Nerd Invasion

So let's try this again.

Last friday night was an event called Nerd Invasion, saturday night I held my own event called holy shit I am going to sleep, Sunday night was zomg I need to get my ass in gear novel wise, and now it is monday morning. There is a hurrican on its way but I is really no more than a baby hurricane and it is something that I just can't be bothered to get up in arms about.

So nerd invasion. Man now that was something. To be honest for awhile I didn't want to go to it. It looked stupid, small, and poorly organized. It most definatly wasn't wrong about the second two things but despite everything it most certainly wasn't stupid. Over the course of the last two days it has gotten me thinking about the ups and downs of geek culture and just how much I enjoy it.

It is said, by Socrates I believe, that you can learn more from someone in an hour of play than you can from months of conversation. I absoluely believe this to be the case, I know I've played with enough people to know that the way they conduct themselves during a game is fundamentally tied to thier charecter. That aside, there is also the deisre to play. The want to try new things, be challanged in diffrent ways, to set aside the division between competition and fun and just bloody enjoy yourself for an evening.

That said nothing is perfect. Tempers occationally flaired, and since nothing started on time the whole thing became an unending series of small disasters for the coodinators. But I wasn't one of those people. I was there to have fun. So was everyone else. There is a fundamental diffrence between a large gathering of geeks and normal people. Maybe the low testosterone and lack of sexual sleaze makes for a more relaxed environment, maybe it has to do with the fact that everyone in the room had at least 1 hobby and enjoyed talking about it, maybe it is because most of us have not forgotten how to laugh and have fun. I really don't know what it was. However, geek gatherings both large and small have a certain energy, life, and beauty to them that gathering of normal people just plain lack. At times it almost saddens me, even the girl who spent half the night sitting in the corrner playing her DS seemed to be having more fun that the guy who sits at a bar all night staring into space. Oh well.

It was a good time, a time where I hatched plots to change the world, talked to strangers, laughed, and truely felt accepted far more so than anywhere else. It was a good time and I hope it comes back to see us again sometime.

HIGHLIGHTS!

-The cat eared girl. Man other people do cocain to be more like this person. She was crazy, but in a good fun way. She had a whole bunch of glitter in her purse that she wanted to wear but didn't for fear of being mocked as a twilight vampire. I loudly decalred that it is time we take back glitter from twilight and with her unusual amount of excitment I ended up covered in glitters! It was awesome! Then anytime I walked within a 5 foot radius of her she would run, grab me, and drag me over to her covnversation to explain the glitter thing which was pretty cool.

- "Oh hey Mike good your here start moving these tables". To put this in perspective earlyer I had asked my friend if I volunteered to help did I have to pay to get in. He didn't know but he assumed we still had to pay. So I stayed at home. So when I show up in my suit I get let in before everyone else, because I am in a suit, and I end up moving tables and chairs around. Oddly enough, this isn't the first time I ended up rediculously nicely dressed while moving furniture. Last time though I was in a prom dress which makes it slightly more fabulose.

-That 13 year old. So I spent 2 hours gaurding a door because thats how late they were starting the music. As a result a large group of my friends gathered by the door + extra people hoping to get in. One person was this girl who we immeadiatly made friends with, talked to, and generally had fun with. After about a half hour someone realized she is still hanging around us, she is having fun, and we didn't know her name. Perfect for anime club, despite her age. Still hopefully she will come.

-In the same category of the 13 year old is Pirate Rae. I have no idea what her real name is, but what a fun little person. She apparently does voice acting for anime! But I didn't learn that until 4 in the morning when we were hanging out for the second time. I'm glad I met her though. Her friend was really nice to and was apparently all into me. Compleatly failed on picking up on that though which resulted in varying amounts of hilarity later on.

-Sean and I started to hatch a plot to make the world a better place. It was 5:30 in the morning and I was trying to go home. Yeah the event lasted from 7pm to 12 the next day. I didn't really start to slow down until 4. Anyone who says geeks don't do it longer and harder is an idiot. Anyway, we got to talking about the need for a centeralized meeting space for liberals to gather, in person, on a weekly basis, to discuss things like messages themes and ideas. There will be a specific blog entry on this subject later. It does directly have to do with gay marriage being repealed in Maine. Something might come of it. Nothing might come of it. However, for one half hour between 5 and 5:30 in the morning the two of us started hatching a plan to make this world a better motherfucking place. I just think that that sort of dialoge being possible in a place like that is a thing of pure, raw, beauty.

There are many more things I could list but I need to go to work. I just wanted everyone to know that this happened to me and it was grand. It is something I wish everyone could enjoy. Ah well.