Embrace Your Inner "Geek"

"Stop talking about comic books, or I'll kill you..."

--OOKLA the Mok, 2003

I think everyone has a private little ‘geek” in him or her. The show Big bang Theory seems to make it all seem welcoming. Having been that weird little kid who knew every superhero genre toy or cartoon or movie or TV show that came out, I am no longer ashamed of my geekiness. My wife has that side to her as well. She is a fan of Star Trek (HAS TO BE THE ORIGINAL SERIES), Dr. Who, and Iron Man--although I will take blame/control for that latter selection.

My father was a fan of the original Captain Marvel (Shazam!)when he was a kid; and brother and I enjoy comics, GI JOES, Mark: Captain Action and me: Mego stuff. Dad bought all that cool stuff for us.

My sister collected Barbie and passed that down to her daughter. One of the reasons I did not have kids was I had a dream of passing on my comics and horror movie stuff (original Universal and Toho’s preferred) with my classic rock and metal CD’s and that dream would turn to a nightmare when my son would call me “trivial” or “quaint” and go off to take Mozart-inspired piano lessons and lead discussions on Algebraic equations.

What brought me to my point on geeks is when Jen and I went to the jewelry store to have our rings. The guy who cleaned them asked me if it was Ok and I said it would be a better ring if it had a Green Lantern in it. He asked me when the movie was coming out and then we discussed a wide range of subjects ranging from Green Hornet TV shows, Twilight Zones, the new GL film, Thor, and Star Trek.

I always am amazed when I meet with the parents of my students who hear about my references to rock music and sci-fi and comics and always ask me for more information as to where I get some of my stuff. I also love watching shows like Antique Road Show, American Pickers, and Pawn Stars and recognizing artifacts of pop culture. Must be why I am so good at trivia.

Jen's father encouraged her to marry a "geek." I am paraphrasing here, but what he told her was that "geeks are loyal and usually smart and will always have a job and make a financially secure living. Marry one, you could do much worse."

So I say embrace that geekiness in you. Find that moment of time where you can spend your moments simply enjoying something. I don’t care if it’s Batman, Gamara the flying Turtle, Conan Short Stories, Star Wars, Bela Lugosi, Kiss music, some obsession with some sport team or athlete, or something that takes you to your youth. Embrace and enjoy, because life can be frustrating without those moments.

Now if you’ll excuse me, time for lunch—cold pizza and Ice Tea. Should I use the Ghost Rider, Captain America, or the Avenger’s glass—or perhaps I should go with a DC one? So many choices, yet nice to know one can never go wrong.