To Nerdly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before....

A Halloween Guest Blog from the Professor

Because we are evil to the core, your humble Professor and Mary Ann stay up nights thinking of all the different ways we can ruin our kids socially. We eat vegetarian fare from the Moosewood Cookbook, we listen to Brahms and Faure and Stawberry Switchblade (only MA on that last one), and we do not do TV.

Our final fiendish plot (inspired by Michael Chabon and Dr.Who) is to put our kids in our own nosatalgia warp. Instead of exposing them to Avatar (loathesome) and Justin Bieber (what the @#$% ?), we hook them up with Bill and Ted (Prof), The Scarlet Pimpernel (MA) and, as can be seen in these Halloween shots, we have introduced them to Star Trek. Awkward Family Photos, here we come!

It all started with Sebi. He is half Vulcan, it seems, and on any given day he already looks uncannily like the young Spock in the most recent Star Trek movie. All he needed for the full transition: some ears, of course, and the appropriate haircut by our favorite BYU Barber-ella, La Gwen. From there, Will identified with bossy bad-boy Kirk, Maddie loved the hot, brilliant new Uhura. Joss just had to go along with things, although he probably would have rather dressed up as Mater from "Cars."

As always, The best laid plans of mice and parents go astray. Check out Maddie. I did not realize that my 12-year old could work a polyester sheath dress and boots like that. She came out of her room on Halloween morning in that mini-number and it occurred to me: she is going to high school dressed like that. My 12-year old. Wearing that. Against my better judgement, I took her to school like that. Before I left, I predicted to MA that we would be getting phone calls from boys.

The call came. That night. From a boy.

So much for the wisdom of the Nerd-Parents.