Thank Grog it’s Firday!
And yes…like you, I barely know what day it is…and am writing this way early.
It is going to be one of the shorter posts I’ve written…which will please a good number of you.
First…my apologies for anyone who got a notice that this had posted yesterday. Fat finger syndrome. I hit the wrong button on my iPhone when I was trying to start this post.
Next..for the love of God. Matt is messing with us with the SkyFinger main screen image. That STILL is not a finger…even if you put a wrestling singlet on it.
OK now to the real post…
The fact is, I’m working hard on finding the Joy these days,,,,this thing is starting to get personal. Not going to go into details…but suffice it to say that “The Covid,” as CrankyOldGuy likes to call it, has taken a handful of folks I knew closely, or next-to-closely. And, the loss of John Prine hit me harder than I expected. I had the good luck to interview him back in my radio days. Class act. Hilarious sense of humor…and probably one of the best songwriters around. I loved the way he wove humor into pathos…and using words that sounded common and conversational…while being pretty damn deep.
Ironically, one of my favorite songs was, “Don’t Bury Me,” which spoke of how he wanted his body used after he went. After beating cancer twice (barely), there wasn’t much left of “ol John” to go around.
Irreverence is underrated.
But, as always…I DIGRESS….
What I meant to write about was how thankful I am that Bob is still working double shifts at EA, and somehow broke through the insanity of the lockdowns in California to put up this weirdly funny event. We really need something that is familiar, and light, and silly…even if it is redundant, and they DIDN’T INCREASE THE ITEM LIMITS!!!
But, I like it. So shoot me. Let me tell you why…
I was a huge fan of Portland Wrestling when I was a kid. And I suspect that Matt Groening was too. Everybody from my age group, who lived in Portland, (Matt and I grew up there, and are the same age) loved Portland wrestling. It was so, damn, fun to watch. Guys like “Lonnie Mayne,” and the dreaded Von Steiger Brothers – (German bad guys), along with the perennial “Good Guy” (when he wasn’t a bad guy) Tough Tony Borne!
While the “wraslers” in TSTO and the Simpsons, are clearly modeled after “next gen” WWF/WWE showboats…they would have nothing on these guys, for raw, bloody, crazy entertainment.
When I was watching, in the mid-to-late 60s, they were broadcast from the Portland Armory, on independent TV channel, KPTV- Channel 12. Frank Bonnema was the foil/announcer for these mini-passion-plays. He was a friend of one of my friend’s Dad’s. He was a tool.
Lonnie Main doing his bit to warm up the crowd in an interview before a match, with feckless Franky Bonnema, who always looked completely uninterested, until one of the guys would rough him up a bit.
Part of Lonnie’s bit, was that he was “crazy,” and couldn’t be trusted to listen to the referee, once he got going.
Tough Tony Bourne was mostly a good guy, who usually teamed up with Lonnie Mayne for tag teams.
And then…there was the von Steigers, who were never good guys…mostly because they looked, and acted like Aryan Nation guys…waaaay before anyone knew anything about the Aryan Nation. They fought dirty…but almost never won in the end.
People were freaks about Portland Wrestling. Heck, my Boy Scout troop went to see it live one time, and sat close enough to get spit and sweat on us. Not cool.
That would never fly during the current Covid social distancing. Or would it? These pinheads defy logic and common sense…
That’s right…Wrestlemania will go on…despite the danger to everyone involved. But hey…maybe Natural Selection will take over…and the prime purveyors of pinheadery, will be “relieved of their belts.”
People are super passionate about all sorts of crazy stuff.
Like PETS. My guess is that the “Rescue Pets” for people with anxiety and PTSD, will need to be rescued…and maybe years of therapy…like maybe getting their own, therapy pets. We’ll have pets for the pets.
OK…I know. There are a TON of Pet Lovers out there. I get it. They mostly love you unconditionally (except for cats) and don’t end up costing you hundreds of thousands of dollars to raise and educate.
But, with the current Covid-19 Stay at Home policies in place…people are abusing their pets in ways that nobody could ever have imagined before.
That’s right…I’m talking about people EXPLOITING THEIR PETS FOR HUMOR!!
And even more specifically…those insidious “Talking Pet” vids people are making with the Talking Pet App…
And no…I’m not going to list the URL here…because that would be counterproductive to my mission. TO STOP THESE VIDEOS FROM BEING PRODUCED!!
But…as you might guess…the best way to STOP something is to “REPLACE” it with something better (a lesson the Commander In Tweet should have learned about destroying the “Previous administration’s Health Care”…without REPLACING IT!)” But, I digress…
I came up with a GREAT APP… that let’s me Talk to Animals…and warn them of the exploitation their “Masters” (I use quotes on masters for cat owners…who are you kidding? Cat owners are owned by their cats).
Enjoy. And, PLEASE stop posting those videos. The world will be a better place for it.
And if that isn’t enough…and you still need a chuckle (and who doesn’t?). Here’s John Prine, singing “Please Don’t Bury Me.”
Enjoy.
—————-
Footnote added Saturday Morning, after reading MangoFusion’s comment.
