Today, I’m proud of being a geek.
I tend to be kind of a random person, but there’s actually a backstory to this post. Speak Out With Your Geek Out is a week long showing of pride for all the geeks, nerds, gamers, etc. out there. It was in response to an article that put down the premise of geekery and one geek in particular, but it’s also a shout out from geeks all over the world to express why we’re proud to be part of this group.
I’ve been a geek all my life. I started reading at an early age and have a compulsion to have 5 or 6 books with me if I’m going on a trip to make sure I don’t run out of reading material (the e-reader has been the best thing ever since I no longer have to carry actual books with me). I also started writing when I was young, and throughout grade school I was the “smart girl.”
I took a little time away from my geeky roots during high school and college. Even though I still read and wrote, I gave up good grades for a social life. Was it the right thing to do? Maybe, maybe not. That’s probably a topic for another time. After that phase, I settled down and got into knitting. Knitting itself might not be considered nerdy, but I’ve known quite a few people who’ve lumped it together with general geekery. I also started online role playing, where I met my husband. He was the one that brought me into full blown nerdism.
Besides the above mentioned activities, over the past few years I’ve upped my geek cred in the following ways:
1. Started playing Dungeons and Dragons and eventually ran my own game. This led to collecting dice, getting excited over mini figs, and getting emotional over a Bag of Holding from ThinkGeek.com.
2. Played other tabletop RPGs, like Scion, Gamma World, and some other systems that I dabbled in.
3. Got back into videogames after a long hiatus after the days of the original Tetris and Super Mario Bros. My current favorites are anything from the horror genre, the Fable games, and Lego games. I’m not a first person shooter type of person, but if I can explore and break stuff, I’m diggin’ it.
4. Went to GenCon twice and loved it!
5. Started playing a bit of Magic: The Gathering with Felberoni. I usually lose, and I’m not ready to join up with any drafts, but it’s fun when we play at home.
6. Have “fan-girled” out on Doctor Who, The Guild, Firefly, and Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog.
7. Whenever I watch or listen to the soundtrack to Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog, I totally sing along.
Some would argue that enjoying some of these things wouldn’t necessarily make one a “geek,” but I think the combination is enough to qualify. Some might even make it sound like a bad thing, but I embrace my geekiness with pride. It’s fun! I’ve met some great people through these interests and I’ve had a lot of good experiences. I see no shame in waving the geek flag proudly.
Being a geek isn’t for everyone, but if I’m going to subscribe to a label, I’ll proudly wear this one.
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The Romance Factor 