. The Markee Pioneer Student Center (MPSC) has such amenities, but from what the PGA tell me, the MPSC is more expensive and difficult to schedule. Thus, Friday I went shopping to our local Costco for foodstuffs we could take with us.
Mountain Dew is the drink of geeks, but because the WGH has diabetes II, I purchased Diet Mountain Dew and G2. The WGH also wanted beef jerky, hummus, and celery; and I wanted chocolate. The large container of Jelly Bellies was a pure impulse buy, but the only chips I purchased were veggie straws. Costco has an amazingly good and portable veggie tray, and I knew the WGH would love the fresh grapes. Because the WGH had to work, I packed everything except his duffle bag of clothes, then loaded everything (including said duffle) into the car.
Brian was tired from being up so early and working all day, and despite my good intentions, I napped, so I was awake enough to drive. Unfortunately, it started snowing, and even though I’ve made great progress since our first married Thanksgiving (long story short: Brian tried giving me a driving lesson, then it started snowing), we switched seats about halfway to P-ville.
Upon arrival and the expedient check-in system (the PGA are geeks who are good with technology), I noticed that their security/helpful staff contingent all wore hats identifying them as ‘Brute Squad.’ Nice. We immediately found our friends Brian (BAS) and Walter Stewart (brothers). I was surprised that BAS already was there as he normally runs later than I do. We spent a few minutes reading the program for the weekend, and the WGH commented on the great and life-like mini someone had: a baby. The baby wore a onesie that her mom made with the itty bitty’s D&D stats: STR: 6, DEX: 3, CON: 4, INT 4, WIS: 3, CHA: 20. Mom told me the next day the little girl would wear a onesie with the graphic, “Hello, my name is Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All.” I told the little one that she had a bright future ahead of her; geek parents are a lot of fun.
We brought games to play, and the WGH wanted to play Trailer Park Boys Supply and Command card game. I didn’t want to play, having never been a fan of the TV show, but the game required four players, so I acquiesced. Good thing, too. It was a fun variant on Dilbert’s Corporate Shuffle, and one didn’t need to know the show to play the game. Similar to The Walking Dead Board Game and its source material.
The Stewart Brothers and I frustrated the WGH by deciding upon dinner plans, then changing them again, and again. Finally we opted for a local Mexican restaurant that was showing the NBA on two TVs and WWE on the third. Walt astutely compared to professional wrestling to the performance of gymnastics.
Although Walt has a spacious spare bedroom, the bed in it is full-sized, not king like our bed at home. We didn’t have our puppies with us, so that made falling and staying asleep even harder. The only good side was that the WGH and I had several good snuggle sessions without a fur-bearing critter sandwiched between us.
Saturday morning we woke at our leisure and ate the delicious pumpkin muffins Walt baked for his guests. Back at the convention’s open gaming area, we snagged a table, and I set up the food and drink purchased the day before. I brought two games: Munchkin Quest, a board game variant of the ever-expanding card game, and Castles of Mad King Ludwig along with its supplement The Secrets. Steve, a longtime convention-friend joined us, so we had to play the former as the latter is a four-person game only. Unfortunately Munchkin Quest is IMHO more complex than needed, and it took too long to learn and play well. The WGH was bored, and because of the mechanics of the game, BAS said at one point, “I guess I’ll fight myself.” The ‘highlight’ of the game was when I gave the Shrieking Geek monster a mate. We stopped at 2:00 so I could join a Star Wars Trivial Pursuit game.
The lady running said game (GM) didn’t realize she had a sign-up sheet at the check-in table, so she already started before I arrived. No problem; it’s just a game. The GM also had house rules: 1. After going to the circle part of the board, your pawn always must go clockwise, and no moving back up the spokes. 2. Answer as many questions as you can from the same card before discarding it. 3. Pie pieces are awarded only on their specific squares. 4. If you have a pie piece of the color pie piece square you landed on, you may request a color that you don’t have and earn it with a correct answer. 5. The winner of the game is the first person who earns all six pie pieces.
The GM also seemed a bit OCD because she kept moving everyone’s pawn and trying to remember who was supposed to ask questions. I smiled because I know what it’s like to have such personality quirks/mental health issues. Two of the other gamers were a father and daughter duo. The daughter was a student at UW-P, and the father was a former colleague of mine that I referred to as “The Narc” when I worked in the hell that was DSPS. (Guess why.) Because I never saw the front of his badge, I couldn’t recall his real name, and it didn’t really matter. During the game he mentioned his dog Karma, and if the dog was being naughty he’d say, “Bad, Karma!” Groan.
