It looks like I picked up a touch of the convention sars at Wizard World: sore throat, coughing my guts out, massive headache, and other upper respiratory stuff that is too disgusting even for me to describe.

So I’m back onto the goddamn couch for at least 24 hours. At least this time I have LEGO Star Wars 2 to keep me entertained. It’s fun to play, really cute, and hilarious. I’m only into story mode on Episode IV, but if the whole game is as entertaining as it’s been so far, I’m going to give it a massive thumbs up.

Four things, however, that I wanted to mention while I can fucos long enough to mention them:

Thing the first: Arthur C. Clarke died yesterday. I don’t have anything profound to say, but 2001 was one of the most important movies I ever saw, way back when I was a young geekling in 1987. It was in the Cinerama dome, a special screening one afternoon, and I wouldn’t have known it was playing if I hadn’t been doing some ARD recording for Star Trek at Modern Sound across the street. There were only a dozen or so people in the theater, but seeing it on that screen, in that setting, increased its already power over me by several orders of magnitude. I bought Clarke’s book on the way home, and read it in the next two days. There’s an amusing image, I’m sure, of me in the horrible rainbow uniform, sitting in Engineering or something, reading 2001.

Bonus that I didn’t know until yesterday: he pretty much invented the geosynchronous satellite. In 1941. Holy. Shit.

Thing the second: Barack Obama’s speech "A More Perfect Union" yesterday is one of the most inspiring and wonderful political speeches I’ve ever heard. He wrote it himself, too. Not a consultant, not a speech writer. He did it. That’s phenomenal. He talked to us like we were grown-ups, and addressed something Americans have needed to deal with for decades. It brought tears to my eyes, inspired me, and reaffirmed why I’m so proud to support him.

Thing the third: Today is the 5th anniversary of the beginning of George W. Bush’s disaster in Iraq. Does it surprise anyone that this man, who has run every single business he’s had into the ground, has done the same to our country?

Thing the fourth: I’m smart enough to separate the soldier from the war. Having said that, It’s important to me to sincerely thank and honor the men and women who have served, and are continuing to serve, in our armed forces.

Oh, last thing: Ryan came home for spring break (rather than run off to some idiot fest with idiots. I’m really proud of him for making safe and mature choices.)

Last night, I made a veggie stirfry with ginger rice and tofu. I served it with some tamari and Sriracha sauce on the table. I love Sriracha sauce, but I know how insanely hot it is, so I always put just a few drops on, mix it up, and apply more if I feel like it as I eat.

Nolan, however, put it on his dish like frosting.

"What in the world are you doing?" I said.

"I’m putting my chili sauce on like a man," he said, "not like a pansy."

Nolan took a bite of his food, and his face turned as red as the sauce.

"Yeah," he said, in a pinched voice, "that’s the stuff right there!"

I took a bite of my food.

"How’s your dinner treating you?" Nolan said to me.

"It’s good," I said. "I don’t need as much hot sauce as I used to, because after my surgery, I can taste food a lot better than before."

"And you’re a pansy," he said.

Ryan put his chopsticks down, wiped his mouth with his napkin, and said, "The difference between you and him, Nolan, is that he’s enjoying his food, and you’re enduring it."

"Owned," Anne said.

It’s good to have Ryan home. He’s grown up a lot since he was here two months ago, and it’s nice to have my whole family back under the same roof, even if it’s only for a week.

Okay, that’s all for now. Back to Sars Wars. (Ha! Ha! Ha!)