Day 9 - The Horizon of Reality Looms

Once again, and again, and again, we were interviewed by our favorite documentary girls, asking some of the same questions with different spins, evoking the same emotions that are now reaching their peak as the end result of what we've been camping for slowly makes it's way into our consciences. A campout six years in the making- a true legacy that has spanned high school, college, marriage, and children- will end and we will return to the normalcy all of us have chosen as our destinies. I sat last night, watching Episode II, enjoying the camaraderie of my fellow campers and thought about what all this means and what will happen when it is all over.

I am guessing this will be the last time I see most of them. Some people will run into each other, say a few nice things, but that will be it. This connection is going to go away for good. Sure, we can watch all the episodes in one day and have a blast doing it. We can even try to impart some sort of mysticism into our children, so they can be linked to a part of our history and share in the magic that we believed in for so many years. But, this episode marks the point in life for me, where as if I were on the banks of the ocean and pushed my foot from the shore, I will get into the boat and really start to try and stay afloat. It has been a pleasure to share in this time with so many friends and interesting people.

There have been several instances in this campout, more than the last two, where our lives have been the topic of such scrutiny and curiosity. Last night alone we had three documentary filmmakers and an independent journalist just hanging out, recording campers doing what we do best: watch movies or fight with lightsabers. To date, I have been interviewed five times down there. What I find myself saying over and over again, trying to give a different spin on it each time, is that I love the movies. I don't read the comics, books, nor do I dress-up; I did not have a Star Wars Wedding last month when I was married; I will not debate between Luke or Han for my son's name (Lord Willing); I have never ever taken Lightsaber 101.

I am camping out because the movies kick ass, camping out kicks ass, and the seat I will sit in is gonna kick ass. And if it doesn't kick ass for you, I don't give a rat's. If you think I'm a nerd, "Go Stuff It!" People drive by honking, yelling f-you all day and all night, but that does not faze me. Do you know how many times I have been called a fag?

Luckily, Big Newport will hopefully remain so that those who love movies can come here and congregate. It is the greatest theatre in all of Orange County.

I am at work as I write this. My eyes are tired and my whole body wishes for a break. After today, I will be off for two days, waiting in line and waking up late Thursday morning. On that morning, I'm not sure how I'll feel. Certainly excitement will be there, but I know that a chapter in my life is over. And there is no passion that could ever take the place of Star Wars.

Luke, I am your Padre...

Much to our surprise, people are actually reading this blog in respectable numbers. In fact, just between the time I went to bed last night and when I got up this morning, we had over 500 visits. Clearly, many of you have got way too much time on your hands. Then again, we're the ones camping out in front of a movie theater, so I probably shouldn't pass judgment.

However, this all made me extremely curious about where all the blog traffic was actually coming from. I made a short checklist of possibilities...

The Los Angeles Times story from a few days ago?
Considering they only mentioned the blog name, without including the actual address, that probably wasn't it.

The KCAL-9 news story from two nights ago?
At first I thought this could be it, but then I remembered that people who watch KCAL typically can't read, so that's out.

The Orange County Register article from early last week? Definitely not.

Since none of the usual suspects appeared to be the culprit, I decided to check our Site Meter referral logs, and was amazed by what I found...

The top referrer today is... Primera Hora. Yes folks, the rumors are true. We made Primera Hora! Now, only one question remains...

What the hell is Primera Hora?

In any event, they wrote a great hit-piece on us. My favorite part...

Incluso en cines de barrio, como el Big Newport en el condado de Orange (California), ya hay gente haciendo cola para entrar, a pesar de los días que faltan y que ya tienen las entradas en su poder.

Claro que son miembros de la "Sociedad Star Wars" de este condado, aunque ellos prefieren describirse como gente normal.

"Tenemos esposas, amigos, trabajos, una vida", afirman con naturalidad desde un "blog" (www.starwarscampout.blogspot.com), cuyo aspecto parece decir lo contrario, ya que su página de apertura está dominada por el casco de Darth Vader sobre el que se lee "seis amigos, dos semanas, una película".

Which, for those of you who no habla Espanol, clearly means...

Even in cinemas of district, like the Big Newport in the county of Orange (Californian), or there is people doing tail to enter, in spite of the days that lack and that or have the entrances in their power.

Clear that they are members of the "Society Star Wars" of this county, although they prefer to describe themselves like normal people.