Less than a half-hour into the game, and with many super easy (and a few super hard) questions asked of me, I finally had all six pie pieces to win the game. I guess my starting late gave everyone else a sporting chance. I also mentioned that I won a game of Star Wars Trivial Pursuit while waiting in line for a midnight showing of The Phantom Menace. My geek street cred still is solid!
When I returned to the open gaming area, I learned that BAS channeled me in the extreme by accidently dumping the veggie tray. Mercifully he cleaned it all up. Hey, one less thing to take home, so no problem. We still had candy, veggie straws, and grapes.
Steve brought his copy of Cards Against Humanity (CAH), which as usual drew an extra player named Evan. This is why I love gaming conventions and their open gaming areas: you start a game, and anyone interested can join. It’s a ton of fun meeting new people, especially sick and twisted people like us. I was in a particular sick mood with my cards. When the WGH was judge, he drew the card, “What gets me laid?” I had a choice between ‘grave robbing’ and ‘children on leashes’. I asked Walt how gross should I be. He reminded me that it’s CAH and the sicker the better, so I played the leash card. I don’t think I won that hand, though. What I did win was when BAS pulled a two-fer card: “For my next trick, I’ll pull (blank) out of my (blank).” I played ‘coat hanger abortions’ and ‘my vagina’. Very sick; the WGH made me take a picture of the cards. Steve won the game, though.
Later while waiting for our friends to finish their all-day game of Civilization, I checked out artists alley and the silent auction. I didn’t see anything at the latter, but the former had an artist who made geek crafts out of fusible plastic beads and magnets. I chose a blue lightsaber and a potion bottle from the original Legend of Zelda game and will add them to my geek collection in myprison cell cubicle at work.
I also checked out the vendors area and encouraged the WGH to buy something for GMs Day. Our friends Lynn and her ex were running a booth selling clothes, and the company that supplies her wares does make things in ‘hefty.’ Lynn is volunteering for Odyssey Con this year, and I told her we purchased our weekend passes to support the cause.
The WGH was surprised to see that I went to a specific table, picked up several items, and put them in a zippered baggie from the stash I brought. I can’t think of the name of the group, but they encourage board game creation and provided plenty of blank supplies. I explained to the WGH that I read about it in the program, and that I hope to create games based on my Hirapis series of novels (as soon as I write them).
While we continued to wait (Civilization officially is listed as a 3-12 hour game), we rambled the way only gamers can. BAS said he would like to create a wizard named Zoloft because he thinks it would be a kewl name. Someone else suggested a parody or adult board game called ‘Revenge of the Stiffs.’ During a routine check of the Civilization game, our friend Ted and I compared pix of our kids.
Finally the game was done and we headed to Steve’s Pizza, which was very crowded, but they have increased their dining room with space on the second floor of their building. We ordered two extra-large pizzas on thin crust, and the carnivore was served within reason. Unfortunately, they gave our Greek to another table, making us wait an interminably long time. While we waited, I tried to keep the conversation going, but I felt like Mrs. Peacock from the movie Clue, with about as much success. Our discussion included other (and lewd) definitions of things Greek and Roman. (Just go to the Urban Dictionary if you want/need to know more.) When we received the check, I asked to see the manager because we weren’t going to pay for that second pizza. Our server briefed the manager before he arrived, and before I said anything he said he was having the server take that ‘za off the bill. Good.
We’re geeks, though; so the server still received a good tip. The mix-up wasn’t her fault, and she was very frank and honest and apologetic during our wait.
Sunday morning, the WGH and I decided to forgo the breakfast buffet tradition and headed for home. The dogs were happy to see us; the cats acknowledged that we returned and could we please fill the food dish because they could almost see the bottom – almost. Finally we all were back in our king-sized bed for a glorious post-convention nap.
Pog ma thoin!
-Lori
“What’s the difference between a hippo and a zippo? One is very heavy, the other is a little lighter.” – Facebook Meme the WGH read during our trip
Ullsvik Hall, which was the student center back in our day (the 1980s), is not a good place for Plattecon IMHO because it typically does not have food service, nor a place to relax and plug in a laptop. The Markee Pioneer Student Center (MPSC) has such amenities, but from what the PGA tell me, the MPSC is more expensive and difficult to schedule. Thus, Friday I went shopping to our local Costco for foodstuffs we could take with us.
