Downtown

When you're alone and life is making you lonely
You can always go downtown
When you've got worries, all the noise and the hurry
Seems to help, I know, downtown

Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty
How can you lose?
The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares

So go downtown
Things will be great when you're downtown
No finer place for sure, downtown
Everything's waiting for you

-=-=-=-=-=-

Yep, we went downtown yesterday.  Well, really Midtown, but you get the idea.  Yes, NYC was our special outing--to the Discovery Center in Times Square to see not only the Star Wars costume exhibition but also the Vikings exhibition.  And we had a great time!

First, it's always great to be back in my old neighborhood, though it's changed so much.  Still, I feel 25 again and filled with the positive memories of my time in the city.  It's like going home.

The SW show was good, too.  I've seen other SW shows, namely "The Magic of Myth" in both Milwaukee (on my own) and Brooklyn (with Mama in 2002); it had costumes plus models, props, and blueprints.  This show was all costumes (plus a few blasters and lightsabers.) We got to see all the standards, from both trilogies.  I especially liked seeing Princess Leia's white dress from New Hope.  I wish they'd had the Hoth, Cloud City, or Endor clothes, or even especially the Force Awakens outfits.  Still.  There were all the various Jedis, Han Solo, Chewie, C-3PO, R2-D2, BB8, lots of stormtroopers, various Senate officials, Yoda, and Darth Vader.  There were more elaborate gowns for Amidala than you could shake a coathanger at, but they were lush and complex, even if I don't like the movies.  I was amazed at how small the infamous metal bikini is; no wonder they had trouble keeping it on her--there isn't anything to it!  Bud said that costume always makes him feel uncomfortable.  Me, too, and I think that was the point.  We liked seeing Rey, Finn, and Poe at the end, their clothes continuing many of the trends started in the first three films.  

We had lunch just a few buildings down from my old home, at the barbecue joint Virgil's.  Quick, reliable, tasty.  And NYers just don't eat at 11:30 so we got a table easily.

Then we went back for the Vikings exhibition.  I've also seen a few major Viking exhibitions--at the American Museum of Natural History and at the British Museum--and this one actually compared, though it was smaller.  It had some great artifacts--brooches, swords, amulets, needles, axes, even dried bread--plus a few stele (though I think they were all reproductions.)  And of course the "ghost ship," which is suggested by rivets hanging on strings, since the wood was all lost over time.  There were several interactive kiosks and some lovely photos of reenactors and museums in modern-day Sweden.  Plus, there were even some Nordic dogs, in town for the Westminster Dog Show, that were like the dogs the Vikings would have had.  Sis and Bud enjoyed seeing them.  The exhibition was all about the daily life of Vikings--which never included horned helmets!--and so went out of its way to separate them from the marauding Beserkers who attacked Lindisfarne, etc.  This shift in the scholarship has been a long time in the making, but I didn't realize until now that "viking" is actual used to reference the activity of going on an expedition "to go Viking" or to "be on a Viking."  It's NOT the name of a group of people, like we use Swedish or Icelandic or Norwegian.  It was an activity.  Still, in a few ways, the exhibition did too much to erase the more violent aspects--the reason there are graves everywhere and lots of trade is because of their offensive maneuvers and plunder.  But, it was probably not much like the tv show, "Vikings" (which I like anyway.)

We picked up some cupcakes from the Discovery Center cafe and headed home through Friday afternoon traffic.  All things considered, it was a great day, and, even more, a good distraction from our sadness.

My SW7 Review--With SPOILERS

SPOILERS.

That's right.  Quit reading now if you don't want to know a lot about the plot of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Seriously, spoilers.

I've now seen SW7 three times, each time quite different from the others.  We saw it the first time the night before it opened, during previews, on Thursday, December 17.  We didn't take the kids out of school--in honor of when my mom took me out of school to see Return of the Jedi on its first day--as I always said I would do, because the first previews were at 7:45 p.m.  But they decided seeing it the night before was better than being taken out of school.  They promised no spoilers, just mild gloating, the next day.

