Pre-Nerdapalooza Silliness

We are less than a month away from Nerdapalooza 2008, and I, for one, am excited. I’ll get to make a long-awaited return trip to central Florida, hear some amazing bands, meet up with some old friends, and, quite possibly, get a little drunk. What’s not to love?

Last week I had the honor and/or pleasure of featuring my pals Hex Warrior and mCRT as co-hosts on the newest edition of my Radio Free Hipster podcast. (MC Wreckshin was there too, although he was mostly a silent contributor.) That episode is being finalized at present and should be made available later this week, and, despite some technical difficulties, it was an unbelievable amount of fun. Moreover, it served to stoke the interminable fire in my breast for the whole festival experience. Though there’s still much to be done before I head southward, I am, in my mind’s eye, already there. The weather is balmy and good times are plentiful.

With the new baby, my finances aren’t exactly what they used to be, but it seems as though the stars have aligned to make this trip possible. I’ll be making the drive down with my best friend Josh (AKA: Seamonkey, AKA: Superfudge, AKA: The Hebrew Hammer), the best damn travel companion a fellow could ask for. And we’ve been offered lodging with craft-meisters and recent transplants Denika and Dennis of Joined at the Stitch, which further serves to soften the fiscal blow. This means I just need to round up gas and beer money, which seems doable.

That being said, should any of you care to contribute to my Nerdapalooza travel fund, feel free to use the Paypal donations link in the sidebar. Don’t feel obligated to give or anything, but if you have a couple of bucks lying around I’d be happy to take them off your hands. Apparently this gas stuff is expensive.

Since I’m essentially sparing for change here, it seems only fair to let you in on my itinerary. And while most of my July 4th weekend will be spent either A) in a car on the drive down/back, B) at Taste Restaurant soaking up the nerdy goodness, or C) asleep, there are a few things I hope to accomplish, a few things I’d like to experience.

Here’s my wish list:

• Pick up one of Marty’s framed pictures of Uncle Monsterface
• Sing along with the Potters’ “Save Ginny Weasely”
• Give funky49 a hug (It’s long overdue.)
• Make ZeaLous1 carry me around a la Master Blaster
• Get a photo op with Dual Core’s int eighty
• Share a milkshake with Anthony and MisterB of Letters vs. Numbers (We’ll use three straws; it won’t be gross or nuthin’!)
• Hear Random perform one non-Mega Ran track (Please oh please oh please let it be “City Boy!”)
• Challenge DJ Snyder to a foot race
• Get my ninja on with Krondor Krew
• Talk comics with Logic1and Sir-Up
• Scream “shark attack!” at Math the Band
• Try to convince unwitting strangers that I am myf, Maja, or G Minor 7
• Meow along with Schaffer the Darklord
• Geek dance with MC Frontalot
• Get Wordburglar to say “aboot” (He’s Canadian, y’know.)

I had originally included “Broker Israeli/Palestinian agreement re: Gaza Strip” on the list, but that seemed a pretty tall order considering I’ve just got the weekend to work with. Maybe I’ll just try and get a diasporic Jew and a local Sunni Muslim to shake hands. That’d count, right?

I know this is a blog dedicated to music and that I am currently writing about a music festival, but the abundance of nerdy tunage is only one of the symbols in the larger equation that is my boundless anticipation. Mostly, I’m excited about the people.

I correspond directly with a number of you guys, some on a near-daily basis, and the opportunity to actually sit in the same room with you is positively exhilarating. Perhaps I’m being presumptuous, but my thoughts on Nerdapalooza can’t help but turn those of geeky brotherhood and camaraderie. I know that Hex and mCRT have poured their blood, sweat, and tears into fostering just that short of environment of communal solidarity, and I genuinely believe that the show will be a rousing success on this front.

If you’re going to be in the Orlando area for Nerdapalooza, please let me know. I know I’m not much compared to the Frontalots and EPPs and Randoms of the world, but I’d love the opportunity to hang out and maybe share a drink or a joke.

I’ll be the short guy.