Mountain Dew is the drink of geeks, but because the WGH has diabetes II, I purchased Diet Mountain Dew and G2. The WGH also wanted beef jerky, hummus, and celery; and I wanted chocolate. The large container of Jelly Bellies was a pure impulse buy, but the only chips I purchased were veggie straws. Costco has an amazingly good and portable veggie tray, and I knew the WGH would love the fresh grapes. Because the WGH had to work, I packed everything except his duffle bag of clothes, then loaded everything (including said duffle) into the car.
Brian was tired from being up so early and working all day, and despite my good intentions, I napped, so I was awake enough to drive. Unfortunately, it started snowing, and even though I’ve made great progress since our first married Thanksgiving (long story short: Brian tried giving me a driving lesson, then it started snowing), we switched seats about halfway to P-ville.
Upon arrival and the expedient check-in system (the PGA are geeks who are good with technology), I noticed that their security/helpful staff contingent all wore hats identifying them as ‘Brute Squad.’ Nice. We immediately found our friends Brian (BAS) and Walter Stewart (brothers). I was surprised that BAS already was there as he normally runs later than I do. We spent a few minutes reading the program for the weekend, and the WGH commented on the great and life-like mini someone had: a baby. The baby wore a onesie that her mom made with the itty bitty’s D&D stats: STR: 6, DEX: 3, CON: 4, INT 4, WIS: 3, CHA: 20. Mom told me the next day the little girl would wear a onesie with the graphic, “Hello, my name is Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All.” I told the little one that she had a bright future ahead of her; geek parents are a lot of fun.
We brought games to play, and the WGH wanted to play Trailer Park Boys Supply and Command card game. I didn’t want to play, having never been a fan of the TV show, but the game required four players, so I acquiesced. Good thing, too. It was a fun variant on Dilbert’s Corporate Shuffle, and one didn’t need to know the show to play the game. Similar to The Walking Dead Board Game and its source material.
The Stewart Brothers and I frustrated the WGH by deciding upon dinner plans, then changing them again, and again. Finally we opted for a local Mexican restaurant that was showing the NBA on two TVs and WWE on the third. Walt astutely compared to professional wrestling to the performance of gymnastics.
Although Walt has a spacious spare bedroom, the bed in it is full-sized, not king like our bed at home. We didn’t have our puppies with us, so that made falling and staying asleep even harder. The only good side was that the WGH and I had several good snuggle sessions without a fur-bearing critter sandwiched between us.
Saturday morning we woke at our leisure and ate the delicious pumpkin muffins Walt baked for his guests. Back at the convention’s open gaming area, we snagged a table, and I set up the food and drink purchased the day before. I brought two games: Munchkin Quest, a board game variant of the ever-expanding card game, and Castles of Mad King Ludwig along with its supplement The Secrets. Steve, a longtime convention-friend joined us, so we had to play the former as the latter is a four-person game only. Unfortunately Munchkin Quest is IMHO more complex than needed, and it took too long to learn and play well. The WGH was bored, and because of the mechanics of the game, BAS said at one point, “I guess I’ll fight myself.” The ‘highlight’ of the game was when I gave the Shrieking Geek monster a mate. We stopped at 2:00 so I could join a Star Wars Trivial Pursuit game.
The lady running said game (GM) didn’t realize she had a sign-up sheet at the check-in table, so she already started before I arrived. No problem; it’s just a game. The GM also had house rules: 1. After going to the circle part of the board, your pawn always must go clockwise, and no moving back up the spokes. 2. Answer as many questions as you can from the same card before discarding it. 3. Pie pieces are awarded only on their specific squares. 4. If you have a pie piece of the color pie piece square you landed on, you may request a color that you don’t have and earn it with a correct answer. 5. The winner of the game is the first person who earns all six pie pieces.
The GM also seemed a bit OCD because she kept moving everyone’s pawn and trying to remember who was supposed to ask questions. I smiled because I know what it’s like to have such personality quirks/mental health issues. Two of the other gamers were a father and daughter duo. The daughter was a student at UW-P, and the father was a former colleague of mine that I referred to as “The Narc” when I worked in the hell that was DSPS. (Guess why.) Because I never saw the front of his badge, I couldn’t recall his real name, and it didn’t really matter. During the game he mentioned his dog Karma, and if the dog was being naughty he’d say, “Bad, Karma!” Groan.
Less than a half-hour into the game, and with many super easy (and a few super hard) questions asked of me, I finally had all six pie pieces to win the game. I guess my starting late gave everyone else a sporting chance. I also mentioned that I won a game of Star Wars Trivial Pursuit while waiting in line for a midnight showing of The Phantom Menace. My geek street cred still is solid!