"We have spouses, friends, works, life", affirm with naturalness from "blog" (www.starwarscampout.blogspot.com), whose aspect seems to say opposite, since its page of opening is dominated by the helmet of Darth Vader on which it ***reflxes mng "six friends, two weeks, a film".

Now that we've got that all cleared up, allow me to state for the record, for the benefit of our new readers at Primera Hora, that we are NOT members of the Orange County Star Wars Society, nor is it "clear" that we are members. We do not dress up like Jedi, own expensive, custom-made lightsabers, or attend monthly meetings. However, we do concede that if we were members of said Society, we would probably try to describe ourselves "like normal people" too.

As for how our "aspect" seems to say the opposite of the fact that "we have spouses, friends, works, life", all I have to say is this is awesome. We've now just received our first lame insult, not from across the street, but from across the border.

Day 8 - And So Comes The Mundanity

Friends & Rebel Scum alike,

There comes a time in all of our lives when we must evaluate where we are at. Sit back and think a bit about all that life holds for us and really consider the effects of our actions. None of us want to offend anyone, do we? Well, sometimes yes. I have really come to loathe some of the people in Newport Beach. While talking with the Jedi Master of our campout line, El Grande Newport, and while enjoying my neighbor's custom R2D2, we realized that the theatre we are congregating at (well, damn near worshipping with all the publicity) is the Saturday night babysitter of Newport Beach's beau monde. The ratio of parents to children was extremely, uh, wack. Yes, wack is the best word I could think of. Apparently parents have not realized that kids movies are only 90 minutes or less and a decent meal at Roy's or Morton's takes at least 2 1/2 hours, and that's with skipping dessert. Luckily the parents that have figured out this time conflict have opted to buy their kids tickets to R-rated movies, so they don't have to rush through their creme brulee or chocolate souffle.

Alas, some parents did decide to see movies with their children, the mother's wearing less and looking younger than most of their kids, talking to young men around the area; the father's donning their Rolex's, staring at the other parents' kids, hopefully.

At any given moment, the parking lot at Big Newport, on a weekend night, is probably worth well over 1.5 million dollars! And that's not counting all the work the drivers and passengers have had done on themselves.

I muse these thoughts because Day 8 of this wonderful campout served as a vague day and sleepless night. I decided to stay another night, do my part if you will, because I enjoy it and the atmosphere is entirely sublime. I walked onto our interplanetary campout conglomeration with no expectations, just a heightened way of looking at the evening.

Most of the folks were playing video games or watching movies. There were no obnoxious egg or balloon tossers last night, just the occasional honking of those in opposition or support- honestly, I am losing track of which honks mean what. A soft blanket of mist-filled clouds creeped in and cooled the night, as well as a steady breeze which made the palm trees give a bit of a sway.

We watched Episode I. What can I say other than "Loyal, we must be." The dialogue gets worse and worse. The actors are stagnate and opaque. Why did I feel chills the first time I saw this? I guess the only good thing that came from it is Liam Neeson's sword fighting. He has pretty much established himself as the only swordsman for hire in Hollywood (Kingdom of Heaven, Batman Begins).

I of course had my own intermission during the film and went to pop some popcorn. On my little outing, I had to watch as our cantina microwave's power went so low that all it did was turn the dish inside- no nuking going on- and the lights inside dim. Then, the El Newport Grande lent me his household radiation carrier to no avail. I finally asked the theatre manager if I could use their's, but he informed me of "the health risk involved with microwaving outside food where the Hot Dogs are cooked". The comedy in that statement is too precious to make my own. But, he did hook me up and went out of his way to use the theatre breakroom's microwave.

Sleep escaped me, but I managed to steal about two hours away. After that, I went to Stater Bros., bought my wife a small bouquet for our one month anniversary of being married, crawled into bed with her and watched her sleep for half an hour until I had to get up and go to work.

Day 7 - BBQ's....Babes....& Bellys!?!

As expected, the most rousing and action-packed day and night turned out to be Saturday. The first half of the day was very mild, the warm Newport sun and perfect air temperature provided the ultimate conditions to lounge around in the Cantina. A special ceremony took place as a young Padawan was granted the title of Jedi Knight. He had been training under Novi-wan and showed a remarkable knowledge of the force as well as exceptional saber skills. But as the early evening rolled in so did the crowds.

