Where My People At?

Well, OF COURSE I don’t ACTUALLY think you can pick out a geek or a nerd just by looking at them. Some guy once said geekery and nerding aren’t about what you love, but HOW you love it. So certainly there is no prerequisite that you wear your geek on the outside for all to see. Still, it’s comforting when I get on a plane headed to a comic convention to play and I see “my people” with me in the terminal. I normally only feel the calm of being surrounded by like minded people when I’m actually AT a convention. It’s nice to see them out in the wild.

Playing “spot the nerd” in an airplane terminal brings up an issue I find interesting. Just like there are mutants in the X-Men universe who can pass as human, and there are others with blue fur or parts of their bodies constantly on fire, I think there are degrees of “nerd mutation” with regard to outward appearance. Since my late 20’s, I think I’ve been one of the ones who “passes for human.” I rarely wear t-shirts that advertise my geeky proclivities anymore and my hair is less crazy that it used to be. For the last year or two that I’ve had a larger than average beard, I’ve found it harder and harder to pass (not that I’m trying to, mind you. I just pay attention to the amount of stares and/or comments I get). I don’t think the beard immediately identifies me to the world as a geek (certainly not as well as a Doctor Who scarf or Jayne hat would), but it seems to scream to regular people that A) I’m somehow different, and B) I REALLY want to be asked questions about my facial hair.

With regards to nerds passing unseen among the general public, I really love the idea of having just a hint of nerd on the outside at all times. A piece of jewelry (have you seen my wife’s new Game Of Thrones inspired necklaces for you Starks and Lannisters in her Etsy store?!?!?! HAVE YOU?!?!?) or a bit of stealth cosplay (this one by my friend Dandy Geek is quite fantastic) serve as a secret handshake or sly calling card to your fellow nerds. Just a nod to say, “You aren’t alone out here in the big, terrifying world.” My wife’s custom TARDIS purse sends this signal everywhere we go, and brings stealth Whovians out of the woodwork (“It doesn’t work on wood.”)

COMMENTERS: Do you “pass?” Do you wish you did? Do you have a signature “outward geekery” that tells your fellow geeks what you’re all about?

 

Posted in Uncategorized.

88 Comments

  1. I mostly pass (Welcome to Night Vale t-shirts are a bit obscure for the general population) but sometimes it's better not to. I made a good friend because we both had Star Trek badges pinned to our bags.

  2. A number of movie themed t-shirts, some are a bit more obscure than others… Also a couple of webcomic t-shirts in my closet. Those I do have to explain occasionally.

  3. I mostly pass as normal–or at least not geeky/nerdy. But every so often I will don my Star Trek Generations t-shirt and I do own about three t-shirts that a while back were featured on the Comics Curmudgeon site.

  5. I can pass, and often do in my work environment. But, mostly, I choose not to. My preferred dress is a geeky t-shirt (e.g., your excellent Rory/Horton mashup). The geekier the better. I put stickers on my phone case (Timmy from ThinkGeek, and the "Fuck Glee" sticker get the most recognition).

    It drives my wife crazy, because she prefers to be incognito. Her parents really drilled into her that "different" is the same as "abnormal". I counter that "normal" is the same as "generic".

    • I think concepts of "normal" and "odd" all depend on context and environment. Someone might want to show their geekier side off at work because they feel the "real them" isn't represented well in that environment, or that they're being forced to hide. I know I've felt that way. Actually I felt that way for most of my 20's. But in a group of like minded friends or at a convention, the same person might not be so compelled to "scream it from the rooftops" because they are immersed in their own version of "normal" in those environments.

      • I work in a call centre doing Internet tech support, and there are a LOT of geeks there. In fact, I'm pretty sure we're really, really close to 100% geeks, which is AWESOME. The other day, at one point, I had a conversation on one side of me (coworkers chatting during a lull) about painting fingernails in a "Green Lantern" theme while the conversation on the other side was about some kind of card game (either Pokemon or Magic: The Gathering; possibly may have been bouncing between the two), while another nearby coworker did a fantastic sketch of one of our supervisors as Deadpool. Bonus points: Everyone knew who Deadpool was.

        I seem to stand out as not quite one of the herd in most group situations (although I have no idea why; I guess my comments don't quite fit the expected script or something); it is fantastic to not only have a job I love but a work environment I really, really love, where we all get to be geeks together, discussing everything from LoTR to Star Wars and Star Trek to Norse mythology.

