During my daily traversing of the web's more interesting corners, I usually stop off at Wil Wheaton's blog (usually at wilwheaton.net, but due to technical difficulties not currently.) Yesterday he had a great blog about Why He Loves SciFi.
This got me thinking about why I'm such a Geek. Not just any type of geek... I'm a SciFi Geek, a Comic Book Geek, and a Computer Geek.
Before I go further, maybe I should define "Geek" in my universe. When I was teaching, I used to have people call me the Computer Nerd... My response? "I am not a Nerd. Nerds have pocket protectors and tape on their glasses and unless you are in a movie, they never get the girl. I am a Computer Geek. Geeks look like normal people and usually act like normal people, they just know WAY TOO MUCH about a certain topic... And I got the girl!"
I am a Geek though, and through no fault of their own...Its my Parent's fault. It really is... You see, they used to let their impressionable 3-year-old, in 1971, watch Star Trek re-runs on Channel 27 (back when they were the ABC affiliate) at 6:00pm while they fixed supper. My mother also sat with me watching the later Apollo missions blast off to the Moon. My dad used to sit with me on Saturday mornings and watch cartoons on our black and white television (remember the ones without remotes?) They let me pick up wildly adventurous comic books from the rack at IGA which I devoured over and over again not knowing that later, those John Byrne comics would come back to haunt me. I also had a great aunt that lived in Kansas City that kept for me the KC Star and LIFE magazine issues that covered the first Apollo missions. When those were handed over to me in 1977, I was in trouble, but what was the final nail in the Geek Coffin? My parents took me to see Star Wars at the Plaza Theatre in the winter of 1977. Yes I will admit that coming home from school and watching Battlestar Galactic repeats on Channel 33 (before they were the ABC affiliate) probably was my own fault, but I'm enjoying blaming this all on other people.
Now, I tried my best to escape this horrible up-bringing. I joined the All Youth Rodeo Association and Team Roped. I joined the Tri-State Horse club and earned so many trophies and awards, they lined my bedroom until I went to college. I went to college and tried my best to...well..."drown" the Geek I had still left in me from High School (I was in Math & Science Clubs). All to eventually no avail. I even went so far as to start reading GQ.. Everyone read GQ that went to college didn't they? Well to tell you the truth... GQ was my end.
You see, GQ ran an article in August of 1986 (yes, I remember the month) about a little revamp of a comic book icon... Superman. And just who would be responsible for this revamp??? None other than John Byrne (see above if you don't get the connection). I was fascinated that such a "hip" magazine would bother to cover this so I went to Waldenbooks at the Battlefield Mall and picked up the first issue of the mini-series. It very well might have ended there except for the fact that a roommate of mine in Blair-Shannon saw that I was reading it. He said that he was a collector and wanted to know if I wanted to tag along to the local comic book store. I was sunk... Who would have though it... A whole store just for Comics... and I was HOOKED! Its terrible to say but I became an addict. At one time I was spending upwards of $20-$25 per week on these things that sent me to the far reaches of the universe, to the fantastic center of the earth and even more interesting, into the Dream world of Sandman. Over 5000 comics and 9 years later I eventually had to give up the habit cold turkey! My first child was on the way and it was either diapers or comics... diapers won.
But... in the years of collecting something else reared its ugly head. That SciFi skeleton hiding in my closet. He came out about 2 years after Star Trek: The Next Generation started. I began watching and I was hooked again and I even got my wife watching with me. From there came Babylon 5, Space:Above and Beyond, Farscape, Stargate SG1 (the only reason we had Showtime), all other Star Trek series, the discovery of a channel dedicated to my Geekiness, Battlestar Galactica, and my current addiction LOST. SciFi... I love almost all of it. MST3K (google it if you don't know what it is) even made me like the bad SciFi out there.
Star Wars, Star Trek: The Movie(s), Alien... LOVE IT! You can take your sappy "Chick-Flick" movies and I would choose a Science Fiction flick over them anyday.
*******************Ahem********************
Sorry about the raving... Got a little carried away back there. I really didn't intend this to go on and on and on... but the original article from Wil was just the catalyst I needed to get ranting. There is actually so much more to my Geekdom than what is listed here it only comes to no surprise to those who actually know me.
So here I am. Geek through and through... And proud of it! Oh and the Computer Geek label? That happened because I was the only teacher who knew how to, at first, operate the new PS2's we got that year, and later the only one who knew how to operate a Network. I know what I know because I had to learn it.... And I wouldn't trade that experience for anything.
