"Weird Al" Returns

One of my favorite performers, the great "Weird Al" Yankovic, returned to Utah on the Bigger & Weirder tour with a stop at the Maverik Center in West Valley City on Monday, June 23. It had been ten years since I'd last seen Al in concert, and I didn't want to miss another one.

So, Pepe and I got tickets (nine months ago actually) and went to the show. This was my eighth time seeing "Weird Al" in concert, and Pepe has been with me through the majority of them.

A performer I'd never heard of before, Puddles Pity Party, was the opening act. He was dressed up like a clown, but once you got over any similarities to a murderous clown a la Stephen King, PPP was actually a pretty fun and talented singer. Our favorite number of his was his cover of the "Gilligan's Island" theme song, set to the tune of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven."

When the main man, Al, came on the stage, the whole place went bananas (noise wise). We were treated to a wonderful show. He performed many of his favorite tunes, including "White and Nerdy," "Dare to Be Stupid," "Fat," "Amish Paradise," "One More Minute," "Word Crimes," "Canadian Idiot," "Mission Statement," and so many others.

For a man who's now 65 years old, Al is still pretty limber and athletic, and he moves around the stage pretty easily.

The evening couldn't end without an encore, and this one included Al's two Star Wars-inspired songs: "The Saga Begins" and "Yoda."

Do you feel like you missed out? Well, come with us to the next one. Hopefully, it won't be another ten years from now.

Weekend at Bear Lake 2023

Last week, the Plowbuckles joined our family's annual summer trip up to beautiful Bear Lake. We (collectively) shook things up this year by doing a couple of things differently: (1) traveling in June rather than August and (2) renting an Airbnb on the north/Fish Haven, Idaho, side of the lake. These choices paid off tremendously because we had beautiful, spring-like weather throughout, and also the "Pirate Ship Chalet" was a good fit for our large group of hooligans.

What is a Pirate Ship Chalet? you ask? I didn't know, either, but I do now. It looks a lot like this, an actual pirate ship playground attached to the side of the building:

This was a fun little playground for kids of all ages. While many of those in our fun house went out on the water or over to the pickleball courts to play, Aunt JB and I were fuddy-duddy homebodies and hung around the house most of the time. But fortunately that meant we also got to spend a great deal of time with the littlest niblings, because after all we are the Fun Aunt and Uncle.

Tanner and Sadie picked The Empire Strikes Back to watch with JB when offered their choice of movie! The Force remains strong in our family.

Other enjoyable activities at the Pirate Ship Chalet included playing Jackbox games like Tee K.O. together, foosball, pool (billiards), watching movies, and streaming the final game of the NBA Finals after a lightning storm knocked out the satellite dish. (The Denver Nuggets won their first-ever championship!)

Of course, a visit to Bear Lake can't be complete without at lest one visit to either LaBeau's or Zipz in downtown Garden City (on the Utah side of the lake) for Dole whips and/or raspberry shakes.

All told, 10 out of 10 stars, we would definitely recommend the place where we stayed and our overall vacation experience. 

On our way home, we remained in Idaho and took the long route through St. Charles and Paris and then into lovely Preston, setting for the cult hit movie Napoleon Dynamite. Heading south, we then passed through Franklin, just a stone's throw across the Utah/Idaho border, to visit the graves of JB's great grandparents. So that was an added bonus.

Return of "Return of the Jedi"

Nearly 40 years ago, early in the morning of May 25, 1983, my dad got then-seven-year-old me and my nine-year-old older brother out of school for the day—that act alone making him a hero to me forever—to line up on the streets of downtown Salt Lake City, at a theater that is no longer there, to be part of the first audience to see Return of the Jedi in Utah. And we made it in! (Back in my day, we didn't have the Internet and couldn't just buy the tickets online in advance.)

I remember being fascinated by every detail of that film: terrified by the creatures in Jabba's palace, almost covering my seven-year-old eyes at Princess Leia in her cast-iron bikini, my mind being blown by the Emperor's cruelty and by Luke's and Vader's final duel and Vader's redemption, and practically dancing in the aisles along with Han Solo and the Ewoks during the final celebration.

The next day at school, my classmates became somewhat jealous when they found out where I had really been.

Star Wars was a big part of my childhood and has remained a big part ever since then.

