May 25th.
Geek Pride Day. Star Wars Day. Towel Day. Glorious 25th of May.
If you happen to be a geek of diverse interests you may find today almost overwhelming. Me, I’ve got Boba Fett in my pocket, a “42†t-shirt on under my work clothes, a towel on my shoulder, and a lilac badge on my shirt. I figure all of those combined is enough to show my geek pride for the day.
For you Star Wars fans today marks the anniversary of the opening of Episode IV. How can you not celebrate the start of one of the greatest stories ever told? And don’t forget, if you’re ever showing the saga to someone for the first time, make sure you start with Episode IV!
Towel Day might be the most widely known celebration today. While most Hitchhiker’s fans carry a towel with them in some capacity (I keep one in my car!) today as you go about your business you’ll probably see quite a few folks with one draped over a shoulder or hanging out of a pocket. Today is the perfect day to show the world that you’re a hoopy frood who knows where your towel is.
The lesser known celebration might be the Glorious 25th of May. Be on the lookout for folks who have a bit of lilac on their person in some form or fashion (mine is on a badge) and you’ll be looking at a proud Terry Pratchett fan. The Glorious 25th of May is the big event in the novel “Night Watchâ€, which is probably my favorite Discworld novel. If you’ve not picked that one up yet, I highly recommend it. If you’ve never read a single Discworld novel before I suggest reading “Guards, Guardsâ€, “Men at Armsâ€, “Feet of Clayâ€, “Jingo†and “The Fifth Elephant†before reading this one. Those are the main City Watch/Night Watch books and you’ll definitely appreciate “Night Watch†more if you have that background.
And if you’re not necessarily a huge fan of any of those three (and if you aren’t a fan of at least one I might be wondering about you) you can simply flaunt your geek however you want for today. After all, it’s Geek Pride Day and you should be proud to be a geek and whatever geekery you prefer.
How are you celebrating today? Anything special? Let me know!
May the Force be with you.
Don’t Panic.
See how they rise up.
