I used to wonder
about when I became a geek. I've always loved reading, both fantasy and sci-fi,
as far back as I can remember; longer according to the various accounts. I
never quite follow the status quo, never have. My definition of normal was
frequently different from any around
me. But when did such behavior, and thought patterns begin to diverge?
Perhaps it was
during the times I would watch old reruns of Star Trek: TOS with my Dad. Was it
at that stage in my formative years of the early 80's? Seated on our couch,
asking my Dad questions about Spock's ears, did those times kindle the love for
outer space that burns to this day? Watching sleek spaceships speed across the
galaxy, and unworldly creatures parading across the screen, did my 5 yr old
mind decide this world was not only plausible, but desirable?
Or perchance, whilst
learning to read with my Mom, did my mind cling to far of realms? Did witches,
fairies, unicorns, and dragons dance though my daydreams? My mother was
learning to read English, so from the time I was 4 we spent days at the local Library.
I've been told, by the Librarian, that I read every single children's book on
shelf. Though at the time, the place that nurtured my hunger for stories, was
only two small rooms on the side of the Firehouse. Four short shelves were
devoted to elementary aged children. Understandably, I began to devour books
for older children, and my reading skills flourished. At a garage sale I
stumbled across Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey. Little did I know that this
trilogy about myth and magic, would take me again on a path to the stars.
Yet, was it
really during those early years that I began me development path into geekhood?
Maybe it goes further back. As an infant, my parents took me to the downtown
district of Fort Worth, just for a stroll. My Mom held me and posed on the
corner of 3rd and Main, my Dad took a picture, just as my little head tilts
away. Knowing the layout of the land, and which way my eyes were directed, it
appears I was gazing up Main, presumably with this view.
At the end of a
cobbled road, sits a sleek metallic structure. Tall, thin pillars support the vast
saucer shaped object. Barely visible etchings line the creation's edge, dividing
the upper silvery side from the beige underbelly. Placed at equidistant points,
small orbs extending on a wire, waver up and down. At the very crest of the
thing, a small platform rests, with windows encircling the lower surface. People
come and go, through portals situated underneath, busy with dealings on behave
of those from within.
On one hand, it may
be that exposure to such a unique situation, was the tipping point for my geeky
mind. On the other hand, multiple events over a period of time may have slowly
trained my mind to this path. On the gripping hand, it is probable that I'm
looking for a word other than geek. I think and feel the way I do, because such
is my personality.