Everything old was new again this past Friday night when Return of the Jedi was re-released into theaters for a week for its 40th anniversary. (If you did the math, then yes, that means is that Paco is now old.) JB and I went to see it at the Megaplex along with my brother Ben and his two sons—ages 9 and 7. We had a blast reliving fun memories.

JB dressed up for the occasion:

The Force is strong in my family. My father has it, I have it, my brothers and sister have it, and now the next generation does, too.

Incidentally, Utah's last major flooding from winter snowpack also occurred 40 years ago this spring; we've seen an even-larger snowpack this past winter, leading to current flooding in various locations along the Wasatch Front. But that is a post for another day. (Stay safe out there, folks.)

Happy Star Wars Day, fellow nerds and nerdettes.

 

Christmas 2021

On Christmas Eve, the Plowbuckles met up with Mom and all of my siblings' families for family dinner in West Bountiful. After enjoying a meal featuring ham, chicken, mashed potatoes, and a number of other holiday goodies, we listened to Dad narrate the Christmas story, as told in Chapter 2 of the Gospel of Luke—still one of our most prized possessions. Meanwhile, the niblings acted as Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the wise men, and the animals in the manger, and we also sang a number of Christmas hymns found in the Church hymnal.

Once that had concluded, the 15 niblings (on my side) exchanged gifts with each other. This is a still-relatively new tradition for us, and we are loving it so far. It does my heart good to see the love these kids have for their cousins and the hugs and smiles that were exchanged throughout the evening. Their cousins are also among their very best friends. They got to open their gifts from Grandma, too.

Kate was very grateful to have received her Princess Tiana doll:

Then, my siblings and I also exchanged gifts; we do this part couple by couple. Steve and Summer got us some very thoughtful things, including this sign, which we will be hanging up in one of our bathrooms:

I guess it kinda speaks for itself.

After spending Christmas morning together and with Leia, the three of us trekked out to Grantsville to spend the bulk of the afternoon on Christmas Day with JB's parents and two of her siblings' families. We enjoyed a baked potato bar and tacos, and a number of those attending played board games while the rest of us talked or took naps.

Wherever you were, whomever you were with, my family and friends, I hope that your Christmas this year was both joyful and triumphant.

Star Wars Day

May 4th, aka Star Wars Day, has now become an occasion for holding a family party. And why shouldn't it?

I'm Paco, and I approve this message.

We gathered at Ben's and Adi's home last night for this occasion. Our puppy, Leia, was dressed to the nines in her Chewbacca harness:

Yes, I realize how odd it is having a dog named Leia not wearing any Princess Leia buns on the sides of her head. (We don't have any for her yet.)

Speaking of which, we sampled a number of Star Wars-inspired goodies, including as Princess Leia buns:

We watched a few episodes of "The Clone Wars" TV show. (It being a school night, we didn't try to get through a movie.) Kids of all ages—but more specifically, the niblings—enjoyed the various activities, such as decorating their own droids, a great deal.

May the Fourth be with you!

Improvables: Christmas Party 2020

Covid may have postponed or canceled many things throughout 2020, but the annual Improvables Christmas party was not one of them! We met up over a Zoom call last week to play some games online and to open our randomly distributed white elephant gifts—always one of the highlights of the Christmas season for me.

One of my favorite moments was Richard opening JB's contribution, which was a Jane Austen action figure (yes, really):

He then deadpanned (improvisers, amirite?), "I was hoping for one of the Bronte sisters."

I ended up with a brand-new copy of Monopoly: Longest Game Ever (somebody found a way to make Monopoly last even longer, I discovered), while JB obtained this lovely Darth Vader wall ornament:

Altogether, it was a fun evening for everyone involved. I miss seeing and performing with these people, though we are hoping that we will be able to safely return to the stage at some point in 2021.

Halloween 2020

We didn't have an improv show nor any other Halloween parties to attend this year (thanks, coronavirus), but I wouldn't let that stop me from dressing up for one of my favorite holidays. On Friday, I went to work dressed up as Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid:

Naturally, I had to dress up Leia in a costume, since she (cough cough) is a member of the family who will actually take part in Halloween along with me. I found this Chewbacca harness for her (which turned out to be a little bit big):

No regerts!

New Year's Eve 2020

The older I get, the milder my New Year's Eve celebrations become.

This is great by me.

