It's Steve (now in blog form)

I’m a Star Wars dork.  Not a full blown gonna-wear-a-costume-all-the-time sort of way, but I really like it.  So last night we took a company field trip to see Star Wars Live.  It is basically clips from the movies strung together with narrative by Anthony Daniels (voice of C-3PO) with a full orchestra playing from the scores of the 6 movies.  It comes together to be pretty cool.  They also have a full choir for a few of the pieces that was flat out amazing.

Anyway, the show was awesome, but you’re probably asking yourself, “Hey, did they mess with some of the super dorky costume crowd?” You bet we did.  Here are the pics from last night.

We ran into some Jedi. Kunal felt the need to rock out with them. I felt like the little one needed a hug.

We ran into a couple of Han Solos.  Larry Solo was pretty amazing.  He had the steady calm of a Jerry Lewis, and the rogueish charm of Ben Afleck in Daredevil.  I assumed that he’s probably pretty lonely in his personal life (just a random guess), so he got a hug too.

Here’s our other Han Solo.  Let’s call him Enrique Solo.  Enrique brought his whole family.  The kid was an awesome Jango Fett (expect for his Go, Diego! backback).  The wife, on the other hand, should probably retire the gold bikini.

We ran into some rebel pilots.  Got the group shot and the obligatory MySpace self-shot.  I wonder which one of them was supposed to be Porkins.

Now I can hear some of you saying, “Hey Steve, it’s not cool to tease the costume crowd. They need something to fill the hole that not dating leaves.”  Allow me to rebut. We had three extra tickets from folks who couldn’t make it.  Rather than find three hot chicks that had less good seats (sorry Kunal), we gave them to a dad and his two kids outside who couldn’t buy tickets to the sold out show.  So I’m a lovely person and can poke fun at whoever I like.  Hurray for karma being a zero sum game!!

Finally grabbed the pics off of my phone.  There’s some solid stuff here.  Let’s get caught up.

What shall the redeemed wear?  This handy tome from CVS Pharmacy shows the way.  Let’s consult Leviticus 47:92, “And lo the Lord spake unto them, ‘Thou shalt dress as thou did in the 80′s. And bedazzeling shall also be ok. Go forth, and be uncool in My name.’ ”

Yup, that’s Obama with an ice cream head

Kunal made a new friend on the Promenade.  They wandered off together.  I hope he’s ok.

Earlier, we helped Kunal buy a wetsuit. It seemed to turn him immediately into a ninja.

I’m glad Verizon finally has a marketing program that speaks to me.

I’m not sure what this joint is trying to sell me on.  I like hot wings as much as the next guy, but is suicide really a good upsell?  How about a free drink or some fries? That would be nicer than euthanasia I think.

I’ve got really cute kids.  Possibly the cutest kids.  Don’t be sad, I’m sure yours are very nice too.

I admit it, there are times when I wonder if the things I do will have any lasting impact on the world.  Can I, as an individual, really make any sort of meaningful difference?  Well, ladies and gentlemen, I have been been inspired.  Allow me to introduce you  to Thomas Midgley, Jr.

Midgley was an inventor.  Celebrated in his lifetime, he died with over a hundred patents and accolades from his peers.  He also singlehandedly jacked the environment six ways to Sunday. Midgely became a household name for solving engine knock by adding lead to gasoline. His tireless efforts to show how safe high lead levels could be, despite the numerous deaths from lead poisoning in refineries, legitimized the process and landed him only briefly incapacitated for lead poisoning (he publicly demonstrated the safety of lead by running his hands through a lead solution and nearly died after the press had gone home).

Now, the wide dispersal of lead throughout the environment for the next several decades is quite a legacy, but Midgely would not simply fade into obscurity. Remember that hole in the ozone from all of the Freon and CFC’s? Well Midgely is up in heaven right now looking down at you through it. He invented those too. Yup, the lead in the gasoline guy is also the CFC guy.

On an interesting note, in his later life he contracted polio. In designing an elaborate system of pulleys to help get himself out of bed, he became tangled and was strangled (the whereabouts of Captain Planet cannot be accounted for that day).

So the next time you run into someone going insane because their well was a little too close to leaky gas tanks, or you see a polar bear who misses the snow, remember one man really can make a difference.