We had a BBQ planned and no one was dissappointed, except for yours truly. I had brought a BBQ that required a crude heating device from another galaxy. I was unable to make fire (grunt grunt) and get the heat going, but luckily another 'que was present... thanks Billy. Jew dogs, burgers, and kabobs were on hand to feed the masses.

This night also brought out the galaxies finest women. Wives, girlfriends, and other beauties were on hand to visit the men of the Cantina and certainly show the campout geeks and gawkers that the Jedi of Yorba Linda know how to roll!! I'd like to thank Lando for allowing these ladies to come down from the clouds because it is truly where they belong.

Then... the Admiral arrived...



...in good time too because this night brought plenty of scum and villainy. Low-life, meat-headed "OC" rejects cruised by attempting to disturb the Force but no avail. The Admiral showed those pieces of Bantha Fodder the true power of the Dark Side and now I'm sure that Mommy and Daddy aren't going to be too happy when Junior rolls home with his $50k SUV riddled with egg. HA HA.

Other happenings from Day 7...

- R2D2 visited the campout, bringing great joy to Younglings and Masters alike...





-"Return of the Jedi" screened to close out the Old Trilogy on the "Campout Outdoor Theatre"

-Numerous film crews were present from documentary makers to Channel 9 to Sprint TV, all to capture the magic of the campout.

4 days to go...

"The Phantom Menace" tonight...

May the Force be with you...

Day 6 - One Nerd Down, Many More To Go

Last night was the viewing of what many consider the ultimate in the trilogy, The Empire Strikes Back. This was not just a simple VCR pop in, with a bunch of losers huddled around a TV, so close to each other it feels a little funny. No, Sir. This was DLP projection of one of the finest movies every made, displayed on a very nice projector screen, along with sound from a basic garage receiver and one half to a two-part speaker. No, it was not "THX sound that could make George Lucas cream in his pants," but it was pretty good. But, pay attention! Our enemies know our weaknesses and they don't mind striking when we least expect it.

Though we had several outposts manned (Darth Jewey heading up one area), one of our fellow campers went down. A fast-moving speeder (duh), carrying a large assortment of eggs and balloons had no mercy on this lady of Tatooine. She meandered from her tent, possibly tempted by the Dark Side (but no one will comment), and that is when the hydro-zeppelin was released. The watery boob raced through the air, still stinking from the violater's stench, and burst upon our dear friend's face. A puffy mess, soaked and terrifying, the medics were called, the Newport Beach police responded quickly once they solved "The Stolen Surfboard" case, and all of us gathered around our friend, egg in hand, ready to attack the next ravagers of our holy compound... once Empire was over.

Still we wait for the final installment, the end of an era, the death of childhood for many of us, as the shadow of Episode III looms in the distant land of 12:01 a.m., Thurday the 19th, 2005. There is no one who can stop us from experiencing this madness, this deafening silence of a wait; there are no rocks in our shoes, not thorns in our sides, only the essence and promise of such a sweet and bitter end.

May we never forget.

Day 5- And the Hits Just Keep on Coming

After a delicious sixty dollar meal at America's favorite calorie increaser, The Cheesecake Factory, my lovely, compliant wife and I headed to the campout to take our turn, do our duty, to ensure the message and gospel of the Force is embraced and spread to all who have not heard the good news. As many of you know, sacrifice is something that must be endured when people of faith take it upon themselves to stand in the fray, in the midst of sin, to be a lightsaber of glory and righteousness. Though the insults were hurled by spoiled WASPS in luxury SUV's, donning rims worth their weight in droids, we stood fast and allowed the filth to penetrate our ears but not our hearts.

And thence came the balloons.

Two SoccerMom vans in the parking lot of Fashion Island had taken position and lobed a few water bursting bombs only a few feet from our tent. But, we did not subside.
At one point in the evening, when my wife and I were preparing to bed down, the alarm was sounded and the eggs were dispersed. A wayward truck carrying two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve decided that they would strike us with another bombardment of their mini hydro-zeppelins. But, the Force gave us "Force-sight" and we headed them off, flanked 'em, and defeated them by tossing our own blitzkrieg of eggs onto and into their automobile.

Victory. Viva la Star Wars! Viva la Lucas!

Of course, the nerds continued to talk about the whole incident long into the witching hours; thus preventing sleep; thus prompting spelling errors; thus, I say thus.

