A feline at the Ren Faire

Let's face it, the end of summer is a terrible and harrowing experience. Even

though a lot of people cannot tolerate the extremely hot temperatures and the mugginess from the dew point, we all know what's coming and very quickly: extreme freezing cold that makes the planet Mars seem like a vacation spot.

All that rambling aside, however, there is one thing that the Geeks and nerds amongst us wait all summer for the Minnesota Renaissance fair. Starting in 1971 the Minnesota Renaissance Faire has been the centerpiece of many a geek and a nerd. Starting in early September and ending before the beginning of October, it runs a few weeks and usually has themed weekends.

There have been two to three times in which I, your average short-haired black

house cat with an attitude has actually attended this wonderful Faire of medieval deee-lite. The first time was in 2007. I went with my caregiver and dressed up as a sort of pirate Captain because reasons. Well I was there I bought chicken and chips kind of a play on fish and chips and a Charmed full of glitter also known as fairy dust well because it was shiny. The second time that I went, I went with another caregiver and was asked in a medieval fashion why I had to have somebody push me around in an odd-looking wheelbarrow. I explained that my caregiver had been decreed by the local Magistrate to provide assistance and like care duties. Everybody at the table left as I again devoured chicken and chips.

In summary, for me at least on a personal level I experience to the Renaissance Fair not only through the lens of special interest or the lens of shiny things and food but also the lens of special interest. For those of you who actually know me outside of these Hub locations, I have I have a thing for anything that is either derivative of ancient European culture and orb High fantasy. The Renaissance Faire satiates both of those special interest for me quite well. Needless to say if you can tolerate sensory bombardment to an extent but also like all things medieval including the food please go! I will be headlining this weekend because last weekend was hotter than Idris Elba out.

For Auld Lang Syne

-By Serge C Katzen-

This year has been one heavens of a rollercoaster. From things like the women's march following the innaugaration of the one who shall not be named to the relase of films like "It" (2017) and the amazing Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi and TV shows like The Reboot of "The Magic Schoolbus (tm)" on "Netflix", as well as the hit "Stranger Things" which brought back yet more 80s nostalgia.

Spring and Summer of this year were questionable in some regards, however, not so in others. Even though the feline never got to run off to Florida before "RealID"(tm) took effect, the release of "It", "Stranger things", and "The Dark Tower" served as a cosmic counterbalance.

One of my supervisors turned me onto "Stranger things" and I fell in love with the group of friends on bikes and 11. The plot involves MK ultra capturing children and tyring to use them to open a portal up. MK Ultra is and was actually a thing. The setting of the 80s with all its nostalgia makes it into a marriage of Robert Zemeckis and Stephen King. STRANGELY enough "Stranger things" was NOT penned by Mr King himself.