The best part of waiting for the movie to start was that the theater was empty three hours beforehand and we didn't have to wait in line!  We arrived around 4:30, tickets in hand, and only stood in line a little bit before being ushered into our theater.  We waited for almost 3 hours, with the kids doing homework and reading books, eating popcorn and running down to the food court, in turns, to eat dinner.

And then the previews started.  I ignored The 5th Wave and Allegiant.  The new Rowling-penned movie, Fantastic Beasts, didn't look great; they need a stronger trailer.  The Star Trek trailer didn't attract any attention, these being SW fans after all.  But we all laughed heartily at Zootopia, with its slow-pokey sloth.  In fact, waiting for the sloth to talk was a lot like waiting for the previews to end so the movie would start.

Then it did.  More quickly than I thought, too, because there was not 20th-Century Fox prelude since SW is now owned by Disney.  Just "Lucasfilm" and then the iconic scrolling text and THAT SCORE.

Yep, I teared up.  Then, and many times more.

Where do I start?  I won't summarize the plot, mainly because I'm trusting you've seen it (and if you haven't, you probably don't care much.)  So, just some bullet points:

Remember, SPOILERS.

• I loved the use of desert/forest/snow--three iconic SW settings--which immediately took us back to the original films, not those awful prequels (as Mama said, "Those are dead to us.")
• Rey.  How can I say enough about Rey?  (Do you hear that, Hasbro?  #WheresRey?)  As Leia was the perfect female hero for my generation in the newly-feminist 70s, Rey is perfect female hero for today--for boys and girls, because I agree with whatever writer (ah, here it is.) noted that Rey is as important, if not more, for boys who aren't used to seeing girl heroes, than for girls who have always inserted themselves where girls don't exist (Yep.)  The best scene?  The marketplace, with Rey insisting that she didn't need Finn to hold her hand (I laughed when he was knocked out but kept asking if she were ok.)  Who is she?  Well, everyone's talking about that (I even have my own secret FB spoiler discussion group.)  Kenobi's daughter, with that British accent? Luke's daughter, with his theme song, his flying skills, lightsaber, clothing style (even desert-planet origins), mental connection to him (the ocean with the island where she finds him which Ren sees in her mind), her memories of the destruction of his Jedi school?  Han and Leia's daughter and Kylo's sister, maybe even twin?  A vergence of the Force with no family connection to any of the above?  With Abrams at the helm, I can't imagine we'll so easily guess who she is.   But I'm glad we'll be seeing her again.  
• Diversity.  Yay for diversity in casting!  A black Stormtrooper.  A Latino pilot.  Women Stormtroopers and rebel pilots and generals.  This is fantastic.  Fan-tastic.  Fantasy worlds don't need to be all white males, folks.  The first one broke boundaries with Leia and Lando; this one went even further.
• BTW, these stormtroopers are much better shots than their forebears.
• Who is that character Max von Sydow was playing?  I love that we can't even guess at all the answers.
• BB8.  Is it a boy or a girl?  Can droids even have gender?  I liked the little roly thing with its beeps, but no more so than when it gave Finn the thumbs up.  Mama and Sis liked how it went down the stairs at Maz's, too.
• Real sets, human scale.  Just like the trailer shown at Comic Con intuited, I was thrilled to see that this was a human-scale real world, not some giant CGI fantasy (Coruscant, anyone?  Naboo?)  The original films were all about people and their own struggles with good and evil.  We're back to that.  Perhaps that makes me un-original, in the sense that this movie was very much a continuation, if not a re-hashing of the first film, um, Episode IV.  But I'm the kind of fan this was made for--the one who loves the original three films, who saw the original films dozens of time, who bought the toys, who wore the Halloween costumes, who traded the cards, who dislikes Lucas's edits of those same (Han.  Shot.  First.)  and really detested the prequels, someone who is older now and not the demographic for most movies anymore, someone who has nostalgia for childhood and children of his or her own to initiate into the fandom.  
• Oh, I got teary seeing Han and Chewie, and then Leia and C-3PO and R2-D2 and finally Luke. Yes, they've aged.  None of us are the same age we were in 1977.  Duh.  Perhaps because we've seen Harrison Ford often on film since the last film in 1983 that we weren't surprised by his age; more likely, we're more accustomed to men aging somewhat more naturally in Hollywood (like Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford, etc.)  I'm disgusted by the trolls going after Carrie Fisher and so inspired by the way she's handled them (hence, my meme.)
• Leia.  I LOVE Leia.  In charge.  Making the quick, tough, smart decisions. Witty.  Sensitive.  Hopeful.  Fearless.   Always my favorite.  I've missed her.   I'm so glad she's back.  I hope her part is even bigger next time.  And even though it shouldn't matter, I thought she looked majestic.