When I returned to the open gaming area, I learned that BAS channeled me in the extreme by accidently dumping the veggie tray. Mercifully he cleaned it all up. Hey, one less thing to take home, so no problem. We still had candy, veggie straws, and grapes.
Steve brought his copy of Cards Against Humanity (CAH), which as usual drew an extra player named Evan. This is why I love gaming conventions and their open gaming areas: you start a game, and anyone interested can join. It’s a ton of fun meeting new people, especially sick and twisted people like us. I was in a particular sick mood with my cards. When the WGH was judge, he drew the card, “What gets me laid?” I had a choice between ‘grave robbing’ and ‘children on leashes’. I asked Walt how gross should I be. He reminded me that it’s CAH and the sicker the better, so I played the leash card. I don’t think I won that hand, though. What I did win was when BAS pulled a two-fer card: “For my next trick, I’ll pull (blank) out of my (blank).” I played ‘coat hanger abortions’ and ‘my vagina’. Very sick; the WGH made me take a picture of the cards. Steve won the game, though.
Later while waiting for our friends to finish their all-day game of Civilization, I checked out artists alley and the silent auction. I didn’t see anything at the latter, but the former had an artist who made geek crafts out of fusible plastic beads and magnets. I chose a blue lightsaber and a potion bottle from the original Legend of Zelda game and will add them to my geek collection in my
I also checked out the vendors area and encouraged the WGH to buy something for GMs Day. Our friends Lynn and her ex were running a booth selling clothes, and the company that supplies her wares does make things in ‘hefty.’ Lynn is volunteering for Odyssey Con this year, and I told her we purchased our weekend passes to support the cause.
The WGH was surprised to see that I went to a specific table, picked up several items, and put them in a zippered baggie from the stash I brought. I can’t think of the name of the group, but they encourage board game creation and provided plenty of blank supplies. I explained to the WGH that I read about it in the program, and that I hope to create games based on my Hirapis series of novels (as soon as I write them).
While we continued to wait (Civilization officially is listed as a 3-12 hour game), we rambled the way only gamers can. BAS said he would like to create a wizard named Zoloft because he thinks it would be a kewl name. Someone else suggested a parody or adult board game called ‘Revenge of the Stiffs.’ During a routine check of the Civilization game, our friend Ted and I compared pix of our kids.
Finally the game was done and we headed to Steve’s Pizza, which was very crowded, but they have increased their dining room with space on the second floor of their building. We ordered two extra-large pizzas on thin crust, and the carnivore was served within reason. Unfortunately, they gave our Greek to another table, making us wait an interminably long time. While we waited, I tried to keep the conversation going, but I felt like Mrs. Peacock from the movie Clue, with about as much success. Our discussion included other (and lewd) definitions of things Greek and Roman. (Just go to the Urban Dictionary if you want/need to know more.) When we received the check, I asked to see the manager because we weren’t going to pay for that second pizza. Our server briefed the manager before he arrived, and before I said anything he said he was having the server take that ‘za off the bill. Good.
We’re geeks, though; so the server still received a good tip. The mix-up wasn’t her fault, and she was very frank and honest and apologetic during our wait.
Sunday morning, the WGH and I decided to forgo the breakfast buffet tradition and headed for home. The dogs were happy to see us; the cats acknowledged that we returned and could we please fill the food dish because they could almost see the bottom – almost. Finally we all were back in our king-sized bed for a glorious post-convention nap.
Pog ma thoin!
-Lori
“What’s the difference between a hippo and a zippo? One is very heavy, the other is a little lighter.” – Facebook Meme the WGH read during our trip
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Movies, Geekdom, and Race
…yes, with an Oxford Comma (thank you, Weird Al)
Deadpool
Brian (the World’s Greatest Husband) and I rarely go to a theater to see movies because 1. they’re expensive; 2. not a lot we want to see; 3. we’re getting old, so staying out late is harder; and 4. a lot is available in alternate formats: Netflix, Amazon Video, DVD, Blu-ray, etc.
Being geeks on multiple levels, we thoroughly have enjoyed the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) offerings. We’ve seen almost all the films to date, and we DVR or subscribe to the various television series (in addition to the DC Comics TV series). We have a lot of TV to watch.
So last Friday we took a mental health day (We both suffer from anxiety and depression, and we work for the State of Wisconsin; need I say more?), and after a blissful day of desperately-needed sleep, we went to see Deadpool, which despite being based on a Marvel comic, is not part of the MCU.
