An Evening With Gotye - Quick Report

I've mentioned him a few times in previous posts -- Gotye. He is known throughout the world largely for this song:

To my brother, the King of Komps, he is known as Wally De Backer, one of the students he taught many moons ago in Australia. With this connection, a plan was made to see Gotye in concert in Chicago. I took the afternoon off on Friday, and with my oldest daughter and my son, headed north. After picking up my brother, we headed toward the Charter One Pavilion at Northerly Island. First stop: the Will Call office, where comp tickets and these were waiting for us:

It was a great Chicago summer evening -- mild with a nice breeze coming in from Lake Michigan. A perfect night for an outdoor concert.

The first act, Jonti, was really liked by my son, who has an eclectic taste in music. How best to describe Jonti's music -- electronic experimental? After Jonti, Missy Higgins, an Australian pop singer with a wonderful voice, sang a solid set and had the crowd warmed up for the main act.

How to describe a Gotye concert? How about FANTASTIC -- a great mixture of music, art, and excitement. Gotye played a 90-minute set that seemed to be enjoyed by all.

After the concert, my son, daughter, and I got to meet Wally, a genuinely humble and nice person. Adding to the fun was that Wally's bass player, Lucas, was also taught by my brother. The Australian educational system somehow survived!

After a fun-filled evening, we got my car from the now-deserted parking lot and drove out to the western suburbs to drop off my brother. A tired drive home ended the night in the wee hours of the morning -- a great night with family, music, and some new friends.

Happy Birthday Josie!

Happy birthday, Josie. Today you turn ... 50?

It IS the 50th, right?

When Josie comes home
So good
She's the pride of the neighborhood
She's the raw flame
The live wire
She prays like a Roman
With her eyes on fire

Indeed.

Of course, it is important to remember some of her more tender moments over the years ...

"I think you're a chick. You act like one, all emotional."

"Do you have balls? I think you have a vag."

And my all-time favorite:

"Are you out of your fucking mind?"

Yes, she is a sweetheart ...

But seriously ... Josie appeared on the poker blogger scene just at the right time. As things were getting old and government intrusion was about to chase many bloggers away, Josie breathed life into blogging and made things fun.

Those who have met her know that IF she really has a heart, it is made of gold. She is kind, generous, funny, witty, and a good friend. So today .. just simply ... happy birthday!

The Hacking

One of my e mail accounts was hacked -- just in case anyone received an unusual message from me. Well, at least more unusual than usual ...

My Day at Comic Con Chicago

I had quite a day this past Sunday at Wizard World Comic Con Chicago. Join me in a short journey of my day via a few photos ...

My last post featured a picture of the cartoon character my daughter attempted to emulate -- Sollux Captor:

My daughter:

Before we entered into the actual convention area, we scoped out the famous autos in the outer area:

Na na na na na na na na na  -- Batman!

 

Most famous DeLorean

 

Who ya gonna call?

 

There was a big crowd waiting to get in.

Pretty soon I was in geek heaven.

I mean, it WAS Comic Con, right?

 

People there lived for dressing up like all kinds of characters. It was a heck of a good time seeing everyone in their costumes.

I discovered quite an appreciation for women dressed up like super heroes -- especially when the costumes included leather, spandex, and lots of boobage!

There were celebrities there, of course. You could get autographs, pictures ... if you were willing to shell out around $40-60 per. This guy -- no way! However, I was able to get past the volunteer nazis to snap a few freebies.

Ooh ... Lauren Holly was hot. Not like I have had a thing for her for years or anything ...

 

The real Hulk ...

 

Probably the second best Superman to George Reeves

 

He's still trying to figure it out -- Kelly or Brenda? Brenda or Kelly?

 

Ever wonder what Lacey Underall from Caddyshack looks like now?

Here is the answer:

She still looks kind of cute in the picture, but in person not so much. Ah well ...

My daughter met some friends who follow the same cartoon she does. They hung out together for most of the afternoon.

So yes, it was an interesting afternoon. My daughter had a great time, which was the most important. As for me ... I am still thinking about the leather and spandex. But ... it is time for a "peace - out" from my daughter before I start talking about Stan Lee, Tom Felton, Norman Reedus, the Bella Twins, ...

