60: "One Ring to rule them all, one ring to find them."

Today we decided to go for a hike along the relatively manageable Ucluelet Lighthouse Trail located to the west of the town, and there was this little hiding place under some rocks and tree stumps that seemed terribly, terribly familiar...

- Sid

60: The needs of the one.

As tends to be the standard for my birthday, I received a variety of science fiction and geek related digital birthday greetings this year. (Thanks for the Doctor Who TARDIS card, Christi!)  To my surprise, the best genre birthday salutation actually came from my departmental VP, John Beckett, on the e-card from my workplace.

 In case you’re unaware of the provenance of this statement, it’s derived from the dramatic climax to the 1982 Star Trek movie The Wrath of Khan, the second featuring the original series cast, in which Spock sacrifices his life to save the Enterprise.* 

Spock: Don't grieve, Admiral. It is logical. The needs of the many outweigh...
Kirk: ...the needs of the few...
Spock: ...or the one. I never took the Kobayashi Maru test until now. What do you think of my solution? 

I've worked with John for almost 12 years, and during that time he's demonstrated about the normal level of geek knowledge (if that's not a contradiction in terms), and this was such an appropriate and clever birthday greeting for a science fiction fan that I actually wondered if John had asked for professional assistance** in crafting it.  

Regardless, I sent John a note congratulating him on what I consider to be THE BEST slightly obscure but perfectly phrased science fiction movie reference birthday greeting that I have ever received in my life, and he brilliantly doubled down with a simple reply:

“Thanks, Obi-Wan.”

- Sid

* I realize this is a spoiler, but honestly, The Wrath of Khan was released almost 40 years ago, I think that’s outside the statute of limitations on spoilers.

** Or asked Google™ - same thing.

60: Tsunami! The Musical.

Ucluelet is a pleasant little town located on the west coast of Vancouver Island, the sort of small Canadian community that has one main street and a microbrewery, but no Tim Horton's.

Unfortunately, I have to admit to a mild ongoing paranoia that any small isolated town near the ocean  with only one road in or out is likely going to be a den of Lovecraftian Old Ones who will come for me in the dark of night, but that's a personal thing and I don't let it interfere with my appreciation of the local seafood, as it were.

In this case, the tsunami/earthquake response protocols prominently posted at our Airbnb made me worry that I had suddenly become an expendable cast member from 2012 instead of the ill-fated narrator of The Shadow Over Innsmouth - I'm not convinced that this is an improvement.

- Sid

(Did you know that a tsunami can travel at up to 600 miles per hour on the open ocean?  Me either.)

60.

It's my 60th birthday tomorrow, and sadly, I've had to settle.

My dream milestone birthday celebration was going to be an echo of my 50th birthday - a trip to London, a visit to the Doctor Who Experience, followed by some souvenir shopping (I do like a t-shirt) and a pint at a classic English pub, all enhanced this time by the company of my lovely wife Karli.

However, given the current state of international travel during the pandemic, I regretfully decided that it just wasn't practical right now, and downgraded my expectations.

It's going to be an interesting birthday regardless.  We're still going on a trip:  Karli found us a pleasant looking Airbnb in Ucluelet, a small town on the west coast of Vancouver Island, and we'll be leaving later this morning to catch the ferry. It won't have the same geek gratification as the Doctor Who Immersive Experience in London - in fact, I'm not aware of anything geek-related in our itinerary - but you know, it's surprising how often something unexpected makes an appearance, and I'm quite looking forward to our little one-week getaway.  All other issues aside, I think it would be impossible for me to have a bad vacation with Karli, who has proven herself to be a fabulous travel companion.

I haven't completely abandoned my hopes for a trip to England and the Doctor Who event, but I'm aware that the window is getting smaller and smaller.  But, if science fiction has given me anything, it's a well-developed ability to believe in the impossible.  As I've said before, the horse may still learn to sing.

- Sid

P.S.  By the way, I'm impressed beyond words (no pun intended) by the Merriam-Webster definition of the word "Sixty" - I mean, they're not wrong, but I somehow feel that they've missed the mark - and I have to wonder if there's a different Sixty that's defined as a number which is equal to five time 12.