Yeesh, it's been awhile.

Alright, Item One: Batweek Recap.
It's been so long I can barely remember what exactly happened on what day, but because posterity wants to know, here are the events of Batweek, 2008:

- Watch Newsies (twice)
- Buy two (2) tickets to the 12:01 showing of The Dark Knight
- Buy Batman Begins
- Buy two (2) more tickets to The Dark Knight, this time to the 12:05 showing (which didn't exist before) because the 12:01 showing is already sold out.
- Panic about whether one has in fact bought eight (8) tickets to The Dark Knight because it's showing up on bank statement.
- Attempt to move 12:01 tickets to 12:05 showing, but fail despite friendly theatre staff, because 12:05 is already sold out, as is the 12:10 showing, which didn't exist last time.
- Resolve panic by annoying 5/3 customer service agents.

BATDAY

- Print out Google directions to The Greene and lay out printed tickets.
- Go to Office Max: Buy dark t-shirt transfer iron-on sheets.
- Go to Target: Buy green shirt, possibly the only shirt in the world that specifies "do not iron on print": but, since it's only $5, don't care.
- Begin playing Batman Begins in the background.
- Curse evil Windows for not accepting an image edited on a Mac. Attempt to create an acceptable logo in Microsoft Paint. Realize that the background of dark iron-on prints is white and unless there's going to be a lot of cutting involved, this will be a fairly dopey looking shirt. Ponder that there's not really a way that a shirt made for a Batman midnight premiere is going to look awesome the next day. Make the best of it.
- Spend an hour trying to iron it without realizing the outlets are controlled by a lightswitch.
- Complete ironing; set shirt on roof to air out possibly toxic fumes.

- Watch end of Batman Begins. Begin sketching out Batman stories due to complete Batwhelming of mind.
- Drive to Clubhouse. Attempt to appeal to older and more adequately equipped members to help with preschool class: receive only replies such as "Oh, yeah, they're horrible this year! Especially that one."
- Attempt to lead preschool class. Fail.
- Skip out early to go to youth group. After deciding no one is home and going in anyway, be attacked by small poodles and spend a half hour talking with Pam, who has ankle problems. Eat a whole bunch of cookies. Withdraw.
- Go to Donatos Pizza with abandoned Clubhouse friends and eat far too much pizza. Start getting antsy. Back to house.
- Feed and put away animals for the night despite many protests.
- 11 p.m. : 12:05 showing friends arrive. Up oars for Beavercreek.
- Take wrong exit onto 675. Turn around in unmarked lane.
- 11:45 p.m. Arrive at The Greene. Decide to try and park in the parking garage. Nearly scrape all the paint off a Jetta trying to park Fred. (Do no actual damage.) Decide to retreat and go someplace more deserted.
- Park on roof. (Gas gauge: E.)
- 11:59 p.m. Run into theatre. Redeem tickets and dash into theatre.
- 12:00 a.m. Find the only two seats left together at the far right on the very bottom, destined to result in serious neck and back injuries.
- 12:01 a.m. - 2:35 a.m. Awesomity.
- 2:45 a.m. Find 12:05 friends. Make way to car.
- 3:05 a.m. Make it out of the parking lot. Find a gas station blessedly close (and, remarkably, open.)
- 3:40 a.m. Stop in Fairborn searching for chicken nuggets. Drive around through gas station sprinklers with the windows down playing really terrible rap station with the bass up (not a residential area). Abandon search, head on to Springfield.
-4:15 a.m. Stop at Springfield McDonald's. Breakfast menu is already up, so get a round of Chicken Biscuits and wait for a good 20 minutes to get a slightly wrong order. Head back to house.
-4:30 a.m. Enjoy Chicken Biscuit with friend who has to work tomorrow. Head to bed.



So in general, this is the course of events I would recommend for anyone wanting to have a smashing good time. I can't believe nothing went wrong (the Jetta was not hurt, nor was anything else in the course of the story) and that everyone made it home in a good mood.

Sometimes... Sometimes things just go good.