Sunday Excursion

Tomorrow should be an interesting day. This is where I will be:

My youngest daughter desperately wanted to go to this, so I agreed to take her some time ago. She plans to attend in costume, which includes a wig ordered on ebay -- all the way from China! She is dressing up like this character ...

I will definitely have to take a picture of her tomorrow and post it in a subsequent blog post.

There will be all kinds of comic, television, and movie celebrities appearing. I hope to see Lauren Holly in person. But pay $40 for a photo op -- no thanks! Maybe I can teach William Shattner how to properly navigate a spaceship, give Stan Lee pointers on comics, or teach Luke Perry what teenagers were really like in the 1990's. This should be interesting.

Next Las Vegas Trip Set

Barring any sort of emergency, I will be making my next trip to Las Vegas on Labor Day weekend, arriving in Las Vegas on Sunday evening, September 2 and returning home on Saturday, September 8. My brother, the King of Komps, will be celebrating a milestone birthday on the trip. To celebrate, a dinner at this place is on tap:

Of course, a place a little more my style is usually where I would get a steak if I were in Las Vegas. Maybe a trip to this here is in order?

Aside from having some pretty good cheap steaks, Ellis Island has excellent mashed potatoes. Is anyone a mashed potatoes fan? Anyone? Bueller?

I did talk with one blogger about doing this on my next trip to Las Vegas.

Will it happen? Dunno. But it will be fun if it does.

And ... to end the week, a little music -- a concert by a guy who used to be a student of the King of Komps:

Any Gotye fans among my Las Vegas friends? Somebody That I Used To Know was a monster hit across the world.

There should be plenty of time for poker ... poker ... and more poker. Other plans? Hit me up if you want to set something up.

Four long weeks of work remain until the fun begins. The countdown starts tomorrow.

Home Game Results

Last night's home game started off with a bit of fun. I had just gotten done working out and was on my way back home from the grocery store when I noticed that I'd missed a call on my cell phone. The number was unfamiliar to me and I waited until I got home to check my voice mail. It turns out that the missed call was a dial-a-shot call from Instant Tragedy, who was enjoying the evening at Okie-Vegas. I returned the call and was able to talk to a few people (including Tragedy and BamBam). My shot of choice -- vodka!

The home game provided an interesting evening of play. Azi, the only woman at the table, was all in for two of the first three hands! Azi is smart and a very good player and immediately started building a castle of chips that would be in front of her for the entire evening. My regular home game friends were warned that the games would be loose and aggressive, but I think they were shocked at the extent of it. Three of the four lost money -- one or more buy ins. Azi made $100 on the night and Alireza, usually a guy giving away some money, caught some great cards including a few killer rivers and ended up over $200! Not bad for a little $.05/.10 action! I received crappy cards until the final hour of play and ended up losing a little bit. One of the smart remarks of the night was how nice it was of me to host this game where I watched everyone play!

It will be interesting to hear the feedback of the regular home game players who got taken to the cleaners. I am sure that I will get an earful at my softball game tomorrow evening.

Hosting a Mixed Home Game Tonight

Tonight should be a fun and interesting night. Ala George Costanza: "Worlds collide." I am hosting a poker game at my house tonight and have invited guys from my "regular" home game along with people from my "international" home game. The regular home game guys have not played in many months and are happy to play. The international people play at least two times a week. It will be Chris, Steve, Mike and Bob mixing it up with Azi, Mohammad, Amir, Alireza and Sandeep. I have already warned the regular crew that the international people are pretty aggressive with pots sometimes exceeding $100 in a $.05/.10 NL game.

I know that a handful of bloggers are having a blast at Okie-Vegas this weekend. I am expecting a dial-a-shot call from Instant Tragedy as he and a bunch of other degens are putting a hurt on the Keystone Light supply in Oklahoma. I hope the call comes during my home game tonight.

Just Like Old Times?

I played in The Dank tonight -- the old blogger home game for many. Of course, while playing at PokerStars for play money is kind of fun, it just isn't the same. However ...

Ahhh ... a win against bloggers is always good! MiamiDon tried to get Very Josie to agree to provide some dirty chat to the winner. Hmmm ... I think I'll just take the 1,998 play dollars instead ...

Live in the lightning36 backyard tonight: Walter Mitty and His Makeshift Orchestra

Will my homeowners association kick me off the board for this?