Man, Mostly Harmless, Celebrates 42nd Birthday And Discovers Life, The Universe And Everything

As we referenced Douglas Adams in our wedding vows (we celebrate 20 years of marriage today!), it shouldn't come as a surprise that I would throw Alex a particularly Arthur Dent-flavored 42nd birthday party (June 19). If you happen to not be familiar with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, none of this will make any sense, but you should know that it is all completely hilarious.

Our geek teens, (it should also not come as a surprise that we have raised geeks), were actually the ones who started planning the party months ago, knowing that their dad only turns 42 once. (In case you don't know, the number 42 is a big deal in HGG.) So the day before we were to head to PortCon (see, GEEKS), we decorated the house while Alex went out to renew his license.

The teens and I had such fun gathering materials and designing ways to incorporate themes from the series. Adam put his graphic art skills to great use and made us all sorts of signs and labels, as well as Alex's birthday card.



Marvin The Paranoid Android












Babel Fish














Did you remember your towel?








The kids and I were really pleased with the results and with how tickled Alex seemed. It's become a tradition of sorts that we are preparing for PortCon on or near Alex's birthday, and we have gotten into the habit of giving him a few particularly geeky gifts. We spent the rest of the day and evening, happily creating, embellishing costumes for the next day.

Of course Alex had to dress as Arthur Dent for PortCon.



Olivia, because she's already the living copy of Princess Anna from Frozen, put together a lovely cosplay based on Anna's coronation gown.

And Adam, who is 6-feet 2-inches, opted to go as Hank McCoy, aka, Beast from X-Men: Days of Future Past. He looks pretty awesome in that retro 1970's wear, don't you think?

We had a good birthday weekend, celebrating together and being out as a family doing geeky things. Happy 42nd, my love!

Surprise and Delight : Yule : Day Eleven

The year of research, collecting ideas and pins, listening to their rambling about this or that, paying close attention to their preferences, watching them dive headfirst into a passion, and squirreling away items that match all these things over the course of a year - that is one of my greatest pleasures (and one Alex shares, and we do this for each other, too). We will stay up all night wrapping that. That's what we do. (Did.) That's what we want. No complaints. (Maybe some whining.)









It's becoming more clear with every year, that our children have this desire too. They will craft or seek out the thing that makes the other's heart sing. This year, Olivia made all sorts of beautiful and touching things, including this ornament that looks like one of Adam's Planet Minecraft skins. Adam was so pleased. She also made him a gorgeous felted red fox pin. To the entire family, she gave us adorable ornaments that bear a remarkable likeness to Beatrice and Annabelle. These instantly went on the tree and will be hung every year going forward.







It was great fun to give things that though not handmade by us, were handmade by others. I received three coveted Phoebe Wahl prints from Alex, for instance. Olivia received a few favorite items from some artists specializing in social justice or feminist topics. She adores her Feminist Killjoy collar pin. There were a few Twin Peaks references in her stocking, also.



And sometimes there's just that thing, that they never expected to get, that thrills and amazes them. We live for this stuff.











Sometimes there's another sort of joy, of finding the thing that moves the other with its import. I was crying by the time he came over to give me a long hug with extra grip.





We couldn't resist pranking Papa a little, with a box featuring "Bacon Scented Dryer Sheets" and the mirth (and relief to all) that resulted when it merely contained his favorite candy bar in triplicate. Although he did say we had him going there for a bit, so I do wonder what he must think of us. As if we'd ever use dryer sheets.



Look at these two. Those smiles. Total sweetness.





It's not often I can find something whimsical that will surprise Alex. But after he went on all summer about wearing a straw beach hat while mowing or working outside, I thought he should have a proper straw hat. One made for a farmer. One that looks great with his beard.





It truly was a pleasure to share these moments with these fine people, to experience the joy of giving and receiving with them. It was a good day. Full of merriment and pure fun.

I'd be up for it in oh, say, another year.

