Happy Harbor

Great News and Graphic Content

/ Renaissance Gamer / Leave a comment

We’ll get to an upcoming nerd event in a second, but first I wanted to share something.  I posted a little while back about Spider Robinson’s daughter Terri Luanna and her fight against cancer.  Last week Spider took the time to drop by the site and pass on some great news:

“Since you were kind enough to mention my daughter Terri da Silva’s breast cancer here, I wanted you to be among the first to hear the good news we got today. After her first round of chemo, her oncologist reports that all the metastases, the tumours in her lymph nodes and leg bones, ARE GONE, and that the original tumours in her breast have all shrunk by at least 50%, and the largest one shrank by more than 75%. She is still, and will always be, a Stage 4 cancer patient…but for the moment, she has kicked cancer’s ass. She will not, after all, need mastectomy or radiation, just a lifetime of very careful chemo. She and her husband attribute all this change (which stunned her doctors) to her positive attitude and lifestyle: to saying “Yes” rather than “No” as you say above. See her splendid bloghttp://www.gracefulwomanwarrior.com for details. Thank you very much for helping to bring attention to Terri and her blog: I’m quite sure it helped. And thanks to all who took a moment to throw Terri a prayer or a few bucks for her huge medical bills.
Shared pain is lessened; shared joy is increased. Please share my joy!”

I am truly happy to share this joy!  I’ll add my meagre thanks to anyone reading this blog that took the time to donate or send good wishes.  You guys and dolls are the best!

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On that happy note, let’s look at the one and only nerd event on my radar.  Despite the weather’s attempt to force snow on us, it is way too beautiful out there to miss out on this….

Graphic Content: Ghost World

 The latest and greatest in the Graphic Content series at The Metro!  Starring Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson, Ghost World is one of the most highly regarded comic book movies ever made.  Screening is this Tuesday, April 17th at 9pm.  Looking at the Metro site this looks to be the last film in the current series, so I’ll be keen to see what the next series holds for us.  Update: There is a Graphic Content for both May and June, and then they take a break, starting the second series in September.  In the meantime, come check out a great movie with great people!

…and that’s it for now.  If there is a nerdy event happening that you aren’t telling me about, shame on you!  Let me know so I can let other folks know.  In general, if you are a comic book nerd you should keep your eyes open for Free Comic Book Day, coming up on May 5 (yes, the day after The Avengers opens).  I know for sure that Wizard’s Comics & Collectibles and Happy Harbor have events planned for FCBD, and I suspect other comic shops might as well.  So nose around…

That’s it for now.  Join me tomorrow for a bit of geek fitness wisdom.  Because spring is a good time to work on that “Dorito spread”…

Nerdiness Afoot in YEG

/ Renaissance Gamer / Leave a comment

Ahoy, nerdlings!  Winter seems to have passed us by and it is time to shake off our hibernation and get out into the world.  Conveniently, your fellow geeks are running events  firmly in your wheelhouse.  So give yourself a shake, put on your best pop-culture t-shirt, and hit up one of these upcoming events:

50,000 tweets, a fundraiser, and a (fake) birthday celebration

No one can deny Brittney Le Blanc’s status as YEG geek royalty (minor royalty, like a duchess or something. Don’t get cocky, Brit!).  Her work with YEG Girl Geek, coupled with her tireless promotion of all things Edmonton have certainly earned that for her.  And she is generous to a fault.  So generous, she has turned the celebration of her new column and her (fake) birthday into a fundraiser for the Edmonton Public Schools Foundation.  Join her and a gajillion of your fellow nerds at  Brittany’s Lounge (10225 – 97 Street) on Friday, March 30 for cake, drinks and merry-making!  And as an added bonus, for just $2 you can enter the raffle for Brittney’s 50,000th Tweet!  That’s right, for one brief 140-character moment, this member of geek royalty could be your mouthpiece.  So come on out and celebrate for a great cause!  Click on the heading for more details and to register.

Brass and Brew IV

Join the Edmonton Steampunk crew for another merry event on Saturday April 7, starting at 5pm.  Put on your steampunk finest (or don’t, no one will judge) and enjoy some fine company and libations.  This is an all-ages event, though minors do need to leave before 9pm.  This event occurs inside City Center Mall in the Elephant and Castle restaurant and pub located on the third floor of the mall, next to the Cineplex movie theatre.  So fire up the steam velocipede and head on down!