• Loved all the insider references.  The lightsaber practice ball that Finn tosses aside.  The space chess game.  The smuggler compartments.  Trash compacters.  "I have a bad feeling about this." The woman with the little Leia-like buns (who was played by Fisher's real daughter, Billie Lourd.) I can't think of them all right now.
• I liked Maz, even if her hangout wasn't as cool as the original SW Cantina.  Though, I swear three times on that I can see an E.T.-like creature being roasted on the spit.  Seriously.  Looks like E.T. to me.  But Maz was a wonderful Yoda stand-in, kinda reminded me of Guinan in "Star Trek: The Next Generation."   I hope we see more of her.
• Oh, Han.  What can I say?  I saw it coming as soon as he was reviewing his relationship with and then hugging Leia.  I knew that Harrison Ford had asked for the character to be killed off all the way back in Empire Strikes Back.  And here it was.  I got teary as soon as he started down that catwalk. And the whole theater was still and silent the whole time, each time we saw it. Why are all the fights and deaths in such huge, cavernous spaces?  (Kenobi in the hangar bay; Luke's hand in that Cloud City vacuum; Darth Vader on that catwalk and then in the hangar bay.)  But it was beautifully done, with his touching his son's face.  I'm not sure I can buy the theory that Han had agreed to be killed to help get Ren in with the Sith and that it was all planned.  Who knows.  But I was so sad.  In fact, watching the movie the second time was even harder because it all seemed like a long goodbye to Solo, with his being featured so heavily and getting so many quips; it was almost too much (good thing I could hide behind those 3D glasses.)  The third time was easier.  Though, my dad got teary that time and that made me teary, too.  Mama didn't understand why Chewie didn't give Leia a hug as soon as he got back to the Resistance base; I know it was a moment with Rey, but still, that rang false.
• I was not one of those fans obsessed with Luke's role in the film when he was absent from the trailers.  I did like seeing him at the end, but it wasn't the most important part for me.  I loved that setting, though, even if it almost gave me vertigo to watch Rey climb those stairs.  It's an ancient site in Ireland, Skellig Michael.

I loved how engaged the first audience was.  We clapped at the beginning.  And when the "garbage" Millennium Falcon appeared.  And for each "legacy" character.  And when the lightsaber went to Rey  instead of Ren.  And when she beat him.  And when the StarKiller Base blew up.  And when Luke appeared.  And of course as the end credits rolled.  The second audience, when we saw it two days later with Goo, who finally got a day off from the hospital, in IMAX 3D, wasn't quite as jazzed.  But the third audience, with my folks about ten days later, was also clap-happy.

Of course, we all loved it.  We've talked about it non-stop--and practically all of our Christmas presents were SW.  Mama, who wasn't really a fan the first time, being only three years old, loved it more than I could ever have expected.  It makes it all so much more wonderful to have this experience altogether.  And we have photos of ourselves in front of the big SW sign each time!

