I know things

One of the terrifying things about being married to a gamer is when I discover he’s rubbing off on me.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll never play D&D — it’s just not my thing. Likewise, I don’t expect Mike to ever do cross stitch. But there are times when I encounter people more ignorant about gamers than I am and I’m required to educate them. Me.

The situation occurred early today during a conversation with my boss about his Christmas present for his wife. Turns out, she’s got a bit of geek in her. She’s enamored with comic-book inspired movies and he thought he’d buy her some of the comic books that correspond with the movies. The woman who owns the shop told him that many of the comic books are essentially starting over, so it wouldn’t take her long to catch up.

And suddenly, all the times I’ve been trapped in a car with Mike listening to him discuss the history of comic books came flooding back to me. To be honest, while I’m not interested in comic books themselves, the dynamics of how storylines have changed over time were always fascinating to me. Don’t let my husband know, though.

For a few brief moments, I got to share the knowledge I’d acquired to a willing listener.

I know a little German. He’s sitting over there

There are terrifying moments in a relationship. If you play your cards right, things like third nipples and blankies are revealed before tying the knot.

Apparently, I didn’t.

By all standards, last night was relatively normal. Mike met me at my office and then accompanied me to the mall while I bought make-up. It was on the way to dinner that I was telling him about my conversation with a co-worker. Early in the day, she had shared her interaction with our temp, who she calls a “weird little man.” Last time she had seen him, over the summer, they had some conversation about foreign language, which is when he broke out into Klingon.

She sat for a minute, baffled, before asking him: “What in the hell was that?” He explained that he’s fluent.

My husband asked the age range of this “weird little man” (50s) and told me Klingon is all that nerds had to learn of cling on to before the Internet.

And then he dropped the bombshell: “I know a little Klingon”

We’ve been married for four years, together for six. He was well-vetted before we exchanged vows. How did something like this happen?

Two is the loneliest number

Here’s where things stood after tonight’s rousing game of Thurn and Taxis:

• My dad — 26
• My mother — 25
• Mike — 24
• Me — 2

It’s shameful. And doesn’t bode well for a Thanksgiving weekend filled with all sorts of games.

I’m not saying I’m a sore loser. But given the option, I would go for winning most days.

Truth is, the whole game didn’t start out well for me tonight. Two round in and I had to discard the route I had started because when Innsbruck and Friberg appeared, someone else grabbed them (I’m not naming names here, but this is someone who is supposed to love me).

And then I forced the grays — Munichen, Inglestadt, etc. — even when none of them were shopping up. I kept sweeping the pile and then having to draw from the top of the desk. Just because I wanted to use those to six my 6 card.

In my hand I had Lodz, Pilsner, Nurnberg, Stuttgart, Carlsberg, Friberg and Basel. I held on to them so I could get the 7 card and the 7 token at the same time.

But, when my mother ended the game, the dream route was still perfectly intact in my hand. I wish i had something like a post-Thanksgiving fog to blame this on. Or that I could say it was the first time.

Nope. I was just stupid.

On to Mario Cart, which I haven’t played in months and will probably get my butt kicked there, too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The godfather of gaming

Just thought I would mention that the guest speaker for my masters class tonight is Jordan Weisman. Yes, that Jordan Weisman. He’s amazing. And, as a non-gamer, I can say that with a straight face.
And as a shout-out to all you gamers, he learned to read so that he could play D&D. Perhaps you knew this already but I think it says a lot.
Plus, he’s not afraid to swear, which is something I can greatly respect.

(And before anyone bites my head off, I should add that no disrespect is intended toward Gary Gaygax. I just have never been able to meet him.)

Harry Potter, Hitler and the KKK

My apologies for the early post. Don’t know what was going on with the video but I’ve deleted it and uploaded it again. If are willing to bear with me, let’s give this another try.

It’s not always easy to put into words what living with a gamer is like. Because, quite frankly, even if he’s not playing games, he’s always a little…. off. We invited friends over to dinner and games tonight and he launched into a conversation about the evils of Harry Potter and Mike’s comparison to the wizard boy, the world’s most racist dictator and the KKK. Luckily, one of our friends caught it on video:

Cooking for geeks

Mike has instructed me to come up with a list of what I want for Christmas. So, while I was searching Amazon for cookbooks, I came across this one:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve never read it and I’m not encouraging anyone to buy it. It just made me giggle and I had to share.

Naming conventions

So, let me put this right out there — I was never the popular kid in school.

I just want to make that clear so no accuses me of casting judgment when I say: Until meeting Mike, I didn’t know there was a difference between a geek, a nerd and a dork. As far I was concerned, it was just an example of all the options the English language gives us to describe the same thing, like how beautiful, pretty, glamorous, etc. can be used interchangeably.

As he explains it, though, geeks are the pinnacle. You all are smart and successful, usually with a bent toward games or comics or computers or some such niche category. And clearly pop culture is beginning to take note. A nerd, on the other hand, describes someone who isn’t quite as diverse or perhaps socially apt (is that PC to say?). No geek or nerd, Mike made extremely clear, ever wants to be mistaken for a dork.

So two years ago, I was excited when “American Nerd” was published. I wanted to see how he described his people. It quickly became clear that who I’ve come to see as a geek, he classifies as a nerd.

What are your definitions? Do you even care?