Tragic Confessions.....
I have a secret. A dark little thing that dwells just underneath the surface. It's there during every conversation, hovering over every interaction I have with other people like a storm cloud just waiting to burst. It's a cancer that has grown inside me and I feel it's time I shared this with the world. I am one hell of a geek. And before the more affluent amoung you start leaping to conclusions, I don't mean I'm a geek in the old fashioned people-who-strangled-chickens-at-carnivales kind of way. I mean I'm a geek in that reads sci-fi/fantasy, plays video games, collects comic books kind of way. And I really like those three things. You want to know what the best part of my week is? It's every wednesday when I get to go into the comic shop and put down sometimes as much as 15 dollars for new comics. I stand there and chat with the clerks about various comic authors and artists knowing that for just a few minutes I am surrounded by peers who will engage in scintilating conversation with me about said subjects without getting a bored, glazed look in their eyes. I'll then take my purchases in hand, making sure that the covers face towards one another, and begin to walk the 4 blocks home. If I run I can make in in two and a half minutes. As soon as I enter my house I cast off my coat and satchel and proceed to spend the next fifteen minutes to an hour sitting in the corner of my room against a pillow, reading my purchases cover to cover. Sometimes they're not even that good. Sometimes they're amazing. Sometimes I will read them two or three times a piece. But it's wonderful for me. No matter how good or bad the comic is, that little ritual makes me feel so incredibly good about everything in my life. And that is one of the many reasons I say I am a geek. I mean there are truckloads of other things that would probably qualify me for such an illustrious social label. Like how if I trip and fall on my face I still think of it as rolling a critical failure for my agility saving throw. That is not normal. And I didn't even role play that much as a kid. What bothers me though are how few people I meet that share these particular passions. My friend Julia brought one of her friends home with her over Thanksgiving break. As it turns out this man shares the same passion for these things that I do. We talked for an hour about fantasy books and comics. It was one of the most enjoyable conversations I've had in the past year. Why are people like this so rare? Comics and video games and Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels are all incredibly popular industries with thousands upon thousands of of fans. The video game industry has surpassed the film industry in terms of overall money made. Every time a big name author comes out with a Fantasy book it's on the New York Times best seller list. So where are all the geeks of our world? Why can't I find anyone to discuss comics with? Why are people always to timid to talk about video games in public? Why man, why? Anyway, that's it for me. I'm off to reread one of today's better comics, read the next chapter in Perdido Street Station (one of the fantasy genre's better offerings) and go to bed.
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