This past Saturday I made my best efforts to get up early, but failed, made the best breakfast ever, did my best to clean the house, and quietly packed my Darth Vader backpack (the best gift I ever bought myself) for a trip, with my siblings, to attend the best concert San Francisco has to offer the Bay Area; KFog's KABOOM on the Bay. This once a year concert extravaganza is best known for its fireworks show at the end of the concert, set to various pop/rock music. Nonetheless, this year's fireworks show started off with a close encounter of the best kind in a galaxy not so far away.

How to best describe the close encounters of the best kind I've been experiencing lately is hard to do, but I will try my best. I guess I could sum up my close encounters of the best kind, in this world we call Star Wars, as denial. I've been doing my best to ignore all the dork symptoms and signs that have been plaguing me for the past eight months. What got the best of me, or the proverbial straw that finally broke the camels back, happened at the KABOOM concert this past Saturday.

I'm proud to say, after viewing the best firework show this side of the West coast, I've defeated my inner geek demons and am at one with the dork side of Star Wars. I must admit, though, that I've had a helping hand by my best friend, Hansgirl, in making this transition. Using her best persuasive techniques on me, and a few "Get over it. You are a GEEK", has helped push me over the edge in accepting my inner dorkness.

With that being said, I guess the best approach to take on said subject matter is really just to share with you, gentle readers, my Star Wars close encounters of the best kind that has recently touched my life, in more ways than one:

~Somewhere, in a city not so far away, at a grocery store called Trader Joe's, the BEST grocery store to shop at, I was doing my best to mind my own business and shop for food when all of a sudden the Star Wars 'techno style' theme song started blasting throughout the store intercom speakers. Feeling that I had nothing better to do, besides shopping for food, I decided to let the best take over me and break out in dance. It turned out to be the best decision because not many Bothans were shopping that day to witness my feeble attempt at busting a move as disco Star Wars Queen.

~A couple of weeks ago, I'm sitting in the best movie theater, next to my mom who is the best, waiting for Spiderman III to start. By the way, it is the BEST Spidey movie to date. Go see it if you haven't seen it yet, it's really the best, I swear on my pretty flower bonnet. Anyway, a group of boys between the ages of eight and ten decide to take residence in the best seats available, which happen to be located next to me. At first, I use my best efforts to ignore them, praying to Yoda that they stay on their best behavior throughout the movie. As I try to stay calm and do my best at restraining my snarky side, the Star Wars theme song started to blast throughout the theater. At the moment in time, as though the Force itself tried it's best to jump out of me; the loudest, high pitch SQUEE released itself from my inner core. I did my best to regain myself, but I had already scared the crap out of the little boy sitting next to me.

Using my best wit to change the subject, I quickly turned to the little boy and said, "Do you like Star Wars?" The little boy answered back by saying, "Yes, I do. I just did a Star Wars movie marathon at home."

After that, we had the best Star Wars conversation until I opened my fat mouth and told him he was sitting next to the biggest geek living in the Bay Area. He did his best to remain calm, agreed with me and than proceeded to move to another seat.

~The Force runs strong in my family which is the best asset my family has to offer these days. My niece has been attending the best art school in San Francisco. She is trying her best to learn as much as she can at the Academy of Art University.

The Academy is best known for graduates going on to successful careers with the best companies such as: LucasArts, Industrial Light + Magic, Dreamworks SKG, Silicon Graphics, Adobe Systems, Sega America, Apple Computer, LucasFilm, Red Sky Films, Battle Botts/Comedy Central, Game Pro, Young & Rubicam, Louis Vuitton, Nike, Burberry, Van Heusen and BCBG too name a few. So far, my niece has done her best by achieving a straight "A" grade point average. I hope she makes the best choice and follows her Aunt's advice and works for Lucasfilms.

~Let's go back to the best part of this blog and that close encounter of the best kind that I seem to experience at every corner of my world. You know the saying "the best is yet to come" and the fireworks show was no exception to this statement. As the lights dimmed, the crowd started to roar, the best song, with brass horns blasting throughout the speakers at full throttle, broke the silence in the air. Take your best guess as to what song they opened up the show with? You guessed it, the best song ever, the Star Wars theme song. I was so excited that I almost started to cry, but I did my best to contain my SQUEE factor all the while being poked in the side by my brother, who screamed in my ear at the top of his lungs "They're playing Star Wars, sister. They're playing Star Wars." It was at that point in time that I finally caved into geekdom and became one with the best part of me, my inner dorkness. I, Mina, am a Force to reckon with, best not to mess with me.

Anyhoot, below are some of the best pictures, ever taken, of the KABOOM concert. Thanks for using your best efforts and sticking around to read the best blog I've written in a very long time.

Me and sister.

Me, my niece (left) and her friend.

My brother and his girlfriend.

One huge KFog party. ROCK ON.

The sun shines on the Bay.

Star Wars KABOOM, in its full shiny glory.

Next stop on this Star Wars journey of mine? CIV OR BUST.