Fun Aunt and Uncle had Danielle, Tyson, Kiera, and Tatum over for breakfast for dinner at our home for our New Year's Eve party last night. It was a good opportunity to break in our Darth Vader waffle iron, and I must say that the waffles turned out very well.

We added bacon, eggs, hash browns, milk, and apple juice to the mix, as well as a South American favorite, panetón, which is now becoming a family tradition.

Following a few rounds of new board/card games UNO Flip and Hail Hydra, we packed things up and called it a night a few hours before midnight. Where a nine-year-old and a six-year-old are involved this is just fine ... as it is for their 40-something uncle.

Christmas Eve 2019

For the Plowbuckles, this Christmas season was one featuring a very humble Charlie Brown Christmas tree at our home. Due to JB's unexpected surgery earlier in the month, it ended up being a big part of our decorations and good option for our otherwise less-decorated house. Plus, with Leia the wonder pup still very curious about everything and running around causing mischief, we didn't want to put up the regular tree this year and put our presents under it, both of which would have attracted her attention and would have most certainly led to problems.

So! You may have heard that the latest Star Wars movie, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, came out December 20. JB and I went to see it on opening night and enjoyed it a great deal. (I don't know what the critics were smoking who gave the bad reviews, but everyone is entitled to their opinions, and theirs is wrong.)

We went for a second time on Christmas Eve morning with members of JB's family, including Danielle's family and our niblings Olivia and Jake. It was just as enjoyable the second time through.

Six-year-old Tatum and I were twinners with our Darth Vader ugly Christmas sweaters for the occasion.

In the evening, we congregated with the members of my side of the family up at Mike's and Jana's home in Layton for Christmas dinner. JB prepared a turkey and stuffing to add to a very generous supply of food.

Following dinner, we listened to the recording of Dad reading the Christmas story in chapter 2 of Luke, while the kids took part in our annual Christmas pageant.

We then exchanged gifts. The kids opened up their presents from Grandma Plowman, going from youngest (currently Ike) to oldest. We also exchanged gifts among siblings and their families. This year, Mike and Jana drew our name and gave us this Darth Vader waffle iron, which we are hoping to break in soon:

Throughout the evening, both kids and adults were keeping tabs on Santa's whereabouts on NORAD. When he started getting dangerously close to our time zone, the party broke up, and folks headed home to dream of sugar plums and all of that good stuff.

Droids

Fun Aunt and Uncle were over at Ben's and Adi's home in Centerville for dinner Sunday. While we were there, we were introduced to the droids Christian and Graham got to build on their recent trip to Disney World.

Christian and his droid, Sparkle:

Graham and his droid, BB Blanket:

Uncle Paco may have been a bit jealous about this, but he'll live.

Spencer's Graduation Party

Our nephew Spencer graduated from Viewmont High School last week. There was a graduation party for him Thursday night at Smoot Park in Centerville, and of course you know that meant that the Fun Aunt and Uncle were there to help party with him.

We're proud of the man this kid is becoming and his Uncle Paco is particularly proud of the fellow Star Wars fan he is, too. JB told me that he said his "dream vacation" would be to the planet Kashyyyk (the Wookiee world from Revenge of the Sith) and that his favorite movie (not just in the series, but his favorite movie) is Return of the Jedi.

I also learned that he is an accomplished woodworker; a number of his woodworking projects were on display to show everyone.

Post-Easter Egg Hunt

The kids finally had their annual Easter egg hunt, albeit a week after Easter. This is because Easter Sunday this year did not align with either our Sunday general conference breakfast or fourth-Sunday family dinner.

Anyhow, we met up at Mike's and Jana's home in Layton Sunday for both family dinner and the kids' Easter egg hunt. Jackson took the time to organize the Easter egg hunt, and he did a great job doing so.

Everyone got a basket or bag full of plastic eggs and goodies inside them, which made for a lot of happy kids.

After this, we had our monthly family birthday party for our April birthdays: Graham (3), Jenna (16), and Jackson (11).

Graham was particularly grateful for his Kylo Ren light saber and Kylo Ren teddy bear:

JB is becoming a favorite of a number of the niblings, including four-year-old Kate here (but, then again, JB has pretty much been a favorite from the first family dinner she attended):

Her cousin Kylee is also a favorite:

In short, it was another great family dinner and Easter event for us.