Geeksville

There are many things that make me realize I am a geek. The books I like, the activities I like (read the blogs on the Rose Festival), and the fact that I was more excited about meeting obscure authors than famous musicians. But this weekend, seemed to be the epitome of geekiness. The float riding-in the Portland area, only my mom was excited for me (others outside Portland where excited though). And then, right after the parade we headed to the beach to see Paul Anka. For those of you not familiar with his work, he had a few big hits in the late 50's, early 60's with "Diana" and "Put Your Head On My Shoulder". He also is a songwriter and he is the one who wrote "My Way" for Frank Sinatra and "She's a Lady" for Tom Jones, among other hits. It was a good time, and I love intimate little venues for concerts where you can see the musicians and feel a personal connection with the entertainment. However, I am pretty sure I was the youngest person, or at least one of the ten youngest people there. In fact the lady next to mom was not only impressed that I was willing to go to humor my mom, but that I knew some fo his songs and liked others from his generation or before, like Neil Sedaka, Dean Martin, and Nat King Cole. I also realized I wasn't in Kansas anymore when I went to the bathroom. We saw Paul Anka at the Chinook Winds Casino- a haven for the 50 plus crowd. In the restroom stalls it says "please do not flush personal control undergarments". Okay, that took me a minute because I am thinking ha-ha, who would flush their underwear. Then I realize they are talking about items like "Depends" which are fine and important, but made me think that maybe I need to hang out with a younger crowd. After the concert we go out to the main gambling hall so mom can play the slots just a little. Holy cow-the smokers. I felt like an old fart trying to stay out of the blue smoke and definitely felt a role reversal as I made faces at the "rebels" lighting up who were older than my mom. I can't imagine smoke on dentures tastes all that good.
All in all, we had a great weekend. The parade, the concert, and some time at the outlet stores the next morning felt like the perfect getaway for the mom of a 19 month old, although Asa did come with. Long live geeks.