Day 4 - So dedicated, it's ridiculous

Well, after sitting in almost two hours of traffic on the 55 South, I was finally able to relieve Emperor Wandrey from the night shift at around 8:45 AM. I thought I'd try to be as productive as possible, so I brought down a bottle of 409 to clean up after everyone (seriously, did you guys all throw up on the T.V. and refrigerator, or is it just my imagination) and my research paper, which is due this Friday, so I could work on it down there.

The paper was going well until some retard thought it would be a swell idea to blast "(I Hate) Everything About You" by Three Days Grace, over and over, as loud as possible until his speakers sounded like they were about to explode. Now, don't get me wrong... I like my music as loud as the next guy, but not at 9 in the freaking morning when people are still trying to sleep. However, if you insist on blasting your music so the whole world can hear it, at least change up the song for crying out loud.

But I digress.

Met one of our tent-neighbors, Ralph, and talked with him about life, his job, the campout, and people who play their music too loud, before he had to go to work up in Seal Beach. Now that's a fun drive. Ryan stopped by for a quick visit, since he was in the neighborhood for work. After he left, I met my friend Stan, who works nearby, over at Hard Rock for lunch, where our waitress appeared to have been sniffing glue just prior to serving us.

Meanwhile, back at the campsite, a camper whose name I can't remember for the life of me was diligently working to correct our collective power situation. Amazingly enough, it seems that rigging up dozens of televisions, stereos, fridges, lights, space heaters and video game consoles, all on the same circuit breaker, will result in certain undesirable things like oh, I don't know, a blackout to the movie theater in the middle of a business day. Thankfully, this intrepid camper took it upon himself to re-route everyone's power strips so that they were allocated to several different power sources. This way, Big Newport doesn't have any more blackouts, and we get to avoid spending our last week reading books while shivering in the dark. Whoever you are, resident camper electrician guy, I salute you.

I was soon joined by the Emperor, Novi Wan, and later Chewdumma (that would be Nate), who despite my best attempts to lead him to the Dark Side, remained strong in the Force and refused to watch any of the movie spoilers contained in the Episode III Playstation 2 game. Novi Wan's girlfriend's kid brother and Padawan Learner, Jamey, came down to check out the action at the campout. Jamey proceeded to take on Nate at the video game, and gave Nate what can only be described as the mother of all shellackings. Nate then cried himself to sleep on his huge pillow.

As day turned into night, more and more moviegoers and looky-loo's wandered past our campsite, reading our FAQ's and asking us questions. One old man with a cane mumbled that he respected our dedication, "even for something totally immature, ridiculous, and asinine." I smiled and said "thanks... I think" as he then hobbled away.

Just as I was about to leave, two girls asked to interview us on video for a news service that Sprint PCS is doing. Should be interesting. I am especially looking forward to the part where Renee (Ryan's pregnant wife) berates him for saving his childhood Star Wars toys, and calls him a nerd on film for saying that he would go to the Star Wars Convention were he not married. This is interview gold, people. We'll keep you posted on when and how you can see that interview (they said it might be syndicated, so who knows), and whether or not Ryan and Renee's child ultimately turns out to be a Star Wars fan.

Helpful Hints from the Admiral- #1

When I was a child, I would go to Toy City every weekend with my allowance and buy a Star Wars action figure. By the time they went off the market, I had amassed a large assortment of all the main characters, and had bought several stormtroopers because how could I fight an intergalactic battle, the Empire against the Rebellion, with only one stormtrooper? I mean, come on. It doesn't make sense. But, the imagination is only so powerful, and there comes a time for change to add a little more tangibility to playtime.

For all you kids who are tired of recreating battles between the forces of good and evil on the floral pattern of your mother's couch, or running around on the grass, losing figures in the process, the time has come to be dazzled by a wonderfully new terrain where "The Empire Strikes Back" can come to life.

Have you ever thrown away the styrofoam protectors that come with electronic equipment? Of course you have... we all have. Stop right this instant, friend. What that white protective substance can do for your imagination is beyond belief! With the different grooves, openings, and holes, you have the ability to recreate the epic battle for Hoth. Live in the moment as you position your characters in the control room, trying to decode the Imperial probe droid's message; watch Han and the Princess defy their love again and again in the cold hallways of the base; hear the agony of the blasters and the fateful scream: "Imperial troops have entered the base. Imperial troops have entered the base. Imperial troops have..."

