This Week in Geek: Acrobats, Pegasi, and Spies

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

Cirque Ziva being unbelievable and very neon.
(promo image from SRO Artists, Inc.)

Thursday

• Trippy - Cirque Ziva - Bethesda, MD - 8:00PM
• Ok, so the category should be acrobatics or something to acknowledge the truly astounding feats that the cirque performers are accomplishing, but with the day glow and the contortion, I couldn't think of anything but "Woah, dude, that's trippy." It's being promoted by the Traditional Chinese Culture Institute International, add that to the glowing reviews, I recommend snapping up tickets quickly.
• Sneaky - Conversation with a Spy - Washington, DC - 6:00PM
• The Spy Museum occasionally has wonderful event ideas - like the chance to sit down, relax as best as you can, and knock back a martini with a former spy. It makes you wonder, do spies get sick of martinis? I mean, damn it, Bond, what if a girl wants a mint julep every once in a while? The event is listed as an "Educators Exclusive" but the website isn't clear on what that means, so make sure to check with registration before just showing up.

Friday

• Stories - Story League All Stars at Black Cat - Washington, DC - 9:00PM
• Anniversary show! Happy birthday to Story League as they turn two! The tournament winners are presenting all new stories. The even kicks off a monthly series of story league. And (as with the best birthdays) there are surprises! They sell-out all the time, so take advantage of my early warning and pick up tickets before it's too late. For those unfamiliar with story league, check out their page. Great entertainment and dedication to the craft of oral story telling.

Saturday

• Nerd - Nerd Nite - Washington, DC - 6:30PM
  Nerd Nite presents three speakers. This time the line up of discussion topics is:
1. How your body is full of bacteria.
   This reminds me of an old PVP comic where Francis can't stop thinking about how his food has to be covered with spit before he swallows - curse your lack of searchable archives, PVP! Clara will cure you of any desire to eat, talk, kiss, breathe, or really do anything with your mouth except swish around a mix of ethanol and kerosene.
2. Marine conservation and sharks and badass things.
   Wow, talk about the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon (it's ok, if you don't know about it, you'll see it everywhere soon) I was just linked to a Far Side about ichthyology yesterday! Everyone wants to save the cute fishes, but no one's out there looking out for the sharks. Until now. Todd is out there looking out for the machines of death. After all, we should remember to live every week, like it's shark week.
3. What the hell is up with whales?
   No seriously, whales are weird, and Nick is getting pretty tired of their shit. He's on to them, and by flensing knife or laser, he's going to get to the bottom of their whaley secrets. (eg. How did they evolve such large bones? How do they they swallow?) They told Nick he could be anything, so he became a curator at the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum - I wanted to throw that out there so you know he isn't some crazed guy out there carving up whale carcasses.

Man the harpoons! Thar full of evolutionary secrets!
(photo by Minette Layne)

Longer Term

• Convention - Madicon - Harrisonburg, VA - Friday through Sunday
• Another small valley con, but one that's near and dear to my heart (I mention pretty regularly that I helped run it for years). They have a great line up of guests - including the illustrious Jonah Knight, the troopers of the 501st, and some excellent authors. Mostly it's a great relaxicon with some gaming. For example, there's a LARP set in a victorian asylum run by Brannen, whose dulcet tones you may know from our podcast. Come hang out with us.
• Convention - Cloudsdale Congress - Alexandria, VA - Saturday and Sunday
• Bronies, rejoice! Nestled in Old Town Alexandria, there will be a My Little Pony convention this weekend. Cheap registration and a location so close you won't need a hotel makes this con well worth it for the chance to meet a few voice actors and make a few friends (even if you don't think the fate of Equestria depends on it).

Did we miss something? If you have an event you’d like to promote that isn’t on this list, leave a comment or email us. Other weekly recurring 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.