It feels good to be a Nerd
Posted by Angie Lamoree on
It is finally socially acceptable to be a nerd. Considering my gene pool, this is good news for my offspring, we are nerds many generations back. My awkward school career was not in vain it seems. May is a great month for nerds as 2 of our High Holidays fall in that month. Here goes:
May 4th: Star Wars Day
There are few things I love more than a good pun. May the 4th is a play on the words “may the force be with you” – a general salutation among the members of the rebellion. The first documented use of the phrase was on May 4, 1979 to commemorate the election of Margret Thatcher to the office of Prime Minister. Members of her party took out an ad in the London Evening News that read "May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations." Jeanne Cavelos used the term in her 1999 book The Science of Star Wars. Nerds officially adopted the expression in 2008 and the movement has been growing ever since. With Disney buying the franchise from Lucasfilms is 2012, the holiday is an official celebration date at Disneyland each year. My personal attachment to Star Wars goes back when I was 6 years old, my parents took me to see Return of the Jedi, I was instantly hooked, not only on Star Wars but science fiction in general. With the reality of VHS players in everyone’s home, I watched the movies until I knew them by heart. I was in love with Han Solo and Leia was my hero! When the prequals came out, my cousins and I went to midnight showings of every episode. For the first one, we had one small child. We sat through Episode II with three small children and an infant. By the third prequal we had 5 children between us. I was excited to the point of tears when the music started to play and the prologue began to scroll during The Force Awakens, my same pair of cousins in the theater with me, this time with eight children among us and we were thrilled that they love the movies as much as we do. This story that happened a long time ago in a galaxy far far away is truly part of my own life’s story. What is your Star Wars story?
Sew, on May the 4th, wear your best Star Wars gear, be it Rebel or Imperialistic; light side, dark side or yet to be decided; human or alien, if it is from this world it is welcome. If you prefer, bring in a Star Wars fabric project to share. We will have games, snacks and giveaways but mostly we will have fun!
May 25th: Towel Day (Geek Pride Day)
Towel day is an international celebration of Douglas Adams, the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. People celebrate by following the advice found in the handbook: "A towel, [The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have..." The only advice I can give is if you have an affinity for snarky or slightly twisted humor and have not yet read the Hitchhiker books, get the to a library post haste! There was a movie made a few years back that does a decent job too but I don’t think there is a way to truly do these books justice! Some day a towel could save your life:
Not only was the first Star Wars movie released on May the 25th (1977) it is also celebrated as Geek Pride Day. This holiday originated in Spain in 2006, with the internet being what it is, it soon took root internationally with Geeks all around the globe.
So this May 25th (and here-after) we will celebrate in a variety of ways. Anyone that comes shopping wearing a towel (extra points for creativity) will get a discount on their entire purchase. In addition, if you bring in a new, unused bath towel anytime during the week of the 25th (May 21-26) you will receive a coupon good for $5 for each towel donated for use on a later purchase. All towels will be delivered to Homeward Bound of Asheville, a local organization dedicated to helping those in crisis find and keep homes.
From our family to yours Happy Nerd Days everybody!