Now, I know this kind of information is priceless, but today, I give it freely to you. Just promise that you will go out and buy a large appliance or electronic gadget, so you too can have the magic of Hoth come to life in your living room.

The Return of the Dorks, er... Jedi?!?!?

So, here I am last night around 7:30, taking my girlfriend's brother James (my "padawan" learner) down to Big Newport because we were informed of a "light saber class/demonstration" that was to be graciously put on by the Orange County Star Wars society. When we arrived our crew was inside the tent playing the Episode III game. The Star Wars society wasn't there yet, so James sat down to learn how to play the games. After a few seconds of instruction from Jarhead Binks (Alex), Nate, and others, James set about to obliterate all takers. Nate soon was getting frustrated for losing repeatedly to an eleven year old.

But still no Star Wars society.

Jarhead Binks and myself were interviewed for about half an hour by some people for Sprint and a new cell phone news service they have going on, so that was cool. Still, 9:00 came and went, and still no Star Wars society! So, with a heavy heart, James left Big Newport with his dad to get ready for another day of school.

Finally, around 10:00 (over 2 hours late!) the first of the dorks, er... Jedi... showed up! After taking a couple of laps around the camp to announce their presence, the 8 Jedi lined up in front of Big Newport to show us how it's done! I'm not sure if it was disappointment or the look of "what the heck are these people doing?!?!" on the faces of the people at the campout. I guess when you hear the term "class" you expect some sort of information, instruction, or at least a vein display of skill. What we saw were four sets of Jedi slapping their $150-$180 dollar (they made a point to tell all of us how much their CUSTOM light sabers cost!) at each other for about ten or fifteen seconds, then they had to take a ten minute water break because they were winded!! I can't tell you how thankful I was that James was not there to see that! I'm not saying that either him or myself are masters at this stuff, but we fight, come up with moves with the $10 dollar plastic sabers and have a good time. These people can't fight (if that's what you want to call it) for more than a minute without having to be toweled off or hosed down!

But from out of the ashes, a hope arose.

Now normally, you don't pray for a Sith to come out of hiding to lay waste to some "Jedi", but we did, and we were not disappointed!! Anakin Scottwalker, without regard for his own safety, took one for the team. As the Jedi "fights" (sissy slapping) continued, Scottwalker casually strolled around the corner of the tent, unhooked the Dark Lord of the Sith from his perch, grabbed a red light saber, and with Darth Vader providing cover, ScottWalker steeled his resolve and charged into the frey with a hellacious battle cry! When it was all over, the Jedi were winded...big surprise, and ScottWalker emerged victorious with only minor wounds to his Saber hand. So, a special thanks goes out to ScottWalker for ending the evening on a good note. Aside from that, that was one of the quietest nights I have ever experienced at Big Newport. No eggs, no honking, nothing. Thank you Anakin Scottwalker for making the evening a success!!!

The Saga begins....tomorrow night!?!

Tomorrow (Thursday) we kick off the countdown to Episode 3 by watching Star Wars: A New Hope. This will start the 6 night marathon of showing the saga on a large screen outside the Cantina. We will also be having some others activities to go along with the movies. So, here is the schedule... bring someone special to share this once in a lifetime experience with, and don't forget your popcorn!!

Thursday May 12 - Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope

Friday May 13 - Star Wars Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back and "Star Wars Poker night"

Saturday May 14 - BBQ!! and Star Wars Episode 6: Return of the Jedi

Sunday May 15 - Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace and Star Wars Trivial Pursuit

Monday May 16 - Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones

Tuesday May 17 - Star Wars: Clone Wars Volumes 1&2 and Star Wars roundtable discussion & Last night "toast" at Muldoons!!

The movies will begin no later than 8:30 pm and you don't want to miss any of the festivities because this is the last time this will ever happen again!! I'm serious! You will regret it....

Day 3 - "Star Wars is HOT!"

As far as I know, nothing out of the ordinary took place yesterday. Well, if you call ordinary watching an all female camera crew sift through the freaks, geeks, and your all-around garden variety no-lives sitting in line for a movie; a guy in a black trench-coat, t-shirt and Doc Martens, walking around with a girl that could be his sister whose wearing a large mop of hair in a frizzed mesh of sweat and hairspray, glasses, and a distinct line of foundation acting as a mask instead of makeup; two schmucks running around the parking lot: one carrying a blue lightsaber, slightly overweight, and Sketchers; the other, tall and awkward, carrying a red lightsaber and wearing strap-on sandals as their friend whirls around in almost a dance of different angles, carrying (or dropping) his camera, while the two untrained, uncoordinated, not entirely sober, dullards fight in the parking lot with honking patrons exiting the theatre, and the pitying screams of Newport Beach sluts driving their Mercedes SUV, wearing their Uggs with skirts and probably no underwear, yelling: "Star Wars is HOT!!"