It should be known, that as I implied in the first paragraph…I have had a hellish week. I have put in close to 120 hours in the past 7 days…Non-stop, trying to help clients, and the non-profits in which I am involved, pivot and stay alive during this mess. For the first time ever…I almost told Alissa, that I couldn’t do a post this week. I never miss deadlines. Ever.
So…this was mostly typed on my iPhone…which autocorrects but misses all sorts of minor typos. I didn’t are… but, apparently MangoFusion did. And as I am here to serve at the pleasure of the readers…this morning (Saturday), after the first real 8 hour sleep I’ve had in a week…I had a chance to go back and proof a bit. And Mango was correct…there were more than a few.
Here’s what I caught…but of course, as it appears that some of you have absolutely nothing better to do, you are welcome to “play along,” and see if you can find more! It’s far more fun, than playing one of those insidious “Name ten things, and one is a lie” posts on Facebook.
Here are the changes I just made…
Opening Line- Auto Correct messed up my usual opener…Thank Grog It’s Firday…and made it Thank God it’s Friday… eep!
2nd paragraph- Changed Plural Images to image.
P-5- in to changed to into
P-5 – Tthe Covid changed to The Covid
P-5 Safe after the comma and word closely.
P-10 Added comma to the phrase, “DIDN’T INCREASE THE ITEM LIMITS
Pic description- changed Lonney to Lonnie
Pic Discription – Changed Bournene to Bourne
P-17- Aruan to Aryan
P-17 – the to they
There…that’s all I caught. But, I haven’t had my coffee yet.
But…just as an added bonus, I’ll do one of those 10/9 -1 lie games for you!
Ten things I LOVE about writing for TSTO Addicts
1. The sense of community we have built here
2. It helps me fund the work we do in Uganda
3. It is a bond between Alissa and me
4. I still love the Simpsons
5. I like breaking up the monotony of playing the game
6. Some of the comments make me laugh
7. It makes me feel connected with readers around the world.
8. I get to blow off steam from an otherwise weird world
9. I need a distraction from real life once in a while
10. I LOVE worrying about “typo/spelling police types” who are apparently worried that my “publisher” will reject what I write, and the book won’t come out in time for Christmas!
Have FUN! STAY INSIDE…Wear a mask if you have to go out. Nobody will know if you are smiling or grimacing.
So I’m having a problem where most of my Springfielders are “trapped” doing the job where you sent Springfield residents to watch extreme wrestling (or something like that.). The quest finished days ago, but it’s like it’s stuck… I see Apu in the upper left with a check mark showing job complete, but when I tap him, it takes me to the Brown House, but there is no indication that anything’s going on there, and I can’t clear the job. I’m probably not explaining this well. Maggie is also there, so I can’t play her game for donuts which is annoying too.
I’m probably not explaining this well, anybody else having these problems?
Happy Easter!
Store the Brown House to free up all the characters and place it again, if the task says it hasn’t been completed then send just 5 Springfielders on the task again. The task also goes to the Springfield Wrestling Pavilion (1st prize) as well as the Brown House so it could make a difference. This is a common issue with the “Make Springfielders” tasks and the solution is usually just storing the building they’re in (unless its the Simpsons House).
Thanks so much! I don’t know why I didn’t think of storing the building, that totally worked. I’ve been playing TSTO for years and never encountered that bug before. Glad to know there is any easy workaround. Happy Easter!
Just curious i posted comment here yesterday and it seems to have been removed. Very sorry if it broke any of the site guidelines. I’m big fan, mostly lurker though. So do I break the rules again why was it removed? Thank you. Sorry again
*so I don’t break the rules again
It wasn’t removed
They have controlled circumstances and medical checks on a closed set. That is safe.
Danger is only in everyone’s daily life when people who are not checked commute at work, at home, in public transport… and when people are not coughing/ sneezing in their elbow, are not washing their hands very often, spread boogers…
I wish my workplace were as safe as WrestleMania, but I have to see lots of unchecked people everyday at work and in public transport. WrestleMania is way ahead of normal people’s daily circumstances (and also giving something else to think about than just Covid all the time).
Kevin… Sorry. I have family members on the front lines. And because this has a 7-14 gestation period, all of the “safety measures” you mention are bunk. Just look at the NBA…there is not nearly as much close contact in basketball as the head to crotch craziness of wrestling. But, I get it. People will do what they are going to do…and you can do your part, by bringing your own cleaning supplies, masks and gloves. That’s what my daughter is doing when she is working in the studios at CBS News in NYC.
I’ve been having a lot of problems with my game since yesterday. Like I can’t choose the characters’ jobs and I have to look for them all around my Springfield. Then I have two past events going on at the same time with the new one and i don’t even know why. That thing where you collect your income from buildings and you tap just one to get the others is not working either so again I have to go around all my Springfield collecting my money! So, is it just me???? I probably not explaining myself that well but be patient with me because English is not my language. So anyway, please help!!!!
It sounds like you have the Roll Back Glitch. If it is, the only way to fix the problem is to contact EA.