And then, there is my funny SW story.  As we were leaving the theater the first night, ripe with the need to discuss it, Bud loudly said, as we passed the long line of people waiting for the first midnight showing, "I can't believe that--"  and I quickly clamped my hand over his mouth.  I could just hear him say, "they killed off Han Solo."  Can you imagine the upset and disappointment of those people? "Ten-year-old thrashed by SW mob at premier."  I've laughed about it (and retold it) ever since, because of course it's the first thing we all want to say.  Han.  That's why I started my spoiler discussion group, so we could talk about it.  It's been so odd not to see it written about.  We need the official RIP Han Solo obit!  I had actually considered warning my friends who have had recent losses about it, as a trigger event, but of course I didn't.  We haven't lost many icons from my childhood, at least none of this fictional character's stature, and it was tough.  

But I think the series is in good hands.  Really good hands.  And I love that they are black, white, brown, male, AND female, along with droid and Wookie!

Bud said, "How can I wait two more years to find out what happens next??"  I said, "Try waiting 33."

The Force is with us.  Again.

Truth.

**Because she inspired me when I was 7 watching SW for the first time.  Because she inspires me even more now in SW7 and in responding to trolls.

Advent Activities: In Pictures

House decorations

Baking cookies--6 dozen!

Our only snowflakes this season

Waiting for Star Wars 7

Kindness Elves appear, getting ready for our cookie party

Sis's cookies

Making a scarf for a friend's daughter

Sing Me a River

It's hard to explain Comic Con if you don't already know what it is.  And judging by recent conversations, many people I know don't.  The easiest way to describe it is as a geek convention.  Because, while it started as a comic book fans' gathering, it now encompasses many fandoms:  science fiction (Doctor Who, Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, etc.), fantasy (Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Princess Bride, Disney, etc.), anime (Miyazaki, Sailor Moon, Pokemon), other cartoons (TMNT, My Little Pony, etc.), video/computer games (Zelda, World of Warcraft, Dragon Ball Z, etc.) and other popular culture (Sherlock and Elementary, etc etc etc.)  Plus, of course, all the comic book superheroes, like Batman, Superman, and the like.

You can see that we firmly fall into several of the fandoms and so we were excited to attend the convention.  We weren't planning on going to any of the panels--interviews and discussions with the creative teams behind the above, including actors, artists, writers, designers, etc.--because they are much in demand with long lines waiting to enter.

But we did sign up for one photo session:  the kids had their picture taken with River Song of Doctor Who, aka Alex Kingston (whom you probably know from her years on ER.)  They were over the moon!  We hung back while they went up to her and told her she was awesome.  And she said they were awesome back!  Sis even noted later that the actress was wearing an outfit--with a map of London, we think--that River would have worn.  So, even though the encounter lasted less than a minute, I think the memory will last a lifetime.   Mama and I opted out of the photo, wanting it to be the kids' moment, though we like Kingston a lot.  We try to remind the kids that actors are just doing a job--that the characters aren't them, that they are real people with positive characteristics and also flaws, that they are paid to do what they do; we don't want the line between fiction and reality to blur, for them to think they "know" the actors.  Still I get it.  I loved Princess Leia and by extension Carrie Fisher and would've gone nuts if I'd met her.  We connect with characters in movies and tv and therefore with the actors who play them.  We are touched by them and we think the actors are special; we want to meet them to express how much they and their characters mean to us and also to feel special ourselves by connecting even briefly with them.  And that's fine when you're nine years old, I think, but perhaps a little odd when taken to extremes by adults.  Sure, I can fangirl on my own quite a bit, but I'm not sure I'd feel right actually acting on it. . . which is why we didn't go to Gillian Anderson's autograph sessions or the photo session with the cast of Star Trek:  The Next Generation.  Besides, it doesn't always pay to meet an ideal.  But it certainly worked for the kids, and us by extension, who watched Doctor Who tonight and kept repeating, "we met her!"  Thank you, Ms. Kingston!

