Thursday, August 6, 2009

Proof That Nerds Can Find Love, Too

I’m a gamer. Did I ever mention that? Growing up, my whole family was into Nintendo when it came out. Mario Brothers, Tetris... the good ole days. My brother and I liked it, but I think I may have outgrown it or lost interest if it hadn’t been for my mother – who was not only killer at video games, but also enjoyed it as much as we did.


She beat those games long before myself or my brother had the hand-eye coordination (or the patience) to do it. As a teenager, my brother had an xbox and I would play it in his room when he wasn’t using it. I’m still fairly certain that I played it for many more hours than he did.

So when Scott and I began dating, it had been awhile since I had played any games. When he learned that I used to play, he was eager for me to start again. (A gamer girl is any nerd’s dream girl, after all.)

I warned him that we only had the one console and that once invested in a game that I like, it’s difficult to pry me away. He insisted that he didn’t mind. Skip ahead three years (one engagement, one wedding, one baby conception later) and I’ve added a considerable list to my repertoire of games that I’ve beaten. Some more than once. They’re that good. I won’t list them here, since the impressive titles will likely fall on deaf ears, and I’ll be sad face.


I also enjoy comic books – or graphic novels, whichever you prefer to call them. My favorite is the Astonishing X-Men series (but only the ones that Joss Whedon wrote/collaborated on – without his writing genius, the story line is pale in comparison. It’s like drinking Boone’s Farm after you’ve become accustomed to fine merlot.)

The coup de grace? We play Dungeon’s and Dragons. Judge not, fair-minded friends, judge not.

The only exposure I had had to D&D was the creepy kid who sat next to me in Journalism class in high school. He had hair longer than mine, was whiter than most vampires I know (heh), and wore huge, spikey, metal rings on his fingers that looked too painful to wear. He was the only person I had ever known who had played D&D. So when Scott told me that he and his brother (and sister!) played it all the time, I got a wee bit frightened. But they turned me around. May have been a “Suggestion” spell, now that I think of it.

As someone who loves to create characters and give them fabulous back stories, Scott was surprised that I wasn’t already familiar with the game. As someone who adores medieval literature and history, I’m a prime candidate for this rpg (role-playing game). In case I haven’t already lost you, let me say thanks for not X-ing out of my blog faster than you can say “I roll 20’s.”

Let me list for you the things that we do NOT, under any circumstances, do while playing this game:

**We DO NOT dress up as our characters. No capes, no weird hats. No goth garb. Regular clothing only. Those folks are freakin' weird.


**We DO NOT talk in olde english, middle english or anything other than normal, human style, American English. We cannot be held responsible for copious Family Guy and Chappelle Show quotes. They’re a D&D staple.

**We DO NOT talk to each other as if we are our characters. Yes, this is a part of “role playing” but it’s kinda weird, and we don’t roll that way. Pun definitely intended. Mwah ha.

So now that you already know a vast extent of my nerddom, add to it the fact that I LOVE Star Wars, and have read about 15 books which go into further detail of what happened after the end of Return of the Jedi. Yessir.

Aaaaaand since we love Joss Whedon’s writing so so much, we’re clearly huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly fans. *Deep breath* Whew!! That’s a whole lotta nerdiness for you guys to absorb in one sitting. Can you handle it? Or has your brain gone all mushy?

Are you prepared to see the onesies that I found on Cafe Press that serve to prove that our child, regardless of sex, really has ZERO chance of not being a nerd? Sorry, little one! (But only slighty... o-only slightly.)

Exhibit A: Future Browncoat - When you can't run, you crawl... And when you can't crawl, you find someone to carry you.


Exhibit B:


Exhibit C: Recognize the reference to Star Wars: A New Hope?


Exhibits D, E, and F:







We're perfect proof that nerds can find love. And procreate. For better or for worse. You decide. ;)

3 comments:

  1. Bwa ha ha...This isn't your baby, move along!!!??? OMG, that is priceless. This post cracked me up. I love Star Wars, my nickname in college used to be Chewy. I think I'm a nerd too, although I'm not into comics and don't "game" like you...although I do have fond memories of King's Quest:) I love to read sci-fi fantasy novels, does that count?

    Thanks for your super nice comments about my invites:)

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  2. As the wife of a nerd, I really appreciated this.

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  3. I hope this also holds true for the nerds who read and discuss LOTR characters like they're real? (Please please say yes even if you don't know the answer :)

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