Revenge Of The Nerds

For many years, my wife has maintained that "geeks are always more interesting" than the relatively normal types not included in that sub-genre. More interesting than the "popular crowd" that would not have accepted either one of us back when such things were immediately important. I have alternately worn this comment as a badge of honor and shame, depending on the situation. It's a little like hearing that Lyle Lovett married Julia Roberts, and we all know how that ended. Or at least the geeks do.
Sometimes I get in trouble for tossing that label around: Geek. Not the circus performer, but the social outcast type, more interested in his or her collection of science fiction memorabilia than social interaction. I have a friend at school who makes a yearly pilgrimage to Comic-Con and keeps his collected comics "bagged and boarded." He also plays basketball on a city league team, and has a girlfriend. He happily embraces the epithet "nerd," but flinches when referred to as a "geek." Maybe he knows something I don't.
Or perhaps the world has begun to change. He is twenty years younger than I am, and it could be that the way these things are measured has become less severe. Jim Parsons just won an Emmy for playing what could be politely described as an extremely intelligent introvert: Sheldon. Though the character's name and demeanor don't necessarily exert manliness, Sheldon has become somewhat of a "chick magnet," that is if "Blossom" can be considered a "chick."
All of this comes as happy news to a man who lives with his movie posters and complete set of "Planet of the Apes" movies on DVD. But it may also mean that I have yet another confession to make: My wife, who is every bit as stunning as Julia Roberts, was right.