This Week in Geek 2011/10/16

A showcase of this week's finest geek and geek related activities for the week. Mark your calendars.

Teach the kids about pumpkin carving and basic electronics (via Windell Oskay). The instructions are here.

This week is packed with Halloween events! I tried to fit as many as I could in here so this post is a long one.
Longer Term

• Halloween - Bennett’s Curse - Jessup, MD - now through Halloween
• Voted one of America’s Best Haunted Houses of 2011, Bennett’s Curse has three attractions: House of the Vampyres, Sanctuary of Insanity, and Zombie Kingdom 3D. No kids under 10. Here’s a $2.00 off coupon.
• Halloween - Nightmare Screamplex - Boyds, MD - now through November 5th
• Another three-in-one, the Screamplex starts in a forest, winds through a corn maze, and ends in a haunted house. Sign their waiver beforehand and avoid the long lines when you arrive.
• Halloween - Pirate Adventure - Adamstown, MD - now through November 6th
• The more family-friendly event: Pirate Adventure has hay rides, obstacle courses, a moon bounce, and a corn maze. With mazes, I’ve learned to bring a friend with a better sense of direction, that way I never have to call 911 to help find my way out.
• Halloween - Markov’s Haunted Forest - Dickerson, MD - now through Halloween
• Looks like a few of the nights have sold out, so get your tickets and waiver early. In addition to the haunted trail, there are “hayrides, a haunted bus, zip-lines, giant swings, ghost hunts, fortune tellers, death jumps, and more.”
• Halloween - Boo at the Zoo - Washington, DC - Friday through Sunday
• Trick-or-treat at the zoo for kids ages 2-12. $30 for non-members. Buying tickets at the zoo saves a bit of money, but you may want to buy online because Saturday has already sold out.
• Convention - Blizzcon - Anaheim, CA - Friday and Saturday
• Once again, we East Coast geeks are left pressing our cold noses to our monitors, staring in on the West Coast conventions like a matchgirl on Christmas Eve. The Murkablo pets this year look awesome.
• Halloween - DC’s Most Haunted Houses Tour - Washington, DC - Thursday through Saturday
• If you’re looking for something educational that involves exercise, check out this walking tour around DC. Important notes: The walk doesn’t include interior visits and your “guide will not be in costume or carrying a lantern.” So have fun, and don’t follow strangers with lanterns.
• Halloween - Fright at the Museum - Washington, DC - Friday through Halloween
• The Crime Museum’s official disclaimer warns that you should skip the event if you are under 17, pregnant, epileptic, or suffering from a heart condition. Sound more like your speed for scary events? The event page describes one part of the exhibition: the Tennessee electric chair in which 125 men died (ghosts included, of course).
• Bacon - Bacon - Bacon, Bacon - Bacon Week
• No lie. It’s bacon week in Arlington, VA. Thursday through Saturday, Restaurant Three is devoting its menu to bacon. Don't worry, you can work it off at one of the zombie runs later this week.

Wednesday

• Comedy - Weird Al Concert - Washington, DC - 8:00 PM
• A geek idol who needs no introduction or explanation since most of us have been listening to Weird Al since our first cassette player. Instead, I’ll just leave this link to his blog so you can catch up on “The Gaga Saga” before heading out to the show.

Weird Al being awesome (via Orange County Archives).

Thursday

• Art - D.C. Art Science Evening Rendezvous - Washington, DC - 5:30 PM
• Don’t buy into the lie that science and art are incompatible discourse communities. Hang out with art and science geeks alike on neutral ground at this exhibition.
• Music - GWAR with Every Time I Die and Warbeast - Washington, DC - 7:00 PM
• I’ll make you feel young: GWAR is still performing. Now I’ll make you feel old: GWAR is celebrating their 25th year. If you need more heavy metal, blood, guts, and screaming steel in your life, head to the 9:30 Club this Thursday.
• Comedy - Shaun of the Dead - Arlington, VA - 7:30 PM
• I love this movie. Unlike the Dawn of the Dead remake, Shaun of the Dead is an intentionally funny zombie movie. Warning: May contain British humour.
• Halloween - Capital Tassels and Tease: The Halloween Edition - Washington, DC - 8:30 PM
• For $10, Capital Tassels & Tease offers “tricks, treats, candy pumpkins, boobs, costumes, and all kinds of fun stuff.” Awesome.

Friday

• Halloween - The Belly Horror Show - Alexandria, VA - 6:00 PM
• Along the same vein, Belly Horror is performing at the Birchmere. I don’t usually think “belly dancing” when I envision Halloween events, but Belladonna has made it work. If haunted houses aren’t your thing, give this halloween-themed event a shot.

Saturday

• Comedy - Lewis Black - Baltimore, MD - 8:00 PM
• This man loves rage the way I love bacon. If you can’t make the show in Baltimore on Saturday, he’s also performing in Silver Spring on Sunday.
• Halloween - Silver Spring Zombie Walk - Silver Spring, MD - 8:45 PM
• Dress as a zombie, stumble around for less than a mile, then enjoy zombie hangouts. Note: The organizers ask that participating zombies avoid banging on windows as there were “minor incidents” last year. After the walk, the AFI Silver Theater is showing Dead Snow at 9:45 PM and Shaun of the Dead at midnight for a zombie-filled double feature.
• General - Northern Virginia BrewFest - Centreville, VA - 11:00 AM
• Bull Run Regional Park hosts the NoVA Brewfest this weekend from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM both Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are available on their site. They also have listed vendors and exhibitors.
• Halloween - Run For Your Lives: The Zombie 5K - Darlington, MD - 9:00 AM (Although it looks like runners go in waves, so check your registration)
• The price is pretty steep ($77 to run and $32 to watch) but worth it if you’re looking for a more action-packed hardcore zombie run. To be eligible for prizes, you must complete all obstacles and avoid being eaten by zombies. “There will be a start line, and a finish line, but what happens in between is up to you. There are multiple routes to reach the finish. Choose wisely, or your 5k might turn into a 10k.”

Zombies in Memphis (via Lindsey Turner)

Sunday

• Holiday - Mole Day - Everywhere!
• I’d have gone with Avogadro Day, but moles are cuter. Observed annually on October 23 at 6:02, Mole Day is the time to celebrate that magical and under-appreciated number, 6.022 x 10^23.

An exciting week! Get to it! Other weekly reoccurring events are listed on our website (such as Rocky, CCG tournaments, crazy themed happy hours). For more information, check out the calendars at DC Geeks.