Monday, July 14, 2008

I'm TRYING to use the phone!

Microsoft, geniuses that they are, released an update on the 8th that killed internet connections if you were using ZoneAlarm as your firewall. The update zapped my net at home and the DSL line I have at my office at work since I rely on ZoneAlarm. It took a call to the phone company to figure that out.

I realize that asking that Microsoft actually test updates before they're released to make sure they won't clash with some of the most popular security software is asking a little too much. I wasted several hours getting my PCs up and running again. Jerks.

If I hadn't been having so damned much fun at everything else in life right now I might have the temerity to write them a sternly worded email. As it stand I can't be bothered. Life's too darned good.

On Thursday we went to the local parade in the small town we live in in celebration of our local mountain festival and because our boy was on the youth football float. We couldn't have asked for nicer weather as it was an absolutely pitch perfect day for a parade.

A few pics we took--




Then on Friday night we drove up to Vancouver (Washington) to meet don snabalus for The Police concert. Holy shit that was fun!

The band was in top form, especially Sting's voice which really would make or break the deal. Sting sounded almost exactly the same. I guess that's a product of never really stopping performing but it's still pretty amazing that the years don't seem to have taken their toll. Having said that; hey made a couple of slight adjustments to the tempo/key of songs, most notably "Don't Stand So Close To Me."

Andy Summers was still great on the guitar although he was the one guy out of the band that didn't look like he was having fun.

The band's not-so-secret weapon in drummer Stewart Copeland tore it up through the entire show. There was a bit on "King Of Pain" in which he got up from the drum kit and just started playing stuff that was hanging behind him. By "stuff" I mean things that looked like used car parts. He as much as Sting make that band.

I pretty much lost my voice from singing along and at one point I leaned over to don when Sting was having the crowd sing "kay-yo-ee-oo-oo-oo" back to him and told don I was having a deja vu experience. That bastard Sting made us do that last time we saw them.

The great thing about all of this is I really got the sense that this concert was for the fans. The guys pretty much don't need the money and they hate each other. The biggest indicator was the music set which included every hit and fan favorite I could think of. There were no songs from any of their solo stuff and they played "Every Breath You Take" which is a song that Sting despises. Thanks guys.

Don's wonderful wife Ladybug wasn't able to make the show so my oldest got to go to her first big concert. Her joy stood in direct juxtaposition to my own chagrin that a boy spent much of the concert "gasp" talking to her. I'm really going to have to steel myself for the next few years.

As don mentioned there was something screwy afterwards as the exit to the parking lots to a 16,000 seat venue were blocked by an accident. At least everybody had time to sober up before they got on the road. OTOH they (ourselves included) were probably too tired to be driving.

Then on Saturday Mrs. Wormer and I were running errands and ran into a couple who we hadn't seen in a while. Long story short we wound up spending the day in the beer garden, ending our evening in a biker bar. At midnight one of the guys rode his Harley into the middle of the bar and the band played "Born to be Wild." It was the coolest fucking thing EVER!

I love Mrs. Wormer. She was the only one who got my Pee Wee Herman jokes (Pee Wee voice: "Nobody hipped me to that, dude.") We really are muy simpatico.

Life is pretty damned good.

15 comments:

ladybug said...

sounds like ya'll had a good time overall..OCF kicked a$$ for me this year...I'll see if I can make a post before I leave Wed Am for ANOTHER trip...but I'm gonna wait until I get the photos back..so it might be a week or so

Arkonbey said...

Life is pretty damned good.

glad to hear it!

Your local parade had a Stuart Tank and a llone llama. Ours had a guy on stilts with a sign reading "Smedly Butler was right!".

Do you think Andy Summers was really not having fun, or was just concentrating really hard?

Don Snabulus said...

It was jolly good fun and a neat way to tie together our past with our present.

I took the MiniSnab and 2 of her friends to Seattle to meet up with a Norwegian camp friend who lives in Alaska and was not too far away. We went to the Experience Music Project and SciFi Museum along with wandering around the center. In the main hall, they were celebrating Bastille day. Other than another hour-plus delay on the way home (must be a Washington thing), everyone had fun.

Freida Bee said...

A lovely account. My first date ever was with a boy to see Pee Wee's Big Aventure.

I'm glad for you and your Wormer clan.

Dean Wormer said...

ladybug-

Sorry you couldn't be there but that sounds like fun! See you Saturday.

Arkonbey-

Actually our parade's gotten better. When I went a couple of years ago the only point was guys driving trucks with their logo on 'em.

don-

EMP and Sci Fi are great. My favorite part is the rock costumes and seeing how short Gene Simmons really is.

freida-

Thanks! Finally someone who gets the biker bar reference. I'm a loner, Dotty. A rebel...

Fran said...

Oh how I loves me some PeeWee and was delighted to see this post just from the photo and the title.

The Police... I already expressed my bitter anger in the prior post. OK, bitter anger is a bit much. I am/was jealous!!

I love that you love Mrs. Wormer. I would be so worried if you did not. The Peewee part is icing on the cake and this all reminds me of why I love Mr. He Is.

Biker bars, the police,love and Pee Wee. You are some kind of dude, dude.

Rock on.

Dean Wormer said...

Fran,

I'm sorry you haven't got a chance to actually go to a police concert. Cancelled? That sucks. I hope it was for a good reason.

Thanks so much for the kind words about me and Mrs. Wormer. If it's not clear by now I have a very "different" sense of humor that delights in obscure references to stuff. She gets that and for this I'm infinetly grateful.

mwb said...

Wait, wait. Your internet goes down due to a software problem, and you go out to the real world?

Talk about no geek cred!

;-)

Bradda said...

Where's the "Eat Me" cake float in the parade? Glad you had a good time at the show, thanks for sharing.

Dr. Zaius said...

I am glad that you had a good time, Peewee. Is that a picture of a deer or a llama in the parade? Interesting!

Life As I Know It Now said...

My hubby is a big Peewee fan so I have been subjected to a lot of that humor. When our daughter was growing up he would get up with her on Saturdays to watch Peewee's Playhouse (when we had a tv that is!--I broke the damn thing later on because me hates the tv. Well, we have one now but it's used only for DVDs and videos and sometimes to watch the weather). Anyway, uh where was I...oh, yeah, I am so jealous that you got to go to that concert. Oh well, I forgive you. And I hate that song too (Every Breath).

Dean Wormer said...

mwb-

I thought the real world was the internet. Now I'm confused.

bradda-

Ha!

There's no place in town that sells marbles unfortunately.

zaius-

It's a chihuaha.

Oh, the OTHER picture. It's a miniature llama. They're cute and delicious.

Liberality-

re Every Breath I'm sure you know the story where Sting wrote (If You Love Someone) Set Them Free because the message of Every Breath was too stalkerish.

re Pee Wee- playhouse was genius t.v. in my opinion. If only Paul Reubens would've been a little more discrete in his personal choices.

Randal Graves said...

This isn't the private blog of the Satan's helpers, is it?

Life is pretty damn good, huh? You have obviously stopped interacting with the news. Smart man. ;-)

Unconventional Conventionist said...

Miniature llamas ARE cute and especially delicious in enchiladas.

At my house we call them enchillamas.

Dean Wormer said...

randal-

Tequila!

Actually skipping the news does seem to give one a more positive outlook on life. Hmmm.

Unconventional-

At my house we call them enchillamas.

ROTFLMAO is cliched but in this case it's true. Well played, sir.