We spent the rest of the day wandering, shopping (truly I expected better shopping), interacting with other fans, and admiring all the costumes.  I didn't know most of the computer games or anime, but I noticed lots of Doctor Who costumes.  Also Star Trek and Star Wars.  One of the best was a Stormtrooper "on vacation" in a Hawaiian shirt!  Also, Princess Leia, a great Xena, a man wearing a homemade cardboard Millennium Falcon, a minion, and so many others.  The kids posed with lookalikes of Gandalf, a Dalek, Smaug the dragon, the penguins of Madagascar, and others.  Because it was family day, there was no cleavage and only one very obvious Brazilian wax.  Interestingly, we saw no brutish behavior, even with alcohol on premises.  Very well behaved, our geeks.  We got a few things, t-shirts mainly, and mainly just walked around for 7 hours.

Thankfully, Mama had done lots of research about surviving Comic Con, so we knew to:

• Bring our own food--deli meats, cheeses, bread, chips, cookies--so as not to stand in line for expensive junk;
• Bring our own water bottles to refill at the water fountains (see above);
• Not carry anything extraneous because the day is long and things can get lost;
• Bring a bag to put purchases and freebies in.

We were tired, but we had a great time.  I think we'd definitely go again, maybe with some panels this time.  And maybe by then, we'll have added a few more fandoms to our list . . .but I doubt it will ever match the excitement of our first Con.  And meeting River Song!!!

May the Fingers Be with You

Bud's new project:  Jedi origami puppets!  Here, his tribe of Ewoks (though, that's mine on the ring finger.)  Now he's doing all the main characters from all six films, inspired by Tom Angleberger's book series.  He even gets up at 6 am before school to make new ones!!

New Binge

Having binged my way through several seasons of "Supernatural," which I really liked for its ethical and theological issues--oh, and the "X-Files"-like monsters and myths--I am now starting, quite by accident, "Battlestar Galactica," the 2004-9 tv series.  (It was recommended by Netflix; I don't think I was really aware that there had been a long-running series.)

I loved the original BG, watching Starbuck, Apollo, Athena, Cassiopeia, Commander Adama, Boxey, and his wonderful dog Muffit race around the universe away from Cylons and that nasty human who worked with them (whose name I forget but whose face is as clear as day.)  It's also where I learned one of my earliest non-curse words, "frak."  While at the time Star Wars was my greater obsession, at least I could watch BG weekly.

And so I'm fascinated by the update, with a female Starbuck instead of Dirk Benedict and Mary McDonnell as the president (was there even a president the first time?).  The special effects are great (those launch pipes and Vipers look so cool--and reminiscent of the 70s ones) and the storylines, as well as analogy to modern warfare and religious debates, are fascinating.  And those Cylons who look human?  Great.  And you gotta love the theme song.

Plus, they still curse.

Which means it will probably be awhile before I let the kids watch this childhood favorite.

Live Blogging the Super Bowl: Favorite Commercial

So far:  exercising St. Bernard, Mos Eisley, and Darth Vader!!

En Garde

It was so beautiful this afternoon that we spent hours outside after school, eating popcorn and sword fighting.

Excuse me, lightsaber fighting.

Yep, we each had our long, colorful lightsabers.  Sis is always Luke Skywalker and Bud is Obi-Wan Kenobi.  Today, I was Qui Gon.  (Or Ventress, depending.)

And so I gave Bud (Sis "flew" on the swingset, not so interested) some saber-fighting tips, drawn from, of all things, my college fencing class.  Yep, I can wield a foil with aplomb.  Or at least in the eyes of a six-year-old.

We practiced our stance, how to parry, how to block an attack, and how to lunge.  I'm not very good, but it was a lot of fun.  Especially because Bud thought it was so cool.

The Glee Saga

Tonight's "Glee" special was fun, but Artie was right--the Star Wars holiday special in 1978 was fantastic!!!!  And I absolutely remember watching it, Wookiees and all.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game . . . Far, Far Away

Sis and Bud's fantasy baseball league:

Tatooine Landspeeders

Mos Eisley Jawas

Jabba Sandbargers

Endor Ewoks

Kashyyk Roars (or Wookiees)

Kaminoan Bluefish

Naboo Gungans

Hoth Wampas ("They'll womp'um!")