        TL;DR: My geekier side is totally represented at work and I love it (and fully realize how lucky I am).

  6. I pass in my own way, which is to say I don't wear t-shirts with stuff on them or other indicators of what I like from the geeky universe. But my hubby describes my style as "stylish arty bird" so make of that what you will. My geekery extends into the Maker/Crafter areas more than entertainment.

  7. Most of the time I pass, however there are times I stick out like a sore thumb. In regards to today's comic, when I go to conventions and stay in the con hotel, one of my favorite games to play while sitting in the lobby waiting for friends is Con, Normal, or Wish to Con but there for something else. I have been to several conventions in Atlantic City & Las Vegas and did the same thing while gambling in the con hotel too.

    • Best hotel con clash I ever witnessed was the final day of an anime con in Hartford, CT which was also the FIRST day of a southern baptist revival at the same hotel. There were Narutos and cat girls in crowded elevators with large hat wearing church ladies and be-suited holy spirit type dudes. The room they were using for the chapel had been an anime rave just 4 hours earlier. I like to think someone converted that night, but who? And which direction?

      • Every year Salute (one day wargaming Con) happens at Excel in London on the same day as the sign up for the elite athletes in the London Marathon. Oddly it's generally really easy to split them…

        Personally, I'm really proud of my Lake Geneva, Wisconsin T-shirt for under cover geekery in the UK.

  8. That some guy who said that one thing said it pretty well about geeksry and nerdiness. A few key nerdy tees, a deathly hallows necklace, a necklace featuring a robot nerd… I used to have an awesome necklace that was a scrabble tile. It said nerd. My key shirts are two IT crowd shirts, a nerd machine sweatshirt, a DFTBA NErdfighteria sweatshirts, a Hufflepuff shirt, and a few others. I generally dress for work and add a piece or two to the mix to keep my nerdiness close. I also look for my people in crowds. They can be hard to spot, and it's one reason I like to keep my geek its visible. It allows the others to find me. Glad to see I'm not alone in this though process or in my nerd-dom. The every day interactions with "normal" people can make you start to wonder.

  9. I have my TKID tattooed on my inner forearm in a modest Star Wars font. Other than the usual movie tee, that's all I give away.

    When people ask what it means I say it's my bank PIN number.

  10. Heh. This is pretty much it feels walking around an airport, convention, or other heavily populated place as a gay person. They gaydar keeps a close watch, evaluating all. 😉

  11. With a long beard, I never pass for normal, LOL. I get all the questions too – how long did it take to grow it, can I touch it, etc etc. Better than my partner who gets all the 'aren't you cold' jibes and oddness as being from the South Hemisphere he of course wears shorts all the time.

    I wouldn't say I usually pass for geek though, I have ironic logo T's but of the musical variety (Accordion Hero, etc which is a bit geeky game ref I guess) – I do have the odd EFF shirt, or Bubble Bobble Tshirt, but rarely wear those. Mostly political. gay or musical (punk) really. And never, ever, jewellery.

    Find it interesting that there is a GeekDar, it's a version of GayDar really. It's equally fun/hard sometimes to get gay family, although quite often was seems bleeding obvious to me the straight people are like 'what? That person is queer?' and I'm like DUH. Similar function, different cues (although a love of Doctor Who and sci-fi generally scores highly on both!)

    • I get the "how long did you grow that?" question a lot too.

      Really hard to answer, because the answer is "this time? Bout a year or so, but I trim it often."

      I go from "crazy woodsman beard" to "decently trimmed" a lot more often than I get there from bare-cheeked (it looks odd to me, and aggravates my eczema).

      • I've noticed a certain threshold, that when I cross it I go from "regular guy who.. oh he also has a beard, whatever" to "HEY LOOK AT THAT MOUNTAIN MAN! LET'S ASSAULT HIM WITH BEARD QUESTIONS!" The weird thing is that threshold is a matter of centimeters. 2 or 3 at most.

        The biggest problem for me is that I like having a slightly longer than average beard, I like the way it looks and feels and I really dislike shaving and trimming but beard, but more than I like those things I HAAAAAAAAAATE small talk. I hate small talk like I hate fucking cancer. I don't want to talk about the weather or the weekend or how many kids everyone in the room has or FUCKING ANYTHING AT ALL with strangers who might be sharing an elevator with me, cutting my hair or standing in a queue with me.

