If I Had a Blog Then: Yuri's Night

So, I was reading this post on Gizmodo the other day, and it reminded me of something I wanted to share. I had thought to myself and Rebecca on the topic of blogs that I would blog about things that happened in the past that were worthy of talking about in a blog. This is the first in a most likely short series. However, I'm not quite sure how to start. I think I have to take you back to April of 2008.

Well, some more background information. Rebecca and I had only been dating (again) for about 2 months or so. She had a plan up her sleeve for a surprise for me. She had sent me a package in the mail, which detailed a time and place to be for the next clue. She sent me on a scavenger hunt.

Originally she was planning on us ending at La Bodeguita del Medio in Palo Alto, but she changed her mind when she heard that Yuri's Night was going to be at Moffett Field. Now, Yuri's Night is a big worldwide party that celebrates the day when Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space, and promotes a greater interest in space travel. Apparently they have held some big parties in the Bay Area, and the one for 2008 was going to be pretty cool. Rebecca got us tickets, and that was the end of the scavenger hunt. But her plans were almost ruined. I had read about Yuri's Night Bay Area happening on Wired and told her about it a few days before, completely unaware that she had already bought tickets. She was worried that I had figured out her scheme. Acutally, I didn't realize her plan until the end of the scavenger hunt when I was with her, and she told me the coordinates of our last stop, Moffett Field.

Well, it was going to be a very fun evening with my Rebecca (which it was). We arrived at parked the car near Hanger One. We started taking pictures of everything immediately. There was so much visual stimulation, from the airplanes on display, the art and computers, and even a Lego display from the Bay Area Lego Users Group. There was even an acrobatic airshow that we stared at for almost an hour, and attempted to photograph.

There were many big adventures during the day. I think we almost got caught by security for hiding in the main landing gear of a C-141. Will Wright gave a talk about space travel, promoted Spore by providing copies to demo, and urinating on fans. Also worth mentioning is the fact that there was a beer tent. If I recall, I believe they had a special where one could get 5 tickets for $20. A pretty good deal for good beer, considering I had a designated driver. I was reminded there were other drunkards wandering around in various costumes. I believe there was a man wearing Sputnik on his head.

Overall, it was a really awesome time with my then girlfriend (now wife!). For me, there was a defining moment where I knew this was the woman I was to marry. I wanted to demo Spore while we were there, however there was quite a line due to the large amount of people. Rebecca did not want to wait, as she had little interest. I however waited, but she had decided to go explore a bit. She comes back with a beer for me while I continue to wait! After cringing watching children destroy precious computers, it was my turn to play. I was able to enjoy a demo of Spore while drinking a beer. My Rebecca loves me very much! She planned this entire surprise for me, and even gets me a beer. It was an evening filled with some of my favorite things.

After Spore we ended up eating some food, and listening to some of the musical performances before heading home after dark. I think we even met the guy who does the Achewood comic while wating in line for food.

It was a great date with my now wife, and I still appreciate the planning and care that she puts into fun trips for us. We hope to have more adventures like that in the near future, and I'll try to share about more of them.