Death Star Lasers

Jedi Lightsabers (or Coruscant Jedis)

Cloud City Pod Racers

Mustafar Volcanoes

Play ball!!

Mommy the Hutt

"Mom, when you lie on the couch like that, you look like Jabba the Hutt."

I'm hoping that's a positional similarity not a spatial one.

Advent Activities: A Jedi Christmas

Monday's Advent activity didn't go as planned. We were supposed to "make treats for teachers and others," for which I'd bought tins, pans, bags, and ingredients. But the kids never got into it.

Instead, we had a Jedi Christmas.

The kids spent the better part of the afternoon wrapping existing toys and books in blankets and such to stash under the tree. For Wicket and Obi-Wan, Luke and Leia, even Jabba and Vader. There was a new bow for Wicket, a belt and sword for Obi,"a ring of force for Luke," books on the galaxy for Leia, etc etc etc. And when all the presents were unwrapped, we started all over again.

So, I took the opportunity to practice another thing on our Advent list: how to receive a gift gracefully and gratefully, even one you might have or not like. All it takes is "thank you."

I imagine that Vader would have a different response, though.

Advent Activities: Deck the Deck

Our first Advent activity for this year was "make paper decorations for doors and windows." Perfect for the rainy, blustery, wintry day we had yesterday. Last year we painted trees, wreaths, and Santa Claus directly on the glass (but that is cold to clean up with water in January!). This year, we cut gingerbread people and houses out of poster board and brown paper bags. We're very big into gingerbread these days, eagerly anticipating the creation of lots of graham cracker gingerbread houses.

But our paper gingerbread creations took an unexpected turn: they became Jedi. Yep, everything must have a Star Wars component these days, which is both amusing and tiresome. I mean, I like the movie and encouraged the enthusiasm, but I was unprepared for the pervasiveness of it. But motherhood has encouraged (enforced!) my letting go of expectations and so there are Jedi gingerbread people and a green Yoda hanging on our doors and windows. It's festive in its way. And they loved it.

And that's what it's all about.

The Force Was With Us

All weekend.

Yep, I finally let the kids see both Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Call it desperation as our expected four-day family weekend of outings and activities degenerated into my doing whatever I could to salvage it while Mama recovered from a lingering stomach thing. Besides, they were getting tantalizing views of the other movies at Neighbor Boy's house ("Mom, we saw them kissing. And Neighbor Boy says kissing is icky." Sigh); I wanted to control their introduction to what are actually two fairly adult movies. They love the characters, though, and were excited to finally see what happened to them.

From the Rebel battles with AT-AT walkers on Hoth to the introduction of Yoda, from Han Solo's carbonite hibernation to his rescue in Jabba's vicious palace, from the "Battle of the Teddy Bears" to the end destruction of the Emperor and Empire, the kids sat mesmerized, scared, excited, nervous, and happy. Questions were fast and furious. It's almost as if Bud can't watch without talking. Mama noted that when he ran out of questions about plot points he started with anything just to ask it, such as "Why is Yoda green? Why does he have big ears?" They were both upset that Luke's arm gets cut off, that Han was frozen, that the Sarlacc ate lots of people, that the Emperor shot lightening out of his fingers, that Darth didn't get to be good for long, and that both Yoda and Darth died. It's probably a good thing that we'd prepared them for all of that, plus the revelations about Darth as twins Luke and Leia's father. They loved the AT-AT walkers, the Ewoks, the Tauntauns, Dagobah, Yoda, those speeders on Endor, the Millennium Falcon.

