As everybody no doubt is aware, in an apparent homage to Sylvester the cat, today (May 4th) has been declared “Star Wars Day” – as in, “May the Fourth” be with you. I must confess, I don’t know if this is new or if this has been around for years – I was totally unaware of it until recently.

But then I’m not really one of those big Star Wars kinda guys (which may come as a surprise to some). I was one of the 37 people alive in 1977 who didn’t actually see the first movie at the theatre, and I still find the aliens in the “Cantina” scene very fake and hokey looking.

I did eventually see the movies, though, and overall I like them. The first ones, that is. I used to really enjoy playing my X-Wing vs. the Tie Fighter computer game, and recently came across the installation CD while pawing through shit in the basement. I also came across my Sidewinder joystick and was about to see if I could the game and stick to work on my PC before I realized it was a serial port joystick and I aint got no serial ports anymore (on a side note, if anybody needs a 25′ serial printer cable, let me know – I’ll give you a deal on it).

Unlike movie one, I did see Episode One in the theatre and, well, let’s just say I’m not a big fan of the Jar-Jar, and I found little Darth to be kind of annoying. But the big race was pretty cool.

Anyhow, you’d think that SWD would be on May 25th, since that’s the original release date of the first movie in 1977 (on a side note: Holy shit! That was 37 years ago!). In May of ’77, I was winding up my junior year of high school getting ready to take the German, Social Studies, and (I think) English Regents exams. And I guess whatever Math class I took as a junior. Oh, and Chemistry, too, I guess. Ah, those were the days.

Junior year comes to mind this morning because we’re starting to see “prom pictures” show up on the local newspaper website (front page – bet you don’t see that in the NY Times). It reminds me of the one girl I asked to go, way back then. I am, by nature, a shy person, and as pathetic as I am now, I was 100 times worse back then. As I approached her, I distinctly remember my heart pounding so hard, I thought it was going to explode. Shame it didn’t.

She, of course, said “no” (in retrospect, I can’t really blame her since I didn’t actually know her and I guess I wasn’t exactly what you’re call a “catch”). I’m pretty sure that was the last time I ever asked anybody to go out with me ever again.

Saved me the cost renting a pastel powder blue tuxedo with matching ruffled shirt, I guess – let alone chipping in with all my friends (yes, all but me) on a limo or something.

The truly ironic part is that I think I was on the Prom Committee (we went with a “Color My World” theme, as I recall).

I don’t recall what I did instead that night, but odds are I hung by myself out in the woods someplace and got stoned.

Ah, those were the days.

Well, I see by the old clock on the wall(paper) that it’s time to get dressed and get ready to head to Tractor Supply. I need a Zerk fitting for my mower.