I met Dan Aykroyd on Saturday

This is cool for many reasons.

1. It’s Dan Aykroyd
2. Ghostbusters 3 is really starting to make headway
3. My friend and fellow nerd, Hayden, is probably the biggest Ghostbusters geek in California, if not the country
4. Ghostbusters 3 is really starting to make headway
5. There’s a chance he’s going to put Hayden to work
6. His vodka, Crystal Head, is based on the Legend of the 13 Crystal Skulls (which, sadly, George Lucas managed to make ridiculous in Indy 4)
7. Ghostbusters 3 is really starting to make headway

First off, let me just say that Dan was super nice (that’s right, we’re on a first name basis now).  Hayden and I hiked over to Costco (!!!) to meet him and get some stuff signed (he was there to sign bottles of the vodka).  He really dug Hayden’s kickass custom made GB hockey jersey (he’s Canadian, it would be illegal for him to NOT like hockey) and Hayden just about passed out when Dan asked him for his business card.  We were the only people he stood up to take a picture with.  Probably because we were the only ones who didn’t try to kiss him on the lips (!!!)  I almost wore Hayden’s GB uniform (complete with a utility belt featuring blinking lights) but, alas, it was just too big to be comfortable so I opted for a t-shirt in Slimer green.  I would not have been the lone person in uniform (there were many); however, I would have been the only girl which would have almost been worth it.

One of the perks of meeting famous people at Costco is the type of people you end up in line with.  The family in front of us were there shopping, oblivious to the fact that Dan would be there and the husband just happened to wear his GB shirt that day.  He was both excited to get it signed and bummed because he wouldn’t be able to wash or wear it again (although I’m skeptical about the last time it had been washed anyway).  The child, a boy around 3 or 4 years old was so excited to be The Incredible Hulk for Halloween that he told us about it.  Repeatedly.  As in, every 30 seconds or so.  Which would have been great if he had actually known anything about The Incredible Hulk.  But he didn’t.  Hayden and I taught much to this young padawan.  He was also very fond of death-defying shopping cart stunts and pulling electronics off of shelves.  I kept about 5 feet behind him at one point for fear I would end up with pink lemonade all over me.

Oh Dan, you couldn’t have done this at Whole Foods or something? BevMo would have been good!

You may have seen Bill Murray decked out in GB gear at the 2010 Scream Awards.  He was the last piece in a puzzle that Aykroyd has been working on for over 20 years.  When asked, Dan brightened up and was visibly excited about the GB3 wheels being set into motion.  It is his baby after all.  Supposedly the script is written and the 2^nd draft of it is being worked on which means that the soonest it will be released is sometime in 2012.  It will be interesting to see how they incorporate the advances in special effects and whether or not Hi-C will bring back Slimer Juice (aka Ecto-Cooler), which was quite possibly my favorite beverage as a kid.

$40 and change later I went home with a glass skull full of mediocre liquor and Dan Aykroyd’s signature plastered across the forehead.  I haven’t decided if I’ll crack it open or if it will make friends with the not-to-be-opened-for-fear-of-death-and-dismemberment Romulan Ale and Klingon Blood Wine.  I guess it depends on how long my bottle of Grey Goose lasts.  But if and when I do open it, I will certainly say a toast for Dan and his contribution to nerdom.