Attending A Nerd Wedding Reception...

When I was a teenager, something you didn't want to be called was a nerd, or a geek. Those were not compliments. I imagine to many those terms are still an insult. Over the past five years or so I've spent a lot of time with self-described nerds and geeks, and because of this, those terms mean something different. To me, they're compliments of the highest degree.

Tonight, my wife and I attended a wedding reception of our friends's daughter. From the very beginning, we knew a lot about the bride and groom. They were not ashamed of their nerd-ery. In fact, they embraced it. Our first clue was the a huge Star Wars poster that served as a sign-in book.

Very cool!

Next, a table displayed items the happy couple felt were important to them. In addition to original artwork and school degrees, there were novels written by prominent fantasy authors, journals, card games, a fencing helmet, and even a Tardis.

More coolness!

And even the treats were nerd-themed. I admire a couple who is willing to show to the world who they are. That's one thing about attending our local Comic Con that I've loved! The people absolutely cherish the opportunity to spend time with like-minded individuals. They dress how they want to, even though they may not look the Hollywood counterparts (but, then again, how many of us look like Hollywood stars? Not many...). They also respect the other people in the hall who are doing the same thing they are--having a wonderful time and not caring what other people think.

Back in the day, I know that if people confessed their love publicly for all things nerd, they would be torn apart by closed-minded people. They'd be ridiculed, mocked, disparaged. People who do this probably still exist--hopefully they're fewer than they once were. But I think, with more and more people not caring what others think, those belittling lose their power, as if they really ever had it to begin with.

Congrats, Ailwynne and Michael, for your wedding and for embracing your inner nerds!

My Youngest, Star Wars And "When I Was I Kid..."

One thing I notice more and more as I get older is how often I find myself thinking, "When I was a kid...," or "Back in my day..." I don't know why but I never thought I would be the one to say those things. I always thought I'd be the one hearing them.

I guess that's what happens when you get old.

Tonight, while his two older siblings are out with friends, my youngest chose a video to watch. We don't have a lot of DVDs, but there's a few. He could have picked any number of films. Which one did he end up watching?

Star Wars IV: A New Hope

And I'm a happy papa!

Many of my friends on social media post pictures or little stories of their children voluntarily choosing a geek life. It's heartwarming. It makes one thing we've succeeded as a parent, or at least, partially succeeded. I'd like to think we did something right.

So what does that have to do with "When I was a kid...?"

Good question.

When I was a kid there were two ways to see Star Wars, or any movie. Only two ways. You could either see it in the theater, which is why a film like Star Wars was in the theater for over a year.

The second way to see the show was to wait until it was on one of three channels, ABC, CBS or NBC. That was it. Then came VCRs. However, there was a time between the advent of VCRs and the creation of the video store. Sure, you could record something, but it had to be on TV to do it.

When I was a kid, the very first movie I ever saw that wasn't recorded on TV (and without commercials, a pretty big deal...) was Star Wars. My friend, Steven Peel had an uncle that moved to Utah after having worked in the film industry in California. He had a tape of Star Wars. I thought that was the COOLEST THING! Imagine, watching Star Wars whenever you wanted!

That was the definition of awesome for a teenager in the late 1970s.

My son will never know that awesomeness. He'll never know the feeling in your gut when you have waiting literally for years for that one night when "the movie" will be shown on TV. You talked about it at school and you eagerly waited in front of the television on a Sunday night until the film began.

Back in my day, that's how it was done. And we liked it!

Do You Remember What You Did On 30 May, 1977? I Do...

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Memorial Day, 1977

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I don't remember a lot of specific days of my youth. I did not keep a daily journal back then as I do now. I don't remember a lot of specific days since keeping a daily journal but the advantage I have now is I can go back and read what happened.

I DO remember Monday, 30 May, 1977 because it was Memorial Day and it was the day I saw Star Wars for the first time.

Some friends, I think the Wood brothers and maybe Scott Schriver (but I'm not sure about that...) were bored and thinking of doing something fun. School was almost over for the year and we had the day off. We heard that one of our teachers at school had seen Star Wars. He said it was pretty good. The teacher said it was kind of like an old western movie. I remember we thought about not going, or seeing something else...I can't believe we actually considered passing on the film.

Eventually we decided to give the film a chance. This was before the internet and even before cable television. We didn't read movie reviews. We knew nothing of the film. Back then a film's quality was spread by word of mouth and the film was so new, all we had was a few words from a teacher at school.

We took the Route 70 bus to Salt Lake City to the Centre Theater on 3rd South and State. I remember standing in line behind not a lot of people--maybe 50, or so. As we waited for the next show to start we chatted and did the things pre-teenagers did while waiting in line. No one, and I mean NO ONE would have dared dressed up in a costume. There were pictures from the film up on the walls outside the theater and I keep looking at those pictures. I remember one picture specifically, of the Millennium Falcon, and I kept thinking that the ship looked like some sort of train or monorail by the way it curved around the ship as it did.

You may be asking why I remember all these details so clearly and my answer is this: because the film was SO FRICKIN GREAT!!! I remember sitting in that theater, a theater that no longer exists, and being completely blown away! It was the most amazing film I had ever seen and I don't think that theatrical experience for me has ever been eclipsed--maybe seeing Les Miserables in London--that comes close. We left the theater and our feet never touched the ground. We talked about the film as we waited for the Route 70 bus to take us home. We talked about the film while we rode the bus home, and I'm sure we bragged up the film to everyone and anyone who would listen once we got home.

Monday, 30 May 1977--35 years ago today. I remember the day very well, a day I hope I never forget...

*Picture used without permission from: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/827

#Picture used without permission from: http://rooksjeff.tumblr.com/post/5192075062/star-wars-theatrical-style-a-by-tom-jung-circa