My Wife Called Me a GeekNerd

I admit it freely; I am a geek, I am a nerd.

Star Trek, Star Wars and StarGate.  Doctor Who, Transformers, and Buffy.  You name it I've watched it and probably loved it.  There is something about the entirely improbable that compels me, from aliens to vampires, from time travel to big giant robots, and everything in between.  These elements are part of my staple TV diet and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Similarly, my love of books reflects this.  My bookcase is dominated by authors such as Raymond E. Feist, Terry Brooks, George RR Martin and of course Tolkien.  Worlds that don't exist, Midkemia, MiddleEarth and Westeros, are as real to me as this one. Imagination is a wonderful and beautiful thing, and kids (and big kids!) have been enjoying theirs for ever.

Fantasy, Sci-Fi, geekdom and nerdism, this is what I am.

I am proud of this, but I wasn't always.

It is never easy to be the butt of jokes, but it is something you can get used to.  You develop a thick skin, an outer veneer of protection.  But it is not completely impenetrable, nothing really is when you're a kid in a big world.  You start to believe the jibes, that you are somehow less important than those taunting you.  I took solace in the crew of the USS Enterprise, in the fact that the TARDIS could go anywhere it liked, anytime it liked.  I still do, but now I just enjoy the shows, then I needed them.

So when my wife called me a 'geeknerd' I blinked only at the two terms being thrust together like some kind of alien-predator hybrid.  It was a term of endearment, and only slightly motivated by the fact that she believes me to still be a child:-)

Like all things, it will take time to catch on, to become a term we can all be comfortable with.  Like Arsenal fans taking the (initially) derogatory term 'Gooner' to their hearts, being called a geek at one time would have brought a vehement denial, but not now.  Likewise nerd was not a term I would have loved, now though I embrace it.

I have accepted being a geeknerd, and will wear the term like a badge of honour.  It doesn't matter in what way your imagination flourishes, in what worlds you take comfort, or in what terms you are seen by others.  Be comfortable in yourself and those around will be comfortable in your company.

I am proud to be a geek, and i am proud to be a nerd.
I am a geeknerd.