Lunar Codex Party Planning is Hard

I read the latest Lunar Codex posting concerning the Polaris launch. It said, “The Polaris launch is scheduled with Griffin for November 2024, with a possible delay to February 2025. Schedule changes in the space industry are not uncommon – space is hard.”

Well, you know what else is hard? Party planning.

Party planning without knowing when Polaris is going to launch or the lander is going to touch the surface, that’s tough. How are we going to book a venue? How are we going to draw in a crowd?

Well, anyway the South Florida Writers Association created this game plan.

I know what you’re thinking, “What’s he bellyaching about? In the words of Tonto, “Kemosabe, party many moons away.” Ya Tonto, it’s only May and we’ve got until February to pull this party off.

But SFWA members are moonstruck, obsessive-compulsive Earthlings. Like the Boy Scouts, our motto is “Be Prepared.”

So here’s our agenda: We sing “Fly Me To The Moon” or “Got A One-Way Ticket to the Moon” or “Blue Moon.”

Members read poems or short stories or recite their favorite Moon quotes. Here’s mine, “Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the Moon.” —Paul Brandt.

Salt and Pepper Shakers, shaped like the Moon, the Earth, a rocket ship and an alien are awarded as prizes for best costumes, or best moon-themed poetry or best lunar short story or best quote about the Moon;

Menu includes crescent rolls and moon cheese

A Moon-shaped cake with craters and a plastic satellite and an alien resting on its surface and the words, “Congrats Howard Camner, all SFWA poets that made it to the moon and the Lunar Codex” written in black on the white frosting.

Paper cups filled with Moon juice (ingredients remain a top secret) are raised for a hearty toast to Howard and the Lunar Codex.

If our venue sells alcohol beverages, our assortment of drinks ranges from moonshine to Blue Moon beer to blue moon martinis to amber moon and to angry moon. Who knew that so many drinks have moon in their names?

So you can see, we have one-hell-of-a-party planned. But don’t forget, schedule changes in the party-planning business are not uncommon—therefore, party planning is hard.

Mort Laitner— Cooper City, Broward County, Florida