        • Oh yes. Small talk. I hear people do that.

          I'm not one of those people who claim autism spectrum, but I took one of those quizzes which apparently a friend's autistic son scored highly on, and came out borderline, as probably many geeks would. Not surprising…I can talk for England about subjects I love, but get off the weather and I'm a bit…lost.

          Or go into politics or religion which is a big no-no usually!

          I don't mind the beard questions because of that, it's safe territory. I do get the 'are you a homeless person?' type treatment as it's very long (longest part is 3 inches from my chin) which I hate, and the 'can I touch it?' from gangs of girls at 3am might be some blokes wet dream, but for myself it's the wrong gender!

    • I have a beard of about 12-15 cm and get asked the same stuff all the time. Additionally I often carry around large instrument cases and get very suspicious looks in crowded places.

      • I've had that. Sadly a few days after the 7/7 bombing in London I had to go somewhere and took my army rucksack. With the long beard and large backpack I got all kinds of evil stares.

        Which kind of annoyed me, because I'd narrowly missed being bombed myself and if anyone should be freaking out it should be me (I was working at Edgware Road that day – overslept!) but like everyone else I just got back on the trains the next day or so…And it was a bit like the profiling I got when flying, I wasn't aware terrorists had a uniform or look? I think actually they don't because that kind of misses the point? A bit hard to be a terrorist if it shouts out HEY TERRORIST HERE!

  12. I carry nothing around with me, except my 2 Daffy Duck ankle tattoos and perhaps a bit of sewing tucked into a purse or a bag.
    My desk at work is literally covered in Looney Tunes and the Muppets.
    And on free time, I tend to wear metal band shirts, and usually forget which one I'm wearing.
    I tend to be subtle, and much prefer to spot other subtler. The over-the-top folks are too much for me. (Like over-the-top Christians, "What do you mean you don't think Matt Smith was the best Doctor ever!" It's like religion, and I choose to have my own.

  13. I pass easily, because while I love the things I love, I don't really buy t-shirts, buttons, etc. and tend to dress feminine/arty. Which means when I do go to a con, I sometimes get questioned by those who think I've wandered in by accident and need directions to some nearby store/restaurant.

    Back when I collected comic books years ago, I'd stop in after work and would always be stared at as if I was a pod creature, being female didn't help.

  14. I can pass if I want to, but I refer to my nicer clothes as my "responsible adult costume" if that says anything. My coworkers are all pretty aware of my geekery and all around strangeness which allows me to get away with much more than I probably should at work. I was at Ohayocon last weekend and I came in Monday still wearing the third eye prostetic I made for my Cecil cosplay (shout-out to the WTNV fan at the top!).

  15. I've always done this when I'm travelling to a trade show or conference in crafts. Especially knitting. I scope out the terminal or even the plane as I board, and I'm all, "Yup, hardcore knitter right there. Oh, maybe that person's just knitting for fun but not on her way to where I'm going." And then there are the geek knitters, which becomes even more fun, because there is no possible way to walk by them without saying something like, "OMG, you're knitting a Jayne hat." Funtimes. But though I'm inclined to wear my "You are not my nemesis." Dr. Horrible t-shirt around when I travel, the only time anyone's ever commented on it was when I led a crafts workshop at a cosplay convention. Which reminds me to maybe get more professional yarn people on board with Dr. Horrible…

  16. I have a Dark Mark tattooed in white ink on my forearm. If you're sharp-eyed enough to spot it (despite the paleness of my skin), and you recognize it for what it is, it outs me pretty plainly. Same goes for the Supernatural anti-possession sigil tattooed on my chest…if you don't assume it means I'm a Satanist, you'll probably figure out I'm a huge fangirl.

    I have to dress semi-respectably at work, and besides, my uniform smock would cover any geeky t-shirt I would be inclined to wear. Back when I was in high school, I used to be a little more obvious; even with my school uniform, I would wear a plastic One Ring on a chain, and sometimes latex pointy ears just for the hell of it.

    Once in an airport, I met a girl wearing a broad-brimmed hat and a very long, colorful striped scarf. I complimented her on the scarf, and she offered me a jelly baby. She actually had jelly babies. This wasn't on the way to a con or anything, she was just there.

    Two years ago, I went to Denver Comic Con. I was living in Denver so I took the light rail to the convention center, and the only other person waiting at my stop was wearing a University of Gallifrey Fighting Time Lords t-shirt.