If that is ordinary, than I am apple pie, turkey dinner, and a hamburger all together. No, not American: ordinary! And yes, I probably look a little like that three course meal above (and I may have eaten said meal before). But, the fascination of this line continues to grow for me. The different walks of life are staggering to hear about and enticing to make fun of, and I will not stop.

I will admit publicly my two biggest regrets. One: apologizing for a stupid prank in front of my college group at church (all around loser for doing it and being guilted into it). Two: Not staying to see Episode I six years ago after camping out for it. Three words: parents & failing math. What can I say? Math has done shit for me now and I assume it will do nothing for me later. Boldly and Sincerely: I am an idiot for missing it. I wish I could turn back time, tell my parents to cram it, and sit in the greatest theatre west of the Mississippi with my dear friends.

If there is anyway to be redeemed, I would love to discuss it. Otherwise, day three: That's Hot.

Day 2 - Better than your average Monday.

Besides the already exciting and annoying Sunday night / Monday morning sleeping adventure the day was pretty mundane. Most of us went off to work or school while Novi-wan held down the fort. There was the usual photographer presence throuhout the day and the curious gawkers but nothing to waste bandwidth on. The night always brings excitement and the anticipation of potential drive-by egging and balloonings. We are definitely prepared though, and even when there was a tan Pathfinder loaded with kids who thought they were being clever and original by throwing eggs we were on the spot to chase them down with eggs in hand to retaliate. The power did go out for most of the campout and it turns out that when you have fridges, TV's, heaters, and lights all plugged into one source the breakers don't take to kindly!! Our site was luckily tapped into a working power source and the Cantina remained open for business. The lull of the work week carries on and the anticipation for the weekend (and more importantly Ep.3) builds!!

Well, At Least We Got Something

I guess Scottwalker's deep thoughts on philosophy and hidden meanings in the Force and my uneloquent rantings about friendship and childhood, Noviwan's life-long obsession with Star Wars, Grand Moff Elliot and Darth Jewy's Force strong partnership, and Jarhead's marriage counseling session were not good enough to be included.

At least Emperor Wandrey's sex life is safely protected and not plastered across the news.

A big thank you to the Register for covering the campout. Too bad sex and high schoolers who are camping out for the first freaking time are the only thing that sells.

I tried to include a link to the story, but you need a login name and password, so here it is:
Login: SWCampers
Password: ylcantina

Then follow the link above and go to the local section.

Hey, at least they advertised our blog for us. Arrgghh! Honestly, wasn't it Jarhead who got this whole thing going? I guess we were too normal for the reading public of Orange County: guys who work, are married or dating attractive women, live well, and do not skip school.

Oh freakin' well.

Dealing With the Dark Side

There are always moments when we allow our focus to stray, when the temptations of the Dark Side are strong, and the momentum to keep going can ware on even the greatest of Jedi's.

During the setup of our Cantina, one of our faithful, but poorly astute followers forgot a device of power that gives life to one of the Cantina's most essential features: the TV. I will simply call this soft-brained individual "Chewdumma". After much debate and berating, even a few lovely f-bomb droppings, the Emperor and I, men of position and foresight, drove deep into the North County System, retrieved the remote, stopped by Wendy's to power up, and headed back to the Cantina in lightspeed. But, when the Dark Side of the Force has been meddled with once, it can happen again.

Late in the evening, when the temperature dropped low enough to freeze a Tonton, the Emperor, Noviwan, and I were awakened several times by the scruffy looking gondarks. But, the time that sent us into a Hoth like panic was when the screams reached our tent: SPRINKLERS!!!!!! I instantly jumped up in my Admiral skivies, unzipped the tent, and ran out to find our Cantina safe and sound. Water was attacking many of the other campers, their equipment, and their spirits. But thank the maker, we were alright.

This goes to show, no matter how much bantha fodder is thrown, those who trust in the Force will never turn to dark side and will always be protected.