Are you a geek too? Share your experiences in the talkback or link to your blog or website so that other can share in your pleasure.
Talk at you later..... Bryan.
This got me thinking about why I'm such a Geek. Not just any type of geek... I'm a SciFi Geek, a Comic Book Geek, and a Computer Geek.
Before I go further, maybe I should define "Geek" in my universe. When I was teaching, I used to have people call me the Computer Nerd... My response? "I am not a Nerd. Nerds have pocket protectors and tape on their glasses and unless you are in a movie, they never get the girl. I am a Computer Geek. Geeks look like normal people and usually act like normal people, they just know WAY TOO MUCH about a certain topic... And I got the girl!"
I am a Geek though, and through no fault of their own...Its my Parent's fault. It really is... You see, they used to let their impressionable 3-year-old, in 1971, watch Star Trek re-runs on Channel 27 (back when they were the ABC affiliate) at 6:00pm while they fixed supper. My mother also sat with me watching the later Apollo missions blast off to the Moon. My dad used to sit with me on Saturday mornings and watch cartoons on our black and white television (remember the ones without remotes?) They let me pick up wildly adventurous comic books from the rack at IGA which I devoured over and over again not knowing that later, those John Byrne comics would come back to haunt me. I also had a great aunt that lived in Kansas City that kept for me the KC Star and LIFE magazine issues that covered the first Apollo missions. When those were handed over to me in 1977, I was in trouble, but what was the final nail in the Geek Coffin? My parents took me to see Star Wars at the Plaza Theatre in the winter of 1977. Yes I will admit that coming home from school and watching Battlestar Galactic repeats on Channel 33 (before they were the ABC affiliate) probably was my own fault, but I'm enjoying blaming this all on other people.
Now, I tried my best to escape this horrible up-bringing. I joined the All Youth Rodeo Association and Team Roped. I joined the Tri-State Horse club and earned so many trophies and awards, they lined my bedroom until I went to college. I went to college and tried my best to...well..."drown" the Geek I had still left in me from High School (I was in Math & Science Clubs). All to eventually no avail. I even went so far as to start reading GQ.. Everyone read GQ that went to college didn't they? Well to tell you the truth... GQ was my end.
You see, GQ ran an article in August of 1986 (yes, I remember the month) about a little revamp of a comic book icon... Superman. And just who would be responsible for this revamp??? None other than John Byrne (see above if you don't get the connection). I was fascinated that such a "hip" magazine would bother to cover this so I went to Waldenbooks at the Battlefield Mall and picked up the first issue of the mini-series. It very well might have ended there except for the fact that a roommate of mine in Blair-Shannon saw that I was reading it. He said that he was a collector and wanted to know if I wanted to tag along to the local comic book store. I was sunk... Who would have though it... A whole store just for Comics... and I was HOOKED! Its terrible to say but I became an addict. At one time I was spending upwards of $20-$25 per week on these things that sent me to the far reaches of the universe, to the fantastic center of the earth and even more interesting, into the Dream world of Sandman. Over 5000 comics and 9 years later I eventually had to give up the habit cold turkey! My first child was on the way and it was either diapers or comics... diapers won.
But... in the years of collecting something else reared its ugly head. That SciFi skeleton hiding in my closet. He came out about 2 years after Star Trek: The Next Generation started. I began watching and I was hooked again and I even got my wife watching with me. From there came Babylon 5, Space:Above and Beyond, Farscape, Stargate SG1 (the only reason we had Showtime), all other Star Trek series, the discovery of a channel dedicated to my Geekiness, Battlestar Galactica, and my current addiction LOST. SciFi... I love almost all of it. MST3K (google it if you don't know what it is) even made me like the bad SciFi out there.
Star Wars, Star Trek: The Movie(s), Alien... LOVE IT! You can take your sappy "Chick-Flick" movies and I would choose a Science Fiction flick over them anyday.
Sorry about the raving... Got a little carried away back there. I really didn't intend this to go on and on and on... but the original article from Wil was just the catalyst I needed to get ranting. There is actually so much more to my Geekdom than what is listed here it only comes to no surprise to those who actually know me.
So here I am. Geek through and through... And proud of it! Oh and the Computer Geek label? That happened because I was the only teacher who knew how to, at first, operate the new PS2's we got that year, and later the only one who knew how to operate a Network. I know what I know because I had to learn it.... And I wouldn't trade that experience for anything.
Are you a geek too? Share your experiences in the talkback or link to your blog or website so that other can share in your pleasure.
Talk at you later..... Bryan.
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