Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Don't Panic.

Today is Towel Day.  This statement makes the nerdy Anglophile in me oh so very happy.  What, you ask, is Towel Day?  And how does it relate to nerds, Brits, and... towels?

Towel Day is the annual celebration of the life and work of Douglas Adams, an awesomely nerdy Brit who was famous for "A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."  It started as a radio series on the BBC in 1978, which he adapted into novels starting in 1979.  H2G2 (as it's known to other nerdies like me) has been made into a TV series and a film (though lots of people don't like it, but I do because I'm not a purist) and stage shows and so on.  According to the official Hitchhiker's Guide, the most important item for any good hitchhiker of land, sea, or space is... a towel. 

So, in 2001, two weeks after Douglas Adams passed away, his army of followers proclaimed May 25 as the official Towel Day (and also, the unofficial Geek Pride Day).  If you see people wandering around with towels and you're not at the beach or at Water Country USA (or insert water theme park near your town here), then they are celebrating the life and times of a famous, well-written nerd.

The Hubs got me to read H2G2 many years ago, claiming I would find it to be dry, witty, and silly.  He'd tried this with books before, and I'd been burned.  However, I was pleased to find that he wasn't messing with me this time.  It's so totally random, but it's got some really hilarious passages, and it gave me a chance to say Slartibartfast.  Also, if Radiohead likes it enough to name their most epic and awesome song (IMO) after Marvin the Paranoid Android, it's worth it.

Happy Towel Day, everyone!  So long, and thanks for all the fish!

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