In The Garage

Happy Geek Pride Day, everyone.

This might just become my favourite event of the year. Because when it comes down to it, there are few things in life that I love more than being an honest to goodness unapologetic incurable geek.

I’m pretty sure I’ve always been a geek. Some of my earliest memories are of playing at Superman (pyjama top around my neck, fastened by one button. Instant cape.) or Captain Planet (learning the names of the voice actors at 5 or 6 years old. LeVarr Burton was Kwamme.) I remember when I heard they were killing Superman in the comics. I remember the first comic I ever owned personally, that wasn’t a hand down from my brothers.

That issue had it all. A criminal from the future, Tiko, escapes from the Challenger’s time-cube with five rings that each grant an elemental power (back to Captain Planet…), and lands in 1994 Metropolis. He gets beaten up by some street punks who take four of the rings and become giant elemental monsters. Cue theme tune. Superman and the Challengers of the Unknown Vs Elemental monsters and a crazy future criminal. I was 8 and it was brilliant.

I was about to apologise for the above paragraph, for being so distracted by old Superman comics that I forgot the subject I was talking about, but that’s the beauty of geekery in a nutshell. You can get lost in it, excited by it. What starts as a throwaway comment becomes a love note to your best memories and favourite moments.

The best thing about being a geek? I’m not alone. Our numbers are legion. And I’m not just talking about the friends I’ve made by being a geek – although meeting Matt is reason enough to love my affable affliction, not to mention the acres of common ground that Pickwick and I stomp around on – but I mean everyone else. The chances are, most of you reading this are a geek about something or other (every news site having an article on Lost makes me grin). Hand-made things, perhaps. Like my best mates, you could be less of a sci-fi fan and more of a music buff or computer games fan. Figure skating, maybe?  The majority of guys out there will have a surprisingly large number of football or sports related statistics committed to memory – I’m looking at you, Andrew.

It’s about passion, people. It’s about an interest in something beyond your front door and everyday. Because the best thing about our interests is that they as much as we say about them, to anyone and everyone who’ll listen, they say more about us. So do me a favour, if you’re reading this. Post in the comments everything you think you’re a geek about. Something tells me that we could have a very long list of varied, fascinating and brilliant stuff, from some varied, fascinating and brilliant people.

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