There were a few revelations for Mama and I, even though I've seen the films dozens of times. But it's been decades and I'd never seen the new versions of either. Mainly, I disliked the ending of ROTJ, with the elimination of that great Ewok celebration song and the addition of young Anakin's ghost in Luke's vision. Oh, well, I have the old versions and can watch those. The films were also darker, more desperate than I recalled, with Luke's temptations, the uncertainty of his resisting the Dark Side, plus the sacrifices and struggles of the Rebels. I'd forgotten how strong and feisty Leia is, also how good her aim is and how often she uses it. How many princesses have you seen kill people?

But the lessons are still there: loyalty to friends, dedication to justice, persistence and perseverance in the face of obstacles, the importance of the fight of good over evil, the possibilities and promise of forgiveness and redemption. The storylines are ancient, the archetypes foundational.

They reenacted it all weekend, inventing new narratives, rewriting existing ones, as well as reproducing the movies faithfully while playing with their figures, drawing pictures, and talking backwards like Yoda. Which they also had me doing, "If eat your dinner you do not, dessert for you there will not be."

It's just good plain fun.

Thanksgiving 2010: "It's a Brain Effort"

After clean-up, Star Wars, and naps, it's game time, first checkers and now a big Star Wars puzzle. "It's a brain effort," declares Bud.

The pumpkin souffles are heating. The jello jigglers (strawberry, of course) are solid. The pies--pumpkin, pecan, and cranberry-fudge--are ready. I will whip the cream soon.

Then it will pretty much be time for goodbyes and bedtime.

May the Force be with us!

Scooter Pod Races

With this mild weather, we've been outside a lot, often without jackets even, playing for hours in the leaves, dirt, as acrobats, as Star Wars characters, with sticks, and especially with scooters.

In fact, the combination of Star Wars and scooters is the most popular. The kids strap on their helmets, grab their scooters, and race back and forth on the long sidewalk pretending to be X-wing or TIE-fighter pilots, either destroying or protecting the evil Galactic Empire. (We call it podracing, though they're not really pretending they're on Tatooine or in podracers.) They make pit stops for gas, communicate with each other as "Red Five" and such, and either rescue or attack me, Princess Leia. It's all very exciting.

Especially as they go zooming around the corner at the end of the next street at lightspeed.

The Secret Code

At the book fair last month, Bud chose a Star Wars ABCs book, which we have now read pretty much everyday since then.

And now we're playing it.

Because we're using the alphabet it provides as a code. To spell out things we want to say.

You can only imagine how that goes, especially since the kids are only beginning spellers.

But it's cute to hear them spell our names, which they do repeatedly, and their sight words from school, and find new combinations they like. Such as "Yoda-Obi-Ugnaught ("you"), which just sounds funny. We also noticed that we use a lot of "Millennium Falcons." This morning, I even wrote their school snack notes in code.

Star Wars fever shows no signs of abating (mine lasted, what, 6 years between SW and ROTJ? Which I suppose is short compared to some), especially with Christmas lists already in production here.

In case you want to play, too, here is the not-so-secret code (and, no, I don't know where I, V, or Z come from):

A is for Anakin.

B is for Boba Fett.

C is for C-3PO

D is for Darth Vader.

E is for Ewok.

F is for the Force.

G is for General Greivous.

H is for Han Solo.

I is for IG-88.

J is for Jedi.

K is for Kaminoans.

L is for Luke Skywalker.

M is for Millennium Falcon.

N is for N-1 fighter.

O is for Obi-Wan Kenobi.

P is for Princess Leia.

Q is for Queen Amidala.

R is for R2-D2.

S is for stormtropper.

T is for TIE fighter.

U is for Ugnaughts.

V is for Vulture droid.

W is for Wookiee.

X is for X-Wing.

Y is for Yoda.

Z is for Zam.

Bud is from Alderaan, Sis is from Tatooine

That, I suppose, explains the differences!

Playing Against Type

The neighbor child, pretending to be Darth Vader, turned to Sis, saying, "You're the Princess."

"No."

"Yeah."

"No."

And she's not. She's Luke. Lightsaber and all.