Send in the Clones
All over the country, sci-fi nerds are lining up with other sci-fi nerds in winding queues of sci-fi nerds in order to be admitted to special midnight screenings of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Many more sci-fi nerds will be taking the day off from work tomorrow in order to view the film at a more reasonable hour. It has been suggested that this exodus will cost U.S. businesses over $300 million as their technology workers call in sick.
Twenty years ago, I would have skipped work to be in line with those people. However, as a five year-old, work in technology was hard to come by, so I was unable to participate in such spontaneous shenanigans. Oh, but I’d have wanted to. You see, as a youngster, I wasn’t only a fan. No indeed…
I lived the life.
That’s right. None of this casual bandwagon fandom for this guy. I tucked my pajama pants into my socks to emulate Luke’s knee-length boot look. I had a glow-in-the-dark lightsaber. My father and I would square off in dramatic reenactions of the climactic duel between young Skywalker and the nefarious Lord Vader; I with my glow-in-the-dark plastic lightsaber, he with a long red plastic toy screwdriver. Lit by the glow of a black lightbulb in the den, our lightsabers glowed with an intensity matched only by that of the original encounter I’d seen on the big screen so many times.
It is with these fond memories in mind that I contemplate the idea that I may indeed be calling in sick tomorrow. However, it would not be to go see Star Wars, as much as I would love to go. It seems that I have actually come down with a bit of a legitimate bug. So, should I opt to stay home tomorrow, I will be spending a sick day actually being sick.
Curse you, Vader!!
Bye for now.