Janet, from our gaming group, had seen the movie and highly recommended it because the eponymous character’s hilarious sarcasm, foul language, and breaking the fourth wall are so much like her own personality. Ryan Reynolds, who is trying the Marvel Universe after his unsuccessful foray into the DC Universe, was spot-on in his portrayal, and the self-referential Easter Eggs were wonderfully abundant.
Deadpool gives plenty of eye-candy for all with plenty of shots of Reynolds’ naked bod and bum, as well as the beautiful body of the talented Morena Baccarin – well known to geeks from her days aboard Serenity, as well as her role on Gotham, based on the Batman DC Comics. Stan Lee also makes his traditional cameo. The real scene-stealer is Leslie Uggams, notable mostly for her role as Kizzy from the phenomenal TV series Roots, who plays Blind Al and perfectly matches the sarcasm and wit of the titular character.
Trust me, if you have an ounce of comic book geekdom, you’ll want to see this movie.
Race
Sunday night was the 88th Oscars Ceremony, mercifully hosted by Chris Rock. I say mercifully because of the criticism regarding the lack of diversity in the nominees of the major Oscar categories. While watching Rock’s opening monologue, I wondered if he had been hired before or after the nominees were announced because his opening monologue dealt as beautifully with the race controversy as Billy Crystal’s solo opening sequence for Oscar 62 made up for the terrible opening number from Oscar 61 (FTR: Rock was hired before the nominees were announced.).
Starting with Rock’s opening monologue, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS or just the “Academy”) seemed to take a mea culpa attitude with a humorous bent; as in, Yes, we need more awards going to African-American actors, and we are addressing that issue; but for now, let’s enjoy a good show. Plus, the “Black History Month Minute: Oscars Edition” was beyond funny on so many levels.
Of course, the African-American community wasn’t the only one complaining; Latinos, Asian-Americans, Native Americans, and other under-represented populations also bemoaned their lack of representation. What all these demographics forget, and Chris Rock did a beautiful job reminding them, is that the problem isn’t with the Academy; it’s with the movie industry. Rock’s opening monologue included a story about a Hollywood fundraiser he attended, which included a grip and grin with President Obama. Rock said, “I’m like, ‘Mr. President, you see all these writers and producers and actors? They don’t hire black people, and they’re the nicest, white people on earth! They’re liberals! Cheese!’”
I agree with Rock that Hollywood is racist and needs to look outside its stereotypes and clichés. A shining example of the way things ought to be is George Romero and the lead actor he chose for Night of the Living Dead: Duane Jones, who was a theater thespian and acting professor. When Romero hired Jones, and mind you this was 1968, the director said Jones “simply gave the best audition.” One would think that Hollywood would be more enlightened in the third millennium, but this is the community so out of fresh ideas that even Spielberg is doing remakes.
Rock said, “We want black actors to get the same opportunities as white actors.” He and Hollywood need to include other under-represented populations: those with dwarfism, actresses who are older and/or larger than the Hollywood stereotype, people with varying abilities physically and cognitively, etc.; as well as people of different ethnicities, including African-Americans.
As an aside note, I have one issue with the term African-American: I know of an actress who was born in South Africa, faced hardships there, then eventually immigrated to the US with her mother to start a new life. The woman now has dual citizenship, thus being truly “African-American,” but cannot state that as her ethnicity because of the color of her skin. The actress is Charlize Theron.
While I was watching the show, my son Mekhi (who is African-American by skin color, as well as ethnicity) came downstairs and asked for a bedtime snack. After telling him that a popsicle is not suitable for bedtime (I allowed cheese and pretzels), I told him about the Oscars and all that I’ve mentioned in this blog – including the Night of the Living Dead story. He agreed that is the way it ought to be. He’s studying the Civil Rights Movement in school, and I think the story of the Oscars would be an excellent lesson in how much further we need to go as a country before “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all…are created equal.” Yes, even Thomas Jefferson needs to be updated, and I think he would agree.
Pog ma thoin!
-Lori
“This year, in the In Memoriam package, it’s just going to be black people that were shot by the cops on their way to the movies.” – Chris Rock
Deadpool
Brian (the World’s Greatest Husband) and I rarely go to a theater to see movies because 1. they’re expensive; 2. not a lot we want to see; 3. we’re getting old, so staying out late is harder; and 4. a lot is available in alternate formats: Netflix, Amazon Video, DVD, Blu-ray, etc.