    • "I have a Dark Mark tattooed in white ink on my forearm. "

      That sounds fucking awesome. You should get the exact same mark tattooed OVER that one in UV ink so it glows under black light.

    • A couple of years ago I was talking with my brother, used that phrase, and he was confused. We grew up together in the same geek culture, but somehow I had picked it up as part of my lexicon and he hadn't.

      Of course I also say "I'm in shape. Pear is a shape."

  18. I take pride in standing out in some way. I've got a ton of geeky t-shirts. One of my friends gave me his old BDU top that I use as a jacket that I've covered in various geeky patches. My scarf is a Ravenclaw scarf, but with the book colors (bronze and blue). And that's just my everyday wear. On the way to and from a con, I make it more obvious or just go in costume.

    I recently bought an awesome walking stick with a big d20 on it and it has a miniature set of dice in the handle instead of a sword. I'm still trying to figure out how to make that a regular part of my wardrobe. It's not the geeky side I'm worried about, it's the stick. I had it with me at a con and when you're not walking around, it gets kinda awkward. But I will work it into my everyday wear!

  19. I find that Nerdy Tees a way of identifying my people as well. The more specific the Tee the better. Then there's people who have the tees who don't get the references themselves. I caught someone wearing the sci-five t-shirt and had no clue what Hijinksensue was. Blasphemy!

    • Back in college I had a ton of science pun t-shirts. Physics Friends Network, periodic table and chairs, "Geology rocks" stuff like that. I wore a normal text shirt once and my friends spent the whole day trying to figure out what the joke was.

    • This is interesting considering the next comic I have written.

      Trivia: One of the reasons I switched from references to stories is that I've pretty much always been less famous than my t-shirts. Sure, it's nice to see people around wearing things that you made, but when they don't actually associate it with you or your primary creative work, it's a little defeating.

  21. I wear my geek tattooed on my forearms, on my left a tardis and Perry the platypus on the right. I get stopped a fair amount but with long sleeves i pass with ease.

  22. Mostly passing, but with a tabletop RPG tattoo on my left shoulder that's only visible if I'm wearing a sleeveless shirt. But, it looks like a random tribal style tattoo, so I hardly ever get asked about it. (Corax glyph from 2nd/3rd edition World of Darkness for those who know.)

    I like playing Spot the Nerd as well. My recent favorite was a girl that was otherwise unremarkable, apart from being pleasantly pretty. She had a red tote bag that I initially didn't pay attention to at first, until the print on the tote registered in my brain. It was the front of the TARDIS. I complimented her on it and her stealthy expression of her geekery, which seemed to please her.

  23. I only follow 3 TV shows and I download or stream, I never watch TV in the traditional sense. As such, I get very little exposure to pop culture in a broader sense. So I had no idea how popular The Big Bang Theory was, and I thought the "Bazinga!" shirt my mom sent me for Christmas was the most awesome, geekiest thing ever. Of course, it is an awesome and geeky shirt, and I still love it, but I must admit a bit of disappointment when I started seeing them everywhere. I dislike hipsterism, but I couldn't help but feel that my fandom statement was instantly diluted, and wondered if anyone looked at me and thought "oh, another one of *those*".

    • I only recently actually watched some episodes of BBT and learned it's actually generally clever. CBS only seems to show the "laugh at how nerdy these guys are" jokes in their commercials, so I didn't realize they were generally minimal.

      • Ive only seen a few episodes but it seems like the "look at the dumb nerds" thing died off pretty quickly once the show found its footing and now it's all character driven gags.

  24. The older I get the more I pass. It;s not me, it's the wife. The first thing to disappear was the orange "Frodo Head Hobbit" T shirt that I bought on Carnaby St in '73, Then the full length cloak with the brass chain clasp. Then the Royal Navy greatcoat. Then the Great Gonzo badge (pins in the USA?). Then…
    30 years on I look like an accountant most of the time but come EM-CON in March…

  25. I am no good at passing. My haircuts have gotten odder over time, my socks never match and my shoes RARELY match, geeky t-shirts or combos of colors/styles that are non-normal…but my job allows me to dress however I want, so that's good.