Day 1 - The campout begins!!

Well, we have successfully acquired the coveted corner spot on the lawn and set up our "Cantina".

The line up began Sun. around 12 pm and the Admiral, Novi-wan, and Darth Jewy pulled up some grass and soaked up the rays waiting for our 5 o'clock start time. The Register was on hand to interview and photo our progress. All 6 members of the council as well as others were on hand to erect the greatest Star Wars campout headquarters ever imagined!! 6-man tent, 13x9 canopy, TV, PS2, Fridge, Microwave, Floral print couch, and so much Star Wars decor that it should not be allowed!! We have definately gone all out. It was a long night as the Admiral, Novi-wan and myself tried to get some sleep around midnight but the excitement and roving geeks with conversations that ranged from Iranian women to the hatred for Lucas was enough to keep us up well into the early morn'. 9 days to go, the fun is being had and it is only going to get better!! Don't forget to check the photobucket!!

Response to the Emperor

This is not only the final chapter of Star Wars, this is the final chapter of many relationships. Honestly, many of us have been or will be getting married in a few years time. Higher education, our Government, Job Advancement, Children: all of these are factors that will draw upon us and prioritize our lives, inevitably drawing some of us apart for years, decades at a time.

Soak this time up. Talk with someone at length and find out what their dreams are, someone you may not talk to again for a very long time after the curtains close on Episode III.
I don't mean to sound like a downer, but this is life. We are in it and there is nothing to do but accept it and make the best of it.

This campout will kick major ass because it must, because it is the last time all of us will camp out for anything dear to each one of us again (unless they release The Passion in 3D).

May God bless all of us as we enjoy and soak up one of the most important movies ever made. And I mean that from the depths of my soul.

May the Force be with you.

The Eve....

As I sit here at my desk staring at my row of Revenge Of The Sith figures I think back to campouts of old....100's of people, new friends, dorks with trenchcoats and sabers, morons who heckle, a theatre jam-packed, and of course - "OK DEWEY!!"

I am left with questions. Of which all will be answered within a 10 day period. Before we go tomorrow and set up camp in front of a theatre I pose these queries...

1. Will this campout meet and exceed expectations?

2. Are you too old and busy to fully give in and get lost in the magic of this event?

3. Will the movie live up to your expectations? (To elaborate on that question - We are all SW fans and I think Lucas could put a lightsaber next to a piece of fecal matter and we would love it. The question pertains to whether or not the expectations you have for what needs to happen in this Episode.)

A. Is the connection between this Episode and A New Hope seamless?

B. Is Anakin's fall believable?

C. Do the ramblings in Attack of the Clones about Sifo Dyas and the background of the Clone order get resolved?

D. How badass is Palpatine?

E. How badass is Grievous? So far the Clone War 'toons have built him up to be one bad mother!!)

F. Will the relationship between Obi-wan and Anakin dissolve so badly that the duel at the end is understood?

G. Does the new HaydenVader look and feel like the ProwseVader from the old
trilogy?

H. Does this film make Ep. 1 & 2 better?

Last question...

4. What will you do to make this experience worthy of the Jedi archives?

The truck is packed, the tickets are in hand, and my wife knows it's GO time!!

R2D2 Is Coming!!!

I just received word from my neighbor with the custom R2 D2, that he will be joining us on Saturday night to show off the droid with heart. That would be a great time for anybody to bring kids down or anybody that wants to see a lifesize, fully functional R2 unit.

IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS...

Some of us may or may not have heard about that little Canadian boy who was has been whirling his lightsaber for the past few years. So, if you want to read about it or see him doing it, here you go:

http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,59757,00.html (STORY)
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,58881,00.html (VIDEO)

Cast Your Vote

Gentlemen,

George Lucas has been nominated for AOL's "The Greatest American." Here is our oppotunity to give back to the man who gave us the greatest story of our youth, friendships with actions figures, and a reason to fall in love with films and filmmaking. You could vote for Abraham Lincoln or John Edwards (WTF!!! He's about as worthy for this award as Hulk Hogan), or for one of the greatest visionaries of the twentieth century. Yeah Edison and Einstein were cool too, but come on: did either of them create a wookie?

If you don't vote for Lucas, you're a nerfherder. It's not like the damn thing means anything, anyways. It's AOL.

http://tv.channel.aol.com/greatestamerican