Monday, June 9, 2014

Fans

You know who's awesome? Batman. Picard. Mario. You know what else is awesome? NFL. MLB. NBA.

Two worlds. Two very different worlds that, in the end, aren't all that different.

In the world of high school, there's a big difference between the geeks and the jocks. The classic show Saved by the Bell did a good job at showing these differences. Of course, I still don't know what category Zach Morris fell into other than "egotistical douche". And then there's the show The Big Bang Theory that doesn't help this idea. The geeks know nothing about sports (except Sheldon who knows the rules of football but is not a fan of it.)

Don't get me wrong, I love The Big Bang Theory and used to watch Saved by the Bell consistently. But when it comes to stereotypes, they've done a good job at throwing a magnifying glass on them and saying "hey look how different these people are!"

Let's go back to my original question: you know what's awesome? Being yourself.

I've had various stereotypes placed on me for pretty much my whole life. (Guess it's fair, I sadly catch myself having placed them on others at times.) And you know what? Sometimes those stereotypes have been accurate. And, amazingly enough, they couldn't have been further from the truth.

In reality, I'm a fan of a lot of different things. I cycle through my obsessions...I mean...interests. And a lot of those interests stick around for a good portion of my life. There's been the Los Angeles Dodgers, WWF/WWE, 24th century Star Trek (between the TV shows and the books), Magic: The Gathering, Survivor (yes, the TV show, deal with it), The San Diego Chargers, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz (yes, I live here, but I root for the Lakers over the Jazz, again, deal with it), Batman (comics, video games, movies, and of course the TV show), Dr. Who (yes, I'm a late comer, but I'm almost caught up), Terry Brooks (quit telling me how bad it is, I like it), baking cupcakes/cookies, and many other things.

See, the thing about me (and my friend called ADD), I get bored over things a little easier than I wish. That's why I love the NFL (and my ever-disappointing Chargers) and the MLB (and my "we get your hopes up and then dash 'em" Dodgers) and the NBA (and my cyclical Lakers). These things go through their seasons. Especially when my teams disappoint (which is far too often). But eventually, I'll get to start a new season.

So even though my love of playing Magic is in a lull or it's been a while since I've watched Star Trek: TNG or NFL is about 100 days out, I'm able to enjoy Batman video games and catch up on Dr. Who while hoping the Dodgers can maintain a winning season.

My point here is, I don't have to be stuck in a stereotype. Yeah, I'm a geek. But I'm a casual geek. I'm a casual gamer. I'm a casual sports fan. But every once in a while I end up with obsessions...or rather, an interest that takes more than my casual time. Sometimes it lasts a week. Others it's a few months or so.

So, to sum up....

Alien abductions are involuntary, but probings are scheduled.

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