Woo-hoo! Today is St. Patrick's Day -- one of the best excuses to wear green, go out and drink lots of (green) beer, get hammered (and feel green). Or, if you're a geek, stay home and feed your current WOW: Wrath of the Lich King addiction while noshing a green store-bought cupcake and drinking your roommate's six-pack of Guinness ('cause he's out partying, natch).
In honor of those of us who'd rather re-read a classic novel or watch a sci-fi flick than bar hop, here are five of the best nerdy activities to do in Phoenix this week:
5. Attend a free lecture, go to a free poetry reading or see a free concert
It's a recession, so why not take advantage of local freebies like the ASU Symphonic Chorale concert or live poetry readings at Mama Java's on Thursday? This week's zero-cost lectures include Ostrich Fashions From the 1920s at Phoenix Art Museum and ASU West's "HIV/AIDS and Human Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa." Really, you might want to start drinking now.
4. See Watchmen...again.
Come on, geeks, the bestselling graphic novel of all time is being beaten out by a Disney flick starring The Rock! So pony up the $10 and go again.
If you haven't seen it yet, Watchmen is a complex, intriguing film. But unless you've read the graphic novel or been briefed by a fellow geek, you'll probably get lost right about the time one of the Watchmen nearly becomes a rapist. Say whaaaat? Go see the film, and try to ignore the giant blue penis, er, elephant in the room.
3. Meet with the original Mark from Rent, and then go see the play...again.
Wow,
we geeks really love to repeat experiences, don't we? Because it's just
not enough to see the musical once, we also have to see repeated
touring versions like the one that's at ASU's Gammage Auditorium later
this week. So it'll be no surprise if there's a big line of geeks waiting
to meet actor Anthony Rapp, who originated the role of Mark on Broadway
and reprised it in the film version, at the Tempe Marketplace Barnes
& Noble this Wednesday.
Apparently, he's milking the Rent cash cow even more with a book titled, Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent.
12:30 p.m. on a weekday? No prob. We can take a long, long, long
lunch...or maybe we feel some Rent-sickness coming on... *cough*
*cough*.
2. Go to the Renaissance Festival...again.
Other people go for the boobs (see above) and the turkey legs. Geeks go because
we like to dress up in costume and pretend we're from a time that
would've appreciated us more. Because intelligent, well-read,
career-oriented gals were glorified in those days, right? RIGHT? Don't
burst our bubbles, or we'll stab you with our bodice daggers.
1. Pre-order your copy of Twilight and then count the hours until the DVD release
Twilighters 'round the globe are anxiously waiting for the DVD release of the teen vampire
romance, which comes out, like, THIS WEEK, ZOMG!!! In the meantime,
whilst biting your nails in anticipation, pop by the dollar theaters in
Tempe or Chandler and see Twilight on the big screen one last time before you start smooching Edward on your 32" screen. Or head to Blockbuster Video at 3141
S. McClintock Dr. with all the other Twerds for a midnight pre-release
bash on March 20. Donate a pint of blood beforehand and you might score
a free pint of ice cream at the party. Visit Power 98.3 for details.
Hot
Topic has an exclusive 2-DVD set with Edward film cell, so if you're a true fan, you'll
pre-order your copy from there, rather than slumming it at Wal-Mart
with those phony Twilighters. Plus, if you pre-order the $24.99 set from Hot Topic at Tempe Marketplace, you'll get an exclusive invitation to their midnight release party this Friday. Oh, and while you're there, don't forget your
exclusive "Lion and Lamb" quote shirt. Or your exclusive Alice Cullen
choker. Or your exclusive Bella & Edward 4EVA hoodie...Sigh.