In-Greta-ble

SHOWTIME: So, Thursday night we went to a show. Not just any show, but up- and-coming (well, actually already here and CRUSHING IT) Greta Van Fleet. Three young (under 25) brothers + a drummer, rocking it hard.

We were lucky enough to get to see them last September. They were supposed to play two nights back then. We had tickets to the first show, they canceled their second, and I predicted to the family that when they rescheduled a make up, they'd add a second date. They did just that, and that's how we wound up seeing them again on Thursday night.

Unfortunately this show, like their last, was 'festival' seating, which means every man, woman and child for  themselves.

We had balcony tickets and wanted front row of the balcony, so we arrived about 3 p.m. for a show with doors at 7.

It meant 4 hours on the concrete, but we knew what we were getting into, and this wasn't our first rodeo, so we planned accordingly. We had layers upon layers. Umbrellas, multiple hats and gloves. Plastic garbage bags for seating and wearing. Snacks. Water. Multiple charged batteries for our cellphones. We were ready for the rock'n'roll apocalypse.

We scouted out where the nearest bathrooms were and how to access them, and did just fine for ourselves on the sidewalk, fortunately.

Once inside, we got the best seats possible, and enjoyed a sit for a bit. Until ... the fire alarm went off.

Actually, truth-be-told, everyone disregarded the fire alarms. I think we were all kind of secure in the assumption that the excessive fog machines on the stage set off the alarms. That, and we'd waited four plus hours to get into our spots/seats, no one was moving unless they saw flames, I predict.

We did some people watching before the show. A number of Seattle music scene honchos were on hand, including Chris Ballew, former frontman of the Presidents of the United States of America and currently kiddie rock star, Caspar Babypants.  In the photo below, he as his wife (artist Kate Endle) are chatting with a friend.

Around 9 p.m., Greta Van Fleet finally took the stage.

Fortunately, they were worth the wait. :)

LONG WAY HOME: After the great Greta Van Fleet concert at the Paramount, we could have hopped on I-5, but we chose to take the long way home. We wanted one more drive down the Viaduct - a 60-plus year old waterfront freeway that closed down forever on Friday, January 11.

Filmed through a gritty windshield dotted with dog nose prints, my video of that journey is not a glamour shot, but it's our last shot.

As a child traveling to Seattle, sitting in the backseat of a Volkswagen and heading northbound Viaduct and into Seattle, the Emerald City sparkled like a rare jewel. And I will never forget the first time driving into Seattle, some 15 years ago, via the Viaduct and knowing I was driving home.
The tunnel is another means of transportation, but it can never replace the Viaduct.

(Note: The lovely song playing in the background of the video is "Lost in My Mind" from The Head and the Heart - a Seattle-based band. Obviously I do not own the rights to this song and am not profiting from posting on my commercial-free blog. Incidentally, one of the band's videos was filmed on Seattle's Great Wheel. You can check out their music here: http://www.theheadandtheheart.com

Spectators

BOWIE BIRTHDAY: Last night, we headed to Central Cinema in Seattle for a birthday party for dearly departed David Bowie.

In addition to some music videos, the cinema screened one of Bowie's movies, "Labyrinth." We've seen it several times, but doubt we'll ever tire of it. 

AGDQ: I'm not going to sugar coat or deny this. We're spending an inordinate amount of time watching other people play video games this week.

Hey, what can I say? The football season is all but over, baseball seems so very far away ... what are we to do to otherwise entertain ourselves?

Just kidding, that's not the real reason we're watching video games. We're tuning in to a special event called Awesome Games Done Quick.

I assure you, our watching is not just a mindless, staring-at-the-screen affair. While watching, we're nearly nonstop talking about history (which game consoles and games came out when), as well as listening to and engaging in tech talk (game design, graphics, and more).

I'll have CJ and Annabelle give you the scoop. Annabelle's up first.

Awesome Games Done Quick (abbreviated as AGDQ) is a yearly charity even that rotates locations. For seven days with no breaks (other than setup sections and necessary ads), many gamers from across the country "speedrun" their favorite games live on stream. To "speedrun" a game means to play the game as fast as possible, with certain "categories" changing the method used.

Arguably the most important part of AGDQ is that all donations and proceeds go to charity. The organizers of AGDQ work with the Prevent Cancer Foundation to raise thousands of dollars twice every year; once at the beginning and once during the summer. The event is completely volunteer-driven, so you can rest assured that every cent you donate will go to the cause.

The event this year is held in Rockwell, Maryland and is only in its third day of running, so I strongly encourage donating before its end! The donation page can be found at https://gamesdonequick.com/tracker/ui/donate/agdq2019, and the game list is accessible at https://gamesdonequick.com/tracker/runs/agdq2019.

And now, CJ's take. ...

Games Done Quick (GDQ) is a biannual video game speedrunning (meaning "to complete a video game as quickly as possible") marathon which raises money for the organizations Prevent Cancer Foundation and Doctors Without Borders. In each year from 2011 on, there are two marathons: Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) (held in January,) and Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ) (usually, but not always, held in July.) Interestingly, in 2010 (Games Done Quick's first year) only one marathon was held, titled Classic Games Done Quick (CGDQ,) in January of that year. Most GDQ marathons run for one week.

GDQ has certain traditions and rituals, likely to remind the runners and attendees as to the roots of the event. For example, a staple at every GDQ event is "the couch." Not a couch, but the couch. To the extent of my knowledge, every GDQ marathon since CGDQ has used the same three-person (or four if they're feeling ambitious) couch to host persons of special interest. For example, during a speedrun of the indie classic I Wanna Be The Guy (IWBTG) a few years back, IWBTG creator Michael O'Reilly was present on the couch, and often spoke about the game's development and popularity. Speaking of IWBTG, it is also a GDQ tradition to have an IWBTG fangame featured on the marathon's penultimate night.

As of the time I'm writing this, the most recent GDQ marathon is AGDQ 2019, which is currently ongoing.

Monday

BOXING: We're still working our way back to 'normal' here at MPA post-holiday doings. One of the projects we had to get done was a birthday board for January. Inspired by all of the post-Christmas boxes about the house, we decided to go with a cats-in-boxes theme. 

We printed out a bunch of cats (art style inspired by the card game Cat Box), wrapped small empty boxes, and put name tags with birthdates on them. We also made a birthday banner and a 'table,' along with a cake atop it. Yesterday afternoon we installed it. Hope the kids at school like it!

FIGURATIVELY: While I was down in Vegas last week, darling daughter-in-law Rachel introduced me to a cool TED talk about how to read Chinese.  It won't make you become an expert, but it's an interesting foray into reading the foreign (to us) language.

Check it out here: