Be Yourself

Our friend, Ben, is the leader of a group of "geeks" called The Stealth Geek Collective. It's called cosplay...I'm not sure what that means...costume play, maybe? I'll have to ask him. His genre is called Steampunk. Have you ever seen the cartoon Treasure Planet? It's kind of like that. Almost old/pirate-esque but with technology. It's AWESOME. Ben recently went to Atlanta, Georgia for Dragon*Con. Oh, how I wish we could have gone. He makes his own costumes and weapons. They're incredible.

He posted his pictures and I've had the best time looking through them, seeing all the folks dressed up. Now, for sure, there are some weirdos. But most everybody is just there to have a good time and fellowship with people who share the same interests in books and movies. It's all in good fun.

Captain Adama from Battlestar Galactica! I LOVE BG!!

This guy's costume was great.

This is my favorite. Looks just like Wesley, right??

So, this past Sunday, as David and I were pulling out of the driveway to head to the mall, I noticed our neighbor's car had something written on the back window..."Is there air? YOU DON'T KNOW!" David and I looked at each other and said "GALAXY QUEST!" And at the same time, we noticed something else written on the window..."Dragon*Con 2010". But we didn't hang our heads in shame. We're proud to be geeks.

My first crush was William Shatner, Captain James T. Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise...not William Shatner, Priceline Negotiator. I love anything Star Trek. I love Star Wars. I love Sci-Fi (not Sci-Fi horror...that's just gross). I like fantasy stuff like Lord of the Rings. I've never actually dressed up like any of the characters...but if I HAD to...like, if you were like, "Ruth, the world will end if you don't dress up," I would be Major Kira Nerys, the senior Bajoran officer aboard Deep Space Nine. There, I said it. No, actually, I would really like to go to a convention, but I'd probably wear jeans and my Goonies t-shirt.

All that to say, be yourself. As cheesy as that sounds, I mean, seriously, enjoy your oddities and weirdness. Have fun. Ben is Erin's husband, father to Holland. He's a great dad. He has an amazing job at the Science Center in town. He knows so much about space and constellations. He always gives us updates on asteroids passing by or when the next meteor shower will be. You can be a geek and it doesn't mean you're LARPing every weekend or sitting in your lair and playing World of Warcraft 24/7. But, if that's what you want to do......okay. Leeeeerooy Jeeenkiiinss!!

If you want to wear the same pair of unwashed undies on game day for good luck for your team...go for it. Maybe don't sit next to me, but still, I wish your team the best.

If you sing Broadway to your twins and in the shower when nobody else can hear (not me...just randomly picking a random event that somebody may or may not do), sing it loud and proud. Lea Michele's got nothing on you.

If you have an unhealthy obsession with Angry Birds, you sling shot those little birdies towards those mean pigs and save those eggs.

You. Save. Those. Eggs. (tear)

And feel good about the deed you've done.

If you like to sit on a porch or in a hotel lobby or in a restaurant and watch people and make up stories about them, you do that! Maybe lose the creepy stalker vibe, but how much fun is it to people watch...I mean, honestly.

Anyways...be yourself. Everybody has something unique and weird about them. Celebrate yours.

Ha, that sounded sooooo cheesy and Hallmark card-ish, but you know what I mean. I'm going to regret saying "celebrate yours" later.