Being geeks on multiple levels, we thoroughly have enjoyed the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) offerings. We’ve seen almost all the films to date, and we DVR or subscribe to the various television series (in addition to the DC Comics TV series). We have a lot of TV to watch.
So last Friday we took a mental health day (We both suffer from anxiety and depression, and we work for the State of Wisconsin; need I say more?), and after a blissful day of desperately-needed sleep, we went to see Deadpool, which despite being based on a Marvel comic, is not part of the MCU.
Janet, from our gaming group, had seen the movie and highly recommended it because the eponymous character’s hilarious sarcasm, foul language, and breaking the fourth wall are so much like her own personality. Ryan Reynolds, who is trying the Marvel Universe after his unsuccessful foray into the DC Universe, was spot-on in his portrayal, and the self-referential Easter Eggs were wonderfully abundant.
Deadpool gives plenty of eye-candy for all with plenty of shots of Reynolds’ naked bod and bum, as well as the beautiful body of the talented Morena Baccarin – well known to geeks from her days aboard Serenity, as well as her role on Gotham, based on the Batman DC Comics. Stan Lee also makes his traditional cameo. The real scene-stealer is Leslie Uggams, notable mostly for her role as Kizzy from the phenomenal TV series Roots, who plays Blind Al and perfectly matches the sarcasm and wit of the titular character.
Trust me, if you have an ounce of comic book geekdom, you’ll want to see this movie.
Race
Sunday night was the 88th Oscars Ceremony, mercifully hosted by Chris Rock. I say mercifully because of the criticism regarding the lack of diversity in the nominees of the major Oscar categories. While watching Rock’s opening monologue, I wondered if he had been hired before or after the nominees were announced because his opening monologue dealt as beautifully with the race controversy as Billy Crystal’s solo opening sequence for Oscar 62 made up for the terrible opening number from Oscar 61 (FTR: Rock was hired before the nominees were announced.).
Starting with Rock’s opening monologue, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS or just the “Academy”) seemed to take a mea culpa attitude with a humorous bent; as in, Yes, we need more awards going to African-American actors, and we are addressing that issue; but for now, let’s enjoy a good show. Plus, the “Black History Month Minute: Oscars Edition” was beyond funny on so many levels.
Of course, the African-American community wasn’t the only one complaining; Latinos, Asian-Americans, Native Americans, and other under-represented populations also bemoaned their lack of representation. What all these demographics forget, and Chris Rock did a beautiful job reminding them, is that the problem isn’t with the Academy; it’s with the movie industry. Rock’s opening monologue included a story about a Hollywood fundraiser he attended, which included a grip and grin with President Obama. Rock said, “I’m like, ‘Mr. President, you see all these writers and producers and actors? They don’t hire black people, and they’re the nicest, white people on earth! They’re liberals! Cheese!’”
I agree with Rock that Hollywood is racist and needs to look outside its stereotypes and clichés. A shining example of the way things ought to be is George Romero and the lead actor he chose for Night of the Living Dead: Duane Jones, who was a theater thespian and acting professor. When Romero hired Jones, and mind you this was 1968, the director said Jones “simply gave the best audition.” One would think that Hollywood would be more enlightened in the third millennium, but this is the community so out of fresh ideas that even Spielberg is doing remakes.
Rock said, “We want black actors to get the same opportunities as white actors.” He and Hollywood need to include other under-represented populations: those with dwarfism, actresses who are older and/or larger than the Hollywood stereotype, people with varying abilities physically and cognitively, etc.; as well as people of different ethnicities, including African-Americans.
As an aside note, I have one issue with the term African-American: I know of an actress who was born in South Africa, faced hardships there, then eventually immigrated to the US with her mother to start a new life. The woman now has dual citizenship, thus being truly “African-American,” but cannot state that as her ethnicity because of the color of her skin. The actress is Charlize Theron.
While I was watching the show, my son Mekhi (who is African-American by skin color, as well as ethnicity) came downstairs and asked for a bedtime snack. After telling him that a popsicle is not suitable for bedtime (I allowed cheese and pretzels), I told him about the Oscars and all that I’ve mentioned in this blog – including the Night of the Living Dead story. He agreed that is the way it ought to be. He’s studying the Civil Rights Movement in school, and I think the story of the Oscars would be an excellent lesson in how much further we need to go as a country before “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all…are created equal.” Yes, even Thomas Jefferson needs to be updated, and I think he would agree.
Pog ma thoin!
-Lori
“This year, in the In Memoriam package, it’s just going to be black people that were shot by the cops on their way to the movies.” – Chris Rock
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