“Being a geek is all about being honest about what you enjoy and not being afraid to demonstrate that affection. It means never having to play it cool about how much you like something. It’s basically a license to proudly emote on a somewhat childish level rather than behave like a supposed adult. Being a geek is extremely liberating.” – Simon Pegg
That is one of my favorite quotes about being a geek, but for me, I am torn sometimes between what I am really passionate about. I divide my passions into a couple categories: Comics, MINI Coopers, Geocaching, and now a little Lego. Aside from that there’s some dabbling in Doctor Who, Star Trek, (old school) Star Wars, Technology, Animation, Gaming, and well, you get the idea. So while a Sports Geek may only have to deal with this competition during those brief times when various seasons overlap, I tend to have to deal with it all the time.
Am I a full-fledged Geek when it comes to my passions? Not really, as I have traveled and met other geeks there are times when I feel unworthy to call myself a geek. Ask me in general about Doctor Who- I’m covered. Ask me specifics about a certain episode from the time of the 4th Doctor (the one with the scarf) Heck, pick a Doctor… I know people who know it, I’m just not one of them. Ask me about a specific comic book series, I probably can answer it, ask me about who the writer or artist was… maybe. In general I’m pretty good with Geocaching rules, but there are people out ther much more knowledgable than me, fortunately I live with someone I can consult with, and it’s not Cecil. I try to know my limitations… Compared to a “normal” person? Yes, I have more knowledge and am passionate about some pretty strange stuff, but I know people who make me look normal. No matter what, I seem to be the goto guy among many of my friends when it comes to all of these topics- Sometimes I feel like I need to study before going out with certain groups. I do love going to comic book conventions, I feel as if I belong, I’m with “My People” but there is always a part of me that thinks someone will point and scream “Fraud!” since I don’t have the exact encyclopedic knowledge as others. Going back to sports, years ago my parents gave me for my birthday a Brooklyn Dodgers jacket. I liked it cause it was retro, and my grandfather grew up on Brooklyn. Stupidly I wore it to a baseball game one day- It seemed like everyone asked me about important Dodgers games- I was lost. That jacket now has a special place in my closet, I rarely take it out, because I’m not a baseball geek. I still think it’s cool, and one of these days I might just wear it again, but for now…
This quandary about my divided loyalties tends to come up more in the Summer when I have a little more idle time on my hands and try to figure out what I should do with it. Yes, I know, “pet the cat” is always an acceptable answer and Hemi appreciates that you have not forgotten him. Do I detail Alfie and Tink? Do I draw a comic? Do I read a comic? Do I finish sorting my Lego bricks and start building a MOC (Legospeak for My Own Creation)? Do I go and find a cache to continue my streak (the streak as of today stands at two days in a row)? Do I place a cache? Do I prepare for my presentation about iPads? Do I work on stuff for school? Do I finally look at some games that I have never opened? Do I just draw something, anything? Do I clean around the house? Do I pet the cat? Do I work on a blog entry about the issues of being a geek with too many passions? I know I’m not alone in this crisis, but focus can sometimes be a little – Look! A squirrel!
Why do I bring this up? I’m working on a variety of little projects right now, one of those being a long My Geek Odyssey adventure story… and I’m stuck on where to start. I have ideas- too many ideas to rationally deal with, which is why the comic, even with it being summer, is coming out sporadically. I’m trying to figure out when do I start it, knowing once it’s started I’m going to need to work hard and more importantly, consistently on it to finish it. I’ve decided to try some different things out and start posting other bits and bobs as I get this literal monkey off my back. Some posts will cover other areas of my geekiness. For example: I’m driving a MINI Cooper on a track on Sunday as part of a performance driving school. I appreciate your patience as I tackle something which has morphed into my creativity challenge of the year, I hope you like the end result… I hope I like the end result.