So my game is glitched where all my characters are doing the 12hr wrestling job, everytime I close the game they complete the job but I cant use any of the characters… anyone have this problem or a solution? I’ve closed the game and also logged out…
—Ha! We have been saying “The Covid” as well, with an “American Movie” accent.
—I cried the night they reported John Prine’s death.
—I enjoyed this post. Pathos, humor, crankiness…5 stars. Hang in there.
Thanks!
Well, WrestleMania consisted of very few people at a time, so you can save your criticism. Go watch it yourself, they made something out of so few people. Really entertaining stuff. Kevin Owens vs Seth Rollins was great, intense and brutal as if it were straight from the Attitude Era. Great stuff and now Owens won me over.
They are GRAPPLING… where is the safe Social Distancing in that?
Go pat go!!!
Clearly not a long time player. Anyone who’s played for a few years knows who sky finger is.
Go troll another blog. This group is awesome.
The mere thought of wrestling still brings tears to my eyes – my mum-in-law would come up and visit us occasionally, and we’d go and visit my nan.
On a Saturday afternoon.
When the wrestling was on TV.
And they both used to cheer like crazy when the bad guy was thrown with a leg each side of the corner post…. 🙂
My nan and my mother-in-law are long gone now, but that bought back some fun memories!
Thanks Patric, and stay safe everybody.
It really is hilarious, just how seriously people took this passion play. There was a time when I was 11 years old, that I got so worked up, I jumped up and down and the chair came down on my toe…and broke it. I had to play in a Little League Baseball game the next day. I was a catcher…and the pain was unbelievable. So yes…injuries in Professional Wrestling were real!
Any word please about the lack of connection? I’m out of combat all day, got just the donut turning… Greetings from Brazil! 🙂
donut spinning*
“¡Hola!”
A visit to @EAHelp on Twitter reveals that EA is dealing with all kinds of issues … you can send a tweet and see if tech support can help you, but chances are it’s a Network issue on EA’s part.
https://mobile.twitter.com/eahelp
Me too, Croatia, Europe
Yeah this Nascent Virus just sucks (we’ve got 3 dear friends in ICU – no visitors allowed – we want them to pull thru vs die alone!) and don’t get me started on China trying to sweep this under the rug (that’s the Country, not the people – who are truly innocent victims!) 😔
Portland Wrestling – Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW aka Big Time Wrestling) the Northwest territory of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA Pacific Northwest). What a glorious history; complete with promoting women wrestlers; until female wrestling were outlawed in Oregon (what? yeah this was a legal issue until the 70’s!) 🤔
Too many great Wrestlers to name (Patric mentioned plenty of ’em), but finding footage from the 50’s broadcast as Heidelberg Wrestling (sponsored by Heidelberg Brewing Co. of Tacoma, Washington) is worth your time …. it’s part of NWA History and I’m an NWA supportor (NWA Power on YouTube!) 😀👍🏻
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kT2kCUgbL8I
If it wasn’t for this darn Covid-19, I’d be co-working the audio and lights for Ring of Honor (ROH) and Impact Wrestling (lmpact!) and All Elite Wrestling (AEW) when they come to Vegas for tapings / events ….. I’m still working for TMobile (unlike too many who are unemployed with wealthy corporate companies not compensating them – here comes the Union War!), this Event is still a pleasant distraction (with minor gripes) and the 🐈’s still rule our Condo (no dumb talking videos, our 🐈’s tend to be napping ’til 3 am while we’re sleeping (lol!) 😝
TGIF – Stay Safe / Stay Alive – Keep On Tapping 👉🏻
Ok, typos aside – I stopped counting at three, I knew you’d bring up the sky finger not looking like a finger thing. Here are my observations on the new splash screen.
That one guy has had his pelvic girdle absolutely crushed, yet he is smiling? He is probably already on the opioids that will be prescribed for the pain, causing the sense of euphoria.
Next, I think sky finger is a woman, why else would she be wearing a woman’s one piece swim suit?
That sky finger is just cruel, the adage, pick on someone your own size comes to mind.
Yeah…this one was done in a hurry…not much proofing. But, then again, the “typo police” can “eat my shorts.” People are dying. I don’t care abut typos.
And…come on…you are actually going to break down that screen shot, and not mention the “scissor” action on the “finger?” So. Very. Disturbing.
And yes…I really don’t want to go back and proof read. It’s next to impossible to do on a phone…but, I’ll give it a whirl. Just to make you feel better, I’ll add a footnote, just for you! Check it out…and then play the game I added!
Patric,
1) I appreciate the efforts that you undertake to help your “communities”.
I myself started doing the volunteer lifestyle several years ago and enjoy giving back very much.
2) re the typo police, hmmmm, a few Fridays ago you quoted one of my posts and commented on the number of typos that I had. Therefore, I now view this as fair game, although I don’t plan on going there too often.
3) you got 2 of the 3 that i spotted.
4) just for the record, is it Mayne, or Main?
5) keep safe
#2. Completely valid response! 🤟😆👍
I found more than you. And it is Mayne.