    And I love the additional nerdery of my Tetris & Quidditch necklaces! 😉

  26. I have two doctor who tshirts from thinkgeek and a 11th sonic screwdriver. I would like to have the d20 pendant from thinkgeek as an identifier…

  27. When we moved in a few years back, we renamed the new house "Serenity" – to the Mundanes it's just a nice name for a house, but every now and then a fellow geek (even if not a card-carrying Browncoat) will notice it and react accordingly….
    Oh, and the nameplate by the door is a lovingly hand-painted reproduction of the full logo with the Chinese script, which was commissioned for us as a moving-in gift – even then most of the "normals" don't get it!
    Regarding Tees, I have a couple of Oglaf ones (including the infamous "cumsprite") which gets a lot of odd looks but relatively few admissions of recognition…..

  28. I don't know why you are so worried about the pilot, modern airliners practically fly themselves. That is to say if you let go of the controls they tend to land themselves. They aren't way too choosy about HOW they land so I suppose there is that. But, what I am trying to say here is that i wish people would stop screaming when i fly, it's distracting.

  29. There are sometimes for me when I don't even try to pass for a "normal" human. I'm the guy who showed up to his 10-year High School Reunion in a Transformers shirt and NOBODY thought that was weird. In fact, they loved it! Everybody in the room (except the staff of the country-western bar the reunion was held) was born in 1984, so we were pretty much AS old as transformers.

  30. My first day at a new job, I was being introduced to people in various departments. One of them was wearing both a belt and suspenders, which I commented on. He said he had also considered wearing a bow tie. Three other people and I all said in unison "bow ties are cool." I had found my people.
    Too bad management was such utter shite.

    • I'[ve never worked with actual geeks in a real job setting, but I did have one job where I was able to bond with the other musicians. There were a few metal heads and old school rockers that I had enough in common with to make some actual friendships.

  31. I probably look more like an average middle aged dude, maybe with a hint of lingering metal head-y notes, but then I sit there on the train and solve my stickerless chinese rubik's cube over and over in sub 90 seconds.

    • There's a HUGE cross section of metal heads and geeks. I think a lot of times there's the fantasy imagery connection, but metal heads seem to also be more trivia heavy than most music genre fandoms which is a decidedly geeky trait.

      • Very true. Most of my friends are in that cross section. Long haired headbangers make for very convincing barbarians in a fantasy LARP i can assure you. And if you've ever gotten into a genre/sub-genre/sub-sub-genre etc debate with certain metal fans the geeky really shines through.

  32. I too look around to see who is full blown out of the closet and who is undercover. I wear stuff that unless you know, I can pass for mundane. Even my geek shirts fly under the radar. My most fun is a stake and spike I wear on a silver chain. I'm Jewish and have had people ask when I converted. A handful get it right. If you haven't yet, it's Spuffy. If you don't get that, well, I don't know what to say.

  33. When I lived in Atlanta I attended Dragon*Con every year, and every year when I got to the Hyatt I would look around at all the nerds and geeks all dressed up in their con-finery and shout "MY PEOPLE!!" with arms spread wide. I usually got a thumbs-up or smile from most of the listeners nearby.

    Do I "pass"? I sometimes wear T-shirts demonstrating my nerdiness (Aperture Science, philosoraptor, etc.), and sometimes I wear my One Ring replica around my neck. And of course I'm usually carrying a book, so that tends to give it away too.

    If you're visiting my house, on the other hand, the fantasy paintings, LOTR posters, videogame collection, and twelve-bookshelf library tend to give it away pretty quickly. 🙂

    cheers,
    Phil

  34. I pass at work for the most part but definitely not in my personal life. I used to pass for a long time because I grew up somewhere that was not geek friendly. I got threatened once because a drunk friend accidentally outed us a trekkies.

    I stayed way under the radar for years until I reached a point in my life where I realized I preferred being happy with who I was and not with what some stupid schmuck thought of me.

    Now I have mostly geeky t shirts some obscure. some blatant. I keep a towel in my knapsack and my work bag. I wear a version of the One Ring my fiancee got me (it's black with gold lettering in the black speech so it isn't too obvious) I have 4 sonic screwdrivers (3,10,11, and the Masters) and a Doctor Who scarf (13' long) that I wear all the time (it is cold out you know). I have a Jayne hat I haven't worn outside yet to keep my fiancee from breaking down in tears (that will require a special occasion I think) and my home desk is covered in geek toys. I have LOTR and Hobbit posters all over the hall and bookcases filled with Tolkien, Harry Potter (US and UK versions), Douglas Adams, and several zombie survival guides and guides on how to get superpowers or summon the Old Ones.

