Thank Grog It’s Firday!!
I am amazed. Really, really, really amazed (sorry…with this administration, it is hard not to use the word “really” a whole lot of times in a row…like a really, really, really, lot of times in a row). Where was I? Oh. Right…
I am amazed that EA actually didn’t mess up one of the biggest weeks of my recent history, by forcing me to tap wildly throughout what should have been (and was) a tap-free weekend. It’s very, very, very rare. Really.
What did I do? What did I think of the update (that I mostly skipped)?? What could possibly have taken me away from donuts and ding-dongs? Read on…
In all of the years (coming up on 5) I have been playing, I can only remember maybe one or two days that I didn’t log on to tap (mostly because there was no cell service). But, this past week, starting with last Wednesday…I hardly logged on at all. As in…I mostly missed the entire Superheroes 3 update…outside of finishing the quest-line and getting my “reward,” (which I’m not sure I got, because I never looked).
I think the Super Heroes 3 mini update was perfect…mostly, because it was so easy to skip. Thanks EA!
Guilt? Nope. I just did the daily challenges…did the monorail…collected my donuts…found Maggie, and moved along in the questline…which in my opinion was really, really, really (really?) lame. Fallout Boy trying to be a bad guy? Pffffffttttttt…didn’t buy it. So…yes…even though I was quick-tapping past most of the update, I did read the dialogue.
I’m not even going to go into a recap of why I found the introduction of “Senor Ding Dong” to be so incongruous with the theme of the update. But, I guess he does wear a cape. Really, really, really, really stretching it…but, I guess I get it.
I saved my donuts. I am pretty, pretty, pretty, sure (homage to Larry David), that this next major update will be amazing…and truly donut-worthy. So, the sprinkles I saved by not caring about/buying anything from this update will get me off to a great start on something I might actually want.
So…what was I doing with my time??? For those who may have missed it…Katie, (aka daughter #3 who works for CBS in NYC), had her amazing, “epic” wedding this past weekend. It was wonderful.
If any of you felt a slight shift in gravity over the weekend, it was half of New Jersey flying out to the West Coast…consuming vast quantities of Willamette Valley wines and Micro-Brews…and flying back to New Jersey this week. Did I say “epic?” It came off without a hitch…including assembling the huge pergola and “wall of lights” that I had to design, build and transport. I’ll post a couple of pics at the bottom… but the “pro shots” won’t come for a couple of weeks.
I may have discovered the “next chapter” of the metamorphosis of Cranky, in that I wore a hand-tied, silk bow tie. I loved the challenge of learning to tie it…and combined with my neatly quaffed goatee, it added a “What’s next? Opening a fried chicken franchise, and wearing white linen suits?” chapter to my life.
And yes…ALL of the huge backyard (insanely complex for a “one man show”) list of projects, were completed…with days (3) to spare! When we did the tour of the demolition during one of the recent “Addicts Live” shows, it was just junk, the giant pile of gravel, and most of the projects were still just on paper.
But, 2.5 tons of gravel…a ton of sand…three loads of lumber…two pallets of pavers, and about 120 “CrankyOldGuy” old-man-hours behind a wheelbarrow and assorted power tools…and the new shed, the paver patio, the new hot tub cover, the wedding pergola, and a load of cleanup, were complete (along with a raging bout of poison oak, which I got clearing room for the shed). I tapped through all of it (fueled by prednisone).
Which makes me skipping most of the Superheroes update all the more unusual.
Then, just when I am done ignoring the Superheroes…BOOOOOM!!! We have a cannon! Gotta play the cannon…as it feels like a preview of the next HUGE EVENT!! Could it be…Homer-Palooza??? Will they bring back Bleeding Gums Murphy as a hologram the way they did with Tupac at Coachella????
BRING ON THE NEXT EVENT! I’m rested…my tapping fingers have healed..and I’m ready to spend my sprinkles! Whoohoo!!
Meanwhile…planning for wedding #2….in February…is ongoing. Sheesh. “A Father’s work is never done.” I won’t be retiring for years. But gosh…the bride was beautiful.
The Insane Dad…who worked 8 hour “real work days” along with 8 hour manual labor days.
Lower Deck Torn Out… let the hauling of 2.5 tons of gravel begin!
The Finished result…5 days before half of New Jersey began to arrive!
Project #2…Build an 8x16x12 shed (tiny house)…Ali’s fiance, Ryan…earning Father In Law points on “Roof Raising Day.”
The finished shed… already full of my overflow of tools!
The poison oak bush (superimposed) that GOT me. I cleared all of the small stuff…and missed this huge bush…that I rubbed up against for a week. Nice. I was covered with welts like this over 7o% of my body. Luckily…not the parts that would REALLY, REALLY, REALLY have been bad…
Final Projects… Wedding Pergola and Wall of Lights…
The Pergola after construction…gluing and painting… ready for transport.
the Pergola “Team” with the Groom, my friend Dave supervising, and Ryan working.
The finished result…and a beautiful bride!
It’s a tradition for me to write and produce a song for each of my daughters for the “Father of the Bride” dance. Katie and I are choking back tears through smiles…
Ryan and His Mom for their dance…
The Willow Heart in the “wall of lights” first made an appearance at my oldest daughter’s wedding in 1999. It is now a good luck charm…