A Month Of Blooms, Geeks And Celebrations

It seems June is bound to be a very full month for us, considering all the things we pack into it. First, there's the garden with all its growing and blooming and beauty. And constant mowing, there's that, too. The first roses unfurl, emitting their heady scent, the glossy green guard petals of the peony give way to flouncy, creamy blooms, and the white clematis provides endless opportunities to talk with neighbors and passersby about that beautiful plant there in the corner (ours is the Guernsey Cream variety). And we cringe, just a bit, when we overhear some folks comment on the unusual peach lilac (it's a beauty bush, not a lilac. A mistake that is significantly less painful to overhear than when the rose hips are mistaken as some type of tomato.) Under drooping leaves, we spy strawberries and Sweet William collects raindrops on its petals. The hot pink weigela shines in contrast to the moody blue-greens of her hosta and fern friends.











Second, June means that when we're not out in the garden, we just might be dressed up in our favorite geek fandom and spending our days with two thousand other geeks at PortConMaine. This was our second year attending and we did all four days. Olivia, a Star Trek fan, dressed in command red from the Next Generation series. (And yes, many, many people joked with her about being a Red Shirt, which was sad, as it was a geek con, after all. If they were any kind of Star Trek fan, they would know that Next Generation (TNG) occurs a good 100 years after Star Trek (The Original Series, TOS) and in TNG, rarely do we see anyone get killed, and if we do, they are usually in the gold tactical or blue science uniforms. Hrumph!) She was not the only Star Trek fan at PortCon, however, and much of the Star Trek universe was represented, including a Tasha Yar from TNG, and spot-on Chekov (after his move from the tactical gold to the engineering red, that is) from the Star Trek reboot.






We are big Avatar: The Last Airbender fans, in this house and we were glued to the sequel, The Legend of Korra, last summer (and are not so patiently awaiting a second season). Ever since, we've all thought that Adam would make a perfect Bolin, with his green eyes and dark hair, and similar personalities. This meant someone had to make a costume and since I find pattern sewing oh so challenging, Alex made the costume.



It also meant we had to track down a fire ferret (or red panda), Bolin's animal sidekick, and we lucked out with this one.

Adam looked great and he was recognized repeatedly, was photographed often and people regularly asked to hug him. It was really sweet. I know he ran into other Legend of Korra fans, but I wasn't with him and so I never got photos. Bummer. He did show up on this person's tumblog, however, so that's cool!




Alex and I just didn't devote time to creating cosplay for ourselves, for the con, but maybe some year. Alex, who celebrated his 41st birthday just a day prior to PortCon, did get a Dungeons & Dragons t-shirt, so he wore that on one of the days, while he played D&D (and Talisman), of course. GEEK! He received a Doctor Who t-shirt for his birthday, last year, so I think we have a new tradition.








I did wear a jacket and a FBI Special Agent badge, in a nod to all the FBI (fake or otherwise) that seem to show up in a lot of fantasy and sci-fi.



Also on Alex's birthday, we went up to the homestead, and did some demolition of the kitchen soffit and we installed a new counter and sink. While we were there, Olivia weeded in her garden and hilled potatoes, and then both the kids helped Papa clear more stuff out of the house.







Third, June also means we had more celebrating to do, as Alex and I marked our 19th wedding anniversary on June 25! Can I just say, if you ever have the option of waking up next to your best friend for nineteen years, totally do that.

We spent the first half of the 91F day at the beach, and the evening in Portland. While we were at dinner, a nasty thunderstorm hit and we watched from the windows as black clouds descended on the harbor, and later, ran for the car in a downpour.  It was a good summer day.










I'm sure the rest of June will end in a blur, and it looks like we're in for a really damp, humid stretch of weather, so I don't know what that will mean for the garden. Perhaps it will give us the excuse to slow down for a few days and catch our breath, at least until July? Let's see...we still need to go pick strawberries, do some house maintenance, iron out plans with friends for July, maybe we should plan a yard sale...? Oh dear. Five days until July...breathe, Amy, breathe.