Robert J. Sawyer TRIGGERS Launch in Edmonton

Join Hugo and Nebula Award-winner Robert J. Sawyer as he launches his 21st novel TRIGGERS.  The reading takes place at Audrey’s (10702 Jasper Avenue) on Wednesday, April 11 at 7:30pm, and there will be signings afterwards.

“A thriller’s pacing and a chilling near-future world. Sawyer delivers here.” — Booklist
“A turbo-charged techno-thriller. A combination of classic and contemporary science fiction.” — Publishers Weekly
“A tense, race-against-the-clock adventure with a surprise ending.” — Library Journal

Avengers Movie Marathon

With all the upcoming events such as the Calgary Expo (April 27th to April 29th), The Avengers Movie (May 4th) and Free Comic Book Day (May 5th), what better way to kick it off than an Avengers Movie Marathon at Happy Harbor (10729 104 Ave).  Spend all day Sunday, April 15th watching all the movies that will lead up to what we all have been waiting for since 2008.  Starting at 10am, here is the chronological movie schedule:

Iron Man
The Incredible Hulk
Iron Man 2
Thor
Captain America: The First Avenger

So pack some snacks, bring the family and spend the day reliving the stories of the Avengers and anticipating the movie that will bring them all together!  Admission is a donation to the Edmonton Food Bank. That’s all. Please make sure to support the cause while you enjoy your day!

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That’s all for now!  Get on out there and get your geek on!  And as always, if you have a nerd event and you want to get the word out, drop me a line here.

Public Displays of Nerdery (and where to find them)

/ Renaissance Gamer / Leave a comment

There is nerdery afoot and aflight in the city of Edmonton!  And you need to get out there and take part, lest your nerd cred atrophy over these long winter months.  To forestall any nerd-cred shrinkage, why not take in some of these fine events:

An Epic Valentine’s Day of Epic Epicness

Join the Graphic Content folks, along with Comics! The Blog as they host a special Valentine’s Day screening of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, tonight at the Metro Cinema.  Starting at 9:00pm, there will be drinks provided by Metro’s official supplier Alley Kat Brewing Company.  And, you can have your drink – in a fancy red party cup, just like in the movie! – inside the theatre itself!  Screening starts at 9:30pm.  Tickets are $10 adults, $8 students/senoirs, and Metro Passes will be accepted. The film is 112 minutes long, rated PG, and we’ll be showing it in glorious 35mm.

Chapters Mini-Comicon — Author Appearances

Saturday, February 18 at 11am, join Edmonton literary and comic celebs Andrew Foley (Done to Death, Cowboys & Aliens), Dave Gross (Pathfinder, Forgotten Realms), and Robert Burke Richardson (Old School, The Matriarch) for readings, signings and a Q&A.  Where else are you going to talk to these three together in one place, outside of a fancy-schmancy convention? Well, at the 170st Chapters, in this case.  But besides that, nowhere!  You would be the most foolish of fools to miss out on this opportunity, so make your way there this Saturday!

GEEKS UNITE! “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”

Friday February 24th at 11pm at the Metro Cinema!  At Last! Another film completely different from some of the other films which aren’t quite the same as this one is. King Arthur (Graham Chapman) and his knights Sir Galahad the Pure (Michael Palin) , Sir Lancelot the Brave (John Cleese), the quiet Sir Bedevere (Terry Jones), and Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-as-Sir Lancelot (Eric Idle) embark on a low-budget search for the Grail, encountering many very silly obstacles. Classic 35mm film comedy on the big screen…costumes & coconuts encouraged! Join the Knights Who Say Ni!, Tim the Enchanter, Roger the Shrubber, the Black Knight, the oppressed Dennis, Prince Herbert & his father the King of Swamp Castle & many more!

Happy Harbor’s Movie Nite! U-Decide!

Happy Harbor is having a movie night, Saturday, February 25th, and you get to pick the movie!  Choose between TUCKER & DALE vs EVIL or VAMPIRE GIRL vs FRANKENSTEIN GIRL; you can cast your vote on the Facebook event page (follow the heading link)  Whichever gets the most votes is what you will watch.  HH now has a snack bar (chips & chocolate bars) with coffee to go along with our pop so all you need is a donation to the Edmonton Food Bank and it’s extra crazy, geeky movie action time.  And if you haven’t seen the new HH theater in action, it’s pretty awesome!  Movie starts at 7pm, so cast your vote and don’t be late!

Okay nerds!  There are four events to get your nerd juices (ew!) flowing!  As always, if you know of any nerdly events going on in Edmonton drop a link in the comments below and I’ll post them on the blog.  Now get out there and have fun!