    So I guess what I'm saying is that I definitely do not pass for "normal" and wouldn't have it any other way.

    • I didn't like that my wife had an engagement ring and I didnt, so I bought a silver version of The One Ring from a renfest and wore it until our wedding.

  35. Most days, my Doctor Who Van Gogh Exploding TARDIS necklace and my Wizard of Oz Ruby Slippers book bag are as nerdy as I get. Though lately I have, because of the cold weather, been wearing my Magneto hoodie more. I've wanted to get more nerdy t-shirts, but most I have to buy online and that can be tricky, I'm short in height and busty, so getting the right size can be tricky.

    I've spent years trying to pass for normal. I was bullied a lot between elementary school and high school, so it was easier to blend in. Now that I'm in college, I'm finding it's a bit easier to be different, without having to fear bullies, so I'm slowly working towards letting my inner geek/nerd out a bit more. Still a bit cautious though, old habits die hard and where I live, still sometimes better to be safe than sorry.

    • I'm short and bust and hippy (hour glass shap and it's 45 minutes past the hour). I've done well buying mens (I like the looseness) with TeeFury.

    • Certainly do what makes you the most comfortable, but I'd say let it all out. Be a geek beacon to other kids who want to let their freak flags fly. Show them it's ok.

  36. I get accused of being one of those "fake geek girls" quite frequently because I don't look very nerdy. Things give it away though. I keep a sonic screwdriver in my purse, have the Master's pocket watch, Arwen's necklace, a "For Pony!" wristband, and a number of other little things I can use to nerd up my outfits. It's nice being able to pass for a normie, but I also hate having to prove myself to the community in which I feel the most at home.

  37. 1. Is that Ben?! Because if so: Small World.

    2. I think people are usually surprised to discover the depths of my geekery. I don't think they expect it out of a girl who wears makeup and has her original hair color. Then I totally smash them with Star Wars knowledge and become what I refer to as "off-puttingly nerdy." Though it's only off-putting to people who I probably don't want to talk to that much anyway. 🙂

    3. The Quidditch necklace I bought from your wife is like the epitome of stealth geekery and I LOVE when people stare at it and then *get it* and then get super excited.

    • Yes, that is Ben the Dandygeek!

      Im so glad you dig the necklace and Im sure she'll be thrilled to know that as well. Considering the context in which i normally see you, there is very little doubt as to your geekdom as you are quite literally wearing it on the outside.

      • That's nuts! He's a regular at my bar! Which is the BEST place to wear your geek on the outside. I knew I was "home" there when I dressed as Death from the Sandman comics for Halloween and everyone got it.

        • Hell, I recognized your Death costume and I havent even read Sandman.

          Where's your bar? Always looking for good places to drink in Seattle.

          • That's because you're a nerd, Joel! 🙂 That's exactly what I mean. I wore the same costume to my other job at the time and one person out of about a hundred actually got it.

            As for work, it's called Cafe Mox and it's about 15 minutes north of downtown. Half of it is a tabletop game store/Magic card retailer (Card Kingdom) and the other half is a beer/wine/food bar where you can check out any of said games and hang out and play. All in all it's pretty rad.

  38. I think I'm too often recognised as being out-there/crazy to necessarily be nailed down as geeky, but I would have to be giving it 110% to ever pass as "normal" on first impression.

    Unless of course I'm at the football, in which case my crazy passion is pretty much accepted as mainstream.

  39. Growing up in the 70's and 80's in Mexico was not the time for being different… Even though my dad introduced me to SciFi early in my life, we never had any identifiable sign of our geekery. We had to be "normal" to fit in. My Star Wars toys from that time were something I kept in my room. Today they are displayed in my home office, but my wife keeps threatening to sell them (they're worth at least $5k now…) when she's angry at me – usually when I do something geeky in public (my inner geek/nerd tends to escape thru sarcasm when I'm around stupid people… and there's a lot of them, let me tell you…).
    I don't have nerdy t-shirts. My local Star Wars Club meets in a non-descript office building every other saturday, and we all arrive there looking "normal"…
    Damn! I hate being a closet geek!!
    I want a bow tie!!
    I want to wear a suit with tennis shoes!!
    I want a Riker "Hardly Knew Her" t-shirt!!
    But I have to be "respectable"… :S

    • "Damn! I hate being a closet geek!!"

      Then stop it. You're going to be dead eventually. Spend the time you have being exactly who you want to be.

Leave a Reply