A long time ago.....

......in a large city far far away, my father took me to a movie that I reeeeeeeally didn't want to see. Star Wars? Sounds stupid, it's for BOYS, I donwanna go! It was 1977, I was 6 years old, and I knew nothing about this movie about to premiere except the name. (I was so judgmental at that age, jeez.) What a dumb-ass I was! It was the greatest thing I had ever seen, and it's not too much to say that it changed my life. 40 years later, I type this blog wearing a t-shirt depicting Darth Vader roller skating on the boardwalk at Venice Beach, carrying a boom box. With an R2-D2 humidifier next to me. Some would call me a Star Wars nerd. Do I agree with that assessment?

Yeah, so what? I'm a middle-aged woman, capable of being professional and all that stuff, but I am, as I think I've mentioned, a giant kid hiding in this awkward body, and I AM A STAR WARS NERD GALORE. IDGAF. I love the movies and all things about the movies, and although I have friends in my life who are exponentially bigger Star Wars nerds (bless them), I'm willing to bet there aren't a lot of 46 year old women with 2 lightsabers in their closet. And if there are, I would like to meet them. And buy them a drink while we nerd out together.

I didn't keep any of my toys (toys in packages kept in dark rooms make me sad), but damn, they were great. The toys were super fun to play with, but the major "pretend" sessions that went on in backyards all over America were the real shit. I was always Han Solo, and if anyone tried to argue their way into the role, I would bully them down. Just like Han Solo would have, duh. That giant tree over there is the Millennium Falcon, that sand pit is Tatooine, and those two garbage cans are R2-D2 and C-3PO. Epic battles between X-wings and TIE fighters took place on Big Wheels in the streets, many Death Star-shaped houses exploded into bits in our minds. It was such a great time to be alive for a kid. So why grow out of it? The way we felt about the new movies approaching release is the same way I feel now about these incredible yearly releases of new material. And when video tapes came into our lives, that shit was straight-up worn out in no time. Then it was DVD, and now Blu-Ray, of course. Listening to John Williams' music still slays me. I love opening all the windows in the car and cranking that shit up to eleven so everyone knows just how nerdy I really am. Because again, IDGAF.

Not everything about this franchise was magical or deeply appreciated, to be sure.

Barf. And don't get me started on Ewoks. We had to play the Ewok's March in 7th grade band, for fuck's sake. But for every little annoyance, of which there were thankfully not many, we got characters that delighted and fascinated us, and battles and planets and ships that set our imaginations spinning like a carousel horse on crack. I loved to be Han Solo, but Darth Vader is my favorite by far (oh the feels!), and R2-D2 is my spirit animal. To say I'm smitten with BB-8 would be an understatement, but R2 will live on in my heart forever. My text tone is R2 being sassy, has been for a very long time, but it still makes me smile every time. So text me, y'all.

My favorite Darth Vader shirt shows him up at bat with his lightsaber for a bat. The ump looks unimpressed. I am also a baseball nerd, which is why this might be the best GIF of all time.

It's only like 4 months and 3 weeks til Episode 8 is released, but who's counting? I am so grateful for this rebirth of the franchise, because come on. 40 years ain't no joke, it's programmed into my DNA at this point. How appropriate that I was born on May the 4th.