Our Week of Geek

Last week was a big week. So big, it took me a whole week to digest it.

 THURSDAY
Thursday night, after a day of work, an appointment at the dentist and a half-assed attempt at attending my favourite thing in the world, a parents-teacher meeting at my youngest daughter’s school (yes, you did detect some sarcasm there), the Friday night debauch team (my family and our friends V and L, went to see the Star Wars exhibition at the Montreal Science Center, entitled Star Wars Identities.

Why so late you ask?

Han Solo frozen in carbonite! Actually used in the movie!!!

Good question. Because although the show has been on since April, it ended this weekend and we still hadn’t gone. Which, as J would say and did, was unacceptable. Luckily V told us we should buy our tickets online because when I went to the website I found out the weekend was sold out and the only time we could all go and that was available was the 8:45 pm slot on a Thursday night. Ideal it was not…

Yoda: Rule these geeks do…Actual puppet that Mr. Oz actually touched. I know. The mind reels.

The show was a geek’s paradise, marrying our love of the sci-fi space cowboy classic with the science of, wait for it…you got it…identity!

When we entered the exhibit we were given an audio guide and the coolest rubber high-tech bracelet you ever did saw.  Intermingled with all the cool paraphanelia from the movie (see below. And above. See everywhere!)

Like this battle scarred Millenium Falcon model…CGI can suck it

…were information videos about the different aspects that make up our identity. Our environment. Our parents. Genetics. Personality.  What goes in to making us who we are?

C as Mace Windu

Accompanying the little informaitonal videos were quiz-like questions activated by our super cool rubber bracelet, which stored all our information on it. At the end, we scanned the bracelet and got to see our Star Wars character!

L’s character. Her mentor is Leia. She is a musician. Her friends, Ewok C and human S are in the background.

The actual costumes worn on Hoth. Oh yeah.

Chewie!!! Both V and J chose to be wookies. What does that say about them?

Puppet Jabba! Still so gross.

Here is my character:

Yep. I’m a kaminoan raised on Tatouine with two of my wookie friends. I have no mentor, yo.What does that say about me?

FRIDAY:

Friday after work we had to HAD TO go to the Montreal Comicon (this does not need any explanation. Of course we had to.) Although we didn’t say long, we did what we came there to do.

Comicon always forces me to realize how very limited my geekiness is (and I say this not as a good thing. I lack the, I don’t know, obsessive personality of many of the wonderful people roaming the comic book laden corridors.  We were there to see Nicolas Brendon, otherwise known as Xander in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Really that was all we wanted…

Sylvie making friends with a Dalek. Ok. Sylvie and I also share a burgeoning love for Doctor Who.

Still, there were other things to see. Perhaps my geekiness is not narrow after all…

The kids forced to get their picture taken with the Ghost Busters. They wanted to. really.

While this was going on, my friend M met a hero of hers, Will Wheaton ( I know him from Star wars Trek (oops)the next generation, but apparently he’s done other stuff since then. Who knew? Ok. Fine. I did.) UPDATE: FORGOT HE WAS THE KID IN STANDBY ME! I LOVE STANDBY ME! I SHOULD HAVE TOLD MY KIDS THEN THEY WOULD HAVE KNOWN HIM TOO! Okay. All caps off now.  He was so taken by her bat’leH (I totally stole that word so that I looked smart but  I have no idea what that means- klingon? I suspect klingon) earrings he took a picture and put them on his blog. She can now die happy.

I am now going to steal his photo from his blog and feel totally justified because she is my friend and that’s her comic book and earring:

Meanwhile….

The actual scoobie van!

Was our quest a success? Why yes, yes it was, thanks for asking. We beelined toward the autograph signing place where, as luck would have it, Nicolas Brendon himself was in attendance! The line was short, and before we knew it we were getting an autograph signed for Ms. C.

We all got hugs from the Xander man as well as this gem of a photo!

After that momentous occasion, we went to line up for his celebrity panel. He was joined by the Groossalugg (Groo from Angel), who happened to originate from Dollard-des-Ormeaux. They had a nice banter going on- very irreverent and funny. The best part was when asked what he misses the most about being on Buffy, Mr. Brendon responded, “speaking